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A Gift from Jack Frost: Ice Wine

A Gift from Jack Frost: Ice Wine
As the cold winter months arrive, so does one of the wine world's best-kept secrets: ice wine. Truly Jack Frost's gift to the wine lover, ice wines are dessert wines made from frozen grapes. The water inside these frosty berries has crystallized leaving a juice highly concentrated with sugars, acid and extracts. The result is wine with intensified flavors and complexity.

The making of ice wine is part of its allure. True ice wines require the grapes to freeze naturally on the vine (as opposed to mechanical freezing them after harvest). This requires a hard frost (below 15 F) to occur after ripening. Most ice wine grapes must hang on the vine for months and aren't harvested until December or January. The berries must still be frozen when pressed, so harvesting often occurs by hand and in the dead of night. Once picked, the grapes are pressed within hours in an unheated facility. The frozen water crystals are left behind and only the concentrated juice runs from the press. Keep in mind that each frozen grape only yields a few precious drops of juice. Combine that with the extreme working temperatures and it's easy to see why ice wines can be expensive. Expect to pay upwards to $40 a half bottle – but these wines are well worth it!

While the distinction of making the first ice wines belongs to the Germans, Canada has become the world's largest producer of this winter nectar. This is because the cold winters and unusually consistent freezes provide ideal growing and harvesting conditions. In Canada, ice wine production is regulated; grapes must freeze naturally to be called ice wine.

Founded in 1975, Inniskillin Wines grows its grapes in the appellation of Niagara's Peninsula in Ontario. It has become one of Canada's premier estate wineries and producers of exceptional ice wines. The Inniskillin Riesling Ice Wine, 2002, is racy and intense with orange blossom, dried apricot and honey. The initial sweetness of this wine bursts on your palate with a beautifully delayed, mouth-cleansing acidity. Also excellent is the Inniskillin Vidal Oak Aged Ice Wine, 2002. Rich and thick with a sweet-tart character, this wine possesses aromas of mango, guava, and apricot. If you prefer non-oaked whites, try the Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine, 2003. This ice wine has a beautifully fruity, floral nose and a lingering finish with litchi, apricot and caramel notes.

Also from Ontario, Magnotta Winery has earned a reputation for its fine ice wines. The Magnotta Vidal Ice Wine, Lake Erie North Shore, 2003, is the winery's flagship ice wine and has become one of the world's best selling. Vidal Blanc grapes are often used in ice wines because their thick skin enables the clusters to withstand the inclement weather. Magnotta's Vidal is smooth, with luscious tastes of apricot, peach, papaya and a hint of spice and honey.

Red grapes are also used for ice wines, primarily the Cabernet Franc. While the thinner skin of this grape makes for riskier harvesting, the resulting wine is both elegant on the nose and aggressive on the palate. The Magnotta Cabernet Franc Niagara Peninsula, 2003, contains flavors of strawberry jam, ripe watermelon, cranberry and dried figs. Another red option comes from Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery in the western part of Canada. The climate in this region is dryer and warmer during the summer, which produces ripe grapes and intense, pure fruit flavors in the ice wine. The Gehringer Cabernet-Merlot Ice Wine Okanogan Valley, 1998 is somewhat reminiscent of a port with more up-front fruit flavors.

Ice wines generally go well with aged cheeses like cheddar or blue cheeses such as Stilton. Although these wines are intensely sweet, be careful when pairing with a dessert. A dessert that is too sweet will make even these wines taste sour and flat. The general rule to follow is to reduce the sugar in the recipe and have the wine be sweeter than the dessert. Fruit pies and tarts are excellent choices, as well as Bavarian creams and rice puddings.

Whatever you pair them with, ice wines are the perfect winter treat and are a true symbol of the season!

The December 1998 debut of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Newport Beach, California, provided Marian Jansen op de Haar with an opportunity to serve as the restaurant’s wine consultant. She developed a distinctive award- winning wine list and subsequent in-depth wine program that has set Fleming’s apart from other fine dining establishments.

In her present position as National Director of Wine, Jansen op de Haar is responsible for creating the Fleming’s 100, a list of 100 wines that are always available for purchase by the glass. The lists feature well-recognized labels as well as boutique wines from throughout the world with an emphasis on domestic selections. She is also responsible for an extensive internal educational program for every associate, manager, and partner as well as management of the overall wine program for all Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar restaurants. With her expertise in the wine and culinary worlds, Jansen op de Haar plays a key role in making Fleming’s an ideal destination for food and wine lovers.

For more information, visit www.flemingssteakhouse.com

Posted by Marian Jansen op de Haar with Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar on Oct 13, 2007 6:56 am

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Interview with Big White House Winemaker John Evan Marion

Interview with Big White House Winemaker John Evan Marion
Livermore Valley's young winemaker is calling the shots at the ultra premium winery of Big White House and is now concocting cult wines under a new label.

John Marion is a busy guy to say the least. For the past two-thirds of his life, John has been making wine. It's been part of his family for generations and John isn't about to let this knowledge pass by. He is also studying chemistry at Cal Poly, San Luis Opisbo, works on web development projects, dabbles in construction and is working on a patent (but don't ask him about that, he won't tell you a thing). His knack for engaging customers and story telling during wine tastings in the winery's tasting room is a gift one should experience first hand.

John is heavily engaged with the production of Big White House wines. He's now adding to the load his new lineup, John Evan, where he's got a few wines under his belt. His latest is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Livermore Valley. "When creating a Cabernet like The Alchemist, I want to make a fruit-forward Cab with good tannin structure" says John. "To me, Cabs are often undrinkable, as I detest the bell pepper flavor found in so many otherwise delicious wines. But I have eliminated it from this cab! Alchemists of old strove to turn lead into gold using mineral acids, blisteringly hot temperatures, and occult rituals. I used somewhat different tools than the alchemists such as careful fruit selection, selected yeast, barrels with higher toast levels, and frequent racking. The old alchemists never succeeded in turning lead into gold but I have turned what could be little better than lead into a wine more valuable, and definitely more drinkable, than gold."

I caught up with John for lunch in downtown Livermore Valley. We split a bottle of Frank Family Chardonnay and spoke openly for a couple hours. John is one of the most personable guys around. See for yourself:

JM: What's this? I don't think I've had this Chardonnay... Wow, great nose! Oh, this is my kind of Chardonnay.

VS: What's your take on the no-Chardonnay movement?
JM: I like Chardonnay. I hate it when people say they don't drink Chardonnay. It can be made in such wide styles that saying such is an unfair statement. I like a full-bodied Chard with some creamy aspects. If I wanted a lightweight, fruity white, I'd order a Sauvignon Blanc.

VS: Can we expect a Chardonnay from John Evan?
JM: Maybe. We make a Chardonnay under the Big White House name already but if I come across fruit that would be up to John Evan standards, I would release it.

VS: How do your standards differ between Big White House and John Evan?
JM: John Evan wines are ones that I feel are the best wines possible. I must be able to say to myself “this is the best wine I've tasted for this varietal”. It's not so much about standards so much as how I want to express myself through these wines. John Evan wines are very low production and I make them in a style in which I would drink. I'm not as concerned with making a pleasing wine for the public so much as I'm making a wine I'll enjoy for years to come. I just happen to sell some to the public too. The Big White House wines have a more pleasing aspect for general public consideration. While we put our spin on each wine, we're not doing anything crazy that the general public would find offensive.

VS: Being a young winemaker has to have perks. The ladies must love it!
JM: Actually, I wouldn't know. I certainly don't use it to it's full potential. I'm actually rather shy. When women find out I make wine, it certainly helps keep the conversation going but after that is what I need to work on. I enjoy talking about the nuances of winemaking but most people don't care about that level of detail.

VS: How does the Livermore Region stack up against Napa?
JM: Napa does a much better job at marketing. People, even here in Livermore, always think of going to Napa when going wine tasting. They don't realize they can do it their backyard and save themselves the hour and half drive. I think overall, Livermore wineries make wines for the everyday consumer to enjoy today for any occasion. Napa makes wines to receive high scores from Wine Spectator – they're in it for the score. We in Livermore are in it because we love to make wine. Most of the wineries in Livermore were started as hobbies and have flourished. They have more character and personality – and our wines are great too!

VS: So what are the wines you drinking these days?
JM: I don't drink that often but when I do, it's usually my own stuff. That's just it. I make wine I enjoy and when other people enjoy it too, even better. Business and profits aside, I make wine that I like to drink. It's definitely nice being able to make wine you enjoy because I can't afford the stuff on those shelves!

VS: Screw cap or cork?
JM: I would choose screw cap every time if I could. The proof is there and it's the obvious choice for sealing wine. The simple reason we don't use it yet is cost. The machine to make that little groove around the bottle to hold the cap down is thousands of dollars… just for a small groove! We're not ready to make that financial leap just yet.

VS: What can we expect from John Evan in the next 2-3 years?
JM: I don't know. I guess whatever grapes I get my hands on and what they turn into. I like to dabble and see what happens to the grapes over the process so as long as the grapes keep coming in, I'll continue to make wines. I think I'll be overseeing more and more of the day-to-day of both wine labels and taking on more responsibilities throughout the winery. I don't see us growing any bigger than we are today but if sales continue to do well, who knows. I'll definitely be working more and more at the winery and less on side jobs.

--

John Evan wines can be tasted at Big White House Winery which is open Saturday and Sunday from Noon-4:30pm. Visit them online at www.bigwhitehouse.com.

Posted by Ryan O'Donnell with VineSugar on Sep 17, 2007 7:49 am

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La Luna Friday's at Murrieta's Well in Livermore Valley

La Luna Friday's at Murrieta's Well in Livermore Valley
I haven't found a better wine event in the Livermore Valley to welcome the weekend then Murrieta's Well La Luna Fridays.

The jist is simple: $50 gets you all you can drink, all you can eat, live music and a fabulous setting in wine country... that's if you can get in because they limit the number of guests to keep it intimate.

