WiVi WOWS AT MARCH GATHERING - DAY TWO ©

Yes, there is more to report on WiVi and I'll attempt to focus on the items of general interest to you, the consumer.  First up was the Keynote speaker. Peter Faricy runs the entire Amazon Marketplace operation and told us all about a new place for you to purchase wine. They have opened a Wine Store on the site and are rapidly signing up wineries who offer you the opportunity to shop at Amazon and add a bottle or two of vino to your book, music or other selections and check out a single cart vs. going to multiple sites. From the activity at their trade show booth, interest is high in this new way to sell direct to consumer. They currently may ship wine purchases to seventeen states (the winery fulfills the shipping order) and are adding more as the needed paperwork is completed.

The morning general session was a panel discussion of "Quality vs. Quantity" among a winemaker, viticulturist and vineyard manager. For my audience, the important message was a caution re: tons per acre. The cachet of low yield making better wines does not hold up in research. As one presenter noted, "If low yield is good, is no yield better". Given the vast differences in vine density and vigor of the vines from rootstock choice, soil and moisture, pounds per vine is perhaps the best new measure. Filling the trellis, i.e. maximizing the area of cultivation, is key to a balanced vineyard and that is a product of canopy management. That provides the proper combination of sun and shade/air circulation that allows individual clusters of grapes to evenly ripen. So, now you are armed with some "stump the tasting room" staff questions.

Sessions on pests, and vineyard practices from the ground up to the canopy (viticulture) and new product demonstrations were held in the afternoon. The final enology session was the fun one for this writer and of interest to you, the wine drinker. It also gave me a chance to catch up with panel moderator Lance Cutler. Former winemaker at Gundlach-Bundschu, a wine I represented at wholesale, he now contributes to the hosting Wine Business Monthly publication. I'd also worked with Justin's wine production guru, Fred Holloway, in the past and had met another panelist, Guilliaume Fabre of L'Aventure, during a professional wine society tour a few years back.

It was a comparative tasting of similar blended reds from three regions. Look for Lance's article on this in a future edition of WBM. The group ran from 2006 to 2010 in vintage and $40 to $95 at retail. Primarily blended reds of the Bordeaux style, L'Aventure added a significant (and glass coating) amount of Syrah. One set was from Paso Robles. This included Isosceles '09 from Justin, L'Aventure  Estate Cuvee '10 and Robert Nicolas' (RN Estate) Cuvee de Trois Cepages '09. As with all the wines tasted, extensive notes on every aspect of production, soils, barrels, crushing and fermentation etc. were provided and discussed.

Napa offered Cain Five '07, a Howell Mountain (88%) Cabernet from Robert Craig and a red blend that included Sangiovese - Bacio Divino '06. From Washington came Baer Winery's Merlot and Cabernet Franc focused Ursa '10. Also, Rasa Vineyards '09 In Order to Form a More Perfect Union and Two Blondes Vineyard Red '09 from Andrew Will.

The drill for the tasting was to identify regional character. The short version of the consensus was that Paso and Napa differed in structure, primarily from the acid and tannin evident in them. Both areas had moderate to deep coloration and generally shared anise and dark berry notes to the nose. The Napa wines had distinctly more tannic attack, a drier and more aggressively chewy texture than those from Paso Robles. Paso showed softer tannins but also a hold on the acid balance that made them more accessible. They retained aging potential but were approachable for being youthful. All the wines were provided pre-poured with about two hours of air time.

The wines from Washington (to me) seemed to have less central defining character than the other regions. They were interesting, well made and differed individually within the group. They were also much nicer than many of the attempts I recall from earlier days of red wine experiments from that area. Maybe Lance's article will tie them together after more thought. But at this point, I saw them as different from Napa and Paso wines yet doubt I would carry over a true recollection that would lead to me identifying a Washington wine based on these varieties in a blind tasting.

All in all, the inaugural WiVi Central Coast was a fun and informative success. I look forward to the 2nd Annual version and believe it can become an important part of the wine trade calendar.

