2012 Wine Competitions – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

( Research leftovers. Read on for an explanation. )

Since 2008 my wife and I have entered our wines (and more recently beers, ciders and meads) in to several national, regional and local amateur competitions each year. The format of the competitions differs a bit depending on the host organization but the majority are executed using judging protocols like those from UC Davis, the American Wine Society or the Beer Judge Certification Program. We began doing this as a means to get objective feedback on our wines. We love to win medals, but the feedback we get teaches us things about our wines that we may not get anywhere else. No matter what great things our friends and family might say about our juice, it won’t ever be as objective as the feedback from an anonymous judge who tastes our wines blind. The feedback we have received, both good and bad, has been immensely valuable in directing our focus on improving our creations. The outcomes are still governed partly by luck (quality of product differs years to year, my personal attention span isn’t consistent, you get the point) but the feedback always gives us something to consider the next time we get ready to make something new.

( Summer 2011. We've taken home some hardware over the years. It's always an honor. )

I’ve gotten more objective about the resultant quality of my products over the years as well, and some fans think I might too harsh at times. This self imposed pressure is my way of trying to keep my head in the game. This isn’t all I need to make a good wine or beer, creativity and quality ingredients are also required, but some amount of ruthless self criticism is just part of the equation for me.

Prior to each competition we obviously need to determine what we are going to enter. Bottles that have won in prior editions of the same competition are excluded, this is often in the rules although cheating is common from what I understand, and products that are just too young are also disqualified because they typically get judged as such. As we have gotten more serious about the quality of our entries we have taken to pulling bottles of everything we think might make the cut, opening them and giving them a good once over. We are looking for high clarity, good color, bountiful aromas, discernable flavors and of course balance. If a wine (or beer,cider and mead) doesn’t have enough of the combination of these facets we won’t enter it. It could still contend, but since entering competitions costs money and requires at least one bottle to be surrendered, it isn’t worth entering wines that you don’t feel are truly worthy. We just drink those. And if they truly don’t merit, meaning they suck, we might parlay them into sangria, use them for marinades or dump them.

This year we ended up opening more than two dozen bottles in our search for wines and meads that we thought would show well in the WineMakerMagazine Annual Competition, the largest amateur competition in the world. We have placed in this contest every year we have entered, four years running. We ended up selecting only twelve (we have an entry limit of fifteen) bottles, feeling those were the real contenders and thus worth the money. Here is a rundown of both the wines that made the cut, and those that didn’t and little something about why.

( Gold from 2010. Here's to hoping luck strikes again in 2012! )

Made the Cut

• Dry Gewurztraminer 2011 – Decent aromas, good clarity and overall a nice dry, clean wine.
• Winexpert Estate Series Dry Creek Chardonnay 2011 – This wine saw some lees aging and no oak. The balance of fruit with a wildness in the nose is exceptional. It pours a nice deep, gold color and tastes great.
• Winexpert South African Chenin Blanc 2011 – This is a subtle wine, but with a tad of breathing time opens up in a way that says to me it has potential. We've won a bronze medal for this the past which moved it up on the list.
• Strawberry 2011 – Strawberry wine is the longest running style we make. Until 2011 we had medaled for it every year (in the WineMaker competition specifically). Last year the Berry Fruit category had no 100% strawberry winners which we found odd. This in my opinion is our finest version ever and I hope it helps us regain recognition for this style.
• Concord Rose 2011 – This is the second year we have made this wine from grapes a friend grows in his yard. Last year the color was too pale and it was also too sweet. I fixed both of those issues this year and it paid off!
• Purple Plum Dessert Wine 2011 – After the success of our 2008 Golden Plum Dessert Wine I wanted to try the same thing with purple plums. This is a different wine, but expresses plum very well and deserves a shot.
• Raspberry Fortified Dessert Wine 2011 – This is on a short list of things that will be the best of 2011 once we really start sharing it. Massive raspberry in color, aroma AND flavor. Well balanced, with just a hint of the Cognac we used to kick it up.
• Dandelion/Chamomile 2011 – This might be a second dark hose scenario for dandelion wine for us. We nailed a surprise gold for our 2010 version last year. This year I added some chamomile and the result was a wine with an herbal tea quality to it. It is more than drinkable.
• Maple Dessert Wine 2011 – This was inspired by a friend’s win for a Maple Ice Wine style wine in 2011. He wouldn't share his recipe (while I freely do share mine), but I nailed something here that might be even better.
• Cherry/Currant Mead 2011 – Clear, deep red color with fruity aromas. Big flavors with a dry, tart finish. The honey will come up in time, but this is very spot on for style to me.
• Cinnamon Cyser 2011 – The aromas of apple, honey and cinnamon are what get me. All other elements are polished and balance is good.
• Orange/Vanilla Mead 2011 – This was our surprise first place finisher last fall, and probably one of the best things we made in 2011. We didn't need to open this to be sure, but we did because we wanted something to drink!

( Entries for the 2010 WineMaker Magazine Competition. Huge recognition with 9 medals that year! )

Nope!

