Vinsanity

2011: Post-mortem.

2012-02-11T23:19:00.000-08:00

I should make this my last post about Harvest 2011, I really don't want to remember it due to it's coolness and nastiness.
I borrowed this graphic from the front page of today's Napa Valley Register which is reporting that the California Department of Food and Agriculture has just released it's 2011 harvest report. As expected, crop yields were diminished, as compared with the yields from 2010, meaning that Napa's grape crop was only worth a paltry $412,000,000.

One bright spot, however, was that the 2011 Chardonnay crop was the smallest since 1984....yippee!

What wine goes with...No. 6.

2012-02-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

...goulash? This one is fairly easy: I'm pairing a spicy beef goulash with a Napa Valley Syrah.

A gift from the grower of the very vines that make up this Syrah (crafted as a homage to the wines of the Northern Rhône), this bottle of Phoenix Ranch 2005 Syrah was a more than worthy contender for this particular food pairing.

Redolent with dark berry fruits and hints of dried herbs, the wine partnered successfully with the goulash as it complemented the dish's spicy-sweetness whilst adding an earthy element all of its own (beyond that of the paprika). A surprisingly, racy acidity ensured the pairing remained lively until the last morsel of food, and drop of wine, had disappeared.

Good job Phoenix Phamily.

So sad!

2012-02-08T07:49:00.000-08:00

It rained today, but I don't think it was your average rain. Mother nature, perhaps commiserating with me, was saddened that Swanson Vineyards decided to rip out their Pinot grigio vineyard on the Oakville Crossroad. Why am I so downhearted about the fate of these particular vines one might ask? Over the course of my short blogging career I have written numerous posts about vineyard rip-outs with nary a tear shed. And, although all rip-outs are sad, this one is particularly joyless to me because I have a personal connection to these grapevines.
Vinoland's original block of Pinot grigio vines happen to be the progeny of the forlorn looking vines in the above photograph. Facilitated by a now retired vineyard manager of Swanson Vineyards, I drove up to Oakville and harvested the budwood myself. Then I stood and watched, with great anticipation, as a friend of Vinomaker's painstakingly field-budded each and every rootstock we had planted earlier that spring (2005, I believe).
Alas, now Vinoland's Pinot grigio vines are orphans. Sob.

A new beginning.

2012-02-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

I started pruning today. The weather was forecast to be beautiful (and at 69 degrees F it turned out to be just that), so I wanted to spend most of my time outdoors. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my time than pruning Vinoland's small Orange muscat block. Tying the canes down is always a separate vineyard operation, so the vines look a bit spiky and alien right now. But with a little bit more attention, an addition of water, sunshine and heat, they will look very much like vintage 2012 wine.

What goes with mint sauce?

2012-02-03T18:24:00.000-08:00

Lamb paired with a well aged Burgundy perhaps?
The un-winter-like weather continues in Napa. And, the appearance of spring lambs does nothing to dispel the rumour in these parts that winter may never rear its ugly head this season - and that's fine by me.
A pleasant diversion, on my drive home from TWWIAGE this week, was two small fields, on the Silverado Trail, full of nursing ewes and their lambs.
Awww...now I feel bad for pairing them with wine.

Coombsville granaries.

2012-01-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

The recent rains in Napa were accompanied by high winds strong enough to bring down lots of twigs, small branches, various lichens, oak apples and the remainder of last year's leaves. The wind also brought down this rather large tree limb that had been converted into a fly-in larder - no doubt the handiwork of numerous Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorous). I had photographed such a tree as this before, but the fortuitous delivery of this particular branch onto my driveway meant that I could get up close and personal with a piece of avian artfulness.
Generations of woodpeckers will use the same tree, which is called a granary tree, year after year. Acorns are such an important source of food for the woodpeckers that they will often nest and breed in the autumn to take advantage of autumn's crop of acorns. Western Scrub Jays and squirrels may also visit the granary trees to take acorns, but the woodpeckers are generally very aggressive, and very vociferous, in the defense of their particular tree.
Woodpeckers can be a bit of a nuisance to homeowners as they'll also peck holes in the wooden bits on ones house. In Vinoland, the local woodpecker population seem to be quite smitten with the fascia right above my bedroom window, which is a bit of a problem as they get up and about a lot earlier in the morning than me. I do wish they'd stick to storing their victuals in the furthest oak trees from the house. Tap, tap. Tap, tap.

Never buy just one bottle.

2012-01-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

Words to live by: Never buy just one bottle - for a number of reasons. I would recommend, when you are wine shopping, if it's possible, buy at least two bottles of the wine that you are interested in. How disappointing would it be if you had been cellaring a much anticipated bottle of wine, only to finally open it and find it was, say, corked.

I generally buy two bottles, but especially when I am curious as to how a particular wine will age. Of course, that doesn't mean I go around everyday buying bottles of Pétrus by the brace, I don't have that type of wine-buying budget, but when I come across an affordable wine, which I think has potential of some sort, I more often than not buy multiple bottles.

In the case of this Madrigal 2005 Zinfandel Vinomaker and I bought a dozen. We have liked Madrigal's Zin for a number of years now and with an inter-winery discount it was very affordable by the case. Just as well, because the first bottle we opened last night was indeed corked - a nasty, musty affair - so we opened a second and it was delightful (even if it is getting a little long in the tooth).

Think of it this way, purchasing two bottles of the same wine at a time is insurance against disappointment.

Pruning in earnest.

2012-01-27T09:42:00.000-08:00

Last week's rain events delivered approximately 4.5 inches of the wet stuff to Napa, prompting a temporary pause to pruning activities in vineyards the length and breadth of the valley. The weather is once again sunny and is forecast to be that way for at least the next five days, so the resumption of this essential vineyard operation is already underway - except in Vinoland. It will be another couple of weeks yet until I get started, and like last year I will start with the Orange muscat vines. Meanwhile, I have a lot to keep me busy as I decided to continue with my photography classes. Smile!

Winter rain.

2012-01-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

It started to rain this afternoon, sigh...

I shouldn't complain, it has been a spectacular winter so far. We haven't had any heavy rain since Thanksgiving. There were two minor rain events in December, each no more than mere tenths of an inch, but that was it. Napa has been basking in glorious sunshine, under heavenly blue skies and springlike temperatures, for weeks now. It's been great.

Unfortunately, there are consequences to such fantastic, yet uncharacteristic, winter weather. There has been no snow up in Lake Tahoe (and I do feel for the ski resort operators) and, from a viticultural perspective, the pathetic, non-existent growth of vineyard cover crops.

Normally this time of the year one would expect vineyard cover crops to be perhaps knee high, but the poor cover crop in the above photograph looks like it's been napalmed. Cover-cropping is not an exact science and the successful germination of a cover crop is entirely dependent on the timing of the first autumn rains. Napa had early rains last year, but we haven't had any rain since to sustain vigorous growth.

I'm glad I didn't plant a cover crop this winter.

And my rant continues...

2012-01-17T18:46:00.000-08:00

...fueled by Vinomaker who handed me this cartoon today, which appeared in last Sunday's Napa Valley Register, after he read my post from yesterday.

It could be me; nice frock, glass of wine, pearls, gas mask...except for the Vinocat!

Actually, it looks more like the Wartime Housewife.

Thanks to cartoonist Roberto.

Agriculture happens.

2012-01-16T23:44:00.000-08:00

Today was apparently an agricultural burn day in the Napa Valley. As I drove away from work this morning I spotted a few vineyards practicing open burning, including this one on the Oakville Crossroad. Each pyre, of twisted vines and vineyard stakes, was burning so hot that very little smoke was being produced, the centres glowing a vivid red even in the bright, morning sunshine. I could feel the intensity of the heat from the bonfires on my face some 75 yards away, and across the passenger seat of my car, as I sat taking this photograph.
Agricultural burning is the practice of using fire to reduce or dispose of vegetative debris from an agricultural activity, in this instance the disposal of dead grapevines ripped out last November. Prescribed fire has long been an efficient management tool for the grapegrowers of the Napa Valley to aid in clearing old vineyards to make way for new vines. However, it is a tool that is infrequently used. Vineyards only account for about 9% of the entire acreage of the county. And, these vineyards are only, perhaps, replanted on an average of every 25-30 years, and even then not all at the same time. The Valley's grapegrowers aren't a marauding horde of pyromaniacs advocating slash-and-burn agricultural practices: they are generally responsible custodians of the land on which their livelihoods depend.
Fortunately, to ensure that the Valley's farmers refrain from becoming environmental hooligans (and also save them from committing agricultural operations that have been deemed criminal), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) was founded in 1955 by the California legislature - just one more bureaucratic agency which then had to be funded and staffed - to aid in the squandering of tax payer's dollars.
Now, I understand that steps should be taken to protect air quality in the Napa Valley and, thankfully, there are already in place Federally mandated air emission thresholds set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); which in turn are then implemented by California's Agricultural Commissioner, and finally enforced at a local level by the County of Napa.
Presently, grapegrowers must apply to the County of Napa for a permit, at least five days in advance of a scheduled agricultural burn. However, the county then must submit the permit for approval to BAAQMD which ultimately confers burn day-status upon the farmer who has been patiently waiting to replant his land.
Leave it to the San Francisco Bay Area to have it's very own busybody, authoritarian agency to make sure that the citizens of all nine Bay area counties behave as they ordain. This is the same agency that called for Spare The Air (STA) days on Thanksgiving and Christmas 2010 - cozy, family time when loved ones usually gather together to roast chestnuts on an open fire - only to admit later that those two particular days were not in fact STA days: They had manipulatively fabricated the existence of poor air quality conditions, making folks refrain from having log fires, just to get the public's attention. Up to this same point in the winter season last winter BAAQMD had issued 4 STA notices. But, this winter, mostly due to the lack of rain since Thanksgiving, the Bay Area has already had 14 STA days.
The EPA, on behalf of the entire United States, seems to be already dealing with the ever increasing challenges we are told our planet is facing. Meanwhile, back in San Francisco, BAAQMD's mission statement proclaims: "To protect and improve...the global climate" - lofty aspirations indeed!
Piddling local government at its finest. Or, worst?