WiVi WOWS AT MARCH GATHERING, - DAY ONE ©

Under the co-hosting umbrella of Wine Business Monthly magazine and Precision Ag Consulting, the first annual WiVi, Wine & Viticulture Symposium and Tradeshow, more easily known as WiVi , kicked off the two day event bright and early on March 19th. The event was also supported by nearly thirty businesses who were participating sponsors. Held at the Paso Robles Event Center, the trade show and sessions filled the two main commercial display buildings with additional exhibitors in a central tented area. Another building housed the finale comparative tasting event. Attendees filled most of the remaining space!

The (paraphrased) stated mission of the effort - which is already in planning for the second annual version - is to present region-specific content and problem solving information via the resources and knowledge available from industry experts and educators as well as Wine Business Monthly and Precision Ag Consulting staff. That includes a wide range of experts in all aspects of the wine trade, from dirt to marketing, primary and continuing educational options and a statistical database on all things wine-ish.

While the focus of this blog is consumer and travel based information, much of the event was related to production and wine making products and services. It was not an event that many of my readers would be likely to attend - but I'll give you some reasons that might change your mind. It is a great way to better understand what all goes into the bottle you open as well as to rub elbows with grape growers and winemakers. There are also tasting events and seminars of more general interest. Even some of the tech based education seminars may relate well to home gardeners who are battling bugs and birds.

This format does not lend itself to long descriptions, though there is a lot to discuss. So, here are some highlights and sound bites of interest to my usual audience. Day one started out with a panel overview of what is happening on the Central Coast in terms of business. Gallo's Sr. Director of Marketing talked about how that company has been increasing brands, production facilities and vineyards in the region. This relates to you, the end user, in ways of which you are probably unaware. First, Gallo is a far different company than the one your parents knew. But they remain the 800 pound gorilla (albeit a more friendly-fuzzy one) in terms of leading trends and marketing, including research and data collection. They have the boots on the ground to do so and have many "graduates" of the system spread throughout the wine world. FYI, Gallo is now 65 brands and growing, covering most market sectors in terms of styles and pricing. Of the thirty largest wine producers, only six make in excess of 10M cases annually and Gallo (72M cs) sells 25% of the 284M cases those thirty represent. It is not uncommon for people to drink and enjoy a Gallo product and not even know it.

So, when Gallo says we on the Central Coast have a long way to go in becoming a market presence, people listen. Simply by reading this blog, you are among the cognoscenti in terms of wine knowledge by regional style. The take-aways of note were; east of the Mississippi, "Central Coast" may mean Tampa or Hilton Head; Syrah is fruit forward, inexpensive Australian wine in a box; California is more label sexy (could be Napa/Sonoma) than Central Coast; they have heard of Monterey (golf) and Santa Barbara (kid looking for cool college), but not Paso Robles or know that the entire area between the first two towns is covered in grape vines - and great wines.

Master Sommelier and Kimpton Hotels wine program director, Emily Wines seconded much of the above. Many of the company's restaurant operations are located in the east. She had surveyed her staff and related some of the responses to, "What is your impression of Central Coast wines". A few were on point and others brought a laugh. But it was obvious that they were neither well known nor thought of as a major factor in their primary market. Both of these presenters provided a good view of what needs to be done to ensure the Central Coast stands out among the 30,000 different wines (by bar code indicators) already on the shelves.

Overall, the state of the business is sound. Last year was generally good across California and saw continued growth in the Central Coast. The area is now at nearly 700 wineries with the state pushing through the 8,000 level being possible this year. Wineries indicate they are putting money into their operations and buying equipment, especially storage and fermentation tanks. They also saw significantly increased sales and profitability in 2012, which looks back to prior vintages, and the year itself was considered a great vintage for quality and quantity.

If wines released in 2012 are an indicator, with more area Wine Spectator Top 100 rated wines than Napa, last year's offerings should be worth the wait. What was grown here for you to enjoy in 2014? Chardonnay was 40% of production with Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir tied for 2nd at 21% each. Further down the line, and even behind Syrah for reds, was Zinfandel. I would recommend you continue to keep that variety from this area on your radar. Also look for Rhone whites and increasingly available experiments with lesser known reds (Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Barbera and Tempranillo) , and whites such as Albarino.