• Blueberry Fortified Dessert Wine 2011 – The balance is off. The neutral alcohol I used for fortification comes through too much. I am going to back sweeten this with some organic blueberry concentrate and add some oak chips for a bit. It might move in a port-like direction.
• Dry Riesling 2011 – The acid is out of balance. Not sure what will happen with this wine.
• Riesling/Gewurztraminer Blend 2011 – Slightly hazy, otherwise a pleasant, drinkable wine.
• Winexpert Estate Series Yakima Pinot Gris 2011 – Oxidized. Not sure of the future of this wine.
• Winexpert New Zealand Pinot Noir 2011 – Just didn't pop. Going to revisit this wine in six months.
• Winexpert Special Edition Pacific Quartet 2009 – This wine has lost its nose. It tastes great, has good clarity and is balanced. Just not worth the expense.
• Peach Dessert Wine 2010 – This batch of peach wine is drinkable, but doesn't have the total package.
• Malbec 2010 – All three batches of Malbec from 2010 are a little funky. We are going to let them age for a while.
• Syrah 2010 – A lighter wine with a bit of cured meat in the nose. Didn't feel like it was typical. It drinks well for me and that’s just what I am going to do with it!
• Winexpert Rioja 2010 – Kind of a dullard. It just doesn't influence me in any tangible way. I won’t fuss to drink it as an everyday wine, but it ain't gonna bring home any hardware.
• Viognier 2010 – Way out of balance. Something about this wine changed shortly after the fermentation was completed. It was trending well up until then. We used quite a bit of it in a blend so it is almost gone.
• Sauvignon Blanc 2010 – Only a few bottles of this were bottled varietally. It is typical, if not a bit acidic, and I didn't feel it was a winner.
• White Blend 2010 – Not a bad wine, except when one of the stinky bottles gets opened! Too much risk therein.
• World Vineyard Australian Riverland Reserve 2009 – This wine doesn't have enough of everything. Very subtle, plenty drinkable but not in a pay attention to it type way.

One wine that we didn’t open is our 2010 Cabernet/Syrah, and as I drink a glass while I write this I am wondering if we might have missed one. It isn’t a big wine, more European in style, and has a moderate nose solid flavors, chewy tannins and a healthy does of acidity. This is at the top of the list for the next competition!

( Enjoying last year's WineMaker Magazine Competition awards dinner with friends. See you in June! )

Several wines from 2011 were too young to enter, but are coming along nicely and will see themselves in the ring in 2013.

• Cellar Craft Red Mountain Cab
• Cellar Craft Amarone
• Winexpert Sonoma Valley Pinot

The above list doesn’t include the fresh juice Amarone and Zinfandel we made in the fall of 2011 that have not yet even gone into the bottle.

While the effort we went through might seem fun, it really was hard work and required my wife and I to be brutally honest with each other and ourselves. I am really happy with the selections we picked and can’t wait to see what turns up our first medals of 2012 in June when the results are announced. No matter what I have improved my own ability to judge my wines and am looking forward to the feedback these wines bring.

Cheers!

Jason

Wineries Need to Get With the Program and Engage Their Customers!

The rants about wineries needing to get on the social media bandwagon come fast & furious these days. Adding in the related rants about the need for wineries to improve web sites, setup Facebook pages and respond to contacts through all the online channels out there, and you could get the impression that the state of the industry is poor and declining rapidly. By only this measure that may not be a stretch.

I’ve picked one particular thread in the conversation because my experience with at least one of the actors in the story proves the point being made in clear and simple terms. But I wouldn’t be writing this post if I didn’t have at least a little something to say to expand the argument a bit.

Joe Roberts, aka 1WineDude, wrote a post on January 25^th entitled “Where Can Wineries Really Innovate? In Engaging The People WhoActually Drink The Stuff!” where he lays out his ideas on what wineries can and should be doing to engage their customers. (Sorry Joe I’m going to pick on you a bit, but in the end your position will be the winning proposition.)  In that post the main point is that wineries suck at innovation in customer engagement and are losing out on brand positioning that is going on everyday using social media. The points were stated well but there wasn’t example provided, and no consideration of the dollars and cents based at stake.

That post got an opposing response Steve Heimoff in “HeyJoe, lighten up on the social media thing”. Steve took the approach that winery owners and winemakers are up to their eyeballs in the work to make the product and run their businesses that the “free” time to curate their social media presence and engage the customers waiting online is easier said than done. He also states that he thinks the sharp edge of statements in Joe’s original post ignore the realities of what the producers ARE doing to engage and run their businesses. I personally ride the line between both voices. Any business, not just wineries, needs to invest more time as they grow to manage their brand and engage customers. That is nothing new. There is plenty of technology out there to do this, but that is not the problem. Changing how businesses allocate time and resources is, and that has everything to do with money and a return for investments made. Even so, the adoption of such technologies is an evolution that takes time.

Joe responded to Steve today in “This Is Me Totally NOTLightening Up On Wine And Social Media” where he refines the argument to be more about engagement than social media, and provides some engagement examples. As one commenter (Richard Auffrey, aka The Passionate Foodie) has already pointed out, the examples aren’t about social media and the article title and points made seem to revolve around that. Maybe the premise of the post was titled a bit off point, but Joe is human and is trying to be a thought leader for an industry he loves and wants help be even more successful.  I’ll let other people jump on that specific point if they wish.

In the most recent post Joe says “I’m not lightening up. If anything, I think we all should be making more of a fuss over this stuff, not less.” and  “Ignoring social media entirely makes you a Muppet” to get the reader’s attention.

Joe’s bottom line is this: “if you are producing wine, and in this day and age you are letting someone like me (or any critic) dictate the majority of your brand message to current and potential customers in online engagement channels (twitter, Facebook, etc.), then you need to audition for a Jim Henson Company project, because you’re acting like a Muppet…”

If you want to read all the opinions, comments and put your own stamp on the conversation use the links above. I encourage anyone who loves wine, works in the wine industry or is thinking about launching a winery to get involved. Joe is out there ahead of the indsutry coalescing his experiences into a set of guiding principles that in time will be the way things are done in the wine business. It’s just going to take time.

As a technologist by trade I’ve seen this situation before, it was called the Dot Com boom.  During that period every company in every industry was being told they had to get online because everything was going that way. I ran an IT consulting firm from shortly before the boom and was along for the ride during and after the crash. I saw all manner of stupefying business plans and VC money flying fast and furious at anything with an “e” or “dotcom” in the text of said plans. Most of it was crap. I turned down jobs because the business had no real plan and most of those evaporated before I would have gotten paid. That era was exciting but we all lost because of stock market roller coaster that resulted from it. More than 10 years later we have seen the shake out from that era come full circle and many of the current darlings of the IT world are those companies that either benefited from what followed the insanity or had the fine timing to come later.

