Tasting rooms almost…

The nascent rebirth of San Diego County winery industry was given another assist  yesterday (August 4th 2010)  as the County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the “Tiered Winery Ordinance” which enables tasting rooms by right of land ownership in A70-A72 agriculturally zoned parcels in the County. The proceedings and testimony are available at this video link http://bit.ly/9SyFQW .

This has been a long 4-year effort. Winery opponents derailed a similar ordinance two years ago requiring the County to spend some $300,000 on a Environmental Impact Report (EIR) along with associated staff hours and hearings on the report. Placer County near Sacramento passed a similar ordinance two years ago without incident and has had no problem with winery customers in that county.

What’s next?

There is a 30 day Ordinance enactment (waiting) period to allow among other things, the filing of opposing lawsuits. Following enactment of the ordinance, Boutique wineries plannning to open tasting rooms modify their existing California Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (ABC) licences and meet several  San Diego County Department of Planning and Land Use  (DPLU) requirements.

Here’s a link to one of many news stories on the ordinance http://bit.ly/9fGe5q

The just-completed WBC10 was an outstanding compilation of Washington Wineries, eastern Washington AVA vineyards, and capable and passionate wine makers from the  Walla Walla , Yakima Valley, Red Mountain, Prosser and Spokane regions. Wine tastings were offered from other areas including the Columbia Gorge , California wines, and Spanish wines to name others.

Pre-Conference tours of the Yakima Valley AVA (Barb Glover and the board on the Wine Yakima Valley association), and wines included Airfield Estates Winery, Barnard Griffin Winery, Chandler Reach Vineyards, Chinook Wines, Cote Bonneville, Cultura Wine, Desert Wind Winery, Grenache Vintners, Gilbert Cellars, Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards & Winery, Kana Winery, Kestrel Vintners, Knight Hill Winery, Mercer Estates, Mibrandt Vineyards, Naches Heights Vineyard, Owen Roe, Steppe Cellars, Thurston Wolfe, and Two Mountain Winery.  The Prosser area features a unique collection of wineries and tasting rooms named (Prosser)  Vintner Village.

The Post-tour to Red Mountain AVA (hosted by the wineries and grapegrowers of the Red Mountain AVA Alliance and Tri-City Visitor and Convention Bureau. was both enjoyable and informative including wines from Col Solare, Hedges Family Estate, Kiona, Terra Blanca Winery, and other wineries of the Red Mountain AVA Alliance.

Centered at the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel in Downtown Walla Walla, the event included practical and technical presentations on Web 2.0 technologies and techniques, wine tastings, food pairings (Chef Jeffrey Saad), Washington state wine geology (Professor of Geology Kevin Pogue of  Whitman College)  and valuable field trips including vineyard walks, winery visits,  and winemaker-lead tasting and discussion panels. An after hours Downtown Walla Walla tasting room walkabout provided an urban touch.   A fortunate few on the self named (Twitter) @jackpotbus toured the vineyards of,  met, and shared wine with – Washington’s winery icon Gary Figgins of Leonetti Cellar and toured the beautiful and eclectic  Basel Cellars Estate Winery.

In closing, the conference provided us an excellent insight into the the grape growing potential of the area, as well as the high quality wine offerings by the universally passionate winemakers/ winemaking staffs of the region.

We have always been cheerleaders of all wine regions and Washington state is no exception.

If you ever get the opportunity to direct your personal wine tourism towards the Northwestern-most corner of the Continental United States,  try Washington and its wines and don’t forget the neighboring Columbia Gorge wines including both the Washington and Oregon offerings.

Col Solare Estate Vineyards, Red Mountain AVA, Washington (Click for larger image)

Many newer wine consumers are unaware of the importance in maintaining stable, consistent temperatures in storing their prized wines.

Wine blogs on the Internet are full of posts about the importance of temperature control from the wine cellar perspective. But what happens between the winery and the retail consumer? This discussion is uniquely from an insider/winery owner’s  (and also a wine consumer) perspective.

We have occasionally been disappointed with wines purchased through distributors/retailers who did not exercise proper temperature control in the transport,  warehousing, and storefront storage of their wine products. These were generally wines with several years on the clock  (4-5 years) and from reputable wineries -wines that could likely have been exposed to prolonged storage at higher than proper temperatures.

Our assessment was that these wines were likely “cooked” – exposed to storage at prolonged high temperatures of 70+F – 80+F that can prematurely age a wine.

So how important are shipping storage temperatures to wineries? Consider this from a Wine Business Monthly article from November 2000 authored by Jeremy Hay – Many wineries will not allow their wines to ship wine in “dry” (uninsulated) semi-trailers and require either insulated trailers or trailers with refrigeration capability. In addition to absolute high temperatures, temperature excursions (raising and lowering of storage temperatures)  is detrimental to wine. “According to the American Trucking Association, in 1998, six percent of the 501,000 American trucking companies were refrigerated carriers.” Yes – 94% of the trucks are not refrigerated – think about that some smoking-hot mid-west summer day.

Jeremy Hay continues: :  “Florida is the country’s third largest wine market, average summer temperatures hover in the 90s–while distributors have cold rooms for their most expensive brands, the great majority of wines are stored at ambient warehouse temperatures…”  “The bottom line of such conditions is that by the time most wines are chosen from a wine list or retail shelf, they do not taste the same as when they left the winery.”

