arête wine project

Baby Tastes Post Script

In my previous post I spoke a bit about the book Wine Trials. I know this is old news but it still gets to me a little. This book brings to light two glaring factors that must change in order for us to begin to move away from the bastardization and homogenization of wine. The first is that we must change the way we as consumers approach wine. Find producers who are picking for balance, striving to let the land speak, and then let the wine choose its own course. Once you have found these wines approach the wine as a student seeking to understand the tastes and flavors, even if they are at first difficult to appreciate and comprehend.The whole point of terrior is that all wines should taste different. This means that there will be wines you like as well as wines you dislike, but that does not mean the wine you like is a good wine and the wine you dislike a bad wine...it is simply a DIFFERENT wine. That was the main point of my last column.

The second point is that there is no longer a correlation between price and quality. There is a symbiotic relationship between the consumer and the winemaker. This relationship over the years has been damaged by greedy men and corporations seeking to produce the next "cult" wine and rape the American wine consumer to fatten their own pocket. If this rift is ever going to be repaired winemakers must start charging reasonable prices for their wines. Below is a great article I discovered that breaks down exactly what it costs to make a $100 bottle of wine. Taken from the website Vine Sugar I would like to thank Brendan for this truth.

Baby Tastes

Over the course of the last year I have read several blogs that have written about a new book that has been published. The name of the book is Wine Trials and the premise involves 100 wines under $15 that when brown bagged and placed in front of normal everyday people they preferred them to $50 and $150 wines. I know that several people have written on this already, but none of them seem to understand why this represents all that is wrong with the majority view of wine in this country, and our approach to understanding. I have to admit that I have not read the book and may be speaking out of my arse, and if that is the case someone please let me know, but I do not really think that I need to read it. I am pretty sure I know what it is going to say, first that normal everyday people prefer cheap wine and second that there is no correlation between price and quality. Shocker...I could have told you that without writing a book. We are all missing the bigger picture.

Proper Vine Stress

Wow. December already. If I were a vine it would be off into dormancy. Probably the most important season of all. Lets pretend for a moment that I were a vine. How would my vintage of this past year rate? At first glance I would have to say it was a tough year. It was a year that did not see much rain and the vine was very stressed. A small crop that was harvested at just the right time with perfectly ripe grapes. In my mind a stellar year. Why? Because of stress. I believe that proper stress to the vine and small crop loads are the keys to our ripening dilemma.

As I have been studying wine and viticulture these past few years it has been much more than an obsession. It has been a journey of discovery about myself and of those around me. I have often equated the vine with people and personified it as myself. I believe there are many lessons to be learned from studying the vine and it is a journey I would suggest everyone embark upon. Many of my beliefs and understanding about wine come from years of studying and trying understand people. 

Phenolic Ripeness

Below is an article I stumbled across that is the most accurate description of "phenolic ripeness" that I can find. "Phenolic ripeness" is the latest buzzword in the wine industry for those seeking to defend elevated alcohol levels in wine. The problem with "phenolic ripeness" is two fold. First of all there is no way to test "phenolic ripeness". The grapes are "physiologically ripe" when the grower decides they are "physiologically ripe". There is no right or wrong. This leads to a wide range of thoughts and opinions as to when the grapes really are "physiologically ripe". The second problem is that the majority of winemakers and consumers alike have been influenced by one person as to what a "ripe" grape must taste like. It is no secret that Robert Parker generally gives higher scores to higher alcohol, super ripe, hedonistic wines. Everyone has been influenced by this trend. Customers rely on his points to buy wine and winemakers rely on his points to sell wine. We have an endless merry go round of thoughtlessness. This goes not only for Robert Parker but also for the publications that merely imitate his system and his palate. There will be more to follow on this subject, but for now please enjoy someone elses take on this dire situation. This article was written by Matthew Citriglia and can be found at Wine Geeks. 

The Beautiful Vine

"Beer is God's way of telling us that He loves us and wants us to be happy."

