Archive for the ‘Wine’ Category
Wineries Add Attractions for One-Stop Sipping
By Michelle Locke, AP
Source: Bing
Visiting a winery these days isn’t just about tasting the latest vintage. See what wineries are offering to keep you coming back.
Think a winery visit means bellying up to a bar with a couple of glasses and a spit bucket? You haven’t been to wine country lately.
These days you’re likely to find all kinds of added attractions, from restaurants to farmers’ markets to cocktail bars.
And then there’s Francis Ford Coppola’s latest venture which, once construction is complete, will include a swimming pool.
The idea is to help wineries stand out at a time when competition for shrinking tourist dollars is fierce and create something more than just another stop on the trail.
“The experience we’re trying to create is a destination experience,” says Chris Hall, proprietor and vice president of sales at Long Meadow Ranch Winery & Farmstead in the Napa Valley, which has, among other things, a working farm producing grass-fed beef and olive oil; a restaurant, Farmstead; a seasonal produce farmstand and a seedling nursery.
“You can come and eat the heirloom tomato salad at the restaurant, you can take the tomatoes home for yourself from the farmer’s market. You can get the seeds to grow your own at the nursery,” says Hall. “It’s a full circle.”
In the mood to sip and dip?
You’ll be able to soon at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville.
Much of the director’s movie memorabilia and awards that had been on display at his other winery, Rubicon Estate in the Napa Valley, have been moved to the new winery. Other features: a restaurant, Rustic, a full bar, a wine-tasting bar and an under-construction swimming pool that will come complete with a pool-side café.
Guests who want to swim will be issued towels and can also rent cabines, little huts, for changing and showering. A built-in stage will host children’s puppet shows, readings and musical performances. And if you’re still looking for something to do there are bocce courts.
“The idea is that when people come here, they are going to be coming for the day,” says Corey Beck, general manager and director of winemaking. “One of the things Francis has always thought was kind of a little bit weird was that when people decide to come to Sonoma County or Napa or wherever and they take a vacation — what do they do with the kids? This is creating an experience for the family. Children can go swimming; they can see a puppet show. Mom and Dad can roll a game of bocce, have a little bit to eat, we’re also going to have a children’s menu, and then, also, by the way, taste wine as well.”
Another winery offering a taste of something extra is Somerston, which is featuring food pairings and an art gallery at its Yountville tasting room, along with a gourmet grocery store — expected to open this fall — next door.
The grocery will be using organic produce, honey, olive oil and lamb produced from the Somerston Ranch in the eastern mountains of the Napa Valley. And you can eat on the rooftop patio of the grocery.
The idea was to provide visitors with a window to Somerston’s 1,628-acre ranch, says Craig Becker, a partner in Somerston as well as general manager and winemaker. Visitors might not have time to make it out to the ranch, but they can taste Somerston wines along with a lamb slider made from Somerston’s grass-fed herd when the grocery opens.
What if you find yourself in wine country but fancy something a little bit different?
That’s no problem at the Medlock Ames Winery in Sonoma County, where owners have a full cocktail bar next to their Jimtown tasting room, both housed in a restored bar and grocery. The bar opens when the tasting room closes, at 5 p.m., and nibbles, such as charcuterie and sometimes pizza, are available to go with the drinks.
Medlock Ames general manager Kenneth Rochford says opening the tasting room in Jimtown was partly a matter of location — the tasting room is in a well-traveled location whereas the Medlock Ames ranch is some miles away and off the beaten path. Installing a bar was partly inspired by the history of the building as well as the desire to put a twist on tradition.
“We wanted to create something we would use ourselves,” he says. Both tasting room and bar have a fresh, local food component — order a mojito and the bartender nips out to the nearby garden to pick the mint.
Rochford sees the move toward wineries aiming for destination status, and incorporating more food and other agricultural factors into their presentation, as a positive one.
“It should be about food and wine. It should be about this rich diverse agriculture we have and showing it off,” he says.
“The idea is just to show some good hospitality.”
If You Go
Long Meadow Ranch Winery & Farmstead: 738 Main St., St. Helena, Calif., 707-963-4555. Tasting room open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
Francis Ford Coppola Winery: 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville, Calif., 707-857-1471. Tasting room open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
Somerston: 6490 Washington St., Yountville, Calif., 707-967-8414. Tasting room open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday-Monday, noon-8 p.m.
