Austin’s Wine Article Archives

I Humbly present to you the articles I have been writing for the Scotts Valley Banner since early 2007 in their unedited entirety.
I hope you can enjoy them, learn from them, and maybe even become inspired by them.And please…feel free to direct questions or discussion to my email:
austin@thesantacruzexperience.com

Terroir and Pinot Noir

A discussion about viticulture in the Santa Cruz Mountains Region must, as is true with any other important wine region, begin with an understanding of its terroir. Terroir is a French word used to describe a region’s grape growing conditions. Equivalent English words could be climate, soil, or possibly geographic conditions, although terroir encompasses all of these things and more.
The Santa Cruz Region’s terroir is made up of many patch-worked micro-climates, each having growing conditions specific to its site. The micro-climates of Santa Cruz are quite diverse. Some sites have poor soil and receive little daily sunlight, while others have rich soil and are baked by the sun most of the day. There are two things very specific to most Santa Cruz micro-climates: the fog that rolls into our valleys and along our ridges every morning and the crisp Pacific breezes that blow in off the ocean. Anyone who has spent a morning on the summit knows what I’m talking about. Each low-lying valley pocket is strewn with fog until the afternoon sun comes and burns it off. These coastal breezes and pockets of fog cool our region and set it apart from regions like the Central Valley and Napa Valley where the sun often goes unimpeded. The western ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains is affected by these breezes more than other parts of the mountain range because we are the barrier between the Pacific Ocean and the eastern ridge.
Among other factors, these cool climate conditions help influence our local viticulturist’s decisions as to what grape varieties to plant. Over the last few years, these influences have relayed a clear message: Pinot Noir. It seems tough these days to find a Santa Cruz grape grower that doesn’t, to some extent, have Pinot Noir planted in their vineyard.
David Bruce is a perfect example of great Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. Bruce realized the potential long ago and has been growing the grape for decades now. Pinot Noir is a finicky grape; it’s tough to grow, even tougher to make great wine with, and boasts low yields, but when done right can be mesmerizing. We are lucky to have micro-climates suited so well to such an internationally important grape variety. Many Santa Cruz viticulturists agree that the quality of Pinot Noir here has been getting better and better. Watch in the coming years as it may become one of the Santa Cruz Mountain’s internationally renowned, all-star varieties.

Santa Cruz Wine Gems

Last article we talked about the Santa Cruz Region’s “Terroir” and its ideal conditions for growing excellent Pinot Noir. We talked about how the ocean breezes and fog help to cool our region and create a climate perfectly suited to the Pinot Noir varietal. Now that you have this base knowledge and you understand a little about why there are Pinot Noir gems to be found in Santa Cruz, I am going to go one step further and uncover a couple of them for you. The first prime example of excellent Santa Cruz wine is the Nicholson 2005 Pinot Noir. This is a Santa Cruz wine that I’m really excited about. It is produced by Brian and Marguerite Nicholson who own a vineyard by the same last name in the Aptos area. The Nicholson’s have only been commercially producing wine for since 2000 which makes their quality achievements that much more impressive. Their 2005 Pinot Noir is not the typical fruit forward California red that we’re all used to. It is a wine that will surprise you with earth flavors, black pepper, salty beef jerky, and dark plum. I even get a flavor evoking Bouillon cubes from it. This is one of those wines that you just don’t want to swallow because you’re having so much fun swirling it around in your mouth. Unfortunately, this wine is so small production that it’s tough to get outside the winery. I believe it is only carried by a couple of New Leaf’s in the area and possibly by Vino Cruz in downtown Santa Cruz. One definite way to get it would be to visit Nicholson Vineyards on the July 21st Passport day when many of the wineries not typically open to the public will be. This Nicholson Pinot is a great bottle to enjoy on it’s own, but a good food pairing would be well-seasoned grilled chicken with brown rice and zucchini or squash for sides. Another high quality Santa Cruz Pinot is the Pelican Ranch Santa Lucia Highlands. Phil Crews is the winemaker Pelican Ranch and is a usual suspect at his tasting room off Swift Street on Fridays and weekends. This wine is a well-balanced, fruit forward Pinot Noir with notes of cherries and plums or black currant flavors. I drink this wine all the time by itself, however a good pairing would be Salmon or possibly Halibut, go light on the lemon though. If you would like to visit either Nicholson or Pelican Ranch on Passport an excellent option would be to reserve a seat on the Scheduled Santa Cruz Experience Passport Wine Tour.

Wine Tasting

Often times, I ask someone attending one of my wine tours, “what type of wine is your favorite?” The answer will be “Pinot Noir” or maybe “Chardonnay.” Next, I ask the follow up question: “What is it about that grape that appeals to you?” What invariably comes next is a befuddled look or maybe a long mystified stare, and then, “Because it’s good.”
For some people, wine tasting is simply a means of quaffing your way to inebriation. For many though, wine tasting is an enjoyable learning experience. It’s a time to express one’s self and train the taste buds. It’s easy to take a sip of wine and decide whether or not you like it. It’s quite another to understand why you like it; or for that matter, to guess its variety and origin in a blind tasting.
When I taste wine, I imagine that I am pulling it apart in my mouth and trying to isolate each flavor. This helps me to identify different characteristics and analyze what I taste. Tasting wine and identifying characteristics can be as easy as it is fun, and you don’t need to be an expert to participate. Try tasting one of your favorite varieties and see what flavors you can pull out of it. With Pinot Noir, you might taste cherries and plums or even chocolate or mushrooms. For a California Chardonnay, you will probably get flavors such as apple or pineapple or maybe even buttered toast and vanilla.
The more you start paying attention to what you’re tasting and the more you try to identify flavors, the better your palette will become, and the more fun you will have tasting wine. The next time you’re with a group of friends, and you open a bottle of wine try to identify a couple of the flavors you taste. Instead of saying, “This wine is good,” say, “I like the cherries and vanilla in this Pinot Noir.” Ask you’re friends if they are also getting those flavors. Chances are your friends will also be able to identify the flavors you asserted. There is certainly a lot more to tasting wine then just being able to identify a couple of flavors, but for many beginners it is a great place to start expanding your palette and understanding why you might like certain varietals. In my next article, I will go a little more in depth and explain different tasting techniques and tips on how to identify what your seeing and tasting. Cheers!

