Nova Cadamatre

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.

France Trip Part 2: Chateau Pichon-Longueville 2eme Cru Classe, Pauillac

            The vineyards of the estate date back to the 17^th century when Jacques de Pichon, Baron de Longueville, with the help of his father in law, Pierre de Rauzan, began to assemble the vineyards. The Chateau, where it exists today, was built in 1851, designed by Charles Burgeuet, by Raoul de Pichon-Longueville, one of the four children of Joseph de Pichon-Longueville.  The estate remained in the family until 1933 when it was sold to the Bouteiller family.  In 1987, AXA purchased the property and restored and furnished it in a style appropriate for a mid-19^th century estate, under the management of Jean-Michel Cazes.  The current Technical Director and Winemaker of Pichon-Longueville is Jean-Rene Matignon who has been with the estate since 1985.  Matignon is a humble man who clearly loves the Chateau and is quite happy making wine with AXA and Pichon. 

The Chateau is a renaissance-style mansion with four turrets and is thought to be the inspiration for Cinderella’s castle at Disney World.  In 1989-1991, the cellar was completely redesigned by Jean de Gastines and Patrick Dillon, a Franco-American team chosen by competition organized with help from the George Pompidou Center in Paris.  The goal was not only to create a world class cellar but to harmonize the buildings with the existing Chateau and grounds.  It is one of the only underground cellars in Bordeaux.  They chose stainless steel tanks to easily move and change the placement of them if needed.  Originally the cellar was designed to receive grapes underground to be sorted by hand but they have since moved to an outside receival area complete with a 125,000€ optical sorter to augment the hand sorting.  When asked if the machinery vs. hand sorting makes a quality difference Matignon shrugs and says “The way of using the equipment is more important than the equipment itself”.  He says that the changing of the cellar from the old to the new has helped with dissolved oxygen (DO) considerably. 

            The Estate vineyards are comprised of 73 hectares of gravelly soil planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot.  The gravel is 5 meters deep over a bed of calcaire that helps the vineyard retain water during the summer months.  The average age of the vines are 30 years with 9,000 vines per hectares however the oldest vines on the estate are 80 years old and consistently make the Grand Vin.  The Grand Vin is Chateau Pichon-Longueville and usually is around 15,000 cases and is generally produced from the 45 ha of original estate vineyards.  The second wine is called Les Tourelles de Longueville and usually is around 12,000 cases.  Matignon has made several changes to the vineyards since he began.  He has installed more drainage to control the water levels in the vineyards.  “One must be flexible and close to the weather” he says.  He has also halted mechanical harvesting, is using less herbicide, and is leaving more leaves on the vines than before.  The estates stopped using insecticides in the mid 90s in favor of pheramones.  Copper use has also dropped as a build up of copper in the soil has become a large problem throughout Bordeaux.  Where they used to spray 10-12 kg/ha of Bordeaux Mix, they now only use .5-.7 kg/ha (around .2-.3 kg of Copper Sulfate/ 1kg of Bordeaux Mix).  Studies have shown that soil bacteria will metabolize 2-3 kg of Copper per year so Matignon hopes that eventually the amount in the soil will decrease over time.  His largest worry right now however is the Flavesance de Raie.  The Flavescence is a bacterium that has become problematic due to the importation of the Scaphoideus titanus leafhopper species fromNorth America. The disease shows first symptoms through stunted growth, yellowing leaves, black pustules and inhibited lignification. The second season, the symptoms are more pronounced and can shrivel grape clusters after which the vine declines rapidly.   It will kill an infected vine in 3-4 years.   The estate is not only using pheromones to combat the leafhopper but is also using natural pyrethrum based insecticides to reduce the population as well as using traps to see how effective their spraying is.  

