Conference Preview 2018: Everything in Moderation—including Moderation

  By admin | July 11, 2018 - 8:09 pm |
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Today we have a preview of a session to be presented during SWE’s 42nd Annual Conference, to be held on August 15–17, 2018 in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Our guest author is Matilde Parente, MD, who tells us about her upcoming session titled “Everything in Moderation Including Moderation: Making Sense of Wine, Alcohol and Health”.

Sub-title: Moderate Drinking Study Gets the Hook

In mid-June, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) put a cork on one of the most ambitious and anticipated studies to date that aimed to answer a prickly question: Is moderate drinking associated with certain health and survival benefits?

The scope of the 10-year study was far reaching. It planned to enroll almost 8,000 volunteers aged 50-plus from three continents. To avoid bias, half would be selected at random to consume 15 grams of alcohol a day, just more than a U.S. standard drink, and the other half would abstain. After following the volunteers for many years, the scientists would then compare the rates of heart disease and diabetes to see which group included fewer people who had died, had strokes or heart attacks or had developed diabetes.

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The researchers raised $100 million to fund this unprecedented trial. The results would have been eagerly awaited by all interested in knowing whether drinking alcohol in moderate amounts offers real, measurable and meaningful health benefits in real-world adults, not just in test tubes and in lab animals. What’s more, the trial would be partly backed by the NIH—the nation’s leading center for biomedical and public health

research—and its participating scientists included researchers from prestigious medical centers and teaching institutions. It was all a big wow.

That is, until it wasn’t. In March 2018, a month after the first volunteers began to enroll, a front-page story in the New York Times revealed several irregularities that eventually caused backers of the trial to withdraw their support and the NIH to shut down the study. Among them were concerns about the integrity of the trial, controversy involving certain researchers and whether there was a possible prejudice to produce results favorable to major backers of the study, that is, the alcohol industry. The investigation also prompted some scientists to ask whether the relatively brief follow-up period of about six years was enough to detect a possible increased risk of cancer or heart failure among the drinkers, questions that the original study was not designed to address.

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Sadly, the study was also not designed to address whether the Yankees might go all the way this year or whether Mount Etna will go rogue and lay waste to vineyards producing those delicious Etna reds we’ve come to savor. It’s all a mystery.

In all seriousness, what’s not a mystery is that despite the NIH study getting the hook, plenty of solid science surrounds the moderation-health connection. In my presentation, I’ll describe the latest findings in plain English, pro and con. I’ll also examine a few key points about the raging alcohol and cancer controversies, including what everyone can do right now to lower their risks. Plus, I’ll be sharing the latest groundbreaking efforts to address alcohol use disorders, with optimism and surprises to spare. Among other topics to tackle are alcohol and dementia, weight, sensitivities and genes. Headaches, hangovers and the ‘healthification’ of wine will also have their moments. We’ve got lots to cover so bring your questions, and come along for this wild ride.

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About the speaker: Matilde Parente, MD, CSW is board-certified in pathology and integrative holistic medicine. Matilde co-founded WinewomenPSP and created their popular blog, later serving as wine director and wine educator at a southern California culinary school for five years. She is a member of the Renaud Society, an international society of medical and wine professionals, and a wine judge for the Society’s wine competitions. She thrills and tantalizes all levels of wine enthusiasts as a featured speaker and wine whisperer for connoisseurs and collectors, tasting groups, corporate fun-seekers and dinner partygoers. Matilde writes on wine for online, new media and print publications, is a frequent radio guest and is the author of Resveratrol and Healing Ways: An Integrative Health Sourcebook. She recently co-edited a four-volume genetics textbook (in press). An avowed “wine-ologist,” she blogs about local finds, wine travel and all-things-vinous at www.writeonwines.com and tweets @winefoodhealth.

Tilda’s session, Everything in Moderation Including Moderation: Making Sense of Wine, Alcohol and Health, will be presented on Thursday, August 16th at 8:45 am as part of SWE’s 42nd Annual Conference, to be held in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.

Welcome to the World, Terres du Midi PGI!

  By admin | July 9, 2018 - 1:05 pm | ,
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The town of St. Chinian (Hérault Department)

The town of St. Chinian (Hérault Department)

As of July 5, 2018, the National Committee for Protected Geographical Indications of the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité (INAO) approved a new PGI for France:  Terres du Midi PGI. The new PGI is approved for still, blended wines—in red, white, and rosé—produced in the Gard, Hérault, Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales departments. The new PGI is approved for use as of the 2018 vintage.

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With the approval of the Terres du Midi PGI, there are now a total of 75 wine-related PGIs in France. There are no plans, at this time, to eliminate any of the overlapping or the departmental IGPs of the area, which is centered on the Languedoc & Roussillon areas of France.

References/for further information:

Welcome to the world, Dahlonega Plateau AVA!

  By admin | July 3, 2018 - 1:43 pm | ,
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Map via the TTB website, as found in the original petition, submitted on behalf of the Vineyard and Winery Operators of the Dahlonega Region of Northern Georgia (April 2015).

