The best word to describe the wine region of Sonoma would be diversity.  There is diversity in the wines produced there, diversity in the climate and diversity in geography.  From Healdsburg in the north to Petaluma in the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the city of Sonoma to the east, the county of Sonoma offers a rich experience for visitors and residents.

Sonoma County boasts the oldest commercial premium winery in California, Buena Vista, founded in 1857 in the town of Sonoma. Due to the diversity of soil and climate, vineyards in Sonoma County grow chardonnay, gewürztraminer, sauvignon blanc, viognier, pinot gris, cabernet, merlot, syrah, sangiovese, and zinfandel grapes, to name just some of the varietals. Not only that, but the wine produced by a varietal grown in one region of Sonoma County can taste very different from the same varietal grown elsewhere in the county.

A good way to discover Sonoma County is to concentrate on one wine growing region at a time. Alexander Valley, Dry Creek, Chalk Hill and Russian River are some of the better known appellations at the north end of the county, while Sonoma Valley and Carneros hug the southern border with Napa County.

A “Festival” is a defined as a “Periodic celebration or program of events or entertainment having a specified focus.” And so it came to be that on my recent trip to India I had the pleasure of visiting not one, but three different “Festivals”.  As you might have guessed, all the festivals were focused around wine!

The first Festival was the Annapoorna Wine & Food Festival held at the Mumbai Convention Center.  This was a three day event where consumers and trade got a chance to sample food and wine from around the world.  This festival was followed by the Wine & Foods from Spain Festival held at Totes Restaurant at the Race Course in Mumbai. 

And last but not least, was the 4th Annual Pune Wine Festival held on the grounds of the Ruhi Palace in Koregaon Park, Pune.    More than anything, I was excited at the enthusiasm of savvy wine consumers relishing a sampling of our wines.  Their response was overwhelming and encouraging!  Be sure to check out all the pictures from the festivals on my facebook page for Zee Sommelier.

To read more about the festival and our participation in it, please click here  to see Sommelier India’s coverage of it.

 

You know you are a wine-o when regardless of the country or region you are in; the first thought in your head is, where I can do some wine tasting?

 

So it came to be that on a Monday morning, barely a day or two after landing in Mumbai, India, I had already researched about the wine growing region of Nasik, about 200 Kms northeast of Mumbai and I found myself waiting for my transportation to take me there.

 

The drive up to the region was pleasant; my way of saying that we only encountered a few cows in the middle of the highway, we only got cut-off by a few trucks and we never experienced any near death scary driving moments!

 

The owner of the winery had sent us directions – which according to Indian standards means we had various landmarks along the way and we had to stop several times to ask the locals where we were headed.  We missed the sign for the winery and therefore called the winery for some guidance; the owner was kind enough to send his assistant out to meet us near another landmark on the highway. 

 

He quickly greeted us, turned his motorbike around, and instructed our driver to follow him down an unpaved dirt road barely 3 feet wide lined with tomato fields on both sides.  Our Toyota Innova SUV spent about 10 minutes on this road before we were finally greeted by…grapevines; and the winery appeared on the horizon. 

 

The instant I stepped out from the car, the monsoon rains started.  The crisp clean rain conjoined with the smell of the wet earth mixed with cow-manure filled the air.  Soon the resident assistant wine-maker greeted us and led us into an extremely large conference room.  In typical Indian custom we were offered water and then some masala tea!  Wait! Where’s the wine?

 

 

Soon, the owner walked in.  After some brief pleasantries, we started chatting about the history of the winery – built in 2007, designed with the help of the owners’ mom – and then about the various wines being made as well as the wine scene and growth cycle in India.  We then proceeded to see the wine lab where we were shown various samples which were undergoing review in various stages of clarification.  The bottling room next door was extremely impressive since the owner had spared no expense in installing the state of the art equipment manufactured in Italy.

