Vino In My Dino

Hitting the Brix

August 13, 2015 14:56

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Sampling the grapes from a vineyard block determines how ready or close we are to picking them. Today’s post is about vineyard sampling.

Judging when a varietal is ready for harvest is crucial. There are quite a few headlines about early harvest this year but keep in mind that many of these vineyards are destined for sparkling wine production. Needless to say we’ll be harvesting our first grapes, Sauvignon Blanc, next Monday. This is a few days earlier than last year but not the earliest on record-that would be August 11, 2004. Taking a vineyard sample is the way all wineries determine when to pick.

So how is it done? The vineyard manager or foreman will walk through a vineyard block to take a sampling of berries from random vines, culling a good cross section of grapes. The sample is brought back to the winery and analyzed in the lab. There are three main and very important indicators from the sample: brix (sugar), titratable acidity and pH. Ideally the winemaker wants all three to be in balance-you may have the sugar but are lacking perhaps in acidity. The waiting begins as the sampling takes place over the course of a couple of weeks leading up to the big day. Of course you can always test berries in the field using a refractometer which will give you a quick reading. For accuracy’s sake the lab test helps determine the optimum levels in the three important areas indicating the right time to pick. Here is a great video (a very geeky one in my opinion, love the voice-over) on how it is done, thanks to Yakima Valley Community College. A toast to harvest as we get closer to our 2015 vintage.

A beauty shot of our Merlot from a previous vintage looking luscious.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Merlot, vineyard, Harvest
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Harvest Know-How: Waiting

August 7, 2015 15:01

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This month the theme is harvest know-how and today’s topic is waiting. Patience is a virtue especially when it comes to the starting date of harvest. Tom Petty had it right when he sang “the waiting is the hardest part”. Lance our vineyard manager and his crew are out testing the vineyard blocks for ripeness and keeping an eye on things between our vineyards and our grower’s grapes. He works with Montse to target a picking date but it seems we’ll be waiting another 10 days or so, depending on the weather and other conditions.

Now the vineyard crew is kept busy pulling leaves to expose the ripening fruit to the full benefit of the sun, the cellar crew is wrapping up bottling because they won’t begin this process again until November, following the final pressing of new wine and gearing back up for the next tank of finished wine. Preparation of the crush area as well as repair on any of the equipment is in the last stages, deep cleaning is taking place in the cellar. We’re anticipating a somewhat early harvest and stand ready for the first load of fruit to cross the crush pad. A toast to waiting for the perfect moment to pick.

The vineyards are slowly ripening with our warm days and fog-infused nights. Seen here is our Sangiovese terraces in late morning as the fog burns away.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Harvest, Sangiovese
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Harvest Know-How: Growing Season

August 5, 2015 15:06

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This month’s theme is a behind-the-scene look at harvest and everything leading up to it. Today’s post is about the growing season and what we have experienced so far.

The growing season stretches from bud-break to the first grapes harvested. After that we usually refer to it as the harvest season and all the successes and challenges of that time period. Bud break occurred very early this year where some of the vines were coming out of dormancy in the very beginning of March, about 3 weeks early because of the warm winter weather. It felt like spring in February. This was followed by bloom and crop set taking place over April and May, also a bit earlier than normal. The ensuing weather during June and July gave us some warm to hot days, some as high as 102 while others were in the 80’s. The vineyards then experienced veraison -the period when the hard green berries on the developing bunches start to soften and turn color. Another influence over this season was the drought we are currently experiencing.

Here are two views of the upcoming harvest as outlined by our winemaker Montse Reece and Vineyard Manager Lance Blakeley at the end of July:

Montse said, “We are 2-3 weeks to harvest of our Sauvignon Blanc. Yields overall are average. We do have smaller berries due in part to the drought. With less water in the berries they are more concentrated. We will be picking as early as possible to avoid high alcohols in the wine.”

Lance said, “Early-around August 14-18 for Sauvignon Blanc. Quality looks very good but yields are lighter-Zin off 10% from last year. Vines are averaging themselves out from the larger crops in 2012 and 2013. As to the drought, this year we have been affected less than last year because we had more rainfall but we followed the extreme water-saving model from 2013 where we set up shorter water cycles and tried to stretch the intervals as best we can. We watch for yellowing leaves (a sign of vine stress) and cut back overall. We noticed smaller berries from shattering in the spring and think the grapes will achieve good ripeness in spite of some challenges.”

A toast to the upcoming harvest with some vino in my Dino.

Here is a comparison of Cabernet Sauvignon, on the left, and Zinfandel on the right. These were taken in July and show the process of veraison, a pivotal point in the growing season.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Harvest, vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel
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Winespeak: Body

July 31, 2015 15:11

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Ending the month with a fairly well known wine word, body, seems appropriate as we end the theme about winespeak and move on to harvest know-how in August.

