When is a wine not a wine? That question crossed my mind after I received a sample of the recently launched Giesen 0% New Zealand Chardonnay, a non-vintage bottling retailing at around $15 to $16.
Founded in Canterbury in the 1980s, Giesen is one of this country’s largest family-controlled wineproducers. Its standard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has long been hugely popular in Australia, and its rieslings consistently offer exceptional value.
Promoted as “perfect for … any time you’d prefer a glass of wine without the after effects”, Giesen 0% chardonnay was grown in Hawke’s Bay and North Canterbury. A spinning cone technique, involving heating and high-speed centrifugal forces, is used to remove alcohol from the wine, resulting in “not more than 0.5% alcohol by volume”, compared with chardonnay’s average alcohol content of 12.5% to 13.5%.
According to Giesen, the alcohol is removed, “leaving the beautiful aromas and flavours you expect from a great Giesen chardonnay wine”. If only things were that simple. Giesen 0% chardonnay is light and fruity, with fresh, crisp, gently sweet flavours that reminded me of apple juice. “Simple, easy sipping,” I jotted down.
But is a wine without alcohol still a wine? Imagine the All Blacks with no New Zealanders; a Schubert sonata with no melodies; a meat pie with no meat; the Listener with no book reviews.
The crucial contribution alcohol makes to our sensory enjoyment of wine is underestimated. Alcohol imparts hints of sweetness and bitterness, and has a crucial impact on the texture, or “mouthfeel” of wine. Wines that have low levels of alcohol taste “light” on the palate, while those with higher alcohol levels are more sturdy, even oily, with satisfying weight, richness and roundness.
According to the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine), wine’s “actual alcohol content shall not be less than 8.5% vol”. However, in certain vineyards, typically in regions with cool climates, and subject to local legislation, “the minimum total alcohol content may be able to be reduced to 7% volume …”
Critics of alcohol-free wines argue they try to “mimic” the tastes of traditional wines or are “over-manipulated”. Who will buy them? I suspect it’s consumers in a social situation wanting to be seen as joining in, while also keeping a clear head.
