BRAMBLES: Holiday Surprise!

Baby, it's cold outside, but winter pruning awaits

 Lucky boy. Over the course of these current holidaze, there are always surprises in store for the domestic wine lover.  It could be that long lost friend found at a local party, with a chance to catch up on the time that was missing.  Or, that surprise gifted bottle, festively dressed, for which you find yourself unprepared to reciprocate at that particular moment.  And, it may also be that discovery of taste, something fantastic in your wine glass that you have never before had a chance to explore.  Indeed, this time of fellowship and good will, a time of seasonal joy and warming fires, may just offer the wine lover who has gathered with good natured friends an unexpected and eye-opening surprising wine holiday.

In the north of Italy, framed by the alpine foothills and the lakes Como & Garda, lies the ancient Lombardy vine region of Franciacorta DOCG. In spite of making wine here for thousands of years, this important region has a relatively young sparkling wine tradition of producing traditional method sparkling wines(second ferment in bottle, just like Champagne).  Only designated DOC for its wines in 1967, it became the first Italian region to regulate the laborious bubble process just back in 1995 when elevated to DOCG status.  Only regional chardonnay, pinot blanc and pinot noir are permitted, and the minimum 18 month lees contact in bottle is greater than that required in the traditional sparklers of Champagne AOC.  This typically results in fine bubbles, and a yeasty, but refined, mouth-watering signature.

Like soldiers on a parade ground, the stemmed flutes were lined up as the cork escaped from the celebratory bottle of non-vintage Franciacorta.  In the golden glass, beads of tiny bubbles streamed to the top.  With anticipation, upon our first whiff of its bouquet it was apparent that this wine was faulted by TCA(trichloroanisole), a natural chlorine based compound that mutes the nose and mouthfeel, promoting a flat and musty character akin to damp newspapers or 'wet dog in a phone booth'. Despite its appearance, the 'corked' wine had lost its magic, and as a result, muted the hopeful celebration.  As such, it was again a reminder, a holiday surprise that we are always hopeful to avoid in such gleeful company.  Faults can occur when our excitement and our spirits are high.

Summer Chardonnay of Franciacorta

With shopping bags at your feet, sliding down the restaurants' wine list, one may dismiss selections that are more than twice the cost of any entree, until finding a familiar name.  So it was with an Anderson Valley AVA pinot noir selection from a quality boutique producer, Phillips Hill. Perhaps it was the warm hospitality found inside the old apple barn off Hwy. 128, or the distinctive, artsy labels, and certainly, the high standards of quality enjoyed across the winery's portfolio selections. But, it resonated a trust and anticipation that was rewarded when a 2016 vintage Boontling Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley is presented at table.

Shimmering garnet in the glass, its pronounced aromas fill the head with the scent of racked dark seasonal fruits.  On the palate, it was a broad, but refined range of cherries, red currants, and a hint of baking spice that evolved across the mid-palate to a deliciously lingering finish, all held together by its brisk acidity.  The wine represented all that's grand about this cool region; the diversity of its soils and micro-climates, it's high standards of expression from a blend of local pinot growers'.  Bites of the rabbit casserole at table sang harmoniously with the pairing, lifting spirits bright.  Oh, what fun it is to find in one's glass a delight that is so much more than just a beverage.  It's a warm memory, a whimsical escape, a dinner companion that's a joy to share, and, a delicious Holiday Surprise.

Salute! 

Wine-Links:
 https://www.franciacorta.net/en/wine/typologies/
 https://www.avwines.com/

BRAMBLES: A New World

Even as Munich's annual bier party, Oktoberfest, is a groggy memory,  Austria's 'heurigen' tavern culture continues to invite visitors as long as there's local bulk wine to quickly ferment.  Locally, weeks of favorable sunny and mild conditions have produced by most accounts an 'average' harvest of good quality that is nearing its uneventful resolution.  Unless, that is, you factor increasing seasonal wildfires across the North Bay and the western U.S.  It is a period of change; a period that we now routinely measure.  Farming is certainly seasonal, with demand vs. supply in its landscape. Yet, for the wine industry, with all these environmental changes, grape by grape, it is a new world.

