The Castell del Mirall vineyards are located in the Penedès Denominació d’Origen (DO) of Catalunya, not far from the capital of the magnificent, most European of cities, Barcelona. I am interested in this winery for a few reasons: they use Braille labels, something I was to learn from David Assens, Export Manager from Castell, when he wrote a comment on my post about the subject. And earlier this Spring I was to learn of a water crisis in Barcelona. The city has begun to import water, 5 million gallons from nearby Tarragona has just arrived, later this week more will be shipped from Marseille. A fuller account may be found from Sky News. Hence a question arises as to the impact of the drought on the wine industry in nearby Penedès DO. Lluís Ferré, 2nd generation winegrower at Castell del Mirall, kindly agreed to discuss these matters, and more. David Assens translated from English to Catalan and back again. My great thanks to him for his assistance.
Admin I was originally drawn to Castell Del Mirall because yours is one of the few wineries in the world who add Braille to your wine labels. What was your motivation?
Lluís Ferré Our motivation was to be able to propose our wines to broader audience and not to forget people with this disability.
Are your Braille labels in Catalan? Do you relabel for the export market?
LF We do relabel in English. The Braille code only indicates the name of the wine and the vintage.
What has been the Spanish wine industry’s reaction to your Braille initiative?
LF People thought it was a pretty good idea; some winemakers said they will follow.
Barcelona is currently in the grip of a very serious drought. What has been the impact of the drought throughout Catalunya, especially among the local wineries?
LF We may lose 20% in terms of yields, TBD.
If the drought continues for another few years how will Castell Del Mirall respond? And the other wineries in Catalunya?
LF I think people will increase ploughing and use more cover crops in the vineyards and control even more the canopy. Of course they could choose more drought resistant varietals (Spanish), and also plant at higher elevation.
Do you believe the drought is a consequence of Global Warming? If so what are the long term consequences for Catalunya wineries and vineyards? How is the wine industry in Catalunya preparing?
LF Yes it is. We may have a drastic increase of sugar and higher pH in the future, which could lead to less ageing potential for the wines. Once again, more and more vineyards are now planted at 1500-2000 ft.
Here in Cailfornia Napa winegrowers have awakened to climate change. Do you have any advice for them?
LF Try to not force the nature: I mean they should plant varietals and rootstocks that really fit their terroir and climate.
Tell us, if you will, about the terroir of your vineyards. Where are they located? At what elevations?
LF Our vineyards are located in the Penedès region very close to Barcelona.
In Castellet i la Gornal (Baix Penedes) at 400ft, is located the “ Corral d’en Refeques” vineyard. It is the largest in size, with a total of 25.66 Hectares (55 acres), dedicated to the following grape varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon: 19.17 Ha
Chardonnay: 4.57 Ha
Tempranillo: 2.64 Ha
Xarel.lo: 4.58 Ha
Syrah: 1.98 Ha
Merlot: 2.72 Ha
The “La Granada” vineyard, close to our village where the winery is spreads on 2.61 Ha property, at 500 ft, that includes:
Chenin Blanc: 2.08 ha
Garnatxa Negra: 0.53 ha
In the village of Guardiola de font-Rubi at 1200ft ( Alt Penedès) is located the “Cal Escudé” vineyard on 17.08 Ha (37 acres), planted to the following grape varieties:
Macabeo: 3,85 Ha
Merlot. 3.36 Ha
Syrah :3.68 Ha
Sauvignon Blanc: 1,62 Ha
Muscat d’Alexandria: 1,90 Ha
Parellada: 2,67 Ha
Our soils are composed of clays, limestone and granite. The average yield for dry wines is 3 tons/acre and 6 for Sparkling.
Castell Del Mirall produces quite a few wines! Could you tell us something of the grape varieties you grow?
LF As you can see, we grow Spanish, Catalonian and French varieties. We use the three Spanish and Catalonian varietals which are Xarel·lo, Macabeu and Parellada for our Cava Sparkling wines which are bottle fermented, (like in Champagne).
Beside this you see we mainly use Cabernet, Tempranillo, Merlot for our barrel aged wines and young wines.The Syrah usually goes into our entry level red and rosé. The Chenin Blanc goes into a white blend, and the Chardonnay is single varietal: and barrel fermented.
What is your case production? And how much is consumed in Spain? And in the balance of Europe? Great Britain?
LF We make 20.000 cases per year, 16.000 are sold in Catalonia (Northern Spain). The 4000 cases remaining are sold in the UK (200 cases), Japan, Germany, Holland, Sweden and the state of Florida in the US.
Who buys your wines? What are your target markets?
LF Our customers are generally in search of premium wines. As a result our wines are sold mainly in wine shop and restaurants and not in supermarkets.