We are seeing a social media boom now. The drums beating about companies needing to be on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, etc., etc. sounds the same to me. But it is different this time. Social media is about innovation in marketing, customer engagement and brand communication. Those aren’t new concepts and a little change will be good for all of us.

But how do we evaluate what is really going on in the wine industry and figure out what to expect for technology adoption, and specifically engagement technologies, from the industry at large? Because we are looking at this from a technology slant we should dance with the Technology Adoption Lifecycle for a few songs. The Technology Adoption Lifecycle (or Diffusion of Innovation) is a model of technology adoption based on research done of farmers in the 1950’s. Why should this matter today when so much has changed? Because it applies and holds up to this day, that’s why!

The graphic below will show you what the progression of technology adoption looks like in any community of actors whose primary business isn’t technology (farming, retail, wine, etc). I am making the distinction about adoption of technology in tech focused industries because that is a whole other animal in itself. Trust me, I deal with that every freaking day!

( graphic courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Clearly you can see that knowing where in progression of an adoption we are will help anyone understand exactly where the business in their focus industry might be in their own adoptions.

For the wine business and social media I don’t think we have moved to the Early Majority phase yet. That means at most 16% of wineries have adopted the technologies and have been able to successfully integrate them into operations. How does this do for context for everyone? Anyone want to disagree? I don’t have research to back up my assertion, I’m using a general perception from my own experience and people like Joe who report on what they see from the field. It fits for me, but take a shot at it if you wish. I’ll have that conversation because it only helps refine the argument and make the case stronger.

I stated above that I think this model holds up. A web strategy post from 2010 entitled “Matrix: Social Technology Adoption CurveBenefits –and Downsides“ explains this curve in terms of social technologies. The benefits and downsides around adoption are discussed and that detail is an essential read for anyone who takes up the position Joe asserts.

Wineries need to listen in here, but in the end what they really need to do reflect on their day to day operations and figure out where they are spending their time and money. Once they know how they currently spend they need to be brutally honest and determine the return they are getting for that spend. I know for a fact that they will find places to move money and time from to where it can be better spent.  That’s when they can seriously entertain the suggestion that they can do a better job of engaging customers by adopting social media. Clearly some companies might need help with that, they aren’t technologists after all, and the loud voices in this conversation should consider what role they might play there.

The wine business isn’t a new industry and is littered with so many control and anti-competitive facets that in themselves add another barrier to moving along the curve. Those areas must be attacked in parallel if we want to speed the story along.

How did this whole experience prove the point Joe was making for me? Joe’s engagement with me. His blazing turnaround to my comments and handling of a technology issue I had in replying to a comment made it clear he wanted to engage me as a consumer of his brand. And it made me feel good. There is no better proof than that.

Cheers!

Jason

Paella & Spanish Wine

Making Paella is a time and labor intensive endeavor. A labor of love if you will. Lacking a desire to expend either in pursuit of a dish of paella means you should find the nearest Spanish or Latin restaurant and have them take care of it for you. I wanted to try making it for myself. The recipe and cooking instructions for my paella can be found at the bottom of this post.

What I’ve done here is an approximation of paella in a classic sense for several reasons. I don’t own a paella pan, I cooked it entirely on the stove top versus finishing it in the oven and I’m not Spanish. Such trivial things never stop me, but after looking at lots of different recipes and the background on the dish, and there’s lots to be found by the way, it seems like a fair disclaimer to make.

As you will note from the recipes below I had to cook before I could cook. From start to finish I spent at least two hours in the kitchen. One of the key ingredients to paella, and many other Spanish dishes as I understand it, is sofrito. Sofrito is a slow cooked mixture of garlic, onion, green pepper, tomato and paprika. The big takeaway from cooking the sofrito was the aromas. I am sure I have smelled them before, but I have no recollection of specifically where.

Repost Note: I enjoyed this recipe with wines from a promotional kit that I received as part of a giveaway. I, in turn gave the same prize to several of my own blog readers. Much thanks to Tapena Wines for sponsoring this adventure. 

Having never made paella before I can’t really say how well it came out. It was tasty though. The rice was cooked to the right texture and the meats & seafood were flavorful meaning they had had enough time to soak up the spices from the dish. And my wife and I scarfed down our helpings.

What I am sure of after this experience is that I need to make paella several more times trying different recipes and styles. I saw recipes with all meat, all fish, the combination similar to what I did here, big vegetable presentations and an array of spice levels. With a better sense of what is possible and improved technique I am sure I could take this dish to the right place. I also need to try different wine pairings with Spanish wines. Wine clearly has a special place in Spanish culture and learning more about how it works with different foods is an exciting opportunity.

Cheers!

Jason

{ Recipes }

Sofrito

1 can crushed tomatoes (28-29 oz)

1 large Cubanelle pepper

1  onion

2 cloves garlic

olive oil

1 tsp paprika (not smoked)

salt and pepper to taste

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Chop the pepper into 1/4" (or smaller) pieces. Heat a large frying pan with a heavy bottom over medium heat. Pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Put the onions into the pan and sauté them until they are transparent, reducing the heat if necessary so as not to burn them. Add the green pepper and continue to cook for 5 minutes, adding olive oil if necessary. Be sure to stir often, to vegetables do not burn. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Pour the crushed tomatoes and paprika into the pan and mix well. Continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes.