More quality and affordable wines are available to more consumers from more places than ever before. That is a fact. Like the 'heurigen' hospitality, we here have bulk wines(it's most of what our industry produces) in lots of places. We may never run out. And, we recently have had a long series of good harvests, combined with the strength of steady consumer demand. Plus, the bulk market is getting better fruit from more sustainable growing practices and quality vineyards than ever before.  So today, our 'vin ordinaire' is so now consistently good it may actually hurt the theory that domestic consumers will eventually move up the price ladder. Plus, domestic consumers are increasingly enjoying more quality imports at the sub-$12 than ever before, like French rose' and New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

Old World vineyard traditions remain after generations

Yesterday for today's wine industry is the foundation of tomorrow, where almost everyday there surfaces another important environmental alert.  Just in the past few weeks there have been quite a number of important notices that will continue to impact industry and consumer alike for years to come.  Importantly, at a recent Paris conference, International Energy Agency head, Faith Birol, told the audience that after 9 months of surveys our planet is on pace to break a record for increased levels of global carbon emissions!

Our 'average' harvest here(a new normal?) differs drastically from what is being reported elsewhere, as England this season produced it's biggest wine grape harvest, and perhaps their best pinot noir crop ever!  Beneficially, much of the isles sunny southeast is blessed with well-drained, high-calcium soils similar to those in Champagne, France.  Domestically, vineyard smoke taint is for us now such a prominent and persistent issue that UC Davis is currently testing its effects on all stages of wine grapes development, even as current fruit contracts from effected local growers are being cancelled by large wine-grape buyers.

And, there are domestic market reports that indicate we may soon have an oversupply of fruit for a sluggish marketplace, a popular segment where reserves of bulk wine are already quite heavy.  On the consumer-plus side, 'direct to consumer' shipments to out of state customers continues to expand, and was most recently upheld by a Michigan court.  Where there were once a handful of 'reciprocal' states for wine interstate commerce, at present consumers now have just a few states where such is prohibited.  Overall, it continues to be a strong decade of development, consolidation and growth for the U.S. wine industry, and that continues to benefit all consumers.

'Battle of Wine' festival in Haro, Rioja DOC

Among a world of values, a delightful surprise may be in store for consumers who search out the white wines of Rioja, Spain.  Originating from about as far away from the sea as you get in Spain, with the Pyrenees and Cantabrian ranges to the north, and a dry, continental climate, Rioja is traditionally dominated by red grapes, notably noble tempranillo. However, current improvements in the prominent region's viticulture and their vinification have allowed its white wines from viura(macabeau), malvasia and garnacha blanca(grenache blanc) grapes to now present clean, bright blends and single varietal wines vibrantly stainless fermented and without excessive aging. Consumers who search out wines like Cortijo's Rioja Blanco(100% viura) and Muga's Blanco(blend) will find zesty wines with inviting aromas and mouth-watering citrus and apple-skin notes that are food friendly at under $15. These are fine examples of what was once tradition now turned on its head to the favor of consumers in a New World.

Salute!

-Liquid Update Links:
 Brit Pinot: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/06/uk-record-red-wine-harvest-pinot-noir

 Ship: https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=204005

 Smoke: https://www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/wine-country-wildfires-leave-questions-for-vintners/

 Marketplace: http://www.ciatti.com/sites/default/files/california_report_october_2018_0.pdf

METHOD: All that Sparkles...

Not the first wine to sparkle, but an important cellar method

Special events deserve a sparkle.  Be it the summer solstice, a birthday or anniversary, or even making it to Wednesday is a reason to celebrate something.  It is reasonable to suggest that BIG celebrations deserve a special bottle, but what about those everyday occurrences; those more frequent times that would be made even more special by lifting a glass that sparkles to announce those eyes you gaze into?

It's the bubbles that stream to heaven in a glass and can even tickle your nose that makes sparkling wines so entertaining.  Champagne is the universal standard for sparkling wines.  Not Spain's cava's or Piemonte's spumanti or Venetos prosecco, or even the traditional method sparkling wines outside of France's historical standard region, called cremant or mousseux.  German sekt is not the benchmark, even as some of their northern tier wine regions flirt with similar Champagne conditions. Not the sparklers of South Africa(Methode Cap Classique), or those of America(California Champagne?) or Chile rank in the marketing prowess, the quality hierarchy and regulated high standards that come from the Champenoise.  Even as you may find $25 -30 Champagne values in the marketplace(Piper-Heidsieck, etc.), what would be the best everyday quality for, say, less then $20?

