For the Love of Winemaking

As a Sommelier, part of my calling is to break wine into its component parts based on sight, smell, taste and my understanding of geography, grape varietals and regional winemaking styles. And while I can have dramatic impact on how a wine is presented, described, paired and, ultimately, enjoyed, the winemaker is really King (or Queen) in the mix.

While all great wines do indeed start with great grapes, the winemaker's influence really does make or break the final outcome of a wine. Part scientist, part artist, the winemaker must deliberate and labor over many variables and decisions during the process of shepherding fruit through to its ultimate destiny as fermented glory.

But a few of the decisions a winemaker is entrusted to make:

• When to Harvest: juice flavor, sugar level, acidity, upcoming weather, skin conditions, rot conditions, seed ripeness.
• Pressing/Crushing & Fermentation: sorting, pressing cuts, crushing vs. destemming only, use of SO2, yeast types, malolactic fermentation, acid and sugar correction, barrel choices, punchdown / pumpover regimen, temperature management
• Aging: time in barrel, racking, blending, bottling

There are many confounding factors in making winemaking decisions. To learn more I rely on my friend, Aimee Baker, head winemaker at Pichetti Winery. She is teaching "Wine Appreciation: From Vineyard to Glass" on Monday Jan 25th and Feb 1st at Savvy Cellar Wines in Redwood City, CA. Come learn from her experience, gut feel and execution skills in making great wine. (Pre-registration required).

Do Wine Points Matter?

I've been asked to sit on a panel and blind wine tasting today at the Society of Wine Educators conference in Sacramento. The panel is titled "Do Points Matter"? Given I founded Savvy Cellar Wines using points as a screening criteria for wines we bring into inventory - only 90 points or higher - it got me thinking about the role that wine ratings and scores play.


Do Wine Points Matter? Yes . . .

1. Helps Lesser Knowns. As the wine industry experiences the trend of consolidation of wineries as part of "uber-brands" and large, well-financed holding companies, we all run the risk of being subject to the almighty marketing dollar. Ratings help those wineries who are not as large, well-established or with deep pockets to secure distribution and marketing reach to the consumer.
2. Helps Consumers. For those who are not wine enthusiasts and painstakingly study and taste wine extensively, points are a way to help consumers navigate the myriad of varietals, brands, regions and price points. Points provide guidance and can instill confidence in consumers - helping drive demand.
   
3. Helps the Trade. As a small retailer and wine bar, like consumers, we too face a plethora of choice in what wines to purchase. While we like to think our team has sophisticated palates and a deep understanding of what our consumers will enjoy, we can only stock so many wines and using established point ratings from leading wine critics helps to simplify our operational challenge.

Do Wine Points Matter? No . . .

1. Homogenizes Differences Among Wine. Any point rating scale inherently buries or internalizes what are really material differences among wines (e.g. varietal, style, geography, "terroir", etc.) How does a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand really compare to a Chianti from Italy?
   
2. Puts Too Much Power/Influence in a Few. Point ratings are often the opinion of a single critic. Given the diversity in peoples' collective palates, this means that many will not be well served by another's singular point of view.
3. Creates Irregular Patterns in Demand. Once a wine receives a positive rating from a prominent critic, it will spike demand for that wine. Great for a particular wine maker who receives a 90+ point score (and retailers who are fortunate enough to have access to that product). So the 92 point Napa Cab sells quickly often at premium prices, while the 89 point Napa Cab, which to many would be just as good or even better, languishes on the shelves even at discounted prices.

I'm most excited about the discussion with my fellow panelists: David Glancy and Reggie Narito Jr.

We will be tasting eight (8) wines blind - four rated 88 points and four rated 92 points to see if we can assess the differences. Will post the results later.

What's Chocolate Got to Do with Port?

With our upcoming Savvy Cellar wine class "Port & Chocolate" Monday July 13th, it got me thinking why does chocolate and port (or other dessert wines) go together. Here's some fun facts about two of my favorite, most decadent of delights:

1. Aroma Sympatico. You can smell aromas in chocolate just as you do in wine. Chocolate can be described as "winey." Wine can be described as "chocolatey."
2. Quality Designations. Both wine and chocolate can be called "Premier Cru". A Premier Cru vineyard in France is one of the best single vineyards in the world. A Premier Cru cocoa plantation is a single-origin source of the finest cocoa.
3. Terroir. With both wine and chocolate, you can taste “terroir” or a sense of place. One can often tell where a wine comes from by just its taste; and chocolates from different countries have distinct tastes (e.g. blueberry or smokiness).
4. Fermentation. Both wine and chocolate are fermented foods: wine is fermented grapes, and chocolate is fermented (then roasted) cocoa.

Enough talk. If you want to learn more and taste some exquisite pairings of port and chocolate, be sure to come to our Port and Chocolate class on Monday July 13th.

Champagne For My Real Friends

"Champagne for my real friends and real pain for my sham friends."