The details make this event irresistible...

Murrieta's Well is one of the best producers in the Livermore Valley. Named after the legendary gold rush-era desperado, Joaquin Murrieta, who camped by the artesian well on the property on his way to Mexico to sell wild horses. Previously owned by Louis Mel, this historic property was brought back to life in 1990 by viticulturalist Phil Wente and winemaker Sergio Traverso.

The old stone winery building is a gorgeous example of early California architecture. Local timber and rustic concrete made from gravel gathered from the nearby Arroyo Mocho Creek were used in the construction.

They're still very much focused on their Spanish heritage and are making some of the finest examples of Tempranillo and Meritage blends I've tasted. The ownership by Wente allows them to blend the benefits and resources of both wineries while staying true to their experimental and Spanish roots.

The food and tapas are by the award winning restaurant at Wente Vineyards. Each event is a different theme - one night was Cuban inspired, this time around it was Portuguese. You're given a small plate with a notch to hold you wine glass. Filling it up with the delectable dishes is easy and going back for more is necessary.

The wines they were pouring were a nice variety and went fantastic with the foods. The 2005 White Meritage, 2004 Zinfandel and the 2004 Red Meritage. If that wasn't enough, at 7:30 the open up the winery and for $5 you can 2-3 library wines - again, very healthy 2oz pours here too. This evening, they served the 2001 Red Meritage and a Portugese Port. While I was hoping they would pour the Tempranillo, these wines were great in their own right. I don't have notes on the library wines but I remember liking the 2004 Meritage (more fruit) better than the 2001 and the Port was fabulous!

Getting a table can be tough so arriving early is key. Otherwise, you may be lucky to find just a chair to sit or you can hangout on their garden walls or steps. Sitting among the grape vines with endless food and wine is the best way to usher in the weekend.

The guest cap makes it a perfect relaxing stop and helps justify the high cost in my opinion. It doesn't get too busy to where you're waiting in long lines for wine or food.

It really is an intimate setting with great food and great wine.

Watch their website for the next La Luna Friday's event:
www.murrietaswell.com/events.asp

Murrieta's Well
3005 Mines Road
Livermore, CA 94550
(925) 456-2390

Copyright 2007 VineSugar. All rights reserved.

Posted by Ryan O'Donnell with VineSugar on Jul 22, 2007 9:00 am

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Discovering Healdsburg

Discovering Healdsburg

When one lives so close to fantastic sites and places, it’s easy to brush off the idea push plans to "maybe next weekend". Living in the San Francisco Bay Area has many perks and being overwhelmed by choice is easy.

Healdsburg in Sonoma is a quaint town 2 hours drive from San Francisco. Healdsburg Square, in the heart of this small town, is a one block square epicenter for everything this town is about. Life moves slower here. People are more relaxed, more cheerful, and more apt to greet you as you cross the street.

It would have been easy for us to be more cost-conscious when choosing a hotel for the weekend but I wanted to experience everything I could. I didn’t want to journey far for anything. The Hotel Healdsburg was my first choice – right on the corner of the Healdsburg Square and plush amenities to pamper us. You’ll plunk down serious coin to stay here but think of it as a splurge the same way you would with wine – every now and then, you gotta try the good stuff! You can’t beat the location. Anywhere else and you’ll need to drive to get to your destination. Staying here allowed us to be walking distance to over a dozen tasting rooms and wine bars. No one is worried about being the designated driver now!

We arrived Friday afternoon and checked in. The service at Hotel Healdsburg is impeccable. Everyone is very tentative but without being too aggressive about it. The bellhop, valet, front desk – everyone – had genuine smiles and seemed genuinely happy to see us (for what you pay, perhaps they better). The rooms are modern yet cozy. Light jazz playing in the background, hardwood floors, free wifi, deep oversized tubs, walk in showers and a bed that will consume you. We took a few minutes to soak everything in then we were off to walk the town!

Most of the shopping in Healdsburg is condensed near the square. The shops continue off side streets but maybe only a block or two from the center. Surprisingly, you have a lot of choice when it comes to restaurants, wine tasting, art and boutiques. Feel like sandwiches? Maybe Tai? How ‘bout some fine dining? They have a place for everyone and every budget.

We had no agenda that day so we just walked. We enjoyed the small boutiques, for Jen and even some for our dogs! We wine tasted at a few tasting rooms picking up gobs of good vino. When our hands were full of bottles and bags, we simply walked back to the hotel to drop off everything only to turn right back around keep the momentum going! Eventually, our bellies felt empty.

Manzanita Restaurant
We ate at Manzanita restaurant. Good food, big portions and reasonably priced. The staff was very helpful when we couldn’t decide on which wine to order. We took our time with our appetizers, main course and desert. With a bottle of Chardonnay lubricating the evening, what’s the rush? We sat next to a highly pretentious couple that made their snobbery known when they chuckled at the couple next to them ordering a Ravenswood Zinfandel. What's wrong with Ravenswood's Zin?!

Saturday was my day. I planned a few surprises for Jen throughout which I knew she would enjoy. After a very nice complimentary breakfast in the hotel, I sent Jen to the hotel’s connected Spa where she started by having a facial then a deep tissue massage. How many brownie points did I earn for that? A whole lot!

I wanted to check out some of the local wineries within short driving distance. They are among some of my favorites or where pivotal in my early days of discovering wine.

Seghesio Family Vineyards
Say whatever you want, Seghesio is one of the best for balancing quality with price. Their wines are amazing and not one is more than $50 bucks. If you like Italian varietals or love classic Zinfandel, this is the place to stop. Even on their busiest days, the service has always been friendly.

Simi
A few years back, I discovered Simi’s reds at Cost Plus and couldn’t buy their inventory fast enough. It was amazing quality and one of the best bargains out there. This time around though, we were both disappointed. The “everyday” wine prices have exceeded my threshold but more disappointing where their Cabernets and Merlots tasted more like wet oak and rain-soaked earth than fruit. Their Sauvignon Blanc was very nice and worth checking out though – very crisp and well balanced with lots of flavor.

Quivira Vineyards
The next time you see their wine – any wine – on the shelf, buy two bottles. You’ll consume the first so fast; you’ll need the second to satisfy your craving the day after. We originally fell in love with the Zinfandels but this time we loved their Syrah and Petite Sirah. Their quality across the board is astounding and year-to-year, they continue to make great wines.

Alderbrook Winery
Honestly, I knew nothing about Alderbrook though their name seemed to be everywhere I looked. The name felt so familiar to me, I had to stop in and I’m glad we did. We didn’t leave blown-away but a number of their wines I enjoyed very much. We were there as they were closing along with two other parties which were proud of their drunkin’ stuper. The staff had a good time with it and never once tried to push us out.

We relaxed in our hotel room after all that wine tasting. It was a lot for one afternoon!

Dry Creek Kitchen
That evening we dined at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen. I heard mixed reviews on Yelp and after experiencing it first hand I would agree—we too had mixed feelings.

We were easily the youngest people in that restaurant by a good 15-20 years. The glares were obvious – not by the staff but the other customers! I opted to do their chef’s tasting menu with wine pairing for a little less than $100. Jen didn’t want that much food so she ordered a salad and beef dish. The service was very good despite the order in which our food was ready. The food itself was pretty good too. A few dishes stand out in mind as being very delicious but the short ribs were way too fatty for me and had to be returned for another cut. We had a good laugh when we saw a senior woman attempt to find the restrooms only to stumble into a table on her way causing quite a scene. It was hysterical… perhaps she should have quit while she ahead. Goes to show you, not just the young folks get hammered in wine country!

We left early Sunday morning to get a head start on the traffic.

Sonoma is all about wine and food pairings these days, which adds another perk to wine tasting. The tasting fees are there but aren’t enforced like they do in Napa. Also, the people behind the counter are far friendlier making the experience more pleasurable. Frankly, I’d rather spend my time tasting in Sonoma than Napa if I have the choice. For wine drinkers new to the tasting adventures, I would HIGHLY recommend starting here than Napa – you will no doubt have more fun and find the overall experience a delight.

Sonoma wine country is where your obsession will begin!

Posted by Ryan ODonnell with VineSugar on May 22, 2007 6:42 pm

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Discovering Sparkling Wines to Avoid Shopping

Discovering Sparkling Wines to Avoid Shopping

To try a change of pace and explore wine country, we opted to try our taste buds with sparkeling wines- a first for both of us. With little experience drinking this bubbly wine, we figured it would be fun and educational for us to find which style we enjoyed more. We kept it simple a stopped at only two wineries: Mumm and Domaine Chandon. My girlfriend, Jen, wanted to go shopping. I despise crowds and shopping malls. I'm usually willing to accompany her sprees so long as there is some reward at the end of the day for me. Call me selfish; it's ok.

She wanted to check out the Premium Outlets in Napa. My initial thought was "WooHOO!, Napa BABY!" but I couldn't show emotion just yet. I calmly inquired for more details and while she spoke, the gears in my head were spinning frantically to conjure ways of visiting some wineries.

A few minutes later, I logged backed in the real world where she doesn't sound like the adult in Charlie Brown and speaks coherent words. She actually said that before we go shopping she wanted to stop at a couple sparkling wine producers. And this is why I love her so.

Our Adventure Begins
First, don't call it champagne! Gasp! (oh gawd...) Here in the states, wineries produce "sparkling wine" and not "champagne." This is because Champagne is actually a region in france where this bubbling drink was invented by monks and copyright laws prohibit the use of the name unless it originates from that region. Ok, fair enough. I wouldn't want to see a French winery put "Napa Cabernet" on their labels so I can understand their argument.

Jen and I are actually very ignorant when it comes to champagne.. err.... sparkling wines. We know we enjoy them and we know what we don't like but beyond that, we're lost. I wanted to find a place to take a tour but we didn't have time so it was strictly a morning to taste.

We decided to stop at Mumm and Domaine Chandon because they were the closest to the outlets. There aren't that many producers in the area that solely focus on sparkling wines which made the decision that much easier.

