Archive for WINE ARTICLES
35th Winery Rendezvous Meets All Expectations
The largest winery conference east of the Mississippi was held March 29 to April 1, 2011 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
The annual confab was attended by over 1,600 winery personnel and hundreds of vendors. With the USA’s new title of “world’s largest wine consuming nation,” wine making and its marketing have become big business in the eastern United States.
On March 30, I accompanied the owner and management staff of Rappahannock Cellars as we headed south to The River City. At the convention center, our team fanned out and took in all aspects of the event in blitzkrieg fashion. Based on the show’s hyperactivity, new services and equipment will soon be gracing wineries throughout the mid-Atlantic region.
During my stroll of the exhibit area, I was fortunate to briefly chat with legendary winemaker Randall Grahm, owner and winemaker at Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, California.
On this road show, I left my reporter’s pen and pad at home and grab my video camera. If you’ve never attended this mega trade show, spend a few minutes seeing what transpires on the convention floor and in the seminars. The array of products is impressive.
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High Desert Country and a Glass of Wine Comes to Western Fauquier County
Bob and Linda Claymier travelled the world during his career with the Federal Service. Yet, they always felt an urge to return to their roots in eastern Oregon’s high desert country. What they didn’t count on was falling in love with Fauquier County.
The solution? Create the horse ranch of their dreams in Virginia when they retired. But retirement did not mean slowing down. Within a few years of purchasing eighty acres off Hume Road and stocking it with purebred Arabian horses, Claymier had become a nationally known horse trainer. He collaborated extensively with the renowned “Horse Whisperer” Frank Bell, and produced his own horse training DVD.
So how did wine enter the picture? “My family made wine when I was a kid. It was mostly fruit wines. But I enjoyed the hobby and wherever I was stationed I made grape wine for my family and friends. When we moved to Fauquier and saw what was happening in the wine industry, we thought we could take the hobby to the next level,” he says.
Bob & Linda Claymier
Today, the Claymiers have created one of the more unique wineries in Virginia. Horses are an integral part of the atmosphere with a small corral at the front of the property and a ranch pond just below the wrap-around deck. Could that be a cowboy saddling up an Arabian in a nearby pasture? Most likely it’s Claymier getting ready to exercise one of his prized horses.
As you enter the winery itself, you are transported out west with earth tone colors, a stone fireplace and the de rigueur caribou horn rack hanging above the fireplace. A large tasting bar—with a counter top displaying an impressive collection of international coin and paper currency collected during Claymier’s career—is the focal point of the spacious ranch-like tasting room.
“I want a down-home atmosphere here. This is not so much a business as an extension of my home. Linda and I love entertaining and guests at the winery will be treated like family. We have a “Kiddies Korner” and family dogs will be welcomed,” he emphasizes.
Fred Furtado, a long time friend and colleague recalls, “I’ve known Bob for over thirty years. He embodies the ‘rolling stone gathers no moss’ philosophy. His energy level is amazing. Folks are going to be impressed with what he has created at Desert Rose.”
John Delmare, owner of nearby Rappahannock Cellars, echoes the sentiments, saying, “Bob and Linda are good friends. We couldn’t be happier to see them realizing their hard earned dream. His winery will be good for the industry and good for us. A rising tide does float all boats and we’re excited to be recommending a new local winery to our guests. Especially one that’s making very good wines.”
Very good indeed. Opening day will see six wines on the tasting sheet. Two whites, one rosé, two reds and a dessert wine. Some of the wines will be whimsically named, such as “Ole Moo Moo”, an off-dry blend of Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier and Vidal Blanc, and named in honor of a beloved cow who endured numerous hardships. One of the reds is called R.E.D.—Retired & Extremely Dangerous—in reference to the thrill the Claymiers experienced during their first months of retirement. And the dessert wine is labeled “Starboard”. If it’s not Port, then it must be Starboard, hey?
The Claymiers are committed to being good stewards of both the land and their local community. “We will not be an event-focused winery. We will not host tour buses and there will be no outside amplified music. A visit to Desert Rose will be like calling on friends and neighbors. We’re going to build our business one customer at a time. Our goal is to have each guest planning their next visit as they leave the ranch,” Bob explains.
So head ‘em up and move’ em out to the Desert Rose Winery. It’s not often you can travel out west and never leave Fauquier County.
Desert Rose Winery is located at 13726 Hume Road in Hume, VA. The tasting room is opened Friday through Sunday and all Monday holidays from 1pm to 6pm. 540.635.3200.
- Desert Rose Winery
Published in the March 9, 2011 edition of the Fauquier-Times Democrat.
“We’re having rack of lamb tonight,” my wife, Jean, advises. It’s my cue to select a wine from our cellar and get the fireplace going, both enjoyable tasks that will culminate in a cozy evening at home.
With the fire roaring, I turn my attention to the wine that will accompany our flavorful rack of lamb, roasted red bliss potatoes with rosemary and hericot vert green beans sautéed in olive oil with sliced almonds and a dash of crushed garlic. My selection for the full-bodied repast verily jumps out of my wine rack: Chester Gap Cellars 2008 Cabernet Franc.
I’ve enjoyed Chester Gap wines from the day the winery opened. Owner and winemaker Bernd Jung produces clean, artisanal wines with depth and spot-on varietal character. His ’08 Cabernet Franc is one of my favorites. It pours an almost inky garnet in the glass and releases aromatic notes of mint, cherry, smoke and spice. I force myself to swirl and sniff rather than just start drinking; easy boy, easy.
On the palate, the nose has faithfully interpreted the rich, mouth filling black fruit, mint and subtle coffee notes, all framed by smooth tannins. We enjoy a glass before dinner and relish the rest of the bottle with the lamb. With our food, the wine jumps into overdrive and we both exchange smiles of pleasure. Is this Napa Valley in a Virginia bottle? Not a chance. This is Old Dominion wine at its best.
Published in the Spring 2011 edition of Virginia WineLover Magazine.
Red Bordeaux Grape Gaining Traction in the Old Dominion
Color and spice and everything nice. An apt description for a grape that Virginia wine lovers will be hearing—and tasting a lot more of—in the years ahead.
There’s nothing petite about Petit Verdot. It produces a big, bold, dark wine that historically has been used as a minor blending grape in the Médoc region of France, typically contributing less than 15% to their classic blends. Its origins are thought to predate Cabernet Sauvignon and its sparing use in Old World wines provide depth and color to Bordeaux’s best offerings. The French think of it as a spice not a sauce.
In the United States, for a wine to be called by its varietal name, a 1983 Federal law requires it must contain at least seventy-five percent of the grape named on the label. It’s called varietal labeling. In Virginia, a growing percentage of Petit Verdot is being crafted in this style. And it’s causing a buzz.
In 2006, there was no separately reported acreage of commercially grown Petit Verdot in Virginia. Yet in 2010, five of the top fifteen wines earning gold medals in the Governor’s Cup competition were bottlings of this deep purple beauty. Think zero to sixty in 3.5 seconds. And the grape is still in second gear.
Origins of a winner
So how did this aristocratic grape find its way to Virginia?
Tony Wolf, VA State Viniculturist
As with much of the advancement in viticulture in the state, Dr. Tony Wolf, Professor of Horticulture at Virginia Tech and the state’s cooperative extension viticulturist, played a role in determining if the grape could perform here. “We found the vine grew well throughout the state because of its cold hardiness. I think its future lies in its blending strengths. It can be a tougher sell as a straight varietal since it’s not a familiar grape to the average wine consumer. But I’m upbeat about the vine and recommend it as a viable vinifera species for winegrowers throughout the state,” he says.
Wolf further underscores it will be state’s winemakers who ultimately decide how the grape will best be utilized. That debate is well underway and you may want to join in.
In tests plantings in Winchester from 1991 to 1998 and in Blackstone from 2005 to 2007, Wolf evaluated the grape’s potential for thriving in Virginia’s terroir. He advised winemakers in 2008 that in addition to its cold hearty constitution it produced a wine that was rich in color, acidity, alcohol, tannin, and spicy flavors. Winemakers around the state looked up from their labors and responded with a collective, “Oh, really?” The vine began to be planted statewide.
