How Do They Make Mass Produced Wine Taste So Great?

Winemaking may bring to mind images of sun ­dappled vineyards and grand Château, but a typical ­bottle of Napa Cabernet owes more to lab coat ­wearing chemists than to barefoot grape stompers. Like most food, wine has been thoroughly industrialized. ­Million ­gallon batches are cooked up in ­giant factories in Australia or California’s Central Valley and made of grapes that come from anywhere.

Vintners are under constant pressure to find new ways to save money. California grape prices have gone up 46 % in the past decade. That leaves ­little room for error. If something goes slightly wrong in a 350,000 gallon tank, winemakers can’t afford just to dump it. So they’re turning to science and chemical additives to doctor their product into something more drinkable.

Here’s a look at the secret ingredients and behind the scenes manipulation that go into crafting the perfect, consistent glass of wine.

WHAT’S REALLY IN YOUR WINE?

Vat produced wine can be coaxed into drinkability. You just need the right additives.

Sulfur Dioxide: The most widely used wine additive. It kills microbes and prevents oxidation. Few vintners dare to bottle a wine without it, but overuse can make a wine smell like burnt matches.

Ammonium Salts: A touch of diammonium phosphate revives dying yeast and keeps it from producing too much sulfur.

Water: If a batch ends up a bit too alcoholic, just add some water.

Oak adjuncts:  Oak barrels can make wine taste drier and lend it notes of vanilla, but they’re expensive. There is a cheaper alternative. Oak chips, sawdust, or “essence” (a liquefied wood product) can be added directly to an otherwise finished wine.

Tartaric Acid:  A naturally occurring acid found in grapes, it’s particularly critical in white wines, where tartness gives each sip a pleasing snap. Wines with insufficient acidity can get a boost from powdered tartaric acid.

Powdered Tannin:  Naturally present in grape skins and seeds, as well as oak, tannin creates texture and astringency. Typically made from a growth on oak trees called a nutgall, powdered tannin can punch up lackluster wine.

Sugar:  If grapes aren’t ripe enough when picked, adding cane or beet sugar to the must can help them ferment. There is a catch: Adding sugar, called chaptalization, is illegal in California, Italy, and Australia. (It’s legal in New Zealand, Oregon, and parts of France, though allowed amounts vary.)

Pectic Enzymes:  Complex proteins that can be used to alter color, improve clarity, release aromatic compounds, and speed up aging.

Gum Arabic: Made from the sap of the acacia tree, gum Arabic softens tannins to reduce astringency and make the wine’s body silky. This can make a tough and somewhat bitter red wine ready to drink immediately.

Velcorin (dimethyl dicarbonate): First introduced in the 1980s, though increasingly controversial this microbial control agent can kill a half-dozen wine ruining bacteria and yeasts when added in minute quantities. It’s also widely used in fruit juices.

Mega Purple: Made from the concentrated syrup of Rubired grapes, Mega Purple is a thick substance that winemakers rely on to correct color issues. A few drops can turn a bottle of wine from a weak blush to an intense crimson and to make a wine look consistent from batch to batch. In a 119 liter wine barrel, just 200 milliliters is enough to do the trick. Mega Purple is made by Constellation Brands, the company behind famous labels like Robert Mondavi and Ravenswood. While on the record no one will admit to using it (or any other additive), industry insiders say that even high end winemakers have employed it to deepen the color of their wines, a trait that connotes richness and quality, earns better ratings from critics, and commands higher bottle prices.

Rubired is an ascendant force in California’s vineyards. In 2013 it accounted for 5.5 % of all grapes crushed in California which is dead even with Pinot Noir.