Since we were on a schedule, I figured it was going to be an experience to simply review wines. Fine by me. I'll return to enjoy an educational tour another time. Lets go taste some wine!

Mumm
I've heard horror stories of Mumm as purveyors of snobbery and elitism. I was reluctant to visit but wanted to give them a chance and experience them first hand.

Their grounds are lovely and they have a very quaint shop with all sorts of trinkets. A gentleman behind the counter greeted us and engaged conversation. He explained that we should find a seat at one of the tables in the back to enjoy some tasting. "Seating?" I thought... "ok, great!"

Very cool. They have seating inside and outside under umbrellas where visitors sit down and enjoy the cool breeze and the view of the vineyards and valley. A tasting menu is waiting on the table listing everything they have available for tastes. They offer wines by the flute (glass) or you could choose from various flights (3-4 pre-selected) of different quality wines.

There were 3 other parties in this very big space so things were quiet. Our server was very personable and treated us professionally and as equals. Being that Jen and I are usually the youngest ones around, we are often treated as young lushes looking for a quick buzz. This was not that case at all this time around. Our server checked in on us numerous times to talk about the wines, the differences and details during winemaking. She was very knowledgeable and pleasant to speak with.

Their flights included their Classic lineup ($9 for 3 wines) or their DVX ($20 for 3 vertical tastes) which is their line up of wine from their only owned vineyard. We shot for the middle ground and more moderately priced wines. We chose to taste their Reserve flight which consisted of 3 sparkling wines for $12/person, including:

25th Anniversary Cuvee $25
1999 Grand Annee $28
Extended Triage Brut Prestige $25

While we were tasting, another couple entered the patio. Amazingly, these people gave us the typical snobbery attitude. The woman would stare back at us while whispering to the gentleman and would chuckle under their breathe. They weren't even subtle about it. Jen was getting a bit annoyed so while the woman starred back, Jen tilted her down a bit, pulled her sunglasses down, raised the eyebrows and starred right back at her with laser precision. The woman quickly turned back around. Very amusing.

Overall, we thought their wines were very nice. We enjoyed the 25th Anniversary Cuvee the most as it offered more fruit flavors than the other two which were stronger in flavors of toast and yeast. I'm surprised by the comments others mentioned and cautioned me about. I didn't find Mumm at all pretentious. Perhaps it was the fact that it was early in the morning and things were quiet. They do see about 700 people in a day so when things get busy,

I'm sure its tough for them to remain mindful of others. We could have easily sat there and tasted their wines all day on their patio. The way they taste wine is awesome. Very relaxing. I recommend them highly and would have loved to return for their tour.

We had to get moving and head back down route 29 to Domaine Chandon. Jen wanted to get the two visits in before lunch so she would have ample time shop. And thus we were off.

Domaine Chandon
Jen is fighting hand over fist to work for a company called LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy) which owns a number of luxury goods companies including Chandon. To see how they operate was of great interest to her.

The grounds. Oh, the grounds. Rock sculptures everywhere in the most creative fashions too. The mushroom rock garden along the creek was the cutest thing ever. There were daisy-shaped rock sculptures, abstract art, and other creative expressions everywhere. It was a very cool, unique touch for the winery.

As you walk toward the winery, a sign for their restaurant is all you see. "Where's the tasting room?" was the million dollar question. We found it up the stairs after quietly following a group of guys that seemed to know where they were going. You gotta love the art of cattle...

The tasting bar was packed! We stood there for quite a while before Jen spotted an opening and pushed me into it. In front of the bar are small tables, some with flutes on them. Above the bar is an appetizer menu to order from which compliment the tastings. Things were a bit confusing at first. A young gentleman behind the counter asked if I needed a menu. Clueless as to what the hell was going, I snagged it. It was their tasting menu. Thank God! Now we're talking...

Like Mumm, they offered tasting by the glass or by the flight and were all around the same prices. Again, we opted for the middle ground which included their Reserve Brut, Blanc de Noirs and the '96 Vintage.

We noticed that there was an abundance of young people tasting wine. Granted they came in packs which kept the room a bit crowded but I was pleased to see that there were more young drinkers than Baby-Boomers.

Jen and I took our time with our tastings. Jen really enjoyed these wines which is a good sign that we're going home with a few bottles. People slowly began leaving the bar and things eventually calmed down drastically.Jen and I were no longer scrunched and could enjoy some space. I engaged the servers behind the counter and enjoyed the conversation. They too were pretty young and did a great job of stripping the lingo to terms anyone can understand. A couple standing next to us overheard our discussion and jumped right in. It's always fun to involve many people in the conversation.

Chandon also puts out two sparkling wines they call "etoile". One of these is a rose. It struck my curiosity greatly as I've never had a rose sparkeling wine. I had to try it. It was $11 for a flute so Jen and I split the serving.

Oh man, we liked this. Smiles ear to ear as we giggled how much we enjoyed the flavors and teased about how many cases to buy. "Just back up the pallete into our car, thanks"

I thought all the wines we tried at Chandon were exceptional. We were told to purchase bottles downstairs in the shop. We payed our tasting fee and made a beeline down to get our wines. The woman behind the counter that was ringing us up asked if we were interested in their wine club. I think the confused gaze prompted her to rephrase her question and instead asked if we heard of it. She explained it was every other month with some pretty nice benefits. Every other month? I can swing that and their wines would be great to have on hand. Sign me up!

See, I told you. Not only did we walk out with a few bottles but with a club membership too. If Jen likes it, chances are we're leaving an impression.

We loved Chandon! The staff was excellent and there wasn't any elitism to be seen. The wines we tasted were excellent and I'll be returning with friends to taste their other offerings.

Happy as pigs in mud, we left our wonderful experience at Chandon and an overall finer appreciation and enjoyment of Champ....er... sparkling wines.

For more information about Mumm Napa, visit: www.mummcuveenapa.com
For more information about Domaine Chandon, visit: www.chandon.com

Posted by Ryan ODonnell with VineSugar on Oct 15, 2006 7:30 pm

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Those '70s Guys - California's Most Influential Winemaking Generation

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:24:30 +0100

Those '70s Guys - California's Most Influential Winemaking Generation

The face of American wine is ever changing - though perhaps not as quixotically as the prices. But it only takes a drive through Napa Valley, congested with grapes, or through the agricultural bounty of Sonoma, or the flourishing Central Coast to understand that the California wine business is booming. There are now vineyards where only apricots and almonds once grew; there is vineyard land where sheep once grazed that now costs nearly as much as a block in Manhattan.

During the last 30 years, Americans have discovered wine and, more importantly, Americans have discovered American wine. But, perhaps "discover" is the wrong word because it implies that the wine was always there. It was not. In 1966, Napa Valley was home to just 25 wineries, one of which - the Robert Mondavi Winery - was brand new. Today there are more than 225 wineries in Napa - an astounding 800 percent jump. The California - and American - wine business is certainly burgeoning, thanks in large part to a generation of winemakers who quite literally changed the world.

As fate and circumstances would have it, this highly influential group of winemakers earned their enology degrees within a few years of each other in the 1970s. Most, in fact, were still in school in 1976 when the wine world was shocked by the result of Steven Spurrier's legendary Paris tasting, wherein the top red and the top white wines, as rated by French judges, were both from California. "The Judgment of Paris," as it came to be called, showed the world an unexpected level of quality in American wine, shattered more than a few preconceptions and made quite an impression on malleable minds.

And Paris was only the beginning. Those who began their winemaking careers at that time have built upon that unexpected victory for California wine by creating some of the most prized vintages in the world.

These wines have iconic names that resonate even for the newcomer: "Beringer Private Reserve," "Flora Springs Trilogy," "Martini Monte Rosso," "Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon," "Phelps Insignia." The vintners who made wines such as these came from varied backgrounds and had different goals, but they shared a passion for their subject and an enthusiasm for being pioneers of sorts. They did not create the California wine industry, but they did revitalize it, refine it and raise the world's expectations for California wine. In the process, California wine not only improved its collective reputation, but gained an identity that had been sorely lacking. Those who accomplished this bring their individual stories to the experience.

Nixon was president in 1971 and Randy Dunn was an undergraduate at the University of California at Davis majoring in etymology when he first encountered winemaking. "I had a professor who liked wine," he recalls, "and we had a good relationship. He called me up one Friday night and asked 'Want to learn how to make wine? Come over tomorrow, we'll go over to Lodi and get the grapes and we'll split the wine.' He had an old house in Davis with a cellar. I thought it was fun, and when I was working on my PhD in etymology a couple of years later, I needed two outside fields. I made one field enology, which was already an undergrad major with maybe 75 students, but I was a real outsider to them."

Dunn says he didn't originally plan to make enology a career. "I had it made in etymology. I was into mosquito control through pheromones and was already in a patent application, so it wasn't logical to do something else, but winemaking seemed kind of fun. It was new, challenging and outdoors, and I could see that unless I was really a clever chemist, I'd have a company job in a major city, which I didn't want, so I ended up in Napa."

Tom Peterson started out as a passionate consumer. "In my family, wine was always a familiar part of everyday life. We've been Californians for 125 years, and vineyards and wineries are part of the fabric of life here. Wine tied into so many things that worked for me - the agricultural side, the technical side, the artistic aspect, the cross-cultural bit. Wine connected to all of them, so it was no leap of faith to choose a career in winemaking." He attended Davis in the late '70s, then worked as a winemaker in Monterey before settling at Chateau Souverain in 1984; in 1997, he moved to corporate management positions, and is currently a winery consultant in Sonoma.

"I started my career right after college with a stint at retail," Peterson says. "Fortunately, I worked for the Beltramo family in their store in Menlo Park. They focused on wine and had a fantastic staff. In fact, I stocked shelves with a new guy from the east coast, Mike Benziger, whose family has since become legendary in the California wine business."

