Terroir is perhaps one of the most over used words in wine-speak. It was a relief when I heard Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe talk about how minerals that might affect the taste of wine are transfered from the soil to the glass in a way that was grounded in science and study, and not marketing. After he finished presenting at the tasting of the 2007 Southern California AVA's at Pinot Days, I chased him outside to ask if he would repeat of few of his thoughts on camera. He obliged and this is the first of a number of great clips.
Wes' refreshing lack of hyperbole combined with an intimate knowledge of the most recent research in vineyard management makes this a terrific resource for anyone trying to understand the many reasons one wine might taste more "mineral" than another.
For updates on Wes' work in the vineyard in the form of clever haikus, you might consider following Wes @weshagen on Twitter, or @clospepe.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Mendocino, CA: America's first county to be GMO free
Octogenarian Charlie Barra of Barra of Mendocino and Girasole Vineyards has predicted, spearheaded and witnessed lots of changes to farming in Mendocino over the course of his sixty four harvests. In this first video with Charlie, he discusses the process by which he and a group of others lead the charge to pass a countywide ordinance banning the use of genetically modified plant material in their county.
More information on the ban can be found on these websites:
The Mendocino Ecological Learning Center
Wild California
The Universtiy of California's "California Agriculture On-Line" site has an interesting history of the effort.
More information on the ban can be found on these websites:
The Mendocino Ecological Learning Center
Wild California
The Universtiy of California's "California Agriculture On-Line" site has an interesting history of the effort.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Ripeness, alcohol, & when to pick grapes; California's hot button issue du jour.
At Pinot Days, San Francisco this year, ripeness levels, alcohol and knowing when to pick in California were the subjects du jour. It seems the question of when to pick is central to consumers and winemakers alike as "fruit bombs" and "Parkerized" morph from superlatives into negatives.
Looking into the archives over on Askawinemaker's YouTube channel, I found three videos with American producers providing thoughtful commentary on how to judge ripeness in the vineyard and when to pick grapes for wine. This is not a commentary on what alcohol levels should or should not be. These videos provide insight into one aspect of the winemakeing process which I hope will contribute to your understanding.
Fred Scherrer starts us off talking about the evolution of his practice in the vineyard going from lab analysis to tasting.
Tim Olson of Olson Ogden focuses on visual and textural cues, without making any mention of the lab numbers he might find.
From Santa Barbara County down south, here is Joey Tensley's take on when to pick Syrah.
If you have not been to SF or to Chicago, you are missing out on a fascinating experience. Because the event is organized by wine lovers, for wine lovers and staffed by volunteer wine lovers, it has a different feel than any other "professional" event I have attended. I was flattered and honored to be invited to sit in with Rusty Gaffney,The Prince of Pinot and Jay Selman of Grape Radio for their sessions.
Interestingly, Jay just posted a long interview on alcohol levels over at Grape Radio. Check it out, here.
Looking into the archives over on Askawinemaker's YouTube channel, I found three videos with American producers providing thoughtful commentary on how to judge ripeness in the vineyard and when to pick grapes for wine. This is not a commentary on what alcohol levels should or should not be. These videos provide insight into one aspect of the winemakeing process which I hope will contribute to your understanding.
Fred Scherrer starts us off talking about the evolution of his practice in the vineyard going from lab analysis to tasting.
Tim Olson of Olson Ogden focuses on visual and textural cues, without making any mention of the lab numbers he might find.
From Santa Barbara County down south, here is Joey Tensley's take on when to pick Syrah.
If you have not been to SF or to Chicago, you are missing out on a fascinating experience. Because the event is organized by wine lovers, for wine lovers and staffed by volunteer wine lovers, it has a different feel than any other "professional" event I have attended. I was flattered and honored to be invited to sit in with Rusty Gaffney,The Prince of Pinot and Jay Selman of Grape Radio for their sessions.
Interestingly, Jay just posted a long interview on alcohol levels over at Grape Radio. Check it out, here.
| From California Trip June 09 |
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Selection of Rootstock and Clones for Syrah in Santa Barbara with Joey Tensley, Pt III
Winemaker Joey Tensley of Tensley Wines sat down with Jeremy Quinn of Webster's Wine Bar in Chicago for a conversation about the choices around the selection of rootstock and clones when planting Syrah in Santa Barbara, California. Jeremy Quinn, the sommelier at Webster's" Wine Bar, is one of the city's leading proponents of terroir driven wines, and his questions go to the heart of how a vineyard manager's choices might heighten or muddle the transfer of place from soil to grape to bottle.
We broke the conversation into three pieces for ease of use. Part III focused on the history of Syrah clones in California and then grew into the start of a discussion on rootstock.
We broke the conversation into three pieces for ease of use. Part III focused on the history of Syrah clones in California and then grew into the start of a discussion on rootstock.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tasting acidity vs. Ph in wine: Fred Scherrer explains
Last night I had the good fortune to be part of a small private dinner with a group of friends at the Sofitel in Chicago. Chef Martial Noguier did a great job and we were fortunate to have his undivided attention all night including extensive question and answer sessions with each course. We were also fortunate to enjoy, among other things, Krug NV, Cos d'Estournel 1989, Daumas Gassac 1995, and to finish, 1993 Quintarelli Recioto. Life is good, to say the least.
