Category Archives: Conference Preview 2018

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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 Edward Korry, CHE, CSS, CWE, who tells us about his  upcoming session titled “Roussillon: An Ancient and Reemerging Wine Region”.

The rocky shore alongside vineyards in Banyuls

I had the great privilege and enjoyment to be on a master class wine educational trip with colleagues to the Roussillon in the summer of 2017, hosted by Eric Aracil, director of the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon (CIVR). While intense, it was eye opening. We were so well treated and as reflecting most wine producers everywhere, we met some of the most generous, warm and humble of people. We tasted, ate (boy did we gourmandize) and drank well, soaking in as much as possible in the week spent there.

Roussillon is a small and beautiful part of the French Mediterranean surrounded by three mountain ranges. With the two year-old reorganization of France’s state (département) system, Roussillon is no longer politically the Pyrénnées Orientales but is now part of the Occitanie département.  While it is usually connected to its northerly much larger wine growing neighbor of Languedoc, only a small percentage of its wines wines fall under the Pays d’Oc appellation. But, it is culturally, linguistically, and historically distinct as it only became assimilated into France with the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659. Known as Haut Catalanie, a third of the population still speaks Catalan and another twenty percent understands it. Its capital, Perpignan, was formerly the capital of the Kingdom of Majorca which included Spanish Catalonia.

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While viticulture has been practiced for 28 centuries beginning with the ancient Greeks, it was subsequently influenced by Romans, Visigoths, Spanish, Catalan and the French. Arguably one of the greatest influencers was Arnaud de Villeneuve (Arnau de Vilanova) who led the development of mutage or fortification of wine in 1285.

What I didn’t know was that, in addition to being the rector if the University of Montpellier, he was the court physician to the King of Majorca in Perpignan so it is no wonder that Roussillon developed this style of wines with its aromatic varieties including the Muscat de Rivesaltes and Grenache. What also allowed for the growth of this industry were the development of the Midi Canal in the 17^th century and the opening of the railways to market its wines to the rest of France in the 19^th century.

The fortified wines or Vins doux Naturels of Roussillon represent over 80% of all fortified wines produced in France, but only 20% of its own current wine production.  The breadth and depth of the VdNs is truly amazing—from the fresh and floral Muscats de Rivesaltes and the plummy, blackberry freshness of the Grenats (Grenache) of Maury, Rivesaltes and the rimages (vintage-dated reds) of Banyuls, to the complex oxidized iterations of aged tuilé, ambré, hors d’age and rancio wines of these appellations.

Schistous soils with little topsoil

The fortification differs in Roussillon from other fortified wines, in that the neutral pure grape spirit (at 96%) used to produce these wines results in fortified wines of lower alcohol—such as 14.5% min abv—than those of Port or Madeira. Those attending my SWE Conference session in Rochester this summer will be able to taste a sampling of these delicious and complex wines. One of the wines I will unfortunately not be able to show is the rancio style, which represents a tiny fraction of VdNs but they certainly connected dots for me to the wines made in the areas along the Mediterranean and most notably Jerez/ Sherry. Touring cellars in Latour De France, for example, and tasting a vertical sample of vintage ambré wines that have up to 60+ years of barrel maturation was both memorable and revelatory- the kind of experience leaving a permanent imprint on one’s sensory memories.

While Roussillon has been best known for its VdN’s, it is the development of its dry wines that have recently captured wine lovers’ and critics’ attention. This more expansive and recent development is unfortunately due, in large measure, to the global decline in fortified wine sales and the need for winegrowers to survive. One serendipitous consequence of having dry wines is that we can detect greater differences between the various terroirs. Roussillon has many different terroirs shaped by different microclimates, altitudes, soils, sun exposure, heat and winds.

Image Source: CIVR

The reason for my emphasis on Roussillon’s distinctiveness from its neighbors is that it translates to a large degree in its wines. Roussillon is shaped like an amphitheater ringed by three mountain ranges, the Corbières, the Pyrennees and the Albères, leading to the Mediterranean. It is has three main rivers (Agly, the Têt and the Tech) forming three distinct valleys.