We would love to conquer the US on a larger extend.
What ‘green’, environmentally sensitive practices does Castell Del Mirall have in place, or will begin in the future?
LF Basically, we never used herbicides in the vineyards and we spray very little. We are thinking of recuperating rain water and treat it for use in the cellar in the future.
Why can’t I find your wines in the United States?
LF Our importer in Florida is very small. Also, the sub prime crisis and the exchange rate €/$ slows down our expansion in the US for the moment.
What did you think of the film Mondovino?
LF In some ways, it is a caricature. But it is also true that influential wine critics (like Bob) can standardize the taste of fine wine.
What websites would you recommend for the American interested in Spanish wines?
LF We like this one: www.winesfromspain.com/
Thank you for your time, Lluís.
Admin
My most recent article on Celebrity Wines (see post below) was fun to research and I discovered a lot of new information on wines and wineries. However since posting it’s become clear my research was not as thorough as I may have hoped, and since I do strive to be accurate in all I do (another side of my borderline OCD!) then an update is required.
First it would appear I fell into the trap of believing an urban myth regarding the recently married Mariah Carey and her namesake vineyard in Mendocino. Although the offending section has been removed from the original post it would be unfair on the winery to simply have them “disappear” from a topic they are, one way or another, linked to.
The story seems to have started in early 2006 and is referenced by the Irish Examiner and quickly spread around the net. Unfortunately this was a case of Chinese Whispers based on Mariah enjoying their Zinfandel, but not enough to buy the company!
Jim Caudill, spokesman for Brown-Forman who distribute for the vineyard said “Ah, if only it were true. Mariah Carey has nothing to do with Mariah Vineyards other than enjoying the wine and often giving it as gifts.”
On doing more detailed research it would appear that the facts have been out there for almost as long but I suppose some stories just sound like they should be right!
Secondly Paul Smith, winemaker at OnTheEdge Winery in Calistoga sent me a modest e-mail “We are way under the radar so it is no surprise our partner and Head Coach of the stem box was missed as a celebrity winemaker”.
OnTheEdge produce the Frediani Vineyard Jean Louis Vermeil Cabernet Sauvignon, named in honour of NFL Head Coach Dick Vermeil’s ancestry, and on reading some related stories it became clear that this partnership is exactly what the original article was designed to catch.
I have to admit the name Dick Vermeil didn’t instantly light up in my memory (for which I blame the fact I’m British and this is an NFL sporting legend!) but then I also found Paul and Dick’s guest appearance on a May 2007 episode of Gary Vaynerchuk’s WLTV which I remember watching at the time – making my omission doubly embarrassing!
Thanks to Jim and Paul for getting in touch.
Greybeard.
Note from the Admin: I just couldn’t resist adding one other celebrity to Greybeard’s fine list: Crunk rapper Lil John. He has launched Little Jonathan Winery. Crunk Juice anyone?
Winemaking, a revered calling for those fortunate few; working the land, toiling the vines, something handed down from generation to generation, something that fate alone chooses. Er….well, no – not really, or at least not any more. Barry Manilow wines anyone?
In today’s society money and fame can obtain pretty much anything, and the wine world is no exception. There is an ever expanding list of celebrities and businessmen who are getting involved in wine and, while generalisations are always dangerous territory in writing, there does appear to be three categories that you can slot the majority of these ventures into – Marketing, Business or Love.
Marketing - The celebrity is predominantly a name or face on a label and is unlikely to have been anywhere near a grape press or fermentation vat (or even the winery!). It’s not hard to see why this model works, with legions of fans clamouring to buy anything linked to their idol a bottle of wine is an obvious addition to the merchandising arsenal. Cynics would argue promotion is the name of the game here and the contents of the bottle are a secondary consideration.
Celebrity Cellars is a good place to start if you are interested in labels , with Madonna and KISS included in the range all the wines are from Temecula Valley winery Miramonte. Barry Manilow has covered his bases with his M Line Wines, produced for him by Flora Springs in St. Helena, Macchia in Lodi and White Crane in Livermore.
Business - In this model the winery may have a rich or famous name on the deeds but they are involved in a business, and probably not their only one. The role is predominantly a figurehead, the name helping with the marketing but the resulting wine is a result of managers and winemakers with little or no influence from above. From what I’ve heard Dan Ackroyd’s new venture fits into this category as well, although one would hope that Dan, having invested $1 million into Niagara Cellars in 2005, is aiming to become one of those more serious and respected winemakers.
