Friday, June 29, 2007

Good ol' days wine pairing

One of the best things about holidays and family reunions is that you get all the generations around and talk about how great things were when you were younger, and the wine industry wasn't nearly as complex as it is today...(sigh)...

Of course, you start by mentioning how gas was less than 60¢ a gallon (btw, there was no unleaded, nor catalytic converters), Global Warming wasn't a topic - the Cold War was, etc, though I'll put away the Wayback Machine so I don't bore you too much, but the conversation recently turned to wine and food back-in-the-day...

Very few of the wineries you see now were here at the time: maybe a dozen of them in each Sonoma and Napa county actually existed...those that did were mere shadows of what they are today (for the most part) while others didn't stand the test of time and went under or were bought up [see this post for some info] ...
Many of the other cities in both counties were more like towns (back then, Santa Rosa & Napa were the only real cities by today's standards)...
Land was MUCH cheaper, and a lot more AG land was devoted to other crops like sheep, cattle, fruit and nuts...and the wine selections were much more limited...

In fact, much of the varietal wine marketing you see today was created in the past 30~40 years. Prior to that the offerings tended to "California Burgundy", "California Claret" (both reds), "California Sauternes" or "California Chablis" (white wines)[the European model was being emulated of describing wines by region], and sometimes a Gewurz or Riesling could be found as well.
For good or ill, White Zin didn't exist yet...

You could buy wine by the gallon or half-gallon, and many times bring a jug back to the winery and get it refilled...if you knew the people in the tasting room and if you asked nicely you could pick up a gallon of vinegar for your kitchen as well...

But while those wines seem simplistic by todays consumer standards, they were pretty decent for being larger blends without much to offer in the way of varietal identity or "regionality". You drank what you wanted, though in the 60's people started to drink more of the whites with fish and pork, leaving the reds for red meat. Even so, many families I knew had a bottle of Zin (or other light bodied red) in the ice-box for hot afternoons. (That model of "serviceable, but not stellar, wine for daily consumption" is alive and kicking today: Hearty Burgundy, California Chablis and the Paisano blends can still be found on store shelves ...and we even see it perpetuated by Bronco's Two-Buck Chuck - though I'll wager that Franzia might take exception to that description on the heels of his Chard's double-gold @ the California State Fair...)

Anyway, many of us grew up on the stuff, having it first at family dinners watered down when we were young. Later, we'd use it to cook with - especially when fresh game was the choice of the evening. Fowl (ducks, doves, quail, songbirds), rabbits, deer, trout and bass, wild pigs, or the odd squirrel...
I know - you're thinking how barbaric of me to include songbirds and squirrels, but what the hell, we were young, and both the songbirds and squirrels would give their positions away and became easy targets (the birds were singing, and the damned squirrels would bark like mad if you were anywhere near their "turf"). Robins and seasoned polenta was a favorite at the house, especially if we could get one of our grandparents to make some marinara sauce to put over it...we were hellions, and proud of it!
And as an adult, I couldn't be bothered to clean a squirrel...there just wasn't that much meat on them back-in-the-day.
(A quick nod to the old 1963 ed. of Joy of Cooking, which - god bless them - even tells you how to prepare 'possum, bear & raccoon...Trés Martha Stewart!)

Hunting grounds were easy to find...half the current population wasn't here yet...
It seemed as if everyone knew of at least one open field and one orchard/vineyard they could head into on any given day, depending on what was in season. Some items were always in season, as they were considered varmints (coyotes and feral dogs were "sport-only"; not meant for the table...).
Seems kind of strange when compared to the fare you're
now likely to find offered in Napa or Sonoma, but it was damned tasty, and went well with the unpretentious wines.

These days I imagine I'd still be grabbing a red for most of the game selections -just out of habit- but wouldn't steer away from a middle of the road white if it were handy. Maybe I should head out and buy a bottle of the 2-Buck Chuck Chard and prepare one of the ducks in the freezer
this weekend to celebrate Bronco's win.