An In Depth Look at Tasting Wine

Last week we discussed why wine tasting is a fun and often educational experience. We discussed why drinking a bottle of Charles Shaw every night with dinner does not make you a wine person. A wine person is a connoisseur. A wine person gets excited about trying new wines and has a thirst (yes pun intended) to understand the wine he or she drinks.
Some important characteristics to look for and analyze in every glass of wine are body, intensity, acidity, tannin, and sweetness. You have probably heard of all of these terms, but may not be sure what they mean or how to recognize them. These, my wine loving friends, are the most important and basic of wine terms. Understanding and applying them will help you pair wine with food and to eventually know what to expect from every bottle you open. With enough practice, you will be able to wander the wine aisle in your local supermarket confidently rather than in the bewildered state you may be currently familiar with.
Of all these terms, I feel body is the easiest to understand and recognize. Body is how the wine feels in your mouth. An easy way to understand this is to think about milk. Think about skim milk, whole milk, and half & half. A light-bodied wine has the consistency of skim milk, a medium-bodied one has that of whole milk, and a full-bodied wine is like cream. Alcohol content is also a good indicator. The higher the alcohol content, the more full-bodied a wine will probably be.
Intensity is similar in many ways to body. It typically refers to how overpowering the wine and its flavors are in your mouth. A good spectrum comparison in food would be tofu and steak. A steak will often overpower your mouth, while a bite of tofu will still allow you to taste the other foods on your plate. An intense, full-bodied wine will often be referred to as “big” or “huge.” Bare in mind though, a wine can be intense and at the same time be far from full-bodied.
Acidity, one of the more difficult characteristics to grasp, can also make a wine intense. I feel acidity is the most important characteristic to discover in wine tasting. Acid content is usually the reason why wine will seem balanced or unbalanced. A wine with lots of sugar and low acid will be overwrought and flaccid. A wine with very little sugar and lots of acid will be striking, electric, and zingy. A wine with a well-balanced amount of sugar and acid will reveal the wine’s flavors as well as develop complexity over time. Acidity gives a wine ageing power, and a lack of acidity will often make a wine seem flawed. Sugar content or sweetness can also be tricky to identify. Our California wines will at times appear sweet because of their bold fruit flavors, but actually have little residual sugar. Sweetness and fruit flavor are sometimes mistaken for one another. The best indicator for sweetness is that your tongue will feel “coated” after you taste the wine. Try a low sugar wine and a high sugar wine side by side, and the way your tongue feels will be the telling factor.
Tannin, for our purposes, is only applicable when tasting red wine. Tannins come from the skins, seeds, stems, and the oak barrels in which the wine is aged. A highly tannic wine will make your mouth pucker or feel “sucked in.” In addition, it can make your mouth feel dry. Young red wines can be very tannic, but with time tannins will soften and contribute to the wine’s body and complexity. Yet another reason why wine needs ageing.
From now on, try exploring these important characteristics when tasting wine. The more you can understand and identify when you taste, the more enriching all of your wine experiences will be.

Aged Wine

Allow me to preface this article with an entirely fair statement: Americans habitually drink wines that are far too young.
How many times have you drunk a bottle of wine that has been aged for more than ten years? Once? Twice? Maybe even never? For most casual wine drinkers, the honest response lies within these three answers. Most of us go to the grocery store, or possibly the local wine shop, buy a few bottles, and proceed to consume them within a week’s time. This habit is not bad in itself, but if this is the only way that you experience a bottle of wine, you are missing out on what makes wine so special.
I recently tasted at Hallcrest Winery on Empire Grade and was excited to see the ’97 Riesling vintage on the shelf. The gentleman pouring for us, Clay, was nice enough to open a bottle and let us try it. It had a golden, almost amber, color to it, and it tasted of rich apples and petroleum (fine Riesling can often take on hints of petroleum, take my word for it). It was a magnificent glass of utterly local wine. With every sip, it became more complex and flavorful. I later learned from Clay that it came from the Hallcrest Estate, from vines that had been planted in the 40’s and 50’s and now no longer exist. This means that the juice, when bottled, came from fifty year-old vines. That, plus the ten years in bottle means that the Riesling was sixty years in the making! Needless to say, some of this Riesling now resides in my collection.
The point of this story is that those ten years of ageing were crucial for the wine’s quality. In ten more years it will only get better.
I know what you may be thinking: “I don’t have $80 to spend on a bottle of wine, let alone one I’m going to be drinking every night.” The answer is that you don’t need to spend that kind of money. By all means, keep drinking that $8 table wine that you’re perfectly happy with. But start experimenting with some aged wines and, trust me, you will learn to love many of them. There are a number of perfectly good aged wines out there for under $50. What’s more, you can buy a few of your favorite recent vintages and age them yourself (remember to lay them flat in a place that stays cool).
When you save a bottle of wine and invest your time into its quality, it becomes special to you. When, on an anniversary or a birthday, you open a bottle you’ve been saving in your cellar for twelve years, it becomes an exciting part of the celebration and makes it all the more memorable. So take my advice: try expanding your wine horizons and see what you think of a wine that is more than just a few years old.

