Winter in Wine Country

 

Winter in Sonoma County, CA is Green. We get a lot of rain in the Winter!  Forty-two inches in Healdsburg. 
As I write this post it's raining. Which is a good excuse to share the Atmosphere of Winter among the vines.  All this rain means Green hillsides and lawns. It's really quit lovely and stands in stark contrast to the brown countryside in Summer when the vines that provide the Green! 

Winter is actually full of color.  The best known is the Yellow Mustard that grows between the vines. It's grown there for specific reasons.  

The magic happens when Mustard is tilled under before it goes to seed. As a mulch it helps suppress the growth of weeds. It adds micronutrients (like Selenium, Calcium, Manganese) and nitrogen to the soil, improving soil biology. Plus, specific varieties release natural gases (isothiocyanates) when crushed, suppressing soil-borne pests and diseases.
All that from a common plant that grows well here in this damp Winter weather.

This year it's sad to report that many vines where not picked. Their shriveled grapes hang forlornly on the vine. The Wine Industry is adjusting to market trends. You will also see big burn piles of uprooted vines as you drive along the country roads. (Be sure to watch out for flooded roads)!

Wine: A Contact Sport

 

Yes, wine is Beautiful to look at. However, the Real Appeal of Wine is in the mouth, from there down to the stomach. That may sound a bit crude, but without this final step wine is purely academic. 
The French say " En Bouche", we Californians say: "The Palate".  Ultimately, it's what shows up on the palate that gives a wine the attention it seeks to produce. 
So we see that wine gives us the Pleasure that Nature intended in a series of experiences. That's the Contact part of the equation. Using all your senses to discover what the wine is trying to tell us.
The Sport is the Passion to pull apart the process of winemaking and understand all the intricacies that go into the bottle and, you got it, En Bouche!
 Cheers,
The Wine Explorer

The Allure of Wine Country

 

Maybe it was growing up in Northern Minnesota, but grape vines have always meant warm and sunny weather to me. There's something very soothing about seeing the rows of vines in the otherwise barren landscape. 

Here, in Sonoma County California, USA, I can ride my bike for miles along roads bordered on both sides with acres of vines. It's like a huge well attended garden. Peaceful.

As a wine tourist, I get to enjoy the tranquil vineyards purely as an observer. I am not a part of the myriad chores that are required to maintain a healthy vineyard. This puts me in a Romantic mood of shady afternoons sipping wine and conversation on some deck overlooking the vineyard.

The best part of being a wine tourist is that I get to sample the fruits of all that labor at the very location of the vine that produced the wine.  In a very real sense, I get to taste the earth of those vineyards. Keep in mind that wine is all about place. And if you know the source of the grapes, you can build a profile of the "goodies" that the vine has brought up from deep inside the soil.  Every vine produces its own flavors. 

Now when I am tasting that wine, my mind makes the connection between the place and the end result in my mouth. In essence, the wine literally connects me with the earth. There's nothing better for the wine tourist to be able to visually follow the story of the wine they're enjoying at the vineyard.

This is the experience I wish to share with my wine tourist clients on my wine tours.  We will get out in the vines and get our boots on the ground.  The wine will make a lasting impression on your wine journey. Then when, back home, you open a bottle from one of the wineries we will visit, your mind and heart can take you right back there!! Close your eyes, take a sip, and you're in France!!

Winter in Wine Country.

Winter in the Umpqua Valley AVA wine country! 

There are good reasons to find oneself here in February. Mostly because it's warm enough outside to BE OUTSIDE.  For this wine explorer,  it is being close to the vineyards that creates that connection between wine and vine.  


On my past wine tours it was always my goal to get my clients to the source.  Where the wine is "created", that is of course, the vineyard.  My fellow wine geeks will tell you that the wine is made in the vineyard.  The winemakers job is to allow the fruit to "express" itself in the wine.  

You can't make good wine from poor grapes, but you can make poor wine with good grapes.  There in lies the talent of a good winemaker.  This time of the year it's their job, along with the vineyard manager to get ready for the vines to re-awake from their Winter's Rest.  The major work in this season is to prune back the vines and set the stage for the next growing season.

It's comforting to see the workers in the vineyard now.  Good care means good grapes.
Around here you can walk or even bike (on mild days) past the vineyards and maybe shout out a few words of encouragement! 
 

Beware the Wine Snob!

