Simply made wines?

I recently read a post from a fellow wine blogger titled “Simple wines”. The post is about good, drinkable wines costing less compared to the “others” produced by the same winery and the article takes inspiration from the writer enjoying a good prosecco costing only “about €10”. If you are surprised about the cost, this is what a good, decent prosecco costs in Italy, anything less and it is badly made. In the UK, we also need to take into account the duty.

After reading the post I asked myself whether these were simple wines or simply made wines? I can certainly define a simply made wine but could not define a simple wines, what is a simple wine? I believe simply made wines, for me, or simple wines, in a time where living costs are sky rocketing, could not be more actual to talk about.

Simply made wines are not lower quality wines, they cost less because it takes less and cost less to produce. Simply made wines do exactly what they say on the label, they are good quality grapes pressed and fermented, they are slightly more than a grape juice. The grapes are fermented and then bottled. And simply made wine have a purpose. Simply made wines are everyday wines, at least for most of us. Everyday wines not only because of their lower cost but because they are very versatile and can be enjoyed without too much ceremony and in an array of situations.

There are several reasons behind their cost. The most obvious one is their wine making process. The grapes are harvested, pressed, fermented and bottled. No ageing or costly operations. The other possible reason behind their lower cost is the age of the wines. Simply made wines are often made with grapes from young vineyards, young vines produce more quantity than quality, the grapes are perfectly fine, just not there yet for more structured or complex wines so the winemaker uses them to produce simply made wines until the vines reach the right age. In the case of sparkling wines, using the case of prosecco as in the original post, the wine will be cheaper because of shorter second fermentation. For sparkling wines, the longer the second fermentation, the better is the quality of the wine, but the longer the fermentation, the higher the cost for the winery. Keeping the wine in temperature controlled tanks have higher costs for the wineries, costs that are then added to the wine’s price.

Whether a complex or a simply made wine, the wine still need to be properly made and a good wine is made in the vineyards, and without good grape no good wine can be made. We all remember what happened to chardonnay approximately a decade ago where wood or better wood sticks were used to hide poorly made wines, a simply made wine quality is easy to spot. And whilst not everyone can appreciate the difference between a great and a simple wine, a simply made wine is a wine that can please everyone, whether expert or novice wine drinker.

Check our range of simply made wines