Tis the Wine Season

Harvest Season is quite possibly the most exciting time of year in the world of wine making. This is the time when vintners must make some of their most important decisions—like when to harvest the grapes and process the juice. Grapes must be harvested at the perfect amount of ripeness. They must have enough acid to give the wine structure and enough sugar content to produce the desired alcohol level. If grapes are left hanging too long, they will begin to shrivel into raisins and the sugar content will become too high. Another hazard in harvest season is rain. Enough rain will water log the grapes and make them bulge with extra juice. This, in turn, will cause the flavors to be less concentrated and the wine will seem diluted and lose some of its precious character.
Once the grapes are picked, they are brought to the crush pad where they will be crushed and the juice will be collected. Next, Yeasts will be added and they will eat the sugar and turn it into alcohol. This is the part of the process when the grape juice actually becomes wine. On the surface this seems like a somewhat basic procedure; however, there are many choices a winemaker has to decide upon during the process that help determine the final quality and flavor of the wine.
Every region has its own harvest season, and each has its own diverse challenges. In California we get so much sun that our problem isn’t ripening, it’s over-ripening. In a place like Germany though, just the opposite can be a problem. Germany gets much less sun and heat than California; thus, it can be tough to get grapes to ripen there. The vineyards will often be planted on south-facing slopes in slate covered soil just to try and maximize the amount of sun the grapes get every day.
This time of year is not only the most exciting, but also the best time to learn about and experience the winemaking process. Silver Mountain Vineyards, located on the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains is doing harvest tours this season. It’s a great way to get involved in and learn about the process of crush. If you’re there on the right day you might even get to watch the crush!
You could also get on one of the harvest tours that are being offered by The Santa Cruz Experience. On the tour you will get to stomp your own grapes and make your own wine, plus taste many different wines and have a catered lunch in the middle of a vineyard.
Harvest time is an occasion to celebrate the new vintage, so go visit one of your local Santa Cruz wineries and toast the Fall Season.

Chardonnay: Foe or Friend?

I attend a wine class offered by Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation and last class we tasted a variety of Santa Cruz Chardonnays. Halfway through the tasting a woman stated, “I don’t like these chardonnays and I don’t like the ones they suggest in the sentinel. I like chardonnay that’s really buttery and flavorful. Is that wrong?”
There seems to be a love/hate relationship for most people when it comes to the chardonnay varietal. People either love it or they can’t stand it. This shouldn’t be the case for a variety of reasons. The most important of which, is that Chardonnay is a very diverse grape, grown in many regions around the world and in many different styles. The difference between a buttery California Carneros Chardonnay and a Burgundian Chardonnay is extreme–it’s like night and day. This is partially due to the fact that Burgundy gets far less heat and sun than most of California does. The sun helps to ripen our Chardonnay and brings out a more full-bodied, full throttle wine. Burgundy style Chardonnay is more subtle and acidic with less of that typical butter character. The effect of climate is exceptionally evident in the 2003 Burgundy Vintage. That was a record year for high temperatures in Burgundy and the Chardonnay turned out full-bodied, much like one of our typical vintages. I remember tasting a 2003 Puligny-Montrachet and mistaking it for something grown in California, clear evidence that heat is a huge factor in the difference between our Chardonnays and those made in France and that Terroir is all important. A winemaker’s decisions also play a big role in the outcome of Chardonnay (but those will be the topic of my next article).
Many wine writers and Sommeliers prefer the Burgundy style of Chardonnay. This is probably why the woman in my class didn’t like the wines suggested in the Sentinel; because Burgundy style Chardonnay and California style Chardonnay may be made with the same grape, but they are completely different wines. Hold on a second! If the woman in my class likes buttery California Chardonnays then why didn’t she like the Santa Cruz Chardonnays we tasted in class? The answer is the anomaly climate of Santa Cruz. Much like the heat of 2003 making Burgundy wines seem Californian; our Mediterranean climate in Santa Cruz often makes our Chardonnays similar to those in Burgundy. The pockets of fog we get in the morning keep our vineyards cooler than most others in California, resulting in a chardonnay less rich and a little less full-bodied.
Now to finally answer the woman’s question: “Is it wrong to like buttery Chardonnays?” Answer: of course not! Drink what you like to drink no matter what anybody tells you. Wine should be a liberating experience — just like Santa Cruz is. Right? Cheers!