            In the cellar, we toured with both Matignon as well as AXA Millésimes current Managing Director, Christian Seely who has been at the helm since 2001.  Prior to his current role he was the Technical Director of Quinta do Noval in Portugal since 1993.  He took us through the library and showed us the oldest bottle in the cellar, a 1905 Chateau Pichon-Longueville. Traditionally the Chateau only bottled with a front label but opted to change to having a back label as well in 2005 as the list of legal requirements for labels grew beyond what they could reasonably fit on a front label.   In the barrel cellar, we spoke a bit about oak aging.  The estate uses 70-80% new French oak for the Grand Vin where all total there is around 50% new with the balance being 1-2 year old wood. “It’s important to keep the lots separate” says Matignon “That way you know how each parcel is turning out.”  Six different coopers are used however both Matignon and Seely believe that it is the toast that matters the most in barrels rather than the forest or Cooper.  “Different coopers are more appropriate in some vintages than others.  Using many coopers helps maintain style and helps mitigate vintage variations” says Seely.  We tasted two barrel lots of the same Cabernet Sauvignon lot to determine the difference.  The first wine showed fine grained dusty tannins and a very low oak toast profile.  The second wine was still low toast but higher than wine 1 with slightly more spice and dark chocolate bitterness on the finish.  Wine 1 was aged in Saury Premium, a barrel bent by water.  Wine 2 was aged in Tauransault TS, a barrel with 5 years of wood aging prior to forming the barrel with fire.  On average the Grand Vin spends 16-17 months in barrel.  The 2004 spent 15 months as it was a lesser vintage while the 06 spent 20 months.  They built a completely new addition to the cellar in to allow for storing longer aging vintages.  When asked how he justified it to the board Christian Seely said “It is difficult to analyze the ROCI on small changes but they make all the difference.”  Today, stricter selections have led to half as much Grand Vin being produced than in the mid 90s.  It took the journalists about 3 years to notice the change as it was made in 2000 and the scores didn’t reflect it until 2003.  Seely laughs and says there were some tough moments  during that time.  “Success is measured by many factors, not just ratings of wines”. 

            The 2011 vintage was similar to 1999 but with more ripeness.  Hot weather during June led to a loss of 1/3 of the fruit for the year.  The Grand Vin for 2011 will be 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot which is barreled in November.  The entire blend is de-barreled and assembled in February right before the en Primeur campaign during which it is re-barreled and racked a total of 3 times before final disgorgement for bottling.  In 2011, the fermentations took between 17-30 days for both primary and ML which are co-inoculated.  2010 was a difficult fermentation year and they took much longer than average.  Total Phenol levels are analyzed to help determine pressing.  Matignon is also looking at the differences between must that is pumped and must that is gravity fed to fermentors.  We were able to taste two of the lots he experimented with.  The gravity fed wine was softer with more pronounced fruit while the pumped wine was more structured and seemed to have more depth.  He believes that there is a place for both techniques to increase the complexity of the wines.  We were also able to taste through several varieties of the 2011 vintage.

Grand Vin Merlot:  Deep dense fruit with strong oak and structured tannins.  Matignon feels that the oak is too much at this point but feels it will settle out over time.  This Merlot comes from the older vines from the estate.

Grand Vin Cabernet Sauvignon: Aromas of violets and raspberries, with fine grained dusty tannins.  It had just finished ML and had Sulfur added.

Cabernet Franc:  Strong aromas of violets with intense oak and strong tannins.  1 month in barrel so far.  Matignon believes that the vineyards are too dry for Cabernet Franc and that the tannins of this lot are too drying because of this. 

Petit Verdot: Black fruits, and strong tannins.  This wine comes from a four year old vineyard planted with selected clones.  The original vineyard was virus ridden and mixed with Cabernet Sauvignon so it needed to be removed.

            On climate change, Matignon says that Bordeaux needs to adapt to the weather.  He predicts it will be a viticultural problem.  Perhaps they will change the rootstocks or use older techniques to reverse the ripening trend in the vineyards such as halting leaf pulling or reducing the numbers of leaves at the top of the shoots.

Special Thanks to the Ch. Pichon-Longueville staff and AXA Millesimes for the information above.