Vinfolio graph depicting accelerated wine aging above 55F

Proponents of cooler storage temperatures generally recommend a range of 55F to 60F. Chemical reactions double in speed for every 18-degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature–wine stored at 73-degrees will age twice as fast as it should, at 91-degrees, it will age four times as fast. The chart to the right from Vinfolio to depicts the impact of temperature on wine

20 Medals in 2009-2010 International and National Wine Competitions

At Eagles Nest Winery, we stress strict temperature control, and to further ensure medal- winning quality – we emphasize quality sustainable winegrape production, sanitary operations,  and a careful  winemaking and barrel aging/case goods regimen.

We believe second to quality winemaking and sanitary operations,  temperature control is a key reason 100% of our Estate produced, and nearly 90% ogf our other wines have been medalists in International and National Wine Competitions (see Wine Awards).  Our wines are barrel aged and store case goods stored below 59F at all times.

For the above reasons, you should carefully choose Winery Wine Clubs that ship only during cool weather seasons, and also consider accelerated shipping options to minimize the time your wine is exposed to non-temperature controlled conditions.

You should ensure that your local wine distributors and wine shops store their case goods at proper temperatures especially if you live in a warm weather regions. In these tight economic times, retailers may adjust their thermostats upward to save on power bills, compromising their wine inventory.

A temperature controlled storage unit in your home ro restaurant to protect your liquid investments for that future day of enjoyment.  Don’t store your wine in that living room closet or automobile garage at 70F-80F degrees.  See out a cool, dark, quiet, vibration free location. If your collection is large, commercial off-site temperature controlled wine storage is another option.

Shared below is a June 2010 article by wine expert and columnist, Dan Berger, from the Herald Tribune on the importance of wine transport, distribution and storage temperatures.  Also discussed above were facts presented in an excellent article on wine shipping and storage in the Wine Business Monthly Archives  click here.

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Did the retailer take good care of your wine?

Beaulieu Vineyard, Rutherford, CA Circa 1920's

Surely you’ve heard heard of the term “brix” in the context of wine referring to the sugar levels in wine grapes. Have you heard of the term “Bricks” of wine?  We’re not talking masonry building elements, but a colorful and effective Prohibition era product offering to wine consumers…

In American history, nothing has had the overall impact on the Wine Industry as the 1920′s Prohibition movement. The politics and alliances that were formed to implement the 18th Amendment to the U.S.  Constitution on January 16th, 1919 , and later its repeal in 1933 by the 21st Amendment,  is quite the read for students of U.S. wine history.

The fallout from backroom deals that were cut to implement the repeal of Prohibition are still with us today. If you live outside California – have you ever attempted to order your favorite wine from a special winery you visited on a wine tasting vacation – only to to find you could be prosecuted for a felony (in some states) by having wine shipped to your home ???

U.S. wine history details the origin of the maddeningly complicated alcohol and wine distribution and sales laws we live with daily -  just visit the Family Winemakers of California or Free The Grapes organization’s websites for legal interstate wine shipping maps and you can see the problem.

Recently, a leading wine industry PR professional Tom Wark posted a series of excellent articles on threats to your consumer rights in the form of  legislation targeting your already limited direct-to-consumer shipping rights - your only true freedom of choice in the wines you buy today.

I encourage to read all of Tom’s well written and informative posts on his Fermentation Blog – but here is a link to a recent and excellent article articulating the consumer hostile legislation on Capitol Hill being pushed by the alcohol distribution industry.  If you are into consumer rights, and specifically your choices in wine consumption please read his posts.

BTW this blog site has a nice tribute to the late Juanita Swedenburg - wine lovers benefiting from direct shipping, must thank her for her successful U.S. Supreme Court case defending wine shipping regulations.

As an award winning Boutique winery, quality wine is understandably one of our top passions. As with any career field, the wine industry has many areas of specific and unique knowledge, and specialized terms and processes – just as in medicine, art, and the sciences – actually we’ve been known to say winemaking is a carefully orchestrated blend of science and art.

Below article is shared from the Napa Valley Register’s Traces of History series – an excellent source of wine industry information specific to California’s  world-renowned wine regions.

Please enjoy the Napa Valley Register’s

Traces of History

Prohibition in Wine Country

By Kelsey Burnham, Special to the Register | Posted: Sunday, April 18, 2010

In the 13 years it was in effect, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution could have killed the wine industry in the Napa Valley. Instead of collapsing under the pressure of the new law, a few industrious business people decided to make the best of the hand they were dealt and found loopholes in the law.

On Jan. 16, 1920, the amendment went into effect. America banned the production, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors.

Prohibition grew out of the temperance movement, which had been around since the inception of the country and was born of the puritan values of some of the first settlers.

As the movement gathered steam proponents used both religious and scientific reasons to back the ban, and prohibition became a signature cause of politically active women of the era.

In October 1919 the amendment, along with a companion piece of legislation known as the Volstead Act — named for the conservative senator from Minnesota who championed the cause — was approved in Congress. Prohibition was set to take effect at the beginning of the new year.

In the months between the passing of the act and its instatement, some vineyard owners tore out their vines and replaced them with orchards. Others, however, recognized the continuing marketability of grapes, since the sale and transport of fresh or dried grapes was not banned under the new amendment — although the law explicitly stated that if the shipper knew that the final buyer was going to use the grapes for making wine then both buyer and seller could be charged with conspiracy.

Nonetheless, growers were confident that grapes to be used in wine would pass through the hands of a sufficient number of wholesalers and buyers that charges would be difficult to raise or prove. The sale of Napa County grapes proved to be an incredibly lucrative endeavor during Prohibition, reaching buyers as far away as New York.

Dried grapes were marketed in a different manner. Beringer Vineyards, for example, sold what were called raisin cakes for use in the making of grape juice.