Chardonnay Continued

In my last article, I discussed the diverse climates that Chardonnay grows in and how those varying terroirs help to shape a wine’s structure. Terroir certainly plays a big role in the quality and complexity of a wine, but the winemaker’s style also plays a big part—especially with Chardonnay. Two of the important questions that a winemaker must ask him or herself when making a Chardonnay are: Will I use new oak, old oak, or stainless steel? Will I do a malolactic fermentation?
Most Chardonnays get some amount of oak aging. This is a tricky process though, because too much oak can ruin Chardonnay, making it seem flabby and unpleasant. However, the right amount can add some toasty notes and richness, thus increasing complexity. Using new oak barrels and old oak barrels makes a significant difference. New oak will infuse the wood characteristics into the wine very quickly while old oak, say two years old, will infuse the flavors more slowly and over a longer period of time. Chardonnays that are not aged in oak typically have more concentration on fruit flavors and are less creamy and toasty.
Malolactic fermentation is a secondary fermentation in which the winemaker is trying to soften the wine. To accomplish this, a winemaker will add a beneficial bacteria to the wine that changes the malic acid into lactic acid. Malic acid is biting and sharp. Lactic acid is much softer and can add that buttery component often found in Chardonnays. Depending on the style of Chardonnay the winemaker is going for, malolactic fermentation may or may not be beneficial. Remember that this type of fermentation is completely separate from the yeast fermentation that wine initially goes through. With the initial yeast fermentation, yeasts are added to the wine which eat the sugar and create alcohol. Malolactic fermentation is accomplished with bacteria and is meant to change the wine’s final characteristics.
The next time you are out tasting or buying chardonnay, or any wine for that matter, try asking some questions. Such as: “How long was it aged in oak for? Did the winemaker use new or used oak? Did it go through malolactic fermentation?” The answers to these types of questions will give you clues as to the wine’s characteristics and the final objective of the winemaker. Cheers!

Soquel Vineyards: Pinot-licious

I don’t know of a single winery in the Santa Cruz region that doesn’t either grow or make a Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is our signature grape, and it is the wine that most local vintners boast about. Typically, a Santa Cruz winery can be as well judged by its Pinot Noir as by its entire profile. The bottom line in quality for a Santa Cruz winery is: “How good is the Pinot?” There are many good Pinots being made in Santa Cruz, but only a few great ones…
In a prior article, I mentioned Nicholson Vineyards Pinot Noir as one of my favorites. It is a perfect representation of a boutique winery producing excellent, hands-on wine, where all the emphasis is on quality.
I have not mentioned Soquel Vineyards, though, and they certainly deserve their share of notoriety. The winery is located toward the top of Glen Haven Road in the Soquel hills and is open on most Saturdays and Sundays. The tasting room has an Italian feel, the roof being made with 250 year old imported Italian tiles and the door crafted from an old redwood tank. Beyond the tasting room, the vineyards stretch down toward the town of Soquel. On a clear day, you can see an outline of Monterey in the distance. The winery owners, Peter and Paul Bargetto and Jon Morgan, have as much character as the wine does. Peter will often times be doing barrel samples with guests, while Crystal, their lovely tasting room manager, pours for other wine enthusiasts at the Mahogany Bar.
The tasting room experience is excellent, but Pinot Noir is where Soquel Vineyards really shines. Their single vineyard Pinots are made from Santa Cruz Mountains grapes and are exceptional. The Lester Vineyard is especially notable as it scored 93 points in the World Wine Championships and 94 points in the California State Fair Competition. It has beautiful fruit in the bouquet as well as on the pallet. It is one of those rare wines that can be enjoyed today or be laid down to age for years to come. It would be tough to find a better Pinot Noir in Santa Cruz or in California for that matter—the Lester Vineyard is simply brilliant.
It is wineries like Soquel Vineyards that make me proud to share The Santa Cruz appellation with others. Visit the winery soon, and try some of their award-winning Pinot Noirs while enjoying the tasting room and incredible views of the Monterey Bay.

The Drink of Celebration

Sparkling wine is a holiday tradition in many countries around the world. It seems to exude celebration on any day worth celebrating. Christmas, and certainly New Years, are classic times to enjoy a bottle of bubbly with friends, while remembering a fine year.
Champagne is what most of us know it by although Champagne is actually both a wine and a place in France. Champagne is where sparkling wine was first created and it’s where most of the best sparkling wine comes from. You can get sparkling wine from many other countries, but it is not true Champagne and, may not be made in the true Champenoise method. This Methode Champenoise is what really makes a sparkling wine both delicious and delicate.
Champagne has been described as “Marilyn Monroe in a bubble bath.” It is one of the most difficult wines to make in the world. Traditionally, it is made with three different grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and the lesser known Pinot Meunier. To be true champagne it must be made with one, two, or all three of these grape varieties. Most Champagnes are dubbed “non-vintage” and are blends of many different wines from many different vintages. This “non-vintage” Champagne in reality is a combination of many vintages both good and not so good.
Normal still wine is made by adding yeasts to sweet grape juice. The yeasts simply eat the sugar and you are left with a dry alcoholic juice (which is all wine really is). But this is only the beginning for Champagne. Next the wine is bottled–but before it is capped a combination of yeasts and Liqueur De Tirage (sugar and wine) are added. Inside the bottle, the yeasts again eat the sugar creating pressure and building complexity. Over a period of time, the bottles go through a process called riddling in which they are slowly turned and upended so that the spent yeasts end up in the neck of the bottle. Once this is completed the spent yeasts are frozen in the neck of the bottle and then the cap is removed. The plug of yeasts shoot out and the bottle is topped again with a combination of sugar and wine. This last topping determines how dry or sweet the Champagne will be.
This long drawn out process, coupled with a slight sweetness and effervescence naturally makes Champagne a special occasion drink. One poet said of love and Champagne:
“It is like Champagne:
There is a party on my tongue
and your heart beats wild
under my amazed fingers”

A couple of local producers, Silver Mountain and Equinox, make excellent sparkling wines. Both are made by the Methode Champenoise and would be excellent wines to pair with Christmas or New Years. Cheers!