However the final category is what many of us dream of, the romantic ideal of someone who, through fame or fortune, is able to realise their dream of making wine…. this is for Love. Here the name is not just an owner, but is actually involved in many or all aspects of the wine process and, although in the end it may still be a business, profit isn’t the most important factor. A couple of years ago The Discovery Channel broadcast “The Grape Escape” about the Eaglevlei Estate in Stellenbosch, bought by North East (U.K.) businessman, Tony Hindhaugh. The series followed him from first buying the ailing winery through the trials and tribulations of producing his first vintage. I’d also put music legend Sting in this category - he bought his Tuscan summer home (and Yoga retreat) Il Palagio in 1997 and the wines produced here are currently only available locally and for family friends.
What about the “first lives” of these people who have decided to become involved in all things vinous, what careers allow such later-life luxuries?
With the millions that top Sportsmen earn it’s no surprise they are well represented in the lists, such as former SF 49ers Quarterback Joe Montana who paired up with Beringer’s Ed Sbragia to produce Montagia wines.
In Motor Racing NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon linked up with August Briggs Winery out of Calistoga to produce his Napa Valley wines and F1’s Jarno Trulli bought Podere Castorani in Abruzzo, Italy, although it was Italian Mario Andretti who originally bridged both sports & countries with his Napa Valley winery.
Top golfers have also moved into Wine, with the Great White Shark himself, Greg Norman selling wine from California and from Beringer Blass vineyards in Australia. Nick Faldo’s wines come from Katnook Estate in Coonawarra, Arnold Palmer wines are made by California’s Luna Vineyards and even John Daly, that renowned wine drinker, is getting in on the act, although I couldn’t identify where his are made! However it is South African Ernie Els who has the best credentials here, with a winery in Stellenbosch in collaboration with Jean Engelbrecht from Rust en Vrede.
Music and wine also seem to be a perfect match. For the girls Olivia Newton John founded Koala Blue Wines in 1983. For the boys Bob Dylan’s “Planet Waves” is made by Fattoria Le Terazze in Italy’s Marche region, while Mick Fleetwood has wine produced for his Private Reserve line by Casa Cassara in the Santa Rita Hills.
British crooner Sir Cliff Richard bought Quinta do Moinho in the Algarve, Portugal, in 1993, planted a vineyard in 1997 and, together with 2 other properties in the area, established Adega do Cantor making “Vida Nova” wines. 
The Algarve is not overly renowned for its quality wines and Vida Nova is for general drinking at around the $16 price range, but apparently each vintage has been steadily improving. Cliff was famously “stung” by celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay, on his show The F-Word in 2006, in a blind tasting of his own wine - the Video clip shows several other celebrity wines in the “tasting”. Unsurprisingly the press sensationalised the story at the time, even though it seemed to have been taken in good nature by Cliff on the show.
It can be argued that TV and Film have provided the most recognisable names and also, so far, the most credible participants in the Wine World, although not necessarily both together. Paul Newman has his “Newman’s Own” wines produced by Three Thieves, part of the Rebel Wine Company, while Davy Crockett himself, Fess Parker, has been making wines out of the Santa Ynez valley since 1989. Parker’s grand tasting room was the site of the scene from the movie Sideways where Miles eventually downs the dregs from the Spit Bucket!
Two actors that have been noticed by the professionals since they took to winemaking are New Zealander Sam Neill and Frenchman Gérard Depardieu. Jurassic Park’s Neill owns Two Paddocks in Central Otago and has gathered a good reputation for his Pinot Noir, although it is difficult to find as production is limited. Depardieu (U.S. readers may know him from Green Card, while in Europe his Cyrano de Bergerac and Obelix are more renowned) is so dedicated to winemaking that he has acteur-vigneron on his passport. He makes wine out of his Loire Valley property near Anjou, Château de Tigné, and has shares in Domaines Alain Paret in Condrieu and Château Gadet in the Médoc.
However the name most people think of in this category has to be Francis Ford Coppola. In 1975 wine-lover Francis and wife Eleanor bought a Victorian house in Rutherford, California, as a country retreat, “a cottage, a place to write and a couple of acres to make a little wine.” The house was the Niebaum mansion, and came with vineyards that were part of the famed Inglenook Estate, a winery set up by Finnish sea-farer Captain Gustave Niebaum who had Californian wine winning awards in Paris 87 years before the better known 1976 “Judgement”. In 1995 Coppola bought the remaining acreage and the Inglenook Château for his Niebaum-Coppola brand, eventually changing the name in 2006 to Rubicon Estate, named after its most famous wine. Separate to this is the Rosso & Bianco brand out of Geyserville, Sonoma, which produces more affordable wines including Director’s Cut and Diamond Collection.