A touch of Tempranillo.

2012-01-15T00:05:00.000-08:00

On Friday afternoon, I was very fortunate to be invited to participate in a blind tasting of Tempranillo. Well, it wasn't quite that way, I really just tagged along with Vinomaker whose presence at the tasting had actually been requested. The tasting was being hosted by a winemaker friend of Vinomaker's who has two vintages of a Napa Valley Tempranillo in barrel, a 2010 and now a 2011, but doesn't know quite what to do with it now that he has it. Therefore, the objective of the tasting was to get to know Tempranillo, discover the characteristics of this grape cultivar originating from Spain. Seven wines from various wine-growing regions, foreign and domestic, were up for evaluation so I dove in, nose first!

Growing up in England, I always liked the odd bottle of Rioja (wine from the Rioja region of northern Spain renowned for red wines predominantly made from the Tempranillo grape), as a nice alternative to the Bardolinos and Chiantis I generally preferred. So, being semi-familiar with this wine varietal's flavour profiles I had some preconceived expectations going into the tasting; strawberry, plum, licorice, acidity, minerality and well structured tannins.

The number 2 wine in the lineup was corked, so it was immediately disqualified. All the wines displayed many of the characteristics that I was anticipating, including the deep garnet hue one would expect from this grape variety. One wine was a little thin. One wine was a little reductive. One wine was too oaky, whilst another was too tannic (vintages varied from 2006s to 2009s and the tannic wine was a 2009).

At the conclusion of the tasting the scores we had given each wine were tallied up...and there was no real winner. Although, of the seven of us tasting, three (me included) chose as our favourite the Dare 2008 Tempranillo from Viader (retail price $40.00). It was, overall, a beautifully balanced wine with sublime acidity, nuances of baked plum and rhubarb tart, a hint of sweet vanilla-oak and the deepest red-purple, eye-pleasing countenance one could ever hope for in a glass of red wine. Yum!

Towards the end of the tasting the talk, somewhat predictably, veered towards pricing strategy and the subsequent marketing of the as yet unfinished wine (the winemaker now had a lot to ruminate on, whereas my, and Vinomaker's, job was done). Marketing phrases like branding, demand-pull, price points, profit margins and loss-leaders were bandied about the room (there were two CPAs in attendance) and it was all way over my head, so I just poured myself some more wine.

Cheers to the noble variety of Spain, Tempranillo.

The other cider the Atlantic.

2012-01-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

I have mentioned before that Calvados is one of Vinomaker's all time favourite tipples (Thud's also), so I am constantly on the lookout for different ones that he might enjoy. I bought this bottle on my trip home to Liverpool last spring and Vinomaker just finished it (I don't know when he opened it). Seeing as my plane tickets are now booked for my next visit home I thought I'd start making a list of things that I want to buy when I'm on my hols.

Purchased from Tesco, this VSOP apple brandy comes from the appellation Pays d'Auge which is considered the finest amongst Calvados producing areas. Double distilled from fine Normandy cider, this particular offering had a rich, appley-bouquet and some well integrated vanilla on the palate, probably from the oak casks it was aged in. Or so Vinomaker tells me, I never touch the stuff. I think I may have bought myself a packet of Winegums in Tesco that day. Yum!

Git the water, Gunga Din!

2012-01-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

And quickly, even if it is 'arf-a-pint o' water green - anything would taste better than this, the first wine that I have ever had from India.

A gift from Vinomaker's friend, Sky King, this bottle of Sula Vineyards 2008 Shiraz (hailing from the red hills of Nashik) was extraordinary, but not in a good way. I have to admit that the nose was very fruity, but the fruit proved to be rather unidentifiable which is always a bad starting point when tasting a wine. On the palate this wine was borderline undrinkable, it was almost like there was ground up charred-wood in the mix. I just couldn't get past that, although there was some tannin structure. Laughably, maybe, the label on the back of the bottle describes the wine as having "nuances of oak". Hmm!
Would some people find this wine palatable? Of course. Just as some dogs like to quaff out of toilet bowls, conceivably somebody might find this wine drinkable - everyone's tastes are different. But this wine is most definitely flawed. I sometimes wonder why wineries would bother to bottle something this undrinkable in the first place. Perhaps it is simply a bad bottle, but I don't think so. Vintage is not even an issue: I can't see this wine as having been any better right out of the barrel, and it certainly is not going to improve with age.
The back label also states that the wine is 'For Overseas Export Only'. Aren't we lucky?

Roll on vintage 2012.

2012-01-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

From a grape-growing perspective, I am glad to see the back of 2011. Rain, rain and more rain. Cooler than average temperatures. Persistent marine fog. Powdery mildew running amok through Vinoland. Just one of these trying climatic conditions would have been perhaps a tolerable nuisance, but all of them in a single, abbreviated growing season? One would have been forgiven for expecting a plague of locusts of biblical proportions next. Besides all that, it was quite a good year. But 2012 will be better.

A happy, healthy and fermented-grape juice filled New Year to everyone.

A rosé outlook for the New Year.

2011-12-31T20:38:00.000-08:00

For Vinoland's annual New Year's Eve bubbly tasting I chose two rosé wines - one French, one domestic. Both wines are remarkably similiar to look at, with their deep salmon hue, but quite different on the palate.

The Mumm Brut Rosé is, as always, delightfully pleasant and approachable with subtle black cherries and strawberries and, thankfully, only 15% Chardonnay content.

The Cuveé Rose Laurent Perrier has always been one of my top three favoutire Champagnes, and his bottle did not fail to disappoint my palate. Made with 100% Pinot noir this elegant red-berry, subtle rosy-vanilla, lean citrusy-mineral wine, in it's distinctively shaped bottle, is simply sublime. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter - I'm wasting valuable drinking time.

Happy New Year to you all!

On the fourth day of Christmas...

2011-12-29T19:51:00.000-08:00

...I got a little bit fed up with wine and decided to have a Christmas beer instead.
Anchor Brewing Company's Christmas Ale is something I look forward to each year - if I can find it. This Christmas Ale is a limited production and is only available during a specific period: early November through mid January. But honestly, I have never seen it in the shops for that amount of time. I buy it as soon as I see it because it sells out fast.
With a different, tree-adorned label every year this ale is medium bodied, quite dark, pleasantly spicy and altogether delightful. Throughout the year I often imbibe in an Anchor Steam Beer, or sometimes a bottle or two of their Porter, but it's the release of this San Franciscan brewery's Christmas offering that I eagerly await every autumn.
My purple, polka-dotted glass just adds to the festivities.

Happy Christmas: 2011.

2011-12-25T16:46:00.001-08:00

Yuletide greetings from the Napa Valley. I'm wishing everyone, who visits Vinsanity, a very festive Christmas. I hope you are all surrounded by the foods, wines, poochies, friends and family members who make you the happiest.
Cheers!

Happy Christmas Eve.

2011-12-24T23:13:00.000-08:00

A little bit of home. The smell of baking mince pies today transported me back to the Yuletides of my childhood. Classic, home-cooked Christmas goodness, helped along by James Robertson's mincemeat - the last jar in my local supermarket. I could have been in my mother's kitchen.

Wishing the simple joys of Christmas to you all.

A crumb of cheese.

2011-12-23T23:51:00.000-08:00

I love cheese, and when confronted with this veritable wall of blue cheese at the Oxbow Public Market today, whilst cheese-shopping with Vinomaker, I nearly passed out with excitement.

The Oxbow Cheese Merchant's selection of coagulated milk products may not be the most extensive I have seen, but it is nonetheless impressive - and the staff are very attentive and knowledgeable. As I stood salivating over the Colston Bassett Stilton, the resident cheese-monger (why wasn't cheese-mongering a career choice offered when I was in school?) interrupted my reverie to point out Stichelton Dairy's blue cheese made from unpasteurised milk. Hadn't had it before, had to have it now!

Other cheeses selected included one called Challerhocker chosen by Vinomaker (which means, perhaps appropriately for a winemaker, 'sitting in the cellar' - which he does on occasion), and I couldn't leave The Oxbow without a cheese called St. Foin which promises to be irresistible when paired with Champagne. We'll see.
Jacob Marley better not get between me and any crumb of cheese, otherwise he may end up looking like "an undigested bit of beef."

Winery Christmas Lights 10.

2011-12-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

I usually take the photographs for my Winery Christmas Lights (WCL) series after dark to showcase the Christmas lights in all of their glistering glory. Unfortunately, the Christmas trees at Darioush Winery, on the Silverado trail, are behind locked gates at night and thus inaccessible to me and my camera (unless I have a telephoto lens). So, this week I decided to revisit a previous WCL to get up close and personal, so to speak, with the winery's decorations.

The architectural style of Darioush is not one of my favourites in the valley, I have to say. Designing a winery building in California to look like a temple in Persepolis (in ancient Persia) works I suppose if you are Iranian, and proprietor Darioush Khaledi is indeed Iranian. Khaledi grew up in Shiraz, (yes, it has been suggested that that is where the actual grape of the same name originated), apparently fell in love with wine at an early age, became rich, started a winery, etc. Darioush specialises in Bordeaux varietal wines, but they do make a very nice Viognier also. But, back to the lights.

Darioush has four Christmas trees, bedecked with garlands made from large leaves (Magnolia fraseri perhaps), some a natural dried brown and some sprayed totally silver. Three of the trees have blue lights and one has white (the lights in previous years have all been blue). Blue lights always look a bit cold and austere to me, and somehow leave me feeling a little well, blue. Something more red, green and sparkly is more in order if I am to be completely honest, but I am appreciative that this winery made any effort at all.

