Nova Cadamatre

Post Exam Musings

Last week I sat the Master of Wine exam for my fourth time. This year was different for me, however, because I only had to worry about passing the Practical exam. If you are interested in reading the exam it is posted here. Looking over this year’s theory exam I do not envy my fellow students who had to sit that part. Every year it seems the exam gets more challenging. The themes are the same but the questions are more specific in their subject matter.

This year’s tasting exam was no picnic but since I sat that section I will refrain from commenting on specifics until after results are posted other than the fact that several of us went through quite a few fortified wines for reference the night before Paper 3 and that did all of us a LOT of good!

Either way its done with for another year and I sincerely hope I never have to prepare for it again. The months of sacrifice, wine analysis, and late nights pouring over wine reference books wondering if I’ve lost my mind. After all, it’s just wine. We’re not curing cancer here. It’s amazing how serious we can get about it.

Now I’m enjoying my new job, my family, and my newly found extra time ( which will soon be focused towards the Dissertation) while I can. Hopefully that means I can continue to come up with fun topics to write about.

As I asked before, if you have something you’d like me to discuss please let me know! I LOVE feedback!

’twas the Night Before the MW Exam…

For the fourth time in my life I find myself preparing for the next few days buried in a conference room at Opus One trying to pass the MW exam. This year, having passed the theory section last year, I’m focusing on the practical section (tasting section for those not familiar with the set up of the exam). Tonight I’m enjoying two white Burgundies; a Macon Villages and a delightfully lovely Puligny-Montrachet which I enjoyed much more than the Macon. The thought being that tonight instead of analyzing, dissecting and studying the wine I’m just going to enjoy it, relax, and focus on why I started this journey in the first place. I started this journey to learn more about the world of wine and to be able to avoid the dreaded cellar (or regional) palate. I feel that I’ve accomplished so much yet there is so much still to learn that I’ve only scratched the surface. This is truely one of those industries where it is impossible to know it all. In fact the title of Master of Wine is so strange because it is nearly impossible to “Master” all aspects of it. So here I am, enjoying my little piece of Burgundy before undertaking one of the most challenging feats of mental agility that exists in this industry. I’ll find out in September if I was finally successful this year. I feel like I will be but we’ll have to find out then.

Auction Napa Valley: My First Rodeo

This past weekend was one of the biggest events of the year for our valley; Auction Napa Valley. It was a HUGE success this year raising over $16 million dollars for local charities and causes. It was also amazing to experience it for the first time. I only attended the Friday marketplace and barrel auction this year but it was a ton of fun. The marketplace itself, spread over the entire campus of Raymond Winery was a festival of all things wine, food, and the good life complete with a display of the America’s Cup and several fantastic sports cars! (I have a weakness for the latter)

The food was fantastic! Highlights for me included BBQ ribs from Mustards and cupcakes from Kara’s. There were also some incredible baked mozzarella bites from Cindy’s backstreet kitchen. However the real excitement for me was the barrel auction. Our lot from Mondavi was a blend from the 2011 Z block of To Kalon vineyard. These old vines, planted in 1973 made an immediate impression on me when I tasted through the lots for the first time earlier this year. Genevieve and I decided to highlight them at this year’s Auction. I was so proud of our blend and the tension of watching others taste and then bid was incredibly nerve racking and exciting all at the same time.

I’m so excited that so many people felt the same way about it that we did. I was also able to meet quite a lot of new faces including Steve Heimoff from Wine Enthusiast, who has an incredible wine blog if you have not checked it out and Dante Mondavi, who was pouring his family’s wine Continuum, which is delicious. I also was able to catch up with some old friends as well so it was a great day for socializing and tasting some fantastic wines.
Later that evening we enjoyed a lovely 7 course dinner at the winery with quite a few Auction attendees

The menu was superb as always and the wines were incredible. Again, it cemented for me how lucky I am to have found such a wonderful winery home! I can’t wait for next year!

Vintage 2013: Budbreak

The air is warm now and the slightly tangy smell of sulfur dusting is beginning to permeate the valley.
My weather update says it is 84 degrees today. After a super dry January and February we’ve seen a little bit of rain at the end of March and beginning of April. It was much needed and the vines are soaking it and the sunshine now right up. The Cabernet in front of the winery on the Tokalon vineyard are almost 4″ out already! It will be harvest before we know it. In the meantime, we’re watching for frost over the next few weeks although the forecast is currently not calling for any over the next few days. My husband and I are being brave and have put a few tomatoes out already. The winds have been very gusty but so far the tender little shoots seem to have escaped damage. If the weather stays like this it is on track to be a beautiful spring and a promising vintage.