Paella

2 cups Basmati rice

4 tablespoons Sofrito

1/4 + 1 Tbsp cup olive oil

5 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon saffron

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

2 lbs boneless chicken thighs

¾ lb ground pork sausage

20 large shrimp, tail on

16 Steamer clams

1 sweet red pepper, cut to strips;

1 cup frozen green beans

Lemon wedges

Salt and pepper to taste

Take 1 Tbsp parsely, 2 cloves garlic, 1 Tbsp oil & salt mash into paste.

Use a wok to steam the mussel and keep ready for use; Clean the wok

Warm the vegetable stock over medium heat, add the saffron, stir well, keep warm

Using a large fry pan reheat the Sofrito over medium high heat, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Add parsley, garlic, oil emulsion, mix well. Add the chicken thigh and cook until slightly browned. Add the rice, stir thoroughly to make sure that the dry rice are sauteed well in the Sofrito;

In the wok heat the olive oil and sautee the pork sausage (chunks) and chicken thigh on medium-high heat until no pink is visible. Add the green beans & red pepper, stir.

Add the Sofrito, chicken and rice mixture to the wok. Continue to stir.

Meanwhile, bring the stock back to the boil, pour over the mixture and distribute over the mixture in the wok. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer 8-10 minutes, mixing occasionally.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the prawns on top of the mix; Stick the mussels halfway into the mix. Cover and simmer another 8-10 minutes

Garnish with parsely and serve with the lemon.

Sheldrake Point Winery - Ovid, NY

( The view east from Sheldrake's vineyards. Another no-so-hot day for photos. Beautiful nonetheless. )

Dave Breeden, the winemaker for Sheldrake Point Winery in Ovid, NY is a wine-maker’s winemaker. Not knowing what that is could render this post elusive, so I’ll explain what I mean in examples as I guide you through our visit to Sheldrake in early February.

Thank you very much to Antoinette DiCiaccio and Dave Breeden for their hospitality and time with Margot and I on our recent visit. This was our first visit of the weekend. Antoinette met us in the tasting room and we set about introducing ourselves and the exploration we were on. When the WineMaker Magazine Conference hits the ground in June there are so many places that folks with even a little time will be able go to experience what the region has to offer. I didn’t know this firsthand until recently however. Since last summer I have made two trips and personally tasted over 250 wines from the region to find out. If you linked through to here from the WineMaker Magazine blog section you’ve likely already read some part of that story in my trip reports from the region.

For this point I’m going to share observations and thoughts on my time with just one of the wineries I visited and a tasting of their unfinished wines.

Dave Breeden joined our small group in the tasting room during a funny story about how a friend of ours decides when to taste the homemade wines. If it is in a small bottle, typically a fortified, dessert or specialty wine, cider or mead, he drinks it. That’s knowing what you like in a very specific way!

Antoinette bid us farewell, and Dave, Margot and I set off to the winery, a short walk up the hill behind the tasting room. When we arrived we had to quickly check on the bottling equipment to make sure it was ready for an early week bottling run. Check. We picked up glasses in the lab on the way to the tank and barrel rooms.

( Margot remarked that I always take her to the nicest places! )

Right off the bat Dave shared a glimpse of who he is with an example of the one-liners that would easily be kitchsy if they weren’t delivered contextually and authentically. In explaining the barrel regimen he has in operation he use the quip “If I wanted my products to taste like oak, I’d make furniture”. Hey wait, he sounds like my dad! No offense, and my dad can be funny. We laughed, but it was the whole group, experiencing the truth of the statement and the connection to the moment we were in that made the difference. Dave further explained that used barrels are bought when they need to rotate something out, but the neutral barrels seasoned in-house are actively used to keep the oak influence under control. When I share my feedback on the reds below you will note that I agreed with the balanced influence of oak in the pre-release wines we tasted. Most of Sheldrake’s barrel aged wines see no more than 8-9 months of oak.

The 2011 harvest was challenging for the region, and Dave confirmed that staggered and late harvests were the end to one of the worst years in memory for the active winemakers in the area. After the quantity of the fruit was determined the overall quality of the grapes was quite good, albeit a bit low in sugar. This isn’t an uncommon problem in cold-climate growing areas and one of the dynamics of an agricultural business. Tasting the wines however, it is hard for me to say that the weather alone will be any reason to judge them.

We started off with two Chardonnay’s one with, and one without oak; the oak being administered using staves of NY State oak. The oaked version is big on the lemon, with a good deal of peach and not much other than a hint of spice to make you think it was oaked. The un-oaked version was fruitier, but with a reduced lemon punch. Its acidity was a little more pronounced, making the truth of the oak influence in the first sample much clearer. It was more mellow, smoother and a tad creamy, perhaps?

Next up were a Pinot Gris blend and the Lucky Stone White. The Pinot Gris was dry and dominated by lime for me. Margot gave it her “hot day wine” designation. I agreed. The Lucky Stone White is a Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer blend. The nose gives away the Gewurztraminer, and really drew me in. It is a tart finishing wine with plenty of citrus and a small streak of sweetness. Here’s to the next hot day and I have these wines to try!

I asked Dave if Sheldrake grew any hybrid grapes for their wines. He said that they don’t and they luckily don’t have to because of the micro-climate and local geography conducive to vinifera grapes. This idea was summed up in what I think was his leading quote. With regards to the Sheldrake vineyards, “it’s a really sexy property.” I get that, rock on!

Riesling and Gewurztraminer! As I have said in earlier writings on the region, these are the wines that make up the leading story. You’ll come here for the aromatic whites wines that project the natural acidity of the grapes to just the right place, and then you will find so much more.

The dry Gewurztraminer has a beautiful palate of sweet aromas, including ripe stone fruits, white flowers and citrus peel. The density of the wine coats the tongue a bit making it almost taste sweet, but then it speeds to a dry finish.

The dry Riesling smelled and taste like ripe peach with island fruits playing a big part as well. Margot called in “pineapple juice”, which seemed apt to all. This is another nearly dry and dry finishing wine. This is really no surprise given the harvest report.