Then, lunch was served! Offered within the trade show space, it added to the chance to learn more and network with vendor representatives. Since my background is hospitality, I need to give some kudos to local "Cahoots" catering for an excellent job of handling the morning coffee & pastry, delicious (and plentiful) on site lunches and tasting time yummies.

Afternoon sessions were divided into a viticulture series on water usage and an enology section of problem solving in the winery. Panel participants included a well known and respected group of educators and scientists. Many came from the extensive California university system, which presented the PM kick off session "Beautiful Minds" with presenters from several of the schools offering "V&E" (viticulture and enology) degree programs and led by local legend, winery (15th largest) owner, Jerry Lohr. Lowell Zelinski PhD of hosting Precision Ag Consulting also led a general session on the 2012 growing season.

The day ended with a two hour reception and wine tasting. The set up allowed you to taste by AVA, with seven growing areas having pouring tables. Often the labels were changed out as bottles were emptied, allowing the crowd to return for new selections and get a great overview of the wines available and contrast them by growing locale.

AVA UPDATE ©

            A sidebar to WiVi attendance was the ability to speak with many representatives of various winery promotion & marketing groups. This allows me to update information previously provided, so I can help readers link to sources of information on places they might want to visit. One such, the Creston Wine Trail, was mentioned in a prior post re: upcoming events.

Of significance, the Santa Barbara area has added the Happy Canyon AVA (American Viticultural Area) designation to those (four) already in place. The area NW of lake Cachuma on the  east side of Santa Ynez Valley is a warm climate area that has seen recent vineyard development. It is likely to provide a region for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and other heat loving or late ripening varieties. This adds to the range of offerings, currently the cooler clime happy Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, for which the area is best known. This will also strengthen the "Diversity Perfected" tag line of the Santa Barbara County Vintner's Association (sbcountywines.com). That group now boasts 107 members from Alexander & Wayne to Zotovich Cellars and most letters in between.

Paso Robles AVA, currently the largest in California, may also see as many as eleven subsets in the future. Since the original formation of the existing AVA, there have been some minor adjustments (adding west side plantings) but it became evident that both soil and climate variations were too great to consider the entire region as one similar or specific growing area. The necessary paperwork is in the government pipeline. Stay tuned for more.

MEA CULPA ©

            I need to correct something mentioned in my VINO II post regarding Cayucos Cellars. As we are all aware, our government is looking for money under every rock and sin taxes are a favorite way of adding to the public's burden. Distillers and wineries are bonded under a government agreement. Inventory may be held within a bonded space with no tax penalty until they are actually moved into the distribution stream.

Once a case of wine is taken from the bonded storage area, bingo - the tax needs to be paid. In the case of many distilled products, the taxes add far more to the retail price than the cost to produce it. For those who like to deal with things that, "Just fell off a truck", liquor is a favorite since they can radically undercut the wholesale price. Of course, the government still holds the maker liable for the tax since once on the loading dock it is no longer under bond. If this is of interest to you, I recommend the book Proof by Dick Francis. An excellent English mystery writer and former jockey, he is a favorite of horse people as the stories always include an element of that lifestyle. In the case of Proof, a wine merchant get mixed up in a scam that launders money from stolen and falsely labeled beverages through the sales of race horses.

Now to the apology. In my comments about Cayucos Cellars, I mentioned their small level of production. I stated, unfortunately, the number of annual cases (500) as barrels. Big oops, thankfully pointed out to me by owner/winemaker Stuart Selkirk, who has no plans to make as much wine as I suggested. Hopefully I can shortstop some man in black with a clipboard from stopping by, dreams of unexpected revenue dancing in his head. Since there are only about 25 cases in a barrel, Cayucos needs only about 20 barrels, while my version would yield about twelve thousand more cases than they make!