This topography reflects numerous geological upheavals resulting in a wide diversity of microclimates and soils. While its climate is Mediterranean, with an average of 317 days of sunshine, it has the advantage of seven cooling and (mostly) drying winds, which enables winegrowers to maintain organic and biodynamic practices. (The Vent de l’Espagne is an exception as it brings humidity from the Mediterranean). In fact, the region ranks first in France as a percentage of these practices in France. Its soils are primarily granitic, schistous, gneiss, limestone, with rocky pebbles and sand. The primary wind is the Tramontane that plays a similar role to the Mistral.

Roussillon has 18 distinct appellations (AOPs and IGPs). The most prolific of the AOPs is the Côtes du Roussillon, while the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages represents about 11% of the total production. There are 4 designated village appellations within this category, three of which—Tautavel, Latour de France, and Les Aspres—will be part of the tasting line-up at my session at the SWE Conference in Rochester.

Jean Francois Deu

There are 2,200 small, family vineyards with an average size of 25 acres with 350 private producers but with 75% of wine production driven by 25 co-operatives. What we witnessed in Roussillon is the impact of investments, outside expertise, the application of the most innovative technology while maintaining a focus on the vineyard. Examples of outsider investments include Gérard Bertrand, Michel Chapoutier and David Phinney of Orin Swift fame. Innovation applies to the co-ops such as Les Vignerons de Tautavel Vingrau Co-op and its Syrousse wines. At Chateau de l’Ou the owner and winemaker, Séverine Bourrier learned her craft in Bordeaux. The farming is organic, but she employs small stainless steel fermenters for individual plots, concrete eggs and uses a punch down technique with her own bare hands for over 90 barriques of Syrah where the heads of the barrels have been removed. Not good for one’s hands!

We saw the most amazing vineyards—some of which could only be reached via 4-wheel drive—in Banyuls, where everything needs to be done by hand due to the steepness of slopes and the tenuousness of the soil. Over 80% of Roussillon’s vineyards are on slopes up to 2,100 feet in altitude. I will never forget walking through vineyards of old Grenache vines with winery owner Jean Francois Deu, who walked around the sharp friable schistous rocky vineyards in his bare feet, with his wry and irreverent humor. His vineyards, which are certified biodynamic, reflect the man- hardy, self-sufficient and yielding something wonderful for all of us to enjoy. The very minimal topsoil needs to be continuously hand-collected after significant rainfall from lower levels, collected and spread over the vineyard again.  His winery is aptly named the Domaine du Traginer, which translated from Catalan, means The Mule Worker’s Domain. And, while his persistence and obstinacy may have mulish characteristics, the name reflects practices he employs- he has a mule to help him along with a flock of sheep that roam free.

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The reds not only have great balance and distinct varietal characteristics but include the aromas of the garrigue.  Garrigue is the French word for the scrubland one finds in southern France and is comprised of different wild growing plants, herbs and flowers. Particularly widespread are wild fennel, wild thyme, rosemary, cistus or rockrose, lavender, olive and holm oak trees. One smells these aromas in the air, and their volatile aromatic compounds attach themselves to the skins of maturing grapes that lend added aromatic complexity to the wines, giving them a greater sense of place.

While there were very many delicious Grenache red and rosé wines we prized, for me the Carignan Noir wines were most revelatory. Normally associated as being very tannic and lacking defined fruit character, the wines based or blended with Carignan had deep violet floral notes and intense black fruit flavors with rounded spicy tannins. Examples included Ferrer Ribiere’s Carignan Noir 2014 from 140 year old vines and Roc des Anges Relief 2014 from the Côtes de Roussillon and Côtes de Roussillon Villages. We found some ome outstanding blends of Grenache Noir, its clone Lladoner Pelut, Carignan and Syrah— including Domaine des Schistes, which we will taste as well.