What is a wine snob?  What are the telltale signs that you've encountered an actual wine snob and not just a wine enthusiast? And why should you care?

Come back soon to read my take on the subject.  For now, I'm off to enjoy a splash of Cab Franc.

Cheers!

World Wide Wine Visa

Wine is an expression of the particular land it grows on.  The French call this "terroir."   You can say wine is of a place.


That place is some vineyard in some country.  Wine grows all over the Earth in many places you wouldn't expect.  It even grows in Central Oregon!

If you understand this, then when you come across a nice Chianti in the store and take it home, you have just purchased a trip to Italy.  Or should we say that Italy has come to you inside that bottle.

Now if you've been to Tuscany then you can play a little mind game and as you taste the wine send yourself back to that Sunny day you had sat outside in the vineyard with a good friend to enjoy that same wine. 

Imagination is key to enjoying wine.  You can relive pleasant memories you've had with a favorite grape varietal in your own backyard!

Oh yea,. well take this Tax!

"Effective October 18, 2019, the US Trade Representative's Office imposed a new 25% value-added tax (i.e., import tariffs) on a wide range of European products (including French wine, Italian cheese and single malt Scotch whisky) to penalize EU subsidies for Airbus.  EU has made counter-claims against the US subsidies for Boeing.  A ruling by WTO on EU's counter-claims is expected in the spring of 2020."

When children run the White House, then you get schoolyard retaliation against the French in particular and their wine exports.  What punishing the American wine industry that is linked to its survival to the World Wine Market  and the French has to do with Airplanes I do not know.

If you'd like to do more than sit back and watch the likes of D. Trump rack havoc with the wine industry,  while no doubt helping some of his Boeing buddies with a good belly laugh, then write to hopefully somewhat more sane congress members and suggest that this tax fiasco will harm not only France but the many American wine distributors that will be put out of business while the White House is flexing its muscle.

Here is a list of the Congress:
https://www.house.gov/representatives

Buyer Beware

Are you passionate about wine?  Do you have a "latest" favorite varietal that gets you excited when you discover that the new winery your visiting has it on their tasting list?

Several of the Rhône Valley grapes bring me shivers of anticipation when I find them in my glass, among which is the Syrah grape.

I found this wine online and it peaked my interest because of the "blend" that was used.

Do you catch the "error" in this description?

La Sirena “Le Barrettage” Calistoga 2013 ($97). Barrettage is a take off on the Northern Rhone appellation of Hermitage with this red wine crafted from predominantly syrah with a dash of grenache and petite sirah. Made in a distinctive Rhone style with ripe plums, pepper and mocha notes and a hint of minerals.

Time's up. An authentic Hermitage is made from Syrah alone without any other red grapes blended in.  Yes, it's a bit persnickety but I am passionate about my French wine.

Here in the USA, anything goes!  Blend whatever suits your fancy if it tastes good to the winemaker.  In France, there is no such luxury, wine is strictly regulated and the varietals allowed in regional wines, such as Hermitage (Northern Rhône Valley) is sacred.  

Point is, if you want to experience the Real McCoy of Syrah, then head to the town of Tain-l'Hermitage!  I'll be glad to take you there on my next visit!

Bend Walking Wine Tours

Yes, there are wineries in the Bend Oregon area.  While Bend is better known as a Beer Town, the wine still flows here as well.
It's true that the list of local vineyards is small, but that doesn't diminish the enthusiasm for fine wine in Central Oregon.  While not yet an AVA (American Viticultural Area) it will only be a matter of time before this area gets added to the existing 18 AVA's of Oregon.

Wine is about passion and that is well demonstrated in the 6 local tasting rooms in and around Bend.  Half are simply tasting rooms for their labels, as for example, Bledsoe Family Winery, whose wine making takes place in Walla Walla, Washington.  There's a micro winery at Elixir, right here in Bend.

So fear not fellow wine enthusiasts, you can get s splash of Syrah while riding your bike along the city streets, or join a group of tasters on one of my Bend Walking Wine Tours, coming to town soon!

Time to Recoup

Winter is here!  For the grapes it's time to take a rest from all that hard work of making all those plump juicy berries.

We say they are "dormant."   This is why they can survive the severity of Winter and come back swinging in the Spring.

Not much is happening at this time, perhaps a little root growth if the soil is not too cold.  It is the time that the old growth is pruned back .

Winemakers are after the berries and not to grow massive vines.  Vines are pernicious and will grow to impressive mass if left to their own devices.  Winter becomes a vital time in the vineyard to control this growth.