In 2006, any Petit Verdot being grown in Virginia would have been listed under an “other red Vinifera” category since the plantings would have been quite small. In ’07, 101 acres were officially reported under vine and in ’08 115 acres. Total wine grape production in Virginia in 2008 encompassed 2,870 acres, generating some 7,000 tons of fruit, so the grape was still in its infancy. Statistics for 2009 are not available because the Federal Department of Agriculture stopped reporting individual vine acreage in the state. The Virginia Wine Board Marketing Office assumed that responsibility. In March of this year, updated acreage plantings will be available. Look for the grape to have gained an even stronger foothold in the last two years.
Winemakers’ verdict
Andy Reagan
So what are vintners around the state saying about the grape’s potential? There are two camps of thought. One segment of cellar alchemists believes a varietally labeled version will dominate in the years ahead. Others are less optimistic, thinking the grape will retain its reputation as a blending component. Most all believe the berry will find a permanent home in the state regardless of how it is employed.
One of the more passionate proponents of the grape is Andy Reagan, winemaker at Jefferson Vineyards. “I believe Petit Verdot will become the best variety in the state. Just a few years ago at Jefferson we were producing sixty cases a year. Now it’s around 600 and we could sell 1,000 cases if we had the fruit. Some of the knocks about Virginia red wine is that it lacks color, structure and not enough depth. Petit Verdot has it all; inky hues, firm tannins, good acidity, and a spicy palate.
“I like to blend in a bit of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon to emphasize the fruit component which it doesn’t possess in abundance. In the vineyard, it’s been a consistent producer. We’ve doubled our planting in the last two years and still can’t make enough of it. It’s one of our tasting room favorites,” he says.
Jason Burrus
Jason Burrus, winemaker at Rappahannock Cellars, won’t go as far in committing to the grape’s future. “I like Petit Verdot and Virginia should definitely pursue its cultivation. But sometimes I think we place too much emphasis on varietal wines. I don’t think predominately Petit Verdot or Tannat wines will cast a positive light on the state. I see it more as a blender for use in Meritage-style wines,” he explains.
Michael Shaps
But no sooner that one opinion is expressed and a counter thought erupts. Michael Shaps, owner and winemaker with Virginia Wineworks enthuses, “The grape could be Virginia’s number one red in less than ten years. It will create its own demand. As more of it is poured in tasting rooms around the state, word will spread.
“Predominately I make it as a 100% varietal and use lesser amounts in some blends. It is a highly extracted, aromatic wine and makes itself in the vineyard, ripening consistently throughout most of the state. It is a wine for the serious consumer. And we need to connect with that category of drinker to put Virginia on the national wine map. The buzz about the grape is well established among winemakers. Soon the general public will catch the excitement.”
Stephen Barnard
Stephen Barnard, winemaker and General Manager at Keswick Vineyards, produces between 100 to 250 cases of the wine each year depending on the grape’s availability. He makes both a varietal and a blended rendition. “I’ve found some problems with inconsistent cluster development in our vineyard so we must carefully cull it at harvest time to eliminate any green berries.
“One drawback is its unfamiliarity which can hinder sales. It takes time to educate the public to the merits of a new wine. But Cab Franc had a similar challenge and it was overcome. Petit Verdot is a big, aggressive, inky wine and not suited to everyone’s taste so I strive to make a more elegant version. I love the wine and love making it,” he states.
Jeff White
Jeff White, owner and winemaker at Glen Manor Vineyards, and a relatively new vintner garnering impressive reviews for his wines, sees the grape as having multiple personalities. “It is my most consistent grape in the vineyard and I use it for both blending and producing a 100 percent varietal. So far the wine has been perfect just by itself. I will produce about 125 cases as a varietal this year. Everyone loves it and it sells out fast. Last year, I was down to two cases and I pulled it off our tasting sheet. I sent an email out announcing the impending end of its availability. It sold out in thirty minutes. I think it could ellipse Cab Franc,” he says.
In pursuit of excellence
Perhaps the most exciting thing about the grape is it typifies Virginia’s pioneering spirit and willingness to continue to search for the grape that will place our state among the top producers in the Nation. It’s perseverance with cause. Reputations are firmly established when success is consistently met in both the vineyard and the cellar.
Every wine region in the world seeks to identify itself with one or two specific grapes. Think Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Oregon Pinot Noir, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Argentina Malbec and Australia Shiraz. In Virginia, Cabernet Franc and Viognier have made their mark. But as our industry matures and gains more experience growing grapes and making wine, the search will continue for the ultimate wine berry.
Perhaps Petit Verdot will, indeed, be the breakthrough red grape of Virginia. Keep your eye on tasting notes throughout the state. There’s a new Virginia wine gem emerging and its ultimate success or failure will be judged on how well it performs in the glass.
If you want to weigh in on the decision, cast a vote with your palate.
Published in the 2011 spring edition of The Piedmont Virginian.
Fabbioli Cellars
2008
Cabernet Franc
$19
Doug Fabbioli experienced a catastrophic loss of grapes in the spring of 2010 to frost.
Fortunately, his 2009 vintage produced abundant and solid wines which will see him through until his 2011 harvest is in the bottle. His ‘09 Cabernet Franc is a medium weight red with delicate aromas of cinnamon and cherry and displaying soft cherry & berry notes on the palate. The finish is smooth, clean and framed by a veil of smoke, showcasing the skills of this talented winemaker.
Pair this refreshing red with a hearty lamb stew and oven fresh Ciabatta bread. Drink now through 2014.
Visit Fabbioli Cellars at http://fabbioliwines.com/
On August 11 of last year, I posted a report on my 2009 wine production. In it I included an assessment that the hot and dry 2010 Virginia growing season held the threat of heartache for winemakers; especially for the production of white wine.
The heartache never materialized.
Blistering summer temperatures can drive up sugar levels and drop acidity in white grapes that is not conducive to making aromatic and bright white wines. But if my experience is mirrored by the professionals around the state, the Grape Class of 2010 graduated magna cum laude.
As expected, the juice I was able to procure last September was, indeed, lower in acidity than hoped for. But that’s not unusual in Virginia. When the deficiency occurs winemakers can add natural grape acids to produce balanced wine. The addition can be done both before and after fermentation, but ideally the correction is performed before the juice is converted into wine.
Let’s Get Technical
In my case, I treated most of my white juice—Pinot Gris, Viognier and Chardonnay with additions of tartaric acid, the major acid found in wine. Only my Seyval Blanc was procured with good acidity levels. For those unfamiliar with winemaking, the thought of adding acid to juice may seem off-putting. But it is a critical component of sound winemaking if the harvested fruit is deficient. Without it, the final product would be flabby and boring with a one dimensional character. Bump up the acid to proper levels and the wine comes alive. Think of a generous squeeze of fresh lemon on a tender filet of Mahi Mahi; the sea catch’s flavor is enhanced and intensified. Ditto for wine.
This year I also committed to blocking a secondary fermentation called malolactic in all my whites. While not a true fermentation process, it converts the malic acid in a wine to lactic acid, softening the mouthfeel and producing butter notes on the finish. It is most commonly used in making Chardonnay. Remember tasting notes that mentioned a “buttery Chardonnay”? The wine went through ML, or malolactic fermentation.
But I prefer white wine that is bone dry, bright and razor sharp, so I prevented ML through an addition of sulfites. Most commercial wine is treated with a minuscule amount of sulfur. It inhibits microbial activity and permits wine to age for longer than a year or so. It is probably the single most important additive in producing sound wine. Dried fruit, by the way, has several more times sulfur added to it to preserve the product. Sulfur is widely used in commercial food processing.