Who are the Millennials? A Millennial’s Perspective

I’m amazed at the number of articles I’ve seen lately that are talking about Millennials as if they are doing a documentary for the discovery channel. Any second I expect to hear someone with a British accent say “as we observe the Millennials in their native habitats we discover their social patterns.” At worst we seem to be brushed off as “those kids.” I’d like to think at 30 and with a baby of my own that I have transcended above the “kid” stage.

However marketers seem obsessed with finding out what makes us tick as a generation. So I had to ask myself who are we? If we don’t define ourselves the world does it for us. Currently I’m not thrilled with the picture others have been painting so I’m going to try to outline what I see looking from the inside out. Let me state before I get up on my soapbox, that I am not trying to be the voice of the generation or anything. I just want to share my point of view and if you can’t do that on your own blog then where can you share it?

I’ve heard Millennials currently defined as those who were born during the 80s and 90s. I disagree with the extreme range here. Here’s my take…

Millennials are people who came of age during the 2000 millennial change so anywhere between 14-22 years of age on January 1st, 2000. We are old enough to remember a time pre Internet but young enough to not remember a time before computers. This may seem trivial but we are the last generation that can say that the Internet did not exist in our lifetime. We did not grow up with the instant access to information via cell phones and mobile technology although we adapted quickly enough when it came along. The generations behind us may never know the weight of 5 volumes of the encyclopedia britannica while trying to write notes on index cards. I hope they realize how lucky we are. Sad but I digress…

We’ve grown up with TV, radio, and now the Internet, all trying to be the vehicles of marketers trying to sell us something. Through this over exposure to advertisements we’ve developed a highly tuned BS radar. I generally tune out all commercials, channel surf, or multi task during commercials. I very rarely even notice online ads unless they are pop ups and then i only notice them long enough to find where the X is to close it. If your ad is good (and I mean REALLY good) I may give it a bit of my attention but the ones I generally pay attention to are ads that one of my friends have mentioned. I absolutely can’t stand low budget commercials and will actually avoid doing business at the places that air them. Key learning for marketing here? You’re better off not making a commercial than making a crappy one.

Another key point in the life of Millennials is that we experienced 9/11 at a critical point in our lives. I don’t know how everyone else reacted but that day is the moment where I realized that the world was no longer the safe place that we thought it was and war became a constant in our lives. This taught me that life is short and not guaranteed therefore what we spend our time and money on should matter.

Therefore I place the Millennial generation currently between the ages of 27-34. It’s a tight range, I know. Any older and we’re knocking on the door of Gen X. Any younger and you are into what I have heard termed the “wired” generation due to their exposure to technology at such a young age. Some call them the younger Millennials. I disagree. There are extreme differences in the generations created by technology which have been further magnified by the Great Recession. This generation was the hardest hit by the sinking economy right when they were ready to enter the job market. The Millennials were hit as well but there is a tenacity and willingness to contribute that will, I believe, eventually prevail through entrepreneurship and hard work. ( yes we DO know what that is)

It has been said we will not accumulate the wealth of previous generations. Maybe that is a good thing because we will be more selective about how we spend what wealth we do have. Bringing this back to wine, and after all, that’s what this blog is supposed to be about, most of my friends that are also Millennials seek out quality over quantity. We’d rather drink nicer wine less often than have something to drink every evening. We’d rather try something new, have a new experience, than repeat what we have already tried. Most of all we want an authentic story. Don’t sell us BS; tell us the truth then let us decide if we want to know more. We can always “Google” it if we’re interested so make sure we can find you and your product when we need to.

Springtime in Napa and To Kalon

I’ve been having such great time with my new job I’ve been pretty terrible at updating my blog recently however now that my life is calming down a bit my plan is to update once per week.

Right now things are super busy in the winery. We’re finalizing the blends for 2011 and working on the 2012 Pinot Noir blends. I spend the majority of my time tasting which is so much fun. In the vineyard things have been quiet but are starting to stir. In talking with our vineyard manager for To Kalon, he expects budbreak to happen eminently. He and the crew have been working on getting things ready for the frost season and cultivating some of the blocks. He doesn’t want to the vines in these blocks to have to compete for water with the ground cover. In other blocks, he’s keeping the ground cover in order to remove some of the vigor of the blocks. I’m so in awe of this terroir! It’s so exciting to see this vintage begin. Budbreak should be starting in one of the Monastary blocks of Cabernet Franc. Vintage 2013 is kicking off!!!