My MW Scholarship Trip to France!!! Part 1

  WAAAAYYYY Back in November I went on one of the most exciting trips of my life to France based on the generosity of AXA Millesimes.  I promised then that I would blog about it and now after several months I am going to fulfill that promise!  The next few weeks will be short excerpts recalling this fantastic opportunity complete with tasting notes and way too much geeky wine information.  Here is the first of many…

 It took 31 hours of travel time for me from my house to the back door of Chateau Pichon-Longueville.  The time consisted of Flights from SFO to Philadelphia,PA then to Munich, Germany.  After that a quick flight to Toulouse there was a bus trip from Toulouse airport to the train station down town then a two hour train trip to Bordeaux.  Once I had arrived at the Bordeaux train station it was another hour by taxi before I arrived at the Chateau.  The taxi driver spoke little English and I apparently speak better French when exhausted so we had a pleasant chat about the area and when he learned I was here for wine he was happy to tell me that he and his family had worked in the vineyards their whole life.  I asked what he was doing driving a taxi then and he replied it allowed more time for fishing. By the time we arrived at the Chateau I was exhausted beyond measure and it was 11pm in Bordeaux.  As grueling as the travel was it was fantastic to get rid of any semblance of jet lag.  I was greeted by the housekeeper who was kind enough to leave out a small endive salad, a slice of ham, and several slices of baguette for dinner.  She also left a bottle of wine.  Since it was already opened I felt it would be rude not to sample it however I thought that one entire bottle for a single tired guest was a bit optimistic on her part and a bit of a waste for the bottle.  The room in the Chateau was like a fairy tale complete with the small meal laid out in a turret just off the room.  It was the most relaxing shade of moss green with a fireplace, chandelier, and numerous antiques to match the period in which the Chateau was built.  The bathroom was a periwinkle blue with claw foot tub complete with a large draping shower curtain.  It truly was the bed room that you dream about as a little girl.  After a quick shower I fell into a deep restorative sleep.

            As I was the only one who had arrived that night, I had the Chateau to myself the next morning.  While there were people working there they insisted that I eat breakfast in the formal dining room by myself.  I’m not one to enjoy dining alone so I ate a quick traditionally French breakfast of a croissant, baguette slices, and yougert then went for a walk around the grounds.   The back gardens of the Chateau were partially forested with a small pond which I could easily imagine must have been once used for small boats carrying ladies with parasols.  I crossed over this pond by way of a small stone bridge to the back of the gardens.  They were manicured just enough to make you believe you were in some fantastic forest but not so much that you realized you were in a formal gardens.  The gardens were separated from the vineyards by a small split rail fence which I followed to find a route to the vineyards.  I wandered through the vineyards for a while marveling at the small vines, some no more than a foot off the ground and so tightly spaced that it was difficult to walk down the rows.  Turning back to the Chateau it seemed that Pichon-Longueville was a green island in the midst of a sea of brown dormant vines.  On the eastern facing edge of the gardens there was a large Sycamore tree which I took advantage of to sit beneath, soak up the sun, and marvel at my good fortune.  The breeze was soft and light, the sun warm, and the vineyards were spread out around the Chateau in undulating waves.  There was a church steeple in the distance and the cross of Pichon-Loungueville closer to my right.  It was a very relaxing moment.  Soon though it was time to return to the Chateau to meet my fellow scholarship winners and begin the formal trip. 

            We gathered in the Study of the Chateau, surrounded by books, dark wood, and stuffed songbirds in glass boxes.  There were four other students on the trip; Anne Krebiehl (Freelance Wine Writer), Ray O’Connor (Commercial Manager for the International Wine Challenge), Patrick Schmitt (Editor at the Drinks Business), and Nigel Sneyd (Winemaker for E&J Gallo).  It was an eclectic and fascinating group and we all were able to meld our diverse backgrounds for an educational and exciting experience.

Merlot: The Red Delicious Apple of the Wine World

As I was perusing the produce section of my local Safeway this weekend I was trying to decide which fruit to get for the week.  I love apples so I decided to go that direction.  For the first time in quite a while I did not reach for the Pink Ladies or the Galas.  I went back to my old staple.  The apple that started my love affair with apples; the Red Delicious.  I found myself being momentarily self conscious.  I know I have friends that would be appalled that I chose the old standard rather than searching out a “more flavorful” or “less mainstream” variety.  Now I usually love my Galas in CA, Empires in NY, and love of all loves the King apple that I’ve only found in Hendersonville, NC but something about that shiny, dark crimson flesh with the white spots spoke to me.  There’s nothing wrong with the Red Delicious, it’s usually the sterlingly beautiful example of what a theoretical apple should be, absent of defects but also lacking in any really distinguishing factor outside of it’s color.  It’s moderately sweet, moderately acidic, and moderately crunchy which appeals to the mass majority of apple consumers.  I was instantly struck by how similar the Red Delicious apple variety is to Merlot.

