Rooibos wine

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Rooibos wine is a variety of wine in which wood from the rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and honeybush (Cyclopia spp.) plants is used instead of the traditional oak wood during the maturation phase. It has its origin in the Western Cape, South Africa. The wine has a unique flavor component and due to the anti-oxidative effect of the plants can be produced without the use of sulfur dioxide.

Contents

Production

Fresh rooibos has a high antioxidant content (particularly vitamin C) and a relatively low tannin content, [1] [2] making it a potential alternative to the use of sulfur dioxide in the preservation of wine along with honeybush. [3] [4] [5] [6] During the maturation phase of rooibos wine, the wood of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and honeybush (Cyclopia spp.) is used instead of the traditional oak. [6] Studies at the University of Stellenbosch showed that treatment with rooibos and honeybush plant material protects red wine from the negative effects associated with exposure to oxygen making sulfur dioxide unnecessary. [5] The use of rooibos and honeybush plant material as a preservative in the production of red wine has been patented. [7] [4] The rooibos wine product is free of SO2 and has a unique flavour profile that can be ascribed to the aging of the wine in rooibos and honeybush wood.

Notable brands

The Stellenbosch-based Audacia produced the first rooibos wine – a Merlot – in South Africa in 2013 . Their rooibos product range has since expanded to include Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, a Red Blend and a White Blend. [8] KWV South Africa (Pty) LTD followed in 2014 with a rooibos Pinotage under their Earth’s Essence brand. [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbal tea</span> Beverage made from infusing or decocting plant material in hot water

Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes, are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water; they do not usually contain any true tea. Often herb tea, or the plain term tea, is used as a reference to all sorts of herbal teas. Many herbs used in teas/tisanes are also used in herbal medicine. Some herbal blends contain true tea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabernet Sauvignon</span> Red-wine variety of grape

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux wines, where it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France and Spain, the grape spread across Europe and to the New World where it found new homes in places like California's Napa Valley, New Zealand's Hawke's Bay, South Africa's Stellenbosch region, Australia's Margaret River, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra regions, and Chile's Maipo Valley and Colchagua. For most of the 20th century, it was the world's most widely planted premium red wine grape until it was surpassed by Merlot in the 1990s. However, by 2015, Cabernet Sauvignon had once again become the most widely planted wine grape, with a total of 341,000 hectares (3,410 km2) under vine worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tannin</span> Class of astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic chemical compounds

Tannins are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rooibos</span> Species of plant in the family Fabaceae

Rooibos, or Aspalathus linearis, is a broom-like member of the plant family Fabaceae that grows in South Africa's fynbos biome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinotage</span> Variety of grape

PinotagePIN-ə-tahzh is a red wine grape that is South Africa's signature variety. It was cultivated there in 1925 as a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut. It typically produces deep red varietal wines with smoky, bramble and earthy flavours, sometimes with notes of bananas and tropical fruit, but has been criticised for sometimes smelling of acetone. The grape is a viticultural intraspecific cross of two varieties of Vitis vinifera, not an interspecific hybrid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winemaking</span> Production of wine

Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. There is evidence that suggests that the earliest wine production took place in Georgia and Iran around 6000 to 5000 B.C. The science of wine and winemaking is known as oenology. A winemaker may also be called a vintner. The growing of grapes is viticulture and there are many varieties of grapes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak (wine)</span> Barrel used in wine making

Oak is used in winemaking to vary the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture of wine. It can be introduced in the form of a barrel during the fermentation or aging periods, or as free-floating chips or staves added to wine fermented in a vessel like stainless steel. Oak barrels can impart other qualities to wine through evaporation and low level exposure to oxygen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red wine</span> Wine made from dark-colored grape varieties

Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grapes is greenish-white, the red color coming from anthocyan pigments present in the skin of the grape. Much of the red wine production process involves extraction of color and flavor components from the grape skin.

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<i>Nothofagus fusca</i> Species of tree

Nothofagus fusca, commonly known as red beech is a species of southern beech, endemic to New Zealand, occurring on both the North and South Island. It is generally found on lower hills and inland valley floors where soil is fertile and well drained. In New Zealand the species is called Fuscospora fusca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lychee wine</span> Chinese dessert wine

Lychee wine is a full-bodied Chinese dessert wine made of 100% lychee fruit. This wine has a golden colour and rich, sweet taste. It is usually served ice cold, either straight up or on the rocks with food. Lychee wine is believed to pair better with shellfish and Asian cuisine than with heavier meat dishes. This refreshing beverage can also be used as a cocktail mixer paired with other spirits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aspalathin</span> Chemical compound

Aspalathin is a C-linked dihydrochalcone glucoside found in rooibos tea, a herbal tea prepared from the South African rooibos plant, Aspalathus linearis (Fabaceae).