Vineyards of Epernay, Valley of the Marne

Production of by product carbon dioxide is basic to winemaking, just as is ethanol(alcohol).  Just as it has always been when man liked the lighter feeling resulting from drinking fermented juice.  Imagine the thrill of being able to create an effervescence, a sparkle of mystery from once still juice left in a covered earthenware jar.  Or the ability to capture that sparkle with the production of stronger glass bottles produced from the 17th century English invented coke-fueled ovens.  Only then could consumers find it possible to hold the bubbles until that special moment when fanfare would follow their predictable release.

A traditional or Champagne method produces its CO2 from a second fermentation inside each individual inverted bottle where the yeast are collected until disgorged.  Generally, this process is more laborious, producing wines of more finesse, more complexity, and more balance from regional grape sources. In the Charmat method, used mostly in Italy, the second ferment occurs in large pressurized stainless steel tanks that allow an economic transfer to bottles at a fraction of the cost. Cheaper still is the soda or bulk method, where the CO2 is pumped into a tank, resulting in bubbles that are typically short-lived(think cola soda).  Variations of these methods have evolved over wine history, but higher quality here is associated with a longer, more regulated process.

Cava cellars of Codorniu at Sant Sadurni d'Anoia

Our tasting group recently investigated eight sparklers from Spain, Italy, and New Zealand, each under $20.  By consensus, the best sparklers tasted stood head and shoulders above the rest, as all that sparkles are not created equally.  For my money, to sip, to savor, and to celebrate any day you cannot sparkle better than the cavas of Catalonia.

Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad;  full bodied, dried fruits and biscuits, reinforces aromatic notes. A blend of Macabeo and Parellada grapes produces an outstanding example of cava.  Outstanding quality for the price, which is saying something from a producer that offers a perennial entry value with its Brut Reserva(under $10).
Cordorniu Anna de Cordorniu;  notes of dried citrus and baked apple, a hint of tropical fruit on the palate with flavors that reflect the lighter nose, yet it is complex and elegant, and displays a generous finish of length.  A delight at around $12!

Glera vines in the Prosecco DOC zone

Salute' & Cheers!

Wine Links:
http://www.prosecco.wine/
http://www.spanish-wines.org/cava-production.html

BRAMBLES: Thankfully, Celebrate Something!

Bruno Occhipinti sharing a Marco de Bartoli Marsala

It is routine to look back at the end of the calendar year, something like looking into your car's rear view mirror on the highway.  There you can clearly see what has transpired in the recent past, and as we get older the recent past may be all we can easily remember.  As it has evolved, the year 2016 had many twists and turns, disappointments and regret, enchanting episodes of magic that foil against heartache.  But, if you are reading this, you have made it this far, and we have all that tempered experience to build upon.  It is fortunately that end of year wine time to thankfully raise a glass of cheer and celebrate something!

Beautiful Sonoma County agri-business.

• Thankful for a memorable wine tasting in Sicily with the veritable patriarch of the Occhipinti cantina in Sicily's only DOCG.
• Following a short-supply 2015 grape harvest, this year saw many premium local grape growers able to charge more for their quality fruit in a year of premium quality. North Coast spot markets increased significantly, according to our Allied Grape Growers cooperative.
• 2016 offered a relatively even growing season statewide, producing a normal harvest of exceptional quality fruit(Wine Institute).
• A new university graduate in the family, and a new lawyer in the family, who happen to be the same talented individual. 

• Domestic wine lovers continue a familiar trend, with annual per capita consumption at around 10+ liters, so we can at least sit at the table of other established wine cultures.
• Consumer market minor grape selections continue to show growth away from leaders Cabernet and Chardonnay; Beverage Dynamics reported impressive 2016 sales growth in Red Blends(10.1%) and Sauvignon Blanc(13.3%), as trends indicate buyers continue to trade up.
• My Mom got to embrace a new grandson, and then visit with a few of her favorite major league ballplayers in the stadium clubhouse.
• Direct to consumer wine sales continue to grow, according to Beverage Dynamics, up 8.1% over 2015, as more Prohibitionist states relax regulations and more consumers find confident selection, quality on-line.
•  At home, our best Thompson Seedless grape harvest ever, and then drying to wonderfully sweet raisins.

  

  Traditional method cavas and cremants offer celebration value.

