Lodi Native

Old Vine Zin, Wegat Vineyard, Credit: Randy Caparoso

Next week I will head up to my second Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC16) in Lodi, California. Last years conference was a whirlwind. I had started my blog and WSET Diploma classes not a month earlier. There was A LOT going on at one time, but I can say that my time at WBC15 in Finger Lakes, NY was eye-opening and inspiring!

Ok, back to Lodi! In 2015 Wine Enthusiast named Lodi the “Wine Region of the Year”. See article HERE. The goal of this annual award is to “recognize not only excellence in wine quality, but also innovation and excitement coupled with the courage to take risks and the skill to succeed”. What an honor for Lodi! I’m chomping at the bit to get up there in a few days and explore!

Now, let’s get ready for the Wine Bloggers Conference by exploring a unique project called Lodi Native. The goal of Lodi Native is to make minimalist (aka low-intervention) terroir driven Zinfandels in the Lodi and Mokelumne River sub-AVAs. Bottom line: to make simple, clean wines with a focus on the fruit that the earth provides.

So...how do you make low-intervention wines? 
Well, you start with some rules. Ground rules for the Lodi Native winemakers include (these are simplified a bit than the full list, which can be found HERE):

1.  Native yeast fermentation (native fermentations start spontaneously by ambient yeasts and can produce a wine with a wider range of flavors and characteristics; this is in contrast to inoculated fermentations that are initiated by the winemakers which can produce more stable and predictable wines)

2.  No malo (malolactic fermentation is a when harsh malic acid is converted to softer lactic acid, adding flavor and complexity to the wine)

3.  No acid adjustment (in warmer climates wines can be acidified because the acid levels in warm-climate grapes can be a bit low; acidification is considered a “correction” for grapes that were picked too ripe)

4.  No new oak (new oak can impart flavors such as vanilla, coconut, and spice. Neutral oak or stainless steel tanks impart little to no additional “flavors”)

5.  Pre-1962 Old Vines are preferred (the industry consensus is that older vines make better wines)

6.  No de-alcoholizing (in warmer climates the alcohol levels in a wine can reach higher levels than in cooler climates)

7.  No tannin additions (commercial tannins are made by extracting tannins from wood and then adding them to wine. This is in contrast to naturally occurring tannins that can be found in the skins, seeds, and stems of grapes)

8.  No filtering/fining (filtering and fining can be done for aesthetic purposes to ensure the wine does not end up hazy or cloudy)

Who came up with this Lodi Native idea?
One man: Randy Caparoso. Randy is a full-time wine journalist who blogs HERE and who also consults with restaurants. He is an Editor-at-Large for the SOMM Journal and blogs for LodiWine.com. In Randy’s own words, the objective was to highlight heritage vineyards. According to him, it is the vineyards themselves that are the real “natives”.

Randy Caparoso

What is Lodi Wine about?
Grapes have been growing in Lodi since the 1850s with old-vine Zinfandel as king. Lodi used to be known predominantly for selling grapes to winemakers in other regions, including: Napa, Sonoma, and the Central Valley. When consumers would see “Lodi” on the label, they would perceive the wine to be a big jammy fruit bomb. Consequently, Lodi (and the Central Valley) came to be know as a place where industrial wines are made: wines with a lot of intervention and tinkering. Within the last 10-15 years, Lodi has started to be known as a “destination” for wine. There are over 70 small boutique wineries in Lodi. Many of them are family-owned and have been making wine for generations. The vineyards have warm and welcoming tasting rooms onsite and tourism overall to Lodi has increased. This has incentivized the winegrowers to hold onto more of their grapes to be made into wine under their own label.

This blog post is just an amuse bouche...we are not delving into the wines just yet. In my next post I will share the wines with you and introduce you to the 6 winemakers who made this Lodi Native project come to life.