Anatomy of a Wine Label

When buying wine, it is important to understand the different labels you are bound to encounter at your local wine shop. California wine labels can be fairly confusing to decipher, let alone French and German labels! The different things on a label are usually good clues that pertain to what different characteristics the wine may have. By understanding and interpreting these clues you can better know what to expect from any given bottle.
The first and most obvious thing to look for is the varietal. With very few exceptions, all California wine labels will list a varietal (Grenache, Syrah, Riesling) unless the wine is a blend. Then it may say something like “field blend,” “Claret” or “Meritage.” If it is a “field blend” then it could be any combination of grapes. If it says “Claret” or “Meritage” than it should be a Bordeaux blend containing only Bordeaux grapes.
The second thing to look for is alcohol content. Almost every label will indicate an alcohol percentage, although sometimes it can be in very small print, or quite difficult to find. A high alcohol content will typically mean that the wine will be a big, full-bodied, full-throttle wine. A low alcohol content will imply the opposite: a light-bodied, probably less intense wine. Red wines are usually between 11% and 17% alcohol, while whites run between 10% and 15%.
The third, less obvious, but very important thing to recognize is where the grapes were grown. A California wine label will usually list an appellation or AVA (American Viticultural Area) to signify where the grapes came from. This can be a very specific area or an area quite broad. An example of broad would be a label that says “Central California.” This doesn’t tell us much because it isn’t very specific. However I would venture to guess that the wine would be fruit forward and more full-bodied because of how much sun Central California gets. A more specific label might say “Santa Cruz Mountains” or “Russian River Valley.” This gives you a better idea where the wine is coming from and what you can expect. If the Pinot Noir you’re buying says “Santa Cruz Mountains” then you can expect a slightly lighter-bodied Pinot because of the cooler whether the Santa Cruz Mountains often experiences. Sometimes, and quite often on higher end wines, the exact vineyard will be listed. If the label says something like “Lester Vineyard” or “Muns Vineyard” then you will know exactly where the grapes were grown. If you are familiar with the vineyard or the area then you will have a good idea the quality of the grapes and their terroir.
These are the three things I pay the most attention to when I am out buying wine. They are all excellent indicators of what you can expect when you uncork the bottle and they should help you with food pairing as well. Cheers!

Interpreting the French Wine Label

Last week we discussed California wine labels and what to look for to help you decide what the wine will taste like. However, French labels are typically far more difficult to decipher then our local California labels, or any others for that matter. The French labeling paradigm is very different from ours because they are completely concentrated on terroir and region, while our wine makers are far more serious about varietal and the make-ups of our blends. You will never see the varietal listed on a French wine label unless it was specifically produced for the American market or it comes from a region called Alsace.
Our labels actually used to be a lot more like French labels. If you look at an old bottle of California wine it might say “Red California Burgundy” or “California Bordeaux.” It wasn’t until fairly recently that the California wine marketers realized that we needed our own identity, and that the wine would be accessible by more people if the varietal was listed instead of the French region in which the grapes were classically grown.
In France, different regions grow different grapes and it is up to the consumer to know which regions grow what. Hence the reason that French wine is so difficult for the wine novice to access. Let me give you a crash course in French wine so that you will be better equipped when perusing at your local wine shop.
The two most important regions are Bordeaux and Burgundy. Red Bordeaux will virtually always be a blend and will contain mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a possible touch of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. White Bordeaux will be a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. A red Burgundy will always be Pinot Noir and a white Burgundy will always be Chardonnay (except in rare cases when it is Aligote).
The next two important regions are Champagne and the Rhone River. Champagne is always made with a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and the lesser known Pinot Meunier. However, if the bottle says “blanc de blancs” on it than it is 100% Chardonnay. Rhone reds are either 100% Syrah or a blend including Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Carignan with Syrah and Grenache being the main contributors.
Other important regions include The Loire, Alsace, The Languedoc and Provence; but these are a discussion for another day.
This information is fairly straight forward, but you would be surprised at how difficult it can be to find in wine books. Now, when you are looking through the French wine section you will know what varietal or blend you are buying. Cheers!

Your Local Wine Shop

Most of the articles I’ve written for this column include a line or phrase to the effect of, “When you’re at your local wine shop… “, yet I’ve never mentioned where those places might be. I’ve assumed you know where to go buy wine. Today, I’m going to rectify that assumption by telling you about some of the best places in Santa Cruz to procure your wines.
Our premier wine shop is Vino Cruz, located just off Pacific Avenue in Abbott Square. The owners, J-P Correa and Jeffrey Kongslie, are very knowledgeable and do a great deal to support local wineries. Understanding that we have an excellent wine region, they opened a wine shop that carries only Santa Cruz Region wines. That’s right! Their entire stock is local wines, and they have a daily flight so that you can taste a few while you shop. If you are looking for Santa Cruz wine or to expand your knowledge of our unique region, Vino Cruz is your destination. However, if you are looking for wines from other regions, visit Soif, Shoppers Corner, or Cava.
Soif, at 105 Walnut Avenue, also just off Pacific, is a restaurant, wine bar, and wine shop all in one. The wine shop, while small, has a fine selection of wines from around the world. It is not exceptionally strong in any one region or vintage, but not weak in any area either. The best part about Soif is the distinguished tasting menu. It typically has at least twenty choices as well as a designated flight. It’s nice to be able to taste a variety of wines before making your purchases.
Shoppers Corner, as we all know, is a locally owned market on Soquel Avenue. For a supermarket, it has a truly noteworthy wine selection, with possibly the best Italian wine section in all of Santa Cruz. An Italian who’s learned to love the wine of my ancestors, I stop in from time to time when a nice Barolo or Barbaresco suits my fancy.
Cava, named after the light, Spanish sparkling wine, is located in Capitola Village at 115 San Jose Avenue. What Cava doesn’t have going for it in selection, it makes up for in liveliness and atmosphere. If you are looking to taste some top-notch wine in a fun-loving, laid-back wine bar, Cava is your place.
Now you’ll know where to go to when I say “When you’re at your local wine shop…” Cheers!