Hanging in there.

2011-12-21T22:13:00.000-08:00

On this, the occasion of the winter solstice, I decided to take a quick walk around the vineyard with the Vinodogs. Although we have had little rain, we have had quite a windy autumn and all the grapevines are now stripped of their leaves. To my surprise, I found a skeletonised bunch of Red Globe table grapes that I obviously missed when picking the rest. It looks like wasps have had their evil way with this bunch of grapes, but I'm hoping some birds have also found this a tasty little treat. I learned, this past growing season, that the Red Globe grapes are rather immune to infection by powdery mildew...on the other hand Crimson Seedless and July Muscat are extremely susceptible to infection...hence the lack of those two varieties of grapes on my table this year!

Brassica (Monkey) weather.

2011-12-19T23:40:00.000-08:00

We are having lovely weather right now; cold frosty mornings, with some foggy ones like this morning, and wonderfully sunny afternoons with temperatures in the low 60s. And there is no rain forecast through Christmas. The weather has been altogether unseasonably mild and may, in part, be responsible for the early appearance of mustard in several vineyards (same vineyard as here) around the valley. It seems really early this year, but then again I say that every year!

True Wine Lover 12.

2011-12-18T23:59:00.000-08:00

For my latest True Wine Lover, I have decided to showcase the nifty work of Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk, oft credited with the discovery of the sparkling wine production technique known today as méthode champenoise.

Dom Pierre Pérignon arrived at the abbey of Hautvilliers in 1668 at the age of 30. He immediately showed a great acumen for winemaking and soon became the maître de chai. Father Pérignon did not exactly invent Champagne, in fact he believed that secondary fermentation (which creates the bubbles that I love), was in actual fact a fault and referred to the resulting wine as "vin de diable". I bet the old, tonsured monk was none too fond of the exploding bottles either - it's always better to have a full head of hair when there are exploding bottles around!

It is an Englishman, one Christopher Merrett, who actually holds the distinction of being the first to document the deliberate addition of sugar to wine to precipitate secondary fermentation - when the fizz happens - and then continued to refine the technique. Furthermore, Merrett was a keen metallurgist and is accredited with inventing the thicker glass needed to prevent winemaking's most dangerous occupational hazard.

However, Dom Pérignon did pioneer a number of innovations in the production not only of Champagne, but of still wines also. It is said that he was amongst one of the first advocates of natural and organic winemaking. Pérignon was also a skilled grape grower and was adept at blending small lots of grapes before fermentation.

Moët et Chandon's Dom Pérignon bubbly is certainly not the greatest Champagne; and the supposed Pierre Pérignon quote, "Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!" turns out merely to be an early marketing slogan, but you have to raise your glass and toast an old monk whose name, to this day, is synonymous with good times, celebrations and festivities.

A new dawn for Coombsville.

2011-12-16T23:33:00.000-08:00

This picture, taken last summer, shows sunrise in the quiet south-east corner of the Napa Valley that I call home. As of this past Wednesday, December 14th 2011, I now live in the Napa Valley's newest American Viticultural Area (AVA). Or Antarctic Viticultural Area as Vinomaker likes to refer to our little piece of Coombsville - not so affectionately known to him as The Tundra!
The US Department of the Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau conferred upon Coombsville the honour of appellation status, making it the valley's 16th AVA. The petition, co-authored by vintners Tom Farella and Brad Kitson, took a little over 2 years to be approved by the federal government (your tax dollars at work).
So, to celebrate Vinomaker and I are going to imbibe in a little something from a Coombsville winery, a 2008 Black Cat Vineyard Syrah, and toast our good fortune in having Vinoland recognised by Uncle Sam.
Now, let's see what this does to land and grape prices!

It's a girl!

2011-12-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

I may be a little tardy, but I didn't want this week to end without acknowledging the arrival of a little angel who deigned to grace us with her presence.

On Monday, Jeremy (aka Do Bianchi) and Tracie Parzen became the proud parents of the gorgeous Georgia Ann. So, please join me in raising a glass of something sparkling (in this case, appropriately, a yummy Mumm) to congratulate Mr & Mrs Do Bianchi on a job well done.

I hope Georgia enjoys her first Christmas...and Hanukkah.

Welcome to the world little one.

School's out!

2011-12-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

Tonight was my last night of school. My semester of photography classes is at an end and I can now relax on Monday and Wednesday evenings with Vinomaker and the Vinodogs. I don't know if I will take the advanced level class, starting in January, as I am running out of ideas for photographs. Aside from learning photographic techniques and darkroom protocols, I also learned that to be a good photographer you have to have a vivid imagination - and sadly I'm a little lacking in that department. Ho hum! Never mind, Christmas is enough to keep my small brain occupied for the time being.

Gaudete, 2011.

2011-12-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

Once again, it's Gaudete Sunday. And, once again I'm indulging in something pink (but this year, Italian) to pair with dinner. I'm also rejoicing at the fact that I got my tree up and decorated. Phew!
The 2009 Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Bolgheri Scalabrone Rosato is a delightful wine. It's a rather fleshy rosé, extremely fruity (dried cranberry and plum), deeply pink, well balanced, with a surprisingly long finish. I love Italian wines. If I wasn't Liverpool-Catholic I think I'd like to be Italian-Catholic...better wine. I'm just sayin'!

Sing it again Maddy!

Brix and mortar.

2011-12-10T23:48:00.000-08:00

All too often Christmas can become a blur of glossy tinsel, twinkling lights, and unrestrained consumerism. How often can we say that we relaxed and simply enjoyed the spirit of the season? As I get older, I am increasingly aware of the fact that the memories of quality time spent with loved ones and friends are the greatest gifts I receive each Yuletide.

This evening, Vinomaker and I enjoyed the company of my co-workers and friends at Brix in Yountville. Good company, good food, good wine (and a fun mealtime game of passing a novelty gift to your table-mate on the right after each course), were shared by one and all. This bricks and mortar restaurant, that at any other time of the year is merely a place to grab a bite to eat, tonight became not just a building but the physical embodiment of the Christmas spirit. A good time was had by all.

Merry Christmas to all my co-workers!

Christmas is a-coming!

2011-12-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

Whoo hoo! Several frosty mornings in a row. A Christmas parcel today from Blighty. O Come All Ye Faithful playing in the background. A nice glass of Mi Sueno Syrah next to my laptop. The Vinodogs slumbering in front of a log fire.

Ahhh. Life is good.

Pregnancy prohibited?

2011-12-04T23:07:00.000-08:00

If I didn't already know that I enjoy a glass of Soave every now and again, it certainly could be helpful, to aid in my choice of purchasing this wine, to know that this bottle's content was dry and crisp. 12% alcohol by volume - again, somewhat helpful. Vegetarian - important to some people, not me (I'm assuming the producer uses bentonite only when fining). UK units - at this point I'd have to pull out my calculator to figure out the recommended daily allowance for myself (only if I was drinking this in the UK that is). I have to say, there is quite a bit of potentially useful information crammed onto the back label of this Soave Classico offering from Tesco. However, the universal prohibition sign, which I am assuming warns of the dangers of consuming alcohol whilst pregnant, merely looks like getting pregnant is disallowed. Consumer nannyism at its best.

The bottle is glass - good to know.

Death by Cabernet!

2011-12-02T12:41:00.000-08:00

I could not stand them any longer: I had to do something about the swarms of fruit flies that were orbiting my noggin as I tried to enjoy a chilled glass of Sauvignon blanc with dinner last night. Where do these beastly flies come from? Fermentation is well and truly over and there's not even a piece of rotten fruit lurking at the bottom of our fruit bowl. One day Vinoland seemed relatively Drosophila melanogaster free, the next - veritable mobs of those little bête noires everywhere (although they're not black). Of course, it has been unseasonably warm these past few days.

It seemed I had only one recourse, to promptly make a fruit fly trap. And, as soon as I had finished breakfast this morning I was on it. Within a short few hours, my cling film-topped plastic cup, baited with a premium Napa Cabernet sauvignon, contains at least six dozen trapped, dying and dead fruit flies (there are worse ways to pop one's clogs).

Seriously, where are these things coming from?

When to prune?

2011-12-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

Like a fine Swiss timepiece, the Far Niente vineyard crew have been out and about these past two days pre-pruning their Chardonnay vines. Once again, this post-harvest operation has been performed in this particular vineyard with precision timing.

Vinoland's vines, as I have mentioned on this blog once or twice, are head-trained and cane (and spur) pruned so I don't perform any pre-pruning. Besides, I'm not exactly a planner-type person (am I, Vinomaker?), so if I get started pruning approximately sometime in February that's planning enough for me! However, I did exercise some forethought this past week and purposely went out and found myself an Advent calendar in anticipation of today, December 1st.

It's all about priorities really, isn't it?

Don't let the grass grow under your feet.

2011-11-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

I didn't: I let the grass grow on top of my boots.

After a whole summer of seeds apparently collecting in amongst the laces of my trusty Timberlands, it only took one rain event, followed by sunshine, to bring forth a small crop of miscellaneous vegetation. These old vineyard boots were destined to be retired anyway (I don't normally leave my boots outside), so there is no pressing need for me to mow my impromptu, mobile cover crop.

The same opportunistic weeds take advantage of the first available moisture every year. It's just that this is the first time I have seen it happen on an article of footwear.

Thanksgiving tipples.

2011-11-24T23:34:00.000-08:00

The selection of wines for Vinoland's Thanksgiving festivities.

A 2005 Mumm Napa Devaux Ranch (available only at the winery), a 2007 and 2008 Herrera Selección Esmeralda Russian River Pinot noir, and a 2006 Truchard Botrytis Roussanne (brilliant with pumpkin pie).