Distributors and retailers warned consumers not to let the juice ferment, but in reality they were drawing attention to the wine-making potential of the cakes. For example, these representatives told consumers not to let the juice sit aside in a jug for 21 days, because that would cause fermentation to occur, and that using a cork was unnecessary for non-alcoholic beverages. Each brick was also sold with a warning label that stated that the juice could ferment into wine.

Another loophole allowed production of sacramental wines if the winery could get a permit through the government. One of the wineries that took advantage of this was Beaulieu Vineyard. Founder Georges de Latour was a practicing Catholic and a friend of the archbishop of San Francisco. He used this connection to his advantage and secured an exclusive deal to sell wine to all the priests in the diocese. Other wineries established similar deals with rabbis.

With the amount and types of wine that the priests and rabbis were buying it is probable that they were acting as bootleggers for their congregations, and their titles effectively shielded them from prosecution.

Bootlegging was the common but less-than-legal way to keep wineries open and making money. The Volstead Act allowed  individuals to buy a household permit to have 200 gallons of wine a year for personal use. Some permit holders would make wine, drive it to Sausalito and ferry it over into the bars of San Francisco. They would also bottle new wine and switch it out with bottles in their cellars, which were locked and routinely inspected by the government to make sure bottles did not go missing.

These pathways around Prohibition allowed a select few businesses to boom in the days that looked dire for both vineyards and wineries. In fact, between 1920 and 1933, grape production actually increased and the savvy business people who figured out how to work the system became exceedingly wealthy. In an era when the economy of the Napa Valley could have been severely crippled, it survived and many thrived.

Burnham is a Napa County Historical Society intern. Research for this article was conducted at the Napa County Historical Society, in the historic Goodman Library Building. The society is open Tuesday-Saturday from 12-4 p.m. and the Society’s Research Library is open Tuesday-Thursday, 12-4 p.m. The society houses an extensive research library, changing exhibition space and presents a variety of programs and events. The Society is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization. For more information or become a member visit www.napahistory.org or call 224-1739.

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The prestigious 10th annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (FLIWC), was held at the Rochester Plaza Hotel & Conference Center 27-28 March 2010. FLIWC is the world’s third-largest commercial competition, and largest on the east coast.

The 2010 competition featured a record number of entries 3,010 wines from over 666 International and National wineries from all 50 states including 105 from New York state.

This year Eagles Nest Winery’s entries went beyond our Port-styled dessert wines (which were all medalists in last year’s FLIWC competition) and entered our 2007 still wines. This year we won five Gold, Silver & Bronze medals. See FLIWC 2010 competition results - Click here!

Presently 100% of our 2007 & 2008 releases of estate wines are medalists, and  nearly 90% of our total 2007 & 2008 releases are medalists in highly credible National/ International and Regional wine competitions since last year.

The distinguished the panel of fifty-six judges hailing from from 10 countries and 5 continents, and 10 states included educators and winemakers, distributors and restaurateurs.

The charity fund raising event has earned International acclaim as one of the most prestigious wine competitions on the east coast. It was created by wine aficionado Peter Parts to raise funds for Camp Good Days and Special Times which benefit children  with cancer and their families.

View the FLIWC and Camp Good Days video clip – Click here!

Sharing our custom art labels from our winning wines and ports below:

2010 National Women’s Wine International Competition

While the competition results won’t be released to the general public until April 2, 2010, we found out today (March 23, 2010) that we received four medals for our wines and ports.

Our 2007 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon wine, 2007 Estate Reserve Syrah wine, 2007 Estate Reserve Starboard Cabernet Sauvignon port-style dessert wine, and 2008 Estate Reserve Picpoul Blanc port-style dessert wine all Ramona Valley AVA estate grown and produced  wines medalists in the 2010 National Woman’s Wine International Competition.We won three Silver Medals and one Bronze Medal.

Presently 100% of our 2007 & 2008 releases of estate wines are medalists, and  88% of our total 2007 & 2008 releases are medalists in highly credible National/International and Regional wine competitions since last year.

2007 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Ramona Valley AVA estate grown and produced (Silver)

2007 Estate Reserve Syrah, Ramona Valley AVA estate grown and produced (Bronze)

2007 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Ruby-Port-styled dessert wine, Ramona Valley AVA estate grown and produced (Silver)

2008 Estate Reserve Picpoul Blanc White-Port-styled dessert wine, Ramona Valley AVA estate grown and produced (Silver)

Enjoy our custom artwork labels featuring our winery, its animals, and local public service organizations.

We practice sustainable farming and use Olde English Southdown Baby Doll Sheep in our vineyards and on our estate to eliminate the need for herbicides and other chemicals. We even have a worm farm to produce natural soil nutrients and nutrient and foliage sprays.

Learn first hand how we made this wine by  staying at Eagles Nest Vacation Villa/Cottage.  Read actual guest comments – Click here!

Please visit us at http://eaglesnestwinery.com Click here!

We received four medals this year and one last year from NWWC – a medal in this competition is more significant than you might think – in past NWWC competitions, only 1 in 5 entries win a medal so winning ANY medal is quite an achievement. Judging rules stipulate that only “wines of merit” are awarded medals, and ALL judges must agree on the award for that wine.

For example, if you’re #3 of 3 entries in a category, that doesn’t mean you get a medal by default. If the judges don’t believe your wine is worthy – it doesn’t get any medal – as 4 of 5 wines submitted do not get medals. Also if there are too few entrants in a given category, NWWC policy is to judge your wine against a larger, combined group, making the competition that much more difficult.