PS - A note to PETA: Trust me, before most of you vegans were born, those furry little creatures were vicious killers! Every morning you'd have to peep thru the curtains before steeping outside to make sure no raccoons were lying in wait to getcha'...it'd still be that way if we hadn't culled the most vicious of their ilk back then [you can thank me later]...

Seriously, it was us or them...and it's not like we were water-boarding them or anything like that...

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Heaven or Hell?

Ok...I'm not sure where I am...I'm definitely disoriented...

So Richard Cartiere's Wine Market Report comes out today...and...and...

...BEST CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAY at the California State Fair went to....

...Bronco's Charles Shaw (aka "2-buck-Chuck") Chardonnay!
Certainly the current wine punditry would have called it "impossible", but you can safely bet your fattest paycheck that Fred Franzia will be marketing the hell out of this triumph for the next millennia.

The runner-up to the 2-Buck-Chuck was a 2005 Wente Chardonnay from Livermore which took home a double-gold...another dark horse by conventional wisdom...

On one hand, I'm in Heaven rejoicing in the defeat of "image" and "pretension" by an underdog which works out of an airpark...
On the other, I'm in Hell, saddened by what I personally think are the many far better chardonnays which just got seriously dirted by the judges.


The upshot is that now you can put all that money you'd saved for expensive Chard into the stock market, towards your kids college education or mortgage, and head off to Trader Joe's.
If you go, I think you'll see a few judges in line at Trader Joe's with you.

Drink what you like...be it $100/btl, or $1.99/btl.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

vintage 60's wine pairing

This table and glossary from the 1963 classic "Favorite Recipes of California Winemakers" which is apparently still available at Ebay and Barnes & Noble...
The following pic has what was then the most current info on wine pairing suggestions - note the portion that I've highlighted in green;
"*Most people prefer the combinations shown in the right-hand column. But the "correct" wine is the one YOU like best."...

Quite practical...and much simpler than most people present it these days.
One of the reasons it worked was it was constructed in a generalized format, and didn't "preach"...

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

I Hate Wine and Food Pairing

As I sat at the Father's Day dinner table, enjoying my barbequed ribs with a side of sauce for even more smoky-BBQ flavor, I noticed that I was drinking Vinho Verde. Why, you may ask, would I make such a bizarre pairing? Simple, I reply - I don't care. I was finishing a bottle of VV that Mrs. Vini and I had opened earlier in the evening and it wasn't gone yet. Thus, I drank it and it was good.



Did the wine elevate the food to divine levels?



Did I look around to see if anyone noticed my gaffe?



Did I rush to find a spicy Zinfandel or a rustic Rhone?



No, no and no.



Why? Simple, the wine tasted good and the food tasted good - 'nuff said. Further, I also had three other dishes to contend with. Would a big Syrah have gone well with my fruit salad? Unlikely, but if that's what I was drinking, I wouldn't have stopped to crack open a new bottle of something else.



You see, this whole wine and food pairing thing is getting out of hand. I recognize, and I think most other wine drinkers do too, that there are several fundamental problems with the process:



1) Wine tastes differently as it evolves, ages or declines so what the person who wrote the suggested tasting note got from the wine may be completely different for you.

2) Recipes tend to come out differently as well - we've all had times when a favorite food just wasn't quite the same.

3) People's individual tastes and preferences vary. If you like dry wines, there might not be any workable pairing for you involving off-dry Riesling, so don't worry about it!

4) Most people drink wine with a multi-course dinner served at once. If you're at the French Laundry, then by all means get a bottle with each course, but when at home how can you match salad, starch and meat with a single wine....?



What obviously irks me is that this whole pairing thing just makes it more difficult for people to serve, drink and enjoy wine:



"What should we serve with the salmon ravioli?"

"I don't know, let's just have beer"



The proper answer to this question is, "Whatever you like" but people get hung up on having the "right" wine with their food and they feel intimidated. Screw that!


Don't get hung up on these silly notions of wines and food being required to go perfectly together. Open a bottle of something tasty and drink up!

