.

Today we have a preview of a session to be presented during SWE’s 43rd Annual Conference, which will take place on August 14-16, 2019 in Washington, DC. Our guest author is Allison Jordan, who—along with Mollie Battenhouse, MW—is co-leading a conference session entitled “The California Table – Wine Leads the Way in Sustainable Agriculture.”

Consumers, retailers and restaurants are increasingly interested in how their food and wine is grown and made. In fact, 2019 consumer research by Wine Intelligence – commissioned by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and partner organizations from New York, Oregon and Washington – indicates high interest in purchasing sustainably produced wine in the future, a favorable perception of sustainable certification programs and certification logos, and a willingness to pay more for sustainably produced wine, particularly by Millennials and Gen Z. For instance, Millennials lead the way in purchasing from sustainably and environmentally produced wine, and nine in 10 indicated that they are “willing to pay” more for sustainably produced wine. U.S wine consumers indicated they would be “willing to pay” an average of $3 extra value for a sustainably produced wine. In addition, younger consumers (Millennials and Gen Z of legal drinking age) are significantly more engaged with sustainability, viewed as increasingly important to protect the future, and indicate that sustainable wine certifications have a strong appeal.

.

But do consumers even understand what sustainable winegrowing is? How do sustainable practices impact wine quality? What role does certification play? And can wine educators and trade explain it in less than 30 seconds?

For nearly two decades, California vineyards and wineries have been leaders in the sustainable agriculture movement, with 85% of California wine now made in a Certified California Sustainable Winery. Other specialty crops in the state are also embracing sustainability. Join Allison Jordan and Mollie Battenhouse as they share insights about the sustainable wine and food movement in California and beyond; explore the link between sustainable practices and wine quality; reveal new domestic and international consumer research findings; and convey trade tips for communicating sustainability to consumers.

.

California food and wine’s commitment to environmentally and socially responsible agriculture is documented in a new book, Wine Country Table – Recipes Celebrating California’s Sustainable Harvest, which provides a culinary tour of California by region highlighting the state’s vintners and farmers, their amazing stories, commitment to land stewardship and sustainable practices, along and 50 recipes paired with wine. Mollie and Allison will also lead a tasting of wines from a half dozen wineries featured in Wine Country Table:*

1. Handley Cellars │ 2016 Brut Rose Estate Vineyard
2. Tablas Creek │ 2017 Cotes de Tablas Blanc
3. Cambria Estate Winery │ 2017 Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay
4. Chamisal Vineyards │ 2017 Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir
5. Ridge Vineyards │ 2017 East Bench Zinfandel
6. Turley Wine Cellars │ 2016 Turley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

*Each member of the audience will receive a complimentary copy of Wine Country Table – Recipes Celebrating California’s Sustainable Harvest, written by Janet Fletcher with photography by Robert Holmes and Sara Remington and published by Rizzoli New York in 2019.

Allison Jordan, California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance

About the speaker: Allison Jordan:  Allison Jordan is Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Vice President, Environmental Affairs for Wine Institute, where she is responsible for oversight of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program and Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE). Jordan represents Wine Institute on the National Grape Research Alliance board of directors and the California Environmental Dialogue Plenary. Previously, she was a Senior Associate at SureHarvest and Vice President and Acting Executive Director of Resource Renewal Institute. Jordan holds a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School at UC Berkeley and a Psychology B.A. from Allegheny College, and is a fellow in the German Marshall Fund’s American Marshall Memorial Fellowship program. Jordan and her husband are founding partners of Giordano Bros., a San Francisco restaurant group.

Mollie Battenhouse, MW, Jackson Family Wines

About the speaker: Mollie Battenhouse, MW:  Mollie Battenhouse graduated cum laude from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, but the pace and energy of restaurants beckoned, and she made it her mission to assemble a stellar resume. She enrolled in The Culinary Institute of America and graduated at the top of her class. She would go on to work at acclaimed restaurants like Payard Patisserie and Bistro and Pondicherry in New York City. Battenhouse’s move into wine began with a part-time job at Joshua Wesson’s Best Cellars wine shop in Manhattan. Battenhouse found her home in wine at the store; what started as a part-time gig turned into an eight-year tenure. She returned to the restaurant world to work as head sommelier at Tribeca Grill, where she was responsible for maintaining a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list.