Winemakers (from left): Layne Montgomery; Stuart Spencer; Ryan Sherman; Michael McCay; Tim Holdener; Chad Joseph

Layne Montgomery of M2 Wines
Stuart Spencer of St. Amant Winery
Ryan Sherman of Fields Family Wines
Michael McCay of McCay Cellars
Tim Holdener of Macchia Wines
Chad Joseph of Maley Brothers Vineyards

Where do you get these wines?
These wines are available exclusively as a 6-pack from the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center. Each 6-pack retails for $180.

Another One Bites the Dust

I am extremely happy to report that I received results from the Unit 1 Coursework Assignment and I passed! Not only did I pass, but everyone in my class passed, which is unprecedented!

The Coursework Assignment is a research paper that is half of the Unit 1 (The Business of Wine and Spirits) exam. We are given a few months to conduct research and complete the assignment. The CWA must be between 2,500-3,000 words. Our CWA topic was: wine brands. The prompt for discussion was whether or not wine brands are good for the consumer and/or producer. We had to conduct research on the topic, provide examples, and give our opinion and reasons to support it. In the last exam rotation in 2015, 84% of Diploma students passed the CWA. In the last 6 years, the average pass rate was 88%. While the overall pass rate has been high, it is quite a complement to our class and to our instructor that we had a 100% pass rate.

What’s next for SOMMspirations?

I am still anxiously awaiting my Unit 6 Fortified exam results. Those should be here around the middle/end of August. Moving forward, I still have the one big boy left: Unit 3 (Still Wines of the World). Those classes don’t begin until the end of October (exam is June 2017). I am going to continue my mini-sabbatical until mid-August or so, then start prep for Unit 3. In preparation for Unit 3, I am going to spend some time reviewing Unit 2: Viticulture/Vinification. This is essentially the science of grape growing and the science of making wine. Unit 2 forms the backbone of the entire Diploma certification. I want to re-familiarize myself with all the viti/vini that I learned so that it is at my fingertips once we start our classes, which are broken down by region.

In September we will start our tasting groups outside of class, as well as form study groups to tackle the reading/studying as a group. It is a pretty incredible amount of information to study for Unit 3, so I believe as a class, we are going to divide and conquer and “teach” each other our sections in study groups. That way when we meet up in our formal classes, we will be more prepared with questions and clarifications, versus coming to class to learn the information there. Better to come prepared and expose yourself to the materials one more time.

The other item coming up for me is the Wine Bloggers Conference in Lodi, California in August. I’ve got quite a bit of prep work to get ready: blog posts to plan, itinerary to lay out, contact with local winemakers, sample tastings to schedule, etc. Not to mention all of the follow up work that comes out of the conference!

No rest for the weary!

Make a Wine Entrance

How can you make an entrance when arriving at a party? A stunning new outfit? Arriving late enough so that everyone swings around to see who just walked in? Waltzing in with your ex on your arm? Those are a few options. But this wouldn’t be a wine blog if I was suggesting one of those things!

I’d like to suggest that arriving with a stellar bottle of wine is the surest way to make an entrance at a party. I’m not talking about an entrance that will get people talking or an entrance that will feed your ego. I am talking about an entrance that will show thoughtfulness towards the host. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to nail it when you bring a bottle of wine to a friends house.

1.  Think about the host. At the end of the day you should bring something your host likes. If you know that the host hates white wine, for god’s sake, don’t bring a bottle of white wine. Maybe you just have a general idea of what they like (i.e. they love red, and hate white). Maybe you know a bit more (i.e. they are big fans of pinot noir or they frequently visit Sonoma wine country). Use whatever information you have about that person to help guide your choice.

2.  Steer away from “vanity labels”. I must admit that this is a bit controversial to suggest. Vanity labels are what I call wines that impress people when they see them (i.e. a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne with the indistinguishable orange/yellow label in Pantone 137C or a fancy schmancy bottle of Napa Cab that costs you an arm and a leg). Why, you say, wouldn’t you want to bring a bottle of impressive wine? Answer: because anyone can do that. Not a lot of thought goes into grabbing that expensive bottle of Champagne in which most of the cost of the bottle goes to paying for the marketing budget of the brand. Not a lot of thought needs to go into buying that Wine Spectator 99-Point rated bottle that sits on the end-cap at BevMo.