White Wine Undergoing Malolactic Fermentation
One mystery that I again encountered was the failure of sulfur to stop a slow, inexorable ML from occurring in my Chardonnay. I have discussed this issue with professional winemakers who are hard pressed to believe the ML process could proceed with sufficient levels of sulfites in the wine. Nonetheless, I have three six-gallon carboys of Chardonnay—completely dry—that continue to produce telltale ML bubbles slowly crawling of the sides of the vessels, even with 50ppm of free sulfur in the wine. The wine completed its primary fermentation back in late September and has been softly perking away ever since, converting the malic acid to lactic. To assure the process goes to completion, I wrapped the carboys in an electric blanket and maintain the wine temperature at 74 degrees. ML bacteria are very sensitive to cold and could stop working if the wine became chilled. Daddy needs to keep his little babies nice and comfy.
Let It Be
So what to do? Let the wine be itself. I dare not proceed further with cold stabilization or filtering because home winemakers cannot steri-filter. If I don’t let the wine have its way in the carboy, it most assuredly will have its way in the bottle. And I am not a fan of cloudy, fizzy Chardonnay. It’s here that patience in winemaking is rewarded. The wine tastes good so I will let it proceed through full ML before it goes into the bottle.
I have now bottled 23 cases of my white wines and they are pouring very nicely, displaying pale straw hues and aromas and flavors ranging from white peach and lemon to tropical fruits; all framed with bright acidity. Jean and I can’t wait for the summer months to really begin enjoying our little hobby in the glass.
As for my red wines, about a third of them have completed ML and the rest are chugging away under an electric blanket. Almost all red wine is encouraged to go through ML and it will not be till early summer before I consider bottling any of my Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot blend or Cabernet Sauvignon.
But that’s not a problem. Last year’s reds are pouring just fine.
Fabbioli Cellars Survives Ultimate Vineyard Threat
Perhaps a farmer’s greatest fear is frost. In one chilling night an entire harvest can vanish. And the timing of the natural disaster is brutally exquisite. Just as earth’s solar energy surges with warmth necessary for rebirth, a layer of cold air silently descends killing the emerging life.
Frost possesses an especially powerful hold over a grower of delicate wine grapes. In Virginia, a thriving wine culture has developed over forty years. Much of the growth has been driven by the ability to master the art and science of growing Vitis vinifera, the vine species that produces 99 percent of the world’s wines. For three hundred and fifty years our winemakers could not successfully cultivate the fragile vine. Farmers no less esteemed than Thomas Jefferson tried and failed.
Then in the late 1970s, tentative steps were taken to acquire the skills to grow the fruit and within twenty-five years the industry was no longer dependent of native and hybrid grapes for survival. The state’s wine industry exploded. Viognier, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and many more classic wines became readily available in tasting rooms across the Old Dominion.
But each year, success is tempered by the difficulty of bringing harvests safely into the cellar. Cold winters, humid summers, insects, mildews and assorted fungi are a constant threat to those with the hubris to grow the sensitive Eurasian grape. And no threat is more swift and mortal than frost. One cold, clear and quiet spring evening can create killing fields where hours before verdant growth held sway.
Frost has its lethal way at the vine’s most vulnerable period of growth. As the buds break open in mid-April and the leaves uncurl in the spring sun, tiny knots of BB-like clusters appear, foretelling the juicy grapes they will become. At this point, the vine has cast its die for fruit production. It must continue to receive the gift of warmth. Any temperature drop below 32 degrees and the buds can succumb, as will the hopes of the winemaker in transforming the vine into wine.
Our Story
And it’s here that our story of death and recovery begins.
Doug Fabbioli was destined to be a winery owner. One of his first jobs was working in a vineyard in upstate New York after graduating from high school. Upon earning a college degree in business administration, he moved to California with his wife Colleen and spent ten years gaining experience while working at the Buena Vista Carneros Winery, the oldest premium winery in California, founded in 1857.
In 1997, he moved to Virginia, intrigued with what was developing in the state’s wine industry. There were sixty-five wineries in the Commonwealth at the time. Today, there are almost 200 statewide; twenty-six in Loudoun County alone where Fabbioli Cellars is located. For three and a half years he was winemaker at Tarara Winery north of Leesburg, followed by a few years of work as a wine consultant. During this period, he purchased 25 acres of fertile land off Route 15, built his home and planted eight acres of vines.
Fabbioli Vineyard
“When I bought my land, I knew it wasn’t a perfect vineyard site due to the possibility of frost. But I had a variety of reasons for the purchase, including my desire to stay in the area, a convenient location for Colleen’s commute to work and a commercially viable location for a winery. It was overall a solid decision,” Fabbioli recalls.
“During this period, my production was less than 400 cases a year. After I opened the winery in 2004, I continued ramping up production, making 3,500 cases in 2009. I had some slight frost damage in the past but nothing serious. On May 10 of last year—Mother’s Day—frost warnings were forecasted. I wasn’t particularly worried based on past experience. And I didn’t take any preventive measures to protect my vines. I live in an area of estate homes and one of my neighbors raises horses. I was reluctant to employ measures that would create noise or fumes that might have an adverse effect on his stock. That night a hard frost fell. By morning I knew I had problems.
“I walked the entire vineyard on Monday and saw the extent of the damage. I was hopeful the growth might spring back, but it didn’t happen. In a few days, I knew I had lost ninety percent of my crop; forty tons of fruit valued at $80,000. The finished wine from the harvest would have produced $500,000 in revenue. It was the biggest financial hit I had ever taken in the wine business,” he states.
Fabbioli believes he may have inadvertently contributed to the extensive damage. A month before the frost descended he made a decision to spray the vineyard with powerful nutrients. The idea was to spur growth and boost the protective power of the vines. Unfortunately, the strategy worked almost too well. The vines had generated luxuriant new foliage but it was primarily soft tissue vegetation especially sensitive to temperature fluctuations.
“I think I set the vines up for trouble. Our last frost in Virginia is historically in mid-May. If I’d been able to go one more week those vines would have produced a beautiful crop. But farming is like life. It’s all about timing. It was the largest single vineyard loss in the state that I am aware of,” he laments.
The Recovery
Doug Fabbioli
To know Fabbioli is to appreciate what happened next. “When word got out of my loss, I began to receive calls from around the state from fellow winemakers expressing concern and offering to sell me some of their fruit. That may sound like taking advantage of my crop failure, but most winemakers are loathe to sell fruit they can use themselves; especially in a year when frost hit a large number of vineyards to lesser degrees,” he states.
The respect Fabbioli had earned over the years for his honesty and willingness to share his knowledge with other winemakers resulted in the calls of assistance. The character of George Bailey in the 1947 classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, comes to mind.
“It was an emotionally difficult time for me. But I was able to relieve some of the stress because I was beginning blending trials of my 2009 Tre Sorelle, our signature red wine. It’s a blend of Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Petit Verdot and Merlot and the individual wines were exceptional. It was gratifying to create a superior blend while experiencing such a devastating loss. During the blending process, I became convinced I would overcome the frost problems and continue to make quality wines in the years ahead,” he says.
The Future
So were lessons learned from the unfortunate experience and are plans in place to prevent a reoccurrence? Yes and yes.
“I was planning to take some incremental actions to prevent such a failure in the future but Colleen pushed me to fix the problem permanently. I began to research a variety of ways a vineyard can be protected but many of them are prohibitively expensive for a small operator.
“One example is wind machines—equipment similar to windmills that are installed in vineyards to force warmer upper air down on the vines on cold nights. They cost about $25,000 each and I would have needed at least two. I began to explore my options and learned of a relatively new solution called a cold air drain. The technology is out of Brazil but the equipment is manufactured in California. Prior to signing a contract, I visited a vineyard in Maryland to evaluate the equipment and was impressed,” Fabbioli explains.
To understand how the system works, picture his vineyard sloping gently down toward the western part of his property. On freezing spring nights, cold air runs down the slope like water and pools at the base of his vineyard, slowly backing up and smothering a large percentage of his vines in frigid air. When employing a cold air drain system, a curtain of thick plastic sheeting is hung from his deer fence at the bottom of the slope trapping the air. Then a machine—similar to a large commercial fan on steroids and located in the center of the pool—draws in the blocked air at ground level and forces it skyward with a powerful blast. It’s similar to the action of a snow blower,drawing snow at its base and casting it up and over a driveway.