Medlock Ames: 3487 Alexander Valley Rd., Healdsburg, Calif., 707-431-8845. Tasting room open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Bar opens 5 p.m.
A Vintner’s Dozen: Top Wine-Tasting Destinations
Text by Pauline Frommer; photo editing by Connie Ricca|
Source: Bing
Wine vacations can be — pardon the pun — intoxicating. You learn a bit, you have some wine. You take in the spectacular views or historic sites and then sip another glass. What’s not to love? Here are 12 top wine-tasting destinations around the globe.
California Wine Country
Visit both Sonoma and Napa in one trip. Doing so allows you to try the vast range of varietals available in the region. Beyond wines, Napa boasts some of the finest restaurants in the U.S., including the renowned French Laundry. Mud baths in the mineral rich, thermally heated waters of Calistoga’s resorts are another hedonistic treat.
Wines to try: According to celebrity wine and spirits consultant Michael Green, (www.michaelgreen.com) cabernets and chardonnays are “the anchor” of California wine country.
Willamette Valley, Ore.
Stringent zoning laws have kept the look of the Willamette Valley blissfully bucolic and restricted the construction of sprawling resorts. That, in turn, has kept the region affordable, even though the pinot noir here is considered world class.
Wines to try: Yes, the pinot noir is primo, but Green is a fan of the pino gris. “It’s pinot grigio, the same grape,” he said, “but the version here is more full-bodied and creamy.”
Tuscany, Italy
Great art, great architecture and great wines — what a combination. Visitors to this heady area of Italy find themselves with almost too many choices when it comes to crafting an itinerary. My suggestion: Get a map of Tuscany and a blindfold and just point to a starting point. It’s impossible to go wrong here.
Wines to try: Chianti classico and brunello di Montalcino are Green’s top picks in this area.
Niagara on the Lake, Canada
This perfectly preserved Victorian gem of a town is the gateway to 22 wineries, most of which offer free tours. In addition to hopping among tasting rooms, visitors come here for the famed theater festival, antique shopping, spas and the famous falls (only a half-hour drive away).
Wines to try: “You won’t find better ice wines anywhere,” Green said. “Those are dessert wines crafted from frozen grapes that are picked in winter.”
Maipo Valley, Chile
Just 20 minutes outside of Santiago — you can catch a cab to the wineries for less than $30 — this is the oldest, most famous and most prolific of Chile’s grape-growing regions. Thirty-five percent of the country’s wines are produced here. Encircled by the Andes Mountains, the region is also breathtakingly scenic.
Wines to try: “Carmenere is the great buy here,” Green said. “It’s like cabernet sauvignon in silk pajamas.”
Burgundy, France
Burgundy is the ancestral home of pinot noir and chardonnay and, of course, of the ducs de Bourgogne who once ruled this province. Their castles dot the landscape, along with Romanesque churches and centuries-old villages. Base yourself in Vezelay, a lost-in-time medieval town and major pilgrimage site. The tomb of Mary Magdalene is said to be here.
Wines to try: Green favors the chardonnays.
North Fork of Long Island, N.Y.
In the last 25 years, this region has hit the big time, going from one lone winery to 30. As for quality, several North Fork wines have won major awards in international, blind tasting competitions. The North Fork is an easy drive from New York City, allowing one to pair a visit to this relaxing, rural area with the bustling, wine-bar-laden Big Apple.
Wines to try: The merlot, which Green describes as “elegant and oh so food-friendly.”
Champagne, France
Champagne is famous for its bubbly, but important cathedrals and historic battlefields also keep tourists busy. Most visitors stay in Reims, which boasts some of the splashiest champagne houses in the area and an important cathedral where every king of France was crowned from 814 to 1825.
Wines to try: Does one really have to ask? Just try a lot of them, Green said. “Champagnes can vary from light (chardonnay-based) to fuller versions with higher percentages of pinot noir.”
Piedmont, Italy
Literally translated as “at the foot of the mountains” — those would be the Alps — most of the region is quiet farmland. Its capital, Turin, however, is a top museum city and home to the famous shroud.
Wines to try: “This is my favorite wine region in the world,” Green said. “It’s famous for two of Italy’s most age-worthy wines: Barolo and Barbaresco. Crafted from the nebbiolo grape, these wines have tremendous structure and grip. Bring on the white truffles!”
