A Little Throwback

A few years back I was invited to come to a restaurant with only a natural wine list in Amsterdam-Noord. At that time, about 6 years ago, they were popping out of the ground like it was the most normal thing ever. So I went, to see where all the fuss was about. Back then, I was still really ‘green’ behind the ears as it came to wine anyway. When at the restaurant, my company already sat at a table, and I walked over. I greeted him and glanced at the smallest table ever, with chairs so uncomfortable, a churches bench would have felt more relaxing, and believe me I do speak from experience. Maybe that was the true meaning of drinking ‘au naturel’, who knows right? Well, I didn’t back then, but it was trendy like that. Or was it, I don’t know.

But hé, I went with it, the company, the ambiance, the people being there, it was packed with guests as it was one of the first restaurants to have only natural wines on their wine list. We were looking eagerly at their wine list trying to decide which wine to order.

Most wines weren’t by the glass unfortunately, so we decided to order a bottle of Barbera, from Piemonte. The waiter brought the bottle over, opened it at the table and poured us a glass. I picked up the glass, smelled the wine, completely clueless on what hit me straight in the face. My mind, my nose, everything was completely consumed by Brett, just saying hello! Then and there I lost my virginity to Brett.  

MY GOD! What an awful experience. I didn’t even have the guts to taste it. The bottle glancing in the corner of my eye making it notice that he wanted to be drunk that night. I looked up in despair, and there was a site I didn’t expect to see. The wine across the table was being adored for what it was. I shivered, realising I still had to try the wine first.. Well, my thoughts went everywhere, all over the place. What am I doing though. All I could think about was sipping a good oaky Chardonnay at that very moment.  

All I could smell was horse shit, sweaty feet, leather, and other unwanted animal scents I didn’t relate to wine. All I wanted to have been a nice evening with good company, lovely food and some interesting wines and all I got was bad chairs and bad wine. And hell yes, I pitied myself that night.  

But seriously though, I did ask the waiter if he could smell the wine, (obviously I didn’t understand the concept of natural wine at that point, me being green and all). All the waiters told me was that this wine was supposed to smell like that, it was made without any intervention, no filtration or whatsoever. So, I compliantly nodded, looked back at the glass with big eyes and felt a little stupid. But there he was, glancing over the rim of my glass, Brett, invading my space completely. There was nothing else to discover, I searched but not one cherry was to be found.

To me this is what the tiniest bit of Brett does to me. I don’t know how to enjoy it; I can appreciate it a little, it is ‘controlled’ and ‘well integrated’ on an aged (red) wine it can give that bit of extra depth. But in this case, I stood in the middle of a horse barn that hadn’t been  taken care of for weeks. And there, I can speak from experience.

All jokes aside, I don’t want to step on anyone else’s toes here, if you love it, love it, if you enjoy it, just enjoy it, who am I to say otherwise right? But for me, I just get shivers down my spine even thinking about it. But what is Brett exactly how can you recognize it, keep reading to find out more.

Brettanomyces…

… is a microbiological fault caused by a rogue yeast. Also found in bottle-fermented sparkling wines, especially those made by the transfer method.

… affected wines show animal | spicy | phenolic characteristics and lose its fruitiness. And a metallic sensation in the mouth.

… is a yeast whose growth is encouraged by high pH (because of its effects on sulfur dioxide efficacy), low sulfur dioxide, a bit of residual sugar, high turbidity, and warm cellars. There are two most common strains known as; Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettonomyces anomala, where the latter is the far more important one.

… Isn’t always bad, some people like the flavor. A little bit can be a nice seasoning in the right context. The problem is, it is almost impossible to control.

… can be hard to prevent, but with good cellar hygiene, good sulfur dioxide management, cool cellars, minimal delay between the end of alcoholic fermentation and the beginning of malolactic, low pH, no residual sugar in the wine, and sterile filtration.

… is really common. More than most people realise.

Phenols

The chemical compounds known as “phenols” produced by Brettanomyces have a specific sensory impact:

4-ethylphenol: Band-aid, barnyard, horse stable, antiseptic 
4-ethylguaiacol: Bacon, spice, cloves, smoky

TIP: “If you’d like to discover a more pleasant example of what Brettanomyces complexities can smell like in a wine? Sniff a pod of Black Cardamom.”

Other aromas associated with Brett are:

• Band-Aid

• Medicinal

• Pharmaceutical

• Barnyard-like

• Animal

• Horsey

• Sweaty

• (Wet) leather

• Mouse urine

• Wet dog

• Smoky

• Spicy

• Rancid Cheese

• Metallic

The Prevalence of Brett

Brett appears to be quite common in red wines. It is less frequently found in whites. There is a reason for that, the lower pH which whites typically have. Low pH protects against Brett because it makes any SO2 present much more effective. Research shows that the yeasts are (also) found on the skins of grapes (wild yeasts), other places in the vineyard, wine cellars and others.

Where and When to Meet Brett?

You might come across Brett when drinking a glass of wine from the Rhône Valley or some Italian wine or classic wines from Napa. And many others, wineries are trying to stop it from invading their fermentations, because Bret is considered to be a wine fault. When a wine is ‘invested’ with Brett, it will disguise the other flavors in the wine. You’ll not only find Brett in wine, but you can come across it in ciders and beers as well.

An amazing option if you want to discover a wine with a little Brett. Try the 'Glou des Bret' a red wine from the Brett Brothers.

Bret Brothers such a name within the Beaujolais, they make several different wines, and I chose this one, because honestly the label did it for me. This wine is a Vin de Nature made with organic grapes that set their roots on a granite soil high up (at 230m) in the village of Latigné, near Cru Regnié. The vines are about 30 years of age. The wine was made with whole bunch pressing and maceration carbonique. It is and completely vinified without any added sulphites, only during bottling they used a min. dose. This wine is made in to give it its purest expression of Gamay.

Tasting Note:

• Medium ruby red colour, bit hazy.

• On the nose medium intensity aromas of strawberries, red cherries, cranberries, bit of cardamom, bit of spice even due to some brett. 

• On the palate; It is a dry wine, with high acidity, medium alcohol, smooth soft ripe tannins with a medium body even bit creamy on the palate. The wine has a medium (+) finish. It is definitely a refreshing wine, it was purely made, good texture, good aromas and neat! If (?) this wine has some brett it is hardly detectable.

Sources:

Wine Folly – Why Some Wine Smells Like A Farmyard

International Wine Challenges - Brettanomyces: The Most Interesting Of All Wine Faults

Vine and Wine - THESIS "Brettanomyces in Wine, a Fault or Not?"

Book: Flawless - understanding faults in wine - by Jamie Goode