To make a semi-dry Riesling from the 2011 harvest a batch of dry Riesling will be blended with some ice wine to provide additional sweetness and aromatics that will no doubt catch the fancy of many. We were lucky enough to taste a trial blend with a still fermenting ice wine in it! Still peachy but with additional exotic fruit notes and some hard candy leanings. It also had a more pronounced tartness from CO2 still likely trapped in the Riesling used as the based. It has plenty of potential and should be available soon I can’t see what the final decisions and process did to hone the blend.

( Dave Breeden retrieving a sample, this was for a "secret" blend. )

We also tasted the ice wine on its own. The nose emanated of tropical fruits, where the wine was still quite sweet and had the “wildness” I am familiar with in dessert offering made from Riesling grapes. A kit-based Riesling dessert wine I made a few years ago was a hit because of the more lively “green” or “wildness” it expressed. This wines needs time to finish and should come together nicely.

When we got on to the reds and the Cabernet Franc, there were three to try. The first two were from the same block harvested on different dates and aging in barrels, and the third was a different block aged in stainless with the NY oak staves mentioned above. My immediate impression was of dill pickle from the nose. That could be oak. The flavor didn’t trend that way and the aromas dissipated quickly as I tasted it. Tart cherries with moderate structural tannins and a dry finish. The second sample smelled and tasted like cherries and had a certain measure of dustiness as I call it, sort of a dry soil blown into the mouth. It was also quite tart, but without the nose of the first sample it felt more exciting. The third is the same wine as the first sample aged with oak staves instead of by barrel. It was cherry driven with a little heat and a big tart finish. There are at least two wines in there, I think the first two will develop further, and could make for great blends, but the full potential of them is beyond my experience. That’s what makes firsthand exposure to the process of making artisanal wine and other fermented products so exciting, it won’t be the “same thing” every time! None of the samples was over oaked or trending close. That restraint on cool climate red wines helps retain their delicate aspects that can’t be covered up by fruit and tannins.

( Some of the newest barrels in the house. )

We tasted Merlot from the barrel, but it isn’t expected to make it into the bottle in its current form. Re-enforcing a point about “picking what you do well” and putting “focus on it”, Dave shared that a varietal Merlot was no longer made because it wasn’t creating wine that returned for the time and investment, and the Merlot actually works great as an agent in their Meritage blend, the most recent from 2010.

The 2010 Meritage reminded me of freshly picked cherries and a touch of wild herbs. The tannins were already pretty mellow, but present, and the acidity helped keep things tart and dry along the finish. I’ve said a lot about these types of blends before and my tastings keep turning up evidence that these wines attract my attention the most. Complexity is more often amped up in blends. I’ll spend the time to think about my wine. I’m looking for a downside.

There are a lot of reasons to increase the production of a winery, and if it is to keep up with demand that is clearly growing, all the better. There are plenty of reasons not to make more wine and again Dave had the perfect quote. “Having grapes is a very bad reason to make wine; sales are the best reason to make wine.” This ethic is carried out in part by selling excess of varieties of grapes they don’t have production targets for each year to other producers, something that depends a lot on the weather. In 2011 Sheldrake Point Winery opened a second tasting room, placing the newest outlet on east side of Seneca Lake, not far from the main winery on the west side Cayuga Lake. In preparation for the opening, production of some wines from the 2010 harvest was doubled. What an exciting reason to make more wine!

I asked Dave what his noteworthy wines from 2011 were and was met with the same list I felt really imparted the most character, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Cabernet Franc. Despite the report of the challenging harvest I think the wines are expressing plenty of character and might all develop into focused aromatic and tart wines that have immense drinkability with and without food. One other thing Dave said he endeavored to do was “not to screw with the wine”. Minimal intervention in these wines certainly hasn’t hurt them!

We finished with and apple ice wine, something that caught both Margot and my eyes when we toured the tasting room. Made from Cornell apples and a blend of heirloom and vintage varieties it is full of flavors and “wild”. It is plenty sweet with a dose of acidity to clean up a bit. Margot knew she was taking this home before she even tasted it!

In June Dave Breeden will be presenting to the WineMaker Magazine conference attendees in a presentation about fining. I fully expect this presentation will be experience-based, informative, provocative and funny. I’m not going to miss it. I found a video interview with Dave during my research where he discusses the Art & Science of Winemaking. In the second to last paragraph of the accompanying article there is a very compelling point about the potential for variation in the shared taste genes from one human to another. Stay tuned for more content here and at WineMaker Magazine on sensory evaluation and the science of wine tasting.

Much thanks to Annette and Dave for hosting us. We also met and would like to thank Kit, the tasting room manager, and Victor, one of the two assistant winemakers for their time with us. SheldrakePoint Winery is located on the west side of Cayuga Lake about 40 minutes North of Ithaca, NY. There are daily tasting hours both during the on and off seasons. Unfortunately they no longer have a restaurant on site and if you expect to go with a group it was be smart planning to call ahead.

Cheers!

Jason

Wagner Vineyards – Lodi, NY

The agricultural and winemaking history of the Finger Lakes region of New York is full of all kinds of stories, and most often these stories chronicle the lives and times of a single family. These stories are a particular type of time capsule, history being written by one generation and narrated by another.

On a recent visit to Wagner Vineyards I had the pleasure to meet Laura Wager Lee and hear her recount stories of how her father, BillWagner, and the family he helped create literally raised the winery out of the ground, blood, sweat (and likely) tears and all. A sincerest thank you to Laura, and as well Katie Roller with whom I arranged our visit.