So does any of this make a blind bit of difference to the quality of the wines produced? In an attempt to put some of this into perspective for the average wine drinker (is there such a thing?) I carried out a simple tasting with 3 of the easier to buy bottles from some of the wineries mentioned above, all less than $20.
Eaglevlei 2005 Merlot $14. This had a really smoky nose with a lot of red fruit and oak. Smooth in the mouth with mild tannins, a little cherry, tobacco and a rich chocolate undertone, this was light-medium bodied and has a very quick finish which lets it down, but otherwise was a very pleasant Merlot and, for the cheapest of the three, was my favourite. 86-87pts.
Vida Nova 2005 (Aragonêz, Syrah, Trincadeira) $16. A raspberry jam nose, with a dose of alcoholic spiciness. It had good general mouthfeel and body, but there’s an imbalance with too much heat on the finish and a green bitterness that doesn’t sit well with the fruit on the nose and first taste. Overpriced for what it delivers, 82-83pts.
Francis Coppola Diamond Collection 2005 Gold Label Chardonnay $18. Citrus and zesty nose with a buttery texture, a little wooded finish, nice enough taste. Quite dry with a quick finish and a touch of heat on the end. Not a bad Chardonnay, but for the most expensive wine it didn’t match up to its price tag. 86-87pts.
This is by no means a comprehensive coverage of who’s who - I could go on, but there are too many B-List celebs getting involved in this sort of this to cover them all. In attempt to satiate my OCD here a quick list of some others you may find…
Richard Branson, Lorraine Bracco, Celine Dion, Sir David Frost, Jerry Garcia, Lleyton Hewitt, Mick Hucknall, Vince Neil, Jamie Oliver, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Savanna Samson, Michael Seresin, Barbara Streisand, Alex Trebek.
For most of these wines you’re unlikely to be getting a bargain, but for Manilow, Madonna or Mötley Crüe fans that’s probably not their prime concern anyway, however for the rest of us you should at least be getting something moderately drinkable and not too far out of the typical Quality-Price-Ratio range, and for this it is more likely to be the hands-on owners and those with a some passion for wine who are likely to deliver - the Neills, the Depardieus and Coppolas of the world. Who knows, should that lottery win come in a Greybeard Cuvée may be in the offing!
Greybeard.
I ventured up into the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA some weeks ago while doing research on the Mission Soledad itself located on the Salinas valley floor. The SLH AVA is one of many AVAs contained within the Central Coast AVA and borders the Monterey AVA which included the Salinas Valley and Carmel Valley on the west side of the SLH range. Established in 1991, the SLH AVA begins at 40′ above sea level and vineyards can be found as high as 1200′. Recent data indicates 4,700 acres of grapes under cultivation though I suspect more has been recently planted. I saw many new plantings along the AVA’s frontage River Road. Indeed, nested within the web site is another figure of 5,523 acres under cultivation. In any event, it is safe to say the AVA is clearly undergoing a period of considerable growth! Grapes grown include modest amounts of cab franc and syrah, even petit verdot, but far and away the lion’s share of acreage is dedicated to chardonnay and pinot noir.
And on May 17th the vintners of the Santa Lucia Highlands will be hosting the 2nd Annual SLH Winegrowers’ Gala.
Curiously, the official SLH web site does not have a sufficiently detailed map for driving instructions. They do, however, provide a link to the River Road Wine Trail which will save readers here a step.
As a side note, I strongly encourage those planning to attend to consider taking the Carmel Valley Road either from the West side of the SLH Range should you be coming down Highway 1, or travel it back over should 101 be your approach. Prepare to add more than an hour to your regional tour. Drive safely!
Admin
A couple of weeks ago I picked up Sanctuary Wines 2006 Marlborough Pinot Gris from the local Sainsbury’s supermarket. Apart from liking Pinot Gris one of the other reasons the bottle made it into the trolley was the CarbonZero logo on the label, something I remembered reading about in a magazine article earlier in the year.
CarboNZero is a scheme set up in New Zealand by Landcare Research Institute to facilitate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions based around accurate measurement of those emissions, and the parent company of Sanctuary Wines, The New Zealand Wine Company became the first winery to get the certification in 2006.
The idea of being Carbon Neutral has been around for a while, with many individuals and organizations subscribing to Carbon offsetting, paying into projects that, theoretically, reduce emissions and balance their Carbon footprint. In the UK the thought of Food Miles is becoming more common and consumers are looking to buy more locally produced goods, or produce that has Green Credentials. This is something that will likely become more important for winemakers to consider as well, as much of the growing wine market is made up of the “middle class” (pardon the use of such a typically British term) who are quickly developing an environmental conscience that needs salving – I know, I consider myself one! Of course just because something is flown half-way across the world to reach the supermarket shelves doesn’t make it automatically bad, but some green labeling will always help. A New Zealand Herald article from last year has an excellent review of this idea, and its final paragraph sums up the business side of the story, with the New Zealand Wine Company expected to double its sales in the UK.