This post is inspired however by the 2004 Domaine Gauby Vielles Vignes Blanc, from the Cotes de Castalan in France, a vibrant wine that led us to a discussion of the perception of acidity vs ph. The wine has a brightness which I initially tasted as acidity. In discussing the pairing - Chef Noguier served us a Peekytoe crab salad, with pickled rhubarb, radish, and pistachio that was fantastic - one of our friends noted that he preferred the "lower acid" wine that he then identified as the Gauby. Well, which is it? It's time to ask a winemaker. Hey Fred, what's the difference between ph and acidity in wine and how do you tell which is which when tasting?
At the end, we concluded that the wine has a medium amount of acidity, but that the ph leads to the sense of brightness that Fred evokes in the clip. This seemed like a "speedy wine" per Fred's description - medium acidity and lower ph.
As noted, the video above was shot in the cellars at Flickinger Wines, which coincidentally is also the retailer from whom I bought the Gauby.
This post is inspired however by the 2004 Domaine Gauby Vielles Vignes Blanc, from the Cotes de Castalan in France, a vibrant wine that led us to a discussion of the perception of acidity vs ph. The wine has a brightness which I initially tasted as acidity. In discussing the pairing - Chef Noguier served us a Peekytoe crab salad, with pickled rhubarb, radish, and pistachio that was fantastic - one of our friends noted that he preferred the "lower acid" wine that he then identified as the Gauby. Well, which is it? It's time to ask a winemaker. Hey Fred, what's the difference between ph and acidity in wine and how do you tell which is which when tasting?
At the end, we concluded that the wine has a medium amount of acidity, but that the ph leads to the sense of brightness that Fred evokes in the clip. This seemed like a "speedy wine" per Fred's description - medium acidity and lower ph.
As noted, the video above was shot in the cellars at Flickinger Wines, which coincidentally is also the retailer from whom I bought the Gauby.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Rootstock, Clones, and Syrah in Santa Barbara County PT II
Winemaker Joey Tensley of Tensley Wines sat down with Jeremy Quinn of Webster's Wine Bar in Chicago for a conversation about the choices around the selection of rootstock and clones when planting Syrah in Santa Barbara, California. Jeremy Quinn, the sommelier at Webster's Wine Bar, is one of the city's leading proponents of terroir driven wines, and his questions go to the heart of how a vineyard manager's choices might heighten or muddle the transfer of place from soil to grape to bottle.
We broke the conversation into three pieces for ease of use. Part I focused on the history of Syrah clones in California and then grew into the start of a discussion on rootstock.
Part II focuses on terroir in California, with comments from Joey on how an understanding of terroir develops with time, in relation to what types of clones and rootstocks are planted.
We broke the conversation into three pieces for ease of use. Part I focused on the history of Syrah clones in California and then grew into the start of a discussion on rootstock.
Part II focuses on terroir in California, with comments from Joey on how an understanding of terroir develops with time, in relation to what types of clones and rootstocks are planted.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Rootstock, Clones, and Syrah in Santa Barbara County PT I
Winemaker Joey Tensley of Tensley Wines sat down with Jeremy Quinn of Webster's Wine Bar in Chicago for a conversation about the choices around the selection of rootstock and clones when planting Syrah in Santa Barbara, California.
Jeremy Quinn, the sommelier at Webster's Wine Bar, is one of the city's leading proponents of terroir driven wines, and his questions go to the heart of how a vineyard manager's choices might heighten or muddle the transfer of place from soil to grape to bottle.
We broke the conversation into three pieces for ease of use. Part I focuses on the history of Syrah clones in California, from Australian Durrell Clones to Estrella Clones from France to the growth of nurseries like ENTAV and the Tablas Creek Vine Model Project, and then grew into the start of a discussion on rootstock. More on that in II and III.
Many thanks to Webster's Wine Bar and to Jeremy Quinn. These conversations between sommelier and winemakers will play a big role in www.askawinemaker.com as it evolves and we hope JQ's continuing participation will be central.
Jeremy Quinn, the sommelier at Webster's Wine Bar, is one of the city's leading proponents of terroir driven wines, and his questions go to the heart of how a vineyard manager's choices might heighten or muddle the transfer of place from soil to grape to bottle.
We broke the conversation into three pieces for ease of use. Part I focuses on the history of Syrah clones in California, from Australian Durrell Clones to Estrella Clones from France to the growth of nurseries like ENTAV and the Tablas Creek Vine Model Project, and then grew into the start of a discussion on rootstock. More on that in II and III.
Many thanks to Webster's Wine Bar and to Jeremy Quinn. These conversations between sommelier and winemakers will play a big role in www.askawinemaker.com as it evolves and we hope JQ's continuing participation will be central.
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