Monday, August 30, 2010

Take Time to Smell The Bouquet


I took some time away from this blog and other writing adventures to smell the bouquet. Sometimes in life we never volitize our own esters and things get tight, closed in and over oaked in our personal lives.


Today, however, the kids all started back to school. I have one in each level of education now, Jr. HS, HS, and College. As if to mark the beginning of a new season, I am writing again and offering whatever wine advice to my blog readers, wine and food columns and snooth reviews. It is all very hazy, this last time off. We needed to take care of the cluttered garage and basement, get one kid off to college with supplies to cover 120 days, get 2 other kids into their fall sports programs and tend to a dried up garden and yard that was beaten down by a hot and dry July.


The end result being that the vacation was nothing more than home work, working on the home and never going away to the mountains or the beach or an island or a foreign destination like say New York City. No time for baseball games, no time for county carnivals either although my kids and my spouse seem to have gotten past the need or want to go to these places. The family events were focused on the individual rather than the group and this truly marks a turning of pages in life.


These things recognized and set aside, one thing was accomplished on a personal note; I started a new health program for myself and took time every day to spend time on me for an hour. This was my personal "ester swirl" as it were and it helped to open up my closed in self. I removed myself from wine, wine making, grape growing, wine tweeting, wine FB-ing, wine snoothing, wine searching, wine accessing, all of it stopped for thirty days. It was tough at first but really great as I return to the printed word on this subject and a bit of renewed energy.


I, for the time being, will not refer to this as the grind, and with a renewed sense of wonder delve into odd varietals, the place wine has in a healthy diet, all things less hedonistic and more focused on the improvement of life. After all wasn't this the reason wine was first made? It wasn't safe to drink the water and the milk wasn't pasteurized, so fermented grape juice helped life become livable, if not down-right safe. Now we seem to be surrounded with focus on scores, medals, ego, competition, with thousands of wine makers touting their wines as the greatest but nobody really listening. Ultimately nobody is swirling their esters to open up the full bouquet life is offering.


For me, for the time being, this is all I care to do. Cheers

Saturday, July 10, 2010

A Rant Against Beaurocracy in the American Wine Industry


Have been away for a break. It's good for every writer / wine advocate / person to take some time away from their passionate discipline. Refreshed and encouraged by the rain that we have needed, I find myself perplexed and somewhat enraged over recent government actions towards wine commerce in the U.S.




First there is this business with HR5034 and wholesalers attempt to re-write the U.S. Constitution to benefit their monopolies. Now the PA PLCB has introduced kiosks that sell wine in grocery stores. OK why don't these people "get it"? It is a tough economy and what little pleasure we can afford is being taxed and controlled to keep us safe? more like controlled.




In an article this week in the Orlando Sentinel, free market wine shops nation wide are slashing prices, offering coupons, becoming more accessible, offering classes, doing what it takes to encourage commerce. Independent producers as well are texting, facebooking, tweeting about specials, discounts, events all tied towards benefiting customers to encourage commerce.




BUT in Pennsylvania, the answer by political bureaucrats that are paid by taxes, is to raise taxes to get a pay raise? which in a bad economy is doing nothing but chasing commerce towards the open markets of New York, Delaware and New Jersey.




The PLCB introduced Kiosks that automatically dispense wine after scanning your drivers license and your breath, (because the government doesn't trust you to be sober). If this works then the next step is to add a $1 convenience fee to the already 30% to 50% higher bottle prices of "their" selection of wine in the machine. There are no wine stewards to discuss the wines, help with selection or offer food pairings so if these "Sentinels of fascism" grow, PLCB clerk jobs and possibly entire locations will be eliminated.




Let's see, machines and taxes to replace people and jobs to make the state more money and control the freedom of selection and competition.




What are they not getting? These things will chase me and an entire host of PA consumers to NY, NJ, and DE for our liquor supplies. We will gladly spend millions outside our commonwealth in deference to higher taxes, smaller selection and high market prices. This reaction will lead to more lay-offs, raising of prices and an anti-commerce posturing if left unchecked.




In a bad economy consumers shop price and availability. If you raise prices and lower selection then you chase away customers. Business 101 teaches this. Still our law makers are not stirred by these fundamental rules of trade because they are paid by the taxes we generate.




