The Science of Wine

Only the bravest winemakers like Jean-Sébastien Capdevielle dare to gamble their whole crop by planting ungrafted vines, susceptible to the destructive Phylloxera. Jamie Goode finds out if ungrafted wines are actually better and worth the risk.

Terroir is everything, but Jamie wants to know if you can actually taste soil in wine. He goes to investigate with a specialist scientist and a wine producer, and finds surprising answers.

It takes an experienced winemaker to master the time and temperature on which malolactic fermentation depends. But do you need this to make age-worthy wine? Jamie travels to Rioja to find out.

Only high-quality wines benefit from the added complexity that comes with ageing. But are old wines always better than young wines? Jamie visits the steep slopes of the Mosel to find out.

These days, winemakers are challenged by an increase in frost, rainfall, and disease in the vineyard. New, resistant hybrid varieties can offer the solution. So Jamie sets out to answer the question: do we need new grape varieties?