Competition Background:

Eileen Crane 2010 Honorary Chair

We are honored that Eileen Crane, Founding Winemaker & President of Napa’s legendary Domaine Carneros, is the 2010 Honorary Chairwoman for the National Women’s Wine Competition. Often referred to as America’s Doyenne of Sparkling Wine, Eileen Crane has spent more than 30 years in the industry. She is the most experienced Sparkling Winemaker in the United States.

The 2010 National Women’s Wine Competition… judged by twenty-three of the leading women wine judges in America. Entries were limited to ~2,500 overall entries 2,000 entries for the Open Competition; 500 entries for the Women Winemaker’s Challenge.

Judging Methodology

NWWC is a true blind tasting, which means that the judges do not know the maker of the wine, they never see the labels, nor do they know the price of the wine.

This makes it possible for our judges to identify outstanding wines across the range of price points and varietals. We also begin each judging session with an initial tasting of brut champagne to clear the judge’s palates to create the best tasting conditions.

Further, our judges receive the results of their panel’s work, ensuring the integrity of the judging.

Competition Philosophy

Since women make 60%-70% (or more) of the wine purchases in the United States, it only makes sense to craft a competition judged entirely by women. As a marketing tool, NWWC provides a “woman to woman roadmap” of the wine industry. Medal winners can be assured that the leading women in wine have judged their wines exemplary. (Please note: to win a Bronze or Double Gold medal, all judges must be in agreement.

As in 2008 and 2009, NWWC limited the number of entries this year to ensure that they could maintain an atmosphere that gives their judges sufficient time to consider the wines and not overwhelm their palates. NWWC’s promise to entrants was that their wine will be appropriately categorized and well judged by superstar palates – the leading women in the wine industry.

Awards were awarded on a merit basis only and all judges must agree on the award level. The judges were instructed to grant no awards when, in their opinion, a wine was unworthy, and they were empowered to grant duplicate awards if the quality of wines so merits.

Judging was held March 22, 2010 in Sonoma, California.

The 2010 Judges

Eileen Crane, Founding Winemaker & President of Napa’s legendary Domaine Carneros, was the 2010 Honorary Chairwoman for the National Women’s Wine Competition.

Diane Teitelbaum, International Judge & Author, Dallas, TX

Amy Atwood, blogger, MyDailyWine.com

Rosanne LaVoy, Owner/Chef, Coast Café, Bolinas, CA

Cassandra Brown, CS, CSW, Consultant, The Chocolate Grape – Sommelier At YOUR Service

Eileen Hoffmeister-Mooney, Stone Hill Winery, Branson, MO

Traci Dutton, Beverage Manager, Sommelier, CIA

Laura Ness, Reporter/Consultant/Buyer Wines & Vines Magazine

Ramona Nicholson, Owner, Nicholson Ranch Winery, past winner, Judges’ Choice Award, 2009 NWWC

Julie Lumgair, Partner and Winemaker, Windsor Oaks Vineyard, past winner, Judges’ Choice Award, NWWC 2009

Staci Hunt, Member, Board of Directors, Specialty Wine Retailers Association & Wine Reporter, NPR’s GOOD FOOD Wine Report

Debra Del Fiorentino, Sommelier, CWP, Wine Educator and Consumer Marketing Director at Russian River Vineyards

Virginie Boone, Wine Writer, The Press Democrat

Maureen Downey, DWS, CWE, Owner, Chai Consulting

Jil Child, Sommelier, Wine Educator

Liz Thach, Ph.D., MW Candidate, Professor of Wine Business at Sonoma State University

Valery Uhl, Director of North of the Gate Wine Competition

Ann Noble, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Enology at UC Davis, inventor: The Wine Wheel(tm)

Deborah Parker Wong, Journalist, The Tasting Panel Magazine

Jan Manni, Wine Blogger, The Wine Attic

Prudy Foxx, Viticulture Consultant, Foxx Viticulture

Evelyn White, Winemaker, Taft Street Winery

Mariana Gil Juncal, Sommelier and Director Editorial, Baco Club, Argentina’s leading private wine club

Gillian Ballance, Wine Consultant

Over 30 judges from around the United States evaluated via blind tastings, and scored nearly 2,000 total entries and awarding medals to wines worthy of merit.

This is a rigorous, professionally conducted wine competition where experienced judges award medals to less than one in four wines entered. Congratulations are in order for all winning International and US wineries!

The full listing of the 2010 competition can be seen/searched at this SDIWC link.

Presently 100% of our 2007 & 2008 releases of Estate grown Wines & Ports are Gold, Silver & Bronze medalists, and 88% of our total 2007 & 2008 releases are medalists – in highly credible National, International, and Regional wine competitions since last year.

Eagles Nest Winery, (TWITTER @EaglesNestWine and Facebook click here) a leading Boutique Winery located n the Ramona Valley AVA near San Diego, California was honored as one of only four medal winning San Diego County wineries in this year’s 201o competition including Fallbrook , Orfila,  and Shadow Mountain.

When you consider the large number of multi-million dollar national and international winery operations that participated in this professional competition, this showing reflects very well on Eagles Nest as a small, family owned and operated winery producing quality wines from locally grown wine-grapes.

Eagles Nest Winery’s winning wines were 2008 Estate Picpoul Blanc White-Port Styled Dessert Wine 100% grown and produced on the Estate from a unique Rhone varietal features a delicate tropical fruit nose and smooth character.

Eagles Nest 2007 Private Reserve Merlo t made from 100% Merlot, this is a rich full bodied, deeply colored with dusty tannins produced from high quality San Diego County Merlot grapes.

Both these wines scored Silver medals reflecting “wines that are well made, absent flaws, and expressive, reflecting good viticultural and winemaking standards..”