So what are the ups and downs of being a Carbon Neutral winery? As reported in the Otago Daily Times instead of using a fleet of helicopters to move the air around and stop frost damage large fans have been installed in the vineyards, while changing packaging designs has led to a 12% reduction in shipping volumes and heat-recycling projects have cut down their heating costs. On the flip side a refrigerant leak at the winery contributed 400% more emissions than the whole year’s electricity use.
The key message from the CarboNZero scheme is that accurate measurement is the first step, you have to understand what your emissions are and how they’re affected by what you do before you can make any real attempt at reducing or offsetting them. 
This is clearly explained on the Sanctuary Wines site; Measure – calculate emissions, Manage– reduce emissions, Mitigate – offset emissions.
As for the Pinot Gris itself? This was a refreshing wine, reminiscent of Alsace with a waxy, sweet floral nose and full aroma. Heavy in the mouth, it was a full bodied white with a rich texture, a little grapefruit bitterness on the mid-palate into a medium long finish, not a bad wine to go with a clear conscience!
Greybeard.
A chilly evening in April saw the 4th Newcastle wine fair, a twice yearly event in Sprint and Autumn put together by Chris Powell of the Newcastle Wine School with local wine retailers or merchants. I’ve only missed one so far and look forward to one of the biggest wine events in the North East of England (don’t get too excited, we’re not exactly overrunning with events up here!) and a chance to see if there’s any new and interesting wines I can try out.
This year we had 6 stalls offering 41 wines, plus Chris’s “mystery wine”, his regular blind tasting competition (which I always manage to get badly wrong). From the National retailers there was Majestic and Oddbins with a good mix of Old and New World styles.
Representing the local retailers was Michael Jobling with a purely French selection, Fenwick with a range of classic varieties from around the world and a newcomer to the Fair, Tyne Wines who had an interesting French only, Beaujolais dominated table.
Wholesalers Liberty Wines was the last of the tables, with their, mainly Italian & Australian, choices available through local retailer Richard Granger.
The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly as the room filled up; about 130 people attended this year, a little down on previous events but still enough to mean some waiting at the most popular tables. 
I’d come with 2 friends from work and they headed for the wine while I quickly checked the list to see what my “must haves” were going to be before heading into the fray and going straight for the Sparklers (as most people did). This year there were only 2 on offer - the Wafflart Rose Champagne at Tyne Wines, and a Prosecco Conegliano Valdobliadienne at Majestic. The Champagne was light and dry with good fruit, but the Prosecco was really just a glassful of froth and did nothing for me.
Onto the whites, and Fenwick had the Katherine’s Vineyard 2005 Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay (Cambria, California), this was heavily oaked but the overwhelming flavour was vanilla, I don’t think I’ve ever had such a vanilla hit from any white before! It was a nice wine from the same producer as one of last year’s better offerings (the Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir). Majestic had another oaky Chardonnay, the Vergelegen 2006 from Stellenbosch with a lovely toffee taste, in sharp contrast to the Tyne Wines combination of the 2007 Domaine des Arbins Beaujolais Blanc and their Domaine Bois d’Yver 2005 Chablis Premiere Cru. I don’t know if it was the earlier memory of the two oak-monsters but I preferred the creamy-but-dry Beaujolais to the steelier lemon and lime mix of the Chablis (which was still a very good wine).
The two best whites on the night were unexpected for me, one being a variety I hadn’t tried before and the other being one I don’t usually drink. Andy from Liberty Wines poured me my first Greco di Tufo, the Vesevo 2007 from Campania – with a rich aroma, complex, fruity and well balanced it was the best by far……until the ravings of my 2 friends brought me to the Oddbins table later in the evening and had a taste of their stunning Blind River 2007 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Aroma and taste were immense on this wine, gooseberry and cat-pee nose, a large attack of rhubarb in the mouth, all of which perfectly suited my palate on the night. I usually avoid Sauvignon Blanc as my partner hates the bitterness that often comes with the variety, but I think even she’d appreciate this one.
Back to Tyne Wines for their Beaujolais selection, a simple 2007 Rose and 2006 Villages Rouge from Domain des Arbins, plus a 2006 Morgon from Domaine de l’Eglantine. The Morgon had tannins and complexity to last a few years, but more enjoyable on the night was the Beaujolais Villages, bursting with Raspberries.
