French champagne producers have turned their noses up at a rule change allowing British winemakers to add acid to this year’s vintage.
The British Government has permitted its winemakers to acidify their wine to compensate for the country’s hottest summer on record and protect its flavour.
Temperatures this summer reached an average of 21.3C, beating the previous record of 21C set in 1976. Hot weather accelerates the breakdown of natural malic acid inside grapes, raising the pH of wine.
Without enough acid, wine loses its crisp flavour and is at risk of spoiling as harmful bacteria and yeast can thrive, causing the wine to oxidise.
However, the change has raised eyebrows among some French winegrowers who said it went against their belief in the importance of “terroir” – the environmental factors that give wine its distinctive character and taste – and should be used only as a “last resort”.
Charles Philipponnat, whose family has been growing vines in the Champagne region for more than 500 years, told The Telegraph: “I personally don’t think it’s the right thing to do.
“I think it goes against the objective one may have to produce natural wines that are as close as possible to what the terroir may offer.”
In typically hot regions such as California, Australia and Argentina, it is common practice to add tartaric acid to wine to lower the pH, creating a protective barrier against contamination during and after fermentation.
Until now, the practice has not been sanctioned in the UK, where vineyards are categorised as zones A and B – Europe’s two coolest wine-growing regions.
However, soaring temperatures this year have left some English wine growers asking for a special dispensation.
Although the practice is permitted in France, it is frowned upon by traditional growers who place a premium on not artificially intervening in the flavour of the wine, instead using growing techniques to manage the acidity in their product.
Mr Philipponnat said: “We pride ourselves on not acidifying nor de-acidifying because we reckon it is entering an artificial or industrial process.
“We don’t want that because we want our wines to be true vintages. Vintages may vary, but we don’t want to compensate for that.
“In 27 years we haven’t done it even once. We have always lived with the acidity that nature or God has given us. I think any good winemaker that pays attention to how their terroir operates with the same philosophy.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) released a notice on Oct 2 allowing winemakers to add up to 4g of tartaric acid per litre of wine.
‘It’s a safety first policy’
Stephen Skelton, a wine consultant, said: “Traditionally, we have not needed and not been able to add acidity to wine.”
But with rising average temperatures in the UK, he said the practice was becoming necessary for some winegrowers to create a consistently reliable product.
“People who are making wine with no sugar, yeast or added acid end up with a wine with a very short shelf life,” he said. “Wine is designed to be kept – the finer wines are always ones that have lasted for a good few years. That’s what you are trying to make, and it’s safety first really. If you don’t add acid, it won’t have the freshness, and worst-case scenario, it goes brown and oxidises.”
Certain grape varieties are more likely to need additional acid than others, he said, such as Bacchus, Schönburger and early Pinot.
Criticising those who are opposed to acidifying wine, he said: “There’s loads of people who would rather make worse wine and cut off their noses to spite their faces.”
Adding acid is a ‘spiritual breach’
David Jackson, the head of Squelch Wines, said the question of adding acid to wine represented a “spiritual breach” for some British winegrowers.
“In the UK, we’ve built a premium product based on acidity,” he said. “We’ve said we can make really fantastic high-acidity wines. If UK manufacturers were to start acidifying their wines, it’s a bit of a spiritual breach of our position in the wine trade.”
Gusbourne Estate, one of Britain’s foremost sparkling wine producers, which is known for its high-acidity product, said there was “no need” to acidify its wine as this year’s grapes had the “perfect sugar and acid levels ideal for sparkling wines”.
However, experts said other producers were likely to be less fortunate. Mr Jackson said: “What Defra is doing here is giving the winemakers flexibility to deal with the weather conditions.
“Where you have really impending doomsday weather, adding acidity allows you to make a great wine from grapes that would otherwise go to waste.”
Gillian Jordan, a spokesman for WineGB, said British winegrowers had been dealt a trifecta of early spring frost, soaring summer temperatures and a lack of rain, lowering the acidity of the grapes.
However, she added: “It’s probably a small percentage rather than lots of people [adding acid to their wine]. Not everybody needs to do it. Some people have perfect acidity and don’t need to do it.”
Mr Philipponnat is less easily convinced. He said: “If the objective remains to make a good wine and they feel they make a better wine, they have their way, but I won’t change mine.”
Defra was approached for comment.