• Fine wines, those above the declining table wine sector, are continuing a positive trend of a growing number of consumers trading 'up' to higher priced quality wines, as quality domestic & import selections improve.
• With thanks to our premium grape farmers, there is more than twice as much quality Pinot Noir crushed around here compared to just 10 years ago.
• U.S. wine consumption is at an all time high(more than 750 million gallons), as new wine lovers(mostly women) increasingly come to the table(or bar, or bottle).
• Thankfully, I can still stand and share the delicious mysteries of wine with friends, old & new, and on occasions find a nectar that authentically inspires.

Looking back in the mirror that is 2016, we see many things that are a reflection of who we are as a culture and as people, yet our history is not yet written for our future.  Certainly, here then is our opportunity to raise a glass, and to celebrate something!  Cheers!
 
"what matters is the countless small deeds of unknown people, who lay the basis for the significant events that enter history". Howard Zinn

Wine Links:
 http://www.agricolaocchipinti.it/en/
 http://www.wineinstitute.org/resources/pressroom/10192016
 http://beveragedynamics.com/2016/01/26/9-trends-driving-wine-sales-in-2016/
 http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?content=175163&section=news

RED BLENDS: A New Old Trend

Vineyards of France Sud front the Pyrenees

Budbreak has started in the spring-like Russian River Valley, a sure sign that our growing hopes to produce the very best wine(s) is renewed.  Recently, a January Nielsen 2015 report noted that domestic red blends, as a consumer category, eclipsed $900 million in annual retail sales; strong evidence that this is a very fast growing selection trend for a growing number of wine lovers. But why? There have almost always been blended wines. And, marketers have trained us consumers to follow the minimum 75% rule for varietal identification. My local wine shops display vast selections of domestic wines, with prominent signage by grape variety. As a consumer trend it seems what was old has once again been renewed, just like our grapevines.

Today, I believe,  there are more widely distributed producers offering consistent wine quality than ever before. And, the science of global viticulture, promoted by world leading institutions such as University of Adelaide(Australia), the University of Bordeaux, and our own UC Davis, among others, continue to promote advancements in sustainable, quality grape farming.  Plus, a growing number of wine consumers have wine traveled, explored broader international selections in wine by the glass programs, and may have found blended wine pricing easier on their young pocketbook.  Yet, for more than a thirsty generation, many consumers have been adamant that they would only drink Cabernet Sauvignon, or anything but Chardonnay(ABC's). 

What we know about blending wine is that it can add complexity: more than a single flavor or personality, it can enhanced a wines color, power or finesse. A blend varietal may be needed to add balance, to offset sharp astringency or to contribute a firmer backbone or an acid adjustment to bring the wine into balance.  Many times, for these 'built' wines, the sum becomes greater than its component parts. Over the centuries, wine grape growers have discovered which varieties grew best(productively) in their vineyards, producing quantity that many times sacrificed quality. A local blending may have been required to produce a better wine. Importantly, the market was historically local, so comparisons and competition were non-stop. And not all production would have been in the hands of the grower, as a specialist, a negociant, would have built the wines from local resources.

With mandated standardization, the southern Rhone wine based in the widely grown red variety Grenache, Châteauneuf-du-Pape once allowed 13 designated blended varietals.  Initially designating 10 approved varieties in 1923, it grew to 13 in 1936, and currently allows 18!  Further north a Côte-Rôtie AOC is typically a blend of Syrah and up to 20% Viognier.  Over in world-famous Bordeaux AOC, we find a classic red marriage of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, providing the house(chateau) the resources to create a blend that reflects their unique place.  White Bordeaux's typically blend Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon & Muscadet, to create their signature, and a domestic 'Meritage' is by definition a blend.

Traditional method sparkling wines are not immune. Classic Champagne is a blend. Head south to Spain and sparkling cavas are blends, too.  As is the Fino Sherry I adore. With more than 500 chronicled grape varieties, Italy's Super Tuscans, and most wines produced from their twenty DOC wine regions are typically blends.  With some of the earliest protective wine regulations, Portugal's red native's: Touriga Nacional, Toriga Francesa, and Alicante Bouschet are prominent among the hundreds of grape(castas) varieties approved for production of Port wines.  The winemaker can ferment the varieties together, combine during the aging process, or marry in a tank prior to bottling, all with the goal of creating a better wine.

If a drinking memory serves, two generations ago you could easily find a restaurant wine list that offered, "Red - White - Rose'".  Those bulk wines were blends, and seemed to pair effectively with everything on the menu.  Then you needed to be 'Cab-savy', or trend with the latest and greatest Chardonnay.  Perhaps it was the business meals and the expense account, or maybe it was just easier to remember Merlot rather than Amarone della Valpolicella, but we called out single grape varieties.  Today, it seems just as common to call for an easy drinking, great food-pairing proprietary blend.  We are renewed, having happily grown into something new that is an old trend.