When I drink water, juice or even vodka there is a mouthfeel (another winespeak word) as the liquid rolls around in your mouth on its way to your tummy. Our mouths, while used for speaking, breathing and a variety of other useful functions, taste and feel the beverage and is a large part of enjoying them. Body in wine is what you experience-is it heavy? Light? How does it interact with your taste buds?

It is the ‘feel’ of wine. The weight on your tongue is what adds quite a bit to the tasting experience. And wine is not self-conscious, it doesn’t mind being called full-bodied. When stepping into the wine & food arena, you have some choices to make that pertains to the body of a wine. While I don’t make a lot of food & wine suggestions (leaving it up to you and your own taste) I like pairing a Zinfandel with ribs or Chardonnay with prawns because the body has a lot to do with how well the wine goes with food. Too heavy and it overpowers the pairing. Too light and the food overpowers the wine match. The alcohol level is one indicator of body as are the tannins and acidity. Check labels and tasting notes for information about these and become acquainted with the styles of varietals as well as wines. A touch of Sangiovese with my Margherita pizza will fill the bill tonight.

A splash of vino with Margherita pizza at the famous Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven CT, a great pairing.

Tags: Pedroncelli, food and wine, wine tasting, winespeak
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Winespeak: Fruit

July 29, 2015 15:16

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All kinds of images come to mind when I think of fruity wines, but what does it really mean? Are red and white wines really ‘fruity’ like a tropical drink or Juicy Fruit gum? Wine grapes, after all, are fruit. I write fact sheets for our wines and they always include tasting notes. I rely on our winemaker Montse and cellarmaster Polo to help flesh them out-and each of us comes up with fruit descriptors that come close to what we taste and smell in a particular wine. Sometimes there is grapefruit in our Sauvignon Blanc or ripe black plum in our Cabernet Sauvignon. But these are descriptors and you might taste or smell something completely different. When tasting wine we need to rely on our own aroma history to come up with ways to describe what is in the glass.

When I was first learning about wine one of my favorite classes was at UC Davis where John Buechsenstein taught a wine sensory evaluation course. With several rows of samples in front of me, each glass held a neutral wine with something extra: a cherry lifesaver, fresh herb, black peppercorns, bell pepper. I swirled and sniffed my way through the samples thereby learning through an intense aroma experience. The lifesaver, as intense as it was, helped establish the fruit character in my aroma library. With this in mind when you try a new wine or open an old favorite, keep the fruit in mind—and try to discern just how a wine grape can be so complex. A splash of Chardonnay with notes of pineapple and lemon in my Dino please.

Tags: Pedroncelli, winespeak, wine tasting
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Winespeak: Tannins

July 24, 2015 15:22

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Posts this month focus on what I call ‘winespeak’ which are terms that sometimes are obvious in meaning and others are not. Today’s word is tannin.

Recently I was talking to someone who was learning about wine and all the facets found in the taste of wine. He owns a restaurant and was looking for wines to pair with the style of food (Indonesian). I began talking about how acidity and tannins are the links between a great food and wine pairing because each plays an important role in the interplay between the two. I described tannins to him by saying, “remember when you were a kid and you licked a piece of chalk?” I then compared this feeling on the tongue to how tannins in red wine feel. Dusty, drying, almost gritty. And this is also why wines with tannins pair so well with food, especially rich in fat like cheese, steak, or ribs. It is the astringent quality in them which pairs so well with these types of food.

Where do they come from? The reason red wines are the tannin conveyors instead of white wines is because the reds are fermented with the grape skins-and they are the source of tannins. (White wines still have some tannin but a very low amount.) Tannins add body (a term for another day) framing the fruit and acidity. They also soften with age and become better in balance after a year in oak and more time in the bottle. A little Cabernet Sauvignon in my Dino will go nicely with this grilled steak.

Since you can’t photograph tannins I’ll leave you with a shot of our Cabernet Sauvignon ready for harvest in a previous vintage.

Tags: Pedroncelli, winespeak, wine tasting, Cabernet Sauvignon
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Winespeak: Acidity

July 22, 2015 15:39

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Posts this month focus on what I call winespeak which are terms that sometimes are obvious in meaning and others are not. Today’s word is acidity.

Acidity is what you would call a building block toward balance in wine. Less of it and the wine becomes flabby, too much and your lips will pucker. Levels of acidity start with grapes and depend on the type of climate where they are grown. Dry Creek Valley, for instance, has warm days bracketed by marine fog. The cooling fog layer rolls in at the end of the day and stays sometimes until mid-morning. The combination both ripens and evens the development in the grapes by using a little refrigerator action in the evenings. Wines from warmer regions develop as well but in a different way. It is the reason we as farmers are concerned if the weather is too hot or too cool and the development isn’t all we hope for during the growing season.

