NorCal Wine Blog

Balance - In the Eye of the Beholder

General Interest

Written by Fred Swan

Created on Monday, 06 May 2013 07:44

Thomas Riley recently published a thoughtful overview on the current debate about balance, ripeness and alcohol levels in California wine. It’s a difficult, multifaceted issue with intelligent and passionate people on all sides. And there isn’t one right answer.

In a discussion on my Facebook page where I had linked to that article, Rick Davis (winemaker/proprietor at Calstar Cellars) said, “Balance to me means that alcohol, fruit, tannin and acid are in balance. Making a complete wine.” He added that he “find[s] the “lower alcohol” kick nearsighted.” I totally agree with his first statement. I think most everyone would. As for the other, I would just change the malady to tunnel vision.

Balance is, literally, a matter of taste. I don’t mean good or bad taste, though some people would make that argument. Our sense of taste and our abilities to perceive and tolerate acidity, sweetness, bitterness and alcohol strongly influence our determination of balance. Some of these abilities are genetic, some are learned and others are modified by tolerances we build up through our eating and drinking habits.

I drink espresso straight. That either means I enjoy bitterness, don’t have as many bitterness sensing tastebuds as some, have learned to ignore it or some combination thereof. (I used take my espresso with sugar but began avoiding sugar years ago.) My perception of bitterness and avoidance of sugar undoubtedly affects the way I perceive wine. For example, I might more readily notice residual sugar and be less put off by totally dry or minerally wines than someone who uses a lot of sugar.

One man's balance is another man's heat.   Photo: Fluff

Similarly, people who typically drink a cocktail before and/or alongside dinner will generally be less sensitive to alcohol levels in wine. What is the difference between 14% and 15.5% alcohol in a Cabernet Sauvignon for a casual wine drinker whose main drink is Bourbon or a dry Martini? That person may well prefer high alcohol wine. The brisk sales of such wines suggest that to be the case, just as the huge popularity of “dry” wines with considerable RS are in step with America’s heavy consumption of sweetened food and syrupy drinks.

Sommeliers have not only their personal taste preferences but also a need for wines that create balance with food. Playing nicely with food may actually require a slightly unbalanced wine in some cases—heavy tannins to go with some meats or high-acidity to balance a creamy sauce. And high alcohol, even when balanced, can reduce a diner’s ability to taste nuances in food.

Our concept of balance changes over time as well. New or young wine drinkers often prefer slightly sweet wines, obvious oak influence and high alcohol. For many drinkers, myself included, those tasttes can change radically with age, palate training and the focus one puts into tasting a wine. A consumer may now detest the wine he loved 10 years ago.

So any two people may disagree about whether or not a given wine is balanced. Winemakers’ bottlings are tuned to their own palate and that of the management. (Unless the producer is following a recipe to match detailed research into consumer taste preferences. That approach works well for many mass market wines.)

This doesn’t even to get into the issue of whether or not it’s possible to balance high-levels of alcohol. (It is.) Or whether the port-like personality of some of high-alcohol wines—or green flavors in moderate alcohol wines—is “correct.” (It is to the people that like them.)

Taste broadly and with an open mind. Make the wine you want to make. Drink the wine you want to drink. Raise a glass to diversity and don't worry about what other people are making and drinking.

Follow NorCalWine on Twitter for breaking wine news, information on events and more. Become a fan and join the NorCal Wine community on Facebook. Also check out our comprehensive Northern California winery listings. They are very useful for planning a tasting trip or just getting in touch with a winery.

This article is original to NorCalWine.com. Copyright 2013 NorCal Wine. All rights reserved.

5 Fun Wine Events for this Weekend, April 19 - 21

General Interest

Written by Fred Swan

Created on Wednesday, 17 April 2013 18:21

Santa Cruz Mountains Wineries Passport Day: Saturday, April 20

Taste wines from one of California’s best, but least known, wine regions. Visit wineries that are not normally open to the public. Complete your Passport and get one free visit to each participating winery over the next two years.