I wish everyone a healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

Autumn leaves.

2011-11-23T23:33:00.000-08:00

This is the last in my mini-series of posts about autumn colours.

There aren't too many deciduous trees in these neck of the woods, evergreens are much more abundant. However, the dozens of American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) that line the north side of the Oakville Crossroad are a reminder to me, as I drive to TWWIAGE on a cool, grey autumnal day, that even in California the seasons do indeed change.

Roll on winter!

In praise of anthocyanins.

2011-11-20T11:51:00.000-08:00

I had to wander around in the Cabernet vines for a while, with the Vinodogs in tow, before I found a red leaf amongst the canopy to photograph. I actually found three, all obscured by their surrounding yellowing leaves, but this one was the most red. The reds, oranges, and yellows we see in autumn foliage are due to a group of natural chemical/phenolic compounds called anthocyanins, carotenoids, and xanthophylls respectively. The red, with which this post is mainly concerned, comes from the pigment found in anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are valuable to plants giving fruit shades of red, purple and blue (cyan, like one of the ink cartridges we periodically replace in our inkjet printers). Anthocyanins also provide photoprotection for plants whilst attracting pollinating insects (not necessary for grapevines of course), birds and other grape-munching creatures that can aid in the dispersal of seed. And, of course, it’s anthocyanins we see in all their glory each autumn as the leaves on deciduous trees change colour before dropping.
The thing with grapevines, though, is that it is the grapes that are supposed to change colour, not the leaves. Grape clusters begin to change colour with the onset of veraison with red varieties deepening to their characteristic purple. The grapes are also undergoing other complex changes that are not visible to the eye, but that result in an accumulation of sugars and other desirable compounds prized by winemakers and wine-imbibers alike.
The anthocyanin content in a wine ranges from zero in a variety devoid of skin pigment (e.g. Pinot blanc versus Pinot noir), to a maximum of about 2,500 to 3,000 mg/kg in a teinturier variety, such as Alicante Bouschet. In a good glass of Cabernet sauvignon, like a glass of wine from the vine in the above photograph, one could expect an anthocyanin content of about 890 mg/kg. I am not a chemist, so I am not going to get into how the pigment in grape juice is influenced by acidity, pH, tannin, flavones, co-pigments, iron and other metals - not to mention a dozen environmental factors. The main anthocyanin (not to be confused with anthocyanidins, their dietetic counterparts) in most V. vinifera varieties is malvidin-3-monoglucoside. I know, it's hard for me to pronounce too. But, unless you are a winemaker, the actual knowledge that anthocyanins are anthocyanidins that have been modified by the attachment of a molecule of glucose matters little. What matters most to the average wine-lover is the beautiful purple-blue hue that one espies in the miniscus of the young wine about to be consumed from one's glass.

So, raise a glass of a little something luxuriously red (a squid ink black Petite sirah, perhaps?) and join me in a toast to the attributes of the not-so-lowly anthocyanin.

Going viral.

2011-11-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

Long before viral became a marketing buzzword to describe how thoughts, information and trends move into and through a human population, the Napa Valley's grapevines were going viral without any help from social media.

The are many viruses that cause diseases in grapevines, and due to the woody nature of much grapevine tissue, it is often difficult to purify such tissue. New vineyards planted from infected cuttings or budwood will be diseased from the time they are established. That is why a programme such as the Foundation Plant Services (FPS) at UC Davis is so vital to the wine industry. FPS is a self-supporting service department in the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences and is very instrumental in the detection and elimination (using heat treatment techniques) of grapevine diseases.

Grapevine leafroll is probably the most wide-spread virus disease of grapevines and there are currently 9 different viruses associated with leafroll. Leafroll spreads slowly from vine to vine and impacts both vine health and grape quality, in some instances reducing yields as much as 50 percent or even more, depending on the severity of infection. Typical leaf symptoms include reddening of the leaves between major veins in red varieties. Thus, we can assume that the vivid dark red of the vine in the above photograph, and the reddening of its neighbouring vines on the Silverado Trail, indicates that it is indeed a red variety.

A green leaf is green because of the presence of a pigment known as chlorophyll. When chlorophyll is abundant in the leaf's cells, as they are during the growing season, the chlorophyll's green colour dominates and masks the colours of any other pigments that may be present in the leaf. Consequently, the leaves of summer are characteristically green, but in the autumn and at harvest time the entire vine takes on a reddish cast. It's very pretty, but it's very unhealthy.

When a virus is present it disrupts the normal physiological function of the vine's cells. A healthy vine will efficiently remove pigments leaving the dying leaf to become yellow, then brown, followed by the detachment of the petiole from the shoot and leaf drop. The red pigment in the leaf, anthocyanin, is usually the most difficult pigment to remove when the vine's phloem has been compromised by a virus. Exactly how leafroll affects the anthocyanin pathway through the vine's vascular system remains a mystery and is the subject of ongoing research. Curiously, a way of checking if a particular vine is infected with leafroll virus is to graft a bud from the suspect vine onto a healthy Cabernet franc vine. This vinifera cultivar is very sensitive to the disease, showing strong symptoms sometimes within as little as 18 months of grafting.

Because leafroll virus does not kill vines, but instead causes reductions in yield, maturity and quality, infected vines are rarely removed from otherwise healthy and productive vineyards. The only effective control of leafroll, or any other grape virus disease, is to ensure that healthy propagating material from virus-tested stock is used to plant vineyards.

Red coloured foliage, although the result of disease in a vine, really is very attractive. I, along with the valley's tourists, really enjoy the show.

Out with the old.

2011-11-16T23:32:00.000-08:00

Do not worry, nobody was harmed in the making of this photograph - especially me! However, these poor, old vines definitely took a beating.

I spotted these vines being pulled out last night on the way home from work. This morning, camera in hand, I was fortunate enough to actually get a photograph of the bulldozer operator pushing the old vines into huge piles. By the time I left work this afternoon all the vines were piled high into 6 or 7 gigantic, tangled mountains of vegetation and steel vineyard trellising stakes - which will ultimately become funeral pyres.

With harvest 2011 well and truly over (and believe me, there has been a resounding, collective sigh of relief heard throughout the entire valley), it is now time to plan for future harvests and replanting old vineyards is often on the agenda.

In with the new.

Poppy Day.

2011-11-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

Please, raise a glass of wine and join me in a toast to all the courageous men and woman of the armed forces who perished in wars gone by. Furthermore, let us not forget those who, still to this day, are prepared to perhaps make the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives so that the rest of us may live in freedom.

Remember, freedom isn't free.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

2011-11-10T23:53:00.000-08:00

It's not everyday that you get to have a $600 bottle of wine with lunch, and for me lunch this past Monday was no exception. It was Vinomaker who shared a bottle of 2007 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux during a business lunch at Celadon in downtown Napa. Vinomaker, altruistically, took time away from his busy day job to help facilitate the smooth installation of a new Chief Financial Officer at a winery that he regularly works with. What a sacrifice!

I have always been a firm believer in the maxim that states that the best expensive wine that one might enjoy is the expensive bottle of wine that one didn't pay for oneself (of course, I just made that up). Yet, Vinomaker, not known for being much of a Francophile, was left relatively unimpressed by the contents of this expensive bottle of DRC. The two of us are not huge Pinot noir fans on the best of days, but I was at least curious as to how this wine tasted.

I am not ashamed to admit that I pulled the cork from the empty bottle, that Vinomaker had teasingly brought home, and poured the 3-4 ml of wine, that had collected around the punt, onto my tongue. The wine was definitely Pinot-like, surprisingly very spicy, quite oaky (I'm sure due to this wine's obvious youthfulness), but showed great acidity and balance. I gleaned all this from mere dregs, so I'm thinking a whole glass of this very expressive wine must've been quite a treat. Instead, the reality is that Vinomaker went to lunch...and all I got was this lousy bottle!

Spotted recently in...

2011-11-04T15:29:00.001-07:00

...St. Helena, an out to lunch sign that displays a bit of a sense of humour. Pennaluna doesn't really carry any merchandise that I would particularly want to own, but the shop is entertaining in a mindless-browsing sort of way. I just like the fact that on a busy Friday afternoon the proprietor deemed that perhaps walking the dog was of more import than servicing tourists. I wholeheartedly understand. I always prefer to be walking my Vinodogs over any other activity - followed by drinking wine, counting money, then smelling roses :)

I ain't got no body!

2011-10-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, this Sauvignon blanc from TWWIAGE has plenty of body to spare.

Happy Halloween everybody!

Beware!

2011-10-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

"From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties. And things that go bump in the night."

Yes, it's almost Halloween and I'm quite enjoying all the festive goings-on, including the harvest party at TWWIAGE last night. Good food, good wine, and good friends were all featured in bountiful amounts. Thankfully, the Moselland 2009 Zeller Schwarze Katz was not on the wine list.

To the superstitious out there, people who think that black cats are generally bad luck, I am here to reinforce your worst fears: do not let this black cat cross your path...or rather, your lips.

Black Cat Riesling, sweet and scary, just like Halloween itself.

Harvest 2011...finished!

2011-10-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

I have been busy all week dropping dodgy looking Cabernet sauvignon grapes and removing leaves in the fruit zone to facilitate a headache free harvest. Prepping for harvest takes a bit of time, but it makes the actual picking of the crop go so much easier. In the course of stripping leaves from the bottom 8-10 inches of each shoot I came across this bird's nest, most likely that of a California Towhee.

Vinoland's Cabernet sauvignon is now cooling its heels as it waits patiently to be inoculated sometime tomorrow.

Vinomaker and I survived another harvest. Whoo hoo!

There's a fungus among us.

