On Enjoying Wines (Part 1) . . .

 

I stand a conflicted man today. Well, I’m ALWAYS conflicted in many ways – life is never as ‘straightforward’ as I would like it to be  🙂

Today, though, I am conflicted over something I see happen again and again with wines, especially those enjoyed by more of the ‘wine geek’ amongst us. There is a term oftentimes used in wine called ‘typicity’. This is a term that has been used for centuries elsewhere in the world where wine has been made a lot longer than here in the US.

It is a word that somewhat goes hand in hand with the often-used term ‘terroir’. Typicity has been used in places like France to ‘ensure’ that wines coming from a specific region show a ‘lineage’ to the other wines produced from there. For instance, if you produce a cabernet franc from the Chinon region of the Loire Valley in France, it should smell and taste ‘typical’ of others that have been produced there.

This ensures that traits and characteristics associated with a region, or grapes from that region, remain intact, and that, despite vintage variations and new vignerons arriving on the scene, that this remains the ‘rule’. This does NOT mean that a winemaker cannot go slightly ‘vogue’ and do something different, This also does not mean that ‘typicity’ cannot ‘evolve’ with changes in viticultural or enological practices.

Why do I bring this up? I’ve been enjoying a wide variety of wines lately, as have many of my friends who post about them on wine bulletin boards. I’m surprised and amazed at times, though, that wines that are not only enjoyed but compared with the greatest examples of a specific ‘variety’ show no such typicity to that variety. And therein lies the problem to me . . .at least to me.

How is one to compare and contrast wines from the same variety if there is no ‘similarities’ between the two of them? I’m curious to hear your thoughts . . .

Cheers!

 

Reflections on the Wine Blogger’s Conference – #1 . . . . In the Beginning . . .

2014 marked the first time I’ve experienced the Wine Blogger’s Conference. I went into the week somewhat trepidatiously, truly not knowing what to expect.

Yep, I do ‘blog’, but not at the level that most ‘wine bloggers’ that I know do. I’m not as consistent or focused as they are, and I was truly and honestly hoping to learn a bit more about myself and a lot more about many of the bloggers and what makes them tick.

I had the pleasure of hosting a few key players in my tasting room before the festivities began, and I immediately felt a whole lot more comfortable and confident about who I am and my ‘point of view’.  This, to me, is as important if not more so than anything else when blogging and creating an image of who you are and want to be perceived as.

I learned that I could convey on paper what I try to do in person – to educate people about wine in a different and entertaining way. I like to look at the industry through a consumer’s point of view, even though I am a winemaker, and constantly ask the question ‘why’. Why is it that people feel the way they do about screw caps? Why is it that many think they know what a ‘corked’ wine is but that their use of the term is different than mine?

I therefore owe this ‘posse’ my gratitude for ‘setting me straight’ and helping me set the table for four of the most fun-filled and confidence-building days I’ve had in my 10 years in the industry.

A lot more to follow . . .

Cheers!

Say It Ain’t So …. Or Perhaps Say It is.

 

I just finished reading a really interesting article in the new wine magazine On The Cusp and in it, they claim to have proof that Pinot Noir is actually the bastard stepchild of Grenache.

Now, a lot of us have known about this information for years, or at least have speculated as such, but concrete  ‘proof’ has just come to life. Professor Henri Brioche from the Bordeaux Oenology School has just published a paper in which he researched vines in the storied Burgundy region of France. He was able to do DNA testing of cuttings from DRC and other leading houses and, lo and behold, the findings show a remarkable resemblance to DNA from Grenache. In fact, it appears that Pinot has been determined to be a cross between Grenache and Merlot.

‘Sacre Bleu!’ could be heard throughout the Burgundy region – from the largest of producers down to those who tend to a single row or less at some of the most desirable vineyards.  A few desperate souls even started to tear out their wines, resigned to the fact that they would have to replant.

Others, including many leading producers, actually embraced the news, stating that the information could not have been more welcomed. ‘We love Grenache’, stated Monsier LeFleur, the head of the Burgundy Growing Cooperative. ‘We feel it has always been superior to Pinot Noir anyway, and now we can all ‘come out of the closet’ and enjoy it out in the open.’

Producers in the Rhone also rejoiced, realizing that they could now justify the ever-increasing prices that they’ve been charging recently.

Watch for follow ups shortly . .  .

A Lucky Hour . . .

As some of you may know, I am wearing multiple hats next week when the wine blogosphere descends upon my backyard, the Santa Ynez Valley, for the annual Wine Blogger’s Conference!

First and foremost, I am attending this event for the first time as a blogger for this blog, wineverbiage. I hope to be able to rub elbows with some of the best in the biz, as well as many newbies like me ta boot, to learn ways to make what I say and how I say it more interesting for you, my readerdom.