The red wines in general were a mixed bag, with all of the well-known varieties represented. Most unusual was the Agiorgitiko in the 2006 Gaia Notios from Nemea in the Peloponnese, Greece. This had a spicy, slightly green nose and was very smooth in the mouth, a light-medium bodied wine and not bad for my second new grape of the night. I’m not sure if it was palate fatigue, or maybe I’m just heading in a new direction, but the 2 big reds for me on the evening were both what I’d loosely call “Fruit Bombs”. First was the 2004 Grant Burge Old Vine Shiraz on the Fenwick table, rich, juicy and complex, but this was beaten by Peter Lehmann’s 2003 “The Mudflat” Shiraz Muscadelle at Oddbins. 
This was richer and juicier with a superb smooth roundedness, I’m guessing from the Muscadelle in the mix. Claire from the stall held up the delicious 2007 Blind River for a Kodak moment and the red on the table behind me was the Gaia Notios which somehow ended up at my home!
So Oddbins had the 2 best wines (for me at least) - and with their five other wines, including an Austrian Grüner Veltliner and a Tasmanian Pinot Gris, all being solid examples this meant that the corporate retailer came out best on the night. Even though Liberty Wines had the Greco di Tufo and a couple of nice backups (the Gran Sasso 2006 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and the 2006 “Willunga 100” McLaren Vale Grenache) I’d say they were just nudged into 3rd place by a consistent selection from Fenwick, although I didn’t have a chance to try their Croft Pink Port, with it all gone by the time I looked for it! I’ve already discussed Fenwick in an earlier R.O.T. post and it is a store I like going into, so it was a nice opportunity to photo some of their team this evening 
.
It was a good evening of wine tasting and over the course of 3 hours I managed to cover 37 of the different wines. This is less than the 40 I had at the first ever Fair in 2006, but since I hadn’t discovered spitting by that point the hangover the next day was unbelievable. This time the spit buckets dotted around the room were well used and I left the room upright, relatively clear headed and a readable set of tasting notes!
As for the Mystery Wine? It turned out to be a Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre blend from the Languedoc. I’m not going to embarrass myself by revealing my guess here, suffice to say I kept up my impressively bad record. I wasn’t even on the same continent and didn’t get any of the grapes (even though I also chose a 3 variety blend!). I still have a long way to go in Blind Tasting!
Greybeard.
It was announced April 2nd at the dinner gala ‘Cornell Celebrates New York Wines’ that Cornell University will build an on-campus teaching winery for undergraduates, a welcomed addition to their three-year-old Enology and Viticultural Program. Both Enology and Viticulture classes had long been a part of the Horticultural/Food Sciences, but only graduate students hitherto could seek degrees in either speciality. Undergrads had first to major in food science of pomology, for example. This would change when it was recognized there had emerged an acute shortage of vineyard managers and winemakers to meet the increasing demand for regional expertise in cool-climate viticulture and its associated pest complexes, a demand simply not met by West Coast university programs. New York State’s wine industry has been growing dramatically; it is currently #3 in the nation in grape and wine production. In 1976 nine wineries existed; now, 220 wineries (as of this writing!) populate the state. And over 600 vineyards. (Additional details may be found here.)
The necessary next step was to offer through Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, four-year undergraduate majors in Enology and Viticulture within the larger programs of plant and food science. (Currently 35 undergrads are enrolled in this young program, and it will be capped at about 55.) But an additional refinement is now in the works for E/V majors. Under the guidance of Professor Ian Merwin E/V will be consolidated, moving it away from the plant/food sciences major. As he wrote in an e-mail, “The initial EV majors were nested within the existing undergrad programs in Horticulture and Food Science at Cornell. The new program is independent and interdisciplinary”. And as an integral part of this move will be the construction of the winery.
The winery will provide undergrads hands-on experience in winemaking, just as Cornell’s vineyards now do for budding viticulturists. Of Cornell’s vineyards Prof. Merwin writes, “[There are] 8 acres total on two research farms near the Ithaca campus. The one in Ithaca (3 acres) has entirely hybrids such as Marchal Foch, Cayuga White, Seyval, Himrod, GR7, Chancellor, Traminette, Noiret, Corot Noir, and Concord. The one 10 miles north of campus with a milder winter climate because of its proximity to Cayuga Lake consists almost entirely of vinifera cultivars (Reisling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Lemberger, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc, now about 5 acres planted).” And of the Geneva Experimental Research Station? Merwin writes, “Most of their vinifera plantings were winter killed in 2004, so the remainder would be mostly hybrid grapes developed by the grape breeding program and grape Genetics Unit in Geneva”.
