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From the Vine 
By Gary and Sue Grant
Frog 's Tooth Vineyards
 
http://www.frogstooth.com




Wine History, part 1
The difference between "sweet wine" and "dry wine"
Barrel Characteristics
Wine Aging
Pumpkin Wine (Oct 07)
Grape Harvest (Sept 07)
Calaveras Winegrape Alliance (Aug 07)Behind the Cellar Door (July 07)


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 growersBack 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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SEPTEMBER 07
In case you haven’t noticed, we are "smack dab" in the middle of grape harvest. The vineyards are alive with activity. At first light, hundreds of grape harvesters, with knives in hand, are descending on vineyards all over the Sierra Foothills, scurrying around like little ants, up and down rows looking for those precious white and purple jewels that will one day find their way into your favorite wine.

We have talked about the harvesting process before. Our invaluable labor crews adeptly wield their harvesting knives in and out of the vines cutting the grape bunches from the vine. A picking container (bucket or box) is placed under the vine, bunches on that vine are cut and dropped into the container. Usually these containers hold about 40 lbs. of fruit. (Most of the ones we’ve seen are small plastic boxes that can be slid along the ground from vine to vine with one’s foot.) When the container is full it is dumped into a bin (most common is a plastic macro-bin that holds about 1,000 lbs.) that is toted on the back of a tractor that moves up and down the rows at the pace of the harvesters. The full bins are then transported to the winery and the pressing or crushing begins. We’ll talk about that another time.

Our vineyard is located at the outer edge of Calaveras County at an elevation that ranges from 900’ to 1200’ which is considerably lower than most of the vineyards in our area. One of the advantages that we have is that because, in part, of this elevation, our grapes ripen sooner; which means we harvest sooner. We harvested our Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier grapes last month. By the time this article is published, we will have harvested our Petite Sirah and probably our Grenache. In most cases, our grapes have been picked, crushed, pressed and into fermentation or barrels and we are kicking back with a glass of wine just as other vineyards are beginning to harvest.

We recently opened our tasting room in Murphys and we have had many wine-related questions asking about decanting wine, how to store wine, how long to "lay it down", how long can it keep, and so on. We’ll try and answer a question or two each month as part of our column. Please feel free to drop us a note if you have any questions or have another answer. Several folks have asked us about decanting wine. We like to decant our red wines before we serve them. There are a few reasons you may want to decant.

If you have a wine that has been in your cellar for a long time (several years) you may want to decant it to keep any sediment from being poured into the glasses. If it is a very old wine just decant it for a short time, as the bouquet of older wines tends to dissipate quickly.

A young wine that is tight or very tannic will benefit from decanting. Decanting allows the wine to breathe and soften. In this instance, decanting exposes the wine to oxygen and causes the aromas to open up and softens the tannins on your palate. Generally, a big young red wine should be decanted for a longer period of time than an older wine, anywhere from a couple of hours to the day before serving.

Another reason to decant is because it’s fun. It’s entertaining to your guests and makes people think you’re a real connoisseur. Normally white wines are not decanted (but it’s still fun). I know our editor is waiting for this article, so until next time, Gary and Sue.

Send us your comments, favorite recipes and fav stories to fromthevine@pacbell.net or write to us c/o Gold Country Times, PO Box 897, Sutter Creek, CA 95685.

"Wine makes a man more pleased with himself; I do not say it makes him more pleasing to others." Samuel Johnson

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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


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