Next, we made our way to the temperature controlled room which housed about a dozen or so large steel tanks.  Walking in, we heard low volume chants of Indian hymns softly playing in the background; the owners’ way of providing a soothing environment while the wines age and mature!  And then, we started tasting wine.  The lineup was Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon (Fumé) Blanc, Cabernet, Shiraz and Cab-Shiraz blend and a rosé of Zinfandel.  The winemaker’s / winery’s philosophy is to make wines that are easy and ready to drink. Hence each wine that we tasted was bright, lively and on the lighter side.  The heaviest wine, the Cab/Shiraz blend was just a tad over the medium body category.  My favorite was the Sauvignon (Fumé) Blanc and the Red Blend. 

 

After almost 1.5 hours of non-stop tasting of the different varietals and vintages, we were led up to an expansive veranda

 

                                                     

 

to enjoy a good look at the property and the view.  Here, the owner really shined as a host.  Unbeknownst to me, while we were tasting, based on my comment about a certain favorite food dish of mine, the kitchen staff had been instructed to prepare (and make available) that same dish for us to enjoy while sitting on the terrace! 

As the aromas of the wonderful food filled the air and the sounds of the (very) distant beeping of the horns on the highway continued, I savored the wines, the food and the hospitality.

 

After a very leisurely evening celebrating wine, alas, it was finally time to say goodbye.  In typical Indian tradition, the goodbyes lasted for ever and the owner insisted that I take the two wines (that I liked) as a gift.

It was nightfall by the time that our SUV reached Mumbai.  All I could think of at the end of the day was that if there are places and people like this on the actual planet of Mercury, it’s time I immediately book a ticket on the first flight out there!

 

To learn more the winery and the wines, visit www.mercurywinery.net.

 

Grapes do not necessarily have to be picked as soon as they are ripe.  As long as the sun is shining, they can go on ripening until they are “perfectly ripe” or even “overripe”.  Late picking makes for fuller, stronger wines; sugars increase, while acids diminish.

 

The potential of a late grape harvest had been discovered in Roman times, but it was not until 1775 that the benefits of a Spätlese (late harvest) were first recognized at Schloss Johannisberg in the Rheingau region in Germany.  Here are some stories about how late harvest came about in different regions that are now quite famous for their excellent late harvest wines.

 

The winemaker of Schloss Johannisberg – a monk – had to obtain written permission from his abbot before beginning the annual grape harvest.  The required document was always delivered by a messenger on horseback.  Legend has it that in 1775, the messenger arrived late and, when he finally came, some of the grapes had begun to rot.  The monks vinified the rotten grapes anyway, but separately.  One of them later reported to the abbot that the “rotten” grapes had yielded a terrific wine.  Today, a statue of the mounted messenger stands in the courtyard of the castle.

 

 

 

At Tokaj, in Hungary, over a hundred years earlier, the monk winemaker at the castle is said to have been forced to put off the grape harvest because of an impending attack by the Turks.  When the danger passed, noble rot had spread.  According to legend, that is how the first noble-sweet wine was made out of botrytized grapes.

 

In 1847, at Chateau d’Yquem, the owner marquis Bertrand de Lur-Saluces, returned late from a trip to Russia; the grapes in his vineyards had acquired noble rot.  However, they were picked, and it turned out that 1847 was the greatest vintage of the nineteenth century.

 

Winemakers and ampelographers (grapevine specialists) will tell you that it takes years of practice, tasting grapes and working the grapevines to know the optimal time to pick or harvest the grapes.

The ripening phase begins with the coloring (véraison) of berries and ends with the harvest.  During this time sugar is produced in the leaves and then stored in the fruit.  The more light and heat the leaves receive, the more sugar they will collect; the more sugar stored in the grapes, the higher the alcohol content of the wine. 

It takes about half an ounce (16 g) of sugar to create 1% alcohol in a liter of wine.

When sugar and the remaining acids are nicely balanced the grapes are considered to be ripe.  Most wines have an alcohol content of about 11 to 14 % by volume.  To reach this level, it is possible for the growers to calculate what sugar content the grapes will reach by harvest time.  The sugar level is reflected in the weight of the must (the juice of pressed grapes), which is measured with a refractometer or a hydrometer.

The different scales are based on the fact that grape must is heavier than water.  One milli-liter of water weighs 1 gram.  The excess weight of 1 ml of juice is the weight of the substances dissolved in it.  Since 90% of the solutes in grape juice are sugars, this is regarded as a pretty accurate means of determining the sugar level of must.

