Wine, Wit, and Wisdom

Photo via foldedhills.com/vineyards

Today we have a guest post from Sam Schmitt, CWE, CS. Sam—one of our favorite speakers and well-known to SWE conference attendees—is currently serving as the General Manager at Folded Hills Winery in California’s Santa Ynez Valley. Sam gives us a preview of his upcoming presentation, “Warm and Cool Climate Influence on Rhône varietals in the New World — An Upside Down Comparison.” Trey Busch, co-owner and winemaker at Sleight of Hand Cellars in Washington State’s Walla Walla Valley AVA will be Sam’s co-presenter (more on this later). This session will be presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators. The conference is scheduled for August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA). 

It is widely accepted in the northern hemisphere that cool wine growing climates are found in higher latitudes approaching 50º N, and warmer wine growing climates are found in lower latitudes approaching 30º N. After all, 50º N is more than halfway from the equator to the North Pole.  But intuition is confounded by the natural landscape along the North American Pacific Coast where the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the North American Plate has created some of the finest wine growing climates in the world, albeit somewhat upside down!

California’s Central Coast extends along the corridor between the Pacific Ocean and the hillsides and valleys of the Coast Range Mountains between Santa Cruz, just south of San Francisco down to Santa Barbara County, just west of Los Angeles. Along this roughly 100 mile stretch of territory, topography and cold Pacific Ocean influences produce continuously-changing local climates.  The cold Monterrey Peninsula evolves to warm, almost hot, midway in Paso Robles, then turns cool again just a few miles south in San Luis Obispo until you reach the Santa Ynez Valley, at the Central Coast’s southernmost point. Here, in the span of 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean eastward, we have examples virtually every growing climate present in France, all within a single AVA.

Photo via foldedhills.com/vineyards

Santa Ynez Valley (SYV) is Folded Hill’s home AVA. SYV is unique among the world’s wine growing regions due to its location in California where the Pacific Ocean borders the region on both the West and the South. Tectonic influences in this area have created a rare transverse series of mountain ranges with their valleys predominantly open to the west out to the Pacific Ocean.  Moving inland, average daily temperatures rise approximately 1ºF for every mile you move east of the shoreline. For this reason, Santa Ynez Valley AVA has given rise to several nested AVAs from West to East each with distinct terroir personalities —the cool Sta. Rita Hills AVA to the west, the warm Ballard Canyon AVA and Los Olivos District AVA in the mid-section, and the very-warm-to-hot in Happy Canyon AVA to the East.

Thanks to the pop culture phenomenon of the 2004 movie “Sideways,” most people know Santa Ynez Valley as an epicenter for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which is expressed most impressively in the Sta. Rita Hills. Sta. Rita Hills takes the first full brunt of the cold Pacific Ocean breezes and frequent marine layer cloud cover because the valley opens directly to the sea. As you travel inland, you quickly discover that Santa Ynez Valley is home to a cornucopia of celebrated grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Sangiovese, Vermentino, Tempranillo, and virtually the entire catalog of Rhône varietals, especially Syrah and Grenache.

Folded Hill’s Winery, established by Andrew Busch, Great Grandson of Annheuser-Busch founder Adolphus Busch, has the distinction of being the southernmost vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, sitting just inside the AVA perimeter along the base of the Santa Ynez Mountain range. It is also one of a handful of vineyards in SYV that is more significantly influenced by the Pacific Ocean from the south rather than the west — in fact, it is the closest vineyard to the Pacific Ocean in all of SYV, just four miles away from the shoreline.  This location creates a very uncommon terroir and microclimate that turns out to be ideal for growing Rhône varietals — in an uncharacteristic otherwise cool climate.

In fact, although the vineyard is located at 34º 32’ N, its Regional Winkler Classification is 1b, in the company of Burgundy and the Willamette Valley. Common wisdom suggests that region 1b—with average daily temperatures well below 62ºF—would be far too cold to reliably ripen Syrah and Grenache year after year. But Folded Hills’ location within SYV’s unusual terrain allows it to perform more like a mid-region II location—more like the Northern Rhône—by virtue of a growing season that starts in mid-March most years and extends into early November with a daily average temperature between 63ºF and 64ºF before fall/winter precipitation becomes a threat. Additionally, we experience relatively low temperature variation between winter and summer and wide diurnal ranges consistently spanning 35ºF to 40ºF throughout the growing season.

