As if we’re not going through enough turmoil right now, Australia’s wine industry is reportedly freaking the fuck out about a possible wine shortage. The horror. The HORROR.
ABC reports that there has been shortages of a “key ingredient in the fermentation process” as a result of Chinese export restrictions. This is set to impact wine manufacturers worldwide, including here in Aus.
If ya wanna get all technical, the ingredient is called Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) and it’s a nitrogen-based fertiliser which is used as a food source for yeast when crafting the delish, life-giving elixir known as wine.
According to The Wine Industry Suppliers Association, the cost of DAP has gone up five-fold in some cases and shipping delays have made it tough to get our mitts on it Down Under. As a result, wineries across the country are freaking out as they need this key ingredient for when they begin their 2022 vintage wine harvest.
Jason Amos, the chair of the Wine Industry Suppliers Association, told ABC that the shortage could affect the quality of vino.
“Without nitrogen, or nitrogen in low supply, we have incomplete fermentations or stress characters or bad flavours,” Mr Amos said.
Apparently Aussie wine makers have instead been relying on suppliers in Europe, but it turns out other wineries across the globe have had the same idea and it’s getting quite competitive.
“We can’t rely on what we’ve done previously in the past — we actually have to communicate,” he said.
Amos has urged winemakers to communicate with their suppliers and sort out stocks of DAP ASAP and frankly, I’m urging y’all to do this too!
If 2022 is anything like 2021, we gonna be needing our wine. That’s for damn sure!
