The question
People often say European wines taste different in Europe because the junk we get here is supposedly full of chemicals added to stabilize the wine for export. What’s your take?
The answer
There are almost as many conspiracy theories about wine as about politics or UFOs. European wines sold here in North America are, at least generally speaking, the very same as the identically labelled products in their home markets. I’m unaware of a concerted effort by foreign producers to dope up their wines to make them better able to withstand a sea journey. There is no “Gravol” for wine.
The main wine additive designed as both a preservative as well as a stabilizer is sulphur dioxide, which protects against oxidation and keeps microbes at bay. But it’s been in use since antiquity and almost all wines today contain at least some added sulphur dioxide – regardless of where they’re destined to be sold.
People who buy into the conspiracy theory perhaps fail to appreciate that wine is, relatively speaking, a pretty stable food product. It contains germ-killing alcohol, for one thing, and generally more alcohol than beer, so it’s a lot more stable than your favourite lager or ale. It also contains acidity (not the case with most beer), and acidity is another natural preservative. And red wines specifically are protected additionally by tannins from the skins and seeds of the grape as well as from oak barrels. Tannins are natural antioxidants.
This is not to say there aren’t foreign substances in a lot of the wine we drink. But most of the additives in wine today – and, yes, there are many in the winemaker’s arsenal – are designed to deliver a specific flavour profile, not designed to preserve the wine.
Think about this: We all know that many fine wines are able to age gracefully for decades. This has always been the case, long before the notion of modern additives entered our consciousness. Conclusion: Wine needs no preservatives to handle a sea voyage.
Beppi Crosariol will once again be participating as The Globe’s wine expert on the July 2019 Globe and Mail Seine River Cruise. For details on how to reserve your cabin on this voyage down the Seine from Paris to Normandy visit GlobeNormandyCruise.com.
E-mail your wine and spirits questions to Beppi Crosariol. Look for answers to select questions to appear in the Wine & Spirits newsletter and on The Globe and Mail website.