Map via the TTB website, as found in the original petition, submitted on behalf of the Vineyard and Winery Operators of the Dahlonega Region of Northern Georgia (April 2015).

Welcome to the world, Dahlonega Plateau AVA! As of June 29, 2018 the TTB has approved the Dahlonega Plateau AVA, located in Lumpkin and White Counties in the state of Georgia. The new AVA will be effective as of July 30, 2018—and this brings the total number of AVAs in the US to 242.

The petition for the Dahlonega Plateau AVA was originally submitted in April, 2015 on behalf of the Vineyard and Winery Operators of Northern Georgia. The namesake Dahlonega Plateau is a long, narrow plateau located in the northern foothills of the Georgia Piedmont. (The Piedmont [in the eastern United States] is an elevated section of land stretching from New Jersey to central Alabama, tucked between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains).

Georgia’ Dahlonega Plateau covers most of Lumpkin, Dawson, White, Pickens, and Cherokee Counties; however, the AVA only covers the northeast section of the plateau. The Dahlonega Plateau AVA is about 133 square miles in size, and is includes (at last count) 7 wineries and 8 commercial vineyards totally just over 110 acres of planted vines. Area wineries include Cavender Creek Vineyards, Three Sisters Vineyards and Winery, Wolf Mountain Vineyards and Winery, and Accent Cellars (they also make cider!).

Map of the US Piedmont via USGS

Map of the US Piedmont via USGS

According to the petition, the distinguishing features of the proposed Dahlonega Plateau AVA include the topography, described as gently rolling hilltops separated by wide valleys are an average elevation of 1,554 feet (474 m) above sea level. This warm and sunshine-drenched area is both well-suited for viticulture and distinct from the surrounding, more heavily wooded (and shaded) area.

The climate also differentiates the region within the AVA, as the area atop the Dahlonega Plateau is warmer than the area to its west and south, as the  cool air from the higher elevations sinks down and settles in the area below, creating a risk of frost damage in the lower elevations. The majority of the area within the AVA has a growing season between 190 and 200 days and is classified in the intermediate range of the Winkler scale as Zone 3 and 4. Annual rainfall is approximately 62 inches per year, including 17 inches during winter.

During the open comment phase of the application process, the TTB received just one comment. The commenter noted that the Dahlonega Plateau is a ‘‘gorgeous mountain region’’ that has ‘‘unique wine-growing characteristics’’ that qualify it as an AVA. Welcome to the world, Dahlonega AVA!

References/for more information:

 

Conference Preview 2018—Decanting: What, When, Why, and How?

  By admin | June 30, 2018 - 11:22 am |
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Today we have a preview of a session to be presented during SWE’s 42nd Annual Conference, to be held on August 15–17, 2018 in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Our guest author is David Davoust, CSW, who tells us about his upcoming session entitled Decanting: What, When, Why, and How:

So…what’s happening in the glass?

The wine industry has spent millions of dollars researching what is happening in the bottle. How much sulfur? How much air? How much residual sugar? How much acid? Destem or add that tannic kick? What type of enclosure do you need? How do you age the wine? How do you store it? The list goes on. And the industry has analyzed and tested and tasted to try to get the optimal experience out of a bottle of wine.

But what about after the bottle has been opened? The research seems to have stopped. Nobody has been paying attention to how to get the optimal experience out of a glass of wine. We do a few things, of course: we chill or let warm; we aerate; we decant; we swirl; we wait. But why and when should we do each of these things?

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What started as a simple question of how do you know whether or not to decant any particular bottle has led to some very interesting original research. We wanted to know what is actually happening in the glass (or decanter) once the wine leaves the bottle. As wine specialists, educators, sommeliers and wine drinkers, could it not enhance our own experiences and our education of others if we know exactly what chemical processes are happening to the wine in the glass and how that affects the perceived taste or enjoyment?

We set out to answer these questions with a two-pronged approach. First, we are doing chemical analysis of wine samples at various times after opening: right out of the bottle, aerated, left open and decanted for various periods of time. Chemically, we know some of what oxygen does when it hits wine. But what about the other transformation and evaporation of alcohols, acids and phenolics? We are using both our own lab (cash stills, etc.) to analyze, but then we are also using commercial labs that can better test for the more hidden effects such as what is happening to the phenolics during that process.

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Second, we are doing experiential analysis through blind surveys of wine drinkers. Each group is provided 4 to 8 wines without knowing anything about the test. We have them rate each wine on perceived sweetness, acidity, tannins, mouthfeel, aroma, and taste preference as related to the other wines in the sample. The results so far have been surprising but pretty consistent.

The combination of these tests is providing some great insights into how to get the best out of each glass of wine after the bottle has been opened. The initial results of this research will be presented during the “Decanting: What, When, Why, and How” session, to be offered on Wednesday, August 15th at 2:45 pm as part of the 42nd Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, to be held in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.

About the presenter: David Davoust is an author, educator, researcher and Certified Specialist of Wine. He serves as the wine director for private wine pairing dinners and is currently working on an educational series called, “Wines With a Story™”.

