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From: NewsMax Health

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6. Whats in Wine? (You May Not Want to Know)

You know the old saw about sausage the one that says if you love it,
you should never watch it being made. Well, it turns out the same
thing may be true about wine, and the government may end up being as
heavily in involved in policing the making of wine as it is in the
grinding of sausage: Federal regulators are contemplating changing the
rules for wine labels, and after you read a new label or two, you may
never drink another drop.

It turns out that labels may have to tell whats really in that fancy
bottle, and common ingredients in wine are (no joke) fish, milk,
chicken, and wheat products. Sometimes an agent called Mega Purple is
thrown in for coloring. (It comes in purple, red, pink, and white.)
Sometimes oak chips are added, and other additives may include grape
juice concentrate, tartaric acid, oak gall nuts, citric acid,
dissolved oxygen, water, copper, and other items too numerous to
mention.

No one doubts that such labeling would tend to take the romance and
mystery out of buying wine, since current labels focus on things like
special soils, ideal climate conditions, and the arcane knowledge and
ancient skills of little old winemakers. Current rules only require
that labels disclose alcohol content and whether sulfites are present,
and must warn against drinking when pregnant or while driving. And
this is the way the Wine Institute, which is the industrys primary
lobbying arm, says it should be.

The Wine Institute says ingredient labels would bring traditional wine-
making practices into public controversy for no good reason. Clark
Smith, chairman of Vinovation, a California firm that uses additives
to turn not-so-great vats of wine from over 1,000 winery clients into
salable goods, said, Why freak out the ignorant when we are adjusting
something that is already there in the wine?

On the other hand, industry consultants like Leo McCloskey, president
of Enologix, a California company that has analyzed over 70,000 wines,
disagreed and said that the best wines dont rely on additives. The
wine industry is completely unregulated, he said. It would be useful
to have labels that detail everything in a wine. It would tell the
consumer what they are drinking.

The squabble stems from a 2004 congressional mandate which requires
labeling to disclose allergens, including specifically labeling for
alcoholic beverages. Currently, derivatives from milk, chicken, wheat,
and fish are allowed in wine, and the feds say people need to be
warned. These derivatives are used as fining agents during the wine-
making process (e.g., albumen from egg whites may be added to remove
tannins), and the Wine Institute says there is no way to prove the
allergens are actually present in wine.

Is there some slight trace of these agents left in the wine? It is
very difficult to detect, said Gordon Burns, co-founder of ETS
Laboratories, another California analysis company. How many wineries
practice some sort of fining? Burns says almost all of them to some
extent.

Before the 2004 mandate, the last attempt at labeling was when Jimmy
Carter tried to stick his nose in the vintners business. By the time
his administration got the regulations ready to roll out, however,
Reagan was in the White House and rescinded them with a stroke of the
executive pen before they could take effect.

Whos pushing for labeling this time around? A coalition of consumer
groups led by a well-known organization that many regard as suspect in
its intentions if not downright deceptive: the Center for Science in
the Public Interest. Proposed rules are expected to be published later
this year by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.


-----------------------------------

ps;

and ps: campagna floated bad wine as bulk alcohol wihtout licensure
already and its out there and maybe vinovation perked it and because
campagna paid $2,000 for bush jr's primary in alexandria va and got
his phoney blue-blooded virginians to do likewise, he's getting a free
pas from the ttb? or so it seems.

doesn't swharzenegger know that bad practices can lead to the death of
an industry? he should ask his bootlegging relatives (the kennedy's )
about this or is smith a kennedy just following on ihe family
tradition?

so much for the california wine industry.

In article . com>,
DENDRONISTA > wrote:
> Prev Next Normal view To:
>From: NewsMax Health

Ah, yes, NewsMax, that paragon of journalistic integrity.

>so much for the california wine industry.

Yes, this sort of stuff never happens in other wine-producing areas of
the world. Please get a grip, a clue, and out of ba.food.

rone
--
The Famous Pedant-o-Sig! | "With CALLOUS disregard for his
Suggestions to > | pain, she ripped his CALLUS off."

If you really want to know:
http://www.awri.com.au/analytical_se...sp?additive=89

--
Steve Slatcher
http://pobox.com/~steve.slatcher

In article >,
Steve Slatcher > wrote:
>If you really want to know:
>http://www.awri.com.au/analytical_se...sp?additive=89

That tells you additives permitted by country only. California
has restrictions that other states don't have. For example
chaptalization - adding sugar - isn't legal in California
(regardless of its alleged rampancy), although it's permitted and
downright necessary in other states that can't grow grapes with
sufficient sugar content.

-A

In article . com>,
DENDRONISTA > wrote:
>It turns out that labels may have to tell whats really in that fancy
>bottle, and common ingredients in wine are (no joke) fish, milk,
>chicken, and wheat products.

Don't forget toe jam! Some of the best wine is stomped by feet, the
old fashioned way.