Merlot is one of those varieties that people who are really geeky about wine love to disparage.  It doesn’t have the power of Cabernet or the delicacy and finesse of Pinot Noir.  It lacks the spiciness of Syrah and the depth of Malbec.  Merlot has been turned into, in so many people’s minds, the standard red wine just like the Red Delicious is the standard red apple.  However because Merlot possesses so many qualities that are widely appealing to the wine consuming masses it has some how been deemed uncool.

Go ahead, blame the movie “Sideways”.  No one can dispute that it helped push Pinot Noir from relative obscurity to mainstream obsession but did it really hit Merlot as hard as everyone said it did?  I was working in upstate NY when the movie came out and if I had a dollar for every customer who asked me if I had seen the movie I would be a wealthy woman right now.  All these people tended to stay away from Merlot in favor of Pinot.  But what about the regular average consumer?  The people who are casual wine drinkers? The “Mr and Mrs Cul-de-sac” as one of my marketing people loves to say?  What do they think of Merlot?  Signs point to mainstream America loving Merlot.

Consider the data that started me off on this apple/grape comparison put forth so eloquently by Steve Heimoff  in a recent post.

Here’s the direct quote from his Nielson Data breakdown that really got me thinking.

“Despite rumors of a “Sideways effect,” 45 percent of participants in Nielsen’s custom survey of Merlot drinkers never saw the movie, and 93 percent of those that saw the movie say it had no effect on their opinion of Merlot”

It is very easy, as avid wine drinkers, to assume that your tastes are the tastes of the rest of country.  On the contrary, avid wine drinkers (and if you’re reading this blog that probably includes you) really only make up around 20% of the wine drinking population, which in turn, is only 30% of the population of the country as a whole.  (Sources: Constellation’s Home and Habitat study in 2008 and the economics portion of the Mastering Wine Seminar at UC Davis a few weeks ago)

Now who feels like they are in the minority?

Turns out that like the Red Delicious apple, Merlot is hugely popular.  More so, it never really lost popularity with the core group of people who were consuming it.  So instead of looking down on Merlot, maybe we should rediscover it?  If you haven’t had a Merlot in a while, try one this week!  Maybe you’ll even try an Emma Pearl Merlot (SHAMELESS PLUG FOR MY OWN WINE).  While you’re at it if you’re one of those Foodie types that thinks the Red Delicious is a dull flavorless variety that is not to be consumed by educated palates, go buy yourself one of those too!  Let’s all branch out and try something that we haven’t in a while just to see if we had the wrong notion in the first place.

Let me know what you find!

The 2012 Master of Wine Napa Seminar: Year 4 of my pursuit of the MW.

In just two days time close to 70 MW students will converge on Yountville, CA all with the same goal of one day becoming a Master of Wine.  This will be my fourth seminar and my last as a full program student.  As this is my 3rd shot at the exam this year there are only three outcomes for me.

I sit the exam for the 3rd time and…

1)  following the “third time is the charm” saying will pass both the theory and the practical.  Thus, come September, I will be heard celebrating all up and down the west coast and then promptly get my nose back to the grindstone working on my dissertation that I’ve been looking forward to starting for the past 4 years.  This means that this year’s seminar will be my last as a student.

2) I pass either the practical or the theory but not both.  This will put me in a partial seminar focusing on the one that I didn’t pass next year.  I’ll still be attending but not the full seminar.

3) I fail both parts AGAIN and because it’s the third time I don’t get to come back.  This means that it will still be my last seminar.

It is an odd sense of freedom when you break it down like that.  Logic would dictate that I would be nervous given the options.  Instead I find myself with a feeling of excitement much like the same feeling I had my first and second years.  Either way I have nothing to lose at this point and regardless of the outcome I am proud of what I’ve accomplished so far.  Last year at this time I felt like I was in a bit of no man’s land, in the middle of a marathon without mile markers.  It’s so different this year.  Almost a serene feeling of peace about whatever the next few months will bring.  Perhaps I’ve finally gone crazy?