PA! If you want change, greater selection, lower taxes and a free form of commerce which will supply more jobs, increased industry, and prosperity then YOU will have to support a candidate that will change the system. You have to remove the Harrisburg politicians that are hurting our commerce and making us a laughing stock in a country that understands socialism doesn't work as well as a free market society.




OR keep spending your money in another state that "gets it".

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Pennsylvania Viticulture


"I could make twice as much wine if I didn't have to grow the grapes." August Sebastiani


It is not word for word, but the quote is close to the though expressed by one of California's founding wine-fathers. The sentiment expresses how much time and attention wine grapes take and if left to another, then more time could be spent buying grapes and making more gallons.


Funny thing is, the quote was by a California vintner. Given the ease of growing conditions in CA. one has to wonder what it's like for everyone else. Well let me tell you that PA is the perfect place for Amish and other non-drinkers.


Today marks the eighth year to the date that I started growing wine grapes in PA and it ain't easy. Experimentation with root stock, varietal, clonal selection, certified, non-certified. No wonder viticulture gave way to beer brewing in the colonies. Too many other crops are better suited for a farmers needs.


If all I had to do was make wine...I now understand fully what Mr Sebastiani was saying. Started and failed are Grenache, Zinfandel, Viogonier, Syrah; still struggling are Traminette, Corot Noir, Noiret all hybryd grapes that were supposed to make it in this area. Root stocks varied: 3309, St. George, native..nothing seems to work in this heavy, red iron filled, rocky soil.


One jewel though, Seyval Blanc, seems to be the one. I planted it because it has many options as a wine; sparkling, dry, late harvest. I ran out of space in my test plot so I had to container plant the last 2 vines. Boy was I surprised. Every vine produced grapes the first year. Ya have to clip them or the vine becomes strained. The container vines are very strong as well.


It may be that this hybrid wine grape, which grows well in Northern England as well as Wales, is the perfect PA grape after all. Now I have to develop a style. I was hoping to tap into my German/Irish roots and make a Kabinet wine using Traminette as a blend component. This grape is struggling. I'm gonna need to get help, but it may be that PA is a perfect New World Rhine Region and like our old world brothers, we need to focus on our whites; Pinot Blanc, & Gris, and Riesling, Gewurztraminer-esc type grapes.


Might take me another eight years, but all good wine, is worth the time.


Every vine produced berries

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Current Events in Wine



This Just In!



Corporate chain restaurant P.F. Changs announced today the release of Vineyard 518, a "green" approach to wine production made by Mendocino based Wattle Creek Winery. There are two flavors presently being produced for the restaurant, a Sauvignon Blanc & Syrah. The wine is organically grown and packaged in recycled materials to reduce the carbon footprint.

The interesting thing here is that while this is a great idea, one has to wonder why the PF Changs chain has no national corporate recycle plan for its stores. Most of these spent packages will be tossed out in the general garage along with all their glass and cans. It kinda makes the attempt at being eco-friendly somewhat hypocritical.

In other News...

Seems odd that a professional soccer team would agree to a sponsorship from a winery? If beer can do it with the NBA, NFL, MLB & NHL; then why not a winery and a UK based soccer team?
Manchester United has agreed to accept Concho Y Toro, based in Chile, to be their sole wine sponsor. That's the curious part, a British Soccer team and a Chilean wine company. Makes you go hmmmmm. Aren't English wines on the rise and in need of exposure and don't the Chileans have a soccer team? Must be the money.

Also on the new front;

Decanter Magazine has announced a series of wine classes under the title Decanter Education. The classes have gathered several well versed and knowledgeable wine educators to lecture on some very noted wine regions.

Yet this seems a bit incestuous.

The classes are announced as "comprehensive" and "masterclasses"; but not a single new world wine region is listed in the course selection? An over sight? Maybe, but one would guess they either couldn't get a new world wine authority to lecture or more probably, didn't want the Euro wine courses to be out sold by more popular wine regions.

of particular note...

It was announced this week that the Chinese will be the biggest investors of 2009 Bordeaux futures and not Chinese consumers but speculators. So I wonder, where did the communist based Chinese speculator come from? How is this investor able to spend for 09 Bordeaux futures when they don't pay current living wages to their population? How is there such a thing as a wealthy communist?

Since scandals in recent years by the Chinese in tainted dog food, sub-par dry wall and toxic jewelery; one has to wonder if these "speculators" will re-release the 09's in say 2030 as gray market knock-offs. makes a Bordeaux Lover mighty nervous.

more to come....