"The industry was different in the mid-70s," recalls Ken Deis, who has been the winemaker at Flora Springs since 1980. "I learned to love wine in the service," he says. Unlike his Fresno State College classmate, Ed Sbragia (Class of '75), who notes, "I learned about it at home; my father was a good Italian, which meant he made wine at home. He'd learned from his father, so it was a family tradition, but not on a commercial level." Today Sbragia is the senior vice president and winemaster at Beringer Vineyards, where he has worked for 30 years.

Bryan del Bondio (Davis, '77) , president of Markham Vineyards, did learn about the commercial side of wine early on because his father worked for 45 years at Inglenook. Mike Martini's family owned another of the most respected properties of the time, Louis Martini Winery, and he was one of the few who absorbed the commercial side of wine early on. "I grew up around a winery. When I went to school, I wanted to do something different; I studied food science because I thought

I was going to make cheese, but there's a lure to this industry that keeps pulling you back."

It was a lure that was particularly strong, if not especially well defined, for many people in the early 1970s, including another potential cheese maker, New York dairy farmer John Williams. He was enrolled at Cornell when he got a work-study position at nearby Taylor Cellars, felt the pull of wine and quickly decided to pursue a master's at Davis where he joined the Class of 1978. Williams went back to New York to make wine for a brief time, but returned to California where, inspired by a tenure at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, he started his own Napa Valley winery near a pond, calling it Frog's Leap.

As solo winemakers, each was a breath of fresh air; as a group, however, they possessed the force of hurricane winds. Martini says, "My family had made wine in Napa since before Prohibition, but I think this group of us who came into the business in the 1970s really shaped the industry as we know it today."

To understand what brought this dynamic band of winemakers onto the scene in the 1970s, and the extent of the changes they made, it's helpful to look back to the beginnings of the California wine industry.

The Catholic missions established in the 18th century produced wine, but it was, by all accounts, poor in quality. Infinitely better juice began to appear in the mid-19th century when a German immigrant named Charles Krug established what is generally acknowledged to be Napa Valley's first commercial winery in 1861. Within a few years, many others had joined Krug, including Jacob Schram of Schramsberg (founded in 1862), the Beringer brothers, who established their winery in 1876, and John Daniel, who built Inglenook in 1879.

There were more than 140 wineries in the valley by 1889, the year California wines won 20 out of 34 medals in an international wine tasting competition in Paris. It was a stunning validation of European technique applied to the New World. An outbreak of phylloxera greatly debilitated California's vineyards around the turn of the century, but it would be the glare of Prohibition in the 1920s that dried up the dazzling progress made by the California wine industry in a relatively short period.

Although the thrust of the Temperance Movement was aimed at beer and spirits, not at wine, most wineries went out of business anyway. Most, but not all. "Prohibition actually got us into winemaking," says Tim Mondavi, whose grandfather owned a boarding house popular with many Italian immigrants. "When Prohibition came, you couldn't produce beer or spirits, but since wine was part of the sacraments, there was a loophole. The law permitted the head of a household to produce four barrels of wine per year, so my grandfather got into it, shipping grapes to people who wanted to make their own wine, and eventually into winemaking himself."

By the time Prohibition was repealed in 1933, many wineries had closed, and the remaining 20 or so languished. The Temperance Movement proved to be the great divider; it nearly extinguished the American wine industry and, yet, at the same time, it was responsible for its resurgence as a vital entity. Sbragia believes Prohibition's impact was felt on many levels. "When I look back, I realize that most of our professors [at Fresno] didn't make wine. Prohibition probably drove out everyone who loved wine that didn't have [an ownership] stake in property."

The tradition of European winegrowing initiated by Beringer and Schram that won so many awards in Europe in the 19th century was nearly wiped out in the relatively short 14 years of Prohibition. It's the better part of a generation, and so much of that knowledge that was passed from one generation to another was interrupted and nearly vanished. And yet there were exceptions, and winemakers learning their craft in the '70s reaped the benefits. Sbragia says, "Joe Heitz was a professor of enology at Fresno, and I had another professor named Sigmund Chandrell who got his start making wine at Gallo before he became a teacher. His great contribution was excitement. He brought in top winemakers and suppliers to talk about the industry with the students. We really felt a passion for what we did."

"The passion is what is remarkable," agrees Craig Williams, longtime winemaker at Joseph Phelps Vineyards. "All of us in this group that caught the wine bug in the mid-70s were so lucky that, at the time we felt this passion, there were also people around who wanted to start vineyards. People like Joseph Phelps, who had been in the construction business, and Dan Duckhorn, who was a wine lover, not a winemaker. Their guidance and vision combined with our technical interest - that's what made this surge possible."

But not every winery in Napa and Sonoma counties was new. Tim's grandfather Cesare Mondavi had launched a fresh career in wine a generation earlier when his sons Robert and Peter joined him. "My father joined my grandfather when he graduated in 1936 and convinced him to purchase Charles Krug Winery in 1943," says Robert's son Tim, "so he was steeped in the wine business." More importantly, the Mondavi brothers were not alone.

"It's a myth to think there was no wine education before the 1960s," Sbragia says. "When I got into the business, there were guys we really looked up to, like Louis Martini and Myron Nightingale [Sbragia's mentor at Beringer] who had been in school in the 1940s - there were some great winemakers turned out back then and later in the 1950s."

They honed their skills in an educational system that has long been a crucial part of American agriculture - a system that propelled the wine industry forward. According to Mondavi, "When the industry could start up again after Prohibition people didn't have tradition to rely upon - we'd lost that and many wineries in that 14-year period. In Europe, they relied on perpetuating tradition, but California relied on the university system."

"The University of California at Berkeley was the place to learn about making wine after Prohibition," Martini says. "The graduating class in 1941 included my dad, Louis, Myron Nightingale, who went on to Cresta Blanca long before he was at Beringer, and Charlie Crawford who went to Gallo. I think at that time there were five guys, including them, who were making about 85 percent of the wine in California, and much of it was sweet."

This is where American wine takes a decisive turn, and marks the ascension of the school that is almost universally referred to in the wine industry simply as "Davis." Davis was (and to some extent still is) a small agricultural town near Sacramento, conveniently situated only an hour's drive from Napa and Sonoma counties. It was at Davis that many students intending to enter the traditional agricultural industry figuratively stumbled upon the wine business instead.

Over the years, Davis and Fresno State College built up programs that had a huge influence on the American wine industry. The two schools are still considered the premier American institutions for anyone serious about making wine. Davis has especially gained substantial visibility with an outspoken faculty that, at the time, included a plant physiologist named Maynard Amerine.

"Amerine was the first to look at California from a climatic perspective," Mondavi observes. The professor had developed a map of California on which he outlined climatic zones - still followed by vintners today - that indicated which grapes do best in which areas. "He had a huge impact," he says. "I think he was the one with the global perspective, as well as the scientific background, that helped establish the golden era of Calif-ornia wine."

That golden era began slowly in the 1950s and reached a peak in the 1970s, when a huge influx of young people, most of whom came of age in the turbulent era defined by Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, the Space Race and Flower Power. These were heady and unconventional times to say the least. Jobs that put one in closer touch with the earth seemed rife with career possibilities.

Peterson thinks a lot of it had to do with wealth, demographics, education and age. "Generational change was a social theme of the '60s," he notes. "Wine fit in with the new behavior and caught the Boomer wave. Timing was especially fortuitous because promotion of varietal wine by pioneers like Fred McCrea, Joe Heitz and Lee Stewart had taken root in the 1960s, establishing a new definition of wine in the mind of the trade and the consumer."

Lee Stewart was a pioneer in the production of high-quality wine in Napa at Chateau Souverain, and one of those vintners who served as inspiration to the coming crop of winemakers. Joe Heitz, a member of the first class of seven students to graduate from Davis with enology degrees in 1951, established a quirky winery that quickly became a Napa Valley icon. Heitz was also on the enology staff at Fresno State when this new generation of enology students, such as Sbragia and Deis, were coming up through the ranks.

Fred McCrea plays a small but important part in this tale as well. A San Francisco advertising executive, McCrea, and his wife, Eleanor, had come to Napa Valley in 1943 and decided to buy property for a vacation home on Spring Mountain near St. Helena. They paid the princely sum of $7,500 for 38 acres of rocky hillside land, producing their first commercial wine in 1952 from the winery they called Stony Hill. This had a far-reaching impact.

At a dinner in 2002, John Kongsgaard (Davis '78), now one of Napa's most revered enologists, remarked that as a young man, a visit to Stony Hill persuaded him to become a winemaker. "I saw Fred with his elbow on the mantle, drinking a gin and tonic, listening to Parsifal. I wanted this existence." In the early 1970s, Stony Hill was unusual. There just wasn't a tradition of boutique wineries in Napa Valley, and especially not wineries as iconoclastic as Stony Hill, where the McCreas went against the advice of Davis grape experts, who said chardonnay would never grow in hillside locations in Napa County, and ended up making Chardonnay of uncompromising longevity.

The experts were obviously wrong, but it took time and a surge of winemaking talent in the 1970s to sort out just how versatile many grapes could be, and even how much better they can be when matched to a benevolent microclimate.

One of the problems in the 1960s was too few wineries and too many wines. "As late as 1964, there were just 24 wineries here in Napa, but there was so much more variety of wines then," says Beringer's Sbragia, who also acknowledges that many of those wines would not find a market today.

Markham's del Bondio recalls "starting out producing Chenin Blanc, both barrel-fermented and dry to slightly sweet with no oak, Riesling, Napa Gamay, Gamay Beaujolais and a Rosé of Gamay. Now it's [all about] Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Syrah."

"We used to make a huge range of wines at Louis Martini," Martini admits. "But that was also part of what the wine business in California used to be. Beringer was the same way, making a huge number of wines you don't see much anymore, like Malvasia Bianco, or the Barbera that we made for ages at Louis Martini or the Grignolino that Joe Heitz used to make. We sold to Gallo in 2002 and they wanted us to focus on Cabernet. We have a great red wine legacy [when pressed, he cites his 1987 Monte Rosso Vineyard Select as his benchmark], and within a huge portfolio like Gallo has, it makes sense to have components that specialize, but it means we lose some of the heritage. It just became increasingly impractical," he says, as wines increased in quality in the 1970s and wineries proliferated.

