September 12, 2008 – 1:33 pm
Organic wines are very difficult to produce. Depending upon the region where the grapes are growing the climate can significantly affect the health of the vineyards. The requirements by the government to produce an organic wine that is labeled “organic” are very stringent.
Spraying for insect and disease control is commonplace, although many vineyards use sprays only as necessary. Can you imagine the monetary consequences for a vineyard if a disease or insects destroyed the crop for the year?
We did visit a small organic winery in North Carolina last year. By small, I mean less than 2 acres. We arrived at the winery as the winemaker was carefully walking through her vineyard searching for harmful insects to remove and leaving the beneficial insects in place. She does not use chemicals in her vineyard. Linda said, “If I feed the soil… the plants will be healthy. Nurse the soil and the plants will be healthy.” Wines are not labeled organic but if you are interested in sustainability and organic foods, you most likely will enjoy a visit to A Secret Garden in North Carolina. Visit this Wine Trail Traveler article to learn more.
What organic wineries have you visited?
September 11, 2008 – 12:51 pm
I am always bemused when someone tells me that they buy a wine based on a score on a hundred -point scale or the number of medals the wine has been awarded. I guess this dates back to when our children were growing up and presented in science fairs. In most of those fairs, everyone that entered had a ribbon. It didn’t matter if faulty statistics were used or if incorrect conclusions were drawn from the given data. So when it comes to wine, medals and scores do not impress me.
I believe that I am on a journey of discovery. I’m impressed by a new variety that I like, or a blend that is particularly good. I enjoy the taste of the area, regardless of what the opponents of terroir believe. I believe that evaluating a wine is personal. I like to look at its color, smell the wine and pay attention to the tastes and finish. To me, my discovery is what is important, not someone else telling me what I am supposed to like.
I do realize the importance to a winery to have a wine score in the ninety’s or be awarded medals. This almost ensures that they will sell out of the wine even if they decide to raise its price. I applaud those wineries who keep their price fixed no matter how many medals they win or scores they receive. I visited a winery that was proud of the gold medal they received for their Norton. They then placed a $50 price tag on the wine. Although I can drink a wine made of the Norton grape, it is one of my least favorite varieties and would never pay $50 for a bottle of it.
September 10, 2008 – 4:57 pm
Recently, a blog site has had comments discussing wines in the United States and France. One post went as far a saying that only French wines had great quality and that US wines could not compare. While I certainly believe that some French wines are very good and certainly deserve rating highly, there are also US wines that are very good and rated highly. Did anyone forget the Judgment of Paris 1976 or a repeat of that only two years ago?
Last year, we visited a winery on Long Island where we met Eric Frye, the winemaker for Lenz Winery, who believes in the concept of a “fruit salad” when making his wines. In the tasting room, a chart was displayed that showed the ratings of French wines and his wines. As we reported in our article about our experience at Lenz Winery: Lenz Winery is proud of their ranking in blind tastings that compare their wines with others from California and France. Recently several wine professionals blind tasted five flights with four wines in each flight. Two of the wines in the flight were from Lenz and two were from a top French producer. The Lenz wines did extremely well. In three of the five flights, the Lenz wines placed first and second. The average score for the Lenz wines was 90 points while the average score for the French wines was 89. These blind tastings have shown that Lenz wines can stand up to the French wines and at a fraction of the price.
It’s interesting to note the history of wine. In the 1800’s, the French were having good and bad times with their wines. In referring to French wine, Tyler Colman in his recently published book, Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters, and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink, wrote about the quality of wine in the mid-19th century France. “Where wine was produced, it was abundant, but it was often so bad that peasants claimed it took three men to get it down: the one who drank, the one who held him, and the one who made him drink.”
Times change and wine changes with the times. Every country’s wines change whether the cause is the environment, politics, or consumer consumption. This leaves open the idea that great wine can be made around the world but that there can always be a few “bad” years.
Here’s hoping that 2008 is a great vintage!
Cheers!
September 9, 2008 – 4:19 pm
The other day I read a comment on another blog site in which the writer said that he drinks wine because it is more “sophisticated”. Hmmm. I had to wonder exactly who he is trying to impress and why is he trying to be sophisticated. The comment reminded me of something akin to a middle school student or a high school student smoking a cigarette because it is thought to be “cool”. However, it seems that by the time one is legally old enough to drink wine, they should be beyond trying to “be” sophisticated.
Enjoying a glass of wine is about so much more than acting “sophisticated.” Sometimes I believe that too much emphasis is put on the swirling, aroma, taste and finish of the wine. All this is important in choosing a wine but do you really want to spend the occasion judging the wine when you have friends, food and conversation? Good stemware is great but it doesn’t have to be hand-made Riedel for the wine to be good and the experience great. Wine is all about the experience involving the occasion, food and friends.
September 8, 2008 – 1:35 pm
It is of interest to note that some people prefer one type of wine or wine from only one region. Others like many different wines from all over the world. As I travel to hundreds of wineries and vineyards per year, I have the opportunity to taste thousands of wines. Although I do have favorites and am always anxious to taste a local Cabernet Sauvignon or Riesling, I am always on the lookout for something new. I discovered that I would never turn down wines made from Grenache, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tannat, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, or a Cabernet Franc Icewine as well as many others grapes.
I like the discovery of wines. I first discovered Vernaccia while staying in Tuscany at a vineyard near San Gimignano. Since it was after harvest, I was able to trek through the vineyards and taste the remaining grapes. Vernaccia is a major white grape in that region of Tuscany. It is also on the menu at the Tomato Palace so I was recently able to have a bottle with our dinner. Perhaps part of the discovery of a wine you enjoy is connected to the environment, food and people.
