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February 08
A jolly group of
wine lovers visited the tasting room recently
and we talked about some of the things that
intrigue most people (I suspect Gary did most
of the talking. Belly up to the bar, ladies &
gents, and share in the wonders of grapevines,
wines, and wine-making). Many of the questions
are familiar ones: do frogs have teeth, sweet
vs. dry wines, the effect of barrels on the
wine, etc. But these folks wanted to get even
deeper into the history of wine. (Gary tends to
salivate heavily under these circum-stances and
his eyeballs have been known to twirl
erratically.) When was wine first made? Who
made it? How was wine stored originally; when
did barrels come into play; what about bottles
and corks? So, this got me thinking, maybe a
little wine history would be fun.
The History of Wine –
Part I (This sounds a lot like The History of
the World-Part I by Mel Brooks "In Gary We
Trust.") No one really knows who made the first
wine but archeologists have found grape seeds
in an area around the Black Sea and the
Caucasus Mountains. Coincidentally, this is one
of the areas where civilization began. The
Bible tells us also that Noah planted a
vineyard once his ark settled on Mt. Ararat.
And, you may ask, where is Mt. Ararat? Good
guess, smack dab in the Caucasus Mountains.
(Sounds like Mr. Noah planned on doing a little
celebrating with a glass or two of Syrah once
all those noisy animals had been relocated.)
Now hop on the Magical
Mystery Wine Tour Bus and head southwest. There
you will discover that the Egyptians left many
tomb paintings that provide detailed pictures
of viticulture and winemaking. Those clever
lads may have been the first winemakers to rank
wines by quality. When Tutankhamun’s tomb was
opened, they found wine jars buried with him
that were labeled with the year and name of the
winemaker and sometimes with a comment like
"very good quality". Of course, it’s no secret
that the Greeks had an affinity for wine.
According to Greek
mythology Orestheus, planted the first vine.
There is also evidence that the Greeks, like
the Egyptians, made distinctions between the
production of different years and different
vineyards. The island of Chios was considered
to have the best wine while Kos and Rhodes
produced wines that were only suitable for the
army rations. (Hmm, wasn’t the Greek Empire
defeated by the Roman armies? Might the outcome
have been different if those Greek soldier boys
had been provided with a better quality of
wine? It’s just a thought.) The Greeks
considered the cultivation of grapevines as a
sign of a civilized nation. Interestingly,
however, they had a habit of adding water to
their wine and in fact, considered it
uncivilized to drink wine without adding water.
The cultivation of
grapevines spread from Greece to southern Italy
and later northward as a result of trade and
the expansion of the Roman Empire. Wine became
a commodity that was in high demand. Every city
that could afford wine wanted it. Although the
Romans loved Greek wine, they began to develop
their own viticultural skills and soon the
Greeks and Romans were trading each other’s
wines. It didn’t take them long to discover
that different grape varietals give wines
different qualities and flavors.
As the Roman Empire
expanded, vines were planted in Spain, France
and England. After all, it took a lot of wine
to meet the daily wine ration of the Roman
legions. (All that my high school history
teacher lectured on was the discipline of the
Roman army. Who knew they were such party
animals?) Religion also played a role in the
expansion of grapevines and wine. In
Christianity, wine symbolizes the blood of
Christ. In Judaism, wine is a vital part of
religious rituals. Christian monasteries
throughout Europe planted vineyards and made
wine for ceremonial uses. In addition,
monasteries were the hospitals of their day and
wine was considered a vital part of medical
care. The monks were meticulous grape growers.
Back to Top
January 08
Happy New Year
everyone! We hope you have returned to us
safely, sanely and with anticipation for an
even better 2008. We have 365 glorious days
ahead of us in the coming year and Sue and I
are snooping around for items to write about
that interest you. (Oh, I thought we were
looking for the keys to the John Deere.)
Please let us know what’s on your mind. What
burning questions have you always wanted to
ask? Is there something you would like us to
investigate? Don’t cower from the intimidation
blanket that some wine producers/sellers/snobs
try to throw over the subject of wine. Nothing
is too obvious and nothing is too complicated.