 

Conference Preview 2018: Dueling Bubbles

  By admin | June 14, 2018 - 5:30 pm |
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Today we have a preview of a session to be presented during SWE’s 42nd Annual Conference, to be held on August 15–17, 2018 in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Our guest author is Alan Tardi, who tells us about his upcoming session entitled Dueling Bubbles: A Comparative Examination of the Two Most Popular Sparkling Wines in the World.

Champagne Mangoes?

Champagne Mangoes?

I hate it when the name of a famous or prestigious wine category is used as a benchmark for another one — usually one that is less famous or prestigious. And no wine has been subjected to this more often and in more ways than Champagne.

Sometimes the comparison is made out of context altogether: the mangoes that I buy are labeled “Champagne Mangoes,” presumably as a self-proclamation of their high quality (they don’t look or taste anything like Champagne but they are, in fact, really good). There’s also a type of table grape called “Champagne Grapes” apparently because of their tiny bubble-like berries (though these grapes are definitely not one of the seven — yes, seven! — approved varieties for Champagne).

And sometimes other beverages that are not even wine attempt to usurp Champagne’s luster, such as “Miller High Life, the Champagne of Bottled Beers.” [The campaign was originally launched in 1903 when, it could be argued, very few Americans had any first-hand experience with Champagne — many didn’t even have much experience with beer in a bottle — and even the very lowest rung of the champagne ladder was economically out of reach for most of them. Beer, however, was not, and this one was pale and frothy and came in a clear slope-shouldered bottle just like you know what. The moniker was abandoned in 1989 in exchange for “America’s Quality Beer Since 1855” but less than a decade later ‘Champagne’ was back on the label and remains there to this day.]

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When it comes to wine, most American consumers now understand that there is something a little bit fishy about the very idea of “California Champagne” though many would still have a hard time articulating exactly what it is. But many American wine drinkers still feel the need to put one wine category up against another in order to get a handle on it: Pinot Noir is the new Merlot; crisp Pinot Grigio is the au courant alternative to over-oaked Chardonnay; Prosecco is the new, hip, economical, everyday alternative to old, stuffy, expensive, special-occasion Champagne.

Worst of all is when two inculpable beverages are thrown into a competitive arena like two gladiators thrust into an all-out fight to the dregs.

So why, you rightly ask, would I do it in my SWE conference session title?

Okay, I admit it: I came up with the “Dueling Bubbles” title solely to catch your attention and, perhaps, whet your bubbly appetite. (And it worked, didn’t it?)

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The honest truth is no duel is going to take place on my watch: in fact, the two wines have no quarrel at all, much less a need to fight it out. In my presentation, just like in that soundtrack from Deliverance, the two categories will alternate back and forth between one and the other in a sort of playful intertwining in which the two voices will be clearly distinct, mutually informative, mutually respectful and completely non-combative.

The fact is that there’s a big difference between competition (not to mention overly creative marketing) and comparison.

We wine drinkers compare things all the time. Every time we try to nail down something we’re smelling or tasting in a wine, we do so by comparing it to something else we have smelled or tasted before, and we naturally evaluate wines on the basis of others we have previously experienced. In a similar way, comparing two different types of wine can be very interesting and very useful in helping to better understand them. But there certainly doesn’t have to be a winner or loser.

I think we can all agree that Champagne and Prosecco are two very different wines. Even more important to note is that Champagne and Prosecco are two totally distinct and individual winemaking traditions, unlike many other sparkling wines — including three other Italian appellations — that were created in direct imitation of the French icon.

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The differences between Champagne and Prosecco are obvious: grape varieties, growing area and (for the most part) production method (not to mention price category). But what is really surprising and insight provoking are the similarities in the origin and evolution of the two categories, albeit on a different timeline.

Delving deeply into the history of Champagne while researching my book “Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and the Timeless Allure of the World’s Most Celebrated Drink” (Hachette 2016), I started having frequent episodes of déjà vu in a sort of time/space/language warp, encountering over and over again essential commonalities between Champagne and Prosecco despite their significant differences and near complete independence.

And that’s what this session is all about.

I won’t go into details of what these commonalities are — for that you’ll either have to attend the session or, if you can’t make it, look for the presentation slides on the SWE website following the conference. I will say, however, that the end result will be a much deeper understanding and appreciation of both wines, especially Prosecco. And I’ll also give you a preview of the exceptional wines and wineries that will be featured (barring, of course, any delivery snafus).