“Oh So Sweet”

Dessert wine, typically labeled so because of its high sugar content, is often utilized as an aperitif, digestif, or to celebrate a special occasion. I enjoy a sweet wine with chocolate or ice cream and I especially enjoy a nice port after dinner, although anytime is a good time for port.
Port, and some sherry as well, is made by adding neutral grape spirits (brandy) to still wine. This boosts the alcohol level which in turn stops fermentation before the sugar has a chance to become alcohol. This leaves a higher alcohol, sweet wine. Other dessert wines are made in similar processes or by simply adding sugar to the final product.
Many of our local wineries make a dessert wine or port. While they are not making true port (i.e. not from Portugal), it is still made in the traditional port style. Some notable local port producers are Byington Vineyards, which makes a full-bodied rich port, and Hunter Hill Vineyards whose port comes from Amador County and contains five different Portuguese varietals.
Bonny Doon and Pelican Ranch make two of my favorite sweet wines. Pelican Ranch’s Raspberry wine is a sweet-tooth’s dream. It is rich, decadent, and pairs fabulously with milk chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Every time I visit their Swift Street winery, I can’t help but leave with a bottle to enjoy later. Bonny Doon’s dessert wine “Le Vol Des Anges” meaning, “The Angels Flight,” is also an excellent dessert wine. It has the rare quality of being made from grapes stricken with the uncommon mold Botrytis Cinerea. This beneficial mold actually enhances the flavors in the wine and often adds honeyed tones. It is common in Germany’s expensive Trockenbeerenausleses and a dessert wine called Sauternes from France’s Bordeaux region.
Bargetto also makes some sweet wines called meads which they market under the “Chaucer” label. Many of you have probably seen these. Mead is similar to wine, but instead of grapes, various fruits, spices, and honeys are used. Chaucer’s mead has been around for decades and is one of the best known in the country. Next time you are out wine shopping, pick up a nice dessert wine. They are usually equal in price or even less expensive than regular unfortified still wine and are wonderful for after dinner or to enjoy with dessert. Cheers!

Your Local Wine Classes

For those of you looking to up your wine knowledge with other apprenticing wine lovers a wine class might be a great idea. Wine classes typically focus on tasting techniques and often times will be centered on one specific wine region. Just taking one class can help you in almost every aspect of wine comprehension; plus, you get the opportunity to taste a variety of different wines side-by-side, making it easier to differentiate and compare varietals, styles, and regions.
Mary Ericson and Marcella Newhouse both teach superb wine classes in the Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation program. I have taken classes from both of these women and would highly recommend them.
Mary Ericson works for Storrs Winery and has judged in commercial wine competitions. Her Santa Cruz Mountains wine class paints a broad stroke over our diverse region. She structures the class loosely around varietal; each week you get to taste one varietal from a selection of different local wineries. Tasting four different versions of the same varietal next to each other truly helps the students discover the similarity of one particular grape to another. You might find that all Zinfandels are jammy or that a classic flavor in merlot is olives. Mary’s class is perfect for the introductory wine student looking to get a base knowledge in tasting technique.
Marcella Newhouse is a certified sommelier and deservedly so. Her wine expertise is impeccable. Marcella’s classes are often structured around region instead of varietal. For example, when I took the class our region was Italy and we compared Italian wines to their Californian counter-parts. Her class is slightly more advanced than Mary’s; she gets into the nitty-gritty about wine laws and practices plus has a short quiz at the beginning of each class. Marcella’s class will send you away with an in depth knowledge of one specific region and the grapes they grow there.
I will also be hosting two single-day events this summer in which the class will go on a field trip to a couple of different wineries to take a hands-on approach to wine making and viticulture. The class will get to tour the wine making facilities and then taste the wine to help bring an understanding of how different wine making styles affect the final outcome of the wine. The objectives of the class are to get a basic perception into various wine making techniques and to recognize how these techniques shape the wine’s flavor profile. And of course…to celebrate our local wine culture!
I hope everyone who’s interested gets a chance to take a wine class this summer or fall. Make sure to sign up early, Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation summer registration begins on April 19th. Cheers!