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Vine mealy bug: a serious threat

So undoubtedly you local types caught the Press Democrat's story about the Vine Mealy Bug threat to the wine industry. [link here for those that didn't]

Nasty little creatures!
Not sure what God's intended purpose was in creating them...but then again maybe it was the Devil's work?

Anyway, the part of the article describing the spread of these creatures seemed to be a little understated. Yes they state that it's easy to transfer the little buggers around by wind on leaves, but it's really much worse than that sounds: they can be spread by every vector imaginable!
Using the same tractor on multiple blocks or vineyards can spread them due to their stickiness...
The same is true of your vineyard workers...
all their equipment and clothing...
even perhaps their cars which were parked nearby...
the picking bins used to ferry the fruit to winery...
and every piece of winery equipment which has come into contact with that fruit as well...

But that's not all. The pomace after you've pressed is still contaminated as well!

I've seen recommendations to have the pomace after pressing be either returned to the infected vineyard or essentially "kilned" during composting by a certified processor. All equipment was to be disinfected with high pressure washers and soap (food grade) to make sure the bugs are left behind in the vineyard.

And the insecticide regimen once an infestation is identified is no joke.
Bully for those at Spring Mountain for going the extra mile to help develop a less environmentally intrusive method for everyone...it's what's needed to keep any organic grower looking to continue their certifications...
One of the big problems is getting control of the ants which help protect the mealy bugs from predators, so they can use the honeydew produces for food.

(It's story time, Kids! Do you remember some time ago, a North Bay County tried to use a compulsory reporting, quarantine and eradication program. What was fascinating about this was the fact that reports of the bugs dropped nearly to zero due to the stigma and work associated with an outbreak. No, the bugs weren't defeated...people went underground about the problem, and it went untreated. Sensing this, the "Man" dropped that and made it voluntary to bring people back out of hiding. And you know what?... it seems to be working, and there may be a happy ending to it all...
Moral: help people without punishing them for something which isn't their fault...)

Regarding Spring Mountain, the only thing it seems they didn't mention in the article was the use of Assistance Dogs to sniff out the (oft) unseen early infestations of vine mealy bugs before they get fully established. Google that topic for some cutting edge news.
Hopefully they're using that tool as well to help curb any spread...

A few links to get more information:
UCD Vine Mealy Bug IPM page
Vine Mealybug and Soft Systemics
Managing Vine Mealybug, Keys to Recognition
Dogs With a Nose For Mealybugs (Wall Street Journal : subscription needed)

And finally, since they mention Falcon Crest, an easy trivia question: What was the fictional family's name of Falcon Crest?

Was it too easy?
Then try naming the real-life wine family which was the inspiration for the series...
Good luck!

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Monday, June 04, 2007

India's harvest season

Lynne has this question via email:

Lynne said...

Hi! I'm a winemaker that is interested in doing seasonal work in India. I was just wondering if you could tell me which month(s) are generally the harvest/vintage season?

I doubt they have a small window of opportunity like ours...the few people I have talked with kind of shrug when I ask.

I have posted before on Thailand having 2 harvests per year due to the climate & weather, but I think it would depend on the vintage conditions and the varietal that they are growing...but it seems that India is following suit with multiple “vintages” per annum. Perhaps “Pre Monsoon” and “Post Monsson” offerings are available?...I don't know how they differentiate between the fermentation batches.

The following link may be helpful to you – sort of an FAQ on Indian viticulture:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6897e/x6897e06.htm

...and from it we see the dates for harvesting are nearly year-round…

But I would imagine they’d have it all wrapped up in India right before the monsoon season...(that date changes yearly due to weather patterns and ocean temps, but it generally runs from June 1 thru the first weeks of September). Because of the weather over the Indian subcontinent, grapes are harvested nearly all year long (again, I wouldn't expect much to be happening during the monsoons, but otherwise the answer might be “anytime”), so you may have a larger window of opportunity to find work there than the narrower season we have in North America, or the EU.

Good luck!

And if you do go, please check in from time to time to give us an update on what your experiences are! It would be nice to have a direct pipeline into what the conditions are over there...

Vini