(You should all know by now how much Gary
loves to ferret out answers from his collection
of books, friends, and wine devotees). Or
share a favorite story, recipe, topic that is
related to grapes, vineyards or wine. (And
if you’ve read some of our columns over the
last couple of years you’ll know that we, like
Kevin Bacon, are only 6 degrees away from a
grape or wine link to just about anything
else…remember the Kings?) Now, on with the
wine biz.
For the most part,
December was a "resting" month in the vineyards
and wineries. We did a little vineyard floor
cleanup down in the Salt Springs Valley; in the
big valley down below folks were doing some
pruning; wine was being bottled in some
wineries. All in all though, it was a time for
taking a well deserved break, drink some wine,
enjoy the family, drink some wine, think about
the coming year, and drink some more wine. So,
here we are, January 2008. We’ve started work
in the vineyards. Pre-emergent sprays are being
applied; pruning is beginning in many foothill
vineyards while finishing up in many valley
vineyards. Wineries are bottling and labeling
this year’s releases.
We and our partners
recently opened Frog’s Tooth tasting room and
one question that is frequently asked there is
what is the difference between "sweet wine" and
"dry wine". First, let me say that a wine that
tastes "fruity" can be either sweet or dry.
Generally speaking, the difference is the
amount of residual sugar that remains in the
wine. A dry wine has less than 1% residual
sugars while sweet (or dessert) wine may
contain 20% or more residual sugar. Some late
harvest and ice wines may contain over 25%
residual sugars. (Okay, smartie, so how does
all this sugar magic happen?)
I’m glad you asked me
that. You see, grasshopper, during the
fermentation process yeast eats the sugar in
the grape juice and produces alcohol. When the
winemaker wants to make a dry wine he (or
she) allows the yeast to eat all the sugar.
When a sweet wine is desired the fermentation
is stopped before the yeast can gobble up all
the sugar. The level of sweetness is determined
by how much sugar is left behind after the
yeast finishes its job. (How do I get that
job of eating sugar? I bet the yeasties don’t
even have to feel guilty. "It’s my job, guys,
God made me for this purpose! Sugar is my life".)
The winemaker is able
to control the sugars by manipulating the
fermentation. (Ah, sugar and control-every
woman’s dream job.) Yeast cannot live in wines
with high alcohol levels (above 16%). So, if
the grapes are very sweet (high in sugar or
brix) when harvested the yeast will
probably die (sorry, little guys) before all of
the sugar can be consumed. Of course, the
winemaker can also add sugar (yum, yum, love
that winemaker) or alcohol (how about a
massage, big boy) to control the yeast during
fermentation.
And in some areas, the
winemaker may also add sugar or sweetened juice
after the fermentation is over, and that also
makes for a sweeter wine. (Personally, I was
sure this all had something to do with sweeter
female vs tougher male grapes. How would you
like the job of telling the difference between
a girl and a boy grape?)
Be serious, woman, I
don’t even know how to do that with your cats.
Until next time, Gary and Sue.
Send us your comments,
favorite recipes and stories to
fromthevine@pacbell.net or write to us c/o
Gold Country Times, PO Box 897, Sutter Creek,
CA 95685 "What contemptible scoundrel stole the
cork from my lunch" W. C. Fields
Back to Top
December 07
‘Tis the season
to be jolly, fa la la la la…. Last month we
talked about the barrels used in winemaking but
ran out of time before discussing two other
barrel characteristics that contribute flavors
to the wine: the size of the barrel and the
"toast". Size (contrary to
what some members of the fairer sex swear)
does matter. Why? For one thing, oak barrels
"breathe" letting oxygen in and out of the
wine. A little breathing or aeration is good
for the wine. It helps with the aging process.
Too much aeration is bad for the wine as it can
cause oxidation that can lead to the wine
gradually going bad.
There is a ratio that
I’m sure some grad student developed as part of
his thesis that shows that there is a
relationship between the amount of oak that
comes in contact with the wine and the rate of
oxidation that occurs. The higher the ratio,
the higher the oxidation rate.
Without getting into
detail, a smaller barrel such as a 5-gallon
barrel has a higher
wood to wine ratio than a 50-60 gallon barrel.
Therefore, there is a greater risk of oxidation
in the smaller barrel. Additionally, the wine
in the smaller barrels absorbs the oak flavors
at a greater rate than the wine in the 50-60
gallon barrels. As a result, wine in the
smaller barrels may become too "oaky" tasting.
