Is alcohol the key?

We have been discussing the whole modern/traditional winemaking issue here for a while.

The other night I opened a Chateau d'Armailhac 2000.
This wine can sometimes be a bit farmyardy/bretty. This was very clean. Balanced restrained and elegant. Each glass better than the previous.
It was 12.5% alc. Increasingly I'm drawn to these lower alcohol wines.
last night I had a Cyril Henschke 1999. This is a well regarded wine and it was enjoyable.
But it was 14.5% and while it seemed balanced in the mouth there was a burning sensation in the stomach. Warming on an autumn night to be sure but I can't help wondering if it might not have been more enjoyable turned down a notch.
I know it's difficult for a country like Australia/Spain to do very much about alcohol as the grapes ripen due to the warm climate.(perhaps earlier picking?)

Ray

Growing at higher altitude maybe?

Agree with you, of course!

Maybe an earlier picking give us some other problems... it's hard, from my point of view, the balance among the different kind of rippeness.

Regards,

Jose

Latly we have been looking into a technique of lowering the alchol content by cold centrifuge. it seems to have little effect on the quiality of the wine. it could be a mater of time until we begin to make lower in alchol wines. but in spain we like drinking,,,, alot.....

I´m not sure if early picking could be the solution.As you said, Spain has to deal especially with warm climate, but you also have to pay attention to phenolic ripeness. Maybe in the near future we´ll be able to figure it out.

Interesting theme. I´m also not sure about the early picking solution as here in Valencia they commenced the picking of whites for cava 2 weeks earlier than normal this year.The rest of the crop is now being picked a month earlier than 30 years ago because of climate change We had a long hot dry summer which has produced healthy grapes but at least one quality bodega is writing off its red crop for tinto crianza and reserva wines and proposes to make a bobal dulce instead because of the effect. I´m not convinced that the earlier picking here would have acheived lower alcohol levels on this evidence!

It may work elsewhereI agree but I agree with Jose that it could also adversely affect ripeness.

Riki

Those are all good points and for sure the climate brings problems along with benefits.
But I think for many producers high alcohol levels also means higher points.