I am also attending as tercero wines, a small label that produces wines using grapes from leading Santa Barbara County wineries. I’m excited to share not only my wines but my stories and my passion for what I do with those in attendance.

Since that’s not enough, I’ll also be moderating a panel featuring four winemakers who truly are considered ‘living legends’ not only in our parts, but nationally – Richard Sanford, Ken Brown, Rick Longoria and Bob Lindquist. I’ll be a bit of a fanboy here and say that it’ll be a true honor to share a stage with these four.

Yesterday, I got together with Rick and Ken to discuss the panel and what we hoped to accomplish. This, my friends, was my lucky hour for the day! First off, let me come clean – I was about 45 minutes late for the meeting – no Bueno whatsoever . . . but in true winemaker fashion, I entered a room to the two of them laughing and drinking beer. I’m not even sure they noticed I was late!!!

Though I’ve spent some time with these two over the decade I’ve lived in the area, I’ve never heard some of the ‘back label’ stories of these two – and of the other two who will be part of the panel and who were not present – Richard Sanford and Bob Lindquist.

I learned about the Nielsen Vineyard, the first planted in the County post prohibition, and how Mr. Nielsen, a UC Davis grad, had been convinced by those at Davis that quality grapes could not be grown there. What did he do? Approached folks at Fresno State, who told him otherwise – and the rest is history.

We discussed AVA’s old and new, discussed life lessons, grapes, wine, people . . . what an hour.

Why do I bring this up? As a blogger, I feel like I am a storyteller as well. Sometimes I’m more like a joke writer – one liners here and there. But more often than not, I try to be a short story teller – and I enjoy the challenge.

These gentlemen have stories to tell – and then some. They tell their stories each vintage through their wines, but their ‘collective’ stories should not be missed. If you have a chance, reach out to any of them – your time will be very well spent indeed . . .

Cheers!

Pet Peeves . . .

As many of you know, I wear multiple shirts every day – yep, I do work out and therefore need to change them often 🙂  No, no, I not only have this blog but do have a wine label, tercero wines, and absolutely LOVE pouring my wines for others to experience and hopefully enjoy.

I’ve now had a tasting room for nearly 3 years, and have been pouring at events for about twice that long, and I’ve compiled a list of words or phrases that should be considered ‘off limits’ in tasting rooms:

‘Pour Me Your Best Wine’

‘Pour Me Your Most Popular Wine’

‘I Don’t Like (fill in variety)’

‘I Don’t Enjoy Whites’

‘I Don’t Drink Rose’

Let’s discuss a few of these, if you don’t mind, and hopefully you’ll understand where I’m going with this!

I often times am faced with folks in my tasting room or at a tasting ask me which is my ‘best’ wine. My normal comeback – Do you have kids and, if so, which one is your ‘best’?!?!?

Does it or should it really matter what my (as the winemaker/owner) thoughts are on my ‘best’ wine? I could be like many others and say that it is the one I am trying my hardest to get rid of (and don’t think this doesn’t happen, folks). Or I could say that it’s the most tannic one because I like tannins – but if the customer doesn’t, does that really help?!?!?

Now for the second statement – what in the heck does ‘popularity’ have to do with ‘good’ or ‘meets what you are looking for’?!?!?!? Do you think the ‘NY Times Best Sellers’ are best sellers because they are ‘good’? No – in general, consumers are lemmings and like to be told what to buy and what to like. Well, not in my place – not gonna happen!

In order to not be verbose (!), I’ll only cover one more. I have folks who come in and state that they don’t like a certain variety. My comeback is usually to first ask why? For instance, I am amazed how many folks come in and say that they do not like syrah.  I politely ask them why and the answer is usually that they either don’t like the ‘cherry robitussin’ qualities of a warmer climate syrah or shiraz or they don’t like the pepper associated with a cooler climate syrah – but they only state one or the other. My favorite comeback – I ask them if they like cheese. Who doesn’t like cheese?!?!? But then I ask if they like EVERY single type of cheese they’ve ever had – because by saying you don’t like a variety, to me, is kinda like saying you don’t like cheese as a category at all. This usually works 😉

I’m wondering what some of your ‘pet peeves’ are when it comes to wine and how you ‘handle’ them without being derogatory or condescending. To me, it’s very important not to be, for that’s the ‘usual’ and easy way out – and because of this, our industry is known as ‘pompous’ with too many ‘know-it-alls’ . . .

Cheers!

Is a Name Change In Order?!?!?

In a few weeks, I will be attending my first Wine Bloggers Conference, right here in my backyard in the Santa Ynez Valley. I am excited to be taking part in this wonderful event in multiple facets – as a blogger, as a moderator of one of the panels, and as a winery pouring my wines at a few of the events.

As I discuss this event with other local winemakers, though, I tend to get the same response – ‘I don’t really take these ‘bloggers’ seriously’ or ‘They don’t really have any impact anyway’ or ‘They just want free stuff”.