Here they are:

  • Adami — Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore “Giardino” Asciutto
  • Bellenda — Conegliano Prosecco Superiore “S.C. 1931” Metodo Classico
  • Bortolomiol — Rive di S. Pietro Barbozza Brut Nature “Motus Vitae”
  • Cá dei Zago — Valdobbiadene Prosecco Col Fondo
  • Gregoletto — Colli Trevigiani Verdiso Tranquillo
  • Mongarda — Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Extra- Dry “Rive Alte”
  • Nino Franco — Grave di Stecca
  • Sanfeletto — Conegliano Prosecco Tranquillo “Gastalda”
  • Silvano Follador  — Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze Brut Nature
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About the speaker: Alan Tardi, former NYC chef and restaurateur, has long worked as a freelance journalist authoring articles about wine and food for numerous publications including The New York Times, Wine & Spirits Magazine, The Wine Spectator, Decanter, Sommelier Journal, and Food Arts. In 2003, Alan moved to the village of Castiglione Falletto in the heart of the Barolo region in Piemonte, Italy, where he spent several years working in the surrounding vineyards and wineries through all phases of the growing and production process, an experience which completely changed his perspective on wine. In 2009 Alan began frequenting the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco winegrowing area and, after successive visits during which he developed a rapport with many local farmers and producers, as well as principals of the governing Consortium, was named first ever US Ambassador of Conegliano Valdobbiadene in January 2015. His first book, ‘Romancing the Vine: Life, Love and Transformation in the Vineyards of Barolo’ (St Martins Press, 2006) won a James Beard Award for Best Wine and Spirits Book of 2006. And a new book, “Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and the Timeless Allure of the World’s Most Celebrated Drink” (Hachette/PublicAffairs 2016) recently won a Gourmand Best in the World Award in the French Wine category.

Alan’s session, Dueling Bubbles: A Comparative Examination of the Two Most Popular Sparkling Wines in the World , will be offered on Thursday, August 16, 2018 at 10:30 am as part of the 42nd Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators to be held in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.

 

Conference Preview 2018: Icons of Barolo

  By admin | June 9, 2018 - 8:46 am |
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Today we have a preview of a session to be presented during SWE’s 42nd Annual Conference, to be held on August 15–17, 2018 in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Our guest author is Alan Tardi, who tells us about his upcoming session entitled Icons of Barolo.

I am pleased to report that the line-up of wines for my session “Icons of Barolo” is essentially set and it is indeed a stellar one, representing exceptional wineries and definitive vineyard sites, as well as a range of wine making styles and a variety of different vintages. Here’s a preview:

Marchesi di Barolo is the historic winery in the heart of Barolo that used to belong to Marchese Carlo Tancredi Falletti di Barolo and his wife Giulia Colbert-Falletti. This is one of the actual places where the wine that came to be known as Barolo was born and Cannubi is one of the oldest and most revered sites in the entire winegrowing area. [Barolo “Cannubi” 2011]

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The castle in the nearby town of Verduno is another site that could rightfully be called a birthplace of Barolo: It once belonged to Carlo Alberto, King of the Savoy dynasty and father of Vittorio Emmanuel II who would later become the first king of the Unified Italy (and create his own winery in Serralunga called Fontanafredda). General Staglieno, who oversaw winemaking for the king’s estates and is credited with refining enological practices in order to make a fully fermented dry Barolo, actually lived at the Verduno castle while overseeing the royal cellars in nearby Pollenzo. The castle was eventually acquired by a successful Verduno winemaker named Gian Battista Burlotto who was one of the founding fathers of the Barolo appellation. Verduno represents a distinctive geologic formation of the Messinian age in the Barolo area and Monvigliero is the town’s most renowned vineyard. [Barolo “Monvigliero” 2014]

The Elvio Cogno winery in Novello, right next to Barolo, occupies a subzone in the eastern part of the town known as Ravera. Here, besides waging a campaign to get an old local grape variety called Nascetta recognized under the Langhe appellation (and thus helping to save it from extinction), they have also focused on the cultivation of the three main subvarities of Nebbiolo — Lampia, Michet and Rose — in different sections of their estate. Michet, it has been determined, is actually a virus-affected version of Lampia while Rose, long esteemed for its incredible delicacy and pronounced aroma, is actually a genetically distinct cultivar. Elvio Cogno is one of very few producers to make a 100% Rose Barolo in exceptional vintages from a parcel of old-vines. [Barolo “Vigna Elena” 2006]

La Morra

La Morra

Over in La Morra, Roberto Voerzio could be viewed as both iconic and iconoclastic. While many refer to him as a ‘modernist’ he is actually a free-thinker who has developed a very unique approach to achieve a traditional objective of expressing the uniqueness of each terroir in his wines. He plants very densely and prunes very shortly, realizing an incredibly low yield of grapes from his vines. One might logically expect this to produce over-concentrated imbalanced wines, and in most peoples’ hands that might well be the case. But while Voerzio’s wines are indeed intense, they are also perfectly balanced, multi-layered, long on the palate and full of finesse. They are also reflective of the site they come from and have the capacity to evolve over a long period of time. [Barolo “Fossati Case Nere 2007”]

Moving eastwards, Castiglione Falletto is located squarely in the middle of the Barolo zone and thus a meeting ground of the area’s two principal geologic ages, the Serravalian and the Tortonian. The Villero vineyard, one of Castiglione’s oldest and one of the most prestigious of the entire area, is decidedly more Serravalian, with compact clay, marl and limestone along with a moderate slope and west-southwestern exposition. This is a relatively large vineyard with some 15 proprietors, one of whom is the Oddero winery in the Santa Maria hamlet of La Morra. Oddero is one of the oldest producers in Barolo, tracing its winemaking origins back to the 18th century, and over time has acquired holdings in many of the region’s most acclaimed vineyards. Their winemaking approach, while refined over the years, remains staunchly traditional and very consistent, thus showcasing the unique features of each Barolo site. [Barolo “Villero” 2008]