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Wine Food & Flavor






Often during wine seminars I am asked “the” question about flavor in wine. It usually comes as a sincere quest for knowledge and understanding. The question is usually centered on the difficulty many have in describing, in defined terms, the flavors one is experiencing. In every wine seminar I encourage the audience to describe what they are tasting in specific terms. Most can not get past the general adjectives of fruity, sweet or dry and many are unwilling or unable to take a stab at pinpointing these general terms with specifics. It is safe ground for people to rest on simple answers that when “I” say a wine tastes like fruit, it does; or know that if “I” say it tastes dry, it is; yet this is not enough.

If you really want the experience of tasting wine to count, in my opinion, then we all have to dive off the deep end. We need to put our flavor experiences regarding food to work in order to better understand what we taste, why it pairs with specific food groups better than others, and how this will develop our wine & food knowledge past the novice stage. All of this has its beginnings in food. We became a nation of food inhalers and chose the drive-through over sitting at the table. When this happened flavor ceased being important and we lost our ability to describe what was in our mouths. This shows up very often in my wine classes as the inability to discuss texture, aroma and flavor. Should I put any guest on the spot the “deer in the headlights” look comes over them with horrifying facial expressions. It is my belief that every wine event should begin with a descriptive hour where every person attending has to specifically pinpoint 1-3 flavors in a wine. I use these numbers because wine has three parts that make up the finished product. Follow along and use this method the next time you taste any wine. It may help you understand what you are sipping.

The first part to wine is fruit. Red or white, depending on the color and within that set the wine will mimic the fruit flavors of its color. In white wine one may taste anything from citrus to stone fruit, lemons, oranges, apples of every variety, and pears all the way up to the tropical sets of papaya, mango and passion fruit. In red wine the flavors encompass all the red fruit varieties from cherry, blueberry, blackberry, plum, to fig and prune. The best of the tasters will not only suggest wine “X” has a cherry note, but involve Bing or Queen Anne cherry by name. When one gets really good at this you can begin to see types of fruit within wine sets. Gala apples, Meyer lemons for example and when one tastes enough wine, the layers of fruit flavor become more easily revealed. You must practice somewhat to eventually “get it”.

The second part to wine is spice and this is harder to grasp because we do not as a population spend any time around oak forests to see subtle nuances. Coco, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, clove, anise, black tea, coffee, tobacco are the flavor spectrum the barrel imparts. The toast grade and wood type will leave these flavor imprints in a wine depending on the maturation time in the barrel, the newness of the oak, oak type and barrel cleanliness. When no wood is used these nuances will be somewhat absent from the wine experience, although wine has a spice nature to it, the flavor spectrum will be overshadowed by the fruit and yeast.

Lastly there is a dairy component in wine. One will taste a creamy nature and may detect oiliness; butter, cheese, olive oil, and sweet cream. This is what the yeast will impart in the wine. The longer the contact through malolactic or secondary fermentation, extended lees contact and stirring of the lees the more a pronounced dairy note will exist in the wine. This is most evident in new world wines with low acidity and high alcohol. When a California Chardonnay, as an example, is noted as being buttery, this happens through extended yeast contact and possible lees stirring which helps break down harsh tannins and acid. The result is a wine with pronounced butter or cream notes in the mouth layered with ripe fruit flavors and an absence of any finishing acid which makes a wine seem more silken or velvety.

When you can place these three components together you will have a complete wine experience. Now practice discussing these attributes with friends. Allow your food experiences discover the definitive flavors and you are on your way. This last part is the tricky issue. We become unsure of our own palate and opinions. We then begin to lean towards an “authority” to tell us what we taste. I say LET GO! The basic high school education should be enough to describe what flavors you smell and taste and only practice will make you perfect. Food and temperature will change flavors in the mouth as you taste and either open or close off multiple layers of wine flavor as you eat and taste. It is important to experiment with as many combinations as you and your friends can create. The ultimate goal is to open your mind and let your vocabulary loose as you discover flavors. Do not be shy or concerned with another’s opinion as no answer is wrong. It is all subjective to you and your palate. There are two new books recently released which will help direct you towards these definitive tasting skills.

They are: Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking – by Michael Gelb (Running Press Publishers), and Daring Pairings – by Evan Goldstein (University of California Press).

