A few name changes, some time off...
Well, for those of you who've found me here, I thank you...
Perhaps a note of explanation: I gave up the other name (/huge) for a couple of reasons, one being the weird anti-blog itellectual-property conflict that Tom @ Fermentation (nee FermentationS), and the Cinci Wine Garage suffered of late - both having to change their blog names...or face some legal actions (yikes! this is supposed to be a fun, part-time thing!)...
To me, that sets a rather strange climate.
My change was due to several hits to my blog page, which seemed to originate from one of the publishers of the Hugh Johnson's literary works on wine, which gave me quite a shiver. And an email I received was from another publisher wondering if I could review a manuscript for them...I was pretty certain that they weren't looking for ME, but for Mr Johnson.
Strange though, I'd have thought they'd have known how to contact him...
Now my spoof of the name is legally defensible in the U.S. under the First Ammendment protection of satire & parody, but the real Mr. Johnson lives in jolly old England, along with some of his publishers, which has no First Ammendment (one of the reasons we Yanks threw them out 229 years ago). And also, I thought that since the term 'huge johnson' - American slang meaning of 'large male genitalia' - would be fairly transparent as a joke, and certainly there would be no possible confusion between my humble ramblings and the artistic works of Mr. Johnson.
Whether he or his publishers would agree with that is somewhat arguable...
So I'd changed my blog name to plain "Huge's World of Wine", thinking that would be less offensive, but after a few more hits from the publisher decided to take a new name all together...
Zinquisition was a name I'd fumbled upon one day and seemed to lend itself here.
Please take note that there will be no thumbscrews or torture allowed here - as this blog is in no way connected with the Inquisition by the Catholic church during the middle ages, or even about religious topics at all. To keep in character I've become St. Vini, and provided I don't start receiving emails from the Vatican asking me to drop the name, I'll continue on my path...
...and I'll try not to pontificate to much, as well...
posted by St. Vini at 7:50 AM
7 Comments:
So here you are (though I am a bit dissapointed that you aren't actually doubling as a porn star).
I left a comment on Tom's site in response to yours , blah , blah... But nothing like going direct.
So the question remains, how many wines produced in California are made without the addition of acids, tannins and comercial yeats?
My question about the PV came from chats I have had with a couple of winemakers (Cali and Italian) who use it as a blender simply because it maintains it's acidity so well in warm climates. While I realize many Cali winemakers seem to have a penchant for mono-cepage wines, do you see the blending of PV with Cab as a way making more naturally balanced wines?
And lastly, do you believe that one can discuss the idea of the existence of terroir when all these interventions (chapitalization included) seem to be used to negate the effect of climate (canopy and yield mis-management aside).
Thanks for letting me pick your brain.
Bill
Welcome back! Now's your chance to ditch blogspot's lousy interface!
As President "Bill" used to say, "I feel your pain."
jens at cincinnati wine warehouse that used to be a garage
William - This may not be the best place for a running discussion, but here goes...
I can't answer your question regarding the number of CA wines made without additions because that's closely held info that few will share openly. Understand that culturally, most New World wines are crafted to a style and the intent is NOT to end up with something that is 100% what nature gives you.
As for the terroir debate, I think you need to be able to define it before you can debate it. If you want to call it the expression of place, unmolested my man, then how do you adjust for trellis systems, viticultural practices, chemical use, etc. - all man's inputs, long before the grapes are in the barn?? Further, as I've written about previously, how can you isolate terroir from prevailing style?
If you isolate terroir to soil type or minerality, then maybe you've got something a bit more tangible but wine is still a product of human hands and will always reflect that somewhere in the process.
Take care,
St.Vini
Bill,
It sounds like you've got a handle on the process, and certainly blending some higher acid wines with some that seem 'flabby' will bring the wines into a brighter vein, without having to add tartaric acid by itself.
Those added wines which were picked early for that purpose might drop the overall fruit intensity a bit though, as they shouldn't be as well developed.
While Petit Verdot doesn't really have much acreage in California (~1,200 acres in 2004)it might be interesting - as would some malbec or mouvedre - that was harvested a bit early, or from a colder area to help keep a higher acidity when blending.
Might take a bit of farming to get the tons needed for all that Cab!
Al
St. Vini (Johnson),
Welcome back...
Welcome back.
Alder
Vinography.com
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