There are several scales for measuring must weight.  In France & Australia, must weight is measured in degrees of Baumé; in the Americas, in degrees of Brix; in Italy in degrees of Babo; in Germany, in degrees of Oechsle and in Austria they have their own scale (KMW), devised at Klosterneuburg.

The simplest measure of must weight is the Baumé scale.  It gives the potential alcohol content of the wine, assuming that all of the sugar is changed to alcohol by fermentation.  A must with 13°7¢ Baumé would therefore yield a wine with 13.7% alcohol by volume.  On the Brix scale this would be the equivalent of 24°7¢.

There you have it.  Now just in case you somehow get the honor of deciding when to start the harvest, you will know when to begin!

There was something very magical about listening to the raindrops singing on top of the tin roof, sharing hot food with one’s friend and being able to drink wine...on a Monday!  We sat and chatted for a while before finally, grudgingly, realizing that I was here to work and taste wine and not just to have a good time with my friend.   

Upon entering the fairly large parking lot of the Freemark Abbey Winery, it seemed that the rains had scared away most of the tourists.  Only the hardcore, diehard wine enthusiasts were intent on battling the rain and sampling the wines.  To the left of the parking lot was a large stone building and to the right was a large wooden “farm-house” style structure.  The sign said ‘wine tasting to the right’, so that’s where we headed.  The wooden verandah, surrounded by beautiful flowers and greenery, creaked as we walked towards the tasting room. 

The tasting room had a few couples and all of them briefly paused and looked in our direction before resuming their wine tasting as we entered.  We found a nice spot at the end of the bar and were greeted by one of the many tasting room associates.  Our host informed us of the tasting fees and asked us if we were ready to start tasting.  I left it up to our host to customize our tasting since both Sarita and I like white as well as red wine.

From all the wines that we tasted, the stand outs for both of us were the 2008 Viognier, the 2001 Cabernet Franc, the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon “Bosche” and the top of the line, 2005 Josephine Red Wine.  The Viognier had a nose of delicate spring flowers followed by tastes of white peaches and guava.  The Cabernet franc had plums and apricot aromas which transformed into taste of silky yet somewhat tannic-y lavender and violets. The Cabernet “Bosche” had hints of cherries and dark berries smoothing into a bold mouth feel of cocoa, wood and tobacco.  The Josephine red was a blend of silky velvety deliciousness that seemed to linger in one’s mouth forever!

The best value of the lot (for us) was the Cabernet Franc.  So on our way out, we purchased two bottles.  Since Sarita had a yoga class scheduled at 4:00 PM, we had to get back in the car and start driving back.  After dropping Sarita off, I purchased some cheese and headed back home, anxious to open the bottle of Cabernet Franc.

By the end of the day, I was thanking God for the wonderful fortune I had of spending time with a friend and sipping some delicious wine.  Maybe the pilgrimage to the Abbey had something to do with it!

 

The dictionary definition of an Abbey is a Christian monastery or convent, under the government of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community. 

So what does that have to do with wine tasting?  That’s what I was thinking as I entered the tasting room to sample some wines at the Freemark Abbey Winery located in St. Helena, Napa Valley. (Read the historical information about how the winery got its name at the end of this article) We didn’t start out by planning to go to Freemark Abbey.  I had originally planned on going to Storybook Winery located up in Calistoga, about two hours north of San Francisco.  Along the way, I picked up my lovely drinking companion, Sarita, and continued driving, on yet another rainy, chilly, summer day.

When we got to the Storybook Winery, we were greeted by a wrought iron gate.  When I pushed a button, thinking it was an intercom button and I would most likely be talking to someone inside, the gate magically opened.  After driving up to the winery we were informed that we would need an appointment to taste wine.  So much for knowing my way around wineries!  Anyway, since we didn’t have an appointment, we decided to head back down towards Napa. 