As it turns out, 50 to 60 gallon oak barrels
contain the optimal surface area to volume
ratios. Coincidentally, these are the typical
size barrels that are used in the wineries.
"Toasting" is one of
the processes used in barrel making. The
insides of the staves (barrel slats) are
toasted over an oak fire before the heads (barrel
ends) are put on. Toasted barrels (not
to be confused with toasted bagels) have a
definite affect on the flavor of the wine. As a
rule, the lighter the toast, the more a wine
reflects the oak flavors and tannins.
Winemakers can order
the level of toast they want depending on how
they want the wine to taste. A light toast
produces wines that have an oaky,
sometimes-tannic taste. A medium toast produces
wines that have vanilla aromas and less tannin.
A heavy toast produces wines that have spicy,
smoky flavors sometimes reminiscent of roasted
coffee or toasted bread (maybe the toasted
bagel reference wasn’t so far fetched). To add
just a bit more confusion, toasted barrels can
be Fire-bent or Water-bent. Fire-bent barrels
are slowly toasted over an oak fire to
caramelize the naturally occurring sugars in
the wood. This process tends to bring out
characters of coffee, chocolate, vanilla,
various spices and toasted nut. The winemaker
may use Fire-bent barrels for Cabs, Merlot,
Chardonnay, and Zinfandel.
Barrels that are
water-bent are first immersed in very hot water
to break down the lignins (a complex
chemical compound derived from wood and an
integral part of the cell walls of plants)
in the wood. Because water conducts heat better
than air, the toasting using a water-bent
method penetrates deeper than by the
traditional fire-bent method. After immersion,
the barrel is slowly toasted over an oak fire.
This process tends to bring out characters such
as cinnamon, nutmeg and roasted nut. Winemakers
may use these barrels for white varietal
fermentation and for show-casing red varietals.
Enough barrel
stuff; this is, after all, the holiday season.
Let’s gear up for sugarplums, fairies, and
Santa. What could be better for holiday cheer
than a festive mulled wine?
Here is a basic
recipe that combines citrus and spices and, of
course, wine. For this simple
recipe, you will need 1 lemon or orange (zest
the peeling and use the juice not the pulp),
6 cinnamon sticks, 12 whole cloves, ¼ tsp.
nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. each ginger and allspice, ¼
cup sugar, and a bottle of wine (white or red
will work, a word of caution, do not use a
"cheap" wine, an inexpensive one will do but a
bad wine will taste even worse as a mulled
wine). You can substitute cider for wine.
Combine all the ingredients in a glass or
ceramic-based pot (a glass coffeepot or slow
cooker work great); don’t use aluminum pans as
the wine will pick up a metallic flavor. Heat
until hot but not boiling. When heated, ladle
off the wine and leave the lees in the pot.
We wish you all a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year! Until next
year, Gary and Sue. Send us your comments,
favorite recipes and stories to
fromthevine@pacbell.net or write to us c/o
Gold Country Times, PO Box 897, Sutter Creek,
CA 95685. "Wine can of their wits the wise
beguile, Make the sage frolic, and the serious
smile." --Odyssey (9th c. B.C.)
Back to Top
NOVEMBER 07
I’ve been spending
a lot of time in the winery lately. (We all
exhale sympathetic sighs for the poor man
forcing himself to inhale the bouquet of and
savor the flavor of developing vintages, not to
mention playing with all the heavy equipment
endemic to wineries.) This month we will be
racking most of our wines. We’ve discussed the
subject of racking previously but for those who
are new to our column, racking is drawing off
the wine from the lees and transferring the
wine into a clean barrel or other container.
For
our purposes, we rack the wine into a tank,
clean the barrel (remove the lees), and then
return the wine to the now clean barrel. We
remove the lees 3, 4 or more times prior to
bottling. Racking is vital to the clarity of
the wine but I want to focus on the barrels
rather than on the process. We’ve had many
people ask about the barrels used to make wine.
They want to know what kind of wood is used for
barrels, why wine is put in barrels in the
first place, which barrels are better, how long
do barrels last, etc.
First
let me say that wines can be aged in containers
other than wooden barrels. Stainless steel vats
and epoxy-lined cement vats are commonly used.
These containers, however, impart no added
flavor to the wine, and because they are
airtight, the wine will not change or develop
while in them.