Tom Waits

As I prepare my material for the wine class "All About Bubbles" I will teach on Monday June 22nd at Savvy Cellar, I got reflecting on why I love Champagne and Sparkling Wine.

Part of my love is based on how Champagne embodies celebration; although I love also how it brings pizzaz to mundane days of the week and simple foods . . . popcorn and bubbles, anyone? (See blog post: It's Tuesday . . . Pass the Bubbly!)

Part of my love is based in the richness of history and tradition of Champagne - dating back centuries.

Part of my love is for the winemakers who are artists, creatively challenged to make the right "blend" from 30 - 60 still wines.

Part of my love is for Dom Perignon (the 17th Century Monk), who was attempting to actually remove the bubbles from Champagne!

Part of my love is for the (approximately) 56 million bubbles contained in a bottle of Champagne (once opened).

Finally, whether it be Cava, Cremant de Loire, Franciacorta, Prosecco, Sekt, Sparkling Wine or Champagne itself, it looks so incredibly beautiful and is plain fun to sip!

How to Order Wine in a Restaurant

"His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy . . . . He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready."

I'm pretty confident that Enimem was not referring to his feeling prior to having to place an order for wine at a restaurant. But many mere mortals can be pushed to feel such emotions when thrust into the spotlight that accompanies wine ordering for an important meal.

Even for those of us with moderate wine knowledge, taking charge of wine selection can be nerve wracking, particularly if one is trying to impress a date, family members or their boss or work colleagues.

There are some simple rules to follow. (For more on How to Order Wine in a Restaurant, Savvy Cellar is offering a class on Monday June 29th, 7pm, $49):

1. Ask for input. Most decent restaurants will have at least one person staff who is somewhat wine knowledgeable or at least knows what is decent on their wine list. In addition, you can sample your dining companions as to their basic preferences - white or red, chardonnay or cabernet, etc.
2. Don't buy low (or high). Often times the cheapest wines on the wine list are the most highly marked up. Don't waste your money - look for moderately priced wines.
3. Food (generally) loves acid. If you are not an expert on food & wine pairing, a good rule of thumb is to select wines that tend to be higher in acid - sparkling wine, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir.
4. If it grows with it, it goes with it. Given that wine comes from the earth, it often will pair well with food that also comes from the same region. Argentinian beef? Go with an Argentinian Malbec. French game? Try a Burgundy.

Read more about food & wine pairing myths "Red wine with hamburgers, white wine with fishburgers".

To learn more about How to Order Wine in a Restaurant join us for our class offered this Monday June 29th at 7pm. Put your knowledge to practice with tasting. $49. Savvy Cellar Wine Club Members pay for one, bring a guest for free!

Top 5 Food & Wine Pairing Myths

"Red wine with hamburgers, white wine with fishburgers" read the greeting card my husband selected for his mother's university graduation celebration. (She went back to school as a mature student and received her undergrad degree when my hubby was 14 years old). This was his first lesson in food & wine pairing (and not a bad place to start).

However there is much more to this subject and it got me to thinking what are some of the common myths (or mistakes that I find people make) around food & wine pairing.

Myth #1: Serve big red wines with spicy foods. Wines that contain high levels of tannic acid (e.g. tannins) will actually elevate the "heat" in a dish, making it even more spicy! A great outcome for dares but not so much for dates or dinner parties.

Myth #2: Serve only white wine with fish. Not necessarily. Despite my hubby's early pairing advice to his mother, many of today's fish dishes with interesting preparations and sauces can often warrant a delicate red. Think Pinot Noir or Gamay (e.g. Beaujolais Nouveau).

Myth #3: Champagne is for celebrations only. Champagne is actually one of the most food friendly wines because of it's high acidity and palate cleansing properties. Serve it with appetizers or dessert to add a little festivity to your meal.

Myth #4: Sweet wines are best left for dessert. Sweet wines can be a great complement to salty dishes. For example, Sherry and Muscat go well with oysters, olives and nuts.

Myth #5: Food & Wine pairing is an exact science. While there are some guidelines and principles that can be learned and are relatively easy to follow - my favorite is when in doubt choose a wine from the region the cuisine originates from - food & wine pairing is as much art and practice.

I'm not sure that "food & wine pairing is just a big scam", but I do agree that you should learn and then experiment with your own tastes. You might be surprised that my father-in-law's favorite food and wine pairing is unsalted peanuts in the shell with a cheap chardonnay. Whatever makes you and your taste buds happy!

If you are interested in learning more about food & wine pairing, complete with lots of yummy tasting, check out Savvy Cellar's Introduction to Food & Wine Pairing class (2-night) Monday, Nov. 10th & 17th, 7-9pm.

If you get really good at food & wine pairing you may be able to stump professional sommeliers or play parlor tricks on your friends and even know how to tackle pairing wine with the dreaded artichoke!