After about half hour of driving in pouring rain, we decided we were both hungry and should stop and eat something.  So we pulled into a roadside sandwich shop called Buster’s.  The smell of hot sandwiches and bread filled the air.  We were both very excited when we saw a half bottle (375ml) of Zinfandel available for sale.  So we got our sandwiches, our half bottle of wine and… two plastic cups!  Now, this would be a first for me.  I’ve never had wine out of a plastic cup.  So much for a sniffing, swirling, watching the wine legs form and sipping.

However, there was something very magical about listening to the raindrops singing on top of the tin roof, sharing hot food with one’s friend and being able to drink wine...on a Monday!  We sat and chatted for a while before finally, grudgingly, realizing that I was here to work and taste wine and not just to have a good time with my friend.   

Stay tuned for more.....

It's no secret that a glass of wine can help you relax and find yourself at the end of the evening.  But does that still work when you dont know exactly what you are drinking?  Wine connoisseurs will swear by the WS (Wine Spectator) or RP (Robert Parker) 90+ wines but there are times when the act of closing of your evening with a glass of wine, even unknown by you, can be a pleasurable experience.

Recently, I met some old friends for a drink and when the kind waiter asked what I wanted, I simply said, bring me a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  I didnt fuss and fret over a wine list, contemplating what would be good, posh to order, or ever otherwise iconic to drink.  I had already made too many decisions in the day, I wanted someone to choose for me and quite frankly, wanted the luxury of having a glass of wine delivered to me, choice unknown.  I took a leap of faith in expecting something pleasurable.

It was then, that my waiter, no doubt recognizing the desperation for relaxation in my eyes....did exactly what he needed to do:  bring me a glass of wine, fine, light, crisp, and lightly fruity....the way I like my Sauvingnon Blancs.  And with the lovely summer breeze in the air evoking the smell of crisp apples, I found my pleasure indeed in the very first sip.  Wine is meant to be enjoyed and when you start out your evening with the very intention that you will enjoy whatever is brought to you, it is most likely that sheer pleasure will find you...no matter what you are drinking.  And that, my dear friends, is the true magic of wine.

Salute!

FWC

Well, we've all read articles that state that red wine is good for one's health but an article in the most recent issue of Wine Spectator (read the article here)really made me smile even more.  It's healthy, sure....but does it actually help regulate your weight??  For women, apparently so!

Their article specifically states that women who drink wine (3-4 4oz glasses a day) gained less weight than women that did not drink at all during a study done over 13 years involving over 19,000 women!  Apparently, our bodies "process alcohol differently than other caloric sources."

So, is this a green light for more red??? 

Well, of course, this doesn't mean you should forgo the exercise and eat bon-bon's everyday with half a bottle of wine!  No, probably not the best idea.  BUT....you certainly can take the time to enjoy a glass or two without fear that it's all going to your hips!!

Cheers,

FWC

This evening, my husband and I were feeling particularly adventuresome, thinking about all of the wonderful things that the prospect of a new decade starting with 2010, can mean for us.  With such ambitious endeavors for our future, we thought it best to have a wine that would match our aspirations for the future.  And rightfully, we chose to drink the bottle of Chateau Montelena that we had been saving in cellar for a special occasion.  We decided that feeling good was indeed special enough!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Chateau Montelena, it is the presitigious Chardonnay from California that won the famous competition against the French wines back in 1976.*  Back then, when Napa Wineries were nothing but a bastion of dreams and hopes and yet they did, in just their passion for winemaking alone, beat out French first growths like Haut Brion (hundreds of years old) in this famous competion!

It is to this wine that we dedicate this evening!  Knowing that with its blessings, our own hopes and dreams too will come to fruition and achieve success like this wine did: unexpectedly, elegantly, and with a class of its own setting the tone for an ambitious future.

Tasting notes:  Lovely aroma of pineapples and citrus scent.  Color of light yellow golden straw.  Delicious taste and soft flavors ending with a lovely finish of vanilla.  Scrumptious.  Divine.  Decadent just the same.  Truly Dreams coming true.

P.S.  We were drinking the 2007, not the 1976 one that won but it was just as good to us nonetheless.

* Go see "Bottle Shock" to get the full story on how it happened or read the George Taber book about it.

Cheers!!

FWC