The initial part of our tour took us a down a hallway past the tank room. On the opposite side of the walls were family and winery photos broken into different decades/groups. Laura pointed to all sorts of pictures, black & white, color, Polaroid and high res, there are photos there of vines, grapes, vineyard work and all the messy tasks of winemaking. There are also so many pictures of digging, the erecting of walls and the construction of the winery buildings. There were so many smiles in the family and company photos I could feel the excitement behind the do-it-yourself stories presented.

Wagner Vineyards has 250 acres under vine and produces a full suite of white, red and blush estate grown wines. It is one of the oldest wineries in the region, opening in 1979. With the addition of a restaurant, brewery and event space Wagner has become a very popular Finger Lakes wine country destination. Visiting in the off-season affords the luxury of time to tour and taste, but after hearing stories and thinking you are missing out on pub nights on the deck, bands, special events and the buzz of the tasting room you promise yourself you’ll fix this real soon.

In the tasting room the talk immediately turned to Riesling. Hey, I’m a sucker for it so let’s just say I love the Finger Lakes. Objectively, I enjoy tasting aromatic white wines like Riesling and believe I have developed a decent palate for these wines. With 50 acres of Riesling vines Wagner produces six styles in most years. I tasted three during my visit.

The 2008 Dry Riesling is dry and focused with a balance of moderately potent fruit and mineral aromas. A crisp finisher with a decent run of fruit to the end. The 2009 Semi-Dry is driven with orange and melon and is yet again dry enough to be a dry wine to me. The citrus laden finish cleans out nicely. I am still preferential to the 2009 Finger Lakes Rieslings, but I need a few more years to really be sure. The 2011 Select Riesling is a young wine, but is luscious and sweet with plenty of potential for aging. It was the sweetest of the three with a much riper and fuller nose. To me peach initially dominated the palate, but additional sips produced a bevy of exotic and tropical fruits. The wine has a noticeable viscosity to it, and finishes sweet.

I teed up the 2010 Gewurztraminer next, filling in more of that story if you will. Orange and white flowers lit up the nose and the palate was a tart mix of exotic fruits and ginger. The spiciness is one of the things that initially drew me to Gewurztraminer, and although it isn’t present in all wines made from the grape, I still get excited when I find one.

Moving on to reds I selected the 2010 Reserve Pinot. Touches of raspberries and chocolate were present. Light bodied and smooth. The wine is dry with some soft tannins. It didn’t resonate with me to drink right now, and any mellowing couldn’t hurt such a subtle wine.

The Meritage 2007 caught my eye and I went in for it. A blend of 55% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot it is moderately darkly hued and projects lively aromas of cherry. I found it a little dusty, my word for dry earth minerality, and ever so lightly oaky. Adding this to my Meritage journey around the Other 46 (smaller winemaking states), I was happily impressed. This wine has aged gracefully and is drinking well.

I finished my tasting with the 2008 Vidal Ice Wine. The nose on this wine could make an honest person lie. Readers will know that I haven’t met many dessert wines that I didn’t like. Despite such experience I still find it hard not to be biased in favor of ice and dessert style wines. This wine was well built, with juicy dehydrated fruits and some wild streaks layered in honey. There is enough tartness to it to keep the sweetness manageable, something that might increase, to its benefit, with years of age.

Stepping out on the back deck Laura talked about the summer events and people spilling out onto the lawn to enjoy the natural beauty during the warm seasons. The view on our cloudy day was muted, but having been in the area on sunny warm days, I don’t need to imagine it. But that doesn’t mean Margot and I won’t be back!

Wagner Valley Brewing is the beer yang to the wine yin for the Wagner family, no wait, I made that up. Margot and I were both gunning to try some more New York state beer and Wagner didn’t disappoint. Our favorites were the Sled Dog dopple and trippel bocks, both exuded a dense malty sweetness and plenty of alcohol! Brewing these monster beers requires the complete brewing setup to be dedicated to processing the malt bill. That’s getting the job done! The Stout and the IPA are both solid beers, and my firsthand Superbowl drinking experience confirms their ability to pair with food, TV and friends. Life is good! Margot had a growler of the Sled Dog Dopplebock filled to go, don’t you just love her, and we finished our visit in the wine retail shop.

Picking a few favorites from the tasting (Select Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Meritage) Margot and I expressed our thanks and said our goodbyes. With kickoff looming we needed to get back to Ithaca, grab some sandwiches and settle in for the annual commercial entertainment. With the amount of wine and beer we hauled out to the car, we could have had a pretty big party! We’ll save that for the Spring and friends at home.

Wagner Vineyards is located on the East side of Seneca Lake, about 45 minutes from Ithaca. They have daily tasting hours, a full service restaurant and seasonal events. And don't forget the brewery. Call ahead for specific information on what’s happening when you plan to visit. Thank you Laura, Katie and the whole Wagner family and community for sharing your lives and stories with us.

Cheers!

Jason

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love it or leave it, it’s Valentine’s Day. I can’t be down on the day, and that’s because I have my own history from which I can expect to have a wonderful day enjoying the love I share with Margot. I am fortunate enough for this and knowing that not everyone can say this today is troubling and not lost on me. But, press on I must.

I’ve played around with many food & beverage pairings in my blog and have at least strayed into ponderings on pairings with music, people, occasions and locations. A pairing of hearts is what’s on my mind today so that’s the pairing I planned and executed.

Margot and I met in 1995. Less than one year later, the week inclusive of Valentine’s Day, I asked Margot to marry me. On the first day of summer 1997, we were married in a beautiful garden maintained by my great-uncle Warren where he lived with his sister, and my late grandmother, Irene. Five generations of my family were assembled where we publicly declared our undying love. Sweet!

( My brother Tim, Me, Margot and Margot's sister Celeste. June 21st, 1997. )

Margot and I enjoyed the party atmosphere at Plymouth State College where we met, and our tastes precariously teetered on all sorts of edges. Along the way our drinking tastes have evolved and branched out from cheap swill beer to craft beers, small-batch wines, artisanal spirits and all drinks more interesting. Riesling was the first style of wine we both seized the same joy from, and we have enjoyed many more together since.