Why is this the case? Why don’t wineries see ‘value’ in bloggers? Could it be because of past experience with them? Could it be because of the ease of entry into this group and therefore no real ‘vetting’ to ensure a certain level of ‘quality’ or professionalism? Or could it be because of the name ‘blogger’?

I’m not one for change for change sake, but perhaps the term ‘blogger’ has become even more synonymous with ‘the ugly side’ of writing then any of us could have imagined.  Here is a quote from Urban Dictionary on bloggers:

“Term used to describe anyone with enough time or narcissism to document every tedious bit of minutia filling their uneventful lives. Possibly the most annoying thing about bloggers is the sense of self-importance they get after even the most modest of publicity. Sometimes it takes as little as a referral on a more popular blogger’s website to set the lesser blogger’s ego into orbit.

Then God forbid a blogger gets mentioned on CNN. If you thought it was impossible for a certain blogger to get more pious than he was, wait until you see the shit storm of self-righteous save-the-world bullshit after a network plug. Suddenly the boring, mild-mannered blogger you once knew will turn into Mother Theresa, and will single handedly take it upon himself to end world hunger with his stupid links to band websites and other smug blogger dipshits.” – Maddox

Is this the way that the general public continues to feel about bloggers? And more importantly, is this the way that wineries and wine consumers feel about the term? Is it time to re-evaluate and possibly refer to these writers as, say, writers instead?

Food for thought this morning- curious to hear your feedback . . .

Cheers!

Who Doesn’t Like an Underdog?

 

 

If I were to take a poll of folks and ask what variety of wine immediately comes to their mind first when I say ‘popular wines’, my guess is that this list would include Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, perhaps Pinot Grigio, and maybe a few more.

One group of wines that you would rarely see as part of these lists would be Rhone varieties such as Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and the like.

Yep, Rhone varieties are certainly ‘underdogs’ in the wine world these days. While most folks have heard of ‘Bordeaux’ varieties or ‘Burgundian’ varieties, one would get a lot of head scratching if asking folks to name ‘rhone’ varieties.

That said, Rhone varieties make some pretty darned impressive wines if I must say so myself! Each of the 22 different varieties that encompass this collection – and no, there will NOT be a test on this afterwards – brings something different to the table. And many of the varieties, such as Syrah and Grenache, can exhibit themselves quite differently depending upon the soil and climate in which they are grown.

The first step in understanding these varieties from a domestic standpoint is to head over the Rhone Rangers website. This group, of which I am a winery member and a Board Member ta boot, is comprised of about 125 wineries located throughout the US who focus on Rhone varieties grown domestically. Though the focus is on California, there are member wineries from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Michigan and even Virginia.

As the organization strives itself on educating the public, spend some time perusing it and check out the information about the different varieties that comprise the Rhone spectrum. You’ll discover that Mourvedre, for instance, is called Monastrell or Mataro in Spain, where it was believed to originate from. And that Petite Sirah, which is a cross between Syrah and Peloursin, is not really grown in the Rhone at all.

To further your education, you may also choose to attend the Rhone Rangers Grand Tasting, which takes place this Sunday at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, CA. Discount tickets for the event, as well as the seminars (I’ll be taking part in the Grenache one, by the way), are available – use code GT-20 for a 20% discount on the Grand Tastings tickets for Sunday, and  SUNPASS-20 to receive $20 off an all – Sunday ticket that includes the seminars.

I do hope to discuss these varieties more in the future, and hopefully meet some of you this weekend – I’ll be the guy on crutches (long story – will leave that for another blog post!).

Cheers!

Does It Matter How A Wine is Made or Just Whether You Like It Or Not?

 

As many of you know, I love to partake in other blogs and wine bulletin boards, for these discussions are always ‘fruitful fodder’ for my own blog here. And believe, not a day goes by where another topic comes up that I feel is perfect to ‘verbiage’ about it!

There is constant chatter about being ‘non-interventionist’ when it comes to making wine, ie. taking as few steps as possible in going from grape to bottle. I think all of us can agree that, in theory, this is a desired path, and not only with grapes to wine, but with farm to table, etc.

The reality is that winemakers are interventionists, each and every one of us. By mearly making the decision WHEN to pick a grape, we have intervened. By choosing specific rootstocks to put into the grand, we are intervening. By choosing to age our wines in stainless steel or oak or cement, we are intervening. And on and on and on.

But there are many other steps taken by some, but not all, winemakers to go from grape to bottle, and this is where it gets a bit ‘sticky’. One discussion veered off toward the topic of MegaPurple, a product that was created to give red wine more color and to add a touch of sweetness.

The product itself is created from wine grapes, so it is a legal additive and is approved for use in wine. That said, it is associated with mass production, ‘industrial’ wines that lack color and depth and therefore NEED this product in order to make them palatable and, more importantly, visibly ‘appealing’.