Eventually the fan mechanism in the unit will be equipped with its own motor but for the first few years Fabbioli’s farm tractor will power the unit, reducing his investment costs to around $12,000. Not a small sum but within his budget.
To recover from the loss of his crop, he purchased twenty tons of fruit last fall and cut back on his marketing efforts to temporarily reduce demand for his wine. Fortunately, his bountiful 2009 vintage created a supply of wine that he is drawing upon during the current year. If all goes well, next year will see a full recovery from his unfortunate Mother’s Day memory.
Occasionally, when guests are sipping wines in a tasting room, you might overhear them musing on the romance of owning a winery. But when the dream bumps up against reality it can be a painful experience.
Just ask Doug Fabbioli.
Published in the February 9, 2011 edition of the Loundon Times Mirror.
Chester Gap Cellars Cabernet Franc Goes Deep
“We’re having rack of lamb tonight,” my wife, Jean, advises. It’s my cue to select a wine from our cellar and get the fireplace going, both enjoyable tasks that will culminate in a cozy evening at home.
With the fire roaring, I turn my attention to the wine that will accompany our Australian rack of lamb, roasted red bliss potatoes with rosemary and hericot vert green beans sautéed in olive oil with sliced almonds and a dash of crushed garlic. My selection for the full-bodied repast verily jumps out of my wine rack: Chester Gap Cellars 2008 Cabernet Franc.
I’ve enjoyed Chester Gap Cellars wines from the day the winery opened. Owner and winemaker Bernd Jung produces clean, artisanal wines with depth and spot-on varietal character. His ’08 Cabernet Franc is one of my favorites. It pours an almost inky garnet in the glass and releases aromatic notes of mint, cherry, smoke and spice. I force myself to swirl and sniff rather than just start drinking; easy boy, easy.
On the palate, the nose has faithfully interpreted the rich, mouth filling black fruit, mint and subtle coffee notes, all framed by smooth tannins. We enjoy a glass before dinner and relish the rest of the bottle with the lamb. With our food, the wine jumps into overdrive and we both exchange smiles of pleasure. Is this Napa Valley in a Virginia bottle? Not a chance. This is Old Dominion wine at its best.
Published in the Spring edition of Virginia Wine Lovers magazine.
Growing Number of Old Dominion Wineries Selling Overseas
The British wine lover moves slowly down the aisle of a London wine shop examining various selections of Viognier. As he reads the back label of a bottle of Condrieu, France’s finest rendition of the grape, his eye catches a bottling of another wine he recently read about, a Virginia Viognier. He places the French beauty back on the shelf and lays the Virginia bottle carefully in his basket.
Another bottle sold. Another convert made. Virginia wine goes international.
Rappahannock Cellars Viognier
In some respects, Virginia’s emergence as a growing wine power house should not come as a surprise; especially if you work in the industry or have tasted the top tier wines to confirm its winemaker-driven achievements. But caution must be taken not to believe too quickly in owner-written press releases. The more salient question is what are folks outside of Virginia saying about the product?
In the mid-1970s, when commercial wineries began to blossom in the Commonwealth, the quality of the wine was…hmmmm, variable? Creating a wine industry with commensurate quality is an evolutionary process. In Europe, they have been working at it professionally for several hundred years. Even California was on the brink of commercial and critical success in the early 1900s when prohibition stepped in and halted its progress for decades. Wine takes time. And great wine takes lots of it.
Viewed in this context, Virginia’s growth in just forty years has been remarkable. Today, some 180 wineries are producing 450,000 cases a year. It is the fifth largest wine producing state in the nation. But as impressive as it sounds, consider that during the last twelve months Gallo vinified over 66 million cases. And worldwide there is 7 billion gallons of wine produced annually. Virginia contributes less than a drop to the world’s wine bottle. And yet, its reputation grows.
Reputations are hard-earned and easily lost as evidenced by a glance at any daily newspaper. CEOs, politicians, educators, and athletes, just to name a few, can see hard-earned achievements swept away in a tsunami of bad newsprint. So how has Virginia wine gained its growing recognition and how will it retain it?
Entrepreneur Provides Opportunity
Christopher Parker
One important benchmark for success is the attention generated by quality. Such acclaim builds slowly over time till a tipping point of wide-spread recognition kicks in. When our British wine buyer selected a Virginia Viognier over a better known French version the question arises as to why? The answer in this instance is that the wine earned its purchase because of its quality, but was provided the opportunity by a gentleman named Christopher Parker and the spotlight he has shone on the state’s wines.
Parker is a Londoner who has been living in Virginia for over twenty years. His previous career brought him to the states, and after successfully building his technology company he sold it and turned his business attention to Virginia’s wines and its lifestyle. “Shortly after arriving here in the late 80s, my wife and I began to explore the countryside west of Washington, DC. We were struck by its beauty and its wineries. We had no idea Virginians made wine,” recalls Parker.
As a lifelong wine drinker, Parker knew his wines. He and a business partner previously had operated a small wine importing business in the UK during their spare time, specializing in little known producers from around the world. After moving to Virginia, it was apparent to Parker a new venture could be devoted exclusively to the sale of Virginia wines in the United Kingdom. In 2008, New Horizon Wines was born.
In May of 2009, after laying the groundwork within the state’s industry, Parker coordinated a tasting of wines from nine Virginia wineries at the London International Wine Fair, the largest annual show for wholesalers in Britain. Nine winemakers from the state’s wineries traveled to London and personally poured their wines at the three-day event attended by 15,000 trade representatives. It was the first opportunity for most of the English wine professionals to taste Virginia’s product. The pros’ reaction was a combination of surprise and admiration. To date, New Horizon Wines has introduced a variety of bottlings from eleven Virginia wineries in Great Britain.
Notwithstanding this early success, Parker has no illusions about quickly exporting enormous quantities of Virginia wine overseas. There is an ocean of wine in today’s world market and gaining customer attention entails work, and a lot of it.
“I view my company as both a business and a labor of love. We are telling the story behind the wine label, and I can speak from experience of having lived here for over twenty years. We are creating an international market for Virginia wines. Each year our export business has grown. I’m also combining wine exporting with lifestyle travel experiences for my fellow citizens in the UK. A vacation at Keswick Hall combined with tours of the Charlottesville wineries is just one example of what my firm will be offering in 2011,” explains Parker.
Top Tier Wineries Sign On
So what wines are being sold overseas because of New Horizon’s efforts? Viognier and Cabernet Franc lead the pack but several other varietals are in the firm’s portfolio. The current list of local producers includes Boxwood Winery, Breaux Vineyards, Pearmund Cellars, Philip Carter Winery and Rappahannock Cellars. Other notable exporters are Barboursville Vineyards, Keswick Vineyards, Veramar Vineyards, Veritas Winery, White Hall Vineyards and Williamsburg Winery. The list will continue to grow.
Rachael Martin, Boxwood Winery
Rachael Martin, Executive Vice President, Boxwood Winery says, “I recently returned from England where I hosted two wine dinners featuring our wines. The response was gratifying and resulted in new orders being placed on the spot. The wines are being embraced because of their exceptional quality, not simply because of their place of origin. Our exports have doubled over the last year to some hundred and twenty cases. Next year we’ll see even further growth.”
Chris Blosser, with Breaux Vineyards, echoes Martin’s assessment, “I attended this year’s London International Wine Festival and experienced a defining moment in my wine life. Steven Spurrier, an icon of British wine, stopped by the Virginia tasting area and sampled all the wines. He returned a short time later with a major figure from France’s Viognier producing region of Condrieu, urging him to taste the quality of Virginia’s Viognier. The gentleman was impressed. It was no small reaction coming from a Frenchman producing the same wine in the home of the Viognier grape.”
Philip Carter Strother, owner of Philip Carter Winery, says, “In 1762, the Carter family of Virginia produced wine at the plantation Cleve and it was recognized in Britain for its quality. It’s gratifying that nearly 250 years later we are again providing citizens of England our wine.” Chris Pearmund, proprietor of Pearmund Cellars, recognizes the link with Britain and his family. “I hail from the UK and still have family living there. It’s great to be selling our wine in my native country. It’s a small volume, but in this industry you need to take one small step at a time,” he emphasizes.