When Robert Mondavi left his family's Charles Krug Winery and built his own property in Oakville from the ground up in 1966, it was the first entirely new winery constructed in Napa Valley since Prohibition. One of the results of the expansion that has since taken place has been the rise of single grape variety specialists. "Wineries like Silver Oak and Jordan gave us a lot of competition," Martini continues. "If we were making ten varietals, we suddenly had ten areas where we were competing with specialists. It marked the end of generic winemaking and forced everyone to pay more attention to detail."

Martini's Davis classmate Jack Stuart became one of those specialists. Like Martini, his family had lived in Northern California for generations, and says studying winemaking was a logical step for him. In 1980, even before the winery was completed, he joined the design team at Silverado Vineyards, where he became winemaker (then general manager) for many years, crafting some of Napa's most admired Cabernets. "It's hard to believe, but when our class was in school there were only about 600 acres of cabernet planted in California," Stuart notes, "but it was still considered the great grape. When I started, we had very good examples to learn from - Martini, certainly, and BV, Inglenook and Charles Krug were all well known for their Cabs in the '60s and '70s. I think a lot of us, among the new winemakers, were drawn to it and ended up specializing in it."

That is how it happened for Tom Eddy - it just took a while. When he attended Davis in the early '70s, he was advised by his mentors to forego the boutique winery route after graduation. "They said an experience at a large commercial valley winery would expose me to the 'guts' and 'heartaches' of the business. They were dead on. That decision prepared me to survive and thrive."

Eddy later earned his reward with winemaking stints at Chateau Souverain and Christian Brothers before building his own Napa Valley Cabernet-only winery (the first vintage of "Tom Eddy" was 1991).

As this '70s generation found their places in the wine industry, other changes were in the works. "We were a pretty tight group and we talked with each other, especially a group of us from Fresno State, since we got into the market a little ahead of the big surge from Davis," Deis says. "In fact, my wife, Evelyn, helped type Ed Sbragia's thesis and maybe even his letter applying to Beringer, and she ended up working at Joseph Phelps."

Sbragia adds, "I got here August 9, 1976, after working a year at Foppiano, where I learned a lot. Ken Deis, Craig Williams, Ken Vigoda at Raymond and I are in a pretty small group of people who, fairly soon after graduation, went to work at a winery and then stayed there for 25 years, even more now. But it's not as if there was no precedent for it - an earlier generation did that, too, just on a smaller scale."

The young winemakers formed a dynamic, if loosely organized, fraternity. To this day, Sbragia and Martini play in a band with Davis alum George Bursick, for 21 years the winemaker at Sonoma's Ferrari-Carano and now its consulting winemaker. "We all stay in touch in one way or another," Martini says, smiling at the fellowship and shared interests that extend back over nearly four decades.

Perhaps unlike previous, more insular generations of winemakers, "We started paying attention to what other people were doing, what other countries were doing," Deis notes. Sbragia reminisces, "In 1974, Ken and I and all our [classmates] went on a trip. We went to Korbel and then had a tasting at Joe Heitz's house. We tasted Joe's Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from 1968 to 1973 because David Heitz was a classmate of ours, and that was such a revelation for a young winemaker. Here were great wines with varietal character and they improved with time."

The revelations extended beyond California, as well. "At Davis, the elite, the upper classmen, would have tastings of Bordeaux," Tim Mondavi recalls.

"I thought how great to have tastings of something different to see if we could tell differences and pick out grape varieties."

Randy Dunn also remembers those events. "We tasted some older wines from [the Davis] cellar," he says, "bottles that were 15 to 20 years old, including some Bordeaux that Dr. Amerine liked. He'd say 'this is a beautiful example of this bank' and so on, and frankly, back then, that aroma was defective to my nose. It didn't smell like grapes or fruit. It takes time to appreciate bottle bouquet, and a lot of people never like that quality."

America wanted clean - and clean-smelling - wines. In the 1950s and '60s, there had been many issues over cleanliness in the old wineries still in operation, and an impression lingered that the wines of the time were interesting, but plagued with faults. "Technical changes promoted by Davis in the '60s were being broadly adopted and resulted in much improved table wines," Peterson says. The wines had fewer faults, but, in some ways, fewer distinctions, too.

On sampling Napa and Sonoma wines when he was a student, Mondavi confesses, "We tasted between varietals like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, and they weren't flawed, but I discovered that all the whites tasted alike, which was pretty disappointing."

"Everything had to be squeaky clean," says Deis, who thinks that because Davis has had such great visibility, it has been controversial because everything a faculty member would say in the 1960s and 1970s was taken as gospel and sometimes had a sweeping impact in the industry. "At one point, the faculty was arguing that terroir didn't matter, and it was thinking like that that brought about the era of wines made in the lab rather than in the vineyard."

Mondavi argues that clean wasn't a bad thing at this point in their development as winemakers, even when taken to an extreme. It was a stage in the industry's growth and has to be viewed in context. "When the business got going again after Prohibition, there were faults galore. Things weren't clean and there were microbial problems, oxidation, bad equipment and so much more. That's where Davis came in and said 'lets get the microbes out of here, let's sulphur the heck out of the wines and clean them up.' ''

Many now agree this was overboard, but it was the right thing at that time. "It's always an evolution," Mondavi says. "The squeaky-clean wines were a response to erratically made wines, so clean was superior to flawed wine." He believes it prompted good questions, including how one moves from making wines by suppressing faults to creating wines that enhance virtue.

"Don't stigmatize the University for an opinion or even a well-informed mistake," Peterson concurs. "When I was there, nobody on the faculty claimed to have all the right answers and they never claimed that winemaking skill came with the diploma. They taught technology and critical thinking. I believe that the University has stuck to these basics and learned over the years to be more guarded about opinions and early research results."

Another more practical problem also existed with the more theoretical approach that Davis employed at the time. "In a class of 30 or 40 students, we didn't get to do that much hands-on work with winemaking," Martini says. Fresno had a working winery (and continues to produce upward of 30,000 cases per year, including a popular wine called Tailgate Red), but at Davis, the emphasis was on chemistry. "We learned why to make wine more than how to make it," he continues. Today Davis is building a winery on campus, which will be a boon.

In the 1970s, "Why make wine?" and "What wine do we make?" were important questions. With young winemakers discovering and emphasizing varietal character, many wines seemed as if they were being made for the first time.

Peterson recounts, "After World War II, dessert wines, Ports and Sherries were the mainstay of the industry, and table wines were generics like 'Chablis' and 'Burgundy.' So [with the attention to varietal identity], wine became a new thing, both literally and figuratively."

Mondavi agrees, adding, "We discovered we had the ability to define what the varietals could be like, so we treated Sauvignon Blanc differently from Chardonnay, Riesling different from Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir different from Cabernet. It's so logical now, but it wasn't then. I went to Europe for the first time in 1970 and could see the huge differences between Bordeaux and Burgundy, but in California, the winemaking approach to Cabernet and Pinot Noir was pretty similar. We wanted that to change." This approach might be this generation's greatest legacy.

Indeed. Bursick says his most important contribution to California's wine scene is how his Ferrari-Carano Chardonnays have "influenced [that varietal's] style and direction over the past 20 years; not only with regard to consumer perception, but to the industry's approach to Chardonnay as well."

Many of the early headlines generated by these '70s guys were based on attention-grabbing Cabernets and Chardonnays - wines that found an immediate home in the marketplace. Mondavi's fascination with Pinot Noir would have made him nearly a lone voice in the Cab-Chard wilderness of the time had it not been for Tony Soter, another member of the Davis Class of 1978.

Soter had impeccable credentials with the elegant Cabernet Sauvignons he crafted at Spotteswoode and later as a consultant at Dalla Valle, Viader and other cult wineries, but his driving passion was Pinot Noir. While Mondavi tinkered with the grape as one of a handful of reds at the Robert Mondavi Winery, Soter eventually established one of the first, and greatest, Pinot-focused wineries called Étude.

As other members of his generation discovered, tasting wines from other regions - and especially Burgundy - opened both eyes and palates. "California Pinots always sort of stay in the red spectrum: raspberry, strawberry - black cherry is as close as they get" to additional complexity, Soter says he had come to believe. At Étude, he revolutionized consumer awareness of the possibilities of Pinot Noir, but has since moved on. He sold Étude to Beringer's parent company (now Foster's) and has since opened a winery in Oregon. Although he still consults in California, he says, "I like the Oregon wine industry right now. It reminds me of being in the business in Napa 25 years ago. And we have personal roots here because I was born in Portland and my wife was raised there." For his Oregon Pinot Noir, Soter wants to make "something a little more demanding of the drinker - a wine that will be age-worthy in a kind of classic or traditional sense."

Though one might think, then, that Soter would say his mark on California would be Pinot, instead he considers his legacy as "being a model for young 'garagists' [after having started] a wine business and brand with literally no resources. The key is having the conviction that someone out there will buy your wine - and not to give up your day job." he adds.

The notion of sharing knowledge may not be unique to winemakers, but the theme resonates among this generation, especially when getting its start. Deis notes, "I remember Dick Graff, the founder of Chalone, coming back from a trip to Burgundy and being all excited because he'd learned about barrel fermentation and we thought this was such a radical concept. He said to our professors 'Why didn't you tell us about this?' And their response was, 'No one ever asked.' That's when we started asking even more questions."

Peterson recalls that among the new generation of winemakers, "We were all thinking varietal wines and we wanted to make the best. Nobody was dreaming about making killer 'Mountain Burgundy.' That meant you had to have great grapes, barrels and facilities. In those days, that meant you had to plant and build and experiment. It was a huge infusion of passion and commitment."