Both publications will lead you towards wine & food flavor pairing and the practice of using an expanded vocabulary that will be definitive and help you pinpoint what you taste and how you express it. The next step is for you to stage a tasting group and practice what you read. Cheers.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Lunch in Hell and 20%


I stopped at a casual place for a quick lunch this week. It was a very well known national chain that is easy to get to has plenty of parking and reasonable prices. My job doesn't often take me to places like this. Working in the wine business I often grab lunch in a place that is independently owned with a better focus on food, wine and over-all "culture" for lack of a better word.

My choice couldn't have been worse this day. I was looking for easy, and got the opposite. Serves me right, I guess, as there are many very good places that I could have stopped into this day. I live in a place where the growth of the National Chain Restaurant is rising and the Independent Operator is disappearing. The issue for me is that I have to travel farther between accounts to make appointments and present wine or give wine seminars or develop new accounts. The distance doesn't always lend itself to easy options for lunch and since I am doing everything to stay away from the drive through and sit in a place for a civilized and healthy meal, my choices can be limited.
When I entered I immediately was greeted by a cheerful hostess and mentioned I was going too eat in the bar for a quicker experience. That was when I should have turned around. I sat at the end of the large oval shaped bar and began searching for a bartender and a menu. There were 2 bartenders at the far end of the bar with their backs turned to me. They were engaged in a game of Wii Bowling. I went immediately to my blackberry to respond to e-mails that I received and got through 3 complete responses before I noticed the bar-tenders were gone. "Hmmm, not even a hello."
There was only 1 other person at the bar and there were 4 guests seated at booths around the bar so between 2 people how hard could it be to notice a new customer and say hello? I went back to my texts and finished 3 more before someone greeted me. I asked for a glass of wine and a menu. Upon receipt of the items, which happened quickly, we both noticed there were food crumbs in front of me on the bar from a previous diner. She brushed the crumbs away with her hand towards me and left! What?
I took a sip, found my lunch item and waited through 2 more e-mails before being asked for my order by the second bar-tender. I placed my order, sat in my crumbs and finished my work. When the food arrived more crumbs were moved aside and I was left to enjoy my meal while the Wii Bowling game was replaced by Wii Golf and two more servers were now engaged with the bartenders in the fun. I finished, waited for the check, didn't get asked for coffee, dessert or anything more. I paid, gave a 20% tip and left without a goodbye. $32!
Now I should mention that I spent over 20 years in restaurants and that presently my spouse works for one of these upscale national chains as well. I am not biased, because attentive service is just that no matter where one goes. I am a stickler for patron interaction, awareness of surroundings and attention to details. If the place is making money on the interactive games, I understand its place in the bar. If the economy is slow and it's hard to get workers on slow shifts to show up for work, then I understand. I even forgive certain lax liberties given by management too, like poor uniform attire, eating and drinking on shift liberties, etc.
What I have issues with is the belief by today's servers that 20% is a given no matter what type of service you give and anything less gets you crucified on every web site sounding board. The word is gratuity and by definition is given for courteous, kind and attentive service. I could've done 100 other things at the moment I got my check but my schedule was tight and I had to go. Yet I left wondering if corporate knows that when it's slow the manager is sitting in the back office at the desk and the employees are more worried about their Wii score than the condition of the seating area or the needs of the guests.
I can say I won't go back to this place any time soon, and I will be leery of any large chain that treats me as if I am a nuisance and not a patron. While it is my right to hold back the tip, times are tough and the $6 does go a long way. Yet when will the restaurant industry get it? When will these places take an active part in training competent help? When will they get their heads out of their frozen food business long enough to recognize they are losing money for things that can be fixed by simply taking the remote out of the bartenders hand?
Maybe, probably, when its too late.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Wine in Dog Years