This is an annual stage and part of the life of a grape vine.  I've been asked if grapes produce more than one crop a year.  The answer is no.  After each crop comes the annual rest period until the next Spring.

A Balanced Wine

Let's talk Balance in a wine. It's what really makes for a pleasant tasting experience.

In the most basic terms we are looking for a balance between the sugars and the acids in the grape.  Too much sugar equals "hot" wines with high alcohol.  Too much acid and you get what we call a "green pepper" taste. Both are not good.

 Here is an excerpt from a website selling acids for winemakers.  It's pretty technical but the point is that pH and TA levels are vital to a fine wine.  It points out the importance of these elements in winemaking.

There are two ways to look at acidity in a winemaking: TA or pH:  
 

The TA is a measure of the actual physical grams of acid in one liter of your wine and is expressed as “_ g/L of acid”, or in tenths of a percent of acidity as in “0.1% total acidity”. Both terms are equivalent and can be used interchangeably by moving the decimal point; e.g: 6.5 g/L = 0.65% TA. 

The pH is a measure of how strong the acids are in relation to all of the other compounds in a wine/must. The lower the value, the more strongly acidic the sample will be; i.e: apH of 3.3 is more acidic than 3.9. In winemaking, most pH values will be between the 3.0 and 4.0 ranges, with most of the focus happening in the range of tenths between these two ends (“3._ pH”). While the TA will tell you how much physical acid there is in the wine/must, the pH tells you how this acidity will be perceived.   

Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Let's look into Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CDP).  My current tour offering centers around CDP and it's vineyards. And for good reasons. While not as well known to the American market, the varietal (grape) that stands out in CDP is the Grenache. It is among 13 authorized grape varietals. 

Actually the history of this grape starts in the Aragon region of Northern Spain where it's called Garnacha.  It didn't have to travel far to arrive in Southern France where it did well in the warm climate of the Southern Rhone. When combined with Syrah and Mourvèdre, it creates the popular blend GSM. 

Among the various soil types of the region,  the best known are the Galets Roulés (rolled pebbles), that distinguish this wine with it's distinct regional flavors and aid in the ripening of the grape. 

 

Splash Wine Tours

I'm back!  These days I am offering active wine tours to the Rhone Valley France.

After 11 years of local wine tours of both California and Oregon, I shifted my attention to my long established attraction to France and her wines.  Over the past 20 years I've been back to France 15 times.  Yes, I am still awe struck with the beauty and the wine.

One of my favorite regions is Chateauneuf-du-Pape (the new castle of the Pope) and its red wines based on Grenache.  I've come to appreciate the softer tones of the wine and complex palette they offer.

This was one of the first wine regions in the world to be regulated by a governing body.  Even today only certain grapes are allowed in the wine.  With 13 grapes to choose from the wine can vary from one winemaker to the next.
This makes it even more of an adventure to find your favorite blend!

Find me at: Splash Wine Tours

Ashland Wine Tasting Party

I have a motto: "Everyone knows how to Drink wine; Very few people know how to Taste wine."

It's really very simple, if no one ever taught you how to taste wine, then likely you learned by watching others that never learned how.

So what's the big deal you say?  The short answer is: if you are simply "downing" your wine, then you are missing so much of the pleasure of wine that comes from the thoughtful tasting of wine.  The pleasure comes from the aromas and hundreds of compounds found in wine.

I am offering to come to your home to share my "Wine Tasting 101 Seminar" that I have developed over the many years of exploring the world of wine and guiding hundreds on my tours.  These "parties" are offered in the Rogue Valley AVA surrounding Medford, Oregon.

The seminar consists of the how and why of tasting, "practice" with a local red and white wine, history of Oregon wine and a Q & A session.  The class takes approximately one hour and costs $200, including two bottles of local wine.

France wine tour this Fall

I am putting together a wine tour to the South of France this Fall.

Are you thinking you can't afford a wine tour to France? Take control of your visit to French wine country. Join other budget minded wine explorers for a memorable week in the South of France! You pay $700 per person for your lodging, transportation while in France, a local professional scheduled wine tour and me acting as your personal wine guide for the week.

You save by paying for your own airfare, food, and wine. This brings the cost to within your "normal" budget. What you pay for food and wine at home can equal what you pay on vacation. Food and wine can cost you less by shopping local. With a full kitchen available, you decide what meals to create and when your group eats out. 