Passports are $45 online. [$5 goes to benefit “Save our Shores.”] Most participating wineries will be open from 11am to 5pm, but call to confirm.
More information and tickets
Participating wineries

Down to Earth in Livermore Valley: Sunday, April 21

At least 12 Livermore Valley wineries will be holding special events to celebrate Earth Day and California Wines: Down to Earth month. Events include discounts for tasters arriving by bicycle, discussions of winery solar power, vineyard tours and organic garden tours. Download the list of activities and special offers.

Earth Day Food & Wine Festival in Paso Robles: Friday, April 19 - Sunday, April 21

Events include a Farm to Fork dinner at Halter Ranch, winemaker dinner at Pomar Junction, plant sales, a farmers’ market, wine country bike rides and the Festival Main Event. The main event will feature more than 200 wine growers, producers and chefs offering tastings, pairings and more.
More information and tickets

Bonus Event, This Just In...

Two Shepherds New Release Open House in Santa Rosa: Saturday, April 20

Taste new releases, finish off the old, play bocce, taste Sheldon wines and more. Tasting fees are waived for thoe who pre-register. Otherwise, tasting is $10, waived with purchase.

Sonoma State Wine Business Experience Class Wine Release Party: Saturday, April 20

Kokomo Winery in Healdsburg will be hosting a party to celebrate the Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Program from 1pm to 4pm on April 20. Starting last year, Kokomo has been helping SSU students get real-world experience in the making and marketing of wine. The party will include snacks and barrel tastes of the students’ efforts. Bottles of the current release will also be on sale.

Contact Dana Swillat at 707-664-3347 for This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions or to RSVP.

14th Annual Young School Benefit in St. Helena: Saturday, April 20

The Young School’s fourteenth annual benefit fundraiser, takes place on Saturday, April 20, 2013 at The Napa Valley Reserve (1000 Silverado Trail, St. Helena 94574) from 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The evening will consist of silent and live auctions offering a selection of highly sought-after wines and behind-the-scenes tastings, trips and events. The dinner will be presented by Meadowood and the wines for the evening will be from The Napa Valley Reserve. Tickets are $150/person or tables of ten at $1,500.00, available by calling 707/967-9909. The catalogue will be online at www.theyoungschool.org. “From truly rare wines to rare experiences, we are offering an intimate and elegant evening with appeal to wine aficionados which will be memorable as well,” event organizer Suzanne Phifer Pavitt explains.

The evening will include a live auction conducted by celebrity auctioneer Ursula Hermacinski. The live lots will include one-of-a-kind experiences in Los Angeles, Glen Ellen and Steamboat Springs, as well as VIP tasting experiences at Corison, Herb Lamb, Raymond, Quixote, Laurel Glen Vineyard, Domaine Carneros and Trinchero Napa Valley. Other unusual lots are a buy-a-spot pig roast and kids’ movie/camp-out. Wines to be auctioned during the evening will include almost-impossible-to-find wines from Abreu, Araujo, Barnett, Bond, Chateau d’Yquem, Harlan, Levy & McClellan, Shafer and Ovid and collections of 1974 and 1970 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons.

Other auction items include local celebrity architect Howard Backen’s design for a chicken coop and an elaborate hand-forged fire pot by artist Gilham Erickson. The event’s silent auction offers a number of magnums. Other wines to be offered during the evening come from Cain Vineyard, Cakebread Cellars, Casa Piena, Castello di Amorosa, Ceja Vineyards, Clif Family Winery, Continuum Estate, Crocker & Starr, Dana Estate, Darioush, Diamond Creek Vineyard, Dunn Vineyards, Failla, Fife, Far Niente, Frog’s Leap, Grgich Hills, Groth, Honig, Judd’s Hill, Knights Bridge Winery, Robert Keenan, Kongsgaard, Markham, Nickel & Nickel, Patz & Hall, Phifer Pavitt, Paradigm, Pride, Robert Foley, Silver Oak, Staglin, Schramsberg, Trefethen, Tamber Bey Vineyard and Vineyard 29.

Founded in 1991 in St. Helena by JoAnn Bell, The Young School is a private non-profit, non-denominational Montessori-derived program for children ages 6 through 12 years old/first-sixth grades. The Young School operates as a ‘one-room schoolhouse,’ following a ‘tutorial’ approach to education, where children are tasked on their abilities and interests. The School has a 12-1 student-teacher ratio and is respected for its rigorous academics complemented by frequent field trips, enrichment in foreign language classes and music programs as well as community outreach.