"VINO" PROFILES SIX MORE ROCK STAR WINEMAKERS (II) ©

Still Waters Vineyards is about far SE as you can go and Paso Robles is still the address. There Paul and Patty Hoover watch over 60 acres of vines planted to Bordeaux and Rhone varieties. They sell much of the crop and, for the past decade, have produced a few thousand cases for their own label. Paul is a self taught wine maker but no novice to agriculture, having started farming and marketing his own produce at age six! His Cal Poly SLO degree is an ag related business management degree. With that sheepskin in hand he of course went off into the lodging business. While running the San Luis Bay Inn, the restaurant was a Wine Spectator  top 100 wine list and Paul had an allowance for wine sampling in his budget. He decided not to neglect that line item and developed his love of wine from the consumption side.

His hotel/food & beverage career mirrors mine in some respects and wine lists I've done for clients have also won awards from Spectator. In discussing this, we also discovered a mutual love of golf - another business with which I've had some acquaintance. Eventually, we got around to his wines. He was pouring Sauvignon Blanc, a four grape white blend and Merlot which I enjoyed while he explained his approach to winemaking.

Still Waters picks over a prolonged period, generally exceeding a month's time. In part this is to return to the same blocks and glean just the level of ripeness he is looking for, which vary significantly even with close proximity. It also gives him a feel for where in the cycle the grapes are at. He can communicate that to his fruit buyers to aid them in getting what they want for their own style of wine.

Another difference is his use of all new French oak for all his wines - not fermentation but a short time in barrel, around three months, to round out the flavors. He then converts those gently used vessels into his red wine production the following year - using extended time in wood that has the edge of new taken off. At that point he starts over, selling off the barrels. An interesting and not inexpensive approach that I think you will appreciate.

If you stop by the winery, you will enjoy far reaching vistas to the coastal range, gardens and picnic areas. For the Zin Fest weekend they will be open from 11 - 5 each day. Friday will feature special case pricing on Zinfandel, new release wines, tours, olive oil and barrel samplings. Saturday will get you a bowl of White Lightning Chili with jalapeno corn bread paired with a new Zin release and live music. Paul will host a blending party on Sunday and you can join in a group and try for the winning blend. Tasting and voting will happen after a BBQ lunch. Cost is $35 with wine club discounts and does require an RSVP.

 

Darren and Angela Mitchell are the business team at Mitchella Vineyards & Winery , a lovely little property formerly owned by his father, just off W46 on the east side of Paso Robles. Five years ago they built a house among the vines to replace the mobile home they'd lived in since planting the vineyard in 1997. Darren shares a trait with many winery owners, a serious turn in the career path somewhere behind him. Headed for the stock trade, he decided he didn't like sales. Now, that might not be ideal for someone that ended up with a highly competitive product to sell but then, he does have a marketing degree. I think, for you corporate types, there's an inside joke here.

Originally from the area, Mitchell met Angela (with a pair of degrees of her own) in the late 80s and they moved to Heritage Oaks after getting married. None of their combined education involved the wine industry but they were practical. When their taste in wine exceeded their budget they became home winemakers. Even their friends thought it was tasty so they entered a contest and won, two years running.

Then (and now) Darren ran a oil rig machinery company so it makes perfect sense that, with a couple of homemade wine medals, he and she should start a real winery. They have and under their theme, "Life's an adventure, drink wine", it has been well received. They specialize in small lots of estate wines including Zinfandel and a Malbec poured at the event.

Mitchella will participate in the March Zin Weekend if you'd like to try their version of the grape or the blends they produce from it, paired with artisan cheeses. Open all three days from 10 - 5, new releases will be featured as well as their red and white Port style wines. The outdoor door pizza oven will be fired up for four gourmet styles of 'za and Sea Breeze cupcakes are suggested with the ports. Mention seeing the winery in the Festival brochure for a 10% discount on purchases. The tasting package is $10 or free to club members.

 

In terms of the Central Coast, there aren't many wineries west of the coastal mountains. None that I'm aware of in Monterey County, a handful around Cambria and a few more scattered down Highway 1 beach towns and the little group of urban Santa Barbara (the city) producers. Most of them source grapes from farther inland. Cayucos Cellars  is one of those off the beaten wine trail.