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Right across the road from Villero is another vineyard that, notwithstanding its close proximity, is completely different. Rocche, another ancient and esteemed vineyard of the Barolo region, is more Tortonian in configuration. The vineyard is very narrow, quite long and extremely steep because it sits atop an east-facing cliff, and the vines end at a 40- to 50-foot drop straight down to the Perno River below. The topsoil is extremely shallow with a high amount of sand and blue marl, and underneath is pure rock, resulting in wines that, though typically lighter in color and lighter-bodied, have always been valued for their eloquence and perfume. Rocche was also one of the very first wines to be bottled as a single-vineyard in the early 1960s. The Brovia winery was founded in Castiglione Falletto in 1863 and is located near Rocche, at the foot of Villero vineyard where they also have a plot. [Barolo “Rocche di Castiglione” 2010]

Serralunga

Serralunga

The village of Serralunga, located on the eastern edge of the zone is decidedly Serravalian territory and Vigna Rionda is the emblematic vineyard of Serralunga as well as one of the most prestigious of the entire zone. Here, the steep slope and full southwestern exposure combined with the older soil composed of densely compact clay, lime and marl over limestone, create Barolos of enormous intensity and depth with a firm tannic backbone and taut musculature. The aromas may be a bit withdrawn at first but reveal themselves gradually over time and the wines have amazing longevity. Massolino winery, founded in Serralunga in 1896, has a long and close connection with the Vigna Rionda vineyard, so close in fact that they named their winery after it! [Barolo “Vignarionda” Riserva 2009]

Overall, if you connect-the-dots between these remarkable wines, visionary winemakers and emblematic vineyard sites, a vivid constellation of a magnificent winegrowing area emerges that you can not only see and admire but also taste.

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About the speaker: Alan Tardi, former NYC chef and restaurateur, has long worked as a freelance journalist authoring articles about wine and food for numerous publications including The New York Times, Wine & Spirits Magazine, The Wine Spectator, Decanter, Sommelier Journal, and Food Arts. In 2003, Alan moved to the village of Castiglione Falletto in the heart of the Barolo region in Piemonte, Italy, where he spent several years working in the surrounding vineyards and wineries through all phases of the growing and production process, an experience which completely changed his perspective on wine. In 2009 Alan began frequenting the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco winegrowing area and, after successive visits during which he developed a rapport with many local farmers and producers, as well as principals of the governing Consortium, was named first ever US Ambassador of Conegliano Valdobbiadene in January 2015. His first book, ‘Romancing the Vine: Life, Love and Transformation in the Vineyards of Barolo’ (St Martins Press, 2006) won a James Beard Award for Best Wine and Spirits Book of 2006. And a new book, “Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and the Timeless Allure of the World’s Most Celebrated Drink” (Hachette/PublicAffairs 2016) recently won a Gourmand Best in the World Award in the French Wine category.

Alan’s session, Icons of Barolo, will be offered on Friday, August 18, 2018 at 3:00 pm as part of the 42nd Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators to be held in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.

Guest Author: Discovering Montsant

  By admin | June 6, 2018 - 8:16 pm | ,
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Today we have a post from guest blogger Kryss Speegle. Kryss tells us about a recent trip to the Montstant DO. Read on for some insight into the history, the wines, and the region…but be warned this article is going to make you want to run and book a ticket to Spain!

 Marta Carbonell of Josep Grau Viticultor speaks with a quiet and engaging matter-of-factness: “We like high acidity. We love fruit. We hate oak.” Speaking for her own wines, she could easily be describing the Montsant style, and after a three-day visit, sponsored by Wines of Montsant, I’m ready to make this my mantra as well.

Unlike its flashy neighbor Priorat, where the famous llicorella slate dominates the landscape, Montsant is a patchwork of limestone, chalk and sand as well as slate, and elevations ranging from 50 to 700 meters; the wines are fresh and powerful with ferrous minerality and a core of intense fruit.

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Wine has been a significant product of Catalonia since at least the 6th to 8th centuries BCE, though vine plantings increased significantly after the establishment of the monastery of Poblet. Italian and Middle Eastern varieties were eventually replaced by primarily with Carinyena (Carignan, also known by its Catalan name Samsó) and Garnatxa (Grenache); a treasury of old vines remains today and red grapes account for 95% of production. Though Garnatxa has slightly higher production, Carinyena is also a star player alone or in blends and a firm rebuke to those who view it primarily as a high-yielding blender. The 100% Carinenya from Cellers Sant Rafel is fresh and even elegant. The minute plantings of white grapes are mostly Garnatxa Blanca and Macabeo, which make wines with a perfumed lift and flavors of baked apple, lemon curd and hawthorn.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah exist in small plantings but are silent partners at best. A happy exception to this is the use of Syrah for rosé wines; in a single sitting, two lovely examples, one from Coca i Fito (fresh and restrained) and another from Celler Rondanelles (intensely fruity) remind me that rosé complements grilled octopus, braised artichokes, potato chips and just about everything else.