Therefore, should a winemaker admit to using this, they would be ‘banned’ from many a discussion about ‘better’ wines because, you know, it just shouldn’t ‘happen’. These ‘smaller production, higher value’ wines obviously don’t NEED this product because, you know, they are ‘better made’ and more ‘artisinal’.

Guess what – this product, along with others that wine connoisseurs would find ‘unmentionable’, are used by smaller producers from time to time. And what about ‘oak chips’, created so that wines could age in stainless steel but still have that ‘oak flavor and aroma’ that consumers just dig? Again, this product is associated with lower priced industrial wines, but I know of a few producers who have used this, and continue to say in their marketing that their wines are ‘aged in French oak’. They just conveniently forget to add the word ‘chips’ J

Which brings me back to the original question – do you care how a wine is made if you like it? Or in other words, do the winemaker’s means justify the winemaker’s end? Do you truly care if MegaPurple is added if you like the finished product? And just as importantly, how would you feel if that winemaker didn’t disclose this?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this today . . .

Cheers!

Spotlight on Larner Vineyard in the new Ballard Canyon AVA

I normally have a blast writing my own wine blog posts, but every now and then, I come across one that ‘does the job for me’ 🙂

In this case, Cameron Porter has done a fabulous job highlighting the Larner Vineyard, truly a crown jewel among Santa Barbara County vineyards. Chalk Art – the Mineral-Rich Wines of Larner Vineyard, is the blog post, and it is a great read!

This particular vineyard sits on the southern end of the new Ballard Canyon AVA, below other well known vineyard in the area including Stolpman, Beckmen’s Purisima Mountain, Jonata, Windmill Ranch and Tierra Alta. It’s chalky soils provide wines that are truly unique in their flavor profiles – well, at least to me they are!

Cameron does a wonderful job laying out what makes this vineyard unique among its peers – the climate, the soils, the careful understanding of the geology by Michael Larner, a former geologist who decided to go back to school to study viticulture and enology (and whom I am proud to call a former classmate – and a friend!).

For those of you attending the Garagiste Festival this coming weekend, you’ll get to know the area even more as Michael Larner, Mikael Sigouin from Kaena, and I share our wines from the region to compare and contrast them. And many of the producers from the area will be pouring at the upcoming Rhone Rangers event in the San Francisco Bay area the weekend of April 6. (In fact, I’ll be pouring my 09 Larner Grenache at a seminar focusing solely on that variety!!!).

And there will be more – including discussions about the AVA at this summer’s Wine Bloggers Conference taking place here in Santa Barbara County.

That said, it’s best to explore the AVA by either coming up or down here and driving it – or much better yet, by trying a sampling of the wines from the region. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

Cheers!

Would You Like an Ice Cube with That Glass of Red Wine?

I’m just curious what your first reaction is when you hear that first line? Is it ‘outrage’, as in ‘I can’t believe anyone would even THINK of asking that question!’? Is it ‘disgust’ as in ‘I can’ think of anyone ACCEPTING an ice cube with their red wine!’? Is it ‘sympathy’ as in ‘I feel SORRY for that person who would put an ice cube in their red wine.’ Or is it something else?

I was talking with a good friend of mine the other day, and he said that he always thought that putting ice in a red wine was ‘blasphemous’ – until he was in Florida and every glass of red wine he had was served too warm! Guess what he did – yep, added a little ice to it to cool it down . . .

I continue to be amazed out how dated some of the’conventional wisdoms’ are in the wine business – the generally accepted ‘dos’ and don’ts’ that seem to guide so many people. Now, I know many of you are thinking – but that’s not me, I’m really open minded about all things wine.

Really? Let me hear it for white zin!!! Yep, I know many of you are laughing right now – it’s just a knee jerk reaction that is prevalent in the wine biz – both at the producer level AND definitely with consumers. Well, did you know that white zin continues to be one of the most popular wines out there? And no, it’s not just because ‘many wine consumers are uninformed’ . . . a lot of people, wait for it, actually LIKE white zin. You may not, and that’s cool – but it is not cool to look down upon or not accept those who do like it.

There are so many of these conventional wisdoms that I feel need to be ‘re-evaluated’ these days and either discarded or updated. What about the ‘only have white wine with fish’ idea? Can this ‘rule’ be broken?!?!? Heck yeah – I am many of my friends do it all of the time! What about ‘only reds with red meat’? Well, how about a nice glass of white burgundy or perhaps a roussanne – yep, these can and do certainly go with red meats.

What are some of your favorite ‘rules’ in the wine business that you feel need to be ‘broken’ or re-evaluated? Here’s another one to start the discussion – screw caps are only meant for ‘cheaper’ wines or only those wines meant for ‘consumption now’!

Cheers!