2011-10-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

Harvest 2011...hmph! Even the large, commercial wineries in the Napa Valley are having a bit of a struggle with mould this vintage. Cabernet sauvignon is quite susceptible to quite a few fungi most notably Botrytis cinerea however, the fruit in the above photograph is showing a rather vigorous crop of penicillium. Scary, they're large enough to cast their own shadows.

Fungi lack chlorophyll and need to live on other organisms to obtain nourishment, they are parasitic. Fungal diseases are known as 'secondary invaders' because they thrive on grapes that have been damaged by birds and bees, or grapes that have already had their overall health compromised by diseases such as powdery mildew (Uncinula necator). Wet weather, in the run up to harvest, often causes the worst cases of infection on already injured grapes, so because of the early fall rains 2011 may be a bumper year for fungi.

Of course yeast is a type of fungus, but it's also very important for fermentation. Wine made from spoiled berries is often tainted with smells and tastes like, well, mould. Lovely. But, it is problematic vintages like 2011 that seperate the winemaking men from the boys. Ferment on...

Photograph courtesy of the Marketing Queen.

An eggstraordinary fermentation.

2011-10-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

Concrete tanks as fermentors and aging vessels are not a totally unheard of trend in Napa winemaking, so I am not reporting anything new. However, it was only until this past week that I was able to get up close and personal to a clutch of 150 gallon egg shaped tanks at a local custom crush facility.

The Romans, some 2000 years ago, used concrete platforms on which to process grapes for winemaking and may have even used concrete tanks for fermenting wine. Clever chaps those Romans - look how they perfected the use of concrete for the unreinforced, coffered concrete dome of the Pantheon in Rome - just brilliant. To this day, there are wineries in the Napa Valley that have never used anything but concrete fermentors: just visit Mayacamas Vineyards during harvest to see their large concrete tanks in action.

Up until fairly recently, the majority of concrete tanks being used in the US were produced in France, Burgundy to be exact. Now, however, a California manufacturer using innovative technology has designed a superior egg with an improved concrete composition. Sonoma Cast Stone, a concrete company located in that other valley (in the town of Petaluma, coincidentally once known as the Egg Capital of the World), has true to American ingenuity, engineered a nifty new take on the egg. Any interested party can purchase an egg in one of eight designer colours. How Californian is that? The outfit has even added a pomace port for ease of cleaning which was a major complaint about the French-made eggs.

The pros and cons of fermenting in concrete? On the pro side; low temperature fermentations, elevated fruit notes, richer aromatics, and breathability. On the con side; excess aeration (breathability, anyone?), sanitation, and the possibility of contamination from spoilage microbes e.g. Brettanomyces. Perhaps laughably, a Monsieur Marc Nomblat, of the French firm ETS Nomblat SAS, has been quoted as saying "nobody had Brett problems with our concrete tanks." Titter, titter!

Vinomaker and I have not yet tried a wine that has been produced in a concrete fermentor, so we have no personal experience with the end result, although Chronic Cellars 2010 Stone Fox is on my radar.

To ferment in cement? That is the question.

UFO, or what?

2011-10-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

This cute, little alien-like egg recently showed up at the winery where I am gainfully employed (henceforth to be known only as TWWIAGE). This egg is perhaps the most appealing piece of promotional material I have ever seen: it is certainly more engaging than the Boswell Company's French oak toothpicks. The hawkers of this little, elliptical wonder are onto something. I'd buy one!

A growing trend, it seems, is for winemakers to use the aforementioned eggs, or concrete tanks of various dimensions, as an alternative to stainless steel. I cannot see TWWIAGE switching from stainless steel, (when 85% of our white wines are barrel fermented and sur lie aged), to cement anytime soon - the approach to winemaking at TWWIAGE is rather traditional.

Not even a thimble full of wine could be fermented in this solid concrete marketing tool from Sonoma Cast Stone, but it would make a great paperweight. More to follow...

Get your macronutrients here.

2011-10-19T23:10:00.000-07:00

The soil is not white in Oakville, these mounds are large piles of fertiliser heaped around the edge of the Opus One vineyard waiting to be applied and disked in.

Whilst vineyard managers are primarily concerned with all things harvest at this time of year, they must also consider whether an application of fertiliser is necessary. Apparently, the people at Opus One who are responsible for the health of this particular vineyard have decided that a good dose of potassium sulphate (K2SO4) is in order. I am assuming that it is K2SO4: potassium chloride (KCl) is another form of of potassium fertiliser that could be used, but it should not be used in a vineyard that may perhaps have an existing salinity condition.

Late autumn or early winter is a good time to treat a vineyard as full advantage can be taken of winter rainfall to move the fertiliser down into the soil and on into the root zone. Seeing as this vineyard was ripped out last spring, perhaps due to some unnamed creepy crawly, this empty field is a clean slate on which a new and improved, and fertilised, vineyard can be planted.

Syrah soup.

2011-10-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

At only 22 Brix, but fantastic flavours (and lots of juice), our Syrah fruit was detached from their Mother Vines today - perhaps slightly prematurely. But, when one is faced with the prospect of more rain, and ever decreasing opportunities for photosynthesis, a Vinogirl has to do what a Vinogirl has to do. Or, something like that!

Cluster's last stand.

2011-10-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself!

The past two nights have seen the crew at Far Niente strip their vineyard bare of Chardonnay grapes...except for this one lonely cluster. Well, I'm sure there are more clusters abandoned deep within the rows and aisles of this vineyard, but I'm very particular about what items I anthropomorphise and this little, solitary, sad bunch of grapes is the item of my obsession right now.

Anyway, I wish the winemakers at Far Niente a happy fermentation.

Vinoland's Syrah is coming in tomorrow, whether it likes it or not.

Let's pick!

2011-10-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

Harvest 2011 began in Vinoland today. The Pinot gris must (a respectable 23.2 Brix) is now tucked up in the winery for the night. It is most likely resting and readying itself for an initial racking tomorrow that will separate the juice from the solids. We also brought in a tiny amount of Orange muscat. This is just fun stuff...the Cabernet franc is due to arrive on Thursday...yay!

It was a beautiful day to begin harvesting. With the temperature hovering around the 72 F mark lunch on the deck, after a busy morning, of a modified Caprese salad and garlic bread was just what the Vinomaker ordered. To drink? Wine? Nah, beer!

The long and winding row...

2011-10-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

...well, not quite. This row really undulates rather than winds, but looking down this row, in the Far Niente vineyard, I couldn't get one particular song out of my head. More often than not, Beatles songs are the soundtrack to my everyday life thanks to my sister, La Serenissima, who placed them in my head subliminally. Well, them or The Ramones actually, (thank you Thud). Anyway, yesterday the hard working folks at Far Niente stripped all the lower leaves off their Chardonnay vines in preparation for harvest...or just to let the clusters dry out from our recent four day rain event. Hmph!

Last year, the Far Niente Chardonnay was harvested on October 16th which happened to be the same day we picked Vinoland's Syrah. Fat chance of that this year!

Wine evolution.

2011-10-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

This Chardonnay must had it's vital statistics taken; it was tested for Brix, pH and nitrogen (YAN) levels and, after being inoculated with a commercial yeast, it is now enthusiastically frothing through fermentation. The barrels on the other side of the aisle with a different yeast selection are, by comparison, staidly going about their business.

The Cross Evolution (CE) yeast being used, in this particular fermentation, is a hybrid yeast from a breeding programme at the Institute for Wine Biotechnology at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Here in the US, at the winery where I am gainfully employed, CE is selected for it's ability to increase mouthfeel/texture and enhance varietal characteristics in Chardonnay. But, perhaps more importantly, CE is chosen because it is tolerant of high potential alcohol (up to 15%, important for Napa wine) and can withstand fermentation temperatures as low as 58 F (important for a non-ML Chardonnay).

Vinomaker, unlike me, is quite a Chardonnay fan and was drooling, just as much as this bubbling barrel, at the thought of the finished 2011 wine.

Abraxas.

2011-10-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

With it's tall Rhine-style bottle, Starbucks logo-like bronze medallion adorned label, single vineyard designation, and Vino-lock closure I approached my glass of Robert Sinskey's 2009 Abraxas with no preconceptions. What I discovered was a wonderful grapefruity, floral, light to medium bodied wine with vibrant acidity. A blend of 43% Pinot Gris, 23% Riesling, 17% Gewurtztraminer, and 13% Pinot Blanc this Alsacesque wine was just the thing for a lazy Sunday evening.

What a delightful tipple.

Happy Birthday Vinodog 2.

2011-10-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Vinodog 2 is four years old today, whoo hoo!

V2 has really turned out to be a great dog; intelligent, quirky, cuddly, and very, very entertaining...she deserves a great birthday celebration. So, it's squeaky toys, biscuits and chews for her (and V1) and an adult beverage for myself and Vinomaker. Party on.

Happy birthday V2!

Not so vile a zin.

2011-09-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

I really like Zinfandel. I generally find this particular wine varietals combination of raspberries and pepper to be a winning one...that is when it is made well. Unfortunately, this evening's Zinfandel selection did not deliver the goods.

It's not that the 2008 Turley Duarte Zinfandel was horrible, it was pleasant enough, but it was slightly thin and, disappointingly, a little too oaky for me. Vinomaker and I acquired this bottle, and also a bottle of the Turley 2007 Cedarman Zinfandel, in a silent auction. Thankfully, we didn't pay that much for the two bottles. I'm hoping the second bottle is better than the first.

Biding time.

2011-09-29T22:38:00.001-07:00

The folks at Far Niente have not been letting the grass grow beneath their feet, in fact they disked said grass into their Coombsville vineyard's floor a couple of days ago. The FN vineyard crew also, whilst playing the waiting game with Mother Nature, made hay while the sun shined and drilled-in this coming winter's cover crop.

