Meet Brett…
Brandon MarcI thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce you to an all too familiar member of the international wine industry, Brettanomyces… or just Brett for short. For those of you who are unaware of Brett’s specific role in the wine industry, let me explain…
Brett is a yeast able to grow quite comfortably in wine, converting glucose into large amounts of acetic acid and other complex compounds. These compounds, at low levels, can in fact enhance the overall complexity of wine producing a pleasing result in the opinions of most winemakers. However, it is when these compounds exceed a certain threshold that these results become negative rather than positive. It is in this regard that Brett can be considered a spoilage yeast in the wine industry.
But what does this have to do with the South African wine industry? Brett has been around forever, but he is thought to be a potential culprit when considering the unwelcome ‘earthy characters’ being detected in many, but not all, South African wines.
This fact has been recently highlighted at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show when Jane MacQuitty was quoted in describing a ‘burnt rubber’ characteristic odour on many South African Wines. A sentiment opposed by numerous prominent figures in the South African wine industry.
“By no means do all South African reds have these characteristics, and one suspects that UK critics are a little guilty of auto-suggestion: Show them a South African red and they experience the aroma of wheel-spinning Pirellis even when it’s not there.”
- Christian Eedes, WINE magazine editor (July 2008 edition)
In my opinion, biochemical problems associated with wine are so complex that a single fault will be difficult to pin down. However, for the sake of the South African wine industry I hope that a solution is found and that the odour of burnt rubber, real or not, dissipates forever.
Cheers!
Brandon Marc
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Comments
justfoodnow (Who am I?) So I haven’t lost my mind, after all. Why then, this reluctance by the experts and winemakers to admit to it?
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Brandon Marc (Who am I?) @justfoodnow: Personally I feel that the issue has been a bit ‘over-cooked’. However, I think the reason for the silence of many winemakers and specialists is that no one wants to comment until a culprit has been identified. There are studies currently underway, which should be producing results soon.
I myself do not believe it’s a simple Brett fault, but have my own theory which will be featuring as a post here on My Wine Cellar in the very near future.
Brandon Marc
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Rather interesting…….much more is happening inside that bottle than we realize!