Critics unanimously praise many of the wines of Roussillon whether in their newer dry iterations or for the VdN treasures that are so relatively inexpensive. They have character, reflect a particular sense of place, of history and of culture and above all reflect man’s indomitable will to contour and bend nature to produce special and unique wines.

Ed’s session, Roussillon: An Ancient and Reemerging Wine Region, will be held on Thursday, August 16, 2018 at 4:45 pm as part of the 42^nd  Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators.

About the presenter: Edward Korry is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Beverage & Dining Service Department in the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. Edward is a Certified Hospitality Educator, Certified Wine Educator, a Certified Specialist of Spirits, a registered tutor of the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, a Formador Homologado del Vino de Jérèz (Certified Sherry Wine Educator), and a certified Bordeaux Wine Educator. In addition, Edward served as President of the Society of Wine Educators 2014-2016, and as an executive board member of the US Bartenders Guild Master Accreditation program. He also leads the judging for the prestigious industry food & beverage VIBE Vista Awards, and is a wine judge at international competitions. He teaches and has developed classes that specialize in wine, beer, spirits, mixology, coffee, tea, and restaurant management. He championed the development and implementation of beverage and sommelier concentrations/minors at Johnson & Wales University. Edward lectures at national and international conferences,and writes beverage articles at home and abroad. He worked and managed in the hotel/restaurant industry prior to joining Johnson & Wales in 1983 as Food & Beverage Director for several of the university’s practicum properties.

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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.

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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 15^th 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™”.

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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

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 42^nd Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators to be held in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.

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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 42^nd 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.

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

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

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 20^th 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

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

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 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 42^nd Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators to be held in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.

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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 Don Kinnan, CSS, CWE. 

There is perhaps no vinous rivalry more intense and long-standing in Burgundy than that between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune.  Both villages serve as namesakes for their prominent wine districts, Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune.  Both are major wine producing villages with highly rated vineyards in the respected Burgundy wine classification hierarchy.  Within Burgundy’s hallowed Côte d’Or, no other villages can match the number of premier cru vineyard climats of Nuits (41) and Beaune (42).

During the SWE Conference in August, 2018, a courtroom format will be used to present the two villages’ cases for supremacy.  Some of that evidence is included below just to stimulate your unquenchable thirst for knowledge.  However, during the live presentation in August, be prepared for some surprises as certain facts may be challenged, objections will be made and ruled upon, and the jury (the audience) will give its verdict.

Map of the Côte de Nuits via www.bourgogne-wines.com

Nuits-Saint-Georges

Nuits-Saint-Georges sits at the southern end of the famous Côte de Nuits, Burgundy’s most acclaimed red wine producing district.  The reputation of the Côte de Nuits’ wine quality is firmly based upon its superlative “terroirs”.  Complex Middle Jurassic limestone-infused marls have been shuffled like cards in a deck of cards to create indelible stamps of individuality and potential greatness in Côte de Nuits red wines. The hand of the winemaker is sparingly and gently applied, so as not to disturb the subtle “terroir” signature of the wine’s growing site.

Nuits-Saint-Georges is blessed with tremendous diversity and wealth within its Middle Jurassic soil packages as attested to by its award of 41 premiers crus under Burgundy’s classification system.  With a vineyard area that stretches nearly 4 miles, longer than any other Côte d’Or village, Nuits has 3 major “terroir” packages within its boundaries.

The vineyard area north of the village proper, sometimes referred to as Côte Vosne (because of its proximity to Vosne-Romanée), tends to produce wines of greater elegance and finesse than Nuits’ other sectors.

The middle section of vineyards, just south of the town, is considered the best part of the commune.  Here one finds the very esteemed premiers crus, Les Saint-Georges, Les Cailles, and Les Vaucrains, all candidates for Grand Cru status.

Finally, further south, in the village of Premeaux, lies Nuits’ third vineyard sector.  Here, the soil is shallower, the slope steeper, and the Jurassic layers beginning to transition to those most commonly found in the Côte de Beaune.  As a result, the normally richer, sturdier style of Nuits wine becomes more austere, a little rough around the edges, and maybe with a touch of the maverick.