Or… perhaps I KNOW I can do this and have finally reached that zen state that all the MWs talk about reaching.  Only time will truly tell.

I know that the sense of comfort comes from the knowledge that I’ve gathered through out the years of study so far.  Regardless of what happens I’ll always have that and it brings me joy to see how much I’ve learned and stored away from my studies.  Maybe it comes with age, as I’m still fairly young but definitely not as young as I was when I first decided to embark on this journey 6 years ago.  I have spent the past 6 years with the single minded determination to finish this program regardless of the odds.  Regardless of all the well meaning friends that would smile and say “you’ll make it next time”.  Regardless of all the maybe not so well meaning acquaintances that say “I’ll be thinking of you in September” with the slightly sympathetic and pitying smiles on their faces as if they want to be the first to hear you’ve actually failed what you set out to do.

I never knew my maternal Grandfather but my Mom used to quote him frequently when I was growing up.  ”If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”  I live by that.  I throw myself into whatever comes my way with passion and purpose until the time comes that the goal is achieved or it is time to let it go.

So this week, with the sense of anticipation that comes from truly enjoying the process of learning, I’m going to my last full MW seminar as a student because I’m going to pass this year.  I’m going to greet my friends who have traveled this road with me like solders in the trenches and the MWs who have provided so much knowledge and time unselfishly.  I’m going to take full advantage of the learning that is available this week and then when the time comes in June I’m going to show the examiners what I think about the chosen topics and let the chips fall where they will, walking away head held high, regardless of the outcome, knowing I’ve done my best and that’s all I could have done.

The Quirks of Quercus: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Oak but were Afraid to Ask!

This is one of those posts that I put out there not only to educate but to get some discussion going around one of the most interesting but often misunderstood aspects of winemaking.  I think when most people in vision a winery oak barrels almost always show up in their mind’s eye.

First off there are two main types of oak that are used in winemaking; French and American.  The species of French oak can be from Quercus robur or Quercus petraea and American oak is typically Quercus alba.  Both have pros and cons and typically the choice comes down to winemaker preference and desired style.

The French Oak species grow more slowly than their American cousin which makes the rings in the trunk appear more closely together.  This gives the staves made from this species a tighter grain.  Why does this matter? The tighter grain gives the oak different flavors from it’s wider grained cousin.  It also encourages the addition of extra oak tannins.     The flavors given off by the wood depends on the toast level.

American Oak Toast Profiles:

Light Toast/Medium Toasts = Coconut, Vanilla, Brown Sugar, and Cinnamon

Medium +/ Heavy Toasts = Toasted Marshmallow, Caramel, and Cloves bordering on coffee

French Oak Toast Profiles:

Light Toast/Medium Toasts = Vanilla, Cinnamon, Nutmeg (all manner of brown spices really), and Cedar

Medium +/ Heavy Toasts = Roasted Coffee, Tobacco, Smoke, and Charcoal

Once a winemaker has decided  what oak to use and what toast level all that is left is to decide what form the oak will take.

Oak Barrels:

Barrels are the traditional choice.  They can be formed several ways including through fire, steam, or water then toasted using heat, usually from an open flame. They allow the wood to integrate into the wine consistently while softening the wine through the occasional introduction of oxygen throughout the topping process.  The wood itself does not transmit very much oxygen once it becomes saturated with wine and tartrate crystals.  They are convenient fermentation vessels for white wines as the small amount of volume per barrel does not heat up rapidly and can be easily controlled by placing the barrel in a temperature controlled room or cave.  Barrels are also ideal for small lots of wine if a tank is not an ideal size.  There are some downsides however including the fact that once a lot is split up into barrels there are numerous 59 gallon lots that all begin to react and age differently.  It also takes a large amount of time to maintain empty barrels and wine lots stored in barrels including frequent analysis and topping to prevent oxidation and spoilage.  Personally, there is nothing better than the fresh smell of new oak barrels and the excitement of tasting through barrel lots to blend wines.