It was an electrifying time of experimentation and questioning. "Malolactic fermentation was considered spoilage by many people in the '60s and '70s," Sbragia says. "Everything then was about clean. But this meant out-of-balance fruit bombs in a bottle, and the more we explored what we were doing and why, the more we began exploring barrel fermentation and malolactic fermentation." "Absolutely," Deis says. "Tasting Chalone in the 1970s woke us up. I went there and was shocked. And when I went to Fresno State, I got to try barrel fermentation and that put us on the map."

That passion took hold in the marketplace as well, as a new generation of consumers discovered wine. "In the late 1970s, I think Chardonnay was defined and it just took off in the marketplace," Martini says. Other varietals followed suit, and the industry grew at a dizzying rate as one technological advance followed another.

Deis believes that, "The biggest change since we started in the business is this: Up to the early 1990s our vines were on AxR rootstock. It would grow anywhere and it was really versatile except for chardonnay, but it turned out to be susceptible to phylloxera." Thousands of acres had to be replanted with vines on rootstock that was not such easy prey for the louse.

"AxR really smoked," Sbragia says. "It not only turned out a good-sized crop, but it ripened better. I agree that the change of rootstock makes today's wines very different from what we started out with."

Deis also notes that "we know more now about the components of wine. I think it's relatively new to be talking about phenolics and tannin levels. Thirty years ago, we didn't know what they were and we didn't care. We pay a lot of attention to these and other components today, and I think we're getting optimally mature fruit because of that."

To which Sbragia adds with a sly smile, "We've also learned enough about yields so that today we'll drop the crop before the financial guy knows what's going on."

Bruce Cakebread, winemaker at his family's eponymous Cakebread Cellars, points to other changes: "Years ago, the vines would get one long drink [of water] in the spring, which was believed to be enough until harvest. Today [we use] a neutron-probe irrigation system which allows us to accurately measure how much water specific vines are using and how much watering is needed to grow better grapes."

Trends come and go in the wine business. Some wineries are returning to cement fermentation tanks 30 years after the industry shunned them as old fashioned. And vineyard management is considered a better option for avoiding difficulty than trying to fix problems in the winery. "In early years at harvest, we brought all the fruit in, de-stemmed and crushed it and put the wine in barrels as a matter of routine," Cakebread says. "Today we have 'game plans' for each block in every vineyard, which are written during the summer, so we're ready for harvest. The entire crew knows ahead of time what the game plan is so we get the best we can from the fruit." Observing a harvest in California these days, it's easy to believe tha the greatest technological innovation in the industry is the cell phone that enables precision dispatch of vineyard crews.

Conversely, at Dunn Vineyards up on Napa Valley's Howell Mountain [See "Howell Mountain," page 40], little has changed. "I'm basically doing the same as what I did before, but it's easier. My press is five times the size of my old one. I started getting new equipment, so I'm not fixing stuff that breaks down all the time. De-alcoholization is very useful, too," he says, touching on a delicate subject (increased ripeness and higher sugar levels yield massive levels of alcohol). "I think the media led people up the alcohol curve and now they're leading them right back down. In the old days, we added water - no one talked about it, but we did it."

Martini allows, "There have been some trade-offs in the wine business. I think wine today is more consumer oriented. We can do so much with wine these days. Today I don't think a lot of wines are made to age." And yet, he says, the ability to age remains the hallmark of a great wine, "not because that's an admirable quality, but because when a wine does age well it is incomparable," though ready-to-drink wines drive the market.

There is a good deal of debate, however, about just what makes wine accessible. Many winemakers today talk about seeking "physiological ripeness," reflecting a growing conviction that sugar levels alone, once used to determine whether grapes were ripe, only tell part of the story. To Dunn, physiological ripeness sometimes sounds like a cover story to excuse overly high alcohol levels, a concern shared by Cathy Corison, one of only a handful of women to study enology at Davis in the '70s; she graduated in 1978, along with classmates such as Bursick, Kongsgaard and John Williams.

Embraced by these guys, she was very comfortable breaking into this male-dominated world. Corison spent ten years making wine on Pritchard Hill at Chappellet before founding her eponymous Napa Valley winery in 1987. "I think the quest to get cabernet in with high sugars is more about boasting rights than quality in some cases," Corison observes. She believes that claiming a pursuit of ripeness to the point where prune flavors take over from cabernet's natural balance of red fruit and an herbaceous edge is a dodge. "If growers are saying 'fully ripe' means prunes, I don't buy it. A lot of my neighbors are making one-note wines" in a quest for something that can be marketed as approachable. "Every red variety tastes the same when it gets that ripe, and you lose all the vineyard characteristics, too," she argues. "I think there is room for lots of different styles," but the lack of complexity and hint of residual sugar that is a hallmark of some very expensive wines these days is not a style she prefers.

Yet Sbragia thinks seeking physiological ripeness is a valid pursuit if it's not abused. "Making wine is not about absolute chemistry like total phenols or lab profiles anymore. It's what tastes good to you, and while you can check all the chemical components and sugar levels and measure potential alcohol, that's not the rigid rule it once was."

On this, he and Corison agree. "I don't harvest by Brix numbers. I'm never sure what they mean anyway and besides, things change from year to year," she says. And so, at least to her, winemaking remains something of a deliberate mystery.

If you do look at the Brix readings, though, there have been some changes over the years. "When I started, we thought 24 Brix was astonishing, and now it's being pushed to 28 or 29," Jack Stuart remarks. Today he continues to consult with Silverado Vineyards, as well as for several other properties. "There are no sudden changes, but there are waves we go through, and I worry that a trend with many younger winemakers these days is to make international wines that all taste alike. But the fruit bombs don't last."

This '70s generation makes many types and styles of wine, and are bound to disagree over various aspects of winemaking, but what is striking is how similar they are in spirit, even 30 years after finishing their formal schooling. Some, like Martini, have spent their entire careers in large wineries; others, like Corison, who was Martini's lab partner at Davis, shepherd smaller wineries making a few thousand cases per year. There is a place in American wine for both, and both point to the future.

Companies large and small compose the American wine industry. As the young winemakers of the 1970s become the revered mentors of today's new generation, the industry is now heading, on the one hand, toward consolidation under corporate umbrellas, as with the acquisition of the Robert Mondavi properties and Franciscan Estates by the giant Constellation Brands; on the other hand, boutique specialists like Corison Winery continue to flourish. Interestingly, although the giants seem to be grabbing the headlines, 70 percent California's wineries produce less than 3,000 cases of wine per year. [See "Standing Their Ground," page 48.]

"Big producers sell to big wholesalers who, in turn, sell to big retailers," Peterson says. "The consolidation in the industry has a tendency to drive to the lowest common denominator, but I don't see young people entering the wine industry today striving to achieve the lowest common denominator. On the contrary, they are full of passion and dreams - thank goodness. I also believe they are better educated than their predecessors."

And today's enology students have two great advantages the '70s class lacked: many more places to work, and many more winemakers from whom to learn. Indeed, the learning process - both in the vineyard and cellar - never ends. Sbragia, who in August marks his 30th anniversary at Beringer, says that making wine is "more exciting than ever," but it's still about making choices. "It is exciting and a little scary that with all the technology and all the things we've learned and all the experience you get over 30 years, the choices are less, not more, obvious. We taste the seeds, we kick the dirt in the vineyard; we have learned to feel when something is right, no matter what the numbers say."

Striking a similar note, Deis says, "When we were young, we came out of school with all these ideas; we thought we knew everything. Now we've been making wine for 30 years and we don't know anything! That's what I love about this business, about this life."

There may be more to learn, but what coalesced in the '70s when this generation of vintners graduated from enology school has spawned a remarkable period of sustained activity. Not yet satisfied with their accomplishments, what they've proved is that there is still much for all of us to learn about wine. Doing so will be a pleasure.

Senior Editor Lyn Farmer received the 2003 James Beard Journalism Award for magazine writing.

Posted by Lyn Farmer with The Wine News on Aug 25, 2006 6:49 am

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Suzanne Pearson @ Nov 18, 2006 4:24 pm:

I am a design student and my latest project is to research and design a wine bar and store limited to California wines. Your article enlightened me on the 70's influence on California wine- making through the years. I will include the wealth of information I learned in the introduction of my design presentation. It is sure to impress. Thank you.
Kind Regards,
SUzanne Pearson

Celebrities and their wines

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:24:30 +0100

Celebrities and their wines

Motley Crue is not a band known for its discriminating taste in alcohol, and when frontman Vince Neil sang about "Fine, Fine Wine" on his 1993 solo album, he was actually talking about — surprise! — sex. This year, however, Neil released a Napa cabernet and a Sonoma chardonnay ($20 each) under the Vince Vineyards label. And while Neil doesn't appear on the label, the label appears on Neil.

"He has already tattooed the logo on his arm," said an obviously delighted Russ Dale, president of Vince Vineyards. The wines are moving slowly toward nationwide availability, with new distributors being added monthly.

Neil is the latest in a long line of celebrities who have jumped feet-first into the grape barrel. The relationship between the celebrity and the wine ranges from name-on-the-label alone (one Italian winery has made a couple of tribute bottlings named for Bob Dylan albums) to vineyard ownership and a role in the winemaking process.

Star power

Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola has been taking the hands-on approach since 1975, when he founded the Niebaum-Coppola Estate winery in Napa. Coppola produced his first vintage in 1978, and last year introduced a sparkling chardonnay in single-serving cans ($5) named for fellow director — and daughter — Sofia Coppola. It's a delicious sparkler — nothing, er, lost in translation here.

Fess Parker, best known for playing TV's Davy Crockett in the 1950s, founded his eponymous winery in 1987 in the Santa Ynez valley. He produces the budget Frontier Red (which features Parker as Davy Crockett on the label) as well as some very serious pinot noir, chardonnay and syrah. Even if you haven't tasted Parker's wine, you've probably seen his grapes on the big screen: Much of the movie Sideways was filmed on his land.

