Vino In My Dino

Being a Road Wine Warrior

November 4, 2015 13:29

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Part of my job, year round, is to travel to various markets I am in charge of and work with our wholesalers, bringing recognition to our brand by presenting wine to both retail and restaurant wine buyers. As an example I’ll use my trip last week to North Carolina where we are working with a new wholesaler.

My week began as I headed from SFO to Charlotte on Monday. The next day I was picked up at 9:30 by Charles and the first stop of the day was very unusual. We met at the retailer’s home. This was a first for me in all the years I have worked various markets. And it was fun too-he treated us to a great pot of coffee while there. Our stops over the day included many gathering spots across Charlotte and lunch at Rooster’s, a former restaurant for Charles who was a chef before getting into the wholesale side of things. With great response to our wines I moved on to Raleigh where I would be stationed for the rest of the week.

I hadn’t worked this particular market in quite a few years. I had forgotten how very genuine and friendly North Carolinians are. As we worked our way through the accounts on Wednesday, I met up with old friends who have sold our wine for many years as well as meeting new friends who appreciated the wines for their QPR-quality-price ratio. Dinner at one of my favorite spots, and well known gathering place, The Angus Barn completed the day.

Josh picked me up on Thursday for a focus on the Hope Valley/Chapel Hill area. More visits, more conversation, more sales as I was whisked from account to account with great conversation flowing in the car between stops. Fueled by a really good cup of coffee of course. I had mentioned how much I love champagne and sparkling wine and we ended our day at a lovely spot with a glass of bubbly.

To finish off the week I presented our wines to the sales team at the wholesaler’s offices on Friday. Talking about my family and our history in Dry Creek Valley while going through each of the wines in their portfolio was fun because at this type of meeting there is more give and take between the sales reps and me. Some of them called out a favorite wine, some asked more questions about the winery. I ended up signing some wine bottles and then visited one more account on the way to the airport. I went home knowing I had planted a lot of seeds and know the next time I visit there will be even more opportunities! With a splash of Zinfandel in my Dino to all my friends in the great state of North Carolina.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Market Work, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
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Cellar know-how: Wine Diamonds and how to prevent them

October 23, 2015 13:45

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More cellar know-how continues in my posts this month along with other vineyard matters. Today I am focusing on cold stabilization and how important it is to white wine production.

Cold stabilization is the only method we use for our white wines, rosé and even our Pinot Noir in order to prevent a certain type of sediment. This procedure is to make sure you don’t get potassium bitartrates, commonly referred to as tartrates (and wine diamonds), in your wine once it has been refrigerated or caught on a shipment in the deep freeze north or perhaps thrown in your freezer for a quick chill and you forgot to take it out in 30 minutes. This means the temperature controlled stainless steel tanks are brought down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit and the harmless wine diamonds drop and are filtered out. Simple as that-a toast to cellar work post-harvest with a splash of Chardonnay in my Dino.

Frosty 2015 Sauvignon Blanc during the cold stabilization period to remove tartrates.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Sauvignon Blanc, Cellar
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Harvest leftovers

October 9, 2015 13:52

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More harvest know-how continues in my posts this month along with other vineyard and cellar matters. Today I am talking about the ‘leftovers’ of harvest: stems, pomace and lees.

Stems are the first to go once grapes have arrived at the crush pad. The destemming happens before the grapes are transferred to fermentation tanks. The stems at Pedroncelli are used as erosion control along the vineyard avenues.

Pomace is the name for the skins and seeds left from either white wine production when they are removed by pressing the berries before fermentation or red wine production when they are fermented with the juice to extract flavor and color. Once through the press the pomace is transferred to an area on our vineyard where it will be tarped for one year and then used to add nutrients to the vineyard.

Lees are what is left from fermentation in both white and red wine production. The dregs of the tanks or barrels are filtered out so your glass of wine isn’t cloudy or gunky. These cakes of dead yeast cells are composted. Sometimes we don’t filter the lees right away when, for instance, a small lot of our F. Johnson Vineyard Chardonnay is barrel fermented and the lees are kept in barrel for seven months of aging and the lees are stirred to give the wine more complexity.

(I found this photo of a barrel section with lees at the bottom before filtering.)

