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{ SOMMjournal.com } 105 brett cells by either filtration or the use of a chemical called DMDC (dimethyl dicarbamate, also known by its trade name of Velcorin). The wine will still have the impact of the compounds associated with brett, but at least it won't get any worse, and will be stable in bottle. The second approach, once the wine is stable, is to use modern cross-flow filtration or nanofiltration technologies to remove compounds such as 4-ethylphenol in a selective manner. This is quite new, and hasn't yet been widely adopted. Is Brett Always a Problem? So we come to the thorny question: Is brett always a problem, or are there contexts in which it is acceptable? If you are a winemaker, you will probably want to avoid it altogether because it is so difficult to control. But, perhaps through luck, some wines seem to work even though they have noticeable brett. Unlike many other wine faults, which are more clear-cut, it becomes a matter of personal preference. Some people find brett objectionable no matter what the context. This makes brett a problematic wine "fault" when it comes to restaurant service. If a sommelier tries a wine and finds some brett, should he or she point it out to the customer? Probably not, because the customer may find the wine to be perfectly acceptable. If, however, a customer refuses a wine because it is bretty, then in this context the wine is faulty. Brett is something that the trade needs to become more aware of. "Lots of winemakers still haven't grasped the complexity of Brettanomyces," says Thomson, "and there's still a bit of denial out there." It's also something that he thinks everyone can get. "All decent tasters can pick the nuances of brett once you tune into it." In conclu- sion, I'd suggest that we need to become more aware of brett, while keeping an open mind about wine styles where it adds complexity, and not becoming brett policemen who are always trying to spot it in whatever wine we're tasting. "If you make your wine in the sort of place where brett is happy growing, it will." Some Compounds Produced by Brettanomyces COMPOUND SENSORY IMPACT 4-ethylphenol Band-Aid, medicinal, phenolic, horsey 4-ethylguaiacol spicy, smoky, phenolic, cloves isovaleric acid sweaty, rancid, cheesy 4-ethylcatechol medicinal, stables 2-phenylethanol honey, spice, lilac guaiacol smoky ethyldecanoate trans-2-nonenal isoamyl alcohol ethyl-2-methylbutyrate Dr. Jamie Goode is a U.K.-based wine writer with a special interest in the science of wine. A weekly columnist for The Sunday Express, he writes for a range of wine magazines and for his own website, www.wineanorak. com. His first book, The Science of Wine, was published by the University of California Press in 2006. Somm Journal June/July.indd 105 5/9/14 12:13 PM