David Hulley
On Wine

How is your “Feinherb”?

Balance is everything in life. The prescription is a little bit of everything and not too much of any one thing. Wine is no exception. Being socially responsible and vigilant about the dangers of over indulgence — try as many different wines as you can and as often as possible. The general medically researched guideline given all normal factors is two to three glasses of wine per day for men and one to two glasses for women. I know the women reading this column are already crying “unfair” and “were the studies done by men?” The truth is that genetically speaking, men naturally have higher levels of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenese needed to metabolize all alcohol consumed. Therefore, men have higher tolerances for beverage alcohol and can safely drink more.

Balancing your wine enjoyment given the guidelines above does not allow you to save up your “allowed glasses” for a night of supreme revelry. Binge drinking certainly has a negative influence on your health and does not comply with the overall philosophy of balance. If you find yourself losing yours, you’ve definitely gone too far. Remember, when your head hits the pillow and you’ve not enjoyed your healthful glasses of wine for the day, they are gone forever.

Within wine itself, winemakers and consumers alike are looking for balance as well. The Germans have been resurrecting the term, “feinherb.” There is no precise translation in English as it applies to wine but “balance” would come close. Not only are they referring to the traditional acid sugar balance but also the flavours. “Feinherb” stretches further to describe how well a wine suits its consumer’s energy, balance and state of mind. In a way “feinherb” is describing a balance within a balance leading towards a healthful and enjoyable experience.

The idea of balancing sugar and acid in conjunction with the fruit flavours of the wine is not always well known. Furthermore, we need to add “oak” to the overall balance. As oak is generally not a significant factor in German wines they do not instinctively include it in “feinherb.”

Still, where does it all begin? Great winemakers know that they must first access the potential concentration of fruit in a wine before they can decide upon the appropriate “structure” and “accessories” that a balanced wine needs and more importantly can handle. This is a very difficult task, as decisions must be made in the vineyard before the grapes are even harvested. Only experience, talent and dedication to the craft will allow a winemaker to successfully “see into the future.” Great winemakers as with all great artists can see the finished product by just sensing and balancing in their minds the raw materials and the select group of techniques needed.

Balance is everything in life. Enjoy.