Tarnished Silver Nitrate?

Martin Field

Tarnished silver nitrate?

The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) has recommended that legal proceedings be initiated against the Riverland winery Kingston Estate following the discovery that "small quantities of silver nitrate had been added to some wines that had been exported." The legal action follows investigation of claims by two American work exchange students that Kingston Estate had added a prohibited substance, silver nitrate, to wine and that contrary to regulations, grape tannins were used to colour sultana grape juice to produce red wine.

Silver nitrate is an allowed wine additive in New Zealand and a few European countries where it is used to suppress mercaptans and other nasty sulphurous wine odours. AWBC General Manager Sam Tolley said, "The level of silver detected…did not represent a risk to public health." In contrast to Mr Tolley’s confident assurance my research indicates that silver nitrate is a known toxic and corrosive chemical which, according to the Columbia Encyclopedia, can possibly cause "growth abnormalities or genetic modifications…mutations in DNA and living cells…and tumours."

Mr Tolley said the allegations, concerning the addition of tannin to change the colour of white grape juice, were also investigated but were not substantiated.

Given that this case only came to light through the efforts of a couple of whistleblowers, consumers may well wonder at the quality and efficacy of Australia’s wine regulatory system. Meanwhile the spin doctors at Kingston Estate are no doubt pondering the appropriateness of their latest advertising campaign which features the slogan, "Red without rules."

Pending the AWBC investigation two large retail chains in the UK, Tesco and Waitrose, withdrew Kingston Estate wines from their shelves. Whatever the outcome of legal proceedings the reports will inevitably have a disastrous effect on Kingston Estate’s local and international markets. And even the hint of a wine scandal clearly has the potential to tarnish Australia’s standing as an exporter of top quality wine to the world.

Drinking

Australian wine standards diluted

Following a review of wine industry standards the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) has recommended to Australian wine regulatory bodies that lower wine production standards should be implemented.

According to the April edition of the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation’s newsletter "The Wine Contact" the ANZFA proposals would allow "previously prohibited ingredients" to be used in Australian winemaking. If these recommendations, which the newsletter says "reflect current international best practice", are accepted, winemakers will be allowed to add sugar, unlimited water, spirits and any food additives during the winemaking process. Further they will be permitted to make wine from juice concentrate rather than fresh grapes.

Sounds like sheer lunacy to me. Clearly these changes have the potential to damage and undermine Australia’s excellent reputation as a producer of clean, fruit-driven wine. The history of winemaking abroad and in this country is littered with cases of wine fraud and illegal adulteration. Removal or diminution of standards in this manner can only provide incentive to dodgy winemakers to increase profits by using water to dilute, using spirits and/or sugar to increase alcoholic strength and using food additives to change flavours and colours to mask defects or for cosmetic effect.

As the mere suggestion of fraudulent winemaking can lead to devastating effects on a country’s wine exports one can only hope that the ANZFA and wine industry peak bodies will consult with exporters and wine consumers before they implement such drastic and unnecessary "best practice" changes.

Winepros

Timing is everything. The launch of the wine portal, Winepros on 31 March, was shortly followed by the e-commerce stock market "correction" which saw the company’s share price fall from around $1.30 to $0.70. Major shareholders, including Len Evans, James Halliday and directors of HarperCollins and Coles Myer, may still be crying in their champagne.

And how will Winepros make a profit for shareholders? Well, through sales commissions and the sale of site advertising space presumably. Visitors to Winepros can buy wine via Vintage Cellars and books from Dymock’s Books. But in such a competitive marketplace the commission on already discounted profit margins on wine and books is sure to be slim. Winepros accountants must be praying for enormous advertising revenues. The site is worth a look. Their launch blurb boasts 10,000 pages of information, a host of famous wine writers, 5,000 tasting notes and 1,200 Australian winery profiles.

Highlight for me is online access to Jancis Robinson’s brilliant Oxford Companion to Wine. Will I be buying Winepros shares? Nope.

Wine Q&As

Astrid of Alphington writes that she has had a bad run with three dessert wines tasted recently, she believes they were all corked. One smelt like kerosene, she reports, two were metallic and flat. "Do botrytised wines go off more easily because of their high sugar content?" she asks.

Firstly, the problems do not sound like cork taint, which is usually manifested as a musty, mildewy smell and taste. While the wines should not taste metallic a faint hint of not unlikeable kerosene character is sometimes detected in both sweet and dry rieslings, especially aged bottles. Botrytised wines - those made from grapes affected by the fungus known as noble rot - are no more susceptible to wine faults than other wines and can in fact exhibit greater longevity than many dry table wines.

Tastings

Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 1999

Pale gold. Aromatic pears and passionfruit on the nose. This New Zealand white shows a fruity palate, is softly acidic but finishes a touch short. Rating: bronze. Cellar: to 2003. Price: RRP $16.

St Leonards Chardonnay 1999

Light yellow. Ripe peaches bouquet underpinned with sweet oak. This soft white from Rutherglen is a generous mouth filler with a pleasant aftertaste. Rating: silver. Cellar: to 2003. Price: $15. Cellar door only, phone (02) 6033 1922.

Penfolds RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz 1997 Penfolds Grange 1995

I tasted these new releases from Penfolds at Harry’s Liquor annual shiraz tasting and the next day presented a masked sample of the Grange to friends over lunch. At the Harry’s tasting I much preferred the RWT (initials for red winemaking trial) at less than a third of the price of Grange. My notes for the RWT include the line "peppery, lifted varietal, elegant French oak, balanced clean style, lovely wine." Rating: trophy. Cellar: to 2012. Price: around: $80.

My notes for the Grange, "Developed tawny edge, ripe blackberries, lots of American oak, a less plummy leaner style than usual from the poorish ’95 vintage, won’t age as well as previous vintages." At the lunch one guest - a professional palate - picked the masked wine as Grange. "Massive fruit and oak." he said. "Vulgar, but I love it." Rating: gold. Cellar: to 2010. Price around $295.

Greg Norman Estates Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot 1998

Dark crimson, hint of purple. Dusty black currant nose. Rich full-bodied style, fine tannins support berry fruit leading to firm dry finish. Best with main course dishes. Rating: gold. Cellar: to 2005. Price: RRP $25.

Morris Liqueur Muscat

Ruddy mid-amber. Pungent spiced raisins on the nose. The upfront raisin character continues to the palate where the fruit shows some development. Finishes dry and nutty. Rating: silver. Price: $15 the 500ml bottle.

Red Hill Estate Pinot Noir Chardonnay 1997

Lemon-gold with the faintest pink hue, smallish bead. Floral nose, hint of yeast lees. Full-flavoured style, dry and clean with a lingering finish of integrated acid. Excellent with entrée courses. Rating: silver. Cellar: to 2004. Price: RRP $28.

Hanging Rock The Jim Jim Sauvignon Blanc 1999

Almost water pale. Upfront nose of ripened kiwifruit. Medium dry in the mouth and mid-weighted, soft acids support delicate fruitiness. The finish is somewhat short. Prefer as an aperitif. Rating: silver. Cellar: to 2002. Price: RRP$22.

Brown Brothers Nebbiolo 1996

Light red, shade of tawny on the rim. Inviting nose of mature sweet berries and subtle oak. Beautifully balanced red, the developed savoury flavours nicely intermixed with blackberry like fruit. Firm tannins leave the mouth with a likeable grip. Ideal with main course foods. Rating: gold. Cellar: to 2005. Price: RRP $16.50.

Martin Field