That’s the setup. 1995. Riesling. I found a bottle of 1995 JJ Prum Auslese Riesling from the Mosel available at Federal Wine & Spirits in Boston. A quick search of reviews convinced me the risk for the bottle was as low as it could be for its 16 or so years. The label was a bit discolored and roughed up, but otherwise the bottle didn’t offer any concerns.

Under the cap the bottle was a bit musty but the cork was solid, pliable and emerged without issue. One small piece of cork landed in the bottle. Not bad.

The color is a big, deep gold and sparkles in the light. The nose on the wine is distinctive, full of apricots, other stone fruits, honey, candied citrus with a spectrum of minerality and volatile aromas that border on chemical. On the palate the wine is tongue coating, sweet, with all of the aromatics represented. The acidity is still moderate, producing a tartness in the finish that keep things pretty well balanced. The minerality and chemical tastes are definitely represented in the reductive elements. The apricots are dried and the other fruits very ripely aged. This wine is drinking as well as I could have ever imagined. 1995 was indeed a very good year.

Cheers!

Jason

More Winter Photos From The Finger Lakes

The response to my photo post yesterday was much larger than I had imagined. Here are a few more. Give the people what they want!

( It looks a bit ominous, but it was just late in the day. )

( These gnarly trunks on the Wagner balcony drew my eye. )

( I love how the setting sun reflects in the window. )

( Empty tanks in the off season. Seems like such a crime! )

( Anyone have a straw? Can't miss this when entering Swedish Hill. )

( We saw a book about FLX winery dogs, but this was the friendliest winery animal we met. Mama Kitty at Knapp. )

( After hearing Laura Wagner Lee, co-owner of Wagner, talk about pub nights on the deck I couldn't help but think of how off far summer seems right now. )

( How could you not want to be here? West side of Cayuga Lake at Thirsty Owl. )

Cheers!

Jason

Winter In The Finger Lakes - A Photo Journey

Winter in the Finger Lakes, just like in New England right now, isn't always what people think it is. No snow and cool sunny days is what we found last weekend. Made for some great shots.

( Vines awaiting the potential of a new year. )

( Something's missing! )

( Taughannock Falls State Park. West side of Cayuga Lake. )

( Western side of Cayuga Lake near Knapp Winery. )

( A winter sunset over the young orchard at Bellwether Cidery. )

Cheers!

Jason

Ancient Fire Archeology – Finding Old Wines

Before we get into this, I must define old wine as it pertains to my homemade wines. My first batch of wine went into the bottle in 2004. For the first 2-3 years thereafter most of my wine was consumed by year’s end and the few bottles that were given away were returned to me, likewise empty. As my annual production increased wine got to see shelf time for longer, I started giving split batches as gifts and friends would scurry a bottle or two away as a novelty. That last part is despite telling them not to on most occasions, but we will revisit that later. So when I say an old wine, it will be magical if it is 3-4 years old when I uncover it. I should be able to try some 5 and 6 year old homemade wines in the next couple of years.

Over the 2011 holidays I spent several days in Connecticut with my parents. My parents are very vocal supporters of my wines, as well as the beers, ciders, meads and other projects, so they’ve been the recipients of them on many occasions. In 2007 my brother and I went in together on a batch of Vidal-based dessert wine made to be reminiscent of Ice Wine, although not produced in any such way. We gave the wine to our mother as a birthday gift that year. It was, and still is one of the finest batches of wine I’ve ever made. Mom was elated and has enjoyed it many times since. I knew she had several bottles left, and I also knew I could be gambling not saying anything about drinking them yet. I hadn’t considered the storage conditions at play, after all the wine was a gift and how it was used was out of my hands.

Mom expressed an interest in pouring the last two bottles at an upcoming dinner party. I took a look at one of the bottles and it clearly had experienced a protein degradation. This is a flaw of some older white wines and is likely when you see white fluffy stuff floating in the wine. In the first few years I made wine I focused on learning how to do it better, but there is a lot to learn and by 2007 I had yet to use cold stabilization and long clearing regimens to ensure my wines were clear and would stay that way. This is why I often told friends to open the wine I gave them as gifts soon, and why I purposely opened and shared it at many parties we attended. These wines were not fined and prepared for any long term life!

I was immediately suspect that Mom’s Ice Wine would be drinkable. I suggested she open one right before serving it and have a backup wine ready. She opted to open one right then and there, my mother rarely drank before I started making the stuff by the way, which of course peaked my interest. Ignoring the floating particles, the wine was still clear, had retained the caramel/orange hued color and smelled fantastic, if not a bit hot. In the mouth the wine reminded me of Madeira wine. It had flavors of nuts, dried fruits, it was oxidative and a bit reductive. The dried fruits I expected and found in the nose had masked the other elements, but they were easily found with each sip. The final vote was that the wine was quite drinkable, but would certainly not be best described based on its original making.

This was a very curious outcome for me because I had never experienced it in older wines of mine I had come across. Earlier in 2011 friends of our found a bottle of a 2006 Pinot Gris I had forgotten I had made. I don’t know how they stored it, but it was oxidized, brown and totally undrinkable. Younger homemade wines that have passed their peak have typically been completely dried out, slightly tan or brown and not pleasant to drink.

The room my mother had stored the wine in sees a lot of sunlight and during the warmer months gets quite warm. Effectively my mother had raised the wines up to the top of the hothouse and let them cook a bit. My mother was making Madeira in her office without even knowing it! Well done, is all I could say. It was remarkable to drink it and consider how unlikely it would be for what I was drinking to come from where it did.