3.  Patronize your local wine shop. Employees at wine shops are gold mines. Give them a budget and an idea of what you’re looking for, and they’re sure to have some good suggestions.

4.  Be sure that white, rose, or sparkling wines are chilled! There is nothing worse than presenting the host with a lovely bottle of wine that is not ready to be served. Throw that bottle in the fridge or freezer while you are getting ready! There are some great (and inexpensive) products to keep you bottles cold in transit.  You can try a corksicle, an ice bag, or a wrap around cooler.

5.  Greet the host warmly, thank them for the invitation into their home, and be sure to tell them why you selected this bottle of wine (i.e. I know you LOVE pinot OR I know you and your hubby honeymooned in Tuscany so here’s a lovely Tuscan red OR your family is from Greece, so I found an assyrtiko at my favorite wine shop).

I hope this post will help you make a wine entrance at your next dinner party! These are easy and subtle suggestions, but they go a long way. It is my hope that you enjoy this blog and crack open a bottle of wine with friends and family…..and frequently. The meaning of life is to live it. And how better to live it than by drinking good wine with the people you love. Until next time!

Orlando

It has been an interesting and full couple of weeks. For one, I took my WSET Fortified Wine exam on Tuesday June 14th. It was a doozy (aren’t they all?). And yet again we wait 8 weeks for these results.

The day I was to attend the BubblyFest LA PopUp was Sunday June 12. I awoke at 7am as I got to bed quite early the night before. When I woke up, I had multiple alerts on my phone from news outlets reporting that 20 people were killed at a gay nightclub in Orlando. To say this was shocking to read as soon as I opened my eyes is an understatement. It almost felt like a dream, or more accurately, a nightmare. Did that really happen? Were people butchered while out drinking and dancing? As many people thought “that could have been me”, within an hour or so, more alerts started coming and the headline was revised to state that 50 people were dead at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando. I felt disbelief upon reading this. I work in the LGBT community (as the Events & Tours Manager for the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles) and LGBT people make up an important and integral fabric of the people in my life. This didn’t feel like something that happened to “them”, this felt like something that happened to “us”. How could somebody do this? How could SO many innocent lives be lost. The numbers were staggering as my head and heart had trouble processing it all that day. My heart ached for the people who lost their lives. People who were fully self-expressed, dancing, and spending an evening out with friends. It was (and still is) just too much to absorb. I am still processing through my emotions about the tragic incident in Orlando. May we all appreciate each day a bit more and learn to live our lives without those 49 lives who were taken too soon.

The afternoon of the 12th I was honored to attend the BubblyFest LA PopUp at LA Mother with a press pass. I almost did not go. I “needed” to study for my exam, but mostly I needed to mourn. I spent most of that day crying, repeatedly watching the news, reading articles, emailing with friends, etc. I felt a bit lost that day, but I knew I owed it to myself to carry on. Carry on with life and with my passions. I studied as best as I could, and I chose to attend the BubblyFest LA PopUp event. And I am glad I did. It was nice to connect with people, albeit strangers. I felt myself look people in the eye a bit stronger, smile a bit longer, and to ultimately be present. Present to life, to each other, and even to wine. Wine is something that I love. It is a living breathing thing that Mother Earth so generously gives to us. For one hour on that Sunday I let go and enjoyed wine. Really simple. I went from table to table and sipped and enjoyed wines. Some of my highlights were from: Palmina Winery, J Vineyards & Winery, Hagafen Cellars, and Gruet Winery.

Tasting from Mia Rosa upon arrival 

I am happy to report that I have also been granted a press pass for the main event, BubblyFest by the Sea in Avila Beach, CA in October. BubblyFest is the only festival dedicated to Sparkling Wine in the United States. It is sure to be a tremendous event and I am honored to report on it. Stay tuned for posts leading up to the main event.