There, on an old family ranch, Stuart and Laura Selkirk and their additions to generations of the clan have made use of an old dairy barn by turning it into a winery. That may have been a bit easier than for most. Stuart is a general contractor by trade and winemaker by curiosity. In 1983 he saw the neighbor with a load of grapes in his truck. "What are you doing", he asked. "Making wine", the reply.

Why not? The guy next door was by way of a Swiss family who'd made wine. If you want wine you can just make some Selkirk was told. Then he was asked to help make some and got hooked. Learning how it was done by the hands on method, he started making Zinfandel, then some Pinot Noir and next came Cabernet. All done with native yeasts, which has remained his method ever since. He recalls spending two or three thousand dollars in 1995, making five barrels, most of which was given away. Growth has taken that production up twenty times! Yet, at 500 barrels, it still qualifies for the garagiste level in terms of quantity. But few of that group have a winery, let alone tasting room, of their own.

Stuart claims his attachment to wild yeast is just the way he learned and only later found out you could buy strains of yeast to use. There are few others in the region that use the yeast already found on the fruit for fermentation but those that do swear it makes a positive impact. Selkirk has found he isn't that fond of what commercial yeasts bring to wines he's tried and finds a fullness of flavor that he prefers in his method.

The wines at Cayucos Cellars are aged in neutral oak for prolonged periods; whites are in wood for three years and reds get as much as six. Holding your inventory for such aging is rare in the wine business. Stuart finds this important to releasing wines with age but are ready to drink versus wines that the consumer needs to lay down for years to see their potential. Of the wines he offered at the Vino tasting, I found they met his description. One was a Zin with nearly 17% alcohol. While it still showed soft tannins, it had none of the heat that you might expect, was fermented nearly bone dry but had very forward fruit flavors.

You may well enjoy the results of this approach to winemaking. Consider combining a beach town run with a visit. They will be open for Zinfandel Weekend fun from 11 - 5:30 all three days. Saturday will have hours extended from 6 - 10 PM to host a Weekend Kickoff Party that includes a vertical tasting of their Zinfandels, dinner, dancing and live music. Call them at 805-995-3036 for pricing and reservations. The Cayucos and Morro Bay swim programs will benefit from the proceeds. Friday through Sunday will include new release tastings and special pricing if you mention "Corgi", the secret word. BBQ'd oysters are on the Sunday menu, get your taste of Zin and slide one down.

 

I should mention that all of these wineries have web sites, just Google the name. Contact information and hours of operation can be found there. Several are not open daily or the same hours shown for the festival weekend. All but Ranchero are PRWA members, so that is another source for details and links to individual sites. Festival specifics can also be found there.

WINE GRAPE ACRES & CRUSH VOLUME REPORTED AS UP ©

Growth remains the trend in both California and the Central Coast. Given the glut of juice available in some of the recent years past, you have to wonder when it will - or should - slow a bit. Many of the new wineries, which now number a reported 688 in the Central Coast's three counties (Monterey, San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara), produce less than 5,000 cases annually. Still, it is an amazing number and represents a 16% increase in 2012, year over year.

Recent reports note that the statewide average crop tonnage per acre is 7.5 tons. Considering that most of the quality makers of premium varietals restrict harvests to two tons per acre or less, there must be a significant market for what the Brits refer to as plonk. Of course much of this is farmed by large operations for use in value priced blends and includes such varieties as French Columbard. Large volume wineries don't always worry much about concentrated flavors, equal levels of ripeness and other fine wine factors, they can adjust for this in the winemaking. Consider also that a lot of this goes into flavored wine based beverages such as coolers and proprietary label bottlings.

Central coast land under wine grapes is predicted to reach nearly six hundred thousand acres by 2016 with 528 thousand already planted and 15 thousand more scheduled to be planted this year. This represented 2.2 million pounds of wine grapes being harvested in 2012. If you do the math, you will see this translates to just over two tones per acre. This being the norm for the better winemaking efforts, it appears the focus locally remains on quality.

"VINO" PROFILES SIX MORE ROCK STAR WINEMAKERS (I) ©

As mentioned a few postings back, the spring edition of VINO magazine continued its Rock Star Winemakers theme at a roll out tasting for the newest issue. The participating wineries offered a look at a wide variety of Paso geographic locations, from the beach town of Cayucos to the NW hills, the 46 W corridor and about as far east as wineries get plus a downtown tasting room and a winery so small, it doesn't have one. Different grapes, styles and terroir were well represented. Due to the length of this post, it comes in two parts with three wineries in each.