Bouchon vs Ad Hoc: The incredible gastronomic taste-off

The last few weeks of the year are always an incredible time of good food. First of all there is Thanksgiving swiftly followed by my anniversary, Christmas, New Years, and then my Birthday in January. Needless to say there are a lot of reasons to eat well. This year in lieu of gifts my husband and I decided to try a restaurant here in Napa that we had never been to before. Unbeknownst to us, his sister Katie (of ) and her Boyfriend, Victor, had a similar idea to treat us for our special day. We chose Bouchon. They chose Ad Hoc. Both dinners were the Prix Fixe. The following are the dishes, wines, and my impressions overall.

Bouchon

For those, like myself who have never been to Bouchon, the interior looks as though you have stepped into a classic restaurant in Paris complete with high, elaborately decorated ceilings and cozy tables to easily chat with neighbors (should you decide to do so). We decided on the Prix fixe with the wine pairings here. My thoughts were that these dishes would be the best the house had to offer to introduce us to the style.
We started with a glass each of vintage 2010 Cremant de Limoux Brut by Gerard Bertrand. It was a lovely easy to drink Light and Bubbly offering and the perfect way to start the meal. There were two offerings for each course so Brian and I split the list so we could sample a bit of everything. The menu was inspired by the Terroir du Perigord and leaned heavily on Truffle influence. I have a confession. I LOVE truffles. I rarely indulge but given my wedding anniversary falls during truffle season one must celebrate to the fullest when one can.
The first course was Soupe Garbure aux Truffles, a cabbage stew with ham, bacon, duck sausage and garden vegetables with truffle essence paired with a 2001 Savennieres from Domaine des Baumard (Savory). All I can say a out this was WOW! I would eat this every winter night if I could figure out how to reproduce the stock. So delicious. Brian started with a Terrine de Gibier, terrine of wild game, confit gizzards, black truffles, tasted pistachios and Brioche with apple marmalade paired with a Gewürztraminer from Alsace. The Cuvée de l’Ours from Beck-Hartweg 2007. This was equally excellent. Intact the starters were our favorite dishes of the night. I can’t pick a winner.

Fantastic Changes

This has been a vintage year in so many ways and until now I have not had the time or opportunity to talk about any of it. First of all, my husband and I welcomed our first child, Nathaniel, in October. It has changed our lives dramatically and we have spent the last 8 week getting to know him. I would not have traded this time for anything.

The second major event this year was that I have finally passed the theory section of the MW exam. For those of you who have followed my blog over the past few years, you have read about my frustration with this particular section of the exam (for those who are new just look under the “MW studies” classified posts). It’s such a relief to only have the practical section of the exam left. I almost passed it this past time with a B, C, and C on the tasting exams respectively. Time to buckle down and get it done this next go round.

Finally, I am happy to announce that I am starting a new chapter in my career, in January, as the new red winemaker at Robert Mondavi Winery. I am completely thrilled and humbled by this new opportunity. I have always been inspired by Mr. Mondavi’s viewpoint towards wine, food, and family and it has significantly influenced my personal path through the wine industry. I’m also excited about working with the team at Mondavi including Genevieve and Rich to help continue the legacy that Mr. Mondavi left for us. The vineyards and the winery are completely inspiring and I’m looking forward to getting to know all aspects of them.

Of course with every new chapter in life, another one must close. My time with Souverain, Chateau St. Jean, Beringer Knights Valley, and Emma Pearl is coming to an end. I’ve met and worked alongside so many great people and I will miss them all. I thoroughly enjoyed working with my fellow winemakers at Treasury Wine Estates. They are an amazing team. I want to particularly say that I’m very honored that so many of them trusted me with their wines and I always tried to treat them as they would have. I am eternally grateful to Ed Killian for sharing his extensive knowledge of winemaking and life in general whenever I had a question.

So in the spirit of new chapters, I am once again going to make a pledge to write a post once a week. To my long time readers, thanks for sticking with me. To my new readers, thanks for coming and if you have wine questions you’d like answered don’t hesitate to mention them.

Here’s to a fantastic year!

