Michel Chapoutier suggests ’rehydrating’ wines to reduce their alcohol content

ichel Chapoutier knows, and takes responsibility for the fact that, when it comes to the idea of adding water to wines that show excessive ripeness, he is very much the lone ranger. “Everyone makes fun of me, [but] I am not talking about watering down, I’m talking about rehydration”, said the Rhone negociant during a very insightful conference at the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux on March 29. Although it may seem iconoclastic, Michel Chapoutier's winemaking proposal seeks to rebalance technical and phenolic ripeness. Because, as he says, in the face of climate change, “how high can we go in terms of alcohol content”?

As Chapoutier explains: “I have a block with a potential production of 40 hl/ha and I can see that in order to achieve ripe tannins, I'm going to lose [volume] through evaporation and drop to 34 hl/ha for example. So why shouldn’t I be allowed to reintroduce 2 hl/ha of the 6 hl/ha that I have lost through transpiration?”

Recalling the richness of the “ultra-concentrated” 2003 vintage, Chapoutier remembers often adding a teaspoon of water to the glass during tasting in order to regain lightness and finesse. The authorities are not currently considering permitting rehydration for wines, but Chapoutier can always compensate for this by adding water or ice cubes to his glass of wine.