Unfortunately, Amy Butler of Ranchero Cellars was not able to make the tasting. A Kern County lady, she attended UC Davis and worked in Napa/Sonoma for five years after graduation. Moving to Paso Robles in 200, Amy became the initial winemaker at Edward Sellers in 2004, where she remained (and gathered awards) for six years. Sinking cash and "sweat equity" into Ranchero, she now has her own label - if that's the right word for a 400 case production level - and is an active garagiste. Her work with that group earned her their Spirit award for 2012. For more about the movement see a couple of recent past posts on this blog. Amy does Rhone varietals at the rancho and also consults for other wineries in the Paso area.

Kevin Jussila was another featured winemaker having a timing conflict with the event. He operates the Kukkula Winery for a financial client/friend/angel investor, along with his wife Paula. Fortunately, I met them early in the 2012 harvest as they were opening the eye catching tasting room to the public. Perched high on a hillside, way out on Chimney Rock Road, it can be seen from some distance and has amazing views and spectacular architecture. Kevin is no wine nimrod with a dream, he's been making small (like 65 cases a year) lots of wine under the Jussila label for nearly two decades. Good enough to make it to some high end wine lists, it also caught the attention of some friends including one willing to help bring Kukkula to fruition.

His interest in locating to Paso Robles was an odd piece of synergism. The Jussilas met the owner of Chateau de Beaucastel, a partner in local winery Tablas Creek. That venture originally was aimed at providing nursery stock for other wineries and Kukkula became a customer for their vineyard cuttings. The name, if you're curious, is Finnish for "high place" and not to be confused with the (long ago) TV dragon puppet of similar name - if much different pronunciation.

During the upcoming (former post for details) Paso Robles Wine Alliance organized Zinfandel Weekend - often referred to as Zin Fest - Kukkula will be open from 11 to 5:30, Friday thru' Sunday, March 15-17th. Their feature offering for the event includes lagniappe (little something) two ways. Both in the Creole food sense and their same-term Zinfandel blend. Pre-release wines from 2011 will be available for tasting as well as special pricing on Lagniappe wine. The winery also offers lunch, from their own kitchen with wine pairings at menu pricing on an ongoing basis.

 

Next up, Parrish Family Vineyard, represented by Cecily Parrish Ray (winery GM) and husband & assistant winemaker, Ethan Ray. The family is deeply rooted in the area. Owner David Parrish's grandfather was asked, by the founder of the Atascadero Colony in 1925, to come out and see how grapes would fare here. They must have done pretty well since he planted 540 acres. One claim to family fame is having Atascadero PO Box #1 been given to Earl Henderson, the grandfather. David's family, with seven boys, lived in Woodland and was a prime labor source for Grandpa!

Another graduate of the Davis program and marrying wife Lynn, he took advantage of the trend to improve vineyard management, via multi-tiered wire trestles, with his own invention of a special trellising system. That turned into a profitable venture as many vineyards were converting to methods allowing better quality fruit and yield techniques from the exposure to sunlight and heat control provided by trellised vines.

That part of a vineyard development business remains but he eventually planted acreage in Creston after moving to the area in 1994. By 2005 Parrish was producing wines, including some highly regarded Cabernet Sauvignon. Parrish strives for identifiable characteristics of the grape to be at the front of the flavor profile and uses descriptors, such as Silken for label names. You can enjoy them at the downtown Paso tasting room, designed by Lynn. Soon, however, you will be able to do that at another of her efforts; a new tasting room is being built in Adelaida, along with more vineyards. Music, a central part of David's life will certainly continue to be a feature of the tasting room. Cecily mentioned the winery is part of a new Paso Cab Collective. I'll get details.

For "Grow Zinfully Wild" (the Fest theme) weekend, Parrish will be open from 1 - 6 PM and pairing flights of wine with both cheese and cupcakes on all three days.