Life After the MW Exam: Hindsight’s Look at My Past 4 Years

Three weeks ago I was one of the 98 students to attempt to pass the rigorous Master of Wine exam. Full details of the exam questions are posted here.  However unlike the majority of other students (in Napa at least), I was taking the full exam for what will be my last time.  I originally went over the possible exam outcomes in detail in an earlier post but the short version is I fail both sections again, pass one or the other, or pass both.  Naturally, I’m hoping for the latter but only time will tell. I think very few people outside of the program truly understand the level of dedication and commitment it takes to even attempt to sit the exam, much less actually pass it.  I was reminded of this while reading the comments generated by a blog from Dr. Vino last week. 

 There seems to be a great misunderstanding about the purpose of the tasting portion of the exam particularly.  The Practical exam (as it is called) is not a parlor game where one has to name the wine, vintage, variety, and producer but a logical deduction based on what is tasted in the glass and clues given by the questions themselves.  Case in point, one particularly popular question format in the past has been 4 wines in a flight, same variety but from 4 different countries.  Initially this could mean any number of potential varieties however students are generally discouraged from chasing “flying zebras”.  Thus while Gruner Veltliner may be found growing in 4 different countries it is highly unlikely that you are actually dealing with Gruner in this question.  If it is Practical Paper 1, the white wine paper, the odds are that it is Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, or Pinot Gris since those are more internationally used varieties and incidentally the varieties that show up the most over the past 13 years of exams.

 How do I know that?

 Like any good MW student, I’ve studied the past 13 years of exams in great detail of course!  They are available on the MW website in the student section and are really like manna from heaven to people interested enough to take the time to really get to know them.  The exam is not a fixed thing however and changes can happen in the design from year to year.  Imagine my surprise when this year’s Theory paper 4, Contemporary Issues, after 4 years of being pick 2 of 5 questions switched back to the 2005-2007 format of the “pre-fix menu” (Pick one from section A and one from section B) similar to that of the rest of the exam (Theory Papers 1-3 require 2 questions from section B).  Of course that format only came into existence in 2005 where before that there was one compulsory question and then 4-5 options for the additional essays needed.  Personally, I liked the 2008-2011 formats but not being an examiner I have no control over it.  Also, since I did not pass my attempts in 2010 and 2011 perhaps this minor change will yield better results.

 For myself, part of the fun of the exam (yes, I know, I’m crazy to think it is fun on some level) is seeing how the examiners are able to never ask the same question twice but cover the same material regardless.  Take the following two questions from Paper 2 for example…

 In order of priority, what quality assurance procedures should a producer have in place to avoid contaminated or defective wine? (Paper 2, 2011)

 As the Quality Assurance manager of a contract bottling operation, what actions will you take when microbial contamination is found in routine samples taken off the bottling line? (Paper 2, 2009)

 Both cover QA but each question needs to be answered in a very unique way.  The first asks for an order of priority of QA procedures while the second asks for actions that will be taken once contamination is found. If one had written a practice essay for the 2009 question and then answered the 2011 question in the same way one would likely fail. Not because of lack of knowledge about QA but because you didn’t answer in the question that was asked.  This is a common theme on the examiner’s report which is released after results are announced and goes over the common pitfalls and what the examiners were hoping to see in the answer to each question.  It is another invaluable resource for the MW student and I think I can safely say that any student that does not read it is setting themselves up for failure.

 Now, after 4 years (6 if you count the WSET programs) of all my free time being spent studying, tasting, analyzing, and compiling information in an effort to mentally “master” the wine industry, I find myself with some down time.  Time that I’m sure will come to a swift and fast end around the middle of October when my husband and I are expecting our first child. I know I didn’t mention that but, yes, I did just sit the MW exam 5 months pregnant! It definitely added an extra dimension of challenge to the whole thing, if it wasn’t challenging enough.  Regardless of the outcome of this exam, I’m happy.  I’m happy with the level of knowledge that I’ve reached and skills I’ve developed through the program to constantly seek new knowledge which I know I will continue long after the stress of the program is forgotten.  I’m happy to have met all the wonderful people that are in the program or involved with the institute in some way.  I’m very blessed to have been given opportunities to travel and speak with some of the top experts in the industry worldwide.  Most of all, I’m happy that I did not give up, ever, regardless of how depressing or challenging the program was.  I’ve always been serious about getting the MW certification and I would have always regretted it if I hadn’t gone for it, 100%. I know that even if I fail this third time, I tried my best, studied my hardest, and worked tirelessly towards that goal.  That is all anyone can be expected to do and it gives me peace to close this chapter of my life and move on, either through the rest of the program or not.  I’m excited to see what the next phase of life brings with a more personal distinction…Mother.      