Exciting Swift Street

Swift Street, located on the west side of Santa Cruz, intersecting at the end of Mission Street, is one of the best kept secrets in our county. Kelly’s Bakery, Pelican Ranch Winery, and Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing are three of my favorite establishments in Santa Cruz, and they are all right next door to each other in the Swift Street Courtyard. Kelly’s has a variety of delicious pastries and an enticing lunch menu. But I’m a sucker for their simple, yet addictive, breakfast burritos.
Phil and Peggy Crews run Pelican Ranch, a small boutique winery specializing in Pinot Noir. If you are lucky enough to catch Phil there he is more than willing to share his wine expertise and give you a tour of the winery although to me, it looks more like a science lab than a winery (Phil is also a chemistry professor at UCSC).
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, owned by Chad Brill and Emily Thomas, makes a variety of organic beers which are all equally tasty. They recently opened a pub adjacent to their brewery where beer tasting and pints are available. Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing is full of fun and energetic personalities emblematic of Santa Cruz culture. Kelly, one of SCMB’s bartenders is always upbeat and sometimes seems to have a fan club in the bar. Nick Thomas, Emily’s brother is one of the head brewers and responsible for much of the top-notch beer production. With his goatee and flannel jacket he is an easy one to spot and happy to talk about some of the brewing practices at SCMB.
Just down the street from the Swift Street Courtyard, you can find Equinox Winery’s tasting room and Sarticious Spirit’s warehouse. Equinox offers a variety of wines including an intriguing sparkler made from 100% chardonnay. Be wary of the Sarticious warehouse though, sometimes no one is home and sometimes you end up getting gin poured down your throat from a beaker (personal experience).
As if all this wasn’t enough to convince you, would you believe I haven’t even told you the best part? There are about to be some new editions to the Courtyard; Sones Cellars, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards, and Bonny Doon Vineyards all plan to open tasting rooms in the Swift Street Courtyard. That will make five tasting rooms all within walking distance of each other. Plus, one of my good friends, Katie Fox, is opening a new micro-crush winery, named Vino-Tabi, in the Courtyard. Vino-Tabi will specialize in helping customers learn about wine making techniques while making their very own wine. I’m ecstatic that there will be a place in Santa Cruz where you will be able to receive a hands-on wine lesson while actually going through the crush activities. You may even get to make your own wine label as well!
I’d like to finish this article with an open-ended question to my readers. What is your opinion on a wine bar in the San Lorenzo Valley? Would this be a success or a failure? Please respond with comments and opinions to my email listed below. And as always…Cheers!

Oenology Program at Cabrillo College

One of my latest articles discussed some of the different wine classes available in Santa Cruz and I didn’t include Cabrillo College’s Sue Slater. Sue is the premier wine instructor at Cabrillo, and for that matter, the premier instructor in Santa Cruz as well. She teaches a variety of different wine and culinary courses and is looking to start an oenology program at Cabrillo. I recently had a chance to sit down with Sue and discuss some of her classes and future plans at Cabrillo.
In February she taught an all encompassing Spanish wines course including Rioja, Jerez (where sherry is made), and every other up-and-coming Spanish region. This Summer she will be teaching a beginners two weekend course, which will focus on California and French Chardonnay the first weekend and Pinot Noir the second weekend. This short course will also include some Champagnes and sparkling wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay making it that much more intriguing.
In the fall Sue will teach a California wines class about territories, wine service, Terroir and tasting technique. Her cohort, Sal Godinez, will teach a wine faults class which will focus on detecting flaws in wine, such as corked bottles. These classes are the first to be in a 16-unit wine and service certification program designed by Sue Slater. It is very exciting that Santa Cruz will finally have a program like this available to the public where you can actually get certified! The program will be comprised of roughly eight classes and will include a wine service class, as well as a wine and food pairing class. Sue explained to me that her, “Eventual goal is to create a 30-unit oenology program including wine making courses.” The wine making course would actually take the students out of the classroom and into a wine making facility where they would get hands-on instruction. This program would greatly strengthen our local wine industry; it would allow for locally taught wine makers to continue practicing their craft here in the Santa Cruz Region.
After sitting and talking with Sue for only an hour I was already jealous of her extensive wine knowledge. I couldn’t detect a single area of wine that she didn’t have expertise in. We are truly lucky to have her knowledge and skills available to us as students. Do yourself a favor and sign up for one of her upcoming culinary or wine classes. I know I am!

Upcoming Santa Cruz Wine Auction

Santa Cruz Mountain Wine Grower’s Association holds a grand wine auction every year to support local grape growers and wine makers. Last year the auction was held at Nestldown off Summit road, which if you have ever been lucky enough to explore, is one of the most beautiful sights in the Santa Cruz Mountain Range for events. This year the auction will be held at Roaring Camp which is nice and convenient for us San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley residents.
The auction will be similar to last year’s: lots of gourmet food tables, lots of auctioning, and lots and lots of wine tasting. Wine auctions are not typically quite like other auctions, at least not the ones I’ve been to. They are made to be fun and there is not a lot of pressure to bid. It is an event with the objective of supporting local business, while providing a forum for local wineries to display their best wines.
The event will start off with a silent auction, while guests are allowed time to sample wines from the many local wineries attending and try foods from supporting caterers and restaurants. Usually there are a variety of tables set-up, some with silent auction items, some with platters of different foods, and many with local wine tastings. The big items will usually be presented at the main auction, but there are many rare and exciting things in the silent auction too. Last year I got a magnum of 1979 Roudon-Smith Zinfandel for $90 (Cheers Annette!), which I am, of course, thrilled about. I plan on drinking it in 2009; it will be 30 years in the making!
The main auction begins after the silent auction items close. There are usually a variety of items available from lots of bottles to vacations to magnums and extra large bottles. These live auction items are the cream of the crop and even if you aren’t interested in bidding on them it is quite a lot of fun to see how much they go for and what’s available. Overall, wine auctions, especially our local Santa Cruz Auction, are enjoyable and worth the entrance fee. I always make a point of attending, as well as donating a wine tour to the Santa Cruz Mountain Wine Grower’s Association. Hope to see you there, Cheers!