-A [happy that my uncle's winery adds nothing but what the grapes provide]

On Jul 7, 6:00 pm, DENDRONISTA > wrote:
> Prev Next Normal view To:
> From: NewsMax Health
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------*-----
>
> 6. Whats in Wine? (You May Not Want to Know)
>
> You know the old saw about sausage the one that says if you love it,
> you should never watch it being made. Well, it turns out the same
> thing may be true about wine, and the government may end up being as
> heavily in involved in policing the making of wine as it is in the
> grinding of sausage: Federal regulators are contemplating changing the
> rules for wine labels, and after you read a new label or two, you may
> never drink another drop.

<snip>

As long as my bottle of juice doesn't have a high proportion of pork-
fat, I'm not bothered.

Dan-O

In article >,
Mike Tommasi > wrote:
>axlq wrote:
>> In article >,
>> Steve Slatcher > wrote:
>>> If you really want to know:
>>> http://www.awri.com.au/analytical_se...sp?additive=89
>>
>> That tells you additives permitted by country only. California
>> has restrictions that other states don't have. For example
>> chaptalization - adding sugar - isn't legal in California
>> (regardless of its alleged rampancy), although it's permitted and
>> downright necessary in other states that can't grow grapes with
>> sufficient sugar content.
>
>Maybe those states should grow other other fruit...

Well, certain grapes grow best in areas outside California.
Muscadine, for example, does better in southeastern states like
Florida (that's where it's been grown since the 16th century).

The grape doesn't have as much natural sugar as other species -
but it has a higher resveratrol content than *any* other species,
giving the wine possible health benefits. Conversely, grapes like
Zinfandel, Cabernet Savignon, and Mission aren't suited for Florida.

-A

On Jul 7, 3:00 pm, DENDRONISTA > wrote:
>
> You know the old saw about sausage the one that says if you love it,
> you should never watch it being made. Well, it turns out the same
> thing may be true about wine,...

I'd much rather watch wine being made than sausages.

I'd have no problem spending the rest of my life working in a winary,
and I've considered going back to school and studying enology and
viticulture.

I don't think I'd mind watching sausages being made either. :-)
The turning the meat into sausages I don't see as being that bad to
watch.
I'm not sure I'd want to watch the parts that take place in
the slaughter house, however.

In article >, (axlq)
wrote:

> In article >,
> Steve Slatcher > wrote:
> >If you really want to know:
> >http://www.awri.com.au/analytical_se...sp?additive=89
>
> That tells you additives permitted by country only. California
> has restrictions that other states don't have. For example
> chaptalization - adding sugar - isn't legal in California
> (regardless of its alleged rampancy), although it's permitted and
> downright necessary in other states that can't grow grapes with
> sufficient sugar content.
>
> -A

In California, you are more likely to add water to cut sugar.

D.M.

In article >,
Donald Martinich > wrote:
>In article >, (axlq)
>wrote:
>> Steve Slatcher > wrote:
>> >If you really want to know:
>> >http://www.awri.com.au/analytical_se...sp?additive=89
>>
>> That tells you additives permitted by country only. California
>> has restrictions that other states don't have. For example
>> chaptalization - adding sugar - isn't legal in California
>> (regardless of its alleged rampancy), although it's permitted and
>> downright necessary in other states that can't grow grapes with
>> sufficient sugar content.
>
>In California, you are more likely to add water to cut sugar.

Actually, I don't see anyone adding water, but rather letting it
ferment and then using a molecular filter to remove the excess
alcohol. At least, that's true for smaller wineries specializing in
big-flavored reds; they absolutely don't want to water it down.

-A

axlq wrote:
> In article >,
> Steve Slatcher > wrote:
>> If you really want to know:
>> http://www.awri.com.au/analytical_se...sp?additive=89
>
> That tells you additives permitted by country only. California
> has restrictions that other states don't have. For example
> chaptalization - adding sugar - isn't legal in California
> (regardless of its alleged rampancy),

Though adding sugar isn't legal in CA, adding concentrated grape
juice is. Afterall, what's wine but fermented grape juice? Look
for the blue plastic barrels outside winery production facilities...

Dana

axlq wrote:
> In article >,
> Donald Martinich > wrote:
>> In article >, (axlq)
>> wrote:
>>> Steve Slatcher > wrote:
>>>> If you really want to know:
>>>> http://www.awri.com.au/analytical_se...sp?additive=89
>>> That tells you additives permitted by country only. California
>>> has restrictions that other states don't have. For example
>>> chaptalization - adding sugar - isn't legal in California
>>> (regardless of its alleged rampancy), although it's permitted and
>>> downright necessary in other states that can't grow grapes with
>>> sufficient sugar content.
>> In California, you are more likely to add water to cut sugar.
>
> Actually, I don't see anyone adding water, but rather letting it
> ferment and then using a molecular filter to remove the excess
> alcohol. At least, that's true for smaller wineries specializing in
> big-flavored reds; they absolutely don't want to water it down.

It depends on what your goal is. Adding water is not uncommon,
but not in big-flavored wines.