WSET Diploma Update

Believe it or not, I am almost halfway done with my WEST studies.  I started in July of 2015 and really had no idea what I was getting into and what to expect.  Fast forward and I have taken 4 exams and completed a research paper.  Only 2 exams remain before I finish my WSET studies!

Here is a breakdown of where I stand:

Unit 1: The Business of Wine and Spirits
     Case Study PASSED
     Research Paper AWAITING RESULTS

Unit 2: Viticulture & Vinification PASSED

Unit 3: Still Wines of the World SESSIONS BEGIN IN OCTOBER; EXAM JUNE 2017

Unit 4: Spirits PASSED

Unit 5: Sparkling Wines PASSED

Unit 6: Fortified Wines EXAM JUNE 14TH

I am happy to report that I have passed all of the Diploma exams that I have taken this far.  Considering that I do not work in the wine biz and do not have access to wine on a daily basis, I am extremely proud!  When I walked into class last July and we all shared a little about ourselves, most of my 18 cohorts shared that they work in the business.  I felt like an underdog and was a bit intimidated.  I was pretty sure I'd have to study a lot more and spend more time on things than my classmates.  Whether I am doing that or not, something is working!

My time now is spent preparing for the Fortified Wines exam on June 14th.  With fortified wines we study Sherry (from Spain), Port (from Portugal), Madeira (from the island of the same name), and a few other fortifieds including: vin doux naturel from a few regions in France and Australia's Rutherglen Muscat.

I will report back once I sit my fortified exam on Tuesday June 14th.  Until then.......  

Final Word on Spirits

It is with excitement and relief that I share that I have passed the Spirits exam I took back in March! This spirits exam was the hardest exam I have taken thus far (as you can see below from my initial observations immediately after the exam). When I got the results via email from our instructor, I almost jumped out of my chair! To not have to retake this exam is a HUGE relief.

Below is a post I was going to put up just after the exam, but time got the best of me and I never got to it. It's a recap of my road to the Spirits exam. Enjoy and stay tuned next week for an update on how my studies are progressing.

Hello readers! Long time no talk. To say that life has been crazy busy is an understatement! As you may know, my Spirits exam (Unit 4) is behind me. I took the exam, which consisted of 3 blind tastings and 3 short answer questions, on March 9. This was a tough one. When I took my last exam (Sparkling Unit 5), I felt very confident that I passed. This time I am on the fence. It was a tough exam for me, and I think I am right on the cusp of passing or not passing. All I can do is wait until the results are released, which is in about 8 weeks.

Leading up to the Spirits exam I did a lot of practical prep: tasting groups, tasting events, distillery tours, etc. Here is a quick snapshot of my path to the Spirits exam.

A cornerstone of WSET study is tasting groups. All exams have a tasting component, and you can’t be expected to pass the tasting portion of the exams if you don’t have the experience in tasting all of the spirits that could be on the exam. I talk to friends about these tastings and they’re dumbfounded that in blind tastings, a rum could be mistaken for a whisky, or that it can be difficult to discern the difference between a Scotch whiskey and a Bourbon. I assure you, it’s tough! When the spirits are not blind, it is a piece of cake. You taste a Bourbon and you’re like “of course this is Bourbon!”. There is no question. But when the spirits are blind, your lack of confidence can get the best of you.