Values Found:

• Dona Paul Black Label Red Blend 2012(Argentina)

• Bogle Vineyards 'Essential' Red Blend 2012(California)

• E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2013(France)

Salute!

 

WINTER DORMANCY: Bubbles while Sleeping

 Napa vineyard in winter dormancy

 Almost every-time we need a wine to accompany a meal, I'll go into the basement and select something that will hopefully add to the table. Bold red wines, like those from Barbaresco and Rioja are sleeping there, and I can only imagine they wait for something braised and earthy. There are bright, worldly Sauvignon Blancs, and even a few Albarino's that would love to meet some soft cheese or a broad range of mild dishes. But, the essential wines found there, especially this time of year, are filled with sleeping bubbles. They had been bottled under great pressure, secured with a mushroomed cork and a wire cage. Dormant, like the sleeping vines not far away, sparkling wines seem only to wake excitedly this time of year when we have something to celebrate.

Sparkling wines known by monikers like cre'mant, traditional method or Champagne, are made from a time-honored process where the carbon dioxide/CO2 produced by a second fermentation is trapped in the bottle. Historically, it was cold air temperatures that had interrupted fermentation in a cellar, only to re-awaken in the warmer spring.  Wines produced as sparkling evolved in these cool cellars to become the wines of bubbles we know today. Sparkling cre'mants are produced outside the Champagne region using regional grapes, but adopting the same production method as their standard-bearing and expensive cousin. Regions like Alsace, Bourgogne, Loire and Limoux, among others, consistently produce high quality sparkling wines. Charmats, or Metodo Charmat-Martinotti, is an Italian mass production alternative, where the second ferment is controlled in a pressurized tank, and then transfered to bottle under pressure. It is not the same thing as the more laborous cre'mants.

Our current marketplace offers great value to quality in traditional method sparklers, among the best are:

• Gloria Ferrer, vintage 2010 Blanc de Blanc & non-vintage Blanc de Noirs

• Cavas from Spain: Cavas Casteller, Brut; Cordorniu, Rosado Brut; Codorníu, SelectÌon Raventós Brut; Segura Viudas, ARIA Estate Brut

• Blason de Bourgogne, LA RE'SERVE Rose' Brut is a well made and award winning regional blend dominated by Pinot Noir. The blend represents the best fruit from as many as 800 family growers around Burgundy. A terrific value, it is produced in the traditional method by Les Caves de Marsigny. In the glass, its pale rose hue is the result of limited skin contact with dark skinned fruit, and offers bright, expressive aromas of dried strawberries, white cherries and apple blossoms, almost creamy in the mouth with a moderate strength to acidity.  Find it at Trader Joe's for around $10!

A recently published E&J Gallo Consumer Wine Trends Survey has noted, " as a whole, the survey told us that Americans are enjoying wine more often than ever before by bringing it into dining, entertaining and even the most casual experiences — all while demonstrating an eagerness to experiment with various flavors and formats". It continued, recognizing that emerging social media platforms allow every consumer to be a wine critic. Convenience is certainly important for this growing market with its increasing ease of accessibility. Even sleeping bubbles are "shedding the preconception that sparkling wines are just for special occasions. Many reported that they are popping bottles for everyday moments and nearly all of them (93 percent) would pair sparkling wine and Champagne with the foods they’re enjoying."

In this season of thankful celebration, and with longer days ahead, it is truly the time to open those sleeping bubbles, for spring will soon wake.
 How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
 To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!
 As tho' to breathe were life!
 Life piled on life
 Were all too little, and of one to me
 Little remains: but every hour is saved from that eternal silence,
 Something more, 
 A bringer of new things; (Ulysses: A Tennyson)

Cheers for Peace and Goodwill, for All!

BRAMBLES n' BUBBLES: Celebrate the Season

It is the time we celebrate; the time of year when most of the world's sparkling wine is sold & consumed.  We celebrate the joyful gatherings of friends and family.  There are festive parties that toast the achievements of the recent past, and glasses raised to the rare, fleeting opportunity of feeling hopeful about what may lie ahead.  In my case, I can celebrate finally passing the Combined Theory section of the Wine Educator's Certification exam, which was composed of broad Multiple Choice/Essay components and now focus on the practical elements of this exam, like a tasting rationale.