                                                                                                                     -Benjamin Franklin

While I love this quote and believe it to be true, I find that wine is an even greater example of this truth. All of my beliefs and philosophies concerning wine revolve around the beauty and simplicity of the vine! Wine is unique among other alcoholic beverages in that it is meant to be made. If you look at the composition and makeup  of the grape you must believe that God's intention for grapes were to become wine. This also lends to the fact that understanding wine really is simple. Yes it requires time and effort to seek out the best wines, but at its essence it really is not that complicated.

The grapevine is a weak-steamed climber that grows on every continent except Antarctica. It is the worlds most important fruit crop and produces in excess of 60 million tons of fruit every year, with 80% of that destined to become wine. God has provided the grape with everything it needs to produce the wonderful beverage we know as wine. Possessing the perfect balance of acid and sugar this fruit has a bloom that catches yeast and there they wait for the skin to be broken so that they can begin their mission of converting the sugar into alcohol. That is all wine is. If you traveled down the road to your local grapevine and took a bucket full of grapes and crushed them in a few days they would begin to ferment and turn into wine. Naturally. Granted it may not be very good wine, but it would be wine nonetheless. Its simplicity is its beauty. 

I had the opportunity to make wine this year. I took a half ton of cabernet grapes, crushed them and put them in barrels and allowed nature to take its course. Fermentation started naturally and then I added a small amount of cultured yeast towards the end of fermentation just to make sure it finished dry. Once fermentation finished I added a small amount of So2 to stabilize the wine and then added bacteria to start malolactic fermentation. Since then I have done nothing and after 7 months I have to say that the wine is tasting great and that all my theories have proven true.

If the right work is done in the vineyard and the grapes are harvested with balanced levels of sugar and acid then no science is needed. I wish the domestic wine producing community would take a step back and look at what wine really is in its essence and simplicity.

Disillusionment

The state of our domestic wine scene is worse, in respect to natural wines, than I thought when I began this quest. I did not think that I was seeking something that would allude me to this extent. If you are out there I pray that somehow you will find me. These are the wines I am seeking...

• Yielding less than 5 tons per acre
• Grapes harvested before sugar levels reach 24 brix (unless you are creating a late harvest wine)
• Fermentation started naturally
  
• No additives (cultured yeast, So2, malolactic bacteria fine in small amounts)
  
• No alterations
• Minimal So2
• Family owned and operated
• Farmed with a respect for the land
• Minimal oak influence
• Owner involved in all aspects of wines life
  

Wine Yeasts: The truth about spontanious fermentations

This article was taken from Science Alert

Tuesday, 05 August 2008

University of Auckland Wine is the result of a competition between microbes for nutrients, research suggests. Scientists at The University of Auckland studying yeast used in winemaking have discovered the reactions that turn grape juice into wine are a mechanism to ensure the yeast secures many of the nutrients from the fruit. The results are published in leading international journal Ecology, and one of West Auckland’s wineries, Kumeu River, is pictured on the front cover. The researchers studied the microbes present on grapes from the field to the cellar at Kumeu River Winery, and discovered very low levels of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast required to convert sugar to alcohol, naturally present. However, it created a warm, high alcohol - low oxygen environment which is toxic to all other yeasts and microbes during the fermentation process allowing its numbers to rapidly increase. This environmental-engineering is wasteful for the yeast, as it is more efficient to completely metabolise the fruit sugar to water and carbon dioxide, but the fermentation releases ethanol and heat and ensures S. cerevisiae is the sole survivor.

The System is Flawed

4 years ago I was working as the understudy wine director at a large resort in Florida that boasted an incredible wine cellar. Part of my "job" as the understudy was to taste as much as possible. In addition to the double blind staff wine tastings that were held at every friday and saturday lineup my boss chose a bottle a week for me to take home and study. Talk about accelerated learning. The blind tastings helped hone my palate and also taught me to look for a sense of place in wine. Taking home bottles and spending time with them is what helped me to really understand what I was drinking. I started keeping a wine journal with all my notes and even began scoring the wines. I was still using the major publications as my reference point and supplication for wines, but over the course of my drinking and learning increasing exponentially I would begin to see flaws in the current evaluation systems.

Alcohol Levels in Wine: Are they trivial?