I have one bottle of this wine left that has been stored in different conditions. I’m hesitant to crack it open without an occasion to enjoy it, because if it is has survived it will undoubtedly be one of the best homemade wine tasting experiences I will ever had.

In the last several years I have made enough wine that some of it will get to 5 or more years old allowing I and others to enjoy many more peak wines and continue to come across interesting twists with how some of the wines age. It is exciting to think that with age wines of mine that have been well cared for could reach heights I’ve never imagined.

Cheers!

Jason

p.s. Happy New Year! I shared some project ideas for the New Year at the WineMaker Magazine Blog this week.

Making the Most with What You Have

The year 2011 is in the books (I am writing this on NYE so not quite yet) and looking back it was a great one for the Ancient Fire Wine Blog. I’m new to the wine blogging party in my current format and 2011 was the best of the nearly two years I've been seriously dishing my thoughts on beverages, eats, places to visit to get food & drink, my home brewing projects and odds & ends about the food & beverage industry at large. I’ve enjoyed sharing my experiences immensely and intend to keep on keeping on, but I doubt things will be the same in 2012 on my end and definitely not for readers.

In 2011 I confirmed much of my own suspicions about how my effort at expanding my knowledge and promoting my blog with social media could pay off. I’ve made lots of new connections, attended many events, have sampled fare from all over the world and more people actually read my blog. I cannot complain one bit. My expectations for fun continue to be exceeded. When I’m out an about I’ve come to realize that my blog is the least relevant part of my interest in the world of beverages and food, and since people aren’t running off to read it right when I meet them, it doesn’t matter. That means I can spend less time blogging and I lose nothing.

I started writing in 2008 as a means to share cellar updates from my home wine & beer making projects. I’ve made cider and mead many times as well since then and the projects keep coming. In 2011 I shifted my writing on the wine slice of those projects to Wine Maker Magazine where there is a natural audience for the tales. I’m still making lots of homemade beverages and jump behind the bar at home to mix up cocktails, punches and sample unique spirits from all over the place pretty much weekly. There are two aspects to these activities that are most important and will be the focus of my efforts in 2012.

( My wine cellar in 2009. Multiple by 3X currently. )

( Pressing grapes with friends. )

( The krausen on a batch of freshly brewed beer. Real geek stuff. That's me! )

First, the projects take lots of time. Research time, planning, trials, full batches, application in social settings and finally consideration of lessons learned and the “what nexts”. If I’m going to do some of these things I certainly want to use the time I have to make the most of them. If I don’t want to do them I’ll do something else like read, take a walk or play ball with my dog.

( Mack's Apples Pie Competition in 2011. )

( Survivors Rule! Volunteers, fundraisers, marathon walkers. We've raised almost $75K since 2003. 

Cancer Sucks so we Fight Back! )

Secondly, most importantly, and this is where I am most happy to be reflecting on, I get enjoy these activities with the people in my life that I want to spend time with. Margot and I are learning how to make better beer together. We rock! I am meeting new people in my local area that enjoy the same activities and want to hang out and learn from each other. I can’t pass this up. And all the in-real-life trips that I plan and take will reconnect me with birds of a feather from elsewhere. These are “my people” as Margot calls it.

( Grilled pizza party in the backyard. So much fun! )

( Beer tasting at The Drinkery in Londonderry, NH. )

( Bus 1, 1a and local wine drinkers from the Wine Bloggers Conference in Virginia. No sleep till Portland! )

( Cocktails with friends. Loved working the bar! )

( Wine tastings with friends at home are consistently the most fun events we host. )

So, what next? I am going to write when I’m inspired and tweet when there is a conversation to be had. I’m going to be out there doing all the things that I could write about, but without of the stress of “having” write about them or share them on Twitter. I’ll read about what others are up to when I can. The live story and the live event is where I’m going to be focused. Sorry to all if that means I’ll share less of what I am up to post by post, but on the flip side planning to meet up somewhere for a conference or to crash tasting rooms has us making memories together. See, that’s way better!

( I play a salsa judge on TV. International Chili Championship. )

( Getting out for walks in Vermont is one of the things I look forward to the most. )

( Crashing the beer tent or the tasting bar with friends is always a good laugh! )

( Dinner with WineMaker Conference friends. Cheers to Cheryl & Christina. See you in June! )

( Working local harvests is great way to meet other winemakers and wine lovers. )

( Get out! The beach or the mountains, it doesn't matter. Go! )

( The Boston Brunchers at the Harvard Common Press. )

No decision is made without consequences however, and this one comes with anxiety over spending less time interacting with so many people I’ve met through my blog and Twitter. Less time with the people who have been readers and friends along for this ride. Spending less time blogging and on Twitter means I can’t support the efforts of many others who I have been a reader of as well. It makes me sad, but I've got to deal with that. I've created solid ties locally and those will naturally continue in real life and online. Relationships take time and I have to focus on the immediate ones to focus my passion and enthusiasm optimally.  This is the unfortunate result. This is going to mean some disconnectedness’ for me, and keeping tabs on the buzz about events I attend is going to suffer. The rejiggering here is going to take some careful work.

A huge round of thank you’s and appreciative gestures are due to all my readers, friends, followers, likes, et. al. Sharing my adventures with you, interacting with you in comments and following you as well has been a blast. Cheers to meeting up in front of a glass of something exciting in places along our continued journey’s.

THANK YOU!

One other thought is worth closing with. Making personal choices is the right and privilege of everyone. I applaud any person who makes choices and lives with obvious happiness in the offing. Everyone’s circumstances, personal makeup and resources are different, so each of us has to do what we feel is best for us to make the most of what we’ve got. We also then just need to go do it. It’s the most positive way to live. That is my wish for good health for you in the New Year.

And with that I'm off! Gotta clean and prep for a house full of people on New Years Day.

Cheers!

Jason