Oak Staves:

Similar in shape to the staves that will eventually become barrels, oak staves are long segments of oak that are individually toasted without the bending process.  The staves I’ve seen are usually thinner than the barrel staves but depending on the producer they are toasted in much the same way as barrels or they can roasted in a convection oven.  Again, like barrels, the toasting method very much depends on winemaker preference and each way does tend to produce different flavors.  The flavors and quality of staves varies widely from stave producer to producer.  Poor quality staves tend to have the flavors sit very intensely on the nose of the finished wine but lack follow through on the palate.  Good quality staves, when applied properly, can integrate very well and can be difficult to tell apart from barrels.

Oak Segments:

This section of oak runs by many names.  They are smaller than staves but usually larger than dust.  They can be cut up staves, beans, cubes, chips or spirals and they usually come packaged in an infusion bag similar to that of tea (only larger of course).  These are great for quick infusions of oak but when used too liberally can have the same problem as staves where the oak sits on the wine but never integrates.  They can be useful for reviving older barrels but can be difficult to work around if lees stirring is part of your winemaking style.  Like most things, a little bit goes a long way!

Oak Dust:

Before you get the idea that winemakers are throwing hamster shavings into wine know this; Oak dust can be your friend!  It’s super helpful in covering up herbal flavors in red fermentations as well as adding some quick tannins to attach to color molecules in the new wine. It is not normally used for adding oak flavor but gently supports the fruit’s already developed attributes.  Don’t worry, most of it gets pressed off with the skins and the rest disappears by the first rack.  It’s only present a very small amount of time but it can make a huge difference in structure for younger wines.

That’s it for the quick Quercus 101.  Its the most interesting exercise to taste through wines trying to determine French or American, Barrels or Staves, Light or Heavy toast?  I highly recommend it.  The results might surprise you!

My Musings on Wine Scores

Hello all! First of all let me apologize for going AWOL the last two months.  Work, Home, and MW studies have all been crazy busy as it is for anyone during the holidays.  I hope in this new year I will be able to put up more weekly posts.

As always if you have any suggestions as to what to write about I’d love to hear them!

For my first post of the new year I’d like to make a comment on a subject that is equally loved and hated by most winemakers… Wine Scores.

I’m not going to be one of those people that says the scores don’t matter.  They absolutely do.  They matter because consumers place so much emphasis on them.  I think the conversation becomes confusing when people begin to blame the critics (most of all Robert Parker) rather than the consumers themselves for their importance.  Scores don’t have power because Parker or Laube or some other critic says they do.  Scores have power because the consumers purchasing wine have given them power.

Let’s face it, we all know how grades worked in school.  The higher the grade, the better you were doing.  It was something that we’ve all grown up with here in the US and I’d be willing to assume that other countries have the same or similar structures as well.  It’s a simple system because we all knew that 100 is the best and anything below that was flawed at some level.  All Parker did when he developed the 100 pt scale was to capitalize on this already ingrained scale that exists in all of our minds.

For wine, the scale was an easy to understand way to simplify quality for the consumer.  ”Quality” is open to debate as it tends to be the highest quality in the mind of that particular critic.  It seems for the most part that scores below 92 or 93 are relatively objective.  Most people can probably tell the quality difference between an 85 and a 91 point wine.  However, once the score goes above 93 or 94 it becomes more subjective to the environment, wines surrounding it, and the whims of the reviewer.  The feelings of the moment if you will.

This is where the debate enters.  It seems that this subjectivity is the biggest objection to the wine score system.  The problem is that the score is an opinion.  This is precisely what the consumers are asking the critic to give; their opinion.  Movie reviewers, food writers, and art critics are all asked for the same thing however it seems that the opinions of wine critics for some reason are more hotly debated. Maybe I’m just not privy to the other industries’s debates but I know I’ve gone to see movies that the critics were less than kind to and I’ve been thoroughly entertained.  I didn’t think less of the critic but just assumed that the movie was not to their taste.  Therefore, the question must be asked, why are wine industry folks so hard on wine critics just because the critic’s opinion may differ from their own?