Photo via sofhcellars.com/vineyards

The other half of this story is Sleight of Hand Cellars, founded by Trey Busch, Great-Great Grandson of Adolphus Busch’s brother, Ulrich — however, Andy and Trey just discovered they were distant cousins this past winter! Sleight of Hand Cellars is located in Washington State’s Walla Walla Valley AVA—in the Southeast corner of the greater Columbia Valley AVA—and also produces exceptional Rhône varietal wines, but in a very different climate.

Walla Walla Valley, like much of the greater Columbia Valley is greatly influenced by the rain shadow created by the Cascade Mountain range separating eastern Washington from the Pacific Ocean.  This magnitude of the Cascade Mountain rain shadow has given rise to an unusually dry, almost hot, arid desert over most of the Columbia Valley. Like Folded Hills, Sleight of Hand’s Regional Winkler Classification is a counter-intuitive Region II (almost region III) despite it’s vineyards being between 46º 01’ N and 46º 18’ N latitude — roughly the same as Mâcon in Burgundy, which just as far inland from the French Atlantic coast as Walla Walla is from the Pacific Coast in Washington—but Mâcon is rated as a cool 1b Region.  However, similar to Burgundy, Walla Walla’s climate behaves more Continental with sharper temperature changes between seasons and much hotter mid-summer month high temperatures.  A key difference is that Walla Walla does not experience the precipitation and extreme weather of a fully Continental climate, which ultimately classifies it as hot-Mediterranean due to its long dry summers and mild winters.  In addition, the average growing season day in Walla Walla boasts more than 2 hours of additional sunlight than Santa Ynez Valley. These extended daylight hours have an equally significant, favorable impact on the phenolic profile at harvest which are remarkably different than similar warm/hot New World regions that feature Rhône varietals such as Paso Robles, CA and Barossa Valley, Australia, both of which are closer to 34ºN and S respectively and have fewer sunlight hours daily than Walla Walla throughout the growing season.

Photo via sofhcellars.com/vineyards

In Rhône varieties—Syrah in particular—these (upside down) terroir influences have a profound impact on their expression in our respective wines. The exceptionally long, relatively even growing season at Folded Hills yields fruit at full phenolic ripeness with bright, almost vibrant, acidity, fine grained textural tannins, complex red-black fruit and baking spice driven flavors, delicate almost floral aromas, with medium body and jewel-toned colors developed over a slow, even growing cycle.  The warmer, but longer daylight growing season at Sleight of Hand yields fruit at full phenolic ripeness with lively acidity, soft, supple ripe tannins, rich dark fruit and black spice flavors, pronounced complex aromas, and medium+ to full bodied wines with classic inky-deep color. Both very different, yet varietally correct for their local climactic influences — albeit “upside down” in the New World.

At the August 2022 Annual Conference, I will further discuss and illustrate the unusual natural landscape that influences Folded Hills’ vineyard site and wines in California’s Santa Ynez Valley AVA and Trey Busch, co-owner and winemaker at Sleight of Hand Cellars in Washington State’s Walla Walla Valley AVA will present the terrain and climactic influences of their vineyard sites in Walla Walla and Yakima Valley as we share a side-by-side comparative tasting of our Grenache and Syrah wines. The presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10^th at 3:00 pm. See you there!

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Today we have a guest post from Bonnie Graves, who gives us a preview of her upcoming presentation, “Post-Covid California: Sustaining and Thriving in a New Normal.” This session will be presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators. The conference is scheduled for August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA).

As we approach harvest 2022 in California, it’s useful (if painful) to look back two years to 2020—to the last weekend in September when the Glass Fire erupted near the Silverado Trail. As the wildfire moved east, many of us in the industry—holed up at home due to the pandemic—watched with horror as iconic wineries and vineyards and hotels burned. It seemed as if lockdown closures and coronavirus ravages had cruelly converged with massive wildfires to create an authentically apocalyptic moment; a massive conflagration of everything we love. It genuinely felt like the industry was doomed.

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If anything, though, the wine industry is marked by resourcefulness. The challenges of growing, making, and marketing an agricultural product in uncertain economic times are as old as the beverage itself. Over the past two years, we have seen the California wine industry not just survive but thrive. Managing drought and labor shortages in the vineyard is as critical as rethinking sales and marketing channels. Through it all, resourceful and resilient Californians have continued to make and sell great juice.

