napa valley - introduction - wine - california
TRANSCRIPT
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8/14/2019 Napa Valley - Introduction - Wine - California
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s I gazed over a rolling vista of
manicured grape vines, I could hear
a very content group ofeld workers
ng and laughing as they toiled immediately
w my perch. ey were stripping olow
ts and non-fruit-bearing vines, in order
nserve valuable soil and water resources.
ocess entertainingly termed suckering.e sounds and sights formed my amiable
duction to the Stags Leap District
apa Valley, California, one of the worlds most
mic and important wine producing zones.
was fortunate to be a rare guest at a young,
decidedly promising, vineyard in the Stags
appellationMalk Family Vineyards,
ously known as Grin Vineyards. Graciously
ed by Brian Malk and Nancy Heitel, I had
plete access to two fantastic wine makers,
bie Meyer and Alan Peirson. Robbie is young,
onate, dedicated, and quite gied beyond his
s. Alan has an accomplished past and totalliarity with the details of his intimidating
ession. eir skil ls combine for that brand
tural mastery that inspires total condence.
Spoiled For Choice
Keith B. Homan
Ae two make a great team. From his early
days serving as the wine steward on a transformed
plantation in Georgia, to biological degrees,
pharmaceutical experience and multifaceted
wine training at the University of Cali fornia at
Davis, Robbie is a well-rounded maestro. He is the
conductor to an exceptionally intricate interplay
of climates, soils, vines, pests, elevations,infra-red planting maps, watering schemes,
turgidity detectors, grape selections, cold-
soakings, fermentations, acid-converting bacteria
incubations, rackings, decantings, blendings,
barrel selections, machinery and vineyard owners.
Robbie and Alan make stunning vintages by the
use of an elegant production formula. ey merge
admiration for the history and art of wine making
with the scientic skills and vigilance necessary
to direct the myriad biological and chemical
cascades that dene viniculture.
ere is a long list of steps in quality wine
production, and for each one up to a dozenvariations are available to the wine maker. is
wide canvas is what bestows wine making with
both good and bad mystique. As examples of the
Should the barrels be toasted via re to
only protect the juice from some of the harsh
elements of the wood, but also to add carame
other avour inuences? How long should th
bacteria be given to work? What duration sh
the juice be in each barrel? How does one be
blend dierent barrels and lots? How is the w
going to stand up to years in a bottle?
e choices go on and on, with each dec
point setting in motion signicant conseque
along the winding chemical and biological
odyssey that is wine.
Its your duty to take a trip to a winery.Ask questions. Go on the production tour
they have one. Find out what the wine mak
there think is dierent about their wine. B
some bottles and try the wine on its own an
with a variety of foods.
Keep notes on what you drink, and howyour favourite wines and dishes work toget
If you have a preferred wine, grape varieproduction zone or country, etc., do some
of your own research, as the knowledge you
gain will certainly enhance your drinking
enjoyment. I guarantee it.
If youre at a restaurant that employs asommelieruse him! If your guests can w
to eat, ask the sommelier for a pre-food wi
as well as suggestions for the meal pairing.
for a few ideas, and, if needed, dont be afrato limit your request parameters by price. A
sommelier worth their vintage should be a
to handle price limits. Finally, dont think
have to be trained in wine speak to appro
a sommelier, and unless they have a raging
inferiority complex, it should be apparent t
them that their basic job description is to h
anyone, and everyone, in the restaurant wi
wine selection.
Finally, when you hear someone saying they taste grapefruit, currant, etc. avou
that might not just be in their mind. Chem
analysis reveals that the winemaking procecreates some of the exact same compounds
that characterise a wide range of plant spec
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8/14/2019 Napa Valley - Introduction - Wine - California
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ricacies of winemaking, the next two sections
l explain how elevation changes of just a few
tres can aect grape growth, and the typical
ps along the way from dirt to bott le.
OM THE GROUND UP
I walked along the rows of Sage Vineyard, from
e side of a plot to another, the elevation changed
ew metres or so. In other words, the plot had
hallow U-shape with a center section about
ee metres lower than the outside sections. As
elative novice to viticulture, I failed to notice
mething fascinating, until Alan pointed it out
me. e outer rows on both sides, being a bit
her, were signicantly more ush with fruit
d growth. e middle section was struggling
produce. As a result, when harvest time comes,
characteristics of the grapes within the same
ct plot will be quite dierent. A few metres
ke all the dierence.e vines across the plot had the same
nlight, soil, water, same everything. What then
used these large dierences in productivity?
an explained that the centre section of the
t trapped cold air in the mornings, and this
s enough to suppress the growth in that area.
toundinglyckle grapes!In general, for Napa Valley Cabernet
uvignon grapes, alcohol is generated in
the grape juice by the action of yeast fermentation,
which is then followed by barrel aging, and a
secondary, bacteria-fueled fermentation that
converts harsh malic acid into a nice tasting
lactic acid. rough a process know as racking,
the spent bacteria and any other precipitates are
decanted out of the barrel numerous times over
12 to 24 months to ensure a microbe-free and
pure end product. e resulting wine is then
blended with other barrels, sultes are introduced
to retain freshness and to stop additional
fermentation, and bottle aged for a year
or so before sending to market.
Now, the above sounds fairly straightforward,
until one discovers the choices every winemaker
has to contend with at all steps of the process.
For the fermentation step: Is sulfur dioxide added
to kill owild yeasts found naturally on the grapes?
Does one do a cold soak with the grapes for a few
days (designed to coax out water-soluble avors
in advance of alcohol reactions)? How many days
should fermentation last? Are nutrients added?
Should there be a crushing step or should the
grapes be fermented whole berry style? For
the barrels: What type of wood f rom what exact
forest will age the juice best? What avour proles
will come out of the wood? Fresh or used barrels?Should the barrels be toasted via re to not
only protect the juice from some of the harsher
A while back I told a stunning and
knowledgeable waitress t hat the whole foo
pairing wine thing was way overdone, and
that Id go ahead drinking my favorites wi
whatever I wanted to eatand love them a
the same. I now, publicly, admit fault on th
It does indeed matter. I cant wait to open m
1985, 1986 and 1994 Late-Rothschilds, bu
I will enjoy their sublime curves and velve
ropes without cuisine. Makes little sense
to treasure a wines potential for years, and
then kill it with food. For an objective, use
friendly review of the matter see Guidelin
for Successful Food and Wine Pairings by
Randy Kemner (thewinecountry.com).e
piece highlights some things we all accept
the food world, and need to apply to winesFor example, why do you pair cranberry
sauce with turkey, and why mint sauce wit
lamb?e tastes compliment one another.
e acid, fruit and fats feed oone anothe
and produce a taste experience far superio
than the components accomplish on their
own. e same rules that govern such food
combinations naturally apply in the wine
world. Indeed, many wines that you might
like alone animate and amaze when paired
with the right eats. Some of Randys sage
words of advice include: salty food bringin
out the fruit in wine, keying othe sauce n
the underlying meat, to avoid pairing wine
with high alcohol and oakyavours with
food, and avoiding the potential disaster o
matching sweet desserts with a sweet wine
WINE AND FOOD
PAIRINGS
elements of the wood, but also to add caram
and other avour inuences? How long shou
the bacteria be given to work? What duratio
should the juice be in each barrel? How does
best blend dier from barrels and lots? How
wine going to stand up to years in a bott le?e choices go on and on, with each dec
point setting in motion signicant consequealong the winding chemical and biological
odyssey that is wine.