Michael Franz, Editor of Wine Review Online, returned for his third year as Chief Judge. The SDIWC was held at the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego for the seventh consecutive year. The Westgate is a premier hotel property in the heart of San Diego, and provides an elegant and functional backdrop for visiting judges.

The Director is nationally syndicated wine columnist Robert Whitley. Judges for the 2010 San Diego International Wine Competition were hand-picked by Whitley, whose experience at managing wine competitions is second to none.

Robert also serves as Director of the Critics Challenge, the Sommelier Challenge, the Winemaker Challenge and the Monterey Wine Competition, which he co-founded with the Salinas Valley Fair in 1994.

SDIWC judging guidelines were as follows:

1.  The San Diego International Wine Competition is a blind tasting. Wines will be evaluated absent information about producer, vintage or price.

2.  Because wines have been submitted from the world over, judges may ask questions pertaining to origin so that wines can be evaluated in context.

3.  Judges should take into account the fact that winemaking styles vary. A wine that is well made within a legitimate style for the grape and category should be judged accordingly, regardless of any personal preference for an alternative style.

4.  Judges may compare notes with others on the panel, but each vote should be independent and reflect the personal opinion of each judge.

5.  Votes will be taken at the conclusion of each flight and recorded by the table monitor.

Silver Medal

A silver medal should be awarded to wines that are well made, absent flaws, and expressive, reflecting good viticultural and winemaking standards.

Gold Medal

A gold medal should be awarded to wines exhibiting outstanding intensity of flavor and/or complexity. While palate weight can be a positive factor in the evaluation, more delicate wines that possess exceptional nuance should not be overlooked for gold-medal consideration. Mineral-driven and fruit-driven wines should be given equal consideration. A gold-medal wine should leave the judge with an extremely positive overall impression.

Best of Show/Platinum

Any wine the judges believe would be competitive for best in its class should be put forward for the “Sweepstakes” round of judging to determine Best of Show in its category. All wines nominated for Best of Show will automatically be elevated to a Platinum medal.

Thanks go out to the judges and the volunteer staff of this year’s competition – Your hard work made this event a resounding success.

Adam’s Back, Wins SDIWC Best of Show Red
With LaZarre 2007 Central Coast Pinot Noir

By Robert Whitley
Creators Syndicate

There was a time, not that many years ago, when a brash young winemaker at Hahn Estates ruled the wine competition world from Los Angeles to London.

Under the skillful direction of Adam LaZarre, the Monterey County winery scored major trophies at big wine competitions around the globe. And they did it with modestly priced wines, such as a $16 Cabernet Sauvignon, a $14 Merlot and a red Bordeaux-style blend for less than $20.

For a time, it seemed a week couldn’t go by without a LaZarre-inspired wine winning best of show in Los Angeles or San Francisco or London, or some other important wine competition venue. LaZarre is no longer at Hahn, having moved 75 miles down U.S Highway 101 to Paso Robles, where he is running the promising start-up winery Villa San-Juliette. He also makes a number of wines under his own LaZarre label.

He may have moved, but LaZarre hasn’t changed all that much. He’s still brash, still prolific, and Sunday afternoon he returned to the winner’s circle at the 27th annual San Diego International Wine Competition.

“I’m back!” LaZarre exclaimed as it was revealed that his 2007 Central Coast LaZarre Pinot Noir ($35) had been voted Best Red Wine of the show. It was no small feat. Among the contenders for best red honors were the 2006 ZD Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($125), the 2007 Bell Clone 6 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($90) and the 2007 Spoto Napa Valley Syrah ($70), platinum award-winners all.

The venerable SDIWC attracted nearly 2,000 entries, bestowed more than 1,000 medals and crowned five best of show winners, including the LaZarre Pinot. Value-seeking consumers should be encouraged to note the 31 judges — winemakers and wine industry professionals — handed out one of the top awards, best of show sparkling, to the relatively inexpensive Korbel Brut Rose ($11). The sleek 2004 Domaine Carneros Le Reve Blanc de Blancs ($85) was in the running for the top honor, but the judges opted instead for the refreshing, bright berry fruit of the Korbel bubbly.

Other best-of-show winners included the 2008 V. Sattui Early Harvest White Riesling ($18.75) as best white, the 2008 Penman Springs Two Roses Syrah Rose ($15) as best rose, and the 2008 Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Finger Lakes Vidal Blanc Ice Wine ($40 per half bottle) as best dessert.

The weekend was not short on stellar performance, and I have duly noted some of the more impressive efforts.

Fallbrook Winery, which produces fewer than 50,000 cases of wine a year in the far northeast corner of San Diego County (that’s in Southern California, merely 500 miles but light years from the epicenter of American wine, the Napa Valley) saw two of its wines advance to the finals. Though neither won the big prize, Fallbrook’s 2007 33 Degrees North BDX, Gracie Hill Vineyard ($30) was awarded the title Best Meritage and its 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve ($14) was named Best Sauvignon Blanc. Quite an accomplishment for a small Southern California winery few had ever heard of.

On the other hand, Frank Family Vineyards, a well-known Napa Valley producer, made a good deal of noise on Sunday afternoon with three wines in the finals — 2008 Carneros Pinot Noir ($35), 2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay ($32.50) and 2007 Napa Valley Zinfandel ($36.75).
To reach the finals, a wine had to be awarded a Platinum medal, which would be the equivalent of a double gold at other competitions.

Bargain hunters might want to take a close look at the Cycles Gladiator wines. These are produced by Hahn in Monterey County and are uniformly priced at $10 a bottle. The 2007 Merlot was voted Best Merlot, and the 2008 Syrah took gold. The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio all received silver medals.