Dana

In article >,
Dana Myers > wrote:
>axlq wrote:
>> In article >,
>> Steve Slatcher > wrote:
>>> If you really want to know:
>>> http://www.awri.com.au/analytical_se...sp?additive=89
>>
>> That tells you additives permitted by country only. California
>> has restrictions that other states don't have. For example
>> chaptalization - adding sugar - isn't legal in California
>> (regardless of its alleged rampancy),
>
>Though adding sugar isn't legal in CA, adding concentrated grape
>juice is. Afterall, what's wine but fermented grape juice? Look
>for the blue plastic barrels outside winery production facilities...

Interesting. I never noticed that in any of the wineries I have
visited, but then, I don't visit the big commercial operations
(why should I when I can buy their wine more cheaply at Costco?).
Certainly the winery my family is involved in never does that. In
my view, you should get what you get from the grapes you grow, and
add nothing extra.

-A

axlq wrote:
> In article >,
> Dana Myers > wrote:

>> Though adding sugar isn't legal in CA, adding concentrated grape
>> juice is. Afterall, what's wine but fermented grape juice? Look
>> for the blue plastic barrels outside winery production facilities...
>
> Interesting. I never noticed that in any of the wineries I have
> visited, but then, I don't visit the big commercial operations
> (why should I when I can buy their wine more cheaply at Costco?).

It's not just the big commercial operations; small producers
might do it, too. The goal isn't always to increase alcohol;
the concentrate also adds color (at least one Wine Spectator
"Wine of the Year" in recent history from a very small
producer was rumored to have done exactly this).

Dana

In article >,
Dana Myers > wrote:
>>> Though adding sugar isn't legal in CA, adding concentrated grape
>>> juice is. Afterall, what's wine but fermented grape juice? Look
>>> for the blue plastic barrels outside winery production facilities...
>>
>> Interesting. I never noticed that in any of the wineries I have
>> visited, but then, I don't visit the big commercial operations
>> (why should I when I can buy their wine more cheaply at Costco?).
>
>It's not just the big commercial operations; small producers
>might do it, too. The goal isn't always to increase alcohol;
>the concentrate also adds color (at least one Wine Spectator
>"Wine of the Year" in recent history from a very small
>producer was rumored to have done exactly this).

I wonder if the difference can be tasted? For two reasons:

1. Wine is made from raw grapes, whereas concentrated grape juice is
(as far as I know) made from heated grape juice, which effectively
pasteurizes it and changes the flavor. Sort of like the difference
between fresh-squeezed orange juice and frozen concentrated orange
juice; the latter has been cooked, and tastes that way.

2. Concentrated grape juice (at least the frozen kind you buy in the
grocery store) is made from Concord grapes, which have a decidedly
different flavor than most wine varietals.

Maybe the concentrate is used only in blended wines? I can't see a
winemaker using it for varietal wines.

-A

I'm not sure one can legally add CONCENTRATED grape juice
to wine must in California. Regular grape juice, yes.

Steve

Steve Pope wrote:
> I'm not sure one can legally add CONCENTRATED grape juice
> to wine must in California. Regular grape juice, yes.

I believe this is the relevant regulation:

http://www.wineinstitute.org/industr.../dhs_17010.htm

Also see: http://tinyurl.com/3xc8md


The following provisions shall apply to wines produced in California:

(a) Sugar Use. No sugar, or material containing sugar, other than
pure condensed grape must, and no water in excess of the minimum
amount necessary to facilitate normal fermentation, may be used
in the production or cellar treatment of any grape wine ...

Note that "condensed grape must" is explicitly legal. If not, the
wineries would be more careful to hide those blue barrels...

DAna

axlq wrote:

> I wonder if the difference can be tasted?

Depends on how much concentrate is used. A little, used to
add color, will have less impact than a lot (used to add
sugar).

> For two reasons:
>
> 1. Wine is made from raw grapes, whereas concentrated grape juice is
> (as far as I know) made from heated grape juice, which effectively
> pasteurizes it and changes the flavor. Sort of like the difference
> between fresh-squeezed orange juice and frozen concentrated orange
> juice; the latter has been cooked, and tastes that way.

Of course.

> 2. Concentrated grape juice (at least the frozen kind you buy in the
> grocery store) is made from Concord grapes, which have a decidedly
> different flavor than most wine varietals.

One can concentrate any kind of grape juice, including varietal grapes.

> Maybe the concentrate is used only in blended wines? I can't see a
> winemaker using it for varietal wines.

I can think of several examples of where concentrate (aka condensed
grape must) has been used in varietal wines. If you're adding just
a little for color and/or to raise residual sugar, it won't change
the varietal flavor, at least not much. Think of red wines that
are a bit "light", for example...

Dana

Dana Myers > wrote:

>Steve Pope wrote:

>> I'm not sure one can legally add CONCENTRATED grape juice
>> to wine must in California. Regular grape juice, yes.

>I believe this is the relevant regulation:

Thanks.

Steve