John Delmare
John Delmare, owner of Rappahannock Cellars, thinks overseas sales of his wine builds creditability. “If you can export wine overseas, it sends a strong message to domestic customers that our quality is being recognized beyond the state’s borders,” he says. And Justin Bogaty, winemaker at Veramar Vineyards, similarly views Britain as an opportunity, stating, “Building our reputation domestically is a challenge given there are over 6,000 wineries in the United States. If we can deliver value-based quality wine to the British market, I think it will resonate here and help propel our industry forward.”
Parker places the state’s industry in perspective, explaining, “Virginia wine is a bit analogous to New Zealand’s experience. In the late 70s, they began exporting wine, generating some $40,000. Today, New Zealand has a mature market valued at over $800 million dollars. Virginia doesn’t produce enough wine to realize these kinds of numbers. But over the next few decades the state has a huge potential for direct and indirect economic growth from wine sales and associated business.”
British Scribes Impressed
A more recent achievement of Parker was his successful initiative to invite a group of nine wine media professionals from Great Britain and one from Canada to tour Virginia wine country during the second week of September 2010. The tour was organized in partnership with the Virginia Wine Marketing Office, several Virginia wineries, and regional hotels and resorts.
The attendees, members of an influential group called The Circle of Wine Writers, traveled over 600 miles through the Virginia countryside, visiting 11 wineries and tasting over 150 wines, while attending several dinners where regional fare was paired with local wines. For most of the writers it was their first visit to Virginia. Let’s listen in on some random comments as they described their impressions:
“Who expected Nebbiolo in Virginia, and of such high quality? I found them attractive young and very beautiful aged.”
“The Cabernet Franc Reserve from the perfect 2007 vintage was superb…this stunner will be aged for another 12 to 14 months before release.”
“The 2007 Seyval Blanc was lean and delicately structured, with vibrant acidity and citrus flavored freshness.”
“The Cabernet Franc had a big, rich raspberry nose, fresh fruit, and silky texture.”
“The quality of Virginia wines compares well with that in most other wine producing regions in the world. The Virginia wine industry is still in its infancy and on a learning curve—it didn’t take long to suss out the special qualities the Virginian soil can give to Viognier and Cabernet Franc.”
In summarizing the overall experience one writer wrote, “This has been an extremely enlightening tour for all of us—superbly put together and organized to show us just what Virginian wineries are capable of producing and their rapid improvement over the last 20 years. I am sure that if we are invited again, in just a few years time we will experience an even greater geometrical progression.”
It is important to reflect that each of these writers have returned home and is writing independently about their experience. Virginia’s reputation in the international wine market will be further enhanced by the opinions of these enophiles.
The challenge today for Virginia wine is to intensify its laser-like focus on quality. One marker foredaining this advancement is seen in the increasing number of national and international wine professionals laboring in our wine cellars and vineyards. The days of hobby winemaking morphing into a small business are fading fast. Laudatory assessments from around the world will continue only as long as winemakers and vineyard managers do not rest on their laurels.
Indeed, it’s taken an enormous commitment to achieve the current success in Virginia wine. But the work has just begun. The state’s national and international reputation depends on it.
Published in the 2011 edition of the Piedmont Business Journal.
Chairman of Fauquier County Chamber Explains How
The recession is long over. Skeptical? It’s understandable.
But according to the Bureau of Economic Research, the downturn that began in December 2007 ended its nosedive in June 2009. Of course, try explaining that to folks still in danger of losing their homes or unable to land a job.
Nonetheless, it appears the economy is slowly beginning to right itself. And while the economic landscape is littered with disrupted lives and portfolios, the United States, as well as Fauquier County, is looking forward to ringing in more than just good wishes in 2011. Cash registers would be a nice start.
With twenty-four wineries in the county, it’s timely to take a beginning of the year assessment of the industry. Perhaps no one is better positioned to opine on the subject than the newly elected Chairman of the Fauquier County Chamber of Commerce and managing partner at three county wineries, Chris Pearmund.
We caught up with Pearmund at his eponymous winery, hovering over his keyboard. He seemed eager to take a break and provide some perspective on an industry he knows well.
How has Virginia wine fared over the last two years?
Chris Pearmund
Exceptionally well. I can’t speak for individual wineries but the industry at large has exhibited robust growth during a difficult period. Total wine sales in the state increased almost 13% in 2009 over the previous year. And growth this year will be even greater. The number of wineries continues to increase, with 189 statewide. Back in 2007 there were some 140. This dramatic growth occurred during the worst recession in decades.
Today, the industry employs over 3,000 people and contributes almost $350 million to the state’s economy, selling close to 450,000 twelve-bottle cases a year. It’s also the fastest growing agricultural segment in the state, generating $1.6 million in taxes for the state’s coffers; Fauquier County receives 20 percent of that revenue.
We are now the fifth largest wine producing state in the Nation, behind California, Washington, Oregon and New York. Speaking just for my three wineries, the recession has had zero impact.
Having said all that, running a winery is difficult, time consuming work. Most of us are operating small businesses. So while the industry is doing very well, I’m not implying fortunes are being made. An owner must be proficient in a number of disciplines to make a success of it and struggle to keep liabilities in balance with assets. It’s not a business for the faint-hearted.
What makes the industry so resilient?
I think it’s our customer demographics. Research has shown that people who enjoy wine are middle-aged, prosperous, well-educated and responsible drinkers. Added to that is an emerging wine loving group called Millennials, roughly aged 20 to 30, who are among the fastest growing segment of wine drinkers in the country. I think wine fits today’s lifestyle, including the growing interest in locally produced fare and support for a green environment. Taken as a whole these are customers any business would court. Their success as an economic force has propelled our industry forward.
Any growth areas?
Absolutely. If you’re not evolving, you’re likely fading. Stagnation is not a healthy business condition. One of my challenges is to increase weekday sales. Weekends are a busy time at most wineries but if you elect to keep your doors open seven days a week generating customers Monday through Friday can be difficult. I’m working on that opportunity now.
Like what?
Well, I think we are discussing the industry at large not proprietary business plans. I’m sure many full time wineries are focusing on ways to build weekday guest traffic. You can be certain whatever actions I take it will respect my neighbors and the community at large.
Virginia Wine is perceived by some as too expensive. How do wineries sell pricey wine in a tough economy?
Well first off, I take exception to the idea that our wines are overpriced. Virginia wine is a hand-crafted, artisanal product produced from locally grown fruit. We do not operate wine factories selling millions of cases a year. The cost of producing our wine is higher and it’s reflected in our pricing. But the end product is superior. The state’s anticipated double-digit sales figures this year prove that customers are willing to pay for quality.
If you look at any wine region in the world, you will find similar situations; small wineries creating excellent wines at fair, but not giveaway prices. The reality is Virginia is equal to, and in many cases better than, most of these niche producers.
It’s also interesting to note that nationally, wine in the $20-plus category enjoyed a 22% gain in dollar sales this November over the previous month. That surge is expected to continue through December. Even more intriguing, wine club sales from California averaging over $50 per bottle are one the hottest selling wine categories today. Wine lovers everywhere are willing to pay for quality and that’s why Virginia is doing so well.
Is the growth in the number of wineries sustainable?
Yes. I don’t think we have reached a saturation point. Less that five per percent of all wine sold in the state is Virginia wine. We can double that volume over the next decade. I do think some marginal producers are hurting the cause of national recognition. We’ve achieved much in the past decade but everyone in the business must strive to further increase quality. We are coming ever closer to a tipping point of national appreciation for producing fine wine. New entrants in the industry need to be committed to advancing our cause. And they need to sell beyond just their tasting rooms.
The bottom line is new wineries don’t hurt existing ones; a rising tide does float all boats. Visitors from both the DC metro area and out of state continue to swell tasting rooms around the state. I think the continued growth of quality-focused wineries will help all of us.
Would you consider ever selling any of your wineries?