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Previously dominated by workhorse co-operatives, Montsant became a Denominación de Origin (DO) distinct from Tarragona in 2001 and within three years had 26 members across its 1,800 hectares, a testament to producers’ commitment to the region. Some are Priorat vintners looking for a bargain while others are locals who bucked the historical exodus to Barcelona. It’s an uplifting narrative for anyone accustomed to hearing that the world’s great wine regions are all supersaturated with vines or prohibitively expensive.

As the driver in front of us repeatedly stops to point at various vines, our guide from the DO claims that nearly everyone in the area has a few inherited plots — “Once poor farmers, now proud viticulturalists.” The region is also home to a thriving polyculture; marcona almonds, hazelnuts, cherries, and peaches are commercially grown and the slopes are dotted with wildflowers and resinous herbs.

Co-ops are still in the game but, as elsewhere in Europe, are redefining the old label with exciting and pleasurable wines. At Celler de Capçanes, a traditional co-operative found a successful niche in kosher wine production; the Peraj Ha’abib is the mainstay of this line and is lovely. The real excitement, though, is their “La Nit de les garnatxes” collection exploring the diversity of Montsant’s terroirs. Four wines of 100% Garnatxa, each representing one of the region’s four soil types, are presented in some of the  cleverest  packaging I’ve seen yet, wrapped in color-coded comics explaining the soil’s effect on the wine. The wines themselves do an amazing job telling the story of Montsant by drawing out its shades of difference—by turns refined and sinewy, generously fruited and earthy.

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Nearly half of Montsant’s wines are exported with many available in U.S. retailers. For those who want a closer look, the DO’s commercial center is Falset, a self-sufficient town of 2,800 and a good base for exploring. To discover from a distance, see these sites:

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About the Author: Kryss Speegle works in bulk sales, supplying wines and spirits to customers throughout the United States and around the world. Previously she was O’Neill’s Director of Winemaking, where she managed the company’s extensive varietal wine programs and led a talented team of winemakers.

Prior to O’Neill, Kryss held winemaking and enologist roles at Kenwood and Ravenswood. She has also worked for wineries in Napa, Mendocino, Germany and New Zealand. Kryss has served as a past judge for the San Francisco Chronicle and West Coast wine competitions and has taught wine courses at Santa Rosa Junior College and Napa Valley Wine Academy.

Kryss received a Bachelor’s degree from University of Virginia and a graduate degree in Food Science/Enology from University of California at Davis. While at Davis, Kryss conducted sensory research for Dr. Ann Noble, creator of the Wine Aroma Wheel.

When she’s not in the vineyard or in the production facility, Kryss enjoys cooking, traveling and spending time with her family.

Photo credits: Kryss Speegle

Conference Preview 2018: The Great Big Wide Wonderful World of Garnacha/Grenache

  By admin | May 28, 2018 - 4:04 pm |
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Today we have a preview of a session to be presented during SWE’s 42nd Annual Conference, to be held on August 15–17, 2018 in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Our guest author is Hoke Harden, CSS, CSE, who tells us about his  upcoming session entitled The Great Big Wide Wonderful World of Garnacha/Grenache  

So…you think you know Grenache?

You might be surprised. Any variety that can range from the soft perfumed elegance of quaffable fruity delight to the magnificent brooding power of Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a force to be reckoned with.

Grenache vineyards in the Languedoc

Grenache vineyards in the Languedoc

Despite being abused, maligned, and over cropped, Grenache has maintained its presence and spread around the world from its humble origins in Spain and Southern France. Grenache is typically seen as a consummate blending variety, and yet it has always managed to catch the affection of dedicated growers and winemakers as a single variety as well. Garnacha/Grenache can make white, gris, rose’, light red, full-bodied red, sweet and rancio sec.

In this session, we will focus on the distinctive areas of Garnacha/Grenache production, their unique terroir, and the styles of wine produced using Grenache. We’ll explore Grenache from its homelands in Spain and France, then journey to some other climes–California? Australia? We’ll go where the Grenache grows. You’ll taste Grenache as table wine, as dessert wine…and even as the legendary and difficult to find Grenache Dry Rancio, one of the ultimate geek wines of the world.

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About the speaker:

An enthusiastic lover of wine and spirits, Hoke Harden left a career in academia to follow his other muse for the last 35 years, trekking around the world to the great producing regions of wine and spirits. Recently referred to as a veritable walking omnibus of wine and spirits knowledge, he has experienced every possible facet of the world of wine and spirits as a retailer, restaurateur, bartender, buyer, wholesaler, supplier, marketer, critic, writer, competition judge and an educator. He is currently with Elixir Vitae Wine & Spirits Consultants, the Taste & Compare Academy of Wine, Spirits, and Food in Portland Oregon.