As my wine experience grows I like more and more wines. Others may like fewer and fewer. Good places to try different wines are winery and vineyard tasting rooms. However there are educational opportunities available at local colleges and more formal education classes offered through organizations such as Wine and Spirits Education Trust. As you taste more wines do your preferences narrow or broaden?
Educational Opportunities
Community College Class
WSET Wine and Spirit Education Trust Class
September 5, 2008 – 3:50 pm
East Coast Vineyards Brace for Tropical Storms and Hurricanes
Every year the East Coast of the United States has to deal with tropical storms and hurricanes. Too much rain shortly before harvest particularly affects the quality of the grapes. This in turn affects the quality of the wine.
In response to the tropical storm Hanna, Max Lloyd of Grove Winery, North Carolina and his staff are working diligently to hand harvest their grapes. According to Max, “My vineyard manager and I worked a 17 hour day yesterday, a sixteen hour day the day before and our crews have been going 12 hour days.”
Located farther north, Chris Pearmund of Pearmund Cellars, Virginia wrote about the possible affect of tropical storm Hanna on his vineyards, “In 36 hours we will know, Ike poses a bigger problem in 10 days. Rain does one thing, length of wet air does
another. Both are hard on any vineyard.” He went on to talk about the importance of good vineyard management in being able to achieve a good harvest.
These storms can also have a negative affect on tourism. Brian Roeder of Barrel Oak Winery in Virginia has a creative marketing concept – a Hurricane Hanna Party. Sept 5th, 6th & 7th: Hurricane Hannah Party – Care to make a wager? Join us any time from 6pm Friday through close of business at 6pm on Sunday. If it rains while you are tasting your wine, each person tasting in your party will receive their basic tasting at no charge. Even the slightest sprinkle will get you our basic tasting of seven delicious and award-winning wines at no charge. We have plenty of space inside and out.
We wish all of the East Coast wineries, success against the whims of Mother Nature.
September 3, 2008 – 8:34 pm
Last night we opted for opening a semi-dry white wine, Nectarine/Peach 2006 from Joseph’s Estate Wine in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The weather here in Maryland has been hot but deliciously cool in the evening so a white wine seemed the perfect choice. Upon swirling the wine, we noticed an intense peach/nectarine/apricot aroma. The wine was a light gold color and medium-bodied. The taste was peachy and while the wine was semi-dry, the intense fruit flavor gave a definite sense of sweetness. Suggested pairings include Swiss cheese, chicken or pork.
All in all, I enjoyed the wine although my husband did not care for it. Frequently we discuss what wine to have for dinner. This does bring to mind wines packaged in an airtight bag. When we visited Colio Estate Wines, we saw staff bottling wine into bags. I learned that it is suggested to use these bags in the box as a way to have wine on tap. Have a couple of these in your refrigerator and you have the option of what wine to have with dinner.
September 2, 2008 – 3:55 pm
Tasting wine is a unique individual perspective. Whether you consider yourself a newbie to the wine world, a wine enthusiast or a connoisseur, your individuality will determine which wines you really enjoy. That’s what is important about wine. What type of wines do you truly enjoy?
As long as the wine does not have an identifiable wine fault, you can still justifiably decide to like a particular wine whether it is the grape varietal, vintage or producer. (A wine fault kit by Jean Lenoir is helpful for those who want to delve into the mystery or mistakes affecting the quality of a wine.)
As we travel to many tasting rooms so we can describe the experience to the Wine Trail Traveler readers, we have the opportunity to taste numerous wines. Yes, some we enjoy and then there are those that we don’t care for. I continually enjoy white, fruity, semi-sweet wines, although I enjoy a red Italian wine with an Italian dinner. Terry enjoys dry, red wines with tannin.
On occasion, we have been offered a tasting of a wine that has had a problem. On one occasion, I quietly mentioned to the wine consultant there was an “off” aroma. He then tried the wine himself and concurred that the wine had a fault. Recently however, at another winery, we experienced a wine that had an off aroma and taste. We mentioned it to our wine attendant; he tasted it, and said it was fine. Hmmm. We tasted it again and again decided something was wrong – perhaps the stemware had soap on it, in any event it would not be a wine we would consider purchasing. What do you think a wine consultant should do if a consumer indicates there might be a problem with the wine?
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PakSense Labels for Shipping Wine
PakSense, a company that started in 2004 has a very interesting product that just may help consumers. One of their products is a small label that can be affixed to a bottle or case of wine at a winery. When the wine reaches its destination, the information can be relayed back to the winery. According to the company’s website, “Our flagship product is the award-winning PakSense Ultra Label, which monitors temperature and time of a perishable item through distribution.” The receiving company can also gather information from the label to decide immediately whether to accept or reject the shipment based on LEDs. The information includes at what point during the shipment did the wine reach higher than acceptable temperatures.
What does this product do for the consumer? It appears that the label is efficient for up to eight weeks, this is very helpful for the consumer. It is less likely that a consumer will buy a wine damaged during distribution. However, there is no guarantee as to what happens to the wine at the end of its journey. Does it set in the sun for hours before being moved inside? Is it stored properly or in a hot second floor room for months?
It reminds me of milk that I use to purchase at a warehouse grocery store. The milk seemed to spoil within three or four days. Eventually I began buying milk at a traditional grocery store and the milk lasted for at least a good week. I still prefer buying milk at the neighborhood grocery store.
Are you willing to pay a little more for a bottle of wine that was shipped with the
PakSense Ultra Label?