This tour includes a local pre-travel seminar on the wines of the Languedoc region. The group will travel together to France.

This tour is sponsored by Splash Wine Tours of Ashland. Visit the website: www.explorefrenchwine.com

Applegate Uncorked

Joining other wine enthusiasts is a great way to get to know a wine region.  Here in the USA we use a system called AVA, or American Vitacultural Area to define specific wine growing regions.

The Applegate AVA is a sub-AVA of the Rogue Valley AVA.  In other words, the Applegate sits inside the larger Rogue Valley.

In the part of the country these names are referring to the watersheds that feed the two main rivers of the area, the Rogue and the Applegate.

Understanding these boundaries helps pinpoint the many meso-climates that affect the production of grapes.  Grapes are said to reflect the land (terroir) that they grow in.  On a broad scale this means that you won't find many Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in the Willamette Valley (cool and wet) like you can here in the Applegate (warm and dry.)

Knowing the place your wines comes from adds to your enjoyment.  It reflects the land and brings to mind your visit to the local wineries.

Join me for the Applegate Uncorked event on May 21st.  You can book my van for the day via my website: www.splashwinetours.com

Eeny Meeny Miny Wineo

We've all been there...just staring at the wines on the shelf, having no clue what to get.  Yet with a few simple guidelines you can narrow the quest down and get out of the aisle in record time.

Start with what you have in mind for this wine: dinner, patio, conversation.  Now pull up those positive experiences which worked well.  For example, say I am thinking of some wine and cheese on the patio.  In this case, I may choose a Savignon Blanc, remembering how good it tasted the last time. 

Ok.  So that's a white wine.  You just narrowed your selection down.  Next recall where that wine was produced.  New Zealand in this case.  Great, look for New Zealand on the label of any Sav Blancs.

While you don't often know what a particular wine will taste like, yet if you recall what region or town your last Sav Blanc came from, you can look for that on the back label.

All of this means that you continue to accumulate knowledge of certain wines you like.  Basically, you look for the varietal (grape) you like and your favorite region that produces that wine.  Mostly, be bold and try new wines...who knows you may find your next favorite wine.

Small is Beautiful

The saying goes that wine is "about place."  The French call this terroir.  It's about where the vines grow and what characteristics come thru in the wine.

For some "place" becomes an impressive chateau with formal gardens and fountains.  This shifts the focus from the vineyards to the "image" of fine wine.  Unfortunately, the "image" is often better than the wine!

When you drill terroir down to the vineyard and the people that tend it you will find an honest relationship between vine and wine.  Here in Oregon we are fortunate to have a healthy culture of family-owned wineries.  At this level the "place" is often a small vineyard tucked in a little river valley surrounded by mountains.

This photo is of  Cricket Hill Winery, pretty much on the edge of wine country.  These are the wineries that I seek out to discover the true character of Oregon wine.

Look into the Wine Crystal Bowl

Yes. You can drink your wine from a plastic cup, if you must.  But if you want to actually taste the wine then you need a crystal glass.

Before you dismiss me as another wine snob, there are very practical reasons why you need a proper wine glass to get the most from your wine purchase.  A nice crystal stem runs $10 a stem.  When tasting, opt for the stem.

The secret of crystal (and you can get lead-free crystal) is that it is not smooth inside the bowl. It actually as tiny little "crystal" edges that the wine bounces off when you swirl the wine in the bowl.  This releases the aroma esters that we perceive as wonderful fruit smells.  So now you know.  If you paid more than $2 for that wine, enjoy it in a crystal stem.

Wine: More than a Beverage

Spring is coming, at least it has in the past.  And with the Sun returning to our vineyards, the vines are anxious to get started on this year's vintage.

The vines understand this cycle of replenishing the supply of wine for the fortunate humans who discovered long ago that wine is more than a beverage.  Wine is a gift from the God's.

Dionysus was the name that the early beneficiaries of wine gave to the idea that something grand was happening with this juice.
It's hard to say which came first; the idea of the elevated status of fermented grape juice or; the effects of drinking said juice.

Consider the fact that whole cultures thought enough of what they were drinking to relegate the mysterious effects to the Heavens.  It was good to know that you had your own God looking out for your welfare.

Today we must be careful not to lose the passion that surrounds wine.  If you can see the work Nature in that glass of wine you had for dinner, you can belong to the long tradition of seeing the hand of God in the bottle.