This week I turned 50. Never thought twice about the moment. Spent many younger years thinking age was only a number and not a barrier to life. Still think this way.
Age in wine is not always a good thing. There is an old adage that says, "it is a far greater crime to drink a wine too old than too young." This speaks about missed opportunity and hope lost. So as a consuming society we do this more than ever before. We consume our wine, sometimes far too young, but what are we waiting for anyway. Life is to be tasted, not shelved in anticipation of things to come! Yet, every now and again I think about lost opportunity and getting a "do-over". Wine allows this to happen when we get the right vintage, producer, vineyard and varietal all in the same bottle. These things are fleeting, but are available to us every year. When they are made available to us, we can set them aside and wait for the right moment to open them. Moments like anniversaries, birthdays, reunions.
Sometimes the effort is worth the wait, sometimes not. Wine ages in dog years. One year to a wine may be like 7 to a human. Upon first release they are like so many new puppies, playful, awkward, fun. As they age they become intelligent, thoughtful, engaging. At extreme age (10+ years) they are slower yet held in higher esteem, more respected for their longevity.
I found a border collie sitting in my cellar this week. A 1992 Cabernet from the Alexander Valley. At 17 years it was energetic, elegant with a shiny coat and seamless intelligence all still intact. These are singular things that come along rarely and it made me think of turning 32 not 50. I may not cellar my wine as much as I would like anymore, but I am glad I did this time.
Thinkin' that in the future I am going to refer to wines in dog types to better prepare myself for the way they may age. Buying a poodle? A German Shepherd? A Golden Retriever? I hope to find more Border Collies, the energy they seem to always have will hold memories for me and my kids for years to come. Cheers!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

H.R. 5034 is David vs Goliath; Freedom vs. Fascism


It is an image that permeates our society and ignites the best that America is. The little guy with faith, hope and resolve facing down the giant that everyone fears. We Americans have identified with this idea since the conception of our nation. It is our true heritage no matter where our ancestors came from and continues to burn bright in the hearts of Americans today.
The under-dog, the outnumbered, the fight waged against impossible odds. The Lone Ranger, the courageous warrior thrust to the center of the fight armed with only wits and a sling. Set out in a vastly deserted battle field to face an army of better equipped, better organized, bigger foes. Approaching the enemy our hero is ridiculed, mocked and laughed at from in front and behind. Silent echoes sound through the mind. Should I tire in battle will I retreat or press on? Will I be strong enough to suffer the slings and arrows of the enemy? Is there a chance to strike a resounding blow for freedom? Whats worth the prize is always worth the fight and I must press on.
That is the issue of Inter-State Commerce and Direct to Consumer sales freedom. The life's blood of the FREE MARKET and the small producer that has more to lose but would gladly sacrifice all for the freedom to compete.
Big business would repeal the 21st Amendment if it would allow them and only them to control the market. They did at one time. They were the syndicated corrupt bootleggers and underbelly of the black market that waged war in this country during prohibition. If H.R. 5034 is allowed to pass the cause for a free market will be struck in its heart. The only ones left in control will be the large wholesale distributors that will affect price, product volume and competition suffocating the very issue of what a free economy stands for and crushing the little guy along the way.
Make no mistake about this issue. This is corporate fascism scheming to gain control of the free market against a more just and democratic form of business. The bill at its heart contend to control the flow of goods between states in the name of the public good, but there is something else more sinister here. If allowed to pass, the Judicial Branch will be told for the first time in our history that they are non-essential. Yes this is about alcohol, but a precedent will be set for other issues and we will have anarchy, separatism and sedition to contend with in the future if we do not say now, NO to controling the free market and YES to the check and balance that is the Supreme court. No to rewriting the Constitution of the United States and Yes to the small businessman, the entrepreneur, the artisan crafter.
Sensational? Maybe, but give an inch of freedom to one who would control a thing and lose 200 years of hard fought independence to men who would be king.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Gorillas vs Guerrillas