Usually more white wines than red wines are
aged this way. (That crisp Pinot Grigio or
Reisling you just drank was probably aged in
stainless steel. Surprise, I know some of the
technical stuff, too. I merely choose to fling
fanciful words about to disarm unsuspecting
sommeliers.) Wooden barrels are different. Due
to their porous nature, they allow a certain
amount of wine to evaporate through the wood
and allow oxygenation to occur. This
oxygenation enables the wine to develop and
mature.
Over
the course of time, other wood types like
chestnut, pine, redwood, acacia, even apple and
cherry have been used in winemaking vessels.
However, none of these woods possess the
compatibility with wine that oak has
demonstrated. Oak combines watertight, porous
storage capabilities with unique flavor and
texture characteristics it can impart to ...the
wine it contacts. The wine it contacts. The
levels of evaporation and oxygenation in oak
barrels are not generally levels that cause
oxidation or spoilage of the wine. (I should
hope not!) The evaporation is mostly alcohol
and water. This evaporation allows the wine to
concentrate its flavors and aroma com-pounds.
The small amounts of oxygen that are allowed to
pass through the barrel acts as a softening
agent on the tannins. So now you know why oak
is used as the wood of choice. But not so fast,
there are other decisions to be made regarding
oak barrels.
Is
there a difference between new and old oak
barrels? Is French oak better than American
oak? Or for that matter Hungarian, Portuguese,
German, etc. oak? Yes, there is a difference
between new and old oak barrels. The wine can
breathe through either but old barrels (usually
4 or more years old) will impart no oak flavor
to the wine. These older barrels are considered
neutral barrels. They will still soften the
tannins and provide roundness to the wine but
new oak barrels add the flavors. The flavor
given by new oak is primarily vanilla
(vanillin). Vanillin is one of the substances
extracted from the oak by the wine. (So if
someone says a wine is "oaky" they mean it’s
aged in new oak barrels, not newly delivered
from Tulsa.) Which is better? French oak or
American or something else?
It
depends on what flavors the winemaker wants to
impart to the wine. Without getting into too
much detail, American and French oak come from
different species. American oak tends to be
more intensely flavored than French oak with
more sweet and vanilla overtones due to the
American oak having more lactones (esters) than
French. (Uh, huh, I thought you weren’t going
to get very technical!) I’ll try to keep it
simple. Another major factor is the difference
between the way American and French barrels are
prepared. French oak has a tighter grain and is
less watertight by nature. This encourages the
French coopers to split the wood along the
grain rather than sawing. The French also
traditionally season the wood outdoors for at
least two years, which has a mellowing effect
on the oak. American coopers saw the wood and
often kiln-dry the wood to season it.
Kiln-drying makes it very difficult to
duplicate the mellowing effect of long-term
outdoor seasoning. Additionally, sawing rather
than splitting the wood causes the cells in the
wood to rupture and release many of the
vanillin and lactones responsible for
characteristics like coconut and other flavors.
Therefore, generally speaking, American oak
tends to add oak characteristics and flavors a
little heavier and faster than French oak.
(Okay, so now we know why oak is used for
barrels and some of the differences between
French and American oak. Haven’t we studied
enough, teacher?) Yes, we’re done for this
column, but we still need to discuss different
"toasts" of barrels that produce or enhance
other oak flavors that are imparted to the
wine. We should also talk about barrel size,
(because size does matter?). Precisely. We
should also talk about combining different
types and ages of barrels to make our wine, but
we’re out of time for now.
Until next time, Gary and Sue
Send
us your comments, favorite recipes and stories
to
fromthevine@pacbell.net or write to us c/o
Gold Country Times, PO Box 897, Sutter Creek,
CA 95685.
"God in His goodness
sent the grapes, to cheer both great and small;
little fools will drink too much, and great
fools not at all." - Anonymous Back to Top
OCTOBER 07
Boo! Happy
Halloween!
Father Time has
kicked off his summer flip-flops and muscled
the box of L.L. Beans out of the spare room
storage closet. ‘Bout time for manly men to
start up with the hacking, hewing, and chopping
that guarantees warm and toasty hearths and
hearts around Calaveras fireplaces. (Or you
could check the classifieds, dear, for a cord
of aged oak or walnut logs. Maybe save on the
chiropractor bills also.)
