This is an extremely interesting thread, one that I heard about this weekend and was excited to read. Interesting points all around, however, I think that you are all missing a huge point - 99.9% of the wines in the world are manipulated. Don't believe that? Well, sorry to pull back the curtain on the wizard. They are simply no "natural wines" Well, ok Gravner and Radikon. Whens the last time you drank more than a glass? The stakes are too huge, especially for the most high profile wines ie First Growth Bordeaux, Grand Cru Burg, the wines that you all think are pure. There is too much money at stake. Trust me, they dont tell these sort of things to sommeliers, but they do tell other winemakers, because they know they can't BS the people that know the tricks.
In Rod's definition, chaptalization, acid additions watering back, etc are all manipulation. Lets look at a so called manipulation - enzymes. Why would a winemaker use this? Because stress the vineyard, weather through site, low yield, deficit irrigation, etc causes low nitrogen levels in the grape. If you ferment with low nitrogen levels, you get slow sluggish fermentations resulting in off odor production ie H2S, VA, etc. And this is especially important if you are using so called "native fermentations" Dont even get me started on that one. (Unless you have been making wine in the same cellars for 20+ years, you dont have native yeast strains. You end up fermenting on something like EC118 or Pasteur red that someone used a few years back.) Try to pt that wine in the market and even the most hard core traditionalists will call it faulty. Without going through all the additives, I will tell you that everyone uses something to some form. (Id be happy to write a blog about Joe's suggestions, outlining what all these things do.) And the ones that you wouldn't suspect are the worst. In Walla Walla, we had a very famous French consultant with a pedigree at some of the most famous Old World wineries. The amount of additives I saw put in those wines was MIND BLOWING. Where do you think he learned to use that?
What I agree with is that if you are going to manipulate, however you define that, tell people that you do. I'll start.
At Gramercy, we use the following additives:
cultured yeasts. Why? I want to know what is fermenting my wine. Like I said, in a custom crush facility, native yeasts aren't strong enough to fight the commercial yeast used by other wineries. Id rather ferment on D21, D80 instead of EC 118 or who knows what.
Nutrients. - Our soils are nitrogen deficient. We need DAP and superfood to prevent stuck, slow fermentations.
Acid. I used .5g/l on the Walla Walla Syrah in 2005. Only once. Since then I instead top with cooler climate Columbia Valley Syrah and pick much earlier.
Water. I add water to many cuvees. Why? Because I don't want to make high alcohol wines. I pick very early, but sometimes you still need 5 gallons of water or so to take the wines down a bit. I see this as actually diluting a bit of flavor, or a lot of flavor, so you need to be more diligent in the vineyard.
And that's all we add. Also, we pick extremely early. I am almost always the first to pick a specific vineyard. I dont pick on flavor. Too late and too ripe by the time the grapes taste sweet. We dont use much new oak - max 10% on Syrah, 30% on Cab. Our wines are earthy and acid driven. So what does this create? It creates a HUGE uphill battle, one that few are willing to try to summit. The general consumer doesn't get our wines. They are too acidic and weird for the general consumer. They don't get 95+ points. So I work my ass off trying to get these wines into the market. (WHich I love, by the way) And the phase that totally drives me nuts and the reason for this post - when sommeliers say
"I love these wines, but we just can't sell them."
And there lies the problem, ladies and gentlemen of the wine world. If you are going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk and stop buying wines "because they sell." If you want to make a change, you have to start with your buying practices. they game is exactly the same for the winery as well as the wine buyer. They winery is trying to make a product that they are both happy with AND that they can sell. And, for 99.9% of the restaurants/retailers, they are trying to create a list that customers will buy from. We are all feeding the same demon.
I lie awake at night wondering if I should change the style, it would sure be an easier life. I'd get much higher scores, sell out quickly and worry a heck of a lot less. But my heart just tells me no. I won't manipulate for higher alcohol, more fruit, etc. I want pure and natural wines. But we have to start seeing broad support for this in the market. Or the guys that really want to make these wines will either give up or be forced to give up.