There has been upheaval and calamity in Washington DC this week over big liquor business and lobby money pushing their anti-DTC (direct to consumer) agenda. (see H.R. 5034)
The country is on the verge of allowing a few large companies to dictate to the American people what alcohol they may buy and eventually this will lead how much they pay for it, how it's marketed and so on. H.R. 5034, is designed to keep small producers from going outside the major distributors and direct to the consumer with the use of the Internet. If passed it would place two major companies key distribution rights for more than 30% of the industry and open the door for them to grow fast, fat and furious to the point of a nation wide monopoly.
Their tactics are one of scare and half-truths but the reality is that these companies have contributed heavily to some career politicians and with Warren Buffet in the game as a major player, (he took an ownership role in a liquor distributor in Georgia), the sky's the limit for control of the industry. Small producers would have to pay in product and price in order for their goods to be sold in many if not all U.S. markets and the guerrilla war would begin in earnest.
Think of it, these companies at the forefront of the bill are trying to control the flow of goods to market through their doors. The Internet channel would be shut down and some micro-brewer in Missouri that has a special Lambic style blueberry ale, which a customer in Boston wants to buy would not be allowed to sell or ship said good for fear of a loss of taxes, and the opportunity the product would end up in the hands of a curious teenager. Not based in any reality, but one could paint the scariest of pictures and provide media fodder for the passage of the bill.
Then what? Well bootlegging would be back and the underground black markets would be on the rise. If a person has to have a favorite brand of wine, beer, spirit, they're going to find a way to get it. Bills like these never keep the youth from drinking, any self respecting teen always finds an opportunity to get what they want. Getting caught may be inevitable, but these laws do not deter, they encourage. As a species we always want what we are told we can not have. That applies to every freedom on Earth. The more someone tries to control us the more we struggle to break away. So with this bill, wineries and breweries and distilleries all over the world would employ guerrilla tactics against the large gorilla companies and the gorilla law makers to get product to the buying public.
The idea that we as a people would find our youth drunk in the street by 10 a.m. because we allow Internet sales direct to the consumer is ridiculous and insults the intelligence of the American citizen. The consideration that DTC paths steal tax revenues from the state and would force the loss of jobs, industry and social programs is laughable. The suggestion that frivolus law suits are tying up our courts because of DTC concerns is an immature position by a big organization acting like a spoiled brat that wants to take their ball from the other players on the playground and go home.
This bill is asking for one thing, control for a few over the many and must be stopped. Please write your state and federal representative and voice your concern. Let them know that control in any form is not the American way. H.R. 5034 is the wrong thing to do. Ask them why they would put the control of so many small businesses in the hands of a few companies. This is communist idealism at its worst.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Does Your Restaurant Server Know Their Wine?


When you dine out, does your server help with the wine selection? Do you feel comfortable, rather secure, in soliciting answers about the wine list? Do you bother to ask about food pairing opportunities? Do you feel that you know more about wine 90% of the time than your server knows?
I am finding it more and more difficult to ask a waiter anything about their wine list. It is not their ability, most servers care to give good service to their customers as this determines their gratuity. Its not the available wines, or the food suggestions or really anything other than necessary information and an active daily use of the product. I find most waiters don't drink wine regularly enough to have an educated opinion.

Once upon a time, waiting tables was considered a fine profession. Dinning room management was as well, however the last bastion of professional status in most houses is left to the kitchen and the chefs that work in them. The floor has become a stepping stone to other life paths and the level of involvement in product and service knowledge is fleeting. Ask you server what their job aspirations are and very rarely if ever will you get a response along the lines of Professional Restaurateur. The same question might also be asked of the floor supervisor or "Maitre'd" or Manager. Today's service professional by and large are moving to other industries as soon as opportunity knocks and it shows in the level of involvement in their current line of work.
It use to be as well that servers and managers alike were tested weekly on product knowledge in all areas of the menu; food, wine, beverage; this no longer happens due to the rapid pace of employee turnover and available time to schedule training. Lets face it, if the job is a stepping stone, most servers have other priorities than to arrive 1-2 hours early for educational training. The cost that a company cares to invest in this training is out-weighed by profits and reduced labor costs, so training is done on the fly. The result is a need for the customer to know their food and wine subject matter and rely on the server for timely delivery of the order and that costs 15% - 20% of the bill in the form of a tip.
It seems to me that in this economy, and with the cost of the babysitter, the gas, the food & drink, I should get something more out of my experience. Is it too much to expect that my server be educated enough to offer opinions about the wine list? It seems to me that the restaurant industry needs to take a long hard look at how a better educated staff would encourage higher sales and customer frequency. Just sayin', Cheers.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Making Wine to Help Save The World

I started growing grapes and making wine in 1987. It was at the advice of a friend that if I was living in the Napa Valley, I should know everything I could about wine. So it was that year that I also volunteered as free labor on a crush pad and now 23 years later I have become fully immersed in the craft, education and business of wine.

