Style or Trend?

What is wine style, what are our wine styles and how does this relate to the blends that we bottle?

How does one define wine style? Wines differ from each other in many subtle ways. Most red wines contain roughly 85% water, 12 to 15% ethanol, a few inorganic substances and a myriad of carbon-containing compounds including acids and phenolics. In addition to ethanol, it is the small components that make all the difference in determining wine style!

We can break down wine style into palate structure (influenced by ethanol, acids and phenolic compounds), flavour quality and flavour quantity. The interaction between these components affects the overall “balance” of a wine. In a more consumer-friendly nomenclature, we can define wines as big or light, elegant and rough, intensive vs. anonymous, etc..

Structurally speaking, big red wines generally have alot of alcohol (ethanol predominantly), prominent tannins (phenolics) and intense flavour. At the other end of the scale, elegance, is often associated with the opposite, low alcohol, higher acid levels and subtle, balanced flavours.
Wine can also have different flavour styles, for example, the Barossa is famous for it’s porty and jammy Shirazes, whilst some “cool” climate Shirazes from Victoria are known for their white pepper aroma!