In with the new

Those are the old guard. Newer on the scene is racecar driver Mario Andretti, who founded his namesake winery in Napa in 1996. He and winemaker Robert Pepi make a number of varietals, including one based on the Italian grape Sangiovese. "I've converted a lot of my beer-drinking friends to wine since I've had the winery," Andretti said.

This is no vanity project for Andretti, a serious wine collector whose cellar is stocked with top vintage Haut-Brions, Lafites and Latours. "I have probably the only case in existence of 1974 Mondavi cab," he added.

Hall-of-Fame quarterback Joe Montana is collaborating with Beringer's Ed Sbragia on a cabernet called (seriously) Montagia. The wine will be released later this year, but a few double magnums of Montagia have been showing up at charity auctions.

Not every celebrity winemaker plies his trade in California. The Southern Hemisphere is rife with them as well. Sam Neill of Jurassic Park fame has been growing pinot noir on his Two Paddocks vineyard in southern New Zealand since 1993. In Australia, Olivia Newton-John's Koala Blue Winery produces chardonnay and shiraz. Golfer Greg Norman's vineyards hug the limestone coast near Melbourne. And not to be outdone, fellow golfer Ernie Els makes serious red Bordeaux-style blends in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

What's in a name?

All of the above wines are available now or will be soon. But perhaps your palate runs to something more exclusive. You will need to speak to Sting, who owns a vineyard in northern Italy and currently produces wine only for his friends and family. If you are not among this cohort but want a wine made by an emotive British singer, perhaps you will be satisfied with Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall's Il Cantante wine, which is also produced in Italy and is expected to launch this year. "Il Cantante" is Italian for "the singer," so everything is in place for a messy Hucknall-Sting brawl.

Mario Andretti offers this advice to anyone considering the wine business: Work with a reputable winemaker. "Is it a winemaker that you know, you understand, you have full awareness of the reputation? Because it's like a restaurant: Unless you have that chef that will carry you, you're not going to exist."

That goes for wine drinkers, too. A celebrity name may sell you the bottle the first time, but repeat business depends on what's inside. Now, does anyone have Sting's phone number?

Posted by Matthew Amster-Burton with MSN on Jul 16, 2006 10:19 am

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Who put the fizz in the Shiraz?

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:24:30 +0100

Who put the fizz in the Shiraz?
At a dinner party on the terrace of their hillside Silver Lake home, some friends served a prettily fizzy Moscato d'Asti with dessert, a dreamy strawberry shortcake. The whole evening was effervescent — the table lovely, the company wonderful — and we could hear fireworks going off, where, Dodger Stadium?

But this summer, there's far more that sparkles than magical Moscato evenings. And no, I don't mean Champagne. Or Cava. Or Prosecco.

It's the summer of crazy bubbles. Sommeliers are pushing sparkling reds from Lombardy by the glass. Music fans take fizzy rosés from an obscure French region to the Hollywood Bowl. And now, even sake — yes, sake! — sparkles.

Okunomatsu Formula Nippon is regarded as the Champagne of sakes. Just as Formula One Grand Prix drivers celebrate by dousing each other with Champagne, at the annual Formula Nippon race, the winners shower each other with Okunomatsu, which fizzes prolifically from its striking cobalt-blue bottle.

As I was about to sample it, the Belgian-ale-type closure opened with quite an unexpected loud pop — if it hadn't been attached to the bottle, the thing would have flown across the room. Fantastically frothy as it was poured into the flute, the alabaster-white sake appeared to be unfiltered. (Most sparkling sakes are cloudy because of the sugar and yeast added to start the secondary fermentation.)

Okunomatsu is a junmai daiginjo sake, which means it is a pure sake to which no alcohol has been added, and the rice used in brewing has been polished so that no more than 50% of each grain remains before brewing.

This was the most intriguing wine I've tasted in years. The aromas were alluring — a little cucumber, apple and soft plum, with an appealing faint funkiness. Very inviting. On the palate, a vigorous bubble attack, then the sake quickly become soft and velvety. Altogether, it was complex and delicious, with a lovely finish.

Toro, I thought — fatty tuna belly. Spanish mackerel. This would be absolutely marvelous with sushi.

Alas, sparkling sakes are just coming into the L.A. market, and Okunomatsu is locally available only in two sushi bars. As far as retail goes, I found it in only one wine shop in California, True Sake in San Francisco.

At the moment, only two sparkling sakes are available in local wine shops. Poochi-Poochi comes in a three-pack, in a cute plastic carrying case. Milky-looking and very fizzy, it smells like pear blossoms, and it's light and fun. Just the thing for takeout Japanese food.

The other, Harushiko, is soda-pop sweet; it tastes as if it has some kind of fruit juice added to it. Awful.

Sparkling Shiraz

I had my first taste of sparkling Shiraz a few weeks ago, when I decided to bring some to a barbecue (the wine is supposed to be great with grilled foods).

I thought this would be a cinch — after all, these red sparklers from Down Under have been media darlings this season. But finding them was easier said than done. Although quite a bit of sparkling Shiraz is produced in Australia, little of it makes its way to the U.S. Some are quite expensive — many non-vintage versions retail for more than $40; a Wild Duck Creek Estate Heathcote Sparkling Duck sells for $80. But the price tag's largely moot, since they're so difficult to find.

I did get my hands on a $22 Rumball non-vintage Special Cuvee, touted as reviving the lost tradition of sparkling Australian "Burgundy" dating to the 1880s. I snapped it up and chilled it down.

Then an item in the newsletter from Wine Expo, the West L.A. wine shop specializing in Champagne and Italian wine, caught my eye. It described a 2004 De Falco Gragnano della Penisola Sorrentina from the Campania region as a deep, dark sparkling red, with deep berry and volcanic earth flavors. "We cannot wait to put this up against expensive sparkling Shiraz from Down Under at $40+ per bottle!" said the newsletter. "Try it, it will not hurt you and your Mom will love it too."

Perfect, I thought. The barbecue was to be at my mom's, and the wine was only $16.99.

At the barbecue, everyone was more than game to taste the Rumball and the De Falco sparkling red.

First I popped the Champagne-style cork on the Aussie. A clear, dark purple-red, the wine frothed up enthusiastically in the glass. Next the De Falco, with its regular cork. This one was also purple-red, but it was more lightly fizzy.

We swirled, then sniffed.

Hmm. From the Rumball, we got ephemeral floral aromas — not really what you'd expect from a wine that color. We tasted. Hmm. Odd. Wrinkled brows all around. The bone-dry wine wasn't giving up much on the palate, except a kind of uneasy dance between the tannins, which were substantial, and the fizz. Hardly a word was spoken, the wine was so weird.

"Blecchh!" said my mom, finally. Up until that point, she had never met a wine she didn't like. Not even Manischewitz.

"Give it a chance," I said. "Maybe it's going to be great with the burgers."

Next, the Italian. This one had a slightly musty aroma, then some herbal notes. This too was bone-dry. There was some nice fruit, some earthiness. "I liked the Australian one better," said my mom. Everyone else agreed. I wanted to like it. But frankly, it was off-putting. Again, maybe it would be swell with dinner.

I grabbed my flutes of sparkling reds and brought them outside, where the burgers were about to come off the grill. Everyone else left theirs behind, switching to Pinot Noir or sangria.

With the grilled burgers and sausages, the wines were OK, but they just weren't appealing. Uncharacteristically, I didn't even finish either glass. Between these and the soda-pop sake, it was starting to look as though some discretion would be advised when it came to unusual sparklers. I'd have to seek out the good ones.

Next, the roses

I had high hopes for a couple of inexpensive, lightly sparkling rosés called Bugey Cerdon. Made from Gamay (the Beaujolais grape) and an obscure light red grape called Poulsard, the wine is from Bugey, a tiny region bordering France's Savoie region, near Lyon.

According to Joe Dressner of Louis/Dressner Selections, his firm was the first to import Bugey Cerdon to the U.S. Seven years ago, he says, New York chef Daniel Boulud asked him to track down the charming sparkling pink wine the legendary (and since departed) Alain Chapel was serving as an aperitif at his then-three-star restaurant in Mionnay.

The answer was the Bugey Cerdon of producer Alain Renardat-Fache.

Equal parts Gamay and Poulsard (the latter adds finesse), Renardat-Fache's Bugey Cerdon owes its bubbles to a spontaneous refermentation in the bottle referred to in Bugey as the "méthode ancestrale." As with the sparkling sakes, fermentation of the Cerdon is stopped, but the secondary bottle fermentation happens naturally, without the addition of sugar or yeast. The wine doesn't ferment completely; some of the residual sugar remains. That's why they're demi-sec, or off-dry, and low in alcohol. The wines are fragile, and meant to be drunk fresh.

"They're flying off the shelves," says Jim Knight, manager of Wine House in West L.A., which carries two Bugey Cerdons. "They're the ideal Hollywood Bowl wine."

The Renardat-Fache, with 7.5% alcohol, has a Champagne-style cork. When poured, it's frothy white-pink, then deep pink, with biggish bubbles and bright acid. It tastes like a fizzy glass of raspberries.

I really fell for the light salmon pink Clos de la Bierle. Very drinkable, with just 8% alcohol, it's nicely fizzy and lightly sweet, with pretty strawberry flavors.

From Germany's Pfalz region, I found a delicious sparkling Riesling, a 1999 Von Buhl Forster Pechstein Brut. In Germany, sparkling Rieslings are known as Sekt; this was delicious — lively, fresh and crisp, with a lovely, lingering finish. It would be a sensational aperitif, especially with something salty and fatty to eat, like spiced nuts or little cheese tartlets.

Sparkling reds

Finally, back to the sparkling reds. Determined to find some I liked, I tasted half a dozen from Italy, but none slayed me. A Villa di Corlo Lambrusco Grasparossa was corked; bad luck. I found the two Oltrepò Paveses I tasted (one of which is offered by the glass at Norman's on Sunset Boulevard) to be too grapey.