Though I no longer live in California, I still tend around 60 vines in 6 different varieties. My basement looks like a mad scientist's laboratory at times and at harvest my garage does too. The French have a couple of terms for grape grower and wine maker and home wine maker. "Vignon", is the term used for one that grows the fruit, manages the vineyards and makes the wine. "Garagiste" is the term for one that makes small scale wine in their garage. I think I fit these two definitions.
As so many hundreds of other Americans, I started a fascination with yeast and the entire fermentation process. I would ferment anything that had a specific gravity or Brix level. Some good, others really bad. This experimentation of all things sweet got out of hand at a point and I realized that as a hobby, I was over the top. So I stopped my beer brewing, mead making, spirit distilling, and liqueur blending practices. I settled in on a few varietal grapes I like to grow; found a blend of both white wine and red wine that I enjoy and now focus on two wines per year.
This week, preparing to blend, rack and bottle, I thought of so many people I know in commercial wine production and wondered if this is how they started too. I thought that maybe if I reach a level of confidence in my garage practices, I could take it to the commercial "cult" level. I thought that if my friends and family like my wine, and I continually place in local competitions, what's stopping me from slapping my cult label on the market place as well.
Then I thought that this was ego talking. Really, does the market place need another wine label? Maybe the fun of my hobby would lose its appeal and like so many other professions started with passion, burn out due to loss of the "fun" over the needs and demands of the business. The one thing I am certain of is that I am doing my bit to save money by making my own wine. I am helping the environment by recycling used wine bottles and I am building a diverse educational foundation for my kids by exposing them to the practice, (they have all been to crush since they were 5 yrs. old). At the very least inspiring the beauty of Agriculture, Biological and Chemical Science and a little Philosophy in in their educational upbringing.
It was a good bit of advice I received 23 years ago. Who would ever think Viticulture and Enology could save our economy and planet except a passionate grower of grapes and maker of wine.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Wine & Fish

I once chaired a tasting of Zinfandel's for a private organization. The room held 30 or so attendants including 2 winemakers and 2 sales reps that specialized in Zinfandel. The topic drifted towards food pairing and we began to play a game of, what food would not go with Zinfandel. The end result was that there was no such food group.

For years growing up, my parents generation lived by the rule of white wine and fish; red wine and meat. As part of the "baby boomers" it became our mantra, if not duty, to question all the rules. Today we find that this long time rule of "the man" no longer applies. Zinfandel may be the extreme example, but the case is made much easier in extremes.

It is the Easter season, Christians eat no meat on Fridays during the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday. Fish is advertised more during this time of year than in any segment of the Calendar. So whats a red wine loving man of the faith to do? First, throw out the rules. Then build a bridge. The bridge in this case is preparation and sauce. No matter the seafood, pick the biggest, boldest red wine you can find and have at it!

Try this:

Salmon? - dry rub a Jamaican Jerk spice and grill; squeeze orange over for moisture; serve in a black bean salsa and open a Dry Creek Zinfandel.

Scallops? - lightly flour and dip in egg wash and the corn meal, pan sear in olive oil until dark golden; pull from the pan, deglaze in red wine, butter, garlic and cream. reduce by half and throw in chopped tomatoes. place tomato cream over scallops and serve with an Australian Shiraz.

get the point yet; the bridge is how you have prepared the fish and the sauce. Choose darker preparation and sauces for red wine and you will be fine.

Try:

Swordfish? press in a wet mixture of brown sugar, lemon juice, crushed walnuts and sea salt. bake slowly in a covered dish with a touch of orange juice and garlic until done. Saute scallions, carrots, and toss with arugula; grate asiago cheese and black pepper over and place swordfish on top. Open a Washington State Merlot.

The sky is the limit. Fish can be served with red wine. The pairing is up to you. Cheers!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Spring in the Vineyards



I woke this morning to popcorn on the vines. Earliest I have noticed in PA. I planted 4 hybrid varieties last year as my attempt at vinifera was a struggle to nowhere. It may have been my pruning methods, root stock or clonal selection, but after 6 years, it was time to get real.

So now enter Seyval Blanc, Traminette, Corot Noir & Noiret. The latter two being the newest set of red hybrid varieties from Geneva. The Seyval seems to be the champ in this set. Strong cane production, semi-vigorous and berrys I allowed to mature in the first year were promising. It may be that this is the vine for this area. These vines are pushing now and encouraging me to make this the key grape for my vineyard.
The Seyval Blanc I have tasted from other area producers was Chenin Blanc / French Columbard in nature. Semi-dry styles with stone fruit flavors, soft tannins, and slight acids. There are some that have produced this as a late harvest in certain years so the fruit has shown versatility in a range of styles. Should the Traminette be everything that other growers have said it is, a better Gewurztraminer more resistant to mold and mildew, then the opportunity to produce a Rhine style Kabinet wine may be the ticket.
At any rate the hybrids as a whole have survived the winter and now the work begins, watching for spring frost, early bud break, and bad bugs hungry for food.