Hoke holds a CSS and CSE designation from the Society of Wine Educators and is a prolific writer and blogger. In his “free” time, Hoke serves as a Wine & Spirits Instructor at Mt. Hood Community College, a B.N.I.C. Certified Cognac Educator, and Pineau des Charentes Ambassador.

Hoke’s session, The Great Big Wide Wonderful World of Garnacha/Grenache, will be offered on Friday, August 17, 2018 at 1:15 pm as part of the 42nd Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators to be held in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.

Conference Preview: Wacky, Whimsical, Wondrous Whites of Italy

  By admin | May 23, 2018 - 9:19 pm |
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Today we have a preview of a session to be presented during SWE’s 42nd Annual Conference, to be held on August 15–17, 2018 in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. This preview is authored by Sharron McCarthy, CSW.  

Italy is a spirited, thriving, exciting land with an extraordinary history. Invading Phoenicians, Greeks, Cathaginians, as well as native Etruscans and Romans left their imprints as did the Saracens, Visigoths, Normans, Austrians, and Germans who succeeded them.  Many of these civilizations left vines, wines, and anecdotes behind that are still shared at the table today.

We are looking forward to sharing some of Italy’s most beguiling white wines and their tales.  Though the Italians say that white wines set the stage for reds, we will taste some intriguing and incredible whites that are not only historical but are backed by wacky, whimsical, and even wondrous legends that have been passed down generation from generation.

Italian wines are certainly not the easiest to understand, some take their names after grape varieties, others the town or area of production, some as a contraction of grape variety and area and still others have fantasy names of their own.

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Here is just one example: in this session, we will taste a white whose grape variety takes on three different names in three different regions—Vermentino. In Tuscany it goes by the name Vermentino, but in Liguria it is known as Pigato, and folks in Piedmont know it as Favorita. If you’d like to know why this is so, join us to find out!

During this session we’ll discover the following:

  • What famous Italian white is named after an animal or another food?
  • What wine was a favorite of the Popes (and the people on special occasions)?
  • What wine was named for Giulietta’s kisses?
  • What wine is referred to as liquid gold?
  • What grape is named after a beautiful Princess?
  • What grape variety likely takes its name from the fact it reminded people of a newly fermented wine?
  • What grape is named after an ancient Roman town?

We all know Prosecco, Italy’s most popular sparkler but do you really know where it originated?  If you love Italy’s spumanti have you tasted a Sparkling Pinot Grigio or even a Sparkling Soave, we will present two tantalizing examples.

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We hope to captivate you with some of Italy’s wacky, whimsical and wondrous white wines from sparkling to still, dry to sweet…to further titillate your taste buds, we will enjoy these wines with a few palate teasers! The session, “Wacky, Whimsical, Wondrous Whites of Italy” will be presented by Sharron McCarthy, CSW on Friday, August 15, 2018 at 4:45 pm as part of the Society of Wine Educator’s 42nd Annual Conference, to be held in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.

About the speaker: Sharron is a past president of the Society of Wine Educators. Affectionately known as “America’s First Lady of Wine Education,” she has introduced Americans from all walks of life to a finer, more nuanced appreciated for the fruit of the vine. From Fortune 500 companies to hospitality and grad students at America’s premier centers of learning, to staff at wine stores and restaurants, Sharron is in constant demand as one of the wine industry’s most effective speakers. A native of Long Island, Sharron McCarthy’s wine business career began in 1978 at Banfi Vintners – a leading name in imported fine wines. In 1986, she formed her own consulting agency. Her partnership with the Italian Trade Commission is widely credited with helping to propel Italy to its current status as America’s leading source of imported wines. She returned to Banfi Vintners in the mid 1990’s and currently serves as their Vice President of Wine Education.

Conference Preview 2018: NZ SB

  By admin | May 16, 2018 - 11:44 am |
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SB and Aucktalnd, NZ

SB and Auckland, NZ

Today we have a preview of a session to be presented during SWE’s 42nd Annual Conference, to be held on August 15–17, 2018 in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Our guest author is Christine Dalton, CSW, who tells us about her upcoming session entitled Cat Pee By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet: Understanding Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Pick a wine-world underdog, wine that has found success under seemingly insurmountable odds. Perhaps you think of Ribiera Sacra’s delicate Mencías, made from vineyards that were left for dead during the country’s political turmoil and resurrected, only to be re-planted on vertigo-inducing slopes. Maybe your mind goes to the Canary Islands, where vines huddle for shelter amongst powerful winds and Sharpie-colored volcanic earth. Or perhaps you give a nod to the vineyards of Salta, sitting closer to the heavens than us oenophiles on Earth. Though all feats of viticultural wizardry, my choice is perhaps less obvious, purely because it is so obvious. This wine takes up large plots of real estate on grocery store shelves and has earned a reserved parking space on most by the glass lists. Yet even with this success, I consider Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, in all its turquoise- and green-labeled glory, as a most fascinating, yet unlikely champion of the hearts and taste buds of wine lovers the world over.