Follow NorCalWine on Twitter for breaking wine news, information on events and more. Become a fan and join the NorCal Wine community on Facebook. Also check out our comprehensive Northern California winery listings. They are very useful for planning a tasting trip or just getting in touch with a winery.

This article is original to NorCalWine.com. Copyright 2013 NorCal Wine. All rights reserved.

California Cabernet Aging Potential - It’s Not About the Years, it’s the Character

General Interest

Written by Fred Swan

Created on Tuesday, 16 April 2013 09:37

People, especially Americans, put undo focus on some numbers. Every week news outlets tell us which movies had the biggest box office revenue. They don’t tell us what the films are about or if they’re any good. Morning shows tell us who is celebrating a 100th birthday. We don't learn what those people are like, what they accomplished or who loves them.

Contemporary California wines, Cabernet Sauvignon blends in particular, are often dismissed as wines that won’t age well. They are too high in alcohol, have too much sweet fruit, not enough acidity, etc. The complaint is frequently dismissive. “Sure, people like them, but they won’t age.” The subtext being that the wines are therefore inferior and so, perhaps, are the palates of those who drink them.

I was thinking about this as I sipped my way through the Taste of Oakville yesterday. 47 wineries from one of this country’s premier AVA’s were pouring their current releases. More than a few of them get that “won’t age” label. But some producers popped library wines, giving me the opportunity to see exactly how those wines have aged. Obviously, nobody was going to offer a wine that hadn’t held up, but the wines still gave a glimpse at the longevity of their general styles.

Before I get into how the wines were doing though, lets ask two questions, 1) What do we mean by “won’t age?” and 2) Who cares? The last question is at least half serious.

To me, saying a wine won’t age means one of two things. The first is that the wine simply won’t get any better than it is during the first three years or so after release. It won’t develop interesting tertiary flavors, the fruit will go away, etc. This may seem like a damning indictment but in reality the vast majority of wines made are not intended to improve with bottle age. Beyond that, most wine drinkers—including those buying expensive, genuinely age-worthy bottles—drink their wines fairly young. So the answer to the second question in this case is that most people don’t care most of the time, but people who love a good well-aged wine may care a lot.

The second meaning of “won’t age” is more a matter of degree. The wine will age, it just won’t last as long as a reference Bordeaux or Burgundy, or an iconic California wine from 30+ years ago. Here, the answer to the second question is that virtually nobody should care and one could argue it’s actually a good thing. A good thing? Yes.

As much as we love numbers, history and the cool factor of drinking something bottled before Paul McCartney met John Lennon, it should be the wine’s character that matters. Enjoy the complex aromas, developed flavors and elegant mouthfeel of the aged wine. Don’t dwell on how long it took them to appear. And, if you’re on the far side of 50, you may appreciate not having to wait another 40 years for your new purchases to reach their peak.

All that said, how were the Oakville Cabs aging? Nicely, by and large. They are indeed developing tertiary flavors faster than wines from days gone by. However, these contemporary wines had the virtue of having been drinkable upon release. Many long-lasting wines from days of yore were not. In addition, the best of today’s library wines look like they’ll last a good while longer.

Here were my favorite library wines from the 2013 Taste of Oakville (by vintage):

2006 Far Niente Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon - Drying leaves, black currant and vanilla. Full-body, moderate acidity and medium-plus chalky tannins. A very good wine today from a vintage that may lack aging potential overall. Drink soon. Highly Recommended+.

2001 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - Slightly raisined black currant, drying leaves, spice and chocolate. Nearly full-bodied with moderate acidity and a good measure of fine, powdery tannins plus some chalk. Quite long. Drink now through 2020. Very Highly Recommended.

1995 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon - Intensely flavorful with lightly raisined black currant, forest floor, spice and graphite. Nearly full-bodied and juicy, very fine grained tannins. A gorgeous wine. One of my two or three favorite wines of the day, young or old. Drink now through 2023. Very Highly Recommended

1986 Johnson Turnbull “Selection 67” Cabernet Sauvignon (6L) - Drying leaves, dried currant and spice. Medium-plus body, acidity and tannins (fine powder). Just 13.2% alcohol. Holding up well but smaller format bottles would likely be past peak. Drink now. Highly Recommended.

