INNOVATION IN WINE
Kiwi winemaker Dr John Forrest is a veteran in the industry, and has been involved in many cutting-edge initiatives. Now, as the demand for low-alcohol drinks grows, he is pioneering a new technique to create naturally lighter wines.
As the demand for low-alcohol drinks grows, Kiwi winemaker and industry veteran Dr John Forrest is pioneering a technique to create naturally lighter wines.
Neurophysiologist-turnedwinemaker Dr John Forrest is a man of science. So it’s no surprise that he’s using science to better understand the physiological process of grape-ripening and plant development, challenging the industry to be more sustainable and responsible.
When it comes to innovation in the NZ wine industry, Forrest has been leading the way for a number of years out of his Renwick-based, familyrun estate – Forrest Wines. Born and raised in the region, the PhD graduate from Otago University has a deep love and connection to the area, and an affinity for the wine it produces.
A member of the New Zealand Winegrowers Research Board, Forrest is perhaps best known as a founding and current executive member of the New Zealand Screwcap Initiative – which was launched in the early 2000s to advocate the use of screwcaps as an alternative to corks. Never content to rest, however, Forrest’s latest project is part of Appellation Marlborough Wine – an initiative that aims to
protect the integrity, authenticity and brand value of wines produced in the beautiful Marlborough region.
Passionate about the sustainable future of the industry, Forrest is also now pioneering a new grape-growing technique that produces a no- cost lower alcohol wine, which has the potential to get ahead of climate change. The technique “involves the removal of selected leaves to reduce the photosynthetic ability of the vine – resulting in the plant not being able to compensate and sugar is naturally lowered”, Forrest explains. He goes on to say that, “This [technique] can be used by wineries that are struggling to control the alcohol levels in their wines due to global warming.”
If you got lost in all the scientific jargon, the process is actually quite simple, Forrest says – and it comes down to the leaf. Or more specifically, how many leaves you have protecting the grapes at a particular time of year.
“On average there’s about 14 leaves to a shoot that contains a bunch of grapes,” Forrest states. “These leaves usually start growing between
Forrest was a founding member of the NZ Screwcap Initiative.
mid-September and early January. The research that I’ve done over the past 10 years has been to characterise those leaves from one to 14 and understand their sugar-producing function during the grape-ripening period. It takes about 60 days in New Zealand, on average, to ripen grapes. And over that time the ability of those 14 leaves to make sugar varies.”
Through his research Forrest has found that by removing two to three leaves in the middle of a shoot, the plant cannot compensate – and the sugar during this ripening period is naturally lowered. “By removing the leaves there’s fewer leaves that make significantly more sugar – with the net result being that the plant tends towards normal harvest date in April but contains around 30 to 40 per cent less sugar. But this doesn’t seem to dramatically alter the flavour of the grape or the colour pigment in the skin that gives the wine its colour,” Forrest explains.
This research has helped him develop and commercialise a new trellising and canopy management
system that effectively handles the ‘hang time’ of the grapes, giving them time to build their flavour and vigour.
However, having the older leaves protecting the grapes means they are far less active in taking in sunshine ‘energy’ and producing sugars, which raise the alcohol levels in the grapes.
With recent trends seeing a rise in low- or mid-strength beers, wine is following suit. People are now seeing wine as a part of mealtimes, and many are having a glass with most meals to complement their food. In this new culture, low-alcohol wines play a part in keeping blood alcohol levels in check and keeping hangovers at bay.
Low-alcohol wines are those that are under 10.5 per cent alcohol. They are often white – and like all wines, the quality depends on the producer. Grapes such as riesling can excel as low-alcohol wines, as exemplified in German- style rieslings. It is in this tradition that Forrest produced his first riesling (9.5 per cent alcohol).
“About 10 years ago I made a lower alcohol wine as a part of a series of rieslings with different sweetness levels, and introduced it to a tasting in Christchurch. Almost every woman in the room – and there were about 40 – commented positively that they like the idea of a lower alcohol wine. And I thought, ‘Wow, there is a commercial interest here’,” Forrest says.
This was the beginning of Forrest’s research into a natural way of producing lighter wines – something he says is in response to the “wellness revolution” that has consumed the world in the past decade.
“I came home the next day and I was talking to my wife. I said to her that if I could make sauvignon blanc that was four to five per cent lighter, it would be a real commercial winner. I actually said to her that I would make her a rich woman,” he laughs.
Forrest believes that this trend towards lighter wines is being led by women. “People are more aware of what they’re putting in their bodies. They want to be more conscious of the quality and authenticity of what they consume. They want to be putting fewer harmful chemicals – such as alcohol – into their bodies. That’s where I’ve had success – premium food companies wanting to deliver better quality product to market.”
Out of this grew The Doctors’ Innovation Through Excellence range of wines which champions new grape varieties and alternative winemaking techniques. “The next challenge was red grapes – and in 2017, after three years in the making, we produced a lower alcohol pinot noir. It was just released earlier this year,” Forrest says.
Speaking to the future of his innovative winemaking, Forrest says that he has an academic interest in zero per cent ‘alcohol’. “I am really looking at how that might be achieved, something along the Heineken model. I think this has huge potential.”
While the innovation has taken time, Forrest says the phone is ringing with interest from winemakers across the globe – and this Kiwi innovation could lead to big things for their companies and brands.