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The wines of Nuits have a long history of fame and royal patronage.  Most notable is King Louis XIV’s conversion to Nuits wine at the recommendation of his personal physician, Monsieur Guy-Crescent Fagon in 1698 AD.  After taking his doctor’s advice, the king, who had been ill, returned to good health.  More recently, in 1971, the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges became enshrined on Earth’s moon when the Apollo 15 astronauts named the crater at their landing site, “St-George” in honor of Nuits-Saint-Georges wine.  Later that year, the Apollo 15 astronauts visited the town of Nuits and were made honorary citizens.

Like Beaune, Nuits is a commercial center, as well as, a wine village.  Population-wise, Nuits, with approximately 5,500 residents, is about one fourth the size of Beaune.  It does sit astride the major autoroute from Paris and serves as a center for wine shippers, brokers, negociants, cooperages, crémant producers, liqueur makers, and other service industries.  Just as Beaune has its Hospices de Beaune, Nuits has its Hospices de Nuits, a charitable organization founded in 1692 AD and devoted to the support of local hospitals.

The ultimate test of wine supremacy, especially in Burgundy, rests with the demonstrated excellence of the growing sites or “terroirs”.  In the hands of respectful “caretakers”, wine produced from these sites will translate into original and universally admired wine, vintage after vintage.  Nuits-Saint-Georges has clearly demonstrated this trait ever since the monks began to produce wine from their Clos St-Georges vineyard in 1093 AD.

However, you be the judge.  Come to the SWE Conference in 2018, attend this session, and taste the wines for yourself.  Then decide who is supreme—Nuits-Saint-Georges or Beaune.

Map of the Côte de Beaune via www.bourgogne-wines.com

Beaune

Beaune is the historic center of Burgundy’s wine trade.  Many of the major wine merchant houses are headquartered there, such as, Louis Jadot, Louis Latour, Bouchard Pere et Fils, Champy, and Joseph Drouhin.  Most of these firms have cellars under the streets of this ancient walled town.   Beaune’s origin goes back to 40 A. D. when it was a Roman settlement lying astride the main access roads into the heart of Gaul.  Today, with a population of 23,000, it is Burgundy’s largest commercial center and annually hosts the famous wine auction of the Hospices de Beaune.

The vineyards of Beaune appear as majestic as the town itself.  Most of the vineyards are arrayed on a looming slope just to the west of the town.  This is where the 42 premier cru sites are found.  Beaune has more premiers crus than any other village appellation in the Côte d’Or, a true testimony to its superb “terroir”.  The slope is fairly contiguous and is generally southeast facing as it extends in a north-south direction.  The relative uniformity of the slope, along with its exposure and geology, result in a similarity of wine style among the various premiers crus.  However, though sometimes more discreet, distinctions and differences are there.

The premier cru slope is normally discussed by dividing it into 3 sections, the north, the center, and the south.  Soils are thinner in the north, possessing more gravel in the center, and with more limestone mixed with sand in the south.  Mid-slope sites in the south become very stony, but lower down there is more clay and less gravel.  There are also pockets of whitish marls which accommodate white grapes , especially in the Clos Des Mouches and Les Grèves premiers crus.

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Beaune is the Côte d’Or’s second largest producing red wine village, just behind Gevrey-Chambertin.  The wines of Beaune are internationally recognized for their approachability and value.  They consistently display lovely perfumes and lively red fruits, with a finely-knitted gentle structure.  Of course, there are many examples of more intense wine with substantial complexity and depth. We invite you to attend the SWE session at this year’s conference to discover the beauty and diversity of this wonderful appellation.

The session—Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Nuits vs Beaune—will be held on Thursday, 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. The presenters will be Don Kinnan CSS, CWE; Nicholas Poletto CSS, CSW, DipWSET; and Missi Holle CSS, CWE, WSET III