Bordeaux would rather let winemakers add sugar than change style.

This year Bordeaux AOC have said that winemakers may add enough sugar to their wines to gain up to 1.5% in total alcoholic volume to make up for lower-than-usual sugar concentration, but why would you want to? 

It’s been an undeniably difficult year for Bordeaux winemakers. The season started very cold and therefore late with fewer pollinating insects about. We then received 30% more rain than usual in April and May. Château Shuette flooded quite badly three times in that period leading to considerable vine stress resulting in relatively little canopy growth and mild root asphyxiation. These prolonged damp conditions exacerbated the lingering mildew issue most vineyards suffered badly from in 2023. More recently, at the end of August (and during a key maturation period) it rained again for two weeks straight, cooling the temperature, increasing our average berry weight by 20% and diluting the sugar concentration, regressing maturity and kickstarting concerns about the onset of early botrytis.  

All these things combine to encourage winemakers to harvest their grapes early at lower sugar concentrations and with less aromatic maturity. 

It’s understandable. In general, yields are down this year (flooding, hail, mildew, insect attack and now botrytis etc) and the fragile economy of the average winery is easily threatened. For some, it's a case of salvaging something from the wreckage. 

To aid these producers, Bordeaux AOC has announced that winemakers may add enough sugar to increase the total alcoholic volume by 1.5%, helping them to meet the required level for their wine style. 

The minimum acceptable alcohol percentage for a Bordeaux Superior red wine is 12%. 

Below this, your wine’s classification will be rejected. As of September 24th, our Cabernet Sauvignon (that is still maturing on the vine) has an average probable alcohol of just 10.5%. So under this new announcement, we could harvest now and simply add sugar to meet the requirement. 

But surely, we should look at it another way - the natural way. 1) If the grapes are aromatically ripe, but the sugar is low, why not just make a low-ABV wine? It would be delicious and in line with current consumer preferences. 2) If the grapes are not quite ripe, why not make a different style of wine like a pet nat or rosé? 

The answer is that Bordeaux AOC would rather keep its stylistic traditions (even if it means allowing winemakers to cheat and add processed sugar to their wines) than adapt to climate change and consumer preference. 

We are proud to have deconsecrated our vineyard to Vin de France and not be bound by these rules. Free to make a much wider range of styles and expressions that is a true reflection of the terroir. 

At Château Shuette, we are three-quarters of the way through our harvest and for now, everything looks great, with high yields and full maturity for everything harvested. But during every maturity check we discuss changes to our winemaking plans that allow us to optimise for quality, not how to force an outcome that wasn’t meant to be. 

Whatever your decision, we wish all winemakers the best of luck! 

Ian & the Shuette team.