In my previous post I touched briefly about disappointing experiences drinking wines from Santa Barbara County which are crafted from grapes grown in biodynamic vineyards. My research over the last year and a half for this little project has involved extensive tasting across the Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, and the Santa Maria Valley AVA's. Within those AVA's there are three vineyards that have been certified biodynamic. These three are Presidio, Purisma Mountain (Beckmen), and Ampelos respectively. I have had the opportunity to taste the majority of their offerings and as stated in my previous post have been dissapointed. There is so much potential, but it is hidden under all the alcohol. If biodynamic farming is the true path to discovering terrior as Nicolas Joly and most of his followers believe than they must somehow address the sugar levels at harvest among these wines.

Problems with Biodynamic and Organic Wines

I am a huge believer in and supporter of Biodynamic and Organic viticulture. I did not come to feel this way because of any trend in marketing that has happened over the last couple years. Rather I discovered it through my course of learning. As I learned more about the wines I had been drinking I realized that some my favorite wines up to that point had been produced with biodynamically or organically grown grapes, even though I did not know it at the time I was enjoying them.

Robert Sinskey was the first winery in California that I truly fell in love with. The first taste of their pinot blanc and I was smitten. After experiencing the vin gris of pinot noir, still the most beautiful rose I have ever had the pleasure of putting to my lips, I would have signed a commitment to drink only RSV for the rest of my life. If you have never tried a wine from Robert Sinskey Vineyards I would say drink them all for they are all delicious. Their slogan, if you will, is stated on the bottle..."Fine wines from organic vines" and they are indeed fine. I stumbled upon RSV 5 years ago and it was the begining of a journey and obsession that will never end.

Momentary Setback

The train has derailed.

 I started this little project because I wanted to write and because I enjoy writing about wine. My intention was never to change the world, or dethrone Parker, or even to make money. I write because I enjoy it. I enjoy learning and I enjoy sharing the knowledge I gain with others. I love wine and what it can and should mean in our lives. It is a work of art not because of anything man does, but what the vine and grape achieve by way of yeasts through the fermentation process. Man gets the privilege of helping, but that work is in the farming. How dare we ever consider it OUR work of art. The vine was there for us, not the other way around. Pruning and nurturing the vine to achieve it fullest potential in a beautiful dance between the farmer, the soil, and mother nature should be our role. We are lucky enough to be entrusted to help along the way, but should be wary of taking credit.

The finished work of art is then presented to us as a gift to enjoy this life. It is not to be enjoyed selfishly or tucked away as some trophy to show off to people you are trying to impress. It is to glorify the vine by being enjoyed with friends as a celebration of life! This is the beauty of wine and this is the Arete of Wine.

I do not matter. My philosophies do not matter. What matters is the vine. The beautiful vine. Without it all of this would simply be an afterthought. I will simply continue to learn and continue to write.

Trust Your Palate

I never want to come off as an arrogant prick. There are many who know more about wine than I do, and I consider this one of my life's works. As a life work, it will take a lifetime to conclude and I hope that it will bring me as much joy as it does now and that I will continue to learn until that last day. That being said, I know what I enjoy and I know what my palate considers to be a great wine. This has come from years of tasting and learning, but also from asking questions and seeking to understand what lies beneath the cork. You must trust your palate, but you also must learn about everything that goes into the wine you enjoy. This is the only path to understanding wine no matter what your taste preferences. This is the key to a true knowledge of wine and the key to moving beyond points and vintage charts. Ask questions. Talk to the vintners. The road may be long and arduous, but it is well worth the journey.

Gary Vaynerchuk and the Bandwagoneers

Sounds like a cool band, but I for one am tired of the same old tune. I do not like the noise they are making and just wonder why people are so attached to points and meaningless descriptors. I was reading Alice Feiring's blog earlier this week and I noticed something that she wrote about the blogger's conference last week. What caught my attention was the fact that Gary Vaynerchuk  stated if a blog was not making 6 figures from its site than it was not successful. I guess its time to wrap this little project up because according to the almighty dollar and master Gary I am a failure. I have to say that over the last 6 months of writing I have felt like a failure at times, but that is because I feel like the only person in this country that cares about the authenticity of wine. By authentic I mean real, and by real I mean balanced, food-friendly, elegant, complex and made with nothing more than grapes, yeast, bacteria, minimal SO2, and a storage vessel.