Follow NorCalWine on Twitter for breaking wine news, information on events and more. Become a fan and join the NorCal Wine community on Facebook. Also check out our comprehensive Northern California winery listings. They are very useful for planning a tasting trip or just getting in touch with a winery.

This article is original to NorCalWine.com. Copyright 2013 NorCal Wine. All rights reserved.

Tips on Buying a Wine Fridge

General Interest

Written by Fred Swan

Created on Sunday, 14 April 2013 20:01

Serving temperature has a big affect on how a wine smells, tastes and feels in your mouth. Even a very good wine can be awful at the wrong temperature. Improper storage temperature can also shorten a wine’s life or ruin the wine completely. Regular refrigerators are too cold for most wines. “Room temperature” is too warm.

The best way to keep wine at the right temperature is with a temperature-controlled wine cellar or a wine refrigerator (also known as a wine fridge or wine cooler.) Wine fridges are readily available these days. You can buy wine coolers online, from wine shops, department stores and even warehouse stores.

More about proper wine service temperatures...

More about aging wine...

Which wines age well...

What to Look for in a Wine Fridge

Capacity

The first thing you need to decide is how many bottles you want to keep in your wine fridge. The answer depends on whether you’re storing for aging or for drinking, how many bottles of you want to have ready at a moment’s notice and how many different types of wine you want available. Wine coolers come with capacities ranging from 6-bottles to 300+. I recommend getting one that's a bit larger than you think you need. If you're serious enough about wine to be buying a cooler, you'll fill it faster than you'd expect.

Where to Put Your Wine Cooler

Do not put your wine cooler in the garage. The big temperature ranges of a garage will make the cooler run too often, shortening it’s life. If the temperature in your garage gets too high, and it probably will, the cooler won’t be able to keep up and your wine will get warm. Likewise, the garage may get too cold in the winter. Wine fridges can’t keep wine above a certain temperature, only below.

Don’t put your wine fridge in an unventilated area, such as a closet. Wine coolers give off heat and they suck in air. In an unventilated space, the cooler will be sucking in its own hot air and will have to work harder, shortening its life.

Don’t your wine cooler next to an oven, regular refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher or clothes washer or dryer. They all give off heat through their side walls and that will make the wine cooler run too often. Some of these appliances also vibrate a lot and that’s not good for wine either.

Vent location

Wine coolers have vents that expel warm air and fans that pull in room-temperature air. These vents and fans need breathing room so that the cooler can work efficiently. Wine coolers can be purchased with front, rear or top venting. If you’re going to putting it under-counter make sure to get a front-vented cooler. Rear venting usually requires at least 6 inches of clearance in the back. Top venting allows the unit to be flush with a wall but needs about a foot of clearance above.

Size and Shape

Wine coolers come in many sizes, but four basic form-factors. Those for 20-bottles or fewer are typically intended to go on top of a counter. Coolers holding between 20 and 60 bottles are usually designed to work for under-counter installation. Larger coolers, especially those over 70-bottles, are almost always designed to be a freestanding appliance. Some are cabinet-style, tall and narrow. Others are console style, wide and half-height.

Once you know where you will put the wine fridge, you can figure out what the best orientation and specific dimensions are. Make sure to account for a couple of clear inches on each side plus enough air space for the venting so the cooler can work efficiently.

Rack Design

The racks inside wine coolers come in two basic styles, fixed and sliding. Sliding racks pull out like a drawer. You pull out a rack, place the bottle on its side then slide the rack back in. Fixed racks are like pigeonholes. You push a bottle, bottom first, into an open hole and then lower it slightly into place.

I prefer sliding racks. It’s easier to find a bottle when you can pull out a rack and easily see all the labels. I also find it’s easy to scuff or tear a label when moving bottles in and out of a fixed rack. This is especially true if you’re in a hurry or the bottle is a little over-sized. If you do opt for a sliding rack, make sure that the drawer mechanism works smoothly and easily. Bare metal wire sliding in plastic grooves doesn’t work well, especially when the rack is fully loaded.