Why is Wine Different from Toilet Paper?

Imagine my dismay when I read the initial headlines of the recent eater.com story…

Costco’s Wine Buyer Doesn’t Think Wine Is Different Than Toilet Paper

The wine buyer in question is Annette Alvarez-Peters, a long time Costco employee, WSET graduate and fellow MW student.  While I disagree with the tone of the article that seems to hint that Alvarez-Peters doesn’t really know what she’s talking about (which she does and has put the educational time in to be treated as a respected wine professional) I also disagree with the thought that wine is no different from toilet paper.

1)      Toilet Paper is Not a Controlled Substance!

The biggest issue here is that wine is a controlled substance.  While I’m sure that the state of Pennsylvania would have no problem with me shipping toilet paper to friends living there they sure do have a problem if you try to ship wine.  Likewise if you’re an 8 year old I guarantee no one is going to prevent you from buying a small package of toilet paper (larger quantities will probably be questioned due to toilet papering houses) but you must be able to prove you’re over 21 to buy wine in any size or quantity.

2)      There are a ton of choices with wine.  Not so many with Toilet Paper!

I understand the comparison that wine and toilet paper are both consumer goods however I would be willing to bet that Costco only sells a few skus of toilet paper but close to 200 skus of wine.  Even that paired down number is just a small fraction of what is available to the wine consumer today.  What are the choices for toilet paper?  White or tinted? Plain or scented? Quilted or regular? Organic? Recycled?  All the small random changes you can think of and they probably only add up to the choices of wines available from one of the smallest wine producing countries in the world.  I would imagine that people only have one favorite type of Toilet paper but many types of wine that they enjoy.

3)      You don’t expect differences in Toilet Paper due to the year it was produced or where it was produced!

When I buy a package of BRAND X Toilet Paper I expect that to be the exact same as the last time I bought it and as the next time I’m going to buy it.  Granted I know there are a large number of customers out there that want their wine the same way but for those of us who are excited about wine and really geek out with it, this is a key difference!  Toilet Paper needs consistency.  Wine should reflect its origin.

4)      I Have Yet to Hear of a Moral, Religious, or Political Objection to Toilet Paper!

Wine (and alcohol in general) is polarizing.  There are people who believe that drinking is a sin or that it is immoral.  There are countries that have banned alcohol completely.  Prohibition itself is a huge example of why wine is different from Toilet Paper.  I have never heard anyone say toilet paper has ruined lives or corrupted society.  In fact, if you ask most civilized folks I would imagine that toilet paper is among the most universally liked and used consumer goods regardless of race, religion, national origin, or political affiliation.  Everyone can agree on toilet paper being a good thing!  Maybe we’ve just stumbled upon the key to world peace?

5)      The Use of Toilet Paper Will Not Inhibit Your Ability to Operate Machinery!

When it comes down to brass tacks, wine contains alcohol, which is a drug.  We can have an entirely different debate about the harmfulness of alcohol versus other drugs but for the purposes of this argument, it is.  I never worry about being on the road with people who have been using toilet paper.  I do, however, worry about people who have been wine tasting too much.  Napa is particularly prone to this on the weekends and I’ve already seen more than my share of cars weaving up and down highway 29 this season.  Everyone feel free to continue to drive after using toilet paper but for all of our sakes, find a designated driver if you’ve been drinking wine!

6)      Collectors don’t pay big money for old toilet paper

I’d love to see someone go to Sotheby’s and say they found a secret room in their cellar and within they found a pristine stash of 1800 era toilet paper (ok I’m sure SOMEONE out there would be interested but stay with me here) and ask how much it would be worth on the auction market.  I guarantee it wouldn’t be worth as much as a pristine stash of wine would be.  What’s my point here? Fine wine holds its value over time and the only reason it does hold and increase in value is because someone is willing to pay big money for it.  Will I buy old wine? If I can afford it, absolutely!  Will I buy old toilet paper? No.

While I agree with Alvarez-Peters trying to say wine is just another consumer beverage and everyone should stop acting like it is so special I don’t agree that it is the same as toilet paper or tin foil.  Granted anything above general food, water, and shelter is not really a need but a consumer product but I categorize wine as a luxury good and toilet paper as more a basic household necessity.  There are absolutely different levels of consumer goods and I think this is what was lost in the conversation.