New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula

New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula

Consider its origin story. New Zealand is very much a New World wine country. Vines were first planted in the early 1800s, even before it was founded as a British colony in 1853, but New Zealand didn’t find its wine footing for over a century. If we zero in on Marlborough specifically, the first Sauvignon Blanc vines that brought the region oenological fame were not planted until 1975. (To put that in context, California, another infant in the long history of winemaking, was already winning international recognition at the Judgment of Paris around the same time.) Before Montana (now Brancott Estate) planted these original vines, the consensus was that grapes could not ripen on the chilly South Island. How wrong that wisdom was, as we’ve all seen in the expeditious rise of this little experiment.

We must also consider the terroir. New Zealand sits alone in an isolated corner of the Pacific Ocean. Its closest neighbor is Australia, which lies approximately 2,000 miles away, and it is consistently pummeled by the maritime breezes bounding off the icy Tasman sea. The islands receive intense bouts of sun laced with some of the highest ultraviolet rays in the world. To intensify the extreme natural circumstances further, the country rests squarely on the boundary between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which creates both geologically diverse soils and up to fifteen thousand earthquakes per year.

Vineyards in Marlborough

Vineyards in Marlborough

Then we arrive at the wine itself. Let us jump in our time machines, travel back a few hundred years and pour a goblet of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc to the most esteemed winemakers of the Loire Valley. Would they recognize it as the grape born of their region? Or would they cast it off as a bastardized version of their time-tested style? The wine’s unique aroma and flavor profile is another enigma of its success. The novice wine drinker may not clamor for flavors of grass and bell pepper, though I doubt she would be horrified by reading these notes on the back of a label. But sweaty, stalky and punctuated by cat pee? It is difficult to imagine the success of a wine marked by these traits, yet here we are, transfixed by this wine from the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is an oxymoron. It transfixes me in its unconventional conventionality. It is born of a grape known across continents, climates and time, yet is entirely idiosyncratic. It is a 20th century “invention” nudged on by a risk-taking winery, but primarily by Mother Nature herself. There were no crossings, no hybrids, no labs; there was just a revelatory eruption of pure New Zealand flavor.

What gives our lovable underdog its edge? What allows the Sauvignon Blanc grape to thrive at the end of the earth? What creates the complexity and concentration of its unique feline flavors? Scientists have a few ideas.

Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown, New Zealand

Winemakers and researchers have been working to unwrap its riddles since the early 2000s. The aptly titled New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Programme is a collaboration between The Universities of Auckland and Lincoln, NZ Winegrowers and local winery partners. They have delved into the science of Sauvignon Blanc and have gained a better understanding of the chemical compounds that make up the sensory attributes of this wine. They have looked at how the unique Marlborough terroir—the cool breezes, the intense sunlight, the native yeasts and soils—creates a Sauvignon Blanc expression different than anywhere else in the world.

Their research has also revealed how much more Marlborough has to offer. To those who peg the region and its wines as one-trick-ponies, taste the differences within. Marlborough’s diversity lies in the baseball-sized river rocks of the northern Wairau Valley. These rocks absorb the sun’s powerful rays and ripen grapes that are rife with ruby red grapefruit and exotic passionfruit. Or try an intensely herbaceous expression from the windblown Awatere, which yields wines with crunchy capsicum and tomato leaves. For a revelatory treat, try an age-worthy example, like Brancott Estate’s Chosen Rows. It would be hard to imagine the Sauvignon Blanc experts of the Old World turning up their noses at a wine vibrating with so much energy and finesse.

Punakaiki,New Zealand

Punakaiki,New Zealand

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is an underdog that has already proven its success in its few decades of existence, though the region is just beginning to reveal all it has to offer. At this years’ Society of Wine Educators Conference, my mission is to inject a renewed fascination in Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc into the palates and imaginations of all who attend my seminar, Cat Pee By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet: Understanding Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. We will explore the findings of the research program to better understand the wine’s unique aromas and flavors, delve into the differences between its varying subregions and taste the fine examples that have resulted from this heightened understanding of Marlborough and its beloved Sauvignon Blanc.

Christine Dalton, CSW

Christine Dalton, CSW

Christine Dalton is a member of Pernod Ricard Winemakers’ International Graduate Wine Ambassador Program, based in Southern California. As representative of the Pernod Ricard wine portfolio, she has spent time learning and working vintage in Rioja, Spain, Sonoma, California, the Barossa Valley, Australia and Marlborough, New Zealand. Originally from the Washington D.C. metro area, she previously wrote for Wine Spectator magazine as an Assistant Editor, and volunteered at the Astor Center at Astor Wines & Spirits in New York City.

She began formal wine training with an introductory wine course at Cornell University while working toward a dual degree in Government and American Studies. She is a Certified Specialist of Wine with the SWE and also holds a WSET Advanced with Distinction certification.

Christine’s session, Cat Pee By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet: Understanding Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, will be offered on Wednesday, August 15, 2018 at 10:30 am as part of the 42nd Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators to be held in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.