As to the 100 point scale, wine consumers have chosen how they prefer to have these opinions delivered and like it or not that vehicle is currently the 100 point scale.   As I said before, it’s easy to understand.  With a product like wine, which has been shrouded in mystery and elitism for so long, easy was probably extremely refreshing for people who just wanted to find some good wine.  Robert Parker is successful not only because he had an opinion but because he delivered that opinion in such a way that wine consumers could understand it.  Thus, the 100 point scale is here to stay.  Debating it’s merits may prove entertaining for writers and avid wine lovers alike adding fuel to fires and burning up blogs. However, since the average wine drinker likes it, the debate is ultimately futile because the masses have spoken.

Like most winemakers I know, I am alternately elated and dismayed at wine scores.  It’s the most fantastic feeling to have one’s hard work recognized by a good or even great score.  I am still struggling with the fact that I can toil tirelessly, through harvest, aging, blending, and endless hours of worry over what will make the best wines only to have all that work distilled down to a two digit number at the end.  It’s a love/hate relationship. I’m willing to go along with it because the consumers want it and because there is a delicious sense of anticipation from the moment you know your wine has been sent off to the moment that you receive your score.  It’s the possibilities that are exciting.  The chance to possibly, one day turn that two digit number into the coveted three.

Harvest 2011: How California became Italy

This year has had it all.  We started with heavy frost on the Central Coast, rain during bloom and spring hail.  The craziness continued with a long temperate summer which was punctuated by few heat spikes (if you can call mid 90s a heat spike out here).  Growers fought Powdery Mildew and numerous invasive insect species all summer including the European Grapevine Moth, Light Brown Apple Moth, and the Oriental Fruitfly.  For those growers who were able to get through the gauntlet of summer, everything was looking perfect until early October when the rain came back and brought with it watered down flavors, muted colors, and botrytis.  As I woke to the sound of frost fans in northern Napa Valley today I felt that we had come full circle. 

Today is the last day of harvest for Asti Winery.  We’ve survived although the last three weeks have been crazy and stressful.  It’s also a time of reflection over the wines that are fermenting away from this vintage.  The floral whites are beautiful.  Marked by crisp acid and intense white flower and spice notes, the Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer have really stood out this harvest.  The Chardonnays that were harvested before the first October rain, while lower in alcohol, are displaying elegant fruit flavors and balanced acids.  The alcohol conversions on whites this year were insanely high.  Sugars that were picked at 23 Brix are topping out in the 13.5% range showing extremely efficient yeast conversion.  Chardonnays picked after the rains look to be less concentrated than the pre-rain picks plus they are showing Botrytized characters that lean towards a bit earthy in most cases.  Luckily most of our lots are pre-rain thanks to the hustle of our vineyard crews and growers. 

It was yesterday as we tasted through pressed off Cabernets though when I came to the realization that my tasting notes were not that of a typical California Cabernet.  Aromas of raspberry leaves, black currants, and sous-bois shined through in the best examples with high acid and moderate alcohol on the palate paired with moderately high powdery tannins.  Granted these wines are pre-ML and have not seen oak for the most part but it struck me as very similar to my notes on Cabernet  from Tuscany.  As we’ve been saying all along, this vintage will be vastly different from what has become the norm in California.  There will be some bad wine out there, I’m sure, but I believe that there will also be a new style of California wine to be found this year.  All the proponents that have been wishing for lower alcohol, this is your year!  The reds had the opposite issue from the whites as the conversion rates were very low. Even the higher Brix reds (which were anything over 24 this year) are only showing in the high 13% range.  It’s going to be interesting to see how these wines develop and how each winery dealt with this challenging year.  Most of all I feel sorry for anyone who gets one of this vintage on a blind exam down the road because it’s going to be so different from what is accepted as a typical California style.

As for me, I’m looking forward to capturing the spirit of this vintage in my wines this year.  I think it will be fun!

Harvest 2011 – Week 11 – The Grape Landslide…

Right now, things are crazy! People are rushing to pick fruit.  We’re working 24/7 to get all the fruit in and we’re running out of tank space.  I haven’t really had time to put all my thoughts from this week into words because I’ve been frantically trying to make the best wine we possibly can this year.  Expectations are high while reality is only moderate right now.  Like I’ve been saying all along this will NOT be a big, ripe, high alcohol year regardless of the craziness that people throw at the fruit.  The vintage is what it is and what it is may surprise people in the long run.  In the meantime, I’m just trying to stay sane…

Only 1 more week of fruit (I hope!)

