ESF Wine Appreciation
March 30th, 2011
California, plus some random observations and comments
1. Notes
2. Questions from Class
3. Resources
4. General Comments on Tasting
5. Tasting Wines
1. NA History:
• Viking settlements on northeast coast of NA circa 1000 AD (e.g. L’Anse aux Meadow),
dub the region Vinland in reference to the bountiful grape vines.
• Earliest colonists on the East Coast (1500s) report grape vines growing densely
throughout the Eastern forests, the fruit “heavy and sweet.” If these grapes are odd to
the palette of the Europeans, at least they are promising in prospect. No such luck
however; the native grapes (Vitus labrusca) make unpleasant wine, and imported
European vines died. There was nothing like modern agricultural research to sort out
why, but in addition to heat, humidity and cold winters - unlike their native growing
areas in Europe - American soil was home to phylloxera (Phylloxera vastatrix), a nowinfamous insect that sucks sap from the roots, disfiguring them and ultimately killing
the vine.
• It wasn’t until either creative desperation or a natural accident that a hybrid emerged
which showed improvement for both detriments: basic survival and the creation of an
enjoyable product after vinification.
• Alexander, Catawba, Concord, Delaware and Niagara are all hybrid American grapes
and the first generation of source material for drinkable American wine.
• Earliest successful vineyards founded in NY, NJ, VA and OH, largely using hybrid
varieties.
• First real commercial success was in Cincinnati, a sparkling Catawba that was the
genius of Nicholas Longworth. Started in late 1840’s and enjoyed large success until a
variety of challenges beset the business including the onset of the Civil War and, in
1863, Longworth’s death.
• His workers and idea migrated to the emerging wine industry in the Finger Lakes
(Hammondsport), marking the roots of the modern wine industry in NY.
CA History
• Spanish settlers/missionaries in Mexico had better success, if more casually. First
planting vinifera vines in the 1500s in Baja, where it did well.
• Because of that success however, there was none of the constant attention and work
happening on the East Coast; they were content with what they had.
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Almost all wine in Spanish Mexico was planted in association with the establishment of
Missions, and therefore the vines migrated northward only as quickly as Missions did,
which was not all that fast.
Weather is what made CA winemaking: consistent sun and temp, moderated by cooling
temps (in the form of fog and winds) from the Pacific
First “vineyard” by reference was planted at the new Mission at San Diego in 1769 by
Father Junipero Serra
Planting continued to follow the establishment of Missions. Sonoma was the
northernmost (and one of the last), planted about 1805
First grapes were planted in Napa in 1838
As the grapes continued to do well, and the Missions and Spanish control waned,
vineyards began to be a business in their own right. This was spurred by mass
immigration during the Gold rush, not just in the sense of a larger potential market, but
in the influx of immigrants familiar with production and vineyard operation from their
native lands.
One significant immigrant was a Hungarian, Agoston Haraszthy, who personally
imported 100k cuttings of an array of European grapes, and worked to bring a degree of
organization, or at least structure to the emerging wine “industry”.
For the next 50 to 80 years wine production continued on a large scale, but with no
pretention to create vintage wines.
From the outset CA grapes were almost exclusively vinifera species, unlike the hodgepodge of Native, European and hybrid species being grown on the East Coast.
Despite ideal conditions for producing quality wines (and a brief period of success in the
last decades of the 19th century) many circumstances kept the CA (and US) wine
industry from rivaling Europe until the last half-century: The Civil War; phylloxera
and other diseases; a society as a whole “raised on beer”, unfamiliar with vintage wines,
and often dismissive of wine consumption; Prohibition (1918-1933); WWII; and
spanning this entire history the Conventional Wisdom that there was no potential to
produce “serious” wine in North America.
