In a first for South Africa, an entire cellar of sauvignon blanc wine has been embargoed after tests showed that the winemaker had added flavourants.
The Liquor Products Act states that no substance other than those mentioned in the act may be added or taken from liquor.
In 2003, the Wine and Spirits Board tested about 300 sauvignon blanc samples, representing about a quarter of all South African sauvignon blanc wines. One sample was found to contain an additive.
The name of the cellar cannot be revealed, said board chairperson Jakob Deitz, as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is checking the board's findings.
Continues Below ↓
| Results are expected in a month |
Results are expected in a month. The case will go to court if it is confirmed that flavourant was added.
Some outraged winemakers believe that the illegal practice of adding flavourants to wine is widespread.
Said Andre van Rensburg, winemaker at Vergelegen: "We're actually surprised there was only one winemaker caught."
"It is the tip of the iceberg. There's definitely more than one cheater."
"I hope they make a textbook case out of this one."
"I hope he has to spend a couple of nights in a jail, preferably with a lot of sodomisers."
"We've been working hard to build an honest and solid reputation for the wine industry and these guys have been getting away with murder."
However, Deist said the number of suspect wines was "very, very low", adding that "it's not an industry-wide problem".
The Wine and Liquor Board is a statutory body under the Department of Agriculture.
An expert panel tastes every wine before the board certifies it and tasters had picked up discrepancies between the flavour and other qualities of some wines.
The tests, which cost R1 000 per sample, followed.
In an analysis, the compounds of the must, or grape juice, are compared with those of the wine.
The analysis machine can detect flavourants weighing just a nanogram, or one thousand millionth of a gram.
Adding flavourants is also unethical, winemakers say, as it allows winemakers with vineyards in less desirable areas to produce wine that tastes as good to non-experts as wine from good vineyards.
In 2005, if it has enough money, the board will analyse some red wine samples to prevent winemakers from adding flavourants.
"We feel that if our actions result in greater integrity in the industry, we will have achieved something," Deitz said.
- This article was originally published on page 3 of Cape Times on December 02, 2004
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