In the exams Combined Varietal  testing there is a blind Varietal Identification of eight(8) wines, a tasting rationale of a control sample, and a Component Identification for common faults. My recent attempts have been close to passing in the Combined Varietal testing, in fact, on this last attempt I thought I had nailed it.  But, I continue to be challenged by distinguishing the seven(7) of eight(8) wines that have too much acid, or too much alcohol, or a heavy dose of sulphur dioxide that would make-up the exam's Component Identification.  To that end, I have purchased a 'Wine Essence Tasting" kit and a small vial of concentrated tannin so that my tasting palate may gain some measure of fault memory.  The next opportunity to test is in February, but at least I don't have to spend the countless hours going over the wine regions of the world, from Austria to New Zealand. Instead, I can drink the wines of the world.

With celebration in mind, a recent spring-stepping trip to my favorite local wine retailer was met with a wonderful Holiday surprise.  Premium bottles of non-vintage Champagne AOC, such as Mumm, Perrier-Jouet, and Piper-Heidsieck, were all priced lower than last year(around $30.)!  These and others represent a terrific value for such standards of quality in this Holiday Season.  At lower price-points traditional method Cremant's can also be found from producers surrounding France's Champagne region.  And the Spanish Cava's, made from typically blended native Xarello, Macabeo and Parellada grapes,  continue to offer consumers great entry-level quality and values for second fermentation in bottle sparklers. Even northern Italy's sparkling Prosecco DOC from the Veneto and Friuli-Veneto-Giulia regions, which is made from the neutral and native Glera(Prosecco) grape, and produced by the Charmat-method where a second tank fermentation is used, represent great holiday celebration values.

Wishing to get away from the Autumn chill in Sonoma County, I recently spent a few weeks exploring the Big Island of Hawaii. I know that everything is supposed to be more expensive here because of its isolation and higher shipping costs, but prudent wine buyers here can still find quality and value in sub-$20. wines, if only they know where to look.  The obvious values come from Argentina and Chile producers who are making wines for the international markets better than ever.  But even as I visited four(4) major island wine retailers(FoodLand, Island Gourmet, KTA and Sack N'Save), I found that they had the same limited selections with almost the same pricing. According to Randy Nunokawa, proprietor of Grapes a Wine Store in Hilo, there are only a hand-full of wine distributors for the Islands, and these volume retailers all purchase wines from the same few wholesalers.  Small retailers such as Grapes, need to carve out a path not traveled by the larger stores and offer consumer services that are uncommon with these volume retailers. To Randy's credit, he maintains a internationally wide value selection of quality wines in the $12-30 price range not found at the big stores, and provides passionate, insightful wine knowledge with every visit to his store. Mahalo!

If ever there was a state that can demonstrate the benefit from allowed direct wine shipping to consumers, it is isolated, monopolized  Hawaii. We should also raise a glass to celebrate this years legislative direct shipping victories in Florida and Maryland, as well as the pending pro-direct shipping bills in Massachusetts(HR 1029) and Pennsylvania(SB 790). In addition, this may be the year when vocal consumer support will defeat the pending Congressional HR 1161, a wholesale cartel effort to limit or repeal legal winery and retailer direct shipping to consumers.  Conscious consumers may need to do more than raise a glass on this one!

Traditional method has smaller bubbles!

As our unseasonably-dry Sonoma County autumn cycles towards the shortest day, residents gather in the relative safety and warmth of numbers. Local tasting rooms here are offering numerous Holiday wine specials and a spectrum of festive events, including wine and seasonal food pairings.  This then is the Season; an opportunity during the longest cool nights to be warmed by the company of good friends, both new and old.  A celebration of everything that is good, like a greater global value wine selection for savvy consumers than ever before. Least we forget, our current wine marketplace was forged by many inspired visionaries, and by the guidance of unheralded wine lovers, like Randy. Our glasses are raised in a Holiday toast to one and all!

Mahalo nui Loa, and Cheers!

Cremant d'Alsace

Warm & Happy Holidays to All!

CHAMPAGNE: Blending for Bubbles on the Edge!