Overspeculation in the Wine Industry

I have already stated that greed will be the downfall of domestic wine and I believe the meltdown of our domestic wine landscape is not to far around the corner. All it will take is the right set of labeling laws and everyone will lose faith in what they thought to be an honest forthcoming industry.

I had a conversation with one of my guests at the restaurant last night about all the things that were being done to wine these days. I brought up concentrates that can be added to a wine to make it taste more varietally correct. He could not believe such a thing exists, but oh it does. Not only does it exist, but I am sure we would all be shocked to find out how many wines we have drunk that contain these concentrates or any number of other additives available to winemakers. His next question was if Parker had ever rated such wine. I told him most likely yes, because like most major publications Parker does not care how a wine is made and does not have the time to find out when he blind tastes 300 wines in a day. His response was that he would lose all faith in scores if this were the case.

He is close to realizing what is really going on in our wine industry today. Charging outrageous prices for wines that are not really authentic or naturally made can only last so long. Sooner or later what is being done in the darkness will come to the light and it will be the same kind of backlash that we have seen on Wall Street. Kudos to those who are already striving to make wine in an authentic manner and are not trying to pull the wool over the eyes of those of us who love and support the domestic wine scene.

Wine as Art

When I look out at the wine industry today, I have to say, I am saddened. Gigantic conglomerates and greedy men now control a vast majority of our domestic wine. They have three major publications they need to win over in order to sell their wine and fatten their shareholders pockets. These publications have unknowingly set up a system in which it becomes very easy to pass off an imitation as a master piece.

Wine is art and like fine art in order to properly appreciate it you must enjoy it relative to context. Without context it loses its beauty and meaning. Imagine trying to appreciate and understand a Rembrandt or a Picasso if you are only allowed to look at it for 15 seconds. Not understanding the painter, the period, or the circumstances all you have is a glimpse. Now imagine looking at 200 pieces of art from different artist in a single day, all that way. How could you even begin to see the differences and similarities? You could not even begin to comprehend the beauty behind what you saw. All the while, you are jotting notes from what you can grasp in those few moments reducing everything to a score. What if someone slipped in a fake? Would you be able to tell? In that short time span would you miss the important features that would tell you this is not a work of art, but simply a copy? It would be impossible to tell; and what of the score? It is meaningless.

Art is subjective, as is wine. What I taste you may not, what you taste I may not. How can you reduce something to a number after spending 15 seconds with it? How would I score your personality when we meet for the first time? First impressions are most often awkward and horrible. It does not work with art. It does not work with wine. We need to learn to appreciate and understand wine. We need to fall in love with its beauty and mystery. Great wine is an ethereal experience. It gladdens the heart and brings us to a story of the land. It possesses personality, uniqueness, and beauty. How can grapes produce all these beautiful seamless flavors that have nothing to do with the grape itself? How does it enhance and bring out new flavors of itself and its partner when enjoyed with food? How can it change so dramatically and age so gracefully over time? It is the land, grapes, yeasts, and a storage vessel, that is all. Working to create something beautiful. Anything else becomes a fake.

There is no such thing as Winemaking

I am now convinced that I should never use the term winemaker...There is no such thing. Possibly winehelper, but not winemaker. I think we need to step back and see everything for what it really is. I purchased half a ton of Cabernet grapes from Paso this vintage. I destemmed them, put them in a barrel and let nature take its course. 10 days later I pressed the fermented juice into barrel and innoculated witha a bacteria to start the malolactic fermentation. Now it is sitting in barrel becoming a very balanced drinkable Cabernet. Time will tell just how well it turns out, but I really did nothing, but the manual labor. Everything else was accomplished naturally and I really can not take credit and call myself a winemaker. I guess I will stick with vintner.

The Allegory of the Cave

I stumbled upon the concept of Arete while I was studying Greek Tragedy in one of my College Literature courses. I was instantly drawn to this ideal and while I have often fallen short of its realities I am diligently pursuing perfection in my own life. Drawn also to their beliefs and the relative similarities I found existing between the philosophers and scripture, I subsequently began studying more of the Greek philosophers and stumbled on to this great illustration given by Plato. While this illustration and concept can be applied to many things in life, I think it is a perfect example of where we are in regards to points, scores, and relying on someone else's palate to be our guide to understanding wine.