Following Tribeca Grill, Mollie moved to the distribution side of the business, and became the Director of Sales and Business Development for V.O.S. Selections in New York and New Jersey. The Education side of the business came calling, and Mollie went to work for Jackson Family Wines in 2016, where she is currently the National Director of Wine Education.

“Sustainable Winegrowing in California” will be presented on Friday, August 16, 2019, at 3:00 pm as part of SWE’s 43rd Annual Conference, which will take place on August 14-16, 2019 in Washington, DC.

.

Today we have a conference preview from David Glancy, MS, CWE, FWS, CSS. In this post, David tells us about his upcoming session—entitled “New and Pending California AVAs and Trends”—covering the latest news (and there is a lot) of the wines of California. David’s session will be offered as part SWE’s 43rd Annual Conference, to be held August 14 – 16 in Washington DC.

California wine is easy, the grape’s on the label, right? Wrong! The only constant is change and California wine country is more diverse and complex than most realize. Many of you studying for CWE, WSET, MS, MW and WSG programs spend far more time dissecting the minutiae of European wine regions than those in your own backyard.

.

The basics of AOs versus AVAs is lost on many people and in fact I almost never hear anyone discussing AOs. I have heard very advanced wine industry people talking about counties that are AVAs. Well, there are none, they are separate things. A county, state or country can be an Appellation of Origin and an American Viticultural Area is a more specific type of AO with more strict labeling requirements. Some confusion has been created by the approval of the Mendocino AVA inside Mendocino County, Monterey AVA in Monterey County and San Benito AVA in San Benito County. But to be clear, these AVAs are all significantly smaller than the county lines (the AOs).

There have been a tremendous number of new AVAs approved in recent years. California has 139 AVAs and 26 of them were approved 2011-2018, a 23 percent increase. 5 regions have also mandated Conjunctive Labeling. Are all of these AVAs meaningful? What are the climates, soils, predominant grapes and most important wineries? Chances are most people have not seen a label with the AVA names Los Olivos District or Petaluma Gap on it.

.

Is this AVA expansion slowing down? I don’t think so. There are also 9 pending AVAs in California alone. Who knows how many are being discussed but not yet submitted to the Tax & Trade Bureau? West Sonoma Coast is expected to be finalized any day, while San Luis Obispo Coast is in the back of the line. It will be interesting to conjecture about where the next AVAs might or should be.

At least AVAs are much simpler to understand than AOCs, DOCGs, DOs, DACs, etc.. Well, there are now a few California regions with Old World style rules with trademarked label terms that include strict regulations. We will discuss and taste selections from Coro Mendocino, Lodi Native and the Ballard Canyon Estate Syrah bottle mold.

.

The launch of the CSWA Sustainable Wine logo is also new. We will see and taste an example of this, also. Well, we won’t actually taste the label. There are also perhaps a dozen new grape varieties in the ground over the last 20 years. This CA update will cover those and discuss where these and other new grapes are best suited. Climate change has to be part of the agenda and if there are any grapes that will likely decline. There have also been excise tax changes that might end up impacting labeling laws. Competition has also changed with commercial wineries in all 50 United States and a handful of them expanding at a faster rate than California. China has had a meteoric rise in its acreage and production and Trade wars have also impacted California’s foreign markets. This conference session is only 75 minutes long so register for conference, sign up for my session, and buckle up for a ride through what’s new and pending in California wine!