A splash of F. Johnson Vineyard Chardonnay in my Dino to celebrate harvest leftovers.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Harvest
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2015 vs 2012

October 2, 2015 13:59

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More harvest know-how continues in my blog this month along with other cellar and vineyard post-season matters. Today I am comparing the difference between Cabernet Sauvignon which has just completed its’ fermentation process and gone through the press with a current release that is three years older. The new wine has just spent 10 days in a temperature controlled stainless steel tank with the cap of skins where all the color and flavor is stored. Pumpovers each day ensure the juice is in frequent contact with the cap. The differences aren’t too far apart when you look at the depth of color in the glasses-it is quite opaque. I see the real difference in the rim of the wine.

The brilliant purple color of the new wine contrasts with the browner, reddish tones of the Cabernet that has been aged for one year in oak and bottle aged for another. In a few months the new Cabernet will be put to bed for its’ year in oak around January. The process of aging the wine will soften it, the color will also change from the deep purple to a red or garnet hue through the slow oxidation over the twelve months. When the wine is bottled and continues aging it also begins to change color but this is a slow process, taking several years, and ultimately fades a bit with time.

Thanks to Robert F. for sending the photo of our 1974 Cabernet-you can see the color change in this now 40 year old wine. A splash of Cabernet, young or old, in my Dino today!

Tags: Pedroncelli, wine tasting, Vintage Wine, Vintage Year, Cabernet Sauvignon
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More harvest know-how: The Cellar

September 25, 2015 14:08

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Pressing matters. Literally. Once the red wine tank is done with its’ primary fermentation it is time to put the young wine through the press which separates the skins and seeds from the newly fermented grape juice. The skins and seeds are conveyed away and are now known as pomace. The pomace will be spread around the vineyards in a year, after it has taken the cure under a tarp.

Once the pressing is done the wine is transferred to another tank for its’ secondary fermentation. This is known as malolactic fermentation and turns a somewhat harsh acid to a milder one. Think tart green apple (malic acid) turned to softer butter-like acid (lactic) by introducing lactic acid bacteria. If you have heard of ‘buttery’ Chardonnay it is likely it underwent malolactic fermentation. In red wine the process is there to do its’ job of making the wine more palatable. How long does all of this fermenting take? 2-3 weeks typically. We’ll be finished soon-and then the wine will rest before being transferred to barrels in January. A toast to the harvest and all the people who made it happen!

This is a shot from harvest in 2006 of Humberto De La O (now retired) is pictured here overseeing the pressing of one of our red wines. Photo credit: Hipolito Cano, Cellar Master.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Harvest, Cellar, fermentation
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Last Day of Harvest

September 23, 2015 14:15

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The final day of grape harvest is here. What began in a flurry of days in August-the 17th to be exact-turned into a bit of a slow down as the weeks progressed. The last day is here for the grapes and the cellar crew isn't breathing a sigh of relief just yet-there is fermentation to go through as well as pressing off the wines from the tanks. More cellar talk to follow but I'll raise my Dino to all the hard work of the staff from winemaker to cellar master to vineyard foreman to vineyard manager and everyone in between. Saluté!

Bushnell Zinfandel, second crop, the last load of grapes for the season.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Harvest, Bushnell Vineyard, Zinfandel
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Harvest Know-how: Pump Overs

September 18, 2015 14:19

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Harvest know how takes focus from when to pick the grapes to how long fermentation lasts, and everything in between. Today I am taking a look at the term pump-over and what this process does to increase wine quality during the fermenting process.

Beginning at the crush pad, the bunches are destemmed. The grapes (now berries with a lot of juice) fill the tank and are inoculated with the yeast chosen for the varietal. The process of converting sugar in the ripe fruit to alcohol begins. A tank full of red wine grapes typically takes about 10 days to finish fermentation. Technology stepped in years ago to help the cellar crew slow the process. They found the longer fermentation takes the more you get out of the grape and the quality of wine goes up. The new technology has been a part of our cellar since the 1970s.

Thanks to our Cellarmaster Hipolito Cano, here is a bird's eye view of a pumpover.

The pump-over process is designed to get the most out of the cap that floats to the top of the tank. The cap consists of skins and seeds. The pump-over method has the fermenting juice pumped from the bottom of the tank over the top of the cap-thereby soaking the juice in the skins where all the color, tannins and flavor are located. The increase in all three of these important characteristics helps to make a better wine. This takes place three times a day during the length of time it takes to ferment dry.

A toast to the cellar crew with a splash of Zinfandel in my Dino!

Tags: Pedroncelli, Harvest, fermentation
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Harvest Know how: Berry Maturity

September 4, 2015 14:24

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Grapes, like most growing things, have stages they will go through in order to achieve the desired combination of ripeness for a specific wine. I chose today’s post to take a look at our Sangiovese and how it achieves proper maturity for our Alto Vineyards selection.