Penedes, Spain
Champagne may have the reputation, but the largest sparkling-wine production on the planet takes place in Penedes in Catalonia. Half an hour outside of Barcelona, this region of rolling green hills and medieval villages has become very popular with cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, who has trained in Catalonia over the past few years.
Wines to try: Cava, the area’s sparkling wine, is a must, but Green said that still wines, including lovely versions of tempranillo and chardonnay, are also sip-worthy.
Stellenbosch, South Africa
The first vineyards were planted here more than 300 years ago. In fact, the oldest structure in the area, built in 1689, is on the historic wine farm Muratie. Today, about 140 wineries populate the area, in addition to a respected university. Day trippers come from Cape Town, just an hour away, for tastings and to attend the area’s well-respected theaters.
Wines to try: Fans of sauvignon blanc and cabernet will enjoy what they find here, Green said.
Marlborough, New Zealand
Not one winery in this area was founded earlier than 1973, but they’ve earned an international reputation, producing what some think of as the top sauvignon blanc anywhere.
Wines to try: “Yes, you’re going to want to try the sauvignon blancs,” Green said, “but it’s the under-the-radar pinot noirs that truly need to be experienced. There’s not much that’s produced, and many haven’t been exported, so you go here to get something really special that you can’t get at home.”
Do the New Organic Wine Labeling Laws Mean You Can Sip With Ease?
by Sara Novak
Source: Planet Green
Organic wine labeling laws have been a source of contention for years. In fact winemakers like Robert Sinskey have been producing organic wines since the 90′s but still refuse to certify them by the USDA because they disagree with the current labeling laws.
New Wine Labeling Guidelines
Prior to the new wine labeling laws a wine maker didn’t need to include if a wine was made with non-organic ingredients as well. That means a wine made with 1 percent organic ingredients could state that they were made with organic ingredients. Now wines that are labeled Made with Organic Ingredients will have to indicate if there are non-organic ingredients in the wine, too. The statement must appear on the information panel in proximity to the organic ingredients statement. According to Wine Industry Insight found via Mother Nature Network, the USDA implemented the new laws starting June 1 of this year.
The wording on the new wine labels must read one of four ways:
1. Made with Organic and Non-Organic Grapes
Wine makers choose just to inform customers that the wine is made with non-organic ingredients without including the percentage.
2. Made with Organic [variety] Grapes and Non-Organic [variety]
Wine makers can include which grapes are organic and which grapes are not organic.
3. Grapes, Made with _% Organic Grapes and _% Grapes
Wine makers can include what percentage of the wine is organic and what percentage of the wine is not organic.
4. Made with _% Organic [variety] Grapes and _% Non-Organic [variety] Grapes
Wine makers can include both what percentage of the wine is organic and non-organic and what variety of grape is organic and non-organic.
Wine Labels Still Fall Short
This still does not take into account the additive issue. Kelly pointed out that the U.S. government allows more than 200 additives in wine without adding them to the label. For example, some additives like egg whites, casein, gelatin, and isinglass (a fish product) can be added to wine for coloring. Just like I can read the ingredients in the foods I eat, I would like that ability in the wines I drink. How can we the consumer make choices when we don’t know the whole truth?
Green Wine: By the Numbers
Source: Planet Green
- 529,000: Acres of land in California devoted to the state’s 2,275 wineries.
- 28: Wineries certified by CCOF as of November 2007.
- 9,240: Acres of vineyard owned by those 28 wineries (a 10.4 percent increase from 2006).
- 105: Wineries, vineyards, and traders certified biodynamic (or in the process of becoming so) by Demeter.
- 2,258: Acres certified as sustainable by LIVE, Inc as of June 2005.
- $80 million: Sales of organic wine in the U.S. in 2005.
- 17: Percent that organic wine sales are expected to grow in 2008.
- 3: Years it takes a vineyard to become certified as organic.
- 10: Percent that production costs increase, on average, when a winery becomes organic.