Spirits Tasting Group

When blind tasting spirits, the first place to start is with the base material. All spirits are made with a base material that contains sugar/carbs. This base material is then converted to sugar (if necessary), fermented, and then distilled to produce the end product, a spirit. Common base materials are listed below:

Fruit

Cognac/Armagnac (grapes), Brandy de Jerez (grapes), Pisco (grapes), Grappa (grapes), Calvados (apple), Poire Williams (pear), Framboise (raspberry), kirsch (cherry)

Grain

Whiskey, Whisky, Bourbon, Vodka, Gin, Genever

Sugar Cane/Molasses

Rum, Rhum Agricole, Cachaca

Agave

Tequila, Mezcal

Flavored Spirits

Absinthe, Pernod, Pastis, Ouzo, Raki, Bitters

Liqueurs

Chartreuse, Sambuca, Curacao, Triple Sec, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Limoncello, Southern Comfort, Kahlua, Baileys

Another strategy for spirits study is to visit a distillery. In my case, I was able to visit two of them: Greenbar Craft Distillery in Downtown LA and Bendistillery in Bend, Oregon. A good chunk of spirits study is to learn HOW spirits are distilled. What is the process to take a fermented liquid, put that liquid in a still, and distill the liquid until you have the desired flavors, style/quality, and alcohol level. The answer is not a simple one. There are pot stills (for more small-batch artisan spirits) and column stills (used for most commercial spirits), and there are a slew of other choices that are made along the way as well. When you visit a distillery, you physically see a still and can make out all the pieces. It is TREMENDOUSLY helpful to see a still in person, versus viewing diagrams in a book that don’t actually look like real machines.

Pot/Column Still at Bendistillery in Bend, OR

Pot/Column Still at Greenbar Distillery in Downtown LA

Fermentation Tanks at Greenbar Distillery in Downtown LA

Oak Casks at Greenbar Distillery in Downtown LA

Another form of study is to go to spirits tasting events. Our WSET classes take place at the Wine House in West LA. The Wine House is big on educating their customers. They offer all sorts of classes and tasting events at various levels. One of the events I went to was a Royal Dutch Distillers tasting. We had a chance to try a vodka, a gin, a celery gin, a genever, and a Mandarin Napoleon. We first tried the spirits neat, and then each in a cocktail. My favorite part of the tasting was to smell all of the different botanicals that go into the gin. They had small containers of each: angelica, orris, fennel, coriander, cardamom, carob, and celery leaf. Here are 3 of the recipes from that evening.

Old Fashioned

2 oz Genever

¼ oz simple syrup

Dash Angostura bitters

Dash orange bitters

Orange peel (garnish)

Lemon peel (garnish)


Tom Collins

1.5 oz vodka

1 oz mandarin napoleon

¾ oz fresh lemon juice

¼ oz simple syrup

Top with soda


Gin and Tonic

1.5 oz celery gin

3-4 oz tonic

Rosemary sprig (garnish)

Juniper berries (garnish)

Cucumber (garnish)

Next week I will give an update on where my studies stand now that I have passed the Spirits exam.

I'm Back!

It goes without saying that there is not enough wine in my life! Being a wine blogger and a somm student, people think that I swim in wine, and that is not the case.  As you may have noticed, I took an unplanned sabbatical from my SOMMspirations duties.  Life called, and it called loud and clear.  As it turns out, I had many responsibilities happen all at once and they needed my attention.  This included a large 600-person gala that I planned, a wine exam, a wine research paper, and moving my home!  It was a lot to handle in a short window of time, and some of my commitments had to take a backseat.  This included working out, cooking, and this blog.

I can report that it was a tough couple of months.  I was not on my usual regimented schedule, and a bit of my sanity suffered.  I am a creature of habit, I like writing "to do" lists and crossing things off methodically. Coming home from work and cooking a meal from scratch for myself and my husband and serving it with some great wine is a delight.  Laying in bed reading a great book before falling asleep is my idea of a good night.   All this was paused.  I think I had a glass of wine for pleasure once (maybe twice) in that time period.  It was a dark time (I'm only semi-kidding here), and I am starting to see the light.

My event was a splashing success, another exam is done, research paper is turned in, and we're about 85% unpacked in our new place.  My days are starting to smooth out quite a bit and I LOVE it.  Last night I went home and make a pizza with dill creme fraiche and smoked salmon (a la Wolfgang Puck).  It was delicious!

Stay tuned later this week for an update on my studies and where I stand in the Diploma syllabus. Believe it or not, I am just about halfway done!