Winemakers: the chefs of wine

Many in the wine trade would like you to believe that wine virtually makes itself; that their wine is an expression of nature with variety, vineyard, vintage and vineyard practices producing grapes which man hardly touches before it reaches your glass: a nice, wholesome picture, but not an accurate one.

The truth is that the winemaker, through a number of key choices in the wine making process and through the quality of their work, has a huge and decisive impact on what the wine will taste like.  Wine making is like cooking: the chef matters.  In my kitchen, with my ingredients, Jamie Oliver can produce something vastly superior to what I can cobble together; so too in the winery, all winemakers are not created equal.

Instead of pretending that the work in the winery is a mere footnote, we should celebrate the amazing creativity and hard work of the winemaker in producing a delicious and interesting wine. 

The comparison with cooking can be further extended into the style of a wine the winemaker chooses.  Like cooking, wine making can involve diligently following a traditional recipe that is a proven favourite or boldly experimenting with new ideas.  As with food, I love successful examples of both traditional and modern styles of wine.

Over the next few months we’ll explore some of the key choices and techniques winemakers have, and which you can taste in the glass, including:

• Yeasts: the microscopic party animals

• Sulphur and oxygen: the salt and pepper of wine making

• Oak barrels: history and fashion

• Cork versus screw caps

• Cellaring: designing wine to improve with age

At Summertown Wine Café we have detailed tasting notes, including wine making notes on all the wines, so if you want to taste the brilliance of the winemaker for yourself, come along and do a tasting anytime.

Rob Malcolm