The winery will be 2400 square feet, plenty of room for a substantial case production. In fact, I asked Merwin whether Cornell, like Cal State, Fresno, will be marketing wines they produce. He would very much like to, but not if it would mean Cornell might compete with small, family wineries, a possibility he is very sensitive to. In any event, the architectural plans remain the property of Beardsley Design Associates in Auburn so I cannot post them here.
Finally, while reading the Cornell Chronicle post I noticed a list of sponsors for the evening’s event. They were Stoutridge Vineyard, Antica Napa Valley, Channing Daughters Winery, Raphael Winery, and Constellation Wines US. I was curious as to why Constellation participated. Prof. Merwin wrote, “Constellation Brands is the corporate evolutionary successor of the original Taylor, NY and Canandaigua wine companies in the Finger Lakes region. Of course it is now a very different regionally and globally integrated corporation, but there are still some of the original links and Cornell people in that corporation, and they have been supportive of Cornell’s efforts to develop this new undergraduate major”.
Cornell’s undergraduate E/V brochure may be found here.
Admin
The Central Coast Vineyard Team (CCVT) will host the 2nd Annual Earth Day Food & Wine Festival April 19th. The event will be held from 1 pm to 5 pm at the historic Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia in Santa Margarita, Ca.
CCVT, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, began in 1994 when a small group of growers, wineries, and resource professionals met to create a sustainable winegrowing program on the Central Coast of California. (A seperate article forthcoming) In 1999, 200 copies of their newsletter were distributed; by 2008, 30,000 copies are sent out! For a timeline of their remarkable growth see this.
But this event is about more than wine. Locally farmed organic produce, olive oils, Fair Trade coffees, meats and artisanal cheeses will be offered in addition to educational booths; Bee keepers, chocolateers, restaurants (one of my personal favorites, Villa Creek, will be in attendance), a lavender farm, green landscapers, the list of participants goes on and on. (A full listing may be found here.)
This is the Central Coast’s premier Earth Day event.
Directions may be found here.
Admin
Reign of Terroir is pleased to participate in our first ever Wine Blogging Wednesday. For a brief explanation of its origins visit this link. This month’s topic, selected by Gary Vaynerchuk of WLTV, is French Cabernet Franc wines.
Our first entry is written by Greybeard, followed by yours truly, the Admin; Donna has written an excellent ’stand alone’ piece on how wine professionals conduct a blind tasting. Her effort deserves to be posted by itself. I will do so later today. Admin
Greybeard writes: It’s good to know Gary Vaynerchuk and I have at least one thing in common, we both have a special affinity for single varietal Cabernet Franc. So when he announced that WBW 44 was on the French version of this grape I was more than happy to break open a bottle and participate on behalf of Reign of Terroir.
For me this stems back to our family vacation in the Loire Valley in 2006 (my first trip to a wine region) where we rented an old farmhouse building in the village of Fougerolles, just outside the town of Bourgueil. We have wonderful memories of touring the region - Tours, Chinon, Saumur 
, Vouvray and several Chateaux in the area - plus sampling a fair amount of the local wines! I quickly became a fan of the reds made exclusively from Cabernet Franc (the grape is known locally as Breton). While the Loire in general may be better known for its white and rosé wines the basic Breton reds have a rustic charm and improve into serious quality wines as you move up the scale to the better offerings from Saumur-Champigny, Bourgueil, the smaller neighbouring appellation of St. Nicholas de Bourgueil and finally to Chinon, the leader of Loire Cabernet Francs 
and historic fortress city at the heart of English-French politics & war for more than 300 years.
It was one of the bottles I brought back from this trip, the Marchesseau Fils 2003 Bourgueil, Cuvée Vieilles Vignes which was sacrificed in the name of Wine Blogging. This was purchased from the Maison du Vin in Bourgueil for the princely sum of £5 ($10 now, at the time closer to $8) and was due for drinking this year or next.
On the nose this has a strong raspberry reduction aroma and a rich oaky vanilla in the background with a subtle touch of menthol. The colour is deep and dark, promising something heavy, but surprisingly it is a little light in the mouth with firm tannins at the front and a smooth texture on the mid-palate quickly moving into a medium finish. This is a nicely balanced wine which I opened with friends and happily finished off myself to complete this article, 88pts.
Looking back through my tasting notes for other Loire Cab-Francs I came across 2 reds, from Saumur-Champigny and Chinon, and 2 Bourgueil rosés (rarities, as rosé accounts for less than 4% of production in Bourgueil) – all from the same summer 2006 vacation.
1) Daheuiller Domaine des Varinelles 2003 Vieilles Vignes, AOC Saumur Champigny – “rasperry jam nose with a smooth, balanced mouthfeel - not tannic. Slightly burnt flavour (good) and refreshing. 90pts.”