Join us as we taste through a line-up of six exemplary California wineries from six different wine-producing regions. Each is marked by a commitment not just to sustainable winegrowing practices but also by a commitment to a sustainable business model that values people as much as product. From prestige small-lot producers like Arroyo Grande’s Talley and Inman in the Russian River Valley to larger companies like Monterey’s Scheid and Shannon Ridge in Lake County, we will examine how sustainability can span varying production levels and multiple brands in meaningful ways.

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We’ll do a deep dive into the next-wave regenerative farming championed by Jason Haas at Tablas Creek in Paso Robles and discuss next-wave winemaking when an icon like Alma Rosa changes hands.  How do brands remain not just financially afloat but vibrant amidst ownership changes, challenges related to smoke exposure, and shuttered on-premise restaurants? We’ll sip and discuss strategies in a collaborative dialogue designed for educators, curious consumers and industry insiders alike.

Featured Wines Include:

1. Scheid Family Albariño (Monterey, 2021)
2. Talley Chardonnay, Estate (Arroyo Grande, 2020)
3. Inman Rosé of Pinot Noir, “Endless Crush” (Russian River, 2021)
4. Alma Rosa Pinot Noir, “El Jabali” (Santa Rita Hills, 2020)
5. Tablas Creek, “En Gobelet” (Paso Robles, 2019)
6. Shannon Ridge, “The David” (Lake County, 2019)

Bonnie’s session— Post-Covid California: Sustaining and Thriving in a New Normal—is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10^th at 10:30 am as part the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, to be held August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA).

About the speaker: Bonnie Graves is the founder, president and voice of Girl Meets Grape, a wine and lifestyle agency based in Los Angeles and launched in 2005.  Bonnie was born in Salt Lake City and raised on the Jersey shore, both areas known for many things if not the vineyards.  She graduated from Harvard magna cum laude before she could legally drink.  She collects weird rocks and old maps.  She speaks a pile of fancy languages.  She wound up a sommelier.  Bonnie worked in restaurants for 15 years before paroling herself to marry the cute guy who is now the father of her two cute kids—life works like that.  Follow Bonnie @girlmeetsgrape and visit girlmeetsgrape.com.

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Today we have a guest post from Jim Clarke, U.S. Marketing Manager for Wines of South Africa. Jim gives us a preview of his upcoming presentation, “In the Shadow of Chenin.” This session will be presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators. The conference is scheduled for August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA). 

Across the U.S., in bistros and other places with smaller wine lists, if there’s only one South African wine included, it’s likely to be Chenin Blanc; the grape has definitively taken up a position as South Africa’s flagbearer. But on retail shelves and other spots with a little more room, many other South African wines are finding homes as well.

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Among the more planted varieties Sauvignon Blanc, which makes up more than ten percent of South Africa’s vineyards, has enjoyed a two-side role in the U.S market. Imports are strong, but largely in the form of lower-tier brands that are not necessarily marketed as South African. Meanwhile, restaurant wine directors have increasingly realized that an old cliché about South African wine, that it’s “a little bit Old World, a little bit New” rings particularly true with Sauvignon. It doesn’t have the full, in-your-face tart fruit and grass of a Kiwi version, but it’s also more expressive than the citrus and mineral expressions of Sancerre. This makes it a great by-the-glass wine in markets where both those styles are popular, and this saves restaurants from having two Sauvignon Blancs open and losing their freshness. As the popularity of Sauvignon Blanc continues to grow, and especially in response to recent supply issues, these quality-driven South African Sauvignon Blancs are expanding their place in the market.

Back in South Africa more and more premium versions are appearing as more maritime areas focus their attention on the grape. Constantia and Durbanville, both a short drive from Cape Town, have made it a specialty, as has Darling, further up the West Coast. Some of the fastest growing areas for Sauvignon Blanc are in the Cape South Coast region, an area little explored for winegrowing at all until deregulation in 1992 removed a quota system that largely forbid planting there. Within the region Elgin is South Africa’s coolest climate winegrowing area, but Sauvignon Blanc plantings dot the coast all the way down to Elim in Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the African continent. These windswept vineyards produce intense Sauvignon Blancs with a strong saline character.

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Chardonnay falls in line just behind Sauvignon Blanc as South Africa’s fourth most-planted white variety, but emerged almost out of nowhere in the 1970s, when there were less than 6,000 Chardonnay vines in the whole country. It was heavily associated with the estate producers who drove quality production as the country emerged out of apartheid in the 1990s and has increasingly lived up to their aspirations. Relatively small appellations like Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde have earned outsized reputations for their Chardonnays, but so has Stellenbosch, a much larger region with corresponding more hectares of the grape.