Merlot My Hero

What wine lover hasn’t seen the movie “Sideways?” A film about love…wine…and hating merlot??? Throughout the movie merlot is given a bit of a bad name. At one point even the main character, Miles, is in a frenzy and exclaims, “I’m not drinking any @#^%ing merlot.”
“Sideways” characters may not be big fans of merlot, but trust me; it is a long-standing, extremely important, delicious grape varietal. It is one of the two major grapes in Bordeaux blends and is widely grown here in California, and especially in Santa Cruz.
As far as taste is concerned Merlot is often quite similar to Cabernet Sauvignon. Many wine pros are known to mistake one for the other. Tasting notes typical of merlot are plums, blackberries, chocolate, mocha, soil, and my favorite, olives. It can be a very full-bodied, full-throttle grape; yet can be made in a lighter style as well. It is a perfect example of a varietal that can be powerful but subtle and delicate at the same time.
Two of the best examples of local merlot are made by Storrs Winery and Naumann Vineyards. The Storrs merlot will often have strong olive notes both in the nose and mouth. Olive flavors will often take time to develop in wine, but not in the Storrs merlot. It is an excellent, medium-bodied wine dieing to be paired with a sumptuous medium-rare steak.
Naumann Vineyards merlot is a real winner. I recently had the chance to taste a flight of the Naumann ‘02, ’03, and ’04 merlots and they are all wonderfully crafted wines. The owner, Don Naumann, was nice enough to give my friends and me a tour of his two special merlot vineyards. They are both very rocky with poor soil, and in wine terms poor soil oftentimes means great wine! Drinkable now, but ageable as well, these wines are a steal at between $20-30 a bottle.
One last note on “Sideways:” At the end of the movie Miles pathetically drinks his prized ‘61 Cheval Blanc out of a Styrofoam cup in a fast food joint. Can anyone guess what the main blending grape in that Cheval Blanc is? That’s right, Merlot! I hope you all get to try one of these Santa Cruz Merlots soon. Cheers wine lovers!

Italian Grapes in Santa Cruz

Italian varietals are some of the more uncommon grapes grown in the wine world. Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Malvasia, just to name a few of the thousands of Italian varieties, are fairly rare in most places other than Italy. Compared to French grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay they are hardly grown at all. However, the Santa Cruz Region does have some audacious grape growers out there and it is in our blood to expand our horizons, right?
Bonny Doon, one of our most famous wineries, makes a plethora of different wines with out of the ordinary grape varieties. One of the more interesting wines they make is called Nebbiolo, meaning “dark fog.” Nebbiolo, alongside Sangiovese, is the most important grape in Italy and the most difficult to grow outside of its natural regions. It is the grape of Barolo and Barbaresco, two of the most important tiny areas in the Piedmont region in Northwest Italy. Nebbiolo is a difficult grape to get right, but when you do it can be magical. The grapes for Bonny Doon’s Nebbiolo come from the Santa Ynez Valley, a place that they feel has a similar terroir to that of Piedmont. Bonny Doon’s Nebbiolo is a pretty good specimen; with dark fruit notes and even a bit of tar or leather it should be enjoyed with a heavy meal like Steak or Stew.
Salamandre (pronounced Salamander) produces a Primotivo that is also worth checking out. A little known fact is that the Italian grape Primotivo is actually almost genetically identical to our Zinfandel. In past years Salamandre has produced nefariously good, knock-out Primotivos and their current vintage lives up to the older ones. Get ready for big grapy flavors and an almost syrupy texture; it’s perfect for the zinfandel lover.
These are just two of the many prime examples of Italian grapes being grown in the Santa Cruz wine region. The next time you’re out tasting look out for some of these eclectic varieties. Cheers!

Some Basics on Wine and Food Pairing

Wine and food have been hand in hand ever since the first grapes were crushed and fermented a couple thousand years ago. The lingering question that stemmed from that occurrence is “what are the ideal food and wine pairings?” Of course, there is no definitive answer, but there are a lot of clues and some basic rules that you can use to guide you along the process.
The first and most fundamental thing to understand is that food and wine were created together. They were designed to go together in their own respective regions. The people of Spain grew grapes and made wine that they felt paired best with their local foods; the people of Italy cultivate Sangiovese because it pairs well with pizza etc etc… What does this tell us? That if you’re having an Italian meal it will probably go well with an Italian wine and if you’re having an American meal it will most likely pair well with an American wine. This is not a hard and fast rule, however, if you’re a wine and food novice it’s a great place to start.
Another concept to grasp is that pairing “like with like” is a good thing. You don’t want your wine to overpower your food or vice versa. You want the two to complement each other. Pair heavy with heavy and light with light and trust your instincts. Will a full-throttle, intense Napa Cab go well with grilled salmon? Certainly not! The Salmon would be drowned in fruit and tannin to the extent that you would hardly be able to taste it. That same Napa Cab would go great with a steak or some rich stew though because both are heavy and intensely flavored. The same type of rule should be applied with a light white wine like Sauvignon Blanc. Pasta and meatballs would overwhelm a Sauvignon Blanc, but a light shellfish or salad could pair perfectly with it.
Implementing these two food and wine pairing concepts will greatly enhance your dining experiences. Cheers!