Cameron Hughes was another big winner from the value category, claiming 11 medals, including a platinum and two golds. Cameron Hughes purchases small lots of leftover wine from prestigious wineries, bottles them under his own name without identifying the winery, and sells them for a fraction of the price they would otherwise fetch.

Cameron Hughes won its Platinum with a 2008 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, Lot 159 at $15. His golds were for the 2007 Lot 116 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($22) and the 2007 Lot 164 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon ($22). These wines can be found at Costo nationwide in states where stores are permitted to sell wine.

Concannon Vineyard of California’s underrated Livermore Valley was equally impressive in the value arena, winning seven medals, the most expensive of which was the gold-medal winning 2008 Limited Release Central Coast Pinot Noir at $16. The 2008 Conservancy Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($14) earned platinum.

The East was well represented by Jefferson Vineyards of Virginia. This Charlottesville-area winery grabbed a platinum (2009 Monticello Pinot Gris, $18) and a gold (2007 Monticello Meritage, $30) along with two silvers.

Tiny Opolo Vineyards of Paso Robles earned three medals, but two of those were platinum: 2006 Serenade ($30), a red Bordeaux-style blend, and 2007 Paso Robles Tempranillo ($24).

California’s Amador County, in the Sierra Foothills, got a string showing from Renwood with a platinum, two golds and four silvers. The Platinum was a delicious 2007 Barbera at $23 and the golds were the 2007 Jack Rabbit Flat Zinfandel ($30) and the 2008 Amador Ice Zinfandel at $35 a half bottle.

And the Umpqua Valley of Oregon never had it so good. Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyard rounded up nine medals, including a platinum for its 2009 Gruner Veltliner, Revelation & Rorek Bloc at $24. Reustle Prayer Rock also scored golds with its 2008 Reserve Pinot Noir ($38), its 2008 Reserve Syrah ($38) and its 2008 Reserve Tempranillo ($38).

Of course, the big dog of the competition was V. Sattui of the Napa Valley, as usual. Sattui racked up 19 medals. Among the 19 were the best of show white wine, a platinum award for its 2007 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon ($40), and golds for four other wines.

Sattui wines can only be purchased at the winery tasting room in St. Helena, Calif., where there are expansive picnic grounds and a well-priced selection of all of its award-winning wines.

Many of the award-winning wines will be available to taste and for purchase at the annual Wine & Roses charity wine tasting, June 13, 2010, at the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego, where the competition was held. Tickets to Wine & Roses may be purchased at www.WineAndRoses.net.

2010 SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION JUDGES

CHIEF JUDGE

Michael Franz, Editor, Wine Review Online

JUDGES

Thrace Bromberger, Gustavo-Thrace
Richard Carey, Winemaker, Vitis Research
Jac Cole, Winemaker, Spring Mountain Vineyards
Kimberly Charles, Charles Communications
Etienne Cowper, Winemaker, Wilson Creek Winery
Mark Deegan, Henry Wine Group
Traci Dutton, Sommelier
Gary Eberle, Winemaker, Eberle Winery
Bob Foster, California Grapevine
Patty Held, Winery Consultant
Linda Jones-McKee, Wines & Vines
John Larchet, Winemaker, The Australian Premium Wine Collection
Adam LaZarre, Winemaker, Villa San-Juliette
Tim McDonald, Wine Spoken Here
Kate McHugh, Quintessential Wines
Neil McNally, Rosenthal Estate
Jon McPherson, Winemaker, South Coast Winery
Linda Murphy, Decanter
Rebecca Murphy, Dallas Morning News
Ray Pompilio, Wine Appreciation Guild
Nick Ponomareff, California Grapevine
Ron Rawlinson, WineSmith
Lisa Redwine, Sommelier
George Riffle, Sommelier
Roman Roth, Winemaker, Wolffer Estate
Eric Runyon, Southern Wine & Spirits
Jeff Siegel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jennifer Simonetti MW
Bob Small, Los Angeles International Wine Competition
David Stevens, Winemaker, Davon International
Mark Stuart, TheCorkHead.com
Paul Wagner, Balzac Communications
Kevin Walsh, Henry Wine Group
Duncan Williams, Winemaker, Fallbrook Winery
Wilfred Wong, Beverages & More



This is due to restrictions that wine labeling regulations place on wine grape products, and their bottle labels, and illustrations.  One of My pet peeves is Dessert Wine (What’s that?!?! many US consumers ask) has been named various alternative nautical terms such as starboard, larboard, seeking alternatives to the prohibited “port”.

Port (left) and Starboard (right) nautical lamps

The root of the problem is the “Standards of Identity” agreement between the U.S. and the European Union governing the use of  “semi-generic” wine names such as Port, Chablis, Champagne.

Did I mention that our winery is (ironically) located on “Chablis Road” if I listed our address instead of website on the labels the Feds would probably prohibit “Chablis.”

Wineries that used the restricted product prior to the standards of identity agreements are “grandfathered” (may continue to use the names) but wineries offering products after the agreement implementation dates are out of luck.

The agreement signed by the United States and the European Community (EC) on March 10, 2006 changed the legal status of 17 designations of wine.

What are some of the restricted names?

Along with Claret, 16 other semi-generic wine names are covered under the standards agreement: Burgundy, Chablis, Champagne, Chianti, Hock, Malaga, Marsala, Madeira, Moselle, Port, Retsina, Rhine wine, Sauterne, Haut Sauterne, Sherry and Tokay.

Again, a  “grandfather” provision allows wineries already using the terms before the 2006 date,  e.g.  Claret, to continue to do so, but the naming must must now conform to “the trade understanding of such class and type” and any Johnny-come-lately wineries are simply out of luck…

Shared below from Wikipedia provides additional  information on  wine classification.