This glossary of winemaking terms lists some of terms and definitions involved in making wine, fruit wine, and mead.

<i>Aspalathus</i> Genus of legumes

Aspalathus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The yellow flowers and spiny habit of some species have suggested a resemblance to Ulex europaeus, the thorny "English gorse" Accordingly, "Cape Gorse" has been proposed as a common name although the resemblance is largely superficial; for instance, gorse is thorny, whereas Aspalathus species are variously spiny or unarmed. The genus belongs to the subfamily Faboideae. There are over 270 species, mainly endemic to southwestern fynbos regions in South Africa, with over fifty occurring on the Cape Peninsula alone. The species Aspalathus linearis is commercially important, being farmed as the source of Rooibos tea.

<i>Cyclopia</i> (plant) Genus of legumes

Cyclopia, the honeybush, or heuningbos in Afrikaans, is a genus of some 20 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Species of the genus are native to the southern and southwestern Cape Provinces of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Numi Organic Tea</span>

Numi Organic Tea is a privately owned triple bottom line social enterprise based in Oakland, California. Numi is known for its assortment of organic and fair trade certified teas and herbal "teasans". The company was founded in 1999 by brother and sister, Ahmed Rahim and Reem Hassani. The founders named the company "Numi" after the citrusy, Middle Eastern dried lime tea they drank as children growing up in Iraq. The name Numi is derived from the Arabic word for citrus. The J.M. Smucker Company holds a minority stake in Numi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red espresso</span> South African manufacturer of Rooibos tea products

Red espresso is the brand name of The Red Espresso Company Pty Ltd, a South African manufacturer of Rooibos tea products. The company was founded by Pete and Monique Ethelston and Carl Pretorius in 2005 when Carl invented a way to express a shot of Rooibos tea on an espresso machine as a caffeine-free alternative to coffee.

Amanda Cecilia Swart is a South African biochemist who holds a professorship in biochemistry at Stellenbosch University. She is known for her research on rooibos, a herbal tea popular in South Africa, has been funded by the South African Rooibos Council in her research, and is frequently quoted in South African media promoting the reported health benefits of rooibos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wine preservatives</span> Food preservation

Wine preservatives are used to preserve the quality and shelf life of bottled wine without affecting its taste. Specifically, they are used to prevent oxidation and bacterial spoilage by inhibiting microbial activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O'Sulloc Tea</span> South Korean tea brand

O'Sulloc Tea is a traditional Korean tea manufactured and sold by the South Korean company O'Sulloc. The company was founded in 1979 by Suh Sung-hwan. O'Sulloc Corporation was established in September 2020 as an independent subsidiary of the Amorepacific Corporation, with 100% ownership. O'Sulloc Tea originates from the cultivated fields on Jeju Island. It is also an internationally recognized brand in other countries such as China, Japan, and the United States. O'Sulloc teas consist of a range of black and green teas based on traditional Korean tea culture. O'Sulloc teas have various certifications, and in 2010 were certified with the National Organic Program (NOP) certification by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

References

  1. Morton, Julia F. (1983). "Rooibos tea, aspalathus linearis, a caffeineless, low-tannin beverage". Economic Botany. 37 (2): 164–73. doi:10.1007/BF02858780. JSTOR   4254477. S2CID   30957644.
  2. Iswaldi, I; Arráez-Román, D; Rodríguez-Medina, I; Beltrán-Debón, R; Joven, J; Segura-Carretero, A; Fernández-Gutiérrez, A (2011). "Identification of phenolic compounds in aqueous and ethanolic rooibos extracts (Aspalathus linearis) by HPLC-ESI-MS (TOF/IT)". Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 400 (10): 3643–54. doi:10.1007/s00216-011-4998-z. PMID   21509483. S2CID   3247287.
  3. Hesseling, E (2014). "Audacia's 'tea wood' wine". www.wineland.co.za. Archived from the original on 2016-08-18.
  4. 1 2 "Rooibos wine targets health-conscious drinkers". Reuters. 9 March 2015.
  5. 1 2 De Wet, A (2015) The use of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and honeybush (Cyclopia spp.) as wood alternative in red winemaking, Thesis (MSc), Stellenbosch University, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Jooste, B (2015) Rooibos-wooded wine - a world first from Stellenbosch: ministerial, Agriprobe, Volume 12, Issue 2, Pages 5-6.
  7. "Improved process for the manufacture of alcoholic beverages and products produced by such process".
  8. "Audacia - the Red Wine Boutique Winery".
  9. "Earth's Essence". Archived from the original on 2015-10-24. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  10. "KWV Launches World's First 'Natural' Pinotage Using Patented Technology". 18 November 2014.