The Chardonnay clusters are looking very nice right now, just a little bit of sunburn, but with more rain forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday who knows how long the fruit will stay looking this pretty. Waiting for harvest is not a total waste of time, there are a number of other vineyard operations for vineyard managers to busy themselves with whilst they wait, and wait, and wait. Sigh!

"So run, you cur."

2011-09-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

So, last night in class I learned how to make sepia (and selenium) toned prints. It just so happened that I was printing a vaguely Western themed photograph of Vinodog 2 and I thought it'd make a great candidate for my first attempt at sepia. Isn't she cute?

Move over Wyatt Earp, there's a new cowdog in town!

First autumn rain.

2011-09-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

A wet spring, late budbreak, a cool summer, elevated powdery mildew pressure, senescence of the vines, and now a rather untimely autumn rain. Apparently, Mother Nature gave up drinking wine in 2011 without telling anybody about it, and now it seems that she has determined to not let anyone else even consider producing a vintage this year.

My poor grapes.

Bye bye leaves.

2011-09-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

The leaves of Vitis vinifera live for approximately 150 days: that's almost a full 5 months, from the time of budbreak, of basking in the warm California sun. The basal leaves, the first to appear in the spring, have done their very best for this vintage and are now amongst the first to slowly take their leave. See ya next year!

Black and white grapes.

2011-09-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

The current assignment in my darkroom photography class calls for me to create a series of images that are inspired by a published photographer of my choosing. Whilst I would have liked to do a series of photographs of the Vinodogs, a la William Wegman, the reality is that my poor, arthritic Vinodog 1 can no longer be contorted into various poses just to satisfy my photographic aspirations. Instead, I have decided to create a portfolio of botanical images...starting with grapes of course.

Just because 5...

2011-09-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

In an effort to do absolutely anything but my photography homework, I have decided to take a break and post a photograph of my favourite (for very obvious reasons) wine bottle-stopper. Thanks Thud!

Worth the doe?

2011-09-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

Without getting into a discussion about the placement of the apostrophe in Stags' Leap, versus Stag's Leap, I'm posting about a fabulous 2010 Viognier from Stags' Leap Winery, formerly owned by Carl Doumani who is known for having had a bit of a punctuation disagreement with Wayne Winiarski (of the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting fame), who formerly owned Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (now owned by Tuscan producer Piero Antinori). Okay, I think I just gave myself a headache.

I don't particularly care who owns the winery now, or indeed where whoever decides to put their particular apostrophe (although the California Supreme Court may care), I just love this wine. Redolent with the usual Viognier stone-fruity suspects and a big, blossomy nose, it is the ultra bright acidity in this Viognier that makes it a real winner. The finish just goes on and on. The wine retails for about $25 and it is well worth it. A fitting libation for California Wine Month.

Ashes to ashes.

2011-09-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Lord Byron wrote: "...truth is always strange; stranger than fiction." Some things in life you just can't make up. And, some things are best left unsaid.

Whilst chatting with an older couple (in the winery where I am gainfully employed), who were in the act of purchasing a 6L bottle of one of the finest Cabernet sauvignons in the Napa Valley, they shared a little too much information with me. "We are going to drink this wine at our wedding...and then save the bottle to use as an urn for our ashes." Yes! These folks were going to store their earthly remains, albeit incinerated, in a rather large antique-green Bordeaux bottle. I really didn't need to know that, definitely TMI. Very strange indeed.

Pick a barrel.

2011-09-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

Now is the time of year when producers, throughout wine country, are fervently preparing for harvest, although there has been a little bit of breathing room this vintage.

The purchasing of new barrels is a major concern for winemakers, and each winery will have a very individualistic barrel protocol. The winery at which I am gainfully employed purchases a butt-load, (that is a technical term), of new French oak barrels, for Chardonnay and Cabernet sauvignon production, from perhaps as many as a dozen different cooperages. Consequently, quite a large number of barrels have been arriving at the winery for the past few weeks; preceded by a passel of barrel salesmen, eager to secure large contracts, bringing with them promotional materials they each hope will curry favour with the winemaker. These promotional materials often include t-shirts, coffee mugs, wine thieves and...toothpicks, French oak toothpicks no less. It could be worse, The Boswell Company could have offered the winemaker a peg leg, or George Washington's false teeth, as a conciliatory gift.

Happy Blogday.

2011-09-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

This evening, I felt that the third anniversary of my blog called for a celebratory dessert. So, one chunk of banana nut bread (topped with a scoop of banana gelato and drizzled with a Cabernet syrup) later, my craving for revelry was satiated. I think I really should have treated myself to a candle though.

Once again, I want to say a quick thank you to those who regularly comment on Vinsanity. It is always a lot of fun to read your comments and I am very appreciative of your time and input.
Roll on year 4!

True Wine Lover 11.

2011-09-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

One word: Jancis. In the world of wine, in fact in the history of the entire world, not too many people get to be known by their Christian name alone (think Napoleon and Elvis), but my True Wine Lover 11 is one such person.

The Oxford educated Jancis Mary Robinson OBE - where she read mathematics, so you can be fairly certain that she has a brain the size of a small planet - is one of the, if not the, world's leading writer of educational and encyclopedic material on wine. In fact, Jancis is probably better known to the wine-imbibing public than my beloved Hugh, but I bet Jancis loves Hugh too.

It was whilst watching the televised trials of Jancis becoming the first journalist to pass the battery of exams to become a Master of Wine in the 1980s, that a nascent oenophilia really metastasized in the teenage Vinogirl. However, despite her obviously vast all-things-wine-knowledge, the ever modest Ms. Robinson maintains that she is first and foremost a wine writer, not a wine critic.

If you don't know who Jancis is then you have been deprived the experience of truly great wine-writing and I pity you. Do yourself a favour, read something by Jancis today!

California Wine Month 2011.

2011-09-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

California's Governor, Jerry Brown, has proclaimed that September 2011 is California Wine Month.

Different governor (Arnie is now history), same message: Drink California wines...and keep Vinogirl gainfully employed.

Cheers!

Global warming?

2011-08-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Napa Valley, once again, finds itself featured in the media as the poster child for the potential results of climate change. Perhaps because wine grapes, more than any other crop, are sensitive to vintage temperatures (and climatic conditions in general), and because people are often drawn to the romance of vineyards, and wine production, there is more interest in the farming of wine grapes than say turnips or spuds.
A recent 4 year study led by Dr. Daniel R. Cayan, of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, found that average temperatures had only increased by a degree or two (Fahrenheit) over the past several decades, mainly affecting overnight temps rather than daytime temps. That really doesn't surprise me, especially seeing as it is possible for the diurnal/nocturnal temperature differential in Napa to be as much as 40 -50 degrees.
Vinoland's Cabernet sauvignon vines are approximately 80% through veraison. Due to persistent cool temperatures (our second below average summer in a row), it's hard to tell if my pruning experiment this year has had any impact on the maturation of the Cabernet vines. With possibly two full months still until harvest I can only cross my fingers and hope for warm, dry weather during September and through October.
Whilst I do understand that the San Francisco Bay Area is well known for it's diverse micro climates - and it is indeed the cool marine layer that aids in quality grape production in this part of the world - I long for more typical summer temps...it is California after all.
Global warming is awfully cold!

Let the grapes begin!

2011-08-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

Harvest 2011 may indeed, for many reasons, qualify as an Olympic event, least of all for it's degree of difficulty. Logistically, getting every last grape harvested may prove to be a slightly nightmarish game in the valley this year.

On Monday, at last, the sparkling wine producers of the Napa Valley began to harvest Pinot noir and Chardonnay for their bubbly production. It's always good to see harvest get under way, however this year it is at least two weeks late.

As you can see, the temperature in Vinoland got up to a whopping 75 degrees today - barely hot enough for photosynthesis to take place - not to mention that the marine layer did not burn off until noon. Our Clone 4 Cabernet sauvignon, hailing from the Mendoza region of Argentina, is used to some what warmer temperatures. At this rate it may never ripen. Ho hum!

Bottling 2011: Done and dusted.

2011-08-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

The swirling mass of 2009 Cabernet franc, in the above photo, is now contentedly idling in antique green Bordeaux bottles. A mini bottling event held today in Vinoland, and amiably assisted by Family OTW, was the last such event of this year.

It's a good feeling to have all of the wines from 2009 out of the barrels and into the bottles. Now, let's get ready for harvest...whenever that may be.

Main Street Reunion 2011.

2011-08-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

This afternoon was spent in downtown Napa at the annual Main Street Reunion Car Show. I love this event, I mean, what isn't there to love about old American cars. With 408 cars entered this year it was the largest turn out in the events history.

Back in Vinoland, it was gourmet hot dogs (with wonderful buns from Alexis Baking Company), and wine all round. A good time was had by all.

To my sweetie pie.

2011-08-19T09:27:00.001-07:00

Today is my, and Vinomaker's, 5th wedding anniversary.

This isn't the greatest picture, but it is one of the only photos I have of our wedding cake; a chocolate fudge confection filled with chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries, and topped off with a rolled fondant depiction of our respective national flags.

Sweetie Pies, in downtown Napa, did a pretty nice job of the cake, especially seeing as when I requested that a Union Jack be on one half of the cake the lady told me she had no idea what a Union Jack was, never mind what one looked like! Thank goodness for the internet.

Happy Vinalia Rustica everyone!

Happy anniversary Vinomaker.

The fruit of a different vine.

2011-08-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

My first, and only, ripe tomato of the season.

Persistant cool temperatures in northern California are not helping with the ripening of my tomatoes. It's a shame because this year's crop looks to be bountiful, but nothing is happening. Now, where did I put that fried green tomato recipe?

I certainly won't be seeing fruit ripening through October like I did in 2008 (the last real summer here), when the nights were seasonably cool, but the days were still in the low 80s.