I would and I am. The Winery at La Grange is currently on the market. But you might ask, if I’m so pumped about Virginia wine why would I consider selling? First, I think most owners of a business would be willing to sell at the right price. But for me other considerations also come into play. I’m not getting any younger. I have been in the wine business for over twenty years and it’s physically and emotionally demanding work. I’m beginning to think about my retirement, even though it’s years away. Everyone should carefully plan for their golden years but, truthfully, I haven’t. Now’s the time to start.
If I did sell my businesses, I would prefer staying on in some capacity. I love the world of Virginia wine and have considerable knowledge I can pass on to the next generation of owners. Consulting would be considerably less demanding than being a full time proprietor.
In the Not Too Distant Past Wine Served Chiefly One Purpose
The debate is long over. The United States produces some of the finest wines in the world. And its success has spawned an explosion in high caliber wine production worldwide. Today, nations as diverse as Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa have become wine powerhouses by following in the wake of California’s vinous success.
OK, the debate still rages as to the ultimate wine style: old world or new world. The former places an emphasis on subtlety, grace and elegance while the latter prides itself on bold, expressive, and fruit forward renditions. But wine lovers everywhere no longer reach for only European wines; California changed that paradigm over thirty years ago.
So it may come as a surprise that for a good portion of the last century wine in America was consumed for basically one reason. To get high.
When the twentieth century dawned, our nation was on the brink of entering a golden age of wine. Commercial success was being achieved in California with over 1,000 operating wineries, and parts of the mid-Atlantic region were experimenting with hybrid grapes that ultimately proved successful. Then in 1919, the hammer fell with passage of the infamous Volstead Act. Our nation’s wine industry collapsed into a death spiral as prohibition crushed production of fine wine. It took some fifty years to recover.
The difference between fine wine and cheap, fortified wine is the difference between a Rubens’ masterpiece and a delinquent’s spray-painted graffiti wall. It’s that huge. Sadly, “graffiti wine” soon gained commercial success.
But let’s back up a bit and set the stage for the immergence of fortified wines.
Before the “Big Dry”
Moonshine Mania
Prior to Prohibition, major wine producers adopted a business strategy that eventually led to the erosion of table wine growth. Firms such Italian Swiss Colony and others made a range of wine styles, but almost fifty percent of their inventory was sweet, higher alcohol wines, brandies and grappa. Loathe to disassociate themselves from the lucrative liquor market, wine was inexorably pulled into the vortex of the public’s anti-alcohol sentiment along with beer and whiskey. Instead of marshalling an effective fight to exempt wine from Prohibition, their desire for greater profits trumped their more traditional urges for making decent table wines. In short, greed won out.
After repeal of the 19th Amendment, brewers and distillers rebounded quickly but not winemakers. With the public’s perception as wine as booze, and reinforced with the idea that fortified wines were simply an easy fix for a cheap, quick buzz, serious wine production did not revive. Americans, particularly in low income neighborhoods known in the trade as “misery markets”, opted to buy pseudo wines. Quality wine’s reputation languished in this negative environment for decades.
In the mid-1950s, some 40 million gallons of table wine was produced annually as opposed to over 94 million gallons of fortified wines. Two brothers, Ernest and Julio Gallo, in their third decade of winemaking, realized that to fulfill their dream of becoming the largest winery in the world they had to come up with a creative idea to generate new customers. It came to their attention that in inner city neighborhoods cheap port was often sold with packets of lemon-flavored Kool-Aid. Customers then mixed the two together.
Springboarding off the idea of this homemade concoction, the Gallos conceived of performing the mixing process at their winery and created a wine called Thunderbird—a 21 percent alcohol port-style wine flavored with lemon concentrate. It was an instant success; years later Ernest claimed he thought of the beverage as a “lower-alcohol alternative to the evening cocktail.” But of course.
One of the more famous ad slogans of the era was, “What’s the word?” “Thunderbird!” “What’s the price?” “A dollar twice.”
As always happens in a free market, competitors quickly started producing similar types of wines and selling them under names such as Silver Satin, Ariba, Golden Spur, Red Showboat, and Zombe. It must have been great fun working in the marketing departments of these firms, conjuring up one exotic name after another for what was no more than cheap booze. None of the copy cats, however, matched the success of the original.
Being "half in the bag" was common for fortified wine drinkers.
Over the years these wines earned some interesting and descriptive monikers, including gutter punk champagne, street wine, block party breakup, goon, bum wine, bag wine, hobo juice and poverty punch. If the shoe fits…eh?
When the 60s arrived, wine had hit rock bottom in America. There was no way to go but up.
Wine Revives
The United States slow ascendancy onto the world stage of fine wine began fifty years ago but did not reach critical mass until the mid-seventies. Men on both the East and West Coasts dedicated to resurrecting wine as a lifestyle beverage played pivotal roles in not only producing but marketing their product. Understanding that little demand existed for quality table wine, these early wine pioneers were driven more by passion than financial reward.
In Maryland, a newspaper man and amateur winemaker named Philip Wagner became convinced that French-American hybrid grapes could survive the harsh East Coast continental climate and produce quality wine. He started the first post-Prohibition winery in Maryland in 1945, Boordy Vineyards, while continuing to work as an editor at the Baltimore Sun. His contribution centered more on imparting knowledge to mid-Atlantic grape growers and winemakers than producing large quantities of wine. He supplied cuttings and rootstock to professional and amateur winemakers alike and lectured widely throughout the eastern United States. Grapes he championed are still producing quality wines east of the Mississippi and include Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc and Chambourcin.
In New York, Dr. Konstantin Frank, a Ukrainian émigré, arrived in the Finger Lakes region in 1951 and observed only native grapes being grown. He was convinced that Vitis vinifera grapes, which produced ninety-nine percent of the world’s wines, had a future in the Empire State. He successfully planted the vines and soon others were following his lead. Dr. Frank also played an important role in Virginia wine by traveling to the state and introducing numerous vineyard techniques to budding viticulturists and winemakers. Today, over eighty percent of wine grapes grown in the Old Dominion are from the delicate vinifera species—think Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and more.
Robert Mondavi
Out in California, similar advances were underway. Early leaders included men such as Andre Tchelistcheff, Warren Winiarski, Mike Grgich and Robert Mondavi to name a select few. The 2008 movie Bottle Shock tells the story of the revival of quality wine making in Napa Valley. Steven Spurrier, an English sommelier and wine shop owner in Paris, was impressed with wines coming out of California. He conceived the idea to pit the best of France against the best California.
In May of 1976, nine high priests of the French wine world met in Paris and sniffed, swirled and sipped the finest wines from each country. All of them were tasted blind so the judges did not know which country any given wine hailed from. When the scores were tallied up shock reverberated around the tasting tables. Two wines from Napa took top honors; a 1973 chardonnay from Chateau Montelena and a 1972 Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. It was the wine shot heard round the world. Jim Barrett, Montelena’s general manager and part owner said, “Not bad for kids from the sticks.” To say the least.
Within a few years, California became a major force in global wine. Today, over 700 million gallons of wine are produced annually in the United States. The majority of this production is table, dessert or sparkling wines. While the sale of low cost fortified wine has declined dramatically, the market hasn’t disappeared. One popular bottling, Richards Wine Irish Rose, still sells two million cases annually. Nonetheless, only a small percentage of total sales represent the low cost, fortified wines so widely consumed back in the 60s.
The Future is Now
Our Nation’s wine ascendency is now in full bloom. Since 1999, there has been an 81% increase in the number of wineries coast to coast, with over 6,000 in operation today; all fifty states are producing either grape or fruit wine and are supported by nearly a million acres of vineyards.
Perhaps not even Nostradamus could have predicted such phenomenal growth. America’s four hundred year old culture of beer and distilled spirits is changing as a rising percent of the population—from twenty somethings to senior citizens—are opting for wine as a companion at social events and dinner.
With such popularity could advertising campaigns aping the marketers of yesteryear be appearing soon?
“What’s to say?” “Cabernet!” “What’s to like?” “It’s so polite!”
Published in the 2011 Harvest edition of the Virginia Wine Gazette.