Basically wine has two types of acid: malic acid and lactic acid. Well you start with malic and in order to soften this sharp acidity the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation. The malic acid (think tart green apple) converts to lactic acid (dairy or butter essence) and makes the wine easier to swallow. The process is called malolactic fermentation by the way. All red wines undergo this conversion and some white wines do as well, like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. It all depends on the style the winemaker would like to achieve. And sometimes the decision to add more acid comes into play, depending on the inclination to higher or lower acidity. This year I am hanging my wine tasting hat on high acid white wines-so refreshing and crisp! A splash of Sauvignon Blanc in my Dino please.

Sauvignon Blanc and a close-to-harvest shot from a previous vintage. We're not there yet but getting very close to picking the 2015 vintage!

Tags: Pedroncelli, winespeak, Sauvignon Blanc, wine tasting
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On Vacation

July 10, 2015 15:44

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The grapes aren't on vacation this month. They are turning color (veraison is the term) and beginning their journey to harvest.

Tags: Pedroncelli, Harvest, Veraison
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Winespeak: Color

July 2, 2015 15:48

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Posts this month focus on what I call Winespeak which are terms that sometimes are obvious in meaning and others are not. Today’s word is color.

In the beginning, as the berries develop, they are the same color: green. As they develop color, called veraison, the green pea colored berries turn either purple for red wine grapes or a golden or yellow color for white wine grapes. Color of wine is the first thing you notice when it is poured into your glass. When it is a white wine you have a color spectrum of light yellow to golden brown (this would be leaning toward an older wine). When it is a red you can go from light garnet to deep purple to brownish edged red (also an aged wine). It all depends on the varietal and aging-whether oak or time in the bottle.

White wines often are pale yellow with a tinge of green, just a tinge. As some wines are aged you’ll have a deeper hue of dark gold. Do you know why the wine is so clear? Or have you ever had a cloudy glass of wine? Fining and filtering help clarify the wine so it is clear in your glass. Note: not every winemaker filters wine so educate yourself! The mainstream wines typically are filtered but ask your local winemaker about the process.

Red wines run the gamut of light garnet (think Pinot Noir) to deep purple (Petite Sirah) and many shades in between. As they age, so does the color. Some of the wines from the 1970s I have tried are in the reddish-brown stage. A great way to really see the tones and color of wine is to hold a piece of white paper behind the glass and tilt it away to see the rim of the liquid. Here the background helps to define the color even more.

Enjoy the wine color spectrum as you enjoy your glass of Chardonnay or Zinfandel over the weekend. A toast to red and white wine with a splash in my Dino!

Tags: Pedroncelli, winespeak, wine tasting, Chardonnay, Zinfandel
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Wrapping Up 30 Years

June 30, 2015 15:54

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When my husband Ed and I were talking about what you learn over 30 years working for a family business we agreed it is hard to quantify all the changes because experience and know-how take time.

Getting comfortable in your own skin: I am who I am. When I took a public speaking class many years ago I learned the how-tos of presenting our story to a crowd but it took me a while to be myself. Some additional coaching by my husband Ed helped to find my voice but the experience of doing it over and over again made me the most comfortable, becoming more confident over time. While traveling to markets my dad had established, I’d hear stories and urban legends about him. He, like me, is an introvert, and had his ‘on the road’ persona JP that was known far and wide. I blazed my own trail and I appreciate the time it took to shape my story.

Family business means family is your business. A while ago I went to a seminar and learned the statistics are against a family business succeeding beyond the second generation, by a large margin. Yet my family-with great thanks to the first two generations-has prospered now to the third generation. Taking care of each family member will be challenging as we get to the expanding fourth and fifth generations but the lesson learned is family is your business.

Really know wine and love it. Know it like the back of your hand. I love wine-all kinds especially Champagne with a capital C. I have spent my life tasting through our wines and have what we affectionately refer to as a Pedroncelli Palate. Having a house palate is great but a bit limiting because there are so many more wines to discover. I often find myself at wine events advising new-to-wine tasters to try everything because you can always pour out the wine and move on to the next one. You have to start somewhere!

30 years of working in my family’s business has gifted me with a deep knowledge of our family’s history as well as that of the Dry Creek Valley. I wouldn’t trade it for anything and am thankful for the opportunity to continue our legacy. A toast to 30 years with Zinfandel in my Dino.

My sister Cathy and me at a tasting in 1988-as far back as I will go!

Tags: Pedroncelli, family business, Dry Creek Valley, family
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