At least this tomato is not sporting a freakish horn and will eventually make its way into a salad. It seems to be perfectly formed - except that it is supposed to be a cherry tomato and is 3 times bigger than any of its siblings on the same stalk. Overachiever? Mutant? It matters not, as this may be the only tomato that ripens in Vinoland this summer.

Napa nest 4.

2011-08-14T20:47:00.001-07:00

Working in the Pinot gris vines this afternoon, I came across this little architectural masterpiece. Woven from a diminutive grass variety, and lined with what looks like Vinodog fur, the nest is too large to be a hummingbird's nest and too small to be that of a California Towhee. There is not a shred of evidence left inside, like an eggshell fragment, or a downy feather, that would help me identify the builder. I will just have to keep on guessing as to the identity of the mystery mastermind behind this marvelous construction, who was genius enough to utilise the vine's tendrils as structural anchors.

Veraison 2011.

2011-08-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

I had intended to do a post about lignification today - the process in which the vine's shoots become woody through the formation and deposit of lignin in specialised cell walls - but, whilst working in the vineyard, I noticed that veraison is well under way in the Syrah and Pinot gris vines.

With this summer being so cool, I had expected the vines to be behind in their maturation. However, looking back over the previous two year's posts on Vinsanity it seems that veraison is right on schedule.

I don't know why I was worried: I always tell people, when talking about viticulture, trust them...the vines know what their doing. Why do I ever doubt them?

Viva Las Vegas!

2011-08-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a few whirlwind days in Sin City. I was there primarily to attend a wedding (and a wonderful event it turned out to be), but also to grab a little rest and recreation with family and friends. Las Vegas might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I happen to love it.

Money, and lots of it, is the name of the game in Vegas, but curiously gambling seems to have taken a bit of a back seat. Casino-resorts must have to constantly come up with new and innovative ways to display all sorts of consumer goods, not in the least fine wines, as an irresistible means to separate visitors from their winnings, or more likely their hard-earned wages. When one thinks of Las Vegas there are a lot of things that spring to mind, but fine wine is probably not one of them. However, presumably most people are familiar with the gimmicky Wine Angels of Aureole, in the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, who retrieve customer's wine selections from a 42 ft Lucite tower. Onda Ristorante and Wine Lounge, in The Mirage, impressively displays wine bottles in a back-lit, approx. 16 ft high wall of barrels at the entrance to the restaurant. It's very eye-catching, it had me making a detour, across the casino floor, away from the Dolphin Habitat where I had been heading with my nieces OTW. I'm easily distracted, what can I say?

I didn't actually drink much vino on this trip as my partner in wine-crime, Vinomaker, decided to stay at home with the Vinodogs. At the wedding reception, held at Bouchon in The Venetian, I had an okay glass of Sancere and a passable domestic Merlot, but that was it.

So, my Las Vegas jaunt by numbers; 3 days, 108 degrees F, 6% humidity, 2 glasses of wine, and zero Elvis sightings.

The Hermit Crab.

2011-08-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

I had high expectations for this wine, but d'Arenburg's 2009 The Hermit Crab failed to impress. In fact, this wine left me feeling decidedly crabby...forgive the pun.

I have enjoyed d'Arenberg wines in the past (mostly reds), with their The Dead Arm once being my go-to Shiraz. Unfortunately, although The Hermit Crab delivered pretty stone fruit on the nose, on the palate it was flabby and waxy. So, to rescue our evening meal, Vinomaker opened a 2009 Saddleback Cellars Viognier. It did the trick...smiles all round.

Bottled Po8-try.

2011-08-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hailing from Stagecoach Vineyards, 1650 feet above the Napa Valley proper, the Krupp Brothers 2006 Black Bart Syrah is a delightful expression of this Rhône valley varietal. This particular bottle of wine would be a fine example to use as a way to introduce a novice to Californian Syrah which tends, actually I think, to be rather atypical in that varietal Syrah can vary a great deal due to climate (the Napa Valley being famous for it's micro climates) and terroir.
Black Bart, big on brambly-fruits, vanilla and smoky black pepper, with a nice floral note in the background, is about as typical a Syrah as one would expect from Napa Valley hillside fruit (which generally exhibits a more tannic intensity than valley floor fruit). I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle of wine. Mind you, I have enjoyed all the wines I have tried from this particular producer, except for a 2006 Marsanne which was much too oaky. And, I really like their labels.
Besides, what is there not to love about a wine named for an English born outlaw?

Yet another one for the team.

2011-07-31T21:08:00.001-07:00

In my mother's day, school children were expected to know the name of every last piece of fabric in the parish church, from the priest's vestments on down to each and every linen that adorned the altar and the chalice, et cetera. This wasn't the case in my school days, but I did know that the decorative 'tablecloth' on the altar was called the fair linen.

The fair linen that bedecks the altar in the St. Helena Roman Catholic Church is, as one would expect in the Napa Valley, decorated with grapes. Today, as my adorable baby nephew was baptised, I allowed myself the time to reflect upon the loving workmanship that went into embroidering this particular fair linen, and the symbolism that had been captured with every faithful and careful stitch....then it was home for lots of dead cow paired with copious amounts of Vinomaker's wine.

Life is good.

Hands across the water.

2011-07-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Reinforcements have arrived. Eight various family members have arrived from Old Blighty to bolster Vinogirl's position amongst her colonial cousins. The past several days have seen the family unwinding, basking and relaxing in the warm California sun.

It has long been understood that there is a very close association between England and the United States of America. However, our shared transatlantic solidarity has been tested in recent years, least of all by the bothersome ejection, from the Oval office, of a bust of my True Wine Lover 1 by the current Chardonnay-swilling resident of a certain large, white building in Washington DC. So, I personally found it somewhat encouraging to see this bottle of Side By Side Pinot grigio in a local supermarket.

Proceeds from the sales of this wine benefit a very worthy cause: Azalea Charities provide comfort and relief items for soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that are sick, injured or wounded from service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So, if you are reading this in California, Nevada or Arizona go to your local Fresh & Easy supermarket today and buy a bottle of Side By Side.

Remember, freedom isn't free.

Gladys.

2011-07-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Look at this face, isn't it adorable? Gladys, a 7 year old chihuahua, was one of the dogs available for adoption at the 2011 Napa Humane's Cause for a Paws event, held at Silverado Country Club, which Vinomaker and I attended this afternoon. I had threatened to come home with a third Vinodog, and although Gladys was cute, she was just too small for life in Vinoland...sigh!

This is one of Vinomaker's favourite, if not his favourite, wine and food event of the year and it benefits an excellent cause. I enjoyed myself immensely; great weather, good food, and lots of nice wines to sample. However, I do think the winery that was pouring the goldfish bowl water - we're all familiar with the aroma, y'know the warm, algae, fish poop thing - masquerading as a Sauvignon blanc, was taking the whole pet theme a bit too far....yikes! There is now a dead patch of rough on the thirteenth fairway.

People, please, don't buy a pedigree. Adopt a mongrel, today!

Hatched.

2011-07-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

One mother quail and a covey of 16 baby quails, successfully hatched, last seen heading through the Cabernet sauvignon vines towards the creek. But, watch out for that racoon! Duck, there's a hawk! And, whilst you're dodging deathly hazards...leave my grapes alone.

God speed, little ones.

Hedging your bets.

2011-07-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Just in case anybody else had the idea of using the surname of Boyd for their new winery, the Boyd Family have applied for 'fictitious business name statements' of every boring, but possible permutation for their eponymously named winery. I'd have stuck with 'Big Old Yellow Dog Winery', if they'd asked little old me. Or, is that little ole me?

Home Winemakers Classic 2011.

2011-07-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today, Vinomaker and I attended the 29th annual Home Winemakers Classic, this year hosted at Charles Krug - a vast improvement over last years venue. This is one of my favourite wine events of the year and I really look forward to it. It was even more fun this year, as many good, wine-loving friends also showed up, including Sky King, The St. Helena Grape Growers, and the Zin Guy. (The Zin Guy has not previously been featured on Vinsanity, but is the person solely responsible for keeping Vinomaker and me stocked up with a particular Zinfandel - a must have in the cooler months for pairing with my chili con carne.)

As always, this event is a great opportunity to see what local home winemakers are up to, as well as a chance to hang out with friends, network, raise money for the Dry Creek-Lokya VFD, and just generally spend a relaxing wine-themed Saturday afternoon.

Pictured is one of my favourite wines. The group of winemakers that make the Leap of Faith wine (and a delicious port also), consistently turn out a product that I would actually drink, if it was commercially available that is - and I love their label, one of the more professional looking labels adorning the plethora of homemade wines available to taste. It is nice to meet people who are passionate about making wine, who in this case are not in the winemaking game for profit, but simply for the love of the grape.

The cork is in.

2011-07-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

Another successful bottling event at Vinoland today. That's four down and two to go, (Vinomaker made a lot of wine in 2009). The various vineyard owners, on leaving Vinoland, were very happy farmers indeed.

The above photograph shows a partial order of corks, (at the winery where I am gainfully employed), destined to be the closure of choice for bottling a Cabernet sauvignon, also 2009. Each box contains 5,000 corks. In Vinoland we purchase our corks in bags of 1,000 at a time, and have only gone through 2,500 up to this point. Economies of scale.

The humble cork was first utilised as a stopper by the ancient Egyptians. Later, it was popularised by a certain French monk who made sparkling wine. Then in the 18th century, cork finally began to be commercially produced as a wine closure by the enterprising Portuguese - who coincidentally just so happened to grow copious amounts of cork oaks.

Cork is renewable - the trees are harvested approximately every 9 years. Cork is recyclable - flooring, place mats, sandals, you name it. Cork is romantic - a sommelier cracking open a screw cap during ones candlelit, $200 per head dinner just doesn't cut it.