On the edge of where grapes can ripen sits the benchmark for sparkling wines. It could only happen here in northeastern France, in a singular region of controlled origin, Champagne AOC. Only here in its rolling hills of impoverished soils atop chalky, seeping limestone  would the regions heavy rainfall and cool temperatures not doom a winegrape crop.  With the development of thirsty nouveau riche markets of the late 18th century in the commercial /social centers of the North and Baltic seas to the west, only here could the region's river Marne, which joins the Seine outside of Paris, become the world's expressway for this unique sparkling wine. Not beyond the influence of nearby rival Burgundy, only here in the Champagne region, could the under-ripe grapes Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay be partners to the art of blending in their high acid states to create one of the world's most important wines, known simply as Champagne.

Champagne village in chalky limestone

Above the 49th parallel of latitude, this cool regions still wines have re-fermented in the warmer Springs that follow harvest throughout history. As such, the re-ferment of a harvest was nothing new to French winemakers. In the Southwest of France, Limoux re-fermented sparkling wines have been purposely produced from around 1531, and the English physician and naturalist, Christopher Merret, described the process of adding a liqueur de tirage back to the wine in 1662, six years before Dom Perignon even took his post as cellar master for the Abbey of Hautvellers near Epernay. Decades of innovation and  trialed evolution were required in this part of France to create the sparkling benchmark we know today. Importantly, it was here in Champagne that the art of blending an under-ripe harvest of different Burgundian varietals from many different regional vineyards was to create the world standard for sparkling wines.

Following its establishment by the Romans, cities like Reims had remained a strategically important regional trade center. This regions prominence was galvanized with the early Middle Age's crowning of Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, and continued throughout the centuries that followed as a nobility Mecca, the site for the crowning of the Kings of France. In addition to its historic cereal grains, recent centuries have seen the regions cooler northern Montagne de Reims department became dominated by Pinot Noir, bringing a firm structure and important high acid to the cellar masters artful blend. All three regional grape varieties can be found in the East to West  river causeway, Valle'e de la Marne, around Epernay, but it's fruity, dark skinned Pinot Meunier that is most widely planted. South of Epernay, on mostly east-facing vineyards of Chardonnay, the important Cote des Blancs contributes finesse to the cellar master's grape and vineyard blend. Heading further South lies the Cote de Sezanne, offering a riper Chardonnay from its more protected South facing vineyards. The most remote and warmer Aube, once the scorn of the Champenois, is a dryer region that brings a fuller bodied Pinot Noir from its drier climates. Combined, these low-sugar grapes allow a great Champagne to became a blended sum that is greater than its individual parts.

Grand Cru vineyards of Verzenay

These forested and grain blanketed departments are the domaine of small, independent growers, more than 19,000 of them, many of whom contract their fruit to the houses of Champagne. Today, the large Champagne houses only grow and produce a small amount of the wine produced here, with smaller houses, coop's and independent growers accounting for the majority. After decades of debate and conflict, the I.A.N.O. (Institut National des Appellations d'Origine) mapped out the appellation to its current configuration of over 80,000 total acres in 1927. Seventeen(17) villages have been rated through the percentile E'chelle de Crus as Grand Crus, annually earning the top price for their grapes. Tiered below are the Premier Cru villages, who get from 90 to 99 per cent, and then more than 260 crus(villages) sell at 80 to 89 per cent of the established price. Such a hierarchy combined with the regions annual cool climate challenges means simply that blending not only vineyard lots, but, also grape varieties as well as reserve wines from previous harvests are necessary for the production of a consistent product and the economic health of this region's wine industry.

It is the artful blend that consistently defines the style of each producer, their signature as it were. Non-vintage blends make up the overwhelming majority of all production, and even when a producer declares a 'vintage' year, a minimum 20% of it must be held in reserve. Similar to Sherry, each vintage is not only a blend of different grapes, lots and vineyards, but also of years. Following harvest, the fruit clusters are gently pressed so as not to extract color, chaptalized if needed to increase potential alcohol, and then are mostly fermented to low alcohol dryness in stainless steel tanks. In the racking that follows, the cuvee or blend is created(assemblage) to achieve the artfully consistent house style. A dosage of a sugar and wine mixture(liqueur de tirage) added to the clear wine ignites a second fermentation(prise de mousse) inside the capped bottle, creating(autolysis) the dead cell sediment(sur lie) that is eventually trapped in the bottles neck. Following a minimum of 12 months aging, the degorgement or removal of the sediment, introduces a small amount of dosage(here as, liquer d'expedition) which is returned to the topped off bottle to create it final level of dryness(or sweetness), and then is cellared for a minimum of 15 months for non-vintage. I know simply, it's complicated.