Top Green Wine Tips
Source: Planet Green
- Start with organic ingredients
The first step toward making an organic wine is growing organic grapes—which means no pesticides, chemical sprays, or forced growing processes. The root of all of this is the soil, of course, where animal manure and other natural fertilizers take the place of chemicals, and native predators (instead of pesticides) are allowed to defend the plants against mites and disease. Instead of lethal weed-killers, non-vine plants are allowed to grow around the grape plants—but then are trimmed and allowed to rot back into the earth as more fertilizer. - Follow Mother Nature’s lead
The practice of biodynamic growing—developed by Dr. Rudolph Steiner in 1924—takes into account not just what you add (or don’t add) to the soil and crops, but also the ways in which ecology ties into the movement of the moon, sun, and planets. Demeter USA—the current certification body for biodynamic farms—explains the process as one that lets the farm be as close as possible to its natural wilderness state; there’s as little interruption as possible by humans, leading to a carbon footprint that’s a fraction the size of other methods. Planting, sowing, spraying, and fertilizing are also done according to the natural rhythms of light and climate. - Respect the land
Sustainable wineries take steps that go beyond cutting back on paper and recycling glass: their main priority is keeping the land in good enough shape that it can support future generations of viticulture. Along with organic growing procedures, this means fertilizing only when necessary (instead of on a steady schedule); cutting back on erosion by planting cover crops and avoiding tilling; and staying on top of the soil’s moisture to avoid over-irrigation. - Pay attention to the process
A vineyard may go to a lot of trouble to grow organic grapes, but that doesn’t mean the finished product is organic; a winery that adds sulfites as preservatives can’t be labeled organic under the USDA regulations. Watch out for labels that claim their product is “sulfite free”; small levels of sulfites are a natural part of the fermentation process and are unavoidable. - Don’t assume it’s vegan
Vegan wine sounds like a non-issue: it’s made from grapes, so as long as you’re not pairing that merlot with a steak, you’re in the clear. But according to PETA, filtering the wine—to strain out protein, yeast, cloudiness, and other natural by-products—often means using animal-based fining agents, like egg albumen, gelatin, isinglass from fish bladder, and bone marrow. Vegan wines, on the other hand, use carbon, limestone, silica gel, and other non-animal products for equally smooth end results. - Check for certification
To be really sure you’re popping open a bottle that lines up with your ecological morals, scan the label. Note the difference between “organic”—which means the wine is made with organic grapes and no added sulfites—and “made from organically grown grapes” (which means only the former is true). Other certification bodies—like French groups ECOCERT and BIOFRANC—govern wines from other countries. And an increasing number of wineries in Oregon are certified as sustainable by LIVE (Low Impact Viticulture and Enology), which grades growers on their plant protection, monitoring, and biodiversity methods. - Get out your map
Whether you’re eyeing up the organic or biodynamic offerings at the wine store, remember: the benefits of eating locally apply to drinking locally, too. Supporting a local vineyard may be nearly impossible for folks who don’t live in wine-growing regions, but on the West and East Coast, it might be just as green to choose a cabernet or pinot grigio that came from within 100 miles of your home. Smaller wineries tend to have smaller carbon footprints, too—and just imagine the carbon offsets you’d have to purchase to break even on that South African chardonnay. - Think of the bigger picture
A lot of energy goes into keeping a vineyard up and running—especially if you’re looking at a wine from a region not native to grapes. The American Association of Wine Economists publication on wine’s carbon footprint (pdf) shows that organic farms produce less greenhouse gas than their eco-harsh counterparts; though not by much, every little bit helps. And for U.S. wine drinkers, there’s a sort of Mason-Dixon line that starts at the top of Ohio and runs through Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana before ending on the west coast of Texas: west of the line, it’s more energy efficient to get your wine from California; east of the division, stick with France (or, even better: New York). - Consider the bottle (or box)
Less packaging means less waste on the consumer’s end, but also more efficient shipping: Magnums are better than regular or half-sized bottles, since there’s a higher wine-to-glass ratio, and shipping wine in bulk to be bottled closer to the distributor cuts the carbon footprint even more. Tetrapaks like those used by French Rabbit are 100 percent recyclable and reduce packaging by 90 percent-and keep wine sheltered from the air long enough to have a shelf life competitive with screw tops. - Support green wineries
Becoming an organic producer comes with plenty of hard work, both from the costs and time involved. Even wineries that aren’t bottling an organic product can green their operations by sterilizing barrels with ozone systems instead of chemicals, reducing water waste during cleaning, using vacuum pumps during bottling, installing solar panels, and converting unusable wine into vinegar. California’s Bay Area Green Business Program offers a list of all wineries that are reducing their consumption and energy use.
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