Cork: renewable, recyclable...and romantic: thank you Mother Nature. Go ahead, pop a cork today.

Infanticide.

2011-07-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

This is not a bowl of peas, it is some of the first crop of Pinot gris grapes from Vinoland's most recent expansion. Lovely looking berries - nice fruit set, good yield, no powdery mildew - all torn from the caring embrace of their mother vine's canopy and tossed onto the harsh, dry vineyard floor. (I can get a bit dramatic sometimes, forgive me.) It does seem a shame to discard such healthy young grapes, but it a necessary step in the development of new vines where the focus needs to be on encouraging leaf and root growth. Actually, I should have performed this vineyard operation a lot earlier, when the clusters were flowers not fledgling grapes, but as usual I'm a bit behind with stuff. Better late than never!

A baker's dozen, plus three.

2011-07-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

With what is fast becoming an annual tradition on Vinsanity (here and here), I present the 2011 Vinoland Callipepla californica nest spotting.

I only learned of the location of Mama quail's nest when I accidentally flushed her out of it whilst watering the shrubbery by my front door. Papa quail has been busy out and about around Vinoland, but getting up quite close to him today I noticed he had been got at! The back of his neck is as bald as a coot; his pretty, sleek grey-blue feathers gone...poor thing. And soon he will be responsible for 16 little ones. Perhaps I should offer him a glass of wine.

Happy Independence Day.

2011-07-04T07:58:00.001-07:00

Dear Motherland,

Do not fret, I haven't forsaken you. However, I do like a good party. So, on this 4th of July, the anniversary of the United States of America's declaration of independence from merry England, please forgive me for breaking bread and sharing wine with our colonial cousins.

Rule, Britannia!

Lots of love,

Vinogirl.

PS. Oh...and God save the Queen!

The superior vena vino.

2011-07-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

One down, one to go.

The first day, of two successive days, of bottling in Vinoland was a success. The St. Helena crew reported for duty and were immediately charged with the task of getting their 2009 wine into the bottles that Vinomaker had sourced.

The St. Helena clone 7 Cabernet sauvignon had been blended with a small percentage of Cabernet franc and Merlot, a blend which Vinomaker and I had decided on prior to today's activities. Blending is a fun, even if at times a little exasperating, exercise and one finds that most wines benefit from a little something different thrown in.

Everything went smoothly and after a quick mid-day repast (with wine), some very happy winegrowers left for home with their trucks heavily loaded up with the fermented version of the fruits of their labour.

Nero d'Avola strikes again.

2011-06-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

The weather is back on track. Thank goodness! It got up to a very pleasant 82 degrees today.

Vinomaker and I just finished a nice dinner of fettuccine alla bolognese, paired with a delightfully spicy, gingery 2009 Tami' Nero d'Avola. At only 13% alcohol, I treated myself to two glasses...hic!

Junuary!

2011-06-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

It has rained all day. New grapevine shoots, that were yesterday reaching up towards the sun, are today bent over and water-laden. Local towns have recorded their lowest temperatures, for a June 28th, since records were first kept in 1868. The Vinodogs are bored.

Junuary weather at its finest!

Riesling hunting.

2011-06-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

Another great Finger Lakes wine - a 2008 Red Tail Ridge Dry Riesling. Very tasty; lovely citrus notes (mainly lime), a very appealing minerality, and a zesty acidity that reminded me of the Lamoreaux Landing I had recently, but even nicer. Better still, it's available in my local wine shop: no hunting online necessary.

April (and May) showers bring June grapes.

2011-06-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

They are flower clusters no more: there are now actual grape clusters amongst the canopy.

Fruit set looks great, especially in the Syrah vines. The Orange muscat fruit set though is an altogether different matter. It appears that there is a significant amount of shatter in the Orange muscat, which unfortunately means fewer berries at harvest time.

And the earth brought forth grass...

2011-06-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

...boy, has it ever this year! Vinoland is covered in more different varieties of grasses than I ever could have imagined. Even the Vinodogs are covered in grass in the form of fox-tails and other ingeniously shaped grass seeds. A combination of rain, sun, rain, and more sun will do that.
Vinomaker has already mowed the vineyard four times - that is double the usual number of times the vineyard has needed to be mowed in previous years. All of the clippings (and this includes the vineyard's leguminous cover crop) are left in place to become green manure. Although technically green manure is ploughed into the soil, Vinoland happens to be a no-till zone. The thick layer of mower clippings is simply left to break down, adding nutrients to soil and acting also like a layer of mulch that should suppress weed growth - I say should.
I used to take the humble blade of grass, or any plant for that matter, for granted. But, having taken a vineyard soils class, I now better understand the chemistry behind the conversion, by sunlight, of carbon dioxide into organic compounds. That which we call a weed by any other name, would still be photosynthesis - C6H12O6 rocks life in Vinoland.
The same sun, bright and high in the blue California sky, that feels so good on my winter-weary skin, combined with unseen soil nutrients (both micro and macro) and water, brings forth a multitude of grasses, weeds, trees, flowers, and grapevines. Apparently, the sun must also feel good to the Vinodogs as they can seemingly bask away an entire day in it's nap-inducing, warming rays.
Of the many different types of grasses growing in Vinoland right now; rye grass, common velvetgrass, rabbitfoot polypogon - to identify just a few in the above photograph - I think I like the big quakinggrass (Briza maxima) the best as it reminds me of little Chinese lanterns. Of course, Chinese lanterns don't aggravate my hay fever. Ho hum!

I Love California.

2011-06-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, I do love California. And I love wine, the Vinodogs, chocolate, England, Ben & Jerry's Pistachio Pistachio ice cream and, amongst other things, Tesco. So, you can imagine how excited I was when a local Fresh & Easy, Tesco's foray into the North American grocery business, recently opened a store in Napa. However, Fresh & Easy poses a bit of a conundrum for me. I'm not exactly disappointed in the store, but I am ever so slightly confused by it.
For starters, they don't carry many English food stuffs, not that I really expected them to. But, that's OK because I can get my Cadbury Flakes, McVitie's Hobnobs, and Bassetts Jelly Babies elsewhere. Fresh & Easy is described as a "neighbourhood market" - a one-stop convenience store that offers wholesome, freshly prepared meals for the perpetually time-strapped Californian consumer. It is in the very convenient offering of pre-marinated meat items and pre-chopped veggies where I think the problem lies for me. I cook 99.99% of my meals from scratch and when confronted with prepared food items I simply don't know what quite to make of them, literally. Bizarre, I know, but I tend to go about anything I do the long way! I'm not giving up on Fresh & Easy though, I have visited the store a few times now and I am determined to master their vision of grocery shopping. The prices are very reasonable, and that includes the above bottle of I Love California Pinot grigio, (specifically bottled for Fresh & Easy), which is priced at $3.99.
I am always amazed at how cheaply wine can be produced and bottled, (think Two Buck Chuck), especially when compared to say a premium winery like the one at which I am gainfully employed. With a bottling event coming up soon in Vinoland, Vinomaker has been busy sourcing bottles and corks. The most cost effective bottles he has found so far, Rhone style bottles for a Sonoma Syrah, cost $6.04 a case and come in plain white cardboard. The cheapest corks to be had, composite corks with a solid cork disc on either end, are priced at $74.00 per 1,000, but they are not the greatest quality - one probably really shouldn't use them on a wine intended for aging for an extended period. Then there's the cost of capsules, printed cases, labels, the initial cost of the grapes and barrels - and labour for approximately two years. The mind boggles that anyone could make a profit from a $3.99 wine sale. Is it simply a question of volume? I don't know.
But, how was the wine one might ask? It was actually OK, a little flabby maybe (my palate tends to favour wines with higher acidity), but it had plenty of fruit with quite obvious Pinto grigio characteristics. Surprisingly, it tasted better the next day. I think I just found my mum's summer wine.

Cephus Le Blanc.

2011-06-18T23:39:00.000-07:00

When I first looked at this bottle of wine I did indeed think that it was called Cephus Le Blanc - a bottle of Appalachian moonshine perhaps? But no, it was a delightful 60/40 blend of Colombard and Ugni blanc from the Armagnac region of France. Crisp, refreshing and under $11...I think I just found my summer wine.

The perfect flower.

2011-06-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

At last, in the Orange muscat block, the calyptra (covering the stamens and carpels) are brown and are beginning to be pushed off by the embryonic grape below. As is also the case in the Pinot gris block, the Cabernet sauvignon, and the Syrah.

In botany, the grape flower is indeed the perfect flower as it is hermaphroditic - containing both female and male reproductive parts. Let the flowering begin...whoo hoo!

Chin up!

2011-06-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

With increasing regularity, most communication nowadays is of the electronic variety, so it is a rare treat to find something of fun in ones actual post box that arrived there the old fashioned way - by snail mail.

It was in this manner that I received what for me was a prize of sorts: a much coveted Wartime Housewife badge (move over Blue Peter). This winning little badge, with it's patriotic colour scheme (British of course) and inspirational slogan, brought to mind the US tradition of producing presidential campaign buttons (that's badges in English). With the 2012 Presidential shenanigans already afoot over here, it got me to thinking what platform I would run on if I ever were to contemplate a life of public service. Politicians as public servants? Humour me, please.

My campaign would begin with promising that every man, woman, and child would have a 100 point wine in every glass, and a barrel of said wine in every garage (move over Herbert Hoover)...before slowly working my way up to world domination.

Wartime Housewife has her cute frying-pan-wielding-pinny-clad wartime housewife and her stiff-upper-lip-inducing slogan. If I'm going to run for office, or even empress of the universe, I'm going to have to come up with my own logo, a catchy campaign slogan...and a badge. Suggestions welcome.

My name is Vinogirl, and this message was brought to you by me. I'd vote for me, wouldn't you?