On the radio today, I
heard snow had fallen in the Sierras and chains
were needed in the higher elevations of
Calaveras County. It can’t be winter yet; we
haven’t finished with our grape harvests. I
foresee more than one winery making "ice wine"
this year. (That’s nice, oh fabled oracle of
the foothills. Now get on with the wine
presentation.)
Sue and I are sitting
here bouncing ideas off of each other wondering
what should be written in our column this
month. October, harvest moon, pumpkins,
Halloween, end of harvest…Well, October is, or
at least should be, the end of grape harvest.
The wineries are in full swing crushing,
pressing, fermenting, moving recently pressed
juice from tanks to barrels, topping wine
filled barrels, racking and doing that magic
that they do so well to create fantastic wines.
We could talk about
some of these processes again but the first
thing that popped into my mind after the word
"October" was pumpkins. So, I was wondering if
there were such a thing as Pumpkin Wine. And,
guess what! There is! Thanks to the wonder of
the Internet, a quick search found several
pumpkin wine recipes. Here’s one of the simpler
ones:
Pumpkin Wine
Ingredients:
8 cups pumpkin
5 cups sugar
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
3 teaspoon acid blend
1 campden (potassium or sodium metabisulfite)
tablet
1 pound raisins
1 package wine yeast
1 gallon water, boiling
1 eye of newt and 3 hairs from a chicken’s
chin (optional)- Just checking to see if you
were paying attention.
Wash, trim, peel and chop (or grind) the pumpkin.
Place in primary fermentor. Add raisins and
boiling water. Let sit overnight.
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AUGUST 07
If
you own a wine grape vineyard, are thinking
of planting one, or just want to learn more
about vineyards in general, then look at what
we have for you to add to your calendar for
next year!
Each year, the
Calaveras Winegrape Alliance in con-junction
with the UC Davis Agriculture & Natural
Re-sources Cooperative Extension for Calaveras
County conducts a "Q & A" and general
information tour, on site, at 6-8 vineyards
throughout Calaveras County. We were fortunate to
have Dr. James Wolpert, CE Viticulture
Specialist, UC Davis, conduct the tour again
this year. His specialties are wine grape
production in coastal areas, Sierra Foothills,
and San Joaquin Valley, the selection of
varietals, clones, and rootstock that match
each vineyard’s distinctive environment, and
the processes of propagation, trellising,
training and nutrition. Dr. Wolpert, along with
Ken Churches, Director, UC Davis ANR
Cooperative, discussed vineyard operations,
followed by a question and answer session
regarding specific pest management, irrigation,
fertilization, and other cultural practices.
We were lucky to have
our vineyard, Frog’s Tooth, included in the
tour again this year. You may recall from
previous columns that we were having some
problems with blossom shatter and some stunting
of a few vines in our Grenache and Viognier.
The Viognier has turned around but we have the
same problem, albeit to a much lesser degree,
in our Grenache. Dr. Wolpert offered some
suggestions to narrow the possible range of
problems and suggested remedies that we could
implement this year.
After the tour, members
of the CWA and their guests congregated at
Broll Mountain Vineyard in Murphys for a BBQ of
tri-tip and salmon cooked to perfection by our
resident chef, Steve Collum, and his newly
recruited helper, Stephen Kautz. Aided by a
crew of volunteers, including yours truly, we
sliced watermelon and cantaloupes, prepared
tomatoes-ala Collum, shucked corn, and prepared
salads. We were determined that no man (or
woman) would go hungry that night. Of course,
what would a BBQ hosted by grapegrowers and
wineries be without wine? There were plenty to
choose from. Wines produced by our local
wineries and home winemakers flowed to the
delight of all of the guests. Dr. Wolpert
provided a synopsis of the day’s findings and
newly elected supervisor Russ Thomas treated us
to several vocals. Who would have thought that
we had such musical talent on the Board of
Supervisors? We cannot re-commend this annual
event enough. We’ll keep you posted on the
timing of next year’s event.
We’re into some of the
fun times in the vineyard. The grape canopies
are full and lush. And in our vineyard, the
grapes are beginning to go through verasion.
Verasion, as you may remember, is the period of
time when the grape berries begin to soften,
sugars increase, and the fruit starts to color.
