What is reduction in wine and why it's not a fault
You might have heard the word reduction thrown around by wine people, but if you've ever wanted to know what it is and what it means for the glass of wine in your hand, we're here to help!
We think it's a pretty useful thing to know about, even if we were several decades into our wine journey before we heard the word for the first time.
Why knowing about reduction is a useful thing to have in your wine knowledge toolkit
When it comes to wine faults, if there's a proper fault, the wine won't taste good, and that's really all you need to know about it. But reduction is a bit different. In fact, it's not a fault at all, but it can momentarily take away from the enjoyment of a wine. The reason it's good to know about is that you might otherwise end up throwing away a perfectly delicious wine.
What is reduction?
We'll avoid going too far into the chemistry of it, but if yeast don't have quite the right mix of nutrients during fermentation, they'll produce small amounts of Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S). That's the stinky gas you might find in volcanoes or swamps. If the winemaking doesn't allow that gas to escape, or there is very little oxygen present that would work (in ways too complex to include here) to bring down the amount of H2S, then you're left with reduction in the wine when it is opened.
Is reduction bad?
Well, no, and there are a few reasons we say that.
First, there is a spectrum of reduction. On one end, no detectable H2S, and on the other, a real whiffy wine. But somewhere in the middle is a low concentration that ends up smelling more like a struck match. It's not the same compound, but they share a similar sulphur tang aroma. This is actually a prized outcome for many wine styles, including for some of the best Chardonnay in the world.
Second, there's a reason that winemakers might make a wine and minimise its exposure to oxygen. It will keep the wine fresh with as little premature ageing as possible. Techniques could include anything from flooding a tank with inert gas during the winemaking process, to using a screw cap rather than cork.
More importantly, the negative impact of reduction will dissipate quickly. This is the key reason we don't think of reduction as a fault. Let it sit in the glass for a minute, give it a few swirls, and you get all of the freshness that was intended and none of the smell. You might even use it as an excuse to decant a white, if you've ever been curious to give that a try. One of our favourite somms will open the bottle, tip a little out to let in some air, close the bottle again and give it a shake. Whatever your technique, it's easy and quick to get the best out of a wine made in this style.
A wine to train your reduction detector on
The Chicchero, a white Sangiovese made by Tregole is probably the best example of a reductive wine in our range. Winemaker Sophie Conte uses dry ice (that is solid carbon dioxide, which 'melts' into a gas) during the winemaking of the Chicchero because she wants to keep oxygen away and showcase the freshest possible version of her high altitude Sangiovese. It's a wonderful wine, and after waiting a few minutes, the reduction is gone and we get on with enjoying Sophie's delicious wine.
We think it's more prevalent in the '24 than the '25, and suspect that's because Sophie stopped the fermentation a little earlier in the '25. With less time for the yeast to produce H2S right at the end when they are most stressed, the concentration seems to us to be considerably lower and quite pleasant on the nose. That change wasn't directed at reduction though. It was because Sophie's mum Edith thought leaving a tiny amount of residual sugar might round it out, as is her style preference.
Grab a bottle of each and you be the judge!
(Check our Seasonal Whites Six Pack - there's usually a Chicchero in there!)