Wineland Article March 2008: Should wineries release some whites later?

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Should wineries release some whites later?

If some white wines drink better with bottle age, should they be released or held back for when they taste best? This has implications on wineries’ finances and consumer preferences, says KIM MAXWELL.

In New World countries, consumers are accustomed to buying whites in the year of vintage and drinking at their freshest and fruitiest. Many drink their wine purchases within 24 hours. If Sauvignon Blanc is South Africa’s most ordered and purchased white wine, it doesn’t take a detective to deduce that it’s mostly drunk within a few months after harvest.
Yet some styles apparently benefit from later release; so why aren’t more wineries holding their wines back? Steenberg Vineyards winemaker Ruth Penfold puts it down to short-sightedness of wineries. “One of the most crucial decisions often overlooked in the quest to get money back on wines is the release date. Often wines are hurried into bottle and on to the shelf before they are showing at their best. And consumers are expected to somehow know how long to wait before drinking them. It seems to me that a lot of the time and effort put into these wines is lost by suddenly skimping at the end,” she says.
Ruth reckons that white wines suffer from a lack of consumer understanding about whether they can age. And if they can age, how long is enough? “It should be the cellars’ responsibility to try to release close to when they think the wine will start drinking at its best – especially in the case of an established brand that can afford to,” she says.

“One of the most crucial decisions often overlooked in the quest to get money back on wines is the release date. Often wines are hurried into bottle and on to the shelf before they are showing at their best.”

Steenberg is considering holding back their Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, because both wines have “amazing ageing potential” and “historically have shown much better after six months to a year in the bottle”. Ruth finds their Sauvignon Blanc Reserve opens up much later than their regular premium Sauvignon. “It has a mature flavour profile that develops in the bottle. If we release it too early, it seems too quiet and unimpressive. But with a later release date, it shows its true character,” she explains.
With the Steenberg Sémillon, she reckons their style of new wood requires time to integrate the aromas, fruit and wood characters. “Sémillon has an amazing pH which protects it against spoiling and aids its ability to last in the bottle. Our style is rich, full and suitable for food – time gives the Sémillon a more balanced, fuller face,” she adds.
Cape Point Vineyards in neighbouring Noordhoek, has held back wines for at least a year before release, since the 2003 vintage. Duncan Savage says their whites have definitely benefited. “We started our first delayed release of the 2003 vintage, releasing it in Jan or Feb 2004. From the 2004 vintage, we released the whites even later in the following year. Over the years you get a feel, and we’ve now realised that by May of a given year, those secondary changes in bottle have started to be introduced,” he says. Cape Point has seen positive improvements with bottle time in their Sémillon, Sauvignon, Isliedh (Sémillon/Sauvignon blend) and Chardonnay, which explains the late release dates.
“We find sandier soils show earlier while clay-driven soils are ‘quieter’. Wines from the latter seem more austere on release. They give a hint of what you’ve got, but take their time. With six months to a year in bottle they show better,” he says. Wines from those sandier soils – the Woolworths and Stonehaven Sauvignon Blancs – released in the year of vintage, also keep the accountants happy.
Later releases have worked for Cape Point Vineyards in terms of consumer appeal and competition awards. But Carrie Adams of Johannesburg’s Norman Goodfellow’s reckons very few winemakers in SA make white wines to last. “Cape Point Vineyards make some lovely wines. But the regions also come into it. Constantia whites can age better than the rest. Also Elgin,” she says. “Oak Valley Sauvignon definitely benefits from a year or two in the bottle. Constantia Uitsig white blend and Sémillon comes to mind, and Elgin’s Iona ages quite nicely. There’s also the odd Chardonnay that benefits. But there are few South African wines that have benefited from age, so I’d be hesitant to advise customers to age in the bottle.”
Ruth believes most of Steenberg’s regular consumers understand enough about wine to appreciate the value of older vintages, even in whites. But she anticipates that some legwork is required at cellar door or restaurants to put forward the aging philosophy behind the wines. “There are only pros for this approach – the winery shows its wines that have been made with a lot of care, and gains ongoing recognition for a quality product. Consumers also experience the wine at its best.
Restaurants want to complement their food, and a wine that is fully developed gives the best opportunity,” she explains, but it’s not an easy step to take. “To make a change in release date means a financial burden on the winery. Clients will also have to plan ahead if stocking on wine lists or in wine shops. But if the wines are released later at their best, there is a chance that a higher price can be asked, which will counteract the frustration of having no stock initially.”
Duncan says it’s easier for boutique operations dealing in small volumes of wine, and supported by a regular customer base. “You get known for a certain thing. Doing it on large volumes would be a riskier process,” he says. South Africans generally struggle with the concept of ageable white wines. “The distinction I want to make is that this is not really an aged white, it’s one-year-old Sauvignon Blanc! I believe our CPV Sauvignons will easily go five years, he says. “But if you’ve been drinking current vintage Sauvignon all your life, you’re not going to adjust to our style that easily.”
The last word goes to wine retailer Vaughan Johnson at the V&A Waterfront. “I’m tired of winemakers saying: keep this wine for 15 years. Why would you? It’s like saying a car will keep for 30 years. White wines in this country are made for drinking young,” says Vaughan. He concedes that some Europeans are surprised to find 2007 wines available in the year of release. “But when they taste the wine, they realise why. The bottom line is that there is demand, but ageable whites are not essential,” he says. “I’m constantly disappointed by aged white wines. They’ve lost their essence and what was initially attractive about them. So yes, certain wines will benefit from limited ageing, but this obsession with age is misdirected. I don’t think there’s a big enough market in SA.”

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