1940’s begins conversation and exploration of producing varietal wine bottling
Many vintners work on this, though perhaps construed as a “hobby”, or side project
1966 Robert Mondavi established Robert Mondavi Winery, essentially first winery
committed solely to varietal bottling
CA Overview
• Largest producer in US, followed by WA, then NY
• Approximately 475k acres under cultivation
• 90% of US wine is from CA, and accounts for 65% of wine consumed by Americans
• As a stand-alone entity that would make CA 3rd largest producer in world
• More than 60,000 registered labels in state
• About 1900 wineries in ‘07, up from 232 as recently as the mid-60s.
• California (and US) labels by grape, not region, and is controlled accordingly
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Regulated by AVA (American Viticultural Area), ~200 in US, a shred more than half of
which are in CA
AVAs first is established in 1980
AVAs are relatively insubstantial (from a regulatory perspective) by comparison to their
AOC or DOC brethren.
AVA regulations stipulate if a grape name appears on the label the bottle must contain
at minimum 75% of that grape.
AVA regs stipulate if a physical vineyard name appears on the label at minimum 95% of
the grapes must come from the physical vineyard.
AVA regs stipulate if a year appears on the label at minimum 95% of the grapes must
have been harvested in that year.
Work around this stipulation/limitation resulted in the Meritage class of wines: a
welcome approach, reflecting the flexibility of French winemaking to balancing vintages
and varietals (while exciting, some can be somewhat over priced).
3 major regions; North Coast, North Central Coast and South Central Coast
4th is the Central/San Joaquin Valley: bulk production is dominant industry here,
accounting for ~75% of CA production.
Wine industry in CA is spreading rapidly with vineyards popping up in counties and
areas unimaginable for grape production as recently as 20 years ago.
Current challenges: Resurgent phylloxera, recent emergence of Pierce’s disease,
conservation issues (land and water), and immigration and labor issues.
Regions
North Coast: Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties
Mendocino: northern most growing region in state, counter intuitively hotter than
other growing areas in North Coast
Districts: McDowell Valley inland, Anderson Valley, which connects to the coast
and gets extremely cool on lower slopes, perfect for whites - great Riesling and
Gvrtz, while upper slopes stay warm making great Zin
Wineries of note: Roederer, Scharffenberger, Parduci, Fetzer
Napa: 44k acres, ~400 wineries, known for cabernet, very small by comparison to most
national and international regions, produces barely 5% of CA wines. Cooler at
the south end (Carneros) warmer as the vineyards progress north (Calistoga).
Districts: Oakville, Rutherford, Stags Leap Dist, Mt Veder, Howell Mtn, Carneros
(partially), which was early home of quality champagne production in CA
Wineries of note: Rutherford, Beaulieu Vineyards, Inglenook, Heitz, Chateau
Montelana, Martha’s Vineyard, Mondavi,
Sonoma: 60k, ~275 wineries, known for chardonnay and pinot, historical starting point
of varietal fine wine production. Temperature gradient similar to Napa
Districts: Russian River, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek, Carneros (partially), see
comment for Napa
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Wineries of note: Hanzell Vinyards installed first French barrels that made chard
comparable to those of Burgundy; Buena Vista, Simi, Sonoma-Cutrer
North Central: Monterey and Santa Clara – just south of San Fran Bay and San Jose, known
for whites, though Ridge Vineyards makes some of the most serious, stunning
zinfandel in CA
Districts: Livermore Valley, Salinas Valley, Santa Cruz
Wineries of note: Chalone, Ridge, Mt. Eden, Bernardus, and Bonny Doon known
for excellent dessert wines
South Central: San Luis Obisbo, Santa Barbara – this is where the Spanish missions first
established their vineyards, though it has been a later arrival at the CA fine wine scene. Noted
for great chardonnay (distinct from northern styles) and also the planting (physically and
financially) of Rhone wines and wineries.
Districts: Paso Robles, Santa Ynez, Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande
Wineries of note: Sanford, Mt Edna, Cambria, Perrin
Grapes & Wines
Wine making in CA is really limited only by the creativity of the growers and vintners. It
would be difficult to find a vinifera species not being grown somewhere in the state, or a wine
made that doesn’t feature it. A cursory sampling would include for whites:
Chardonnay
Riesling (?)
Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot Grigio
Viognier
Chenin Blanc
And for reds:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Merlot
Pinot noir
Syrah
Petit Syrah
Grenache
Zinfandel
Sangiovese
Nebbiolo
2. Questions from class
• Was phylloxera native to California? No, it was introduced, though the pathway and date
are not certain. There is some suggestion it was in CA as early as the late 1850s, but
was not identified definitively there until 1873. Not determined if it arrived on French
root stocks already contaminated in Europe, or native cultivars (concord most likely)
brought to CA from NY.
• What is global production of wine by country? 1. France (17.56% of total litres produced)
2. Italy (17.38%) 3. Spain (14.20%) 4. US (10.38%) 5. Argentina (4.52%). 2009 data..
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4. Resources
Internet
• UC Davis Dept of Viticulture and Enology: http://waterhouse.ucdavis.edu/ven219/
The “ESF” of wine
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The Wine Institute: http://www.wineinstitute.org/
Great resource
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Cheap Wine Ratings: http://cheapwineratings.com/
Free reviews of inexpensive wines, a great place to learn about what to look for and
what you’ll find at moderate prices.
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The Wine Spectator: http://www.winespectator.com/
Perhaps the best known magazine on wine, it is generally well respected and a good
periodical for staying up to date on the industry and enjoyment of wine. Annual issues
on restaurants, best wines and inexpensive wines are very popular. The site is
subscription-based for full access.
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The Wine Enthusiast: http://www.winemag.com/
Similar to the Spectator, though some think the reviews here are more objective than at
the WS.
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Cellar Tracker: http://www.cellartracker.com
Just one example of the wide range of wine-related resources on line. Membership/feebased.
Books
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The Windows on the World Complete Wine Course; Kevin Zraly
Perhaps the best know, and best, introduction to wines, written by the sommelier from
the famous restaurant at the top of The North Tower of the former World Trade
Center
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The World Atlas of Wine, current ed.; Hugh Johnson
A fantastic book providing a great overview of wine, and then detailed information
country by country, region by region with lots of maps and images.
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Hugh Johnson’s Modern Encyclopedia of Wine; ibid
Plenty of nitty gritty
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Wine Spectator’s Ultimate Guide to Buying Wine
If you plan to get into buying and holding wine ( even for a little while), this is a reliable
and handy resource that can help you spend your money wisely, and also provide a
sense of how held wines are drinking later.
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Red Wine with Fish; Rosengarten and Wesson
An interesting book exploring the art, fun and freedom of pairing food and wine
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Italian Wines - A guide to the world of Italian wine for experts and wine lovers; current ed.,
Gambero Rosso Editore
An example of wine guides produced in other countries. Fantastic resource if you get
into buying foreign wines, but also as an exploration of wines from those countries, and
what vintages and vineyards to look for.
3. General comments on tasting
• While there are some “codified” descriptors so wine can be discussed in a common
language – see the “Tasting Wheel” – life is about free association; if you can effectively
convey your perception of a wine to others, have at it.
• More importantly, embrace your free association and then investigate/interrogate it (in
a philosophical way, not a Guantanamo Bay way) to work that association down to the
elements you are finding in the wine’s aroma or flavors. Then map those elements to the
common language of the wheel or other descriptive tools.
• As we practice developing our perceptions of smell and taste, the tasting wheel is a very
effective mechanism for focusing our thoughts and expressing them verbally • In other words, a tool for developing your descriptive vocabulary, stimulated by the
wine
• No wrong answers, personal perception and perspective is subjective
• However, the wine wheel provides a great starting point for articulating that
perception, and then progressively refining the level of sophistication with which you
describe that perception; all based on a set of descriptors that have become commonly
understood when applied to wine.
5 .Tasting Wines
HRM Rex Goliath; Chardonnay, non-vintage, CA
Bogle; Chardonnay, 2009, CA
Bogle; Old Vines Zinfandel, 2007, CA (Sierra Foothills)
producer; Cabernet Sauvignon, vintage, CA
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