I did like a 2004 Cascina Fonda Brachetto from Piemont. Cranberry in color, with a happy 6.5% alcohol level and an alluring berry and plum nose, it had just the right fizz, terrific fruit and silky, unobtrusive tannins.

And then another sparkling Shiraz fell into my lap. And guess what? I loved it. The Fox Creek Vixen from McLaren Vale is actually 54% Shiraz, 32% Cabernet Franc and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep, dark, fizzy red, this sparkler was strong stuff, at 14%. But this one was somehow harmonious, with its nice, bubbly texture, yummy fruit — everything came together, and the bubbles didn't seem out of place.

Bring on the grilled ostrich.

Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times

Posted by Leslie Brenner with LA Times on Jul 21, 2005 5:17 am

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Schramsberg Delivers with High Expectations

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:24:30 +0100

Schramsberg Delivers with High Expectations

Referred by a friend at Peju Province, We setup an appointment to taste some of the most highly acclaimed sparkling wines coming from California and perhaps the nation. After touring through caves and enjoying a unique history story, I can agreee and confirm that Schramsberg is indeed not only one the best producers of sparkling wines but also one of the most personable and enjoyable visits I've encountered. First, let me break some things down. Jennifer, my girlfriend, LOVES sparkling wines. Because of her, we've been back and forth to Napa in search of incredible wines. We've been joining club after club enjoying wines only to realize we've wasted an obscene amount of time, energy and even worse- money!

For those also dabbling in the sparkling arena here in California, it ends here. Plain and simple, no bullshit, no pocketed money for saying this -- Schramsberg makes THE BEST sparkling wines I've tasted.

What have I tasted to support such a claim? For an every day Joe-Schmoe quite a line up in my opinion. By wine critic standards, probably not too much but still recognizable. I've tasted through Mumm, Chandon, Gloria Ferrer, and Domaine Carneros in California alone. I've even enjoyed plenty of Piper Heidsieck and surprisingly a few bottles of Cristal. While all these places make great wines, Schramsberg amazed me with every single wine they make.

There are numerous other reasons supporting my claim but to truly understand why is to taste and tour the estate they've resided at since their founding. I'll do my best to encompass all that one can experience but I fear it won't do them fair justice.

Schramsberg winery is the quintessential sparkling wine producer in California. They've had quite a journey getting here but at least its an interesting one.

In 1862, German immigrants Jacob and Annie Schram established Schramsberg as the first winery with vineyards planted on the hillsides of the Napa Valley. With the help of Chinese laborers, vineyards replaced scrub oak, and a network of underground caves was tunneled into the soft, volcanic rock.

In 1965, Jack and Jamie Davies assumed stewardship of the winery with the mission to produce America's first methode champenoise sparkling wines, using the noble grapes of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the classic, old-world tradition. Each vineyard would be vinified separately to create small, individual lots of base wine, then painstakingly selected and handcrafted into America's artisan sparkling wines.

Today, you'll see the same lavish Victorian house that was built by a shipbuilder using pegs and intercrossing beams instead of a single nail. Prohibition was the ultimate demise of the original Scram winery but when the Davies took over, they continued efforts of generous hospitality and incredible wines.

This is no ordinary request though. The type of hospitality hailing from the Schrams during their reign was noted through 6 pages from a personal journal of Robbert Louis Stevenson. While Robert and his new bride were traveling through California, they made a visit to the Schrams and tasted through the entire portfolio of wines as well as some of Jacob Schram's personal library wines. The Schrams had no idea who the couple was - they were simply treating their guests as they would want to be treated. The spoils came after when business flourished as the stories of incredible wines from California spread.

In 1965, Jack and Jamie Davies, after a yearlong search for hillside property in the Napa Valley, and determined to change their way of life, happened upon an old decrepit winery on the mountainside above St. Helena. On that day Schramsberg was brought back to life.

Jack and Jamie set out to produce "America's most prestigious, select and admired sparkling wine; chosen for special guests, special gifts, pampering one's self and expressing one's taste in unique products."

This spirit of innovation has earned Schramsberg, and the Davies, much praise and recognition throughout the world. In 1972 the 1969 Blanc de Blancs was served at the "Toast to Peace" in Beijing, between President Richard Nixon and Premier Chow En-lai. Schramsberg wines have been served by every subsequent presidential administration.

The story is still unfolding. Time has proven that the original-goals have been met with style, grace and elegance. The noted wine author and critic, Nathan Chroman, described the Davies' contributions this way: "Some producers will earn a paragraph in the history of sparkling wines in California. The coming of the French will need a page. But it will merit a chapter to spell out what Jack and Jamie have done here."

And that is just their history.

You'll learn so much more on your visit. Once you find the turnout where a small "Schramsberg" sign resides, you'll drive a long, windy road up the hillside through thick brush and a dense forest. You'll arrive at the historic grounds and walk the first hillside-planted winery in the state. You'll walk through their endless caves with quietly aging bottles of magic as Spanish molds hang from the ceiling; filtering the air allowing your senses to pick up traces of fruit, yeast, oak and honest hard work. You'll then sip the spoils of their labor and you will slowly slouch in your seat as you lick your lips after every sip hoping to savor every nuance. Finally, you'll make your purchase and cherish the experience again and again.

I was told Schramsberg was the best in the area. The bar was set high and the hype of the visit was intense. Normally, on that alone, anything would pale compared to the acclaim. I can concure. Schramsberg is the best. They make incredible wines that rival the best in the world and no matter the hype, a visit to their estate will only confirm your notions. See for yourself what the best of the best is all about.

For more information about Schramsberg Vineyards, visit: www.schramsberg.com

Posted by Ryan ODonnell with VineSugar on Apr 20, 2005 8:02 am

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Starting Your Own Mini Wine Cellar

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:24:30 +0100

Starting Your Own Mini Wine Cellar
There are many good reasons to keep some extra bottles on hand. Here are tips on which wines to store and how long they'll keep.

Though the words "wine cellar" may bring to mind stone steps leading down to a cobwebby cave, or the Cary Grant-Ingrid Bergman cellar scene in Notorious, keeping a wine cellar needn't be a somber undertaking. And the decision to start one is as easy as deciding that the bottle you bought for tonight's dinner isn't right and putting it aside for another occasion. If you buy a few extra bottles each time you shop, before long you'll have a wine collection.

A collection of goodies for every occasion
So why else bother stowing wine away? There are lots of good reasons.

You'll have bottles you know at your fingertips. For me, having a cellar is like having a pantry well stocked with great ingredients. It means that I have on hand both young and vintage wines that I'm familiar with, making a bang-up dinner easy and fun to put together.

You'll have good wines for impromptu occasions. Especially if you don't have a wine merchant down the street, a wine cellar means that you've got delicious bottles around to serve drop-in guests or to bring to that last-minute dinner at your neighbor's.

You'll be able to take advantage of sales and bargains. Deciding to stock up on wine means that, for reasonable prices, you can buy recent releases that will be hard to find or astronomically priced years from now when the wines come to maturity.

You'll taste the aging process as it happens. If you buy six or twelve bottles of something good, you'll have years of interesting drinking, because you'll be able to taste a bottle every year or two, checking on the wine's development as time goes by.

You'll have wonderful wines for special occasions. Whether it's to enjoy with a few friends over dinner, as a gift for your best friend's fiftieth, or to pop open for your kids' college graduations, you'll have wines to savor for years to come.

Think short, medium, and long term
Whether your collection consists of fifteen cases or two, the collecting strategy remains the same.

A good plan is to think in time blocks of short, medium, and long term. Although it's impossible for me to list the life spans of all wines, here's an idea of the types of wine you should consider for each time block.

Short-term wines for casual get-togethers and weeknight dinners. There are a wealth of these from every wine-growing region in the world, especially white wines from California, Australia, Italy, France, and New Zealand, and reds from Spain's Navarra, France's Languedoc-Roussillon, and California's Monterey and Central Coast regions. Expect to spend $7 to $20 per bottle.

Medium-term wines for special dinner parties and treats. These are wines that will be a step up in quality, with aging potential for three to ten years. This is probably the easiest category to shop for; reds especially are plentiful. You'll find delicious bargains that drink well in the near future from important regions known for their long-aging wines, such as Burgundy and Bordeaux. Other reds to search out for medium-term aging are Italian Chianti, California Syrah and Zinfandel, Australian Shiraz, and wines from the southern Rhone in France. Look for white wines from Alsace and the Loire in France, from Tuscany and Friuli in Italy, and Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from California. Expect to spend $12 to $30 for wines with medium-term aging potential.

Long-term wines for special occasions and important dinners. These will have the structure and complexity for ten years of aging and beyond. Look for specials at wine stores and grab them now while they're available and affordable. The payoff will be some delicious finds that you'll enjoy years from now.

For the most part, wines in this category will be reds -- look to Italy's Piemonte and Tuscany regions, to Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the northern Rhone in France, to Rioja, Ribera del Duero, and Catalonia in Spain, and to Portugal for ports and Madeira. The most age-worthy white wines in this group are dessert wines from Germany and Hungary, and Sauternes from France. The sky's the limit here as far as spending goes, but expect to start at about $15.

Wine needs peace and quiet in a cool, humid spot
Wine likes dark, cool, humid conditions, and the absence of vibration. You won't often find all those conditions in your home unless you install a cooling unit, so I advise a compromise. Find the coolest spot in the basement, away from heating units and water heaters, or a closet that isn't positioned on an outside wall.

If you feel yourself becoming really impassioned about collecting wine, you may find your stash growing too big for your house. When my collection started taking over my apartment, I rented a wine locker. In many cities, companies rent small lockers for long-term wine storage. Ask your local wine merchant: chances are he or she has bottles stowed there, too.

Steve Ledbetter is a wine buyer for Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, an importer and retailer in Berkeley, California.

Posted by Steve Ledbetter with Fine Cooking Magazine on Apr 04, 2005 1:46 pm

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