I’d never normally advise adding anything to your wine.
The winemaker has spent time and energy crafting their vision, to be sipped and appreciated by us in its unadulterated form. So, tampering with your Tempranillo is something of a heresy. Unless, of course, the quality is downright shocking.
Normally, when it comes to wine, I’m as compliant as they come. Heck, I’m the same guy who told you that putting ice in your rosé was uncouth only a few weeks ago. And that generated some lively opinions in the comments, I can tell you.
But, hear me out on this, as I know what I’m about to suggest is going to get mixed reactions. Putting salt in wine can improve it. There, I said it.
History tells us to put salt in wine
Salt is a known harmoniser of flavours, in the right quantity. In fact, there’s an old saying that reads, ‘salt makes its presence felt, only in its absence’. You only have to look at our national enthusiasm for salted caramel, where the seasoning balances out the sweetness of the sugar. But could our appreciation for salted caramel stretch to adding salt to wine?
This very concept goes all the way back to Roman times, when they made a wine called Turriculae. Roman winemakers would food-stomp the grapes and fill earthenware jars with ‘the must’ (juice, grape flesh, skins and pips) for fermentation. They’d then sprinkle in ingredients like ground fenugreek and iris, but the final item they’d add in was unexpected. Seawater, which gave the wine a notable salinity.
There’s even a famous wine producer of the modern age who’s tried it. Portuguese winemaker, Dirk Niepoort makes some of the world’s most celebrated Port. He heard about the seawater method from a wine producer in the Azores, who used the technique to try and make his wines last longer. Dirk wanted to make some of his regular wines lighter, so decided to experiment by adding saltwater to a 500L barrel filled with pressed grapes, grown close to the Atlantic.
Dirk and his team tested out various salt-to-wine ratios, and settled on 1% salt as the optimum. He and his team apparently enjoyed the tangy, saline influence of a 1% salty wine, claiming it gave the wine, “more life”. At 1% the salt is largely undetectable, but makes the wine taste smoother and more well-rounded.
How salt works
It’s the same principal as seasoning your food to bring out the accompanying flavours. If you think about it, wine already has the sweetness from the fruit, the bitterness from the tannins and the zestiness from the grape’s natural acidity. Salt provides the saline balance.
And although salinity is perceived on the tip of our tongues, it’s more about how it effects the flavours around it that matters. Salt increases our perception of fruitiness but reduces our awareness of acidity, so, adding salt to wine makes us perceive it as sweeter and less acidic than it really is. It can also make a sweet wine more savoury, dialling down the perception of sugar.
Some coastal wines are naturally saline, from salt crystals blown in from the sea onto the grapes before pressing. One of the most famous regions for this is Rias Baixas, in northeastern Spain (Galicia, just above Portugal), where the vines are metres away from the sea. Another is Santorini, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, which is known to be significantly more salty than the Atlantic Ocean.
There is a flurry of discussion around how the vine itself takes in the salt (or if it even does), with many scientists maintaining that it’s impossible for a vine to pull up Sodium Chloride and other minerals from the soil via its roots.
Try the salt hack at home
I only use this hack on wines that taste unbalanced, with too much acidity, non enough fruit to them or that are even slightly bitter. Or, if you’ve managed to buy yourself a wine that’s sweeter than the description on the label, usually the cheaper kind. Basically, make sure it’s a wine you would struggle to drink if no changes were made to it.
Pour yourself a glass of wine (any colour), then sprinkle a pinch of salt over it. Give it a quick stir, which will also aerate the wine. I tried it on a red wine I have found to be overly sweet and jammy, an Australian wine called 19 Crimes.
A pinch of salt transformed the wine, making the fruit mouthwateringly savoury, injecting a thwack of sapid energy into the glass.It tasted more gastronomic, I would have rushed over to the butchers and matched with with a prime ribeye steak, had it not been 10am.
And look, if the Spanish can add Fanta and Coke to red wine and find it acceptable, I personally don’t think anything can be as bad. You be the judge.
Other drinks to salt hack
Add salt crystals to a Martini to make it crisper and more savoury. Works with gin or vodka, doesn’t matter. Gin Mare, the Spanish gin brand states that, “the ultimate Martini” demands a little salt to bring out the flavour of the spirit base
Birra Moretti, part of Heineken, brought out Birra Moretti Sale di Mare, with a hint of sea salt. It works in the same way; salt highlights the beer’s sweet, malty notes, minimises hoppy bitterness and picks out subtle notes you would have missed. It’s similar to pubs providing salty bar snacks to accompany your pint
Add flaky sea salt to a Gin and Tonic for a smoother, less botanically bitter experience.
A few other kitchen cabinet hacks
Vinegar can zhuzh up your cocktails with a tart edge, giving them a layer of complexity that can elevate the most basic of drinks. Experiment with apple cider, balsamic, rice or sherry vinegar in place of bitters, though, just a splash.
If a cocktail calls for simple syrup and you’re fresh out, use honey or maple syrup instead, especially when it comes to whisky or bourbon-led drinks. You might want to mix them with some warm water to give them a thinner consistency first.
Half finished jars of fruity jams make the perfect lazy cocktails. Just pour in your spirit and give it a shake!