There are vessels that have been traditionally used in winemaking for centuries. When we think about it carefully, there may be cases where we cannot clearly explain why we continue to use them.
Why do we use qvevri? What makes Bocksbeutel superior to ordinary bottles? Can you answer these questions immediately?
These questions are highly multifaceted. It is questionable how meaningful it is to judge them from only one perspective. However, when deciding whether to use such vessels in winemaking, it is valuable to at least consider their significance from an enological standpoint.
In this article, we will examine the relationship between tradition, vessels, and winemaking.
The Close Relationship Between "Tradition" and Vessels in Wine
Have you noticed that when we use the word "traditional" in wine, vessels are involved in most cases?
When we speak of the famous "traditional bottle fermentation method" in Champagne, we think of pressure-resistant bottles. When we speak of traditional amber wine from Georgia, qvevri cannot be separated from the discussion. Although it is not a production method, when we speak of tradition in Germany's Franconia region, we think of Bocksbeutel.
Wine is a liquid. Therefore, regardless of the wine style, we cannot discuss it without considering the vessels that contain it. This fact has shaped the close relationship between wine and vessels.
In winemaking, there are many cases where the production method directly determines the vessel to be used.
This is true for the aforementioned bottle fermentation method, as well as for carbonic maceration and fermentation under strict temperature control in anaerobic environments. To employ these winemaking techniques, vessels appropriate for those purposes are indispensable.
So, is there an inseparable relationship between the "traditional" vessels still in use today and enological techniques?
When I ask this question, I usually receive the answer "yes," but my personal view is that, with some exceptions, the answer is "no." In other words, just because a certain method is based on tradition, or because a certain vessel has been used historically for a long period, does not mean that the vessel has technical value from an enological perspective.
Winemaking Using Pressure-Resistant Bottles | Bottle Fermentation
Bottle fermentation, represented by Champagne, is a method for producing sparkling wine. Although it is a relatively modern technique, it is considered a典型 "traditional" method in the wine industry.
This method is certainly traditional, and many wineries around the world still employ it when making sparkling wine. The new certification standards for sparkling wine established by Germany's VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) mandate production using this method. However, whether this method is truly technically superior remains questionable.
As I have pointed out in "Is It Really Better Because It's Bottle Fermented? | Wine Misconceptions," this method is particularly prone to producing bottle-to-bottle variation. While many people enjoy this variation as individuality or character, when considered from the perspective of "quality control in manufacturing," such variation is far from commendable.
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"No two bottles are the same" may be effective for marketing purposes, but it is problematic for products manufactured in considerable volumes. Even major Champagne houses frequently conduct research and development to minimize such variation as much as possible.
In comparison, the method of batch processing a fixed quantity in tanks produces no bottle-to-bottle variation and allows for better quality control. In other words, when viewed as pure "manufacturing technology," the traditional bottle fermentation method cannot be considered a superior winemaking technique.
On the other hand, the bottle fermentation method is thought to relatively increase opportunities for the liquid to contact the yeast even after fermentation is complete, so in this respect it can be said to have advantages over the tank method.
Note:
The same result is not impossible with the tank method, but it requires considerably more effort.
Winemaking Using Vessels Buried in the Ground | Qvevri / Amphora
In connection with Georgian wine and natural wine, certain vessels have recently attracted renewed attention in winemaking: qvevri and amphora.
Generally, qvevri refers to large earthenware vessels made from Georgian clay in Georgia and used buried in the ground. Amphora, on the other hand, refers to relatively smaller jars with handles on both sides that have been used in the Mediterranean region since ancient times. This distinction is commonly made.
As some parts of the winemaking world have begun to advocate a return to origins, renewed attention has been drawn to these vessels, which are thought to have been used in winemaking before the use of modern stainless steel tanks and wooden barrels.
Qvevri in particular is still used in winemaking in Georgia today, and efforts are being intensified to promote it globally under the name amber wine.
Incidentally, the term "amber wine" appears to have begun being used to distinguish Georgian wine made in qvevri, the traditional Georgian vessel, from orange wine, which has also attracted recent attention.
In fact, there was a period when the number of wineries adopting qvevri and amphora increased throughout Europe.
Of course, some wineries continue to use them and are increasing the number of vessels installed. However, conversely, there are also many wineries that, after introducing them once, discontinued their use relatively quickly.
The reason wineries discontinued their use is clear: they determined that they could not produce wine of the quality they aimed for with these vessels.
This trend appears to have been particularly common among wineries that adopted amphora, but similar movements have occurred among wineries that introduced qvevri as well. In reality, neither qvevri nor amphora offers any technical enological advantages as vessels.
Temperature control is impossible, the shape makes the wine inside prone to oxidation, and the vessels are fragile, increasing only risks.
From one perspective, they could be said to be suitable for wine styles that benefit from stronger extraction and oxidative winemaking (precisely orange wine and amber wine). However, numerous alternative vessels currently exist that are more versatile, have superior mechanical strength, and are easier to transport and install. Therefore, there is no reason to deliberately choose fragile ceramic vessels.
Moreover, such alternative vessels have higher washability and offer the advantage of better sanitation management as food products.
Except when used based on strong philosophical convictions, these vessels are used because they are expected to provide marketing benefits sufficient to overcome their disadvantages. Qvevri can be said to be a vessel that has meaning precisely because it is used in Georgia.
The Distinctive Shape of Bocksbeutel
We occasionally encounter wine bottles with unusual shapes, and one of the most distinctive among them is surely the Bocksbeutel, traditionally used in Germany's Franconia region.
Bocksbeutel is a highly distinctive flattened, rounded bottle that is said to have been first used in the 18th century by Bürgerspital to combat the counterfeit wine prevalent at the time.
In Japan, it is often said that the name derives from a goat's (Bock) scrotum sack (Beutel). However, in Germany, the theory that it comes from the name of bags used to carry prayer books and other books is more commonly accepted.
Additionally, it is said that the bottle's shape—being thinner than ordinary bottles with a shorter neck—was favored because it took up less space, did not roll, and was structurally less prone to breaking, making it suitable for transport and carrying over long distances.
In other words, the reason this vessel has continued to be used is purely its convenience as a transport container or its traditional significance, not any enological technical meaning. It was not used because wine aged in Bocksbeutel developed distinctive characteristics that were preferred.
Summary | Historical Tradition and Technical Value Should Not Be Confused
In this article, I have no intention whatsoever of claiming that vessels with history and tradition that have been used continuously since ancient times have no value. Vessels with history and tradition possess values that modern developments do not have.
However, that value should be recognized separately from enological technical value.
Certainly, throughout wine's long history, different things at different times must have held value in terms of enological technique. However, that value was assessed based on wine quality and winemaking methods of that era.
Today, evaluation methods for wine quality and winemaking techniques are not necessarily the same as they were in the past. As evaluation methods have changed and the criteria for judgment have changed, the meaning of value has also changed accordingly.
In this context, it is premature to readily judge that "because something has been used historically, it must have enological significance." A concrete example of this is the case of wineries that introduced qvevri or amphora but quickly discontinued their use.
Technology is constantly evolving, and many old things have become, at least technically, inferior alternatives to what currently exists.
Of course, constantly pursuing the latest technology is not necessarily a good thing. Technology selection should be done by individuals, each balancing according to their own perspectives.
What is important is not to assume that everything still in use today has value in all respects superior to what has been developed since. What matters is calmly considering what advantages should be prioritized for oneself and making choices accordingly.
Even if something is technically an inferior alternative, if it offers significant advantages in other respects, that tradition has value.