2) Domaine René Couly 2004, AOC Chinon – “rich and mellow nose, some light fruit. Very smooth tannins, almost silky/velvety. 90pts”
3) J.M Rouzier, “Les Géléries” 2005, AOC Bourgueil – “refreshing, fruity nose. Sour cherry Marzipan taste. 88pts”
4) Jacky Girard 2005, AOC Bourgueil – “ dry Rose, not much on fruit but very refreshing. 84pts”
While maybe not as beefy as Bordeaux, or as elegant as Burgundy, French Cabernet Franc from the Val de Loire can be a delight, and a bargain at the same time, and I’m glad I still have a few bottles left to come back to over the next couple of years. These reds are not too common in the stores around the UK, although Waitrose has a few to choose from, and I’d heartily recommend giving them a try if you haven’t experienced this region before.
Admin writes: My selection hails from Saumur Champigny AOC, the 2003 Clos Rougeard. The owners, the Foucault brothers, Nadi and Charles, have long been organic producers, though my understanding is that they have recently been Biodynamic certified or are in transition. (Beaune Imports has posted a fine gloss on their efforts written by Clive Coates.) Nadi and Charles produce three Cab Franc cuvées, Saumur Champigny, approx. 1500 cases; “Les Poyeux”, around 900 cases (Fork & Bottle has a nice review of the 2000); and “Le Bourg”, 300 cases. Full details may be found here. Finally, Andrew Jefford writes in his excellent The New France, “All are produced with very low yields, wild yeasts, long and soft macerations, oak-ageing (with a proportion of new oak), and bottled without filtration; they age as well as any”.
The cork broke as I pulled it out, but the wine was fine. Let it breath for a few hours as their wines are known to tight when so young. Tar and licorice on the nose; tons of raspberry jam, reduced dark cherries, and freshly sharpened pencil wood and lead; alc stated to be 12.5% but it feels hotter in the nose; very heady. The wine is easy to see through; very interesting hint of dark brick. On the palate, beautiful, bright fruit, with bitter chocolate sans sugar on the mid-palate to finish. Vegetal, bell pepper or jalapeño (?) Maybe green apple skin. Tannins softer than I expected (even though I opened this beauty far too soon), acid a bit strong. No oak to speak of on the palate but detectable on the nose. I can sense why this is their ‘entry level’ cuvée: just enough complexity to ’set the hook’ for the their more expensive bottlings! All in all, a bar-raising Cab Franc. Delightful.
On the West Coast bottles may be found as of this writing at The Wine House and The Wine Country. Price: $36-$40.
Donna’s contributions to follow.
This past weekend, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo ended. It’s the largest and richest rodeo in the world, with people coming from all over the world to attend this institution held every year for the past 75 years.
It officially ran from March 3rd to the 22nd this year; however leading up to the rodeo there are many events to kick off the rodeo in style. One of these is the Roundup and Best Bites Competition. Houston’s best restaurateurs serve delicious food paired with the winning wines of the Houston Livestock Show’s International Wine Competition. Four thousand foodies converged February 18th, 2008 into the now sadly unused Astrodome to eat, drink and make merry.
The actual wine competition was held November 10, 2007 where 1,969 wines were awarded 1,544 medals in various categories. The wines are presented at the Best Bites Competition on February 18, 2008 and culminate in a giant wine auction on March 3rd which raised $1,115,800 for the Houston Rodeo Scholarship Foundation.
This years Best in Show was Stag’s Leap Winery 2004 California Cabernet, Reserve Champion was Orogeny Vineyards 2005 Green Valley Pinot Noir and the Texas Champion was Brennan’s Vineyards 2006 Viognier.
This is also the yearly kickoff for the wine industry in Houston. Following the busy holiday season, the wine sales industry experiences a slow down in the month of January as the buying public sobers up a bit after the heavy drinking holiday season the year before ends. At the Best Bites Competition, distributors, importers, sommeliers, buyers, collectors all gather with the local foodies for a bacchanalia of food and wine and recharges everyone for the year ahead. All the champion medal winning wines are served and it’s a great time to see old friends and meet new ones.
The most important people in the Rodeo are the volunteers who give their time and energy to make its running a success. Two of the most important volunteers that make the wine competition such a popular event are Bear Dalton, the head wine buyer of SPECS warehouse and Guy Stout, Master Sommelier, CWE who is the director of beverage education with Glazer’s distributors. I’m quite proud to know these fine gentlemen and their unselfish contribution to the wine industry of Texas needs to be acknowledged.
So, whether or not you are a cowboy or cowgirl, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is definitely a destination everyone should experience once in their lifetime as it has something for all to enjoy. Especially wine lovers.
Donna
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