Classification of wine

By vinification methods

Wines may be classified by vinification methods. These include classifications such as sparkling, still, fortified, rosé, and blush. The color of wine is not determined by the juice of the grape, which is almost always clear, but rather by the presence or absence of the grape skin during fermentation.  Red wine is made from red (or black) grapes, but its red color is bestowed by the skin being left in contact with the juice during fermentation. White wine can be made from any color of grape as the skin is separated from the juice during fermentation. A white wine made from a very dark grape may appear pink or ‘blush’. Rosé wines are a compromise between reds and whites — the skin of red grapes is left in for a short time during fermentation.

Sparkling wines, such as champagne, are those with carbon dioxide, either from fermentation or added later. They vary from just a slight bubbliness to the classic Champagne. To have this effect, the wine is fermented twice, once in an open container to allow the carbon dioxide to escape into the air, and a second time in a sealed container, where the gas is caught and remains in the wine. Wines that gain their carbonation from the traditional method of bottle fermentation are called Méthode Traditionnelle wines in France. Other international denominations of sparkling wine include Sekt or Schaumwein (Germany), Cava (Spain), Spumante or Prosecco (Italy).

Fortified wines are often sweeter, always more alcoholic wines that have had their fermentation process stopped by the addition of a spirit, such as brandy*. They include:

• Marsala
• Madeira
• Sherry
• Port

* Pointing out a nuance/correction here – Sherry is fortified with brandy after fermentation has been completed. Port may be fortified partway through the fermentation process, leaving and protecting residual sugars.

Brandy is a distilled wine. Grappa is a dry colorless brandy, distilled from fermented grape pomace, the pulpy residue of grapes, stems and seeds that were pressed for the winemaking process.

Uses of wine

Wine is a popular and important beverage that accompanies and enhances a wide range of European and Mediterranean-style cuisines, from the simple and traditional to the most sophisticated and complex. Red, white and sparkling wines are the most popular, and are also known as light wines, because they only contain approximately 10-14% alcohol. The aperitif and dessert wines contain 14-20% alcohol, and are fortified to make them richer and sweeter than the light wines. Although there are many classes of dinner wines, they are all used under six specific classes, as follows:

• aperitif: (or better known as “appetizer wines”): include dry sherry, Madeira, Vermouth, and other flavored wines, made to be consumed before eating a meal.
• red dinner wines: These wines are usually dry and go extremely well with such main-course dishes as red meats, spaghetti, and highly-seasoned foods. They should be served at a cool room temperature to bring out their aroma. The most popular red dinner wines are claret, Burgundy, Chianti, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Pink dinner wines (also called “rose wines”), a special class of red wines, can be served with almost any dish, but are considered best with cold meats, pork, and curries.
• white dinner wines: Usually either very dry or rather sweet, these wines should be served chilled, and go well with white meats, seafood, and fowl. They include Rhine wines, Chablis, sauterne, and wine made from different grape varieties such as Chardonnay and White Riesling.
• sparkling wines: Usually served at any meal with any course, these wines are most frequently served at banquets, formal dinners and weddings. The most common sparking wines are Champagne (white) and sparkling Burgundy (red).
• table wine: Table wine is not bubbly, although some have a very slight carbonation, the amount of which is not enough to disqualify them as table wines. According to U.S. standards of identity, table wines may have an alcohol content that is no higher than 14 percent. In Europe, light wine must be within 8.5 percent and 14 percent alcohol by volume. As such, unless a wine has more than 14 percent alcohol, or it has bubbles, it is a table wine or a light wine.
• dessert wines: Ranging from medium-sweet to sweet, these wines are classified under dessert wines only because they are sometimes served with desserts. Among these are port wine, sweet sherry, Tokay, and muscatel.

The labels on certain bottles of wine suggest that they need to be set aside for an hour before drinking (ie. to “breathe”), while other wines are recommended to be drunk as soon as they are opened.

‘Breathing’ means allowing a wine to aerate before drinking. Generally, younger wines benefit from some aeration, while older wines do not. The word, “younger”, refers to the first one third of a wine’s life, which varies from wine type to wine type and from wine to wine. For example, most white wines, “younger” means up to one to two years, while for red wines, they could mean as little as a few months, for a Beaujolais Nouveau, up to ten years for a hearty Barossa Shiraz. “Older”, on the other hand, refers to the last one third of their lives.

During aeration, the exposure of younger wines to air often “relaxes” the flavors and makes them taste slightly smooth and better integrated in aroma, texture, and flavor.

Wines that are older generally fade (lose their character and flavor intensity) with extended aeration. Breathing, however, does not benefit all wines, and should not therefore be taken to the extreme. In general, wine should be tasted as soon as it is opened to determine how long it may be aerated, if at all. It should then be tasted every 15 minutes until the wine is, according to individual preference, ready to drink. As a general rule, younger white wines normally require no more than 15-30 minutes of aeration while younger red wines should be no more than 30-60 minutes. If in doubt, it is better to err on the side of too little aeration than too much.

Others uses

Religious Ceremonial Use

Wine is also used in religious ceremonies in many cultures and the wine trade is of historical importance for many regions. The New Testament even claims that Jesus’ very first miracle was to turn water into wine (John 2:1-11).

Cooking Wines

Some wines are produced commercially as cooking wine, which is considered by many to be extremely salty, and of a much lower grade than even box wine. The salt s added to extend the shelf life oa an occasionally used cooking wine.  Cooking wines are convenient for cooks who use wine as an ingredient for cooking only rarely.