As in other places around the world, South African Chardonnay endured a phase where oak and weight showed more in the glass than the quality and character of the fruit, but that has since passed, a process accelerated by the poor state of the South African rand; imported oak barrels have become prohibitively expensive, leading South African producers to scale back new oak use and explore alternative aging vessels. The resulting wines are more balanced and elegant, but still offer a pleasing weight and texture on the palate. Together with Chenin Blanc, South African Chardonnay demonstrates winemakers’ interest in developing mouthfeel and texture in white wines without sacrificing freshness. This is particularly true with the country’s unoaked Chardonnays. Unoaked New World Chardonnay is often a light, crisp affair, but careful control of the fermentation process and lees work lend South African examples great presence on palate. The resulting wines can still appeal to more traditional Chardonnay fans while often eliciting a response from others along the lines of, “I don’t normally care for Chardonnay, but this!”

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If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice we’ve skipped a grape somewhere. Chenin Blanc is South Africa’s most planted grape, and Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay rank third and fourth among whites. Quietly occupying the number two spot is Colombard. Varietal examples are rarely seen, however, as much of the grape goes either into bulk wine or brandy production. That is changing, and a handful of exciting examples of premium Colombard have begun to appear, especially from old vine vineyards where yields have dropped and the fruit is more concentrated. The wines are often lighter-bodied and more aromatic than the country’s Chenins and Chardonnays, but display depth and a rounded, pearly texture. There are also a few exciting examples of Colombard being used as a base for Cap Classique – traditional method sparkling wine – and a few experts have suggested this could become an intriguing niche within the fast-growing Cap Classique category.

There’s beyond Chenin, and there’s also beyond the top four planted varieties we just looked at. As winemakers explore further they’re considering and embracing a number of other varieties, mostly of Mediterranean origin. For now, these plantings are small – grapes like Clairette Blanche and Grenache Blanc occupy less than two percent of the country’s vineyards – but there are plenty of alternative varieties for the curious wine drinker to explore.

Jim’s session—In the Shadow of Chenin—is scheduled for Thursday, August 11^th at 8:45 am as part the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, to be held August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA).

About the speaker: Jim Clarke is the U.S. Marketing Manager for Wines of South Africa. Prior to joining WOSA in 2013 Jim was the wine director at Armani Ristorante and Megu, both in New York City. He is also a writer, regularly contributing to a number of trade and consumer publications including World of Fine Wine, Club Oenologique, and Fortune. In 2020 Jim received the International Louis Roederer Wine Writer Award for Feature Writing and in August of that year Wine Business Monthly named Jim as a Wine Industry Leader of the Year. Jim is the author of The Wines of South Africa, published by Infinite Ideas as part of the Classic Wine Library in July 2020.

Photo via: winesofargentina.org

Today we have a guest post from Veronica Kathuria, CSW. Veronica gives us a preview of her upcoming presentation, “Argentina: A Discovery Awaits!” This session will be presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators. The conference is scheduled for August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA). 

The quality of Argentine wine is better than ever. The uniqueness of the grapes; the immense diversity of flavors, aromas, and textures; the long winemaking history; the country’s unique terroir; and the constant bet on innovation and sustainability as the engines change, are thriving the Argentine wine industry and succeeding in producing the best wines in its history.

Naturally distinctive wines: Argentina has a wealth of natural diversity featuring different climates, geographies and cultures that have positioned the country as the fifth world’s largest wine producer, and number one for Malbec. Argentinian wineries have more than 500 years of trajectory. Viticulture was introduced to Argentina as early as the 16^th century and winemakers started to develop its vast extension. Producers have pushed the wine frontier, growing grapes wide across the territory; each wine region printing its own geological characteristics that define the wines’ identity. 92.2% of the vine surface produces grapes for wine, while 7.8% are grape varieties suitable for fresh consumption.

Argentina has vineyards in eighteen provinces, which gives rise to five wine-growing regions: North, Cuyo, Center, Patagonia, and the Atlantic Region. Non-traditional wine regions are also gaining relevance in the center and northeast of the country.