 

Truth in Advertising

My hope is that one day winemakers will be convicted of all the lies they are spewing forth to the consumers who are buying their wine. It is true that the truth lies in the bottle, and that truth is taste, but it takes years of training to understand what wine should taste like. If you are lied to your entire life and think that spoofulated wine is the way wine should taste, then you would never question said wine as being "real". This is the problem we are facing today in regard to domestic wine. The following excerpt is taken from a winery's website and I know for a fact that it is complete bull-shit. I will not name names but if anyone can tell me which winery this is from I will send a bottle of wine to the first correct answer.

Wisdom From Kermit Lynch

First I want to say that Kermit is the man! Of any one in the wine trade, past or present, there is no one I strive to be like more than him. This is a little insight from his book Adventures on the Wine Route, which if you have never read, I implore you to buy a copy today. This is just a taste of what I am trying to convey when I talk about the way we view wine and how it needs to change from chasing scores to truly enjoying and understanding wine. Kermit has a keen understanding and grasp on this truth and his book is filled with interesting tidbits on wine and winemakers as well as much wisdom. The following is in reference to the 1982 Gautiere's vin de pays wine from the Southern Rhone that retailed for $2.50.

Revelation on Wall Street

We all know that wine was meant to be enjoyed in conjunction with food. We have heard it over and over and while wine can and should be enjoyable on its own, something happens when it is allowed to partner with its soul mate. I have always been aware of this and loved the interaction and dance that ensues when enjoying food and wine together. The problem today is that most wines are not destined to be enjoyed on the table. If you have read much of my blog, you will see a couple themes that remain constant and are threaded into almost every post that I write. I prefer my wines to be low in alcohol, but not just for the sake of being low in alcohol. I believe that grapes picked at the perfect balance point between sugar and acid are not only essential for expressing terroir, but also for the ability to age gracefully and to properly interact with food. I am also adamantly opposed to any additions that are foreign to wine or to the use of technology to alter wine in any way.

My Preferences

My wife, Rebekah, is my biggest fan and biggest critic at the same time. When I bounce ideas and thoughts off of her she is always honest and quick to point out how I can sometimes be perceived by those around me. While I have a tendency to appear arrogant and at times can be a self-righteous "preacher" when it comes to the things I believe it is because my belief is firmly embedded. I am also very open and want other people to see things the way I do. I really am not an arrogant know-it-all, in fact the only way I have learned as much as I have is by being humble and asking thousands of questions of people who know much more than I.

That being said, they are just my beliefs and my preferences. I understand that not many people see things the way I do, and that is alright. There are many different palates and taste preferences and my thoughts are among many out there. I do think that my way of thinking is unique and has a lot of insight to offer when trying to discover your own tastes and that is my aim. To help people understand wine for themselves and to promote the wines I love. If you read my blog in its entirety  and not just one post I think that you will see my heart and if anyone has any questions about anything please do not hesitate to ask.

What Good is Experience? (The Greatest Salseman in the World)

I was given the book, The Greatest Salesman in the World written by, Og Mandino , when I took on my first management position 4 years ago. My boss said it was one of the greatest books he had ever read, and I have come to reach the same mindset. Over the course of the last 4 years I have read it several times and every time I read it I find some new nugget of wisdom. The story is great and the book is not very long at all. Although an easy read, the treasures you will find are priceless and it has given me much inspiration and fortitude to continue down the road even when it seems there is no one following.

My favorite quote in the book appears when the young salesman is just beginning his journey. He had received a treasure chest filled with scrolls of wisdom which were to help him become the Greatest Salesman in the World. The first scroll he opened has been very influential to me and is a source of comfort when I begin to question my own direction in life. This excerpt is taken from Chapter 8...