However, they are not widely used by professional chefs, as they believe the added preservative significantly lowers the quality of the wine and subsequently the food made with that wine. Most professional chefs prefer to use inexpensive but drinkable wine for cooking, and this recommendation is given in many professional cooking textbooks as well as general cookbooks. Many chefs believe there is no reason to use a low quality cooking wine, for cooking, when there are quality drinkable wines available at very low prices.

Last year’s event was fabulously successful don’t miss this one.

When: Sunday, March 14th

1:00 to 3:00pm, open to trade only
3:00 to 6:00pm, open to the public and the trade

Where: Del Mar Fairgrounds, Exhibit Hall
2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar

How much: Tickets for the public: $45 in advance, $55 at the door

Experience special wines from California’s family-owned and operates wineries. There will be over 200  wines to sample!  Popular and obscure but delightful varietals from wineries from the northern California to southern California.

There will be a huge number of wineries present so plan your visit carefully you can’t try them all and remain standing – even if you spit!  Here’s a list of participating wineries and FCW Varietal Map to plan with.

Call 866-465-3995 for more information or click HERE for print at home tickets.

Presently 100% of our 2007 & 2008 releases of Estate grown Wines & Ports are Gold, Silver & Bronze medalists, and 88% of our total 2007 & 2008 releases are medalists – in highly credible National, International, and Regional wine competitions since last year.

The 2010 competition completed Thursday, February 25, 2010. This year marks the 20th consecutive Grand Harvest Awards, with a field of over 1,400 entries from North America, Europe, South America, and the Pacific Rim.

Judges awarded a total of 141 Gold (1 in ten),  426 Silver (less than 1 in three) , and 461 Bronze  (less than 1 in three)  medals in this very competitive event where judges must agree on merit of awarding a medal.

Twenty-four judges evaluated over 1,400 entries.  Garnering medals at the Grand Harvest Awards has traditionally been difficult to achieve because of its high standards of excellence. Wine competitions are invaluable purchasing tools that help consumers choose from over 6,000 wineries in the US alone.

More about the Grand Harvest Competition is included in the below press release:

Grand Harvest Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jennifer Merletti

800.535.5670 x105, jmerletti@vwm-online.com

Joe Gargiulo (707.795.9400, joe@jagpublicrelations.com )

2010 Grand Harvest Awards:

Wine Competition Furthers Its Search for Terroir

Santa Rosa, California (March 2, 2010) — Judging for the 2010 Grand Harvest Awards, an international wine competition produced by Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, completed its mission of recognizing outstanding wines from all over the world and simultaneously studying the effects of terroir on wine quality.

Celebrating its 20th year, the Grand Harvest Awards was held February 24-26 at Sonoma Mountain Village, Rohnert Park, California. Complete results are posted at www.vwm-online.com/gha while a related article will be published in the May-June issue of the magazine.

Twenty-four judges evaluated over 1,400 entries and awarded a total of 1,027 medals including 141 gold, 426 silver and 461 bronze. Garnering medals at the Grand Harvest Awards has traditionally been difficult to achieve because of its high standards of excellence. Wine competitions are invaluable purchasing tools that help consumers choose from over 6,000 wineries in the US alone.

Most entries in the Grand Harvest Awards were grown and produced in the United States and Canada with some originating in Australia and New Zealand, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) and South Africa.

“The Grand Harvest Awards are a great forum for producers to have their wines evaluated by experienced judges in the context of their respective growing regions,” said competition chairman Bill Traverso. “Wines from up-and-coming regions such as Nebraska and Florida garnered gold medals.”

This year’s Grand Harvest Awards presents a new promotional opportunity for wine producers: medal winners will be featured during March via a link on Food & Wine magazine’s one-million-unique-visitors-per-month website (foodandwine.com).

The Judges

Selected for their familiarity with wines from specific growing regions, the judges represent some of the most qualified experts in the industry: food and beverage media, winemakers, wine marketers, enology and viticulture professors and researchers, restaurateurs and sommeliers, hospitality and tourism consultants, and fine wine retailers. Judges included George M. Tabor, author of Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine; Tim McNally, radio host of “The Wine Show”, WIST 690 AM, New Orleans; Eric Degerman, managing editor of Wine Press Northwest; William S. Bloxsom-Carter, executive chef/food and beverage director of Playboy Mansion West; and Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.

The Search for Terroir

The Grand Harvest Awards is the only North American wine competition that presents entries to judges according to regional classification. Wines of particular appellations are arranged in flights (mostly groups of 10) and evaluated by judges who are unaware of the geographic origin or producer, knowing only varietal name when relevant. In contrast, other competitions group wines by varietal name and suggested retail price.

Beyond the determination of medals, the Grand Harvest Awards also recognizes entries that best exemplify the terroir of their respective viticultural areas, and acknowledges the influence of terroir on wine quality. After evaluating each flight, judges frequently discuss their impressions in order to identify the signature elements of terroir and their link to regional typicity (wine characteristics that are common to particular growing regions).

While it is has no scientific definition, terroir is considered to be the combined expression of soil, climate, elevation and topography in the aroma, flavor and tactile sensations of wine beyond clone and rootstock selection, cultural practices, and winemaking techniques.

About the Producer

The Grand Harvest Awards is a division of Vineyard & Winery Services, the publisher of the leading independent wine trade publication Vineyard & Winery Management magazine www.vwm-online.com , Winedex (Wine Industry Index). Based in Santa Rosa, California, the multimedia corporation also produces seminars, conferences and trade shows (Wineries Unlimited, Tasting Room Profitability, Wine Club Summit, and Managing the Winery Laboratory) as well as two other wine competitions (International Eastern Wine Competition, and West Coast Wine Competition).