Photo via: winesofargentina.org

Other landscapes must be added to the vineyards along the snow-capped peaks of the Andes: the high-altitude deserts with cardones in the North; the lost vineyards in the Central valleys of Córdoba, where the tendrils climb the thorny native forest; or, further south, the few rows of vines in the Andean Region, in Patagonia, that contrast with the leafy forests of coihues and cypresses. Each area has been studied in detail by Argentine winemakers and agronomists; they define the identity of wines within a framework of natural purity and provide a sum of diversities that highlights the wide range of Argentine viticulture.

Exceptionally diverse wines: In 2021, Argentina’s wineries harvested 2.2M kilos of grapes in 480K acres of vineyards. All told, Argentina grows over 200 varieties and produces a range of still and sparkling wines; total annual production includes 59% red wine, 23% rosé, and 18% white wine.

An endless range of expressions—altitude and wines: The climate, soil conditions and variability, altitude, the winemaking practices, and the ever-present influence of the Andes Mountain range all influence the quality and character of Argentine wine. Most Argentine vineyards sit at 4,500 feet/1,372 meters above sea level or higher; the altitude helps to produce fresh, textured and age-worthy wine.

Not many countries in the world can boast altitude as a condition of terroir, and they certainly tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Pushing the limits above 4,430 feet/1,350 meters asl, up to 1,500 4,921 feet/1,500 meters asl in Mendoza (Cuyo), and with a ceiling of 10,922 feet/3,329 meters asl in Jujuy (North Region), there is a universe of increasing diversity.

Furthermore, the higher you go, the steeper the slopes get, and the soil is ever newer—while its composition changes depending on when it comes into contact with rivers. More wineries are investing in exploring their soils to discover what can distinguish one micro terroir from another to obtain the best wines ever.

Photo via: winesofargentina.org

About Malbec Argentino: Malbec is—by far—the most widely consumed Argentine variety domestically and overseas. Its contemporary emergence on the international viticultural scene is thanks to the hard work of the community of Argentine wine producers that restored the allure of a grape that had almost fallen into oblivion.

While Malbec vineyards spread across the world, Argentinians have been working to make its reds even more precise and extending the range of styles. The dedication and loyalty to the development of Malbec has resulted in a range of expert knowledge. The combination of soils and altitude, in addition to other climatic factors, creates a puzzle when determining the character of the resulting terroirs. Hence, Malbec has become the best means of representing the spectrum of landscapes in Argentina. As a result of these conditions, this variety stands out primarily for its quality; maintaining, vintage after vintage, a high standard that distinguishes us in the world.

Wine lovers can taste many styles of Malbec—from raw wines, aged wines, floral and herbal wines to robust, classic styles. The new breeds of Malbec reveal the grape’s true diversity: a very expressive red wine with easy-going textures that never feels harsh on the palate, with fruity freshness and great precision.

Sustainability and innovation: Argentina continues to move forward and reinvent global wine traditions and practices. The country’s wine industry is committed to paving the way to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way to produce great wines with +2.5K hectares devoted to biodynamic wines; more than 60 Argentine producers focusing on developing organic grapes; and (at last count) 76 wineries with organic certification.

Unfold Argentina´s infinite range: Who is Argentine wine for? For everyone who dares to try something new. Beyond the famous Malbec, and the essential red wines, Argentina produces a diversity of wines of the highest quality. Its wine amplitude is immense; there is a wine for every taste, you can choose from a spectrum from light bodied wines to robust reds. At the end, it all comes down to experiencing the magic in your glass, an endless range of flavors. What is the next step? Challenge yourself to pick your new favorite Argentine wine.

Veronica’s session—Argentina: A Discovery Awaits—is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10^th at 4:45 pm as part the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, to be held August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA). 

About the speaker: Veronica Kathuria, CSW, is the USA & Canada Area Manager at Wines of Argentina. In her role, she provides opportunities for U.S. wine trade professionals to learn about the diversity of Argentina’s wine and connects key players in the trade sector to the country’s new generation of agronomists and winemakers. Veronica holds a master’s degree in Wine Marketing & Management from the French INSEEC Business School.

About Wines of Argentina: Wines of Argentina is the organization in charge of promoting Argentine wine worldwide. Since 1993, it has been contributing to the global success of the national wine industry. In addition, it guides the export strategy of the sector by offering innovative actions focused on digital marketing and generating business opportunities for its members. Currently, WofA has about 180 partner wineries from all the wine regions of the country, which, in turn, export to more than 135 countries and represent 95% of the total wine exported from Argentina.