THE DRY COUNTY WINE REVIEW: RE-IMAGINING CHAPITALIZATION
Chapitalization is the somewhat controversial, somewhat common addition of sugar to wine to boost its alcohol content. The amount of sugar present in grape juice is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol it will produce. Chapitalization is an extremely regulated process, generally only allowed in regions where the sugar content of the grapes, or brix, consistently struggles to make it to a desired level of the producer. The controversy comes from winemakers and consumers alike: that you're messing with the nature of the ferment; or from the farmers: you're cheating by choosing your own alcohol percentage. If you're still with me, here's where it gets interesting.Nearly every––and I challenge you to find any DIY winemaking book in this country that doesn't say it––recipe I've ever found requires that you add pounds of sugar to any wine not consisting of grapes. POUNDS. The reason being is that many fruits have comparatively low sugar contents. Grapes are incredibly sweet, most other fruits pale in comparison. Blueberries, for example, hover around 10-14 brix where grapes often eclipse 20. The attraction to adding sugar is that it measurably raises the brix level, ferments quickly and efficiently, and is easily adjustable. The downside of sugar is that, well, it's sugar. It has next to zero nutritional properties. Despite the fact that I've made wine with everything from blueberries to apples, I have never added cane sugar to my wines and never will. However, I've definitely chapitalized. Even the most die-hard of skeptics will typically agree that a spoonful of honey is good for you. Local honey is a big market these days because of its nutritional and antiallergenic qualities. Honey is, almost without exception, one of the single most nutritious substances in the world. They say one could easily subsist on honey and water forever. When the brix level of my ferment requires higher sugar contents, I happily chapitalize with honey. Honey is almost twice as sweet as sugar so it must be used cautiously. Also, it takes a lot longer to ferment. But like our papa farmer, Eric, always said "Everything worthwhile takes time," and wine is no different. I used a couple cups each in the blackberry and wild berry wines which both took forever but turned out nearly perfect, and arguably all the more healthy for it. Adding honey to our ferments also contributes to the diversity of the drink itself. I like to assume diversity is to wine what diversity is to everything else: healthy.Originally, I was opposed to the idea. I felt the pressure of the purity dogma––that any addition is blasphemy. Whatever, I enjoy adding honey to wine. If done right, the wine will turn out not only palatable, but entirely comparable to grape wine. To attest to my strange luck, Hannah is an aspiring bee-keeper. Once we have our bee operation up and running on the farm I will have an extremely fresh supply of the stuff after a couple years. Already bubbling with microbiology and nutrition, I'd be a fool not to employ it.- Jesse.