Even the Wine Experts Can’t Get It Right
In April 2009, Wine Spectator magazine rhapsodized about a $130 bottle of 2006 Clos Otta Shiraz from Barossa Valley, calling it, “Plush, round and opulent, offering a gorgeous, showy mouthful of sweet blackberry, black currant and café au lait aromas and flavors….”
And the rating? An impressive 94 points. Should we believe it? Maybe.
But then again, maybe not.
When wine lovers stroll into their favorite wine shop, it’s tempting to search the racks and bins for bottles touted by major wine magazines as vinous versions of great works of art. Today, “mega validator” publications have immense influence over wine worldwide because the public has come to believe they are the final arbiters of what’s tasty and what’s not.
But as wine consumption soars in this country, a rising number of enophiles are questioning the pros’ opinions. And with cause.
A Subjective Skill
A fascinating article in the November 20, 2009 issue of The New York Times lays bare the subjectivity of wine tasting. The article goes into considerable detail about a series of controlled scientific studies on tasting conducted by Robert Hodgson, a retired professor of statistics at Humboldt State University in northern California. And the professor’s conclusions? Don’t always trust the experts.
Over the course of four years of evaluating wine judges’ decisions, Hodgson found their ratings varied by as much as 4 points—plus or minus—on the same wines tasted three different times from the same bottle. Yep. A wine tasted blind the first time and justifying a 90-point rating might well be given an 86 or 94 rating on the second or third evaluation. Same wine. Same judge. Same imprecision.
Heavy Load
An even more revealing study by the good professor disclosed the high probability of a wine winning a gold medal in one competition and garnering zip in the next contest it was entered in. The medals appeared to be awarded by random with each wine having about a 9% chance of winning a gold medal in any given competition.
Are we surprised? Numerous studies over the years have revealed the subjectivity of wine tasting. One of the more startlingly evaluations was conducted by wine researcher Frederic Brochet using two identical white wines. Cunningly, however, he colored one a deep garnet hue resembling a cabernet sauvignon using flavorless food dye. Tasting the “red” wine, the panel noted attributes of red currant, cherry, raspberry and spice on the very same white wine they had just declared as exhibiting lemon, apricot and honey notes. Perhaps we should simply taste wine with our eyes, hey?
Another example from one of Brochet’s unique tastings involved 57 French wine gurus asked to evaluate two red wines. The crafty evaluator, however, poured the same average rated Bordeaux into two different bottles. The first was an expensive Grand Cru bottle and the second one had previously been the lair of a cheap table wine. The one mostly highly rated by the experts? Of course, the pedestrian red poured from the more expensive bottle. And remember, these were experts. The palate is a terrible thing to trick.
A common secret is that some bars substitute mid-range liquors for the leading brands when they pour mixed drinks. Almost nobody is the wiser because most cocktail sipping patrons simply cannot tell the difference. As long at the brand name is called out upon ordering, the satisfaction is achieved, even if the drink delivered to the table is not what was requested. It’s a bit embarrassing, but we all are susceptible to such chicanery.
The Wine Trials is a fascinating book summarizing the findings of 17 blind tastings held over the course of a year involving more than 500 tasters. One interesting evaluation compared a bottle of Dom Perignon, a $150 Champagne from France, with a Domaine Ste. Michelle Cuvee Brut, a $12 sparkler from Washington State. Both wines are dry with firm acidity. But, sixty-six percent of the tasters preferred the $12 bottle of bubbly when tasting both bottles blind. This finding was consistent with the authors’ yearlong study of a wide range of wines. Often the taste of money is what influences how a wine is perceived. If it costs more, it must taste better, right? The placebo effect is not limited to just medicines.
Today, the chance of bringing home a terrible tasting wine is small. Yes, there are unexciting producers out there but too much science and proven winemaking skills are employed to produce much wine that is undrinkable. Given the overall rising quality worldwide, few wineries could survive by peddling swill in a marketplace full of decent little quaffers.
So What’s a Body to Do
How do we separate the indifferent from the great and not bust our wine budget in the process? First, trust your palate. Yes, it’s great fun to identify the raspberry, smoke and spice components of a wine and declare it a 95-point winner. But if you can’t perform such palate gymnastics, and you simply like what you’re drinking because it’s “yummy”, go with it. Over time, you will become more skilled in classifying winners and losers and sharpen your buying skills. Taste. Taste. Taste.
Secondly, try evaluating wines blind. This is easily accomplished in a group setting where several similar varietals can be wrapped in paper bags and compared and evaluated. Such an approach is both fun and educational. In the event you’re not up to hosting tastings, consider buying two or three bottles of recommended wines and taste all of them at the same sitting. Using an inexpensive rubber stopper and hand pump, save all three bottles for the next night’s meal. Over a two or three-day period, you will be able to pronounce your top choice of the three. Then add the winner to your growing list of favorites.
Third, consider the impact of price. The Wine Trials demonstrated time again the effect cost has on our perception of quality. One of the book’s more important conclusions was that after pouring 6,000 glasses of wine to over 500 tasters who did not know the producers or cost, drinkers favored moderately priced wines over their more expensive brethren by a statistically significant margin. Expensive wine likely does provide greater pleasure for an experienced taster, but it can often be more tannic and robust than an average drinker cares for. Why spend the money simply to impress if it’s the enjoyment of the wine that you are pursuing, not the image.
Finally, rely on a trusted wine shop owner more than the major wine magazines. A frequently visited shop owner will soon discern your favorite styles and budget. He will also begin to guide you to some selections you might otherwise overlook. Some under appreciated reasonably priced beauties are coming out of Spain, Chile, Virginia, New Zealand, South Africa, Oregon and other emerging wine power regions. One of the great joys of wine is the anticipation of opening a bottle of something you’ve never tasted before.
So remember, your next favorite wine might well be sitting on the shelf of your local shop patiently awaiting your arrival. Don’t let it get too lonely. Both the chase and the taste are wine pleasures to be enjoyed frequently. Become your own expert.
Published in the 2010 Harvest edition of the Virginia Wine Gazette.
Anghel
Virginia Red Wine
2008
$35
Anghel is one of the newest wine offerings in the state. It’s the creation of Jason Burrus, a professional winemaker with a well-known Virginia winery. His first bottling is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Petit Verdot. The wine displays a deep garnet hue in the glass with a nose of black cherry, plum, anise and a touch of mint. The palate reflects an Old World style that is focused elegance and subtly of black fruit, mineral notes and spice framed by firm, balanced acidity. This a quintessential food wine and will continue to blossom as the years roll by. With winter here, pair with rustic beef ragu and a fresh loaf of Ciabatta. Drink now through 2018.
Anghel wine is available on line at http://anghelwine.com/. Or, call Jason Burrus at 540.305.6305.
Owner of Linden Vineyards Muses on the State of Virginia Wine
Linden Vineyards
If you are familiar with Virginia wine, Jim Law needs no introduction. He is arguably—but who would—the preeminent winemaker in the mid-Atlantic region. One is tempted to call him the East Coast elder statesman of wine but he might protest, saying, “I’m not that old.” Which is true.
Statesman or not, he is widely respected and increasingly at philosophical odds with what is unfolding in the Old Dominion’s wine industry. Passionate to the point of creating an almost cult-like following, he has tacked hard into the winds of convention to take Virginia wine to a place many others in the state have neither the inclination nor dedication to go.
On a cold December weekday, we sat in his quiet winery and spent an hour talking of vines and wines and his comfort level with the somewhat lonely path he has chosen to take while Virginia’s wine boom unfolds around him.
So how did it all begin?
I was an agricultural volunteer for the Peace Corps in the late ‘70s working in Zaire, now the Congo. I grew coffee, cocoa, rubber trees and assorted tropical fruits. Even as a very young man I loved farming. When I returned to the states, I was looking for opportunities to make a living working the land. I also enjoyed wine. A career in wine made sense. I moved to Virginia from my home in Ohio and fell in love with the mountains. In ’81, I helped start a small, no longer operating, winery. I felt the best vineyard sites in the state were at higher elevations and steeply sloped, which led me to purchase this hardscrabble farm in 1983 and start Linden. At the time there were eight wineries in the state. Today there are some 180.