We've all seen Champagne in the tiny and giant bottles of celebrations. Only the smallest bottles, or splits, and bottle sizes larger than Jeroboam(4 standard bottles) are allowed to be produced by a method called Transvasage.  Here, standard sized bottles are disgorged into a pressured tank where the wine receives its final dosage prior to a transfer to its final package. Every bottle produced carries a code assigned by the regulatory body, C.I.V.C., designed to identify the type of producer who made the wine. Most large houses are noted as, "NM", or Negociant Manipulant, or a producer who purchases some portion of their grapes or base wine. Grower-producers are labeled as, "RM", or Re'coltant Manipulant, and "CM", Cooperative Manipulant(a producing grower's cooperative) are among the most widely used declarations. Although the overwhelming majority of production is non-vintage, Vintage wines are presumably produced in the best years, where 100% of its content is from that declared year. The finest, most expensive wines that a house can offer are labeled as Prestige Cuvee, and are produced in all styles following additional years of aging.

Not all that sparkles is Champagne!

In the world of sparkling wines, only these refined products from this edge of wine-growing can be called Me'thode Champenoise. Outside this AOC, producers who follow the same production regiment have been EU regulated to identify their wines as, Me'thode Traditionnelle or Me'thode Classique, and within France as Cre'mant. The Champagne region also produces still wines from the same grapes, under the wide regional appellation of Coteaux Champenois AOC and the Aube's Rose' de Ricays AOC. Champagne alone remains the world standard in winemaking that is greater than the sum of its individual parts. It is a place that could not exist as a village or commune, but only a region. A place where the annual harvest on the edge is uniquely situated to artfully blend for those tiny bubbles. Cheers!

GIFTS under the VINE

In my preparation for an upcoming Wine Educators exam, I added a few new wine books to my library. There subjects were intended to cover a broad spectrum of wine study, from vineyard to bottle.  But, the publication that I am most enamored with is Hugh Johnson's, "Vintage: The Story of Wine".  First published in 1989, this volume is a richly detailed, broadly researched inspection of the cultural histories surrounding the grape vine.  As I turn pages the wonder of wine unfolds and I am again reminded of many of the blessings that I am thankful for this Holiday Season.  This time of year is filled with family memories, the special gatherings and meals, and of many celebrations around wine.  How fortunate I am to have loving family, good friends, my health and also to find Gifts under the Vine!

• From its founding in the early 12th century, the Cistercian order of white robed monks, the alternative to long established Benedictines, expanded its land holdings and its influence in Burgundy religiously. In little more than 40 years, the Order had founded around 400 abbeys, and its formidable influence was felt from Rome to England.  The Cistercian Order of St. Bernard in it's first century were responsible for the skilled establishment of Burgundy's best vineyard sites, establishing vineyard management practices still followed today in the cultivation of the Cote d'Or, and with strategic political maneuvering, creating the beginnings of the quality control systems formalized 500 years later by the AOC.  Cistercian Burgundy had Clos de Vougeot(whose stone-walled boundary was laid by Cistercians), and Germany's Rheingau had the splendid Kloster Eberbach, both benchmarks established by the Order. Venerable global quality benchmarks in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling are today remaining a wonderful gift to find under the vine!

•  Sparkling wine consumption in the U.S continues to climb upwards, at least 50% more than in 1970, according to Wine Institute data. Sparkling wine imports to this country have increased by more than 25% this year over '09 totals, according to recently revised data offered by wine industry analysts. And with a quick price check at local retailers, we find broad discounts across the board on most brands, including the prestigious Champagne imports. With the annual Holiday quarter's sales volume spike(estimated to be as much as 60% of annual totals), there is no better time to find and enjoy some of the world's best sparkling wines.  Celebrations with a non-vintage Champagne or Cremant (traditional method)would be a fabulous gift to find under the vine!

• Wondering what gift to give those who seem to have everything?  How about the gift of clean water?  A North Carolina vintner, Jessup Marion, has established the non-profit charity, Wine To Water.org., to bring clean drinking water to those in need in the Third World. By providing safe wells and water filters to regions such as Haiti and Cambodia, the organization hopes to contribute to improved water quality for the estimated 1 billion who currently lack adequate water resources. And, it feels so good to do good with a gift found under the vine.

A very Merry Christmas and a healthy, Happy New Year, to all!