Things you will never find on this Blog

• Spoofulated Wines
• Any mention of Global Warming
• The Boston Red Sox
• Corporate Owned Wineries
• Mass Produced Swill
• Scores of any kind
• Wine I would not personally drink
• Vintage Charts
• Wines that are overpriced for no reason
• Carnies

Wine and the Olympics

As the Olympics begin today I have to say that I will be watching with much anticipation and a little bit of skepticism. Gold medals have become sought after more and more and are even redeeming a cash value for those who bring them home this year. With the increased pressure to win athletes have turned to performance enhancing drugs to give them that little extra edge. Every year we hear of multiple athletes who are stripped of their medals because of these actions. I do not believe this is the spirit of the Olympics. Founded in ancient Greece I firmly believe that they all held the attitude and philosophy of Arete. Striving to be the best you can possibly be with the virtue of diligently pursuing perfection in your life, without cutting corners to get there. It is not always easy to be the best and it requires much sacrifice and patience.

I DO NOT want to be a wine critic

I have to say that a recent post by Steve Heimoff confirmed my desire to never be called or considered a wine critic. His attitude and the attitude of his fellow "journalists", such as Jancis Robinson  and others are that of spoiled, insecure, arrogant children.  Furthermore anyone who is trying to follow in their footsteps is disillusioned and simply trying to imitate a flawed system whether they know it or not. A point system is a point system is a point system. It matters not whether that point system is made up of 100 points, 89 points, 29 points, or 5 points, it is still useless to properly describe and help people understand wine. There are so many wonderful drinkable wines to be discovered that it seems useless to rank and quibble over scores.

Importance of Balance...

I talk a lot about balance when refering to wine, but without a proper definition it can lose all of its meaning. In my opinion it is the most important aspect of winemaking. Grapes must be picked at the point of perfect balance between sugar and acid or the wines will not have balance between acid and alcohol. Wines without balance will not speak of the land and do not have a place at the table, which is where the real beauty of wine is revealed. That being true, it is much easier said than done. I do not know the perfect number when talking of degrees brix or potential alcohol( I have been told that the sweet spot is between 23-23.5 brix), but I can definitely taste it in the wine, and I am certain that a seasoned winemaker can taste it in the grapes.

The latest trend in California winemaking is to let the grapes hang on the vine as long as possible in an effort to get super concentrated flavors and then add water or use reverse osmosis to bring down the alcohol levels. The grapes become raisins and more often than not winemakers have to add acid as well as the water. Call me crazy, but this does not sound like a way to let the land speak or a path to understanding the terroir of California. Not only are you watering down the wine or separating molecules, which in itself is a travesty, you are adding FAKE acid. How is this being true to the soul of the vine?

Balance is what I seek most in a wine, but if the grapes are not picked at the point of perfect balance than the wine will never be balanced and it will not speak of the land, no matter what you add or take away.

What is Arête?

 

More than just a word, Arête is a philosophical ideal. In ancient Greece Arête meant a fulfillment of purpose or living up to ones potential. It also meant the excellence of something; the Arête of man or in this case the Arête of wine. Another interpretation suggests diligence in the pursuit of perfection. I am looking for wines possessing all of these traits. A truly great wine is one that expresses the soul of the vine from whence it came, not only the clone, the soil, the climate, but the growing environment as a whole. These are the wines that move me. I am seeking passionate wine makers and growers who are allowing vineyard sites and vines live up to their true potential. When crafting the wine they allow it to choose its own course, carefully watching, but never interfering, diligently pursuing perfection.

 

Sink or Swim

I have been planning this for months! Why the apprehension? Putting myself out there to fail or succeed I am now completely exposed. That is a scary thing. I wonder what Tom will think of my blog. Here goes nothing...

What would I be without a story?  Simply another wine blog taking up space on this vast new frontier. I guess I should start with a little bit about myself. My name is Adam and I am a husband, father, writer, musician, and a 15 year veteran of the service industry. I am also a minimalist, idealist, amateur philosopher, and a bit of a cynic. Currently I wait tables, manage, and oversee the wine list at Zooker's Cafe in Carpinteria, California. I love all things wine and food related and  have been dedicating myself to learning, loving, understanding, appreciating, and enjoying the dynamic that they bring to the table. While I do love food, I am not writing a food blog for a reason. Wine is my passion! Wine is my love! I believe strongly that God has given us wine to enjoy, and to make this life more enjoyable.