The four stages of development in grapes range from the green stage, the ripening stage, the ripe stage and the overripe stage. Obviously we target the ripe stage because in this state the resulting wine will benefit greatly when sugar, acid and pH are at their optimum levels. Like the story of the three bears, you want the fruit not too sharp (acidic or green), not overly ripe (alcoholic), but just right.

The composition of a berry on a bunch is comprised of seeds (10%), skin (5-12%), juice (containing fructose and glucose), many nutrients and minerals in minuscule amounts, and water (70-80%). You’ll see in the photo below I have cut a berry in half and then taken out the seeds. These are chestnut brown color; this color is one of the ways to determine the right moment to pick. Sampling, as seen in a previous post, will confirm when the fruit is ready by measuring the sugar, acidity and pH.

Once the fruit was destemmed at the crush pad, the Sangiovese berries (juice, skins, seeds) made their way to the fermenting tank. Here the cellar crew takes an overall look at the combined Brix (sugar), acidity and pH of the 15.1 tons in the tank. There is a total Brix (sugar) of 25.2, total acidity of .765 and pH of 3.11. Over the next 10 days or so, in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, the fermentation process will convert the sugar to alcohol and it is recorded as seen in the form below.

To give you an idea of these three components in a finished wine here are the stats on our 2012 Sangiovese: alcohol (formerly known as Brix) 14.1%, total acidity is .690g and pH is 3.43. A splash of Sangiovese in my Dino as the harvest continues.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Harvest, Sangiovese, vineyard
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Harvest Know-how: From Grape Boxes to Gondolas

August 28, 2015 14:39

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Picking grapes at their optimum ripeness level is very important to the vineyard manager as well as the winemaker. While we seek balance overall in the fruit we harvest, today’s post is about what those grapes are put in once cut from the vine.

I remember in the 1960’s watching pick-up trucks bring the harvest to the winery weighed down with boxes of grapes. These grape boxes were used many years ago and they were wooden and very heavy-weighing in at over 50lbs once filled with grapes. Once at the crush pad they were dumped one by one into the crusher. Most of these are now gracing barns and storage as they are rarely if ever used by picking crews these days.

Plastic buckets are used now and are smaller and easier to lift because, when filled with grapes, they weigh 25 pounds. And lighter tubs means faster work between the vine and gondola. Speed is an element greatly desired by those who are picking the grapes-more boxes/buckets/tubs means more money in the bank. Once the tubs of grapes are filled they are whisked to the gondola, waiting at the end of the vine row several feet away. Speed as a runner is also important to empty the grapes and get back to the business of picking.

To give you an idea about a day in the life of the harvest here is the report from Wednesday’s crush: The following loads came in: Chardonnay from Frank Johnson Vineyards, Merlot from estate vineyards as well as the neighboring Long Vineyards. The total tonnage was roughly 75 tons, which is well above the usual amount for a regular harvest day, which is nearer to 40 tons. The Chardonnay was machine harvested but the rest was all handpicked. A toast with a splash of Chardonnay in my Dino to all the hands picking and making our wines!

A wooden grape box that typically held 50 lbs of grapes.

The crew in 2006, photo courtesy of Cellar Master Hipolito Cano who journaled the harvest.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Harvest, Chardonnay, machine harvesting
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First Pick

August 20, 2015 14:47

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First day of harvest is much like the first day of school, at least for the grapes. Or maybe like a final exam. They have been growing and maturing all summer long and now the big day is here: the first gondola of harvest. This year's vintage kicked off on August 17.

The crew had been picking since 6am. The first two gondolas of our Sauvignon Blanc arrived around 9:30 to weigh in at the scale. Together they totaled 10,575 lbs and a sample was taken by the cellar crew to determine Brix (sugar), pH and acidity. They were transported to the crush pad where the gondola was tipped into the conveyor. You see Polo Cano, our cellarmaster, at the crush pad.

As the grapes were poured from the gondola two generations of Pedroncellis stood by to check out the quality. Jim Pedroncelli (2nd generation) on the left and Mitch Blakeley (4th generation) on the right. 2015 is starting out early and going to go very quickly as most other vineyards are nearing what is called proper maturity. You’ll remember our bud break was early and the season following has been mostly mild and without many problems. A toast to the 2015 vintage with a splash of Sauvignon Blanc in my Dino!

Tags: Pedroncelli, Harvest, Sauvignon Blanc
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