That brings us to the next issue, rack size. There are a lot of wine coolers with racks that don’t accommodate over-sized bottles. I’m not talking about magnums either, very few coolers can handle those. I mean Champagne bottles and Burgundy/Pinot Noir bottles. These bottles have thinner necks but a larger diameter at the base than a “regular” Bordeaux bottle. I strongly recommend taking a bottle of Champagne or Pinot to the showroom so you can see if it fits.

Some racks are plastic, some are bare chrome wire, others are metal wire with wood fronts. I don’t recommend plastic for durability reasons, but beyond that, it’s a cosmetic and economic choice.

A Vinotemp 50-bottle wine cooler with glass door, refrigerator hinge, front vent, wood-front sliding racks and one temperature zone.

Insulation

The better insulated the cooler, the less often it will need to run and the less energy it will consume. Insulation is measured in R-factor. The higher the number the better.

Hinges

The are two basic hinge types. One is continuous, like a piano hinge. Those are strongest and the most energy efficient. The other option is refrigerator-style, with one hinge at the top and another at the bottom. Most manufacturers let you choose which side the hinge will be on. Some come with the ability for you to put it together either way. That’s convenient in case you move and need to change the orientation.

Noise Level

Most winecoolers use something similar to a refrigerator compressor and they also have fans. This makes noise. A noisy wine cooler can be distracting or even cause discord on the home front. Try to get the manufacturer-measured decibel ratings for the wine coolers you’re interested in. You want something that’s not too much above 40 decibels at worst. (40 decibels is similar to a typical office environment or the sound of light rain. 50 decibels is a dishwasher... You don’t want that because, unlike a dishwasher, the cooler will be running very frequently.) Also be aware that having the wine fridge semi-enclosed, as it would be under a counter, will magnify the sound rather than decreasing it.

One or Two Temperature Zones

Most wine coolers give you the opportunity to set the temperature you prefer, usually between 45° and 65° (Fahrenheit). Some have two thermostats, each manages one half of the cooler. You might set one part for 50° degrees for white wine service and the other at 58 or higher for red wine. If you’re only going to store red wine, you may not need two zones. On the other hand, you might want two so you can have Pinot Noir at 54° and Cabernet Sauvignon at 62°.

Door Style

Some wine coolers have glass front doors, others are solid wood or metal. The main benefit of a glass front is that it looks cool. Some fridges also have internal thermostats that you can read through the glass. There are two downsides to glass doors. One is that they may be less energy efficient. The other is that it makes your wine collection more obvious, a potential security concern.

Build Quality

You don’t always get what you pay for, but you almost never get what you don’t pay for. Buying a cheap wine cooler nearly guarantees you’ll get to buy another one much sooner than you’d like because the compressors tend to fail early. You’re better off paying $1,100 once than $700 twice. Other issues with inexpensive units are scant insulation, poor seals and noisy performance. Choose a reputable manufacturer. Reading user reviews on sites such as Amazon can also be helpful.

Manufacturer

There are many brands of wine coolers. Some companies specialize in wine fridges, others make other kitchen appliances. Some just buy wine fridges made by some company in China and then put their own label on it.

Any of these companies might have a product that works well and meets your needs. In my opinion though, you’re best off buying from a company that specializes in wine coolers. They have the most experience producing them and working with customers who care about wine. These companies may have better information about how wine should be stored and have spent making steady improvements. Above all, since their entire business is focused on wine coolers, offering good quality and satisfactory customer service is essential to the companies’ future. Many online stores offer a wide range of wine coolers from reputable manufacturers.

Cosmetics

Some wine coolers have a high-tech stainless steel and glass look that’s also easy to clean. This is appropriate for a kitchen or bar area. Others have furniture-quality cabinets made of oak, cherry, etc. These may have solid wood doors, plate glass, beveled glass or even stained glass. Top manufacturers will customize the look to your preferences.

Follow NorCalWine on Twitter for breaking wine news, information on events and more. Become a fan and join the NorCal Wine community on Facebook. Also check out our comprehensive Northern California winery listings. They are very useful for planning a tasting trip or just getting in touch with a winery.

This article is original to NorCalWine.com. Copyright 2013 NorCal Wine. All rights reserved.