As a matter of fact, several vineyards in our
area may be harvesting some of their white wine
grapes in a couple of weeks. Now the race is on
to see who can harvest first--us or the birds
and other critters. Any odds takers?
We asked Steve Collum
if we could use his tomato recipe for our
column. Of course, it was toward the end of the
night and most of the wine was gone, so I hope
he remembers. We have a variation on these
tomatoes every year, so here’s a simple recipe
that you can try at your next BBQ. You will
need to cut each tomato in half, so look for
bigger tomatoes like beefsteak or heirlooms.
Each tomato will yield 2 servings unless you
really like tomatoes and you may want a whole
one for yourself. Steve tells us the tomatoes
have to be prepared in this order (probably so
they can be called ala Collum)
Tomatoes ala Collum
Cut tomato in half,
Brush each half with extra virgin olive oil.
Sprinkle with coarse black pepper, a dash of
Herbs de Calaveras (or your favorite herbs).
Top with a good Italian cheese, like
Gorgonzola, Mozzarella, or Feta. Put on a
cookie sheet or baking pan. Fire up the
barbecue and place the pan on the grill. Cook
until the cheese melts and the tomato is fork
tender and juicy. Enjoy…
Until next time, Gary
and Sue
Send us your comments,
favorite recipes and stories to
fromthevine@pacbell.net or write to us c/o
Gold Country Times, PO Box 897, Sutter Creek,
CA 95685.
No one that has
drunk old wine wants new; for he says, "The old
is nice." --Luke 5:39
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JULY 07
In last
month’s column, I failed to give you a
heads up on the annual Unified Wine & Grape
Symposium that was held January 23-25 in
Sacramento. I had a "brain freeze", totally
blanked out, and, gosh, I hope my little lapse
didn’t cause you to miss the show. (He’s not
perfect, folks, but he does have a
conscience-plus a sheepdog’s herding instincts.)
I look forward
to this event every year. Most of the time, I’m
just window-shopping. Occasionally, I get to
spend some money and buy a new toy. This year I
got to do both: a little buying and a lot of
wishful dreaming. Some day I’m going to get one
of those tractors I’ve been lusting after. (That’s
all Gary has been talking about since he
returned home-the Landini’s, the Yanmar track
layers, the Kubota’s, not to mention the two
story grape harvesters and on and on).
For this trip, my shopping was for
practical items like bottles, corks, labels,
glasses and tasting room software. It's still
fun to just walk around and look at all of the
exhibits (What he really means is picking up
all the free give-away's. How many corkscrews
and pens does one man need?) If you have a
vineyard or winery or are thinking about
starting a vineyard or winery this is the place
to be. Mark your calendars for next year.
Of course, what would a wine and grape
symposium be without some wine? Yes, there was
ample wine being poured at many of the vendor
booths as well as a wine tasting, featuring
wines from all over the country. For those of
you who were unable to attend, I sampled your
share as well as my own. I must say that
California, and especially our local regions,
make some excellent wines!
We
have been blessed or cursed, depending on your
point of view, with a lack of rain so far this
year. It looks like the Old Farmers Almanac was
right about January’s lower-than-normal
rainfall. I prefer to look at it as a blessing.
It means that I can get out into the vineyard
and get some work done. This is a good time to
be taking care of your vineyard floor with weed
abatement. It’s also a good time to continue
with pre-pruning, trellising repairs, and
irrigation maintenance. (It’s also a great
time to stroll between the rows and imagine you
are Sophia Loren acting in one of her lustier
roles-or Lucille Ball looking for grapes to
stomp. Oops, did I give away my age there?)
There is always something for everyone to do in
the vineyard.
As
usual, February shaped up to be a busy month.
The Amador Vintner’s Association hosted their
popular Behind the Cellar Door event, a winter
cellar-bration of wine, food and fun, on
February 10th-11th. The two-day event featured
tasting of new and limited-release wines,
gourmet foods, and an array of demonstrations
and seminars designed to enhance your knowledge
and appreciation of wine. Since
this is one of our favorite events, Sue and I
weren’t about to let a little rain dampen our
plans. Donning our rain gear and umbrellas we
made our way to Plymouth excitedly expecting
fantastic Sierra Foothill’s wine tasting.