That’s dramatic growth. Is the pace sustainable?
It depends. For smaller wineries where lifestyle and entertainment drives the business, the future is limitless. For serious winemaking the challenge is greater and the commensurate work more difficult. The enjoyment of running a small business drives the former but a commitment to quality and price motivates the latter. More pointedly, if you choose to compete with quality wines from around the world, you must be driven to make the best wine possible. Our proximity to the Washington, DC metro market and Virginia’s tourism industry assures a steady stream of customers. But if wine tourism is feeding your business, the pressure to continually increase quality can be diminished.
How many wineries in Virginia are focused exclusively on serious wine?
I’d say about five percent. Don’t get me wrong. Everyone wants to make good wine. But increasingly, I see tourism and entertainment trumping fine wine. If you are hosting large groups, weddings, bachelorette parties and other commercial activities, it does produce quick and steady revenue. But it takes a lot of discipline to keep your focus on both the vineyard and the cellar while managing an entertainment business. I believe one or the other will suffer from inattention. Usually it’s the wine.
Jim Law Winter Pruning
Your winery limits customer access to your deck and grounds unless they are members of your case club. Why so?
Well first of all, it’s not as onerous as it sounds. If you buy just one case as a single purchase once a year, you become a member of the club. The reason for creating the club was to give my winery back to my loyal customers. I also stopped limos and buses from coming and limited the size of groups. I saw what was happening in the tasting room and on the grounds and I didn’t like it. The crowds, the noise and on occasion the over drinking, was simply not Linden. Trust me, it hurt my business for awhile and it offended some people when I implemented the policy. On a more personal level, it stung all of us here to field disgruntled customer complaints and to read negative reviews on Yelp! and other web sites.
But it worked. Today, a visit to Linden is a relaxing experience with wine as the central focus. I enjoy talking with people who are curious about wine even if they know little about it. I have a beautiful property with rolling views of mountains and vineyards. I want my guests to enjoy the full experience of wine in this quiet, pastoral setting. There are plenty of wineries where people can go to experience a party atmosphere. But it’s not Linden. From a purely short term business perspective my decision had a negative impact on the bottom line. But in the long run I now have loyal customers who are happier and so are my staff and myself.
Viognier is emerging as Virginia’s white grape. Yet, you don’t grow it or make it? Why?
Because I am not a fan of Viognier. And I don’t grow grapes unless I enjoy the wine produced from them. Virginia is doing very well with Viognier and it’s good for the state and our reputation. But I love higher acidity, elegant and lower alcohol white wines and Viognier typically has the opposite profile. I prefer Old World wine styles and East Coast Viognier has a New World emphasis. If you are in the vineyard daily, growing the best fruit you are capable of, you have to look forward to enjoying the wine produced from that labor.
Virginia is the fifth largest wine producing state in the nation. What can we learn from California, Washington, Oregon and New York?
We need to address the issue of variability. There are some excellent wines coming out of Virginia but there is also a substantial amount that could not earn national recognition. We need to increase the number of top tier wineries if we want to put Virginia on the Nation’s wine map. To accomplish that we need to plant on steep slopes and in hardscrabble soils instead of fertile flatlands. Once a critical mass of quality wine is being produced, acclaim will follow. It’s the only way to gain national attention.
Has the state government been supportive of the industry?
Yes, they’ve been great. It can be a tough job at times for them trying to respond to the various pressure points from within the industry. But their overall efforts over the last thirty years have propelled us forward.
Pet Peeve?
None really. I’ve reached the stage in my life where I’ve made peace with most of the things that annoyed me years ago. One phenomenon I have a hard time understanding is the almost addiction-like focus on handheld gizmos. Cells phones and Blackberries are not only everywhere but are in constant use. A few months back I was gazing out my office window and noticed a group of guests at a picnic table with wine and lunch spread before them. Their heads were all bowed as if in quiet contemplation. I was touched to see them apparently praying before their meal. But looking closer, I realized everyone was thumbing away on their little devices, oblivious to their friends, the beautiful views and the wine and food. I think our culture is losing something when we can’t let go of these crutches on occasion and enjoy the people and world around us.
Closing Thoughts?
I love Virginia and how our wine culture has grown. It’s been rewarding to be part of an industry that has met with such success. One thing I would like to see is more young winegrowers take the industry to the next level. I got into this business primarily because I love farming. It’s driven everything I’ve tried to accomplish at Linden. It really is an intellectual endeavor. To plant a vineyard, watch it mature, craft wine from its fruit and then share it with guests has created a satisfying life for me. I do not want to expand. Making more money is not going to make be a happier man. My business supports my passion.
What would make me happier is for other winegrowers to pursue the quest for quality. It’s one of the reasons I have an apprentice program. We have tremendous potential in the state. There are so many sites with good slope, but poor and well-drained soils, that are ideal for vine growing. Site selection is critically important to the production of fine wine. To select land because it’s near major roads or has beautiful views might be a great business decision but it’s not necessarily a great wine decision.
Linden Vineyards
Published in the December 10, 2010 edition of the Fauquier Times-Democrat.
Private Tasting at Exclusive Club Earns High Marks
On November 3, my wife Jean and I were fortunate to join three of Virginia’s acclaimed winemakers as they traveled to one of the bastions of wine connoisseurs, an exclusive club in downtown Washington, DC with a history dating to the mid-1800s.
And get this. They invited the vintners, not the other way around.
The Wine Guy in Paradise
The opportunity for the tasting serendipitously occurred several months earlier as I poured wine at a local festival. During the afternoon, a gentleman and his wife stopped by our booth and tasted and commented favorably on the wines. About an hour later, he returned and posed a question. Would I be willing to facilitate a tasting at his club—where he was the food and beverage manager—that would involve our winemaker and two other legends in the industry? After a five-second pause to consider the offer, I heartily agreed.
The club had been following the rising quality of Virginia wines and the commensurate media reviews it was garnering. Fortuitously, the morning of the event Washington Post wine writer Dave McIntyre had written an article on the value of the state’s wines when compared with other producers worldwide, stating, “Why am I jazzed about local wines? Because the best of them are thrilling…” Indeed.
Within a few weeks, I had secured commitments from Jim Law, owner and winemaker at Linden Vineyards, Luca Paschina, winemaker at Barboursville Vineyards, and our own winemaker Jason Burrus at Rappahannock Cellars, to participate in the tasting. On a rainy Wednesday evening, this elite trio gathered in the quiet dining room of the private club an hour prior to the event. We were given a brief history of the establishment by one of the club’s senior members and extended an offer to tour their wine cellar. Smiles of delight broke out on the faces of the Virginians. But of course, we’d love to visit the sanctum sanctorum.
Jason Burrus with wife Natalia and son Maximilian
As expected, the cellar was cramped and a bit difficult to maneuver in, but with cause. The wine repository held 13,000 bottles of nectar valued at over three quarters of a million dollars.
The club’s passion was Burgundy and Bordeaux but high-end wines from around the world were sleeping quietly in wooden cases and wine racks. The urge to ask for a private tasting prior to our own event had to be stifled. I was pleased our escort did not perform body searches as the group left the cellar. If he had, we’d have understood.
By 6:45pm, some sixty members and guests were sipping their first wines of the evening, aperitifs from each winery. Following the ice breaker, the winemakers addressed the group individually before adjourning to their respective tables to begin the evening tasting. The wine list reflected quality across the board, including Linden’s ’06 and ’07 Hardscrabble Red, Barboursville’s ’06 Octagon and Rappahannock Cellars’ ’08 Cabernet Franc, among others. A total of twelve different wines were poured.
Following the tasting, a sumptuous full buffet featuring filet mignon roast and Hake from the North Atlantic was served. The manager later stated the members thought the tasting went great and that some superb wines had been poured. The club is currently evaluating a selection of the offerings for its wine-by-the-glass program.
Once again, Virginia advanced its cause by having the opportunity to pour its wines for a group of influential and discerning wine lovers.
From left, Jason Burrus, Luca Paschina and Jim Law