Back to the grind…

Harvest 2011 – Week 10 – It Rains… so I make Soup!

Well, we all knew it would get to this.  What we didn’t know is how much it would rain. Asti topped out at almost 2 1/2 inches of rain over last week.  We’re getting more today as well.  Rain during this time of year is challenging for several reasons. 

1) When it’s raining there is no sun. No sun = no photosynthesis and no photosynthesis means ripening stalls for the duration of the time that there is no sun.

2) The water absorbed by the vines dilutes the sugar and flavors that you have already accumulated meaning you’ll have to wait longer to get to the same sugar levels than you would have without the rain.

3) The water on the grapes can dilute the sugar and flavor if the grapes are picked or transported while they are still wet.

4) The moisture can cause berries to swell and burst, giving way to mold and rot.  The added moisture in the atmosphere will lead to mold and rot by itself if these conditions exist for an extended period of time. 

So it is worrisome all the way around!  We’re waiting patiently (well not really THAT patiently) to see what the weather will hold for the next week.  There is another threat of rain this coming Sunday so that means any dry day this week we’ll be harvesting our little hearts out!

On a happy note, we are now in the middle of my favorite season of the year! Fall is the time that I take to bake and cook hearty dishes like roasts and stews.  One of my favorite is my Fall Harvest Soup.  This is one of the first things I make every year because it really makes your home smell of baking spices and roasted fall flavors.  The puree is super versatile and can be used for soups, breads, and pies plus it can be frozen so if you make more than you need for one recipe you can freeze the rest for later.  This soup is very thick and hearty and is perfect for those chilly evenings or rainy days during the late fall and early winter.  I’ve used it as an appetizer to Thanksgiving dinner or as a quick lunch on a rainy weekend. It’s on the menu for this week at my house so I thought I’d share my recipe with you. 

This recipe should be considered guidelines not actual rules since each of the ingredients are approximations.  I normally look for texture, smell, and taste to guide me in my preparations.

Fall Harvest Soup

• 2 ½ cups of Fall Squash Puree
• 1 ½ cups of Chicken Stock (not broth)
• ½ cup of heavy cream
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Cinnamon and roasted squash seeds to garnish

 Place the Squash puree in a pan over medium heat.  Immediately begin to stir in the chicken stock until the mixture resembles a uniform, thick soup.  Continue stirring while adding the cream and salt and pepper to taste.  Once the soup is heated completely, pour it in your favorite fall bowls and garnish with cinnamon (and toasted seeds if desired). 

            Fall Squash Puree

           One Fall squash (acorn (large sized), butternut (medium sized), or pumpkin (small sized)) 

If using small enough squash to roast in halves add the following ingredients to the hollow of the squash…

• 2 Tbs of unsalted Butter
• 1 Tbs ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cloves 

Pre heat oven to 375° F.  Prepare a cookie sheet with an aluminum foil covering to bake the squash.  Halve the squash carefully and remove seeds and loose pulp from the center (Seeds can be cleaned for toasting) and place the two halves on the cookie sheet, hollow side up.  Divide the butter and spices between the two halves of the squash placing the ingredients in the hollow left by the seeds.  Put the squash in the oven, again hollow side up, to bake for 1 hour.  After 45 minutes, test the flesh of the squash with a fork for tenderness.  The fork should easily slide in when the squash is fully cooked.  Remove the cookie sheet carefully from the oven and let the squash cool.  Once the flesh is cool, pour the melted butter and spices into a food processor.  Scoop out the flesh of the squash and put that in the food processor as well.  Puree until smooth with no clumps.

Toasted Squash Seeds

• Seeds from a cleaned Squash
• Drizzle of Olive Oil to coat
• Cinnamon to coat
• Salt to taste

Pre heat the oven on 200° F (Broil on low can be used for a quick toast).  Put the seeds in a bowl and make sure to remove most of the pulp.  Drizzle with olive oil until coated.  Dust with Cinnamon and salt and mix well.  Spread the seeds over a cookie sheet (cover the sheet with foil for easy clean up) and place in the oven checking and moving frequently until lightly golden.  Seeds should have a light crunchy texture when eaten.