Although the crowds were lighter than last
year, spirits were high and the wineries did
not disappoint. (That also meant more
artisan polenta, mouth tingling chili, and
lusty wine for Gary)
Some
highlights from this year were Montevina’s 2006
Terra d’ Oro Syrah barrel sample. It’s well on
its way to becoming a "worthy wine." (While
Gary and his business partners, Larry and wife,
Pam, sampled the generous offerings of
Montevina’s vintages, I pretended to be the
designated driver. Of course, you and I know
Montevina’s gift shop is what Pam designated
the "Disneyland" of all gift shops and I cashed
in all my "E" tickets. No rides, thank you Mr.
Disney, just a cornucopia of glassware,
clothing, jewelry, and frou-frou.) Mike Roser,
winemaker at Cooper Vineyards, treated us to a
tasting of their 2006 Barbera Reserva. This
Barbera is not blended with any other varietals
but lacks nothing in its exquisite taste and
bouquet. We are really looking forward to
pouring this wine into our glasses after it is
bottled.
A
must-stop was Karmere to barrel taste their
2006 Barbera, Syrah and Zinfandel and to
replenish my stock of Empress La Petite Morgan
Nebbiolo-Syrah. This year’s vintage did not
disappoint. I’m not generally a fan of buying
wine futures since I had an experience where
the wine tasted better in the barrel than it
tasted when it was bottled, however, we made an
exception with the 2006 Zinfandel. Shenandoah
Vineyards showcased their 2006 Paul’s Vineyard
Zinfandel and 2006 ReZerv Barbera with barrel
tastings and futures offerings. Paul Sobon has
a good idea, you can sign up for futures and be
guaranteed wine but you can cancel if you do
not like it after it’s bottled.
Again,
we made an exception and added our names to the
2006 ReZerv Barbera. Shenandoah Vineyards was
also serving pepperoni pizza that was so good
even the vegetarians were huddled around the
table. (You know who you are. Excuse me, the
vegetarian Rules of Conduct manual says nothing
about inhaling aromas). Also on our list of
must- stops was Dobra Zemlja. This is a fun
winery. We were immediately greeted by the
tunes of the "Late for Dinner" band. Even in
the rain, the band was jumping and people were
dancing. Unfortunately, Milan Matulich was out
of the country but his partner, Dick Martela,
was working the crowd. The 2005 Viognier caught
our attention, it did not have as much citrus
nor was it as floral as most Viognier but it
was quite nice and drank more like a red wine
than a white wine. At Bray Vineyards we were
impressed by most all of their wines. We missed
this winery last year but it is definitely on
our "must see" list for years to come. Of
special interest were the 2004 Sangiovese, 2004
Barbera, and 2004 Vinho Tinto.
Also on February 10th –11th was a weekend of
Wine & Chocolate in Lodi Wine Country. One
could travel from winery to winery throughout
the Lodi Appellation tasting world class wines,
savoring delectable chocolates, and listening
to a medley of music. The
Calaveras Wine Association sponsored their
annual President’s Day Weekend on Feb 17th –
18th. We, along with many others, helped
ourselves to barrel tasting's, new wine
releases, recipes for food and wine pairing,
and live music from several of the 19 Calaveras
wineries celebrating President’s Day Weekend.
You could shake hands with "Abraham Lincoln"
and "George Washington" and raise your glass to
toast the people who've made this country
great! (I wanted to question George about that
cherry tree episode. Who was really holding
that ax? Could it have really been that
tight-lipped little Benjamin Franklin. I’m sure
there is more to that story than we were taught
in grammar school.)
Coming
in March is the 27th Annual Lodi Spring Wine
Show which will be held March 23rd & 24th, 6:00
p.m. to 9:00 p.m. each night in the Grape
Pavilion at the Lodi Grape Festival grounds.
More than 3,000 attendees are expected at this
premiere event, which features wine tasting
from over 40 wineries throughout Northern
California, hors d'oeuvres, music,
entertainment and more! For more information
call (209) 369-2771.
Until next time, Gary and Sue
Send
us your comments, favorite recipes and favorite
stories to
fromthevine@pacbell.net or write to us c/o
Gold Country Times, PO Box 897, Sutter Creek,
CA 95685.
Wine
is the "healthiest and most health-giving of
drinks."
--Louis Pasteur
|
From the Vine 