About the speaker: David Glancy, MS, CWE, FWS, CSS founded the San Francisco Wine School in 2011 to create the ideal educational setting from the ground up. He is one of only twelve people in the world to hold both the revered Master Sommelier diploma and Certified Wine Educator credential. A certified French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Professional, and Certified Specialist of Spirits, Glancy has earned the credential for every program he teaches, and more. In 2012 he created the California Wine Appellation Specialist program and credential to fill a glaring void in the educational market. David’s session, “New and Pending California AVAs and Trends ” will be held on Friday, August 16 at 1:15 pm as part of the Society of Wine Educator’s 43rd Annual Conference, to be held in Washington DC.

Are you a conference speaker that would like to share a preview of your session? Contact Jane A. Nickles at jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org

.

Today we have a preview of a session to be presented during  the 42^nd Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators which will take place on August 15–17, 2018 in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Our guest authors are David Glancy and Allison Jordan, who are co-leading an upcoming session entitled Sustainable Winegrowing: Beyond Bugs and Cow Horns.

Red, White, and…Green?

We know Sustainable, Organic and Biodynamic winegrowing approaches can benefit the environment and communities. But what do these terms mean? How do we explain it to a consumer? And how do these approaches impact wine quality?

While there is some overlap between the three categories— soil and pest management, for example—sustainable winegrowing is the most comprehensive approach. Sustainability addresses more than 200 best practices for environmental stewardship, energy and water efficiency, healthy soils, wildlife habitat conservation, responsible pest management, good relationships with employees and neighbors, vibrant communities and more. A variety of educational and certification programs have hastened the adoption of sustainable practices by growers and vintners in California and around the world.

.

With increasing consumer interest in how food and beverages are grown and produced, a growing number of retailers and restaurants are choosing wines based, in part, on wineries’ environmental and social practices. The wine industry is already well positioned to respond to this global trend and in marketplace attention to supply chain transparency. Growers and vintners are also using sustainable practices and certification programs to distinguish themselves in a rapidly changing and competitive marketplace. Currently, 73% of winecase production in California (208 million cases) is produced in a Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE) winery; and nearly one-quarter of the state’s winegrape acreage is CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE, with another 10%+ vineyard acreage certified to other certification programs.

To the consumer, and even to wine professionals, this well-intentioned response can be slightly confusing. What is required for each program? What do the various logos mean? What are the differences and similarities between Biodynamic, Organic, and Sustainable? The increased adoption of these three approaches is resulting in more focus on soil health, precision irrigation, and overall attention to the vines – resulting in some very happy grapes. But does that translate to the wine?

Join David and Allison to explore these ideas and more, while tasting sustainably-produced wines and hearing about the wineries’ sustainable practices and certifications, on Friday, August 17 at 8:45 am as part of SWE’s 42^nd Annual Conference to be held in the Finger Lakes area of New York State.

.

About the speaker—David Glancy:  David Glancy founded San Francisco Wine School in 2011 to create the ideal educational setting from the ground up. He is one of only twelve people in the world to hold both the revered Master Sommelier diploma and Certified Wine Educator credential. A certified French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Professional, and Certified Specialist of Spirits, Glancy has earned the credential for every program he teaches, and more. In 2012 he created the California Wine Appellation Specialist program and credential to fill a glaring void in the educational market.

Previously he managed restaurants in the Bay Area and abroad, taught wine and business management at Le Cordon Bleu’s California Culinary Academy, conceived and launched the Sommelier Program at the former Professional Culinary Institute, served on the editorial board of Sommelier Journal and was a 3-term member on the board of directors for the Society of Wine Educators. Currently he is on the advisory board for SommCon and the American Institute of Wine & Food.

.

About the speaker— Allison Jordan: Allison Jordan is the Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and Vice President, Environmental Affairs for Wine Institute, where she is responsible for oversight of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program and Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE). Jordan represents Wine Institute on the National Grape Research Alliance board of directors and the California Environmental Dialogue Plenary. Previously, she was a Senior Associate at SureHarvest and Vice President and Acting Executive Director of Resource Renewal Institute. Jordan holds a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School at UC Berkeley and a Psychology B.A. from Allegheny College, and is a fellow in the German Marshall Fund’s American Marshall Memorial Fellowship program. Jordan and her husband are founding partners of Giordano Bros., a San Francisco restaurant group.