WLW Blog
May 16, 2008
Wine Tips 101: Matching WIne to the Occasion
I don't know about all of you, but I'm clueless when it comes to bringing wines to different events. Here are a few helpful tips courtesy of American Cellars and yours truly:
-A formal dinner calls for special wines: Cabernet Sauvignon or other full-bodied reds, oak-aged Chardonnay, or "Reserve" - style bottlings. I'm thinking our Napa Cabernet Sauvignon or our new 2006 Carneros Chardonnay. If it's the boss, go with Whitehall Lane's 2004 Reserve Cabernet.
- A picnic calls for lighter-style, lower-alcohol, refreshing wines. Ideally our Sauvignon Blanc or Belmuscato- wines that can be chilled down as a counterbalance to the warm summer afternoon or evening.
- A celebration such as a birthday or anniversary calls for a "festive" wine such as Champagne or sparkling wine. Even better: the celebrant's favorite wine, regardless of type, if you know what it is. Even more better: a magnum or 3L of Whitehall Cabernet that you can put a message on with a silver sharpie.
- Ideal wines for a barbecue are those that are both fruity and spicy, to complement the "char" of the grill. Opt for Zinfandel, Petite Sirah or Rhone reds. I myself enjoy Whitehall Merlot with Q'd meats and veggies.
- On cold nights, wines higher in alcohol help warm the soul. Try a full-bodied red or a fortified wine such as Port. And we are bottling some in time for winter 2008 (you heard it here first!)
- For brunch, make selections similar to those you'd choose for a picnic. If egg dishes are involved, go with sparkling wine. I'm going with a mimosa or two! No Whitehall plug here.
- And if you still don't know what to bring, just drop me a line. I'm happy to help. Cheers!
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May 12, 2008
Probing Questions
"How do you grow such beautiful grapes?" "Do you irrigate your vineyards?" "What is that metal rod sticking up out of that vine row?" All probing questions and each with a probing answer.
Besides wine grapes being planted in our vineyards, there are a number of probes also in the ground to tell us how dry the soil is. These capacitance probes are used to generate a vineyard irrigation schedule based on the amount of moisture in the soil. This technology makes it possible to view water needs from the plants perspective.
The probe is burried deep in the soil with a wire running up the vine to a radio transporter that sits above the vines on a pole. This transporter relays the detailed information to a computer every 15 minutes for continuos soil moisture monitoring.
Why do we do this? (Another probing question!) By knowing how much water is in the soil, we can properly identify the amount of water that is being absorbed by the vine's root system throughout the growing season. This helps to control vine vigor in the summer months and helps monitor the amount of water in the leaves and grape berries as we get close to harvest.
It is all part of the science and technology that we employ in the vineyards to grow the best grapes and make great wines.
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May 9, 2008
15th Anniversary Lunch
On a pleasant spring afternoon we came together to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of Whitehall Lane Winery. It was a lovely way to show appreciation to all those that work hard year round. Thank you Tom for making this day possible.
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May 7, 2008
Part of the "cool group" now
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April 28, 2008
Green Manure
Spring has sprung and with it comes the endless blossoming of flowers, plants, and hay fever in Napa Valley. One cannot help but notice a difference in all of the vegetation. Being ever so curious, I wondered what's the relationship between the flowers, weeds, and the grapevines. I sought out Dean, our Winemaker, and as I expected there is a purpose for it all...
I was introduced to the function of cover crops.
Cover crops also called "green manure" are broadly defined as any plant grown to improve any number of conditions associated with sustainable agriculture. They are fundamental, sustainable tools used to manage soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, and wildlife.
The endless yellow blooms painted up and down the valley is mustard, which is common is not only Napa Valley but the California coast as well. Although pretty, mustard plays a very small role in the production and management of vines.
Mustard field as seen from WLW parking lot
From Dean I learned there are two different kinds of cover crops: permanent and seasonal. The seasonal seeds are planted in the fall after harvest. They grow during the winter and then are cultivated in the spring. This is done in order to prevent erosion. When I heard erosion I thought, "Huh, we don't have hillside vineyards?" Dean went on to explain that even though the vineyards appear to be flat there is still a possibility of losing good topsoil in the winter months.
The purpose for permanent cover crops and/or weeds is to have something living in the soil at all times. Other benefits are to aid in weed control, reduce soil erosion, and to increase soil and water quality. Some soils are extremely rich so there is almost a necessity to grow permanent ground coverage. Our Bommarito vineyard located on Galleron Road in the Rutherford Appellation of the Napa Valley has such soil. So these 25 acres have a cover crop year round.
The traditional cover crop we use are fava beans or broad beans. Broad beans have a long tradition of cultivation in Old World agriculture, being among the most ancient plants in cultivation and also among the easiest to grow. Fava's are utilized because they can over-winter and because as a legume, they fix nitrogen in the soil.
Fava Beans in our Oak Glen Vineyard
Another important thing I learned is how these crops are planted. Cover crops are planted in either one of two ways: every row or every other row. It all depends on how much vigor we want to control in the vineyard. The vines and cover crops compete for water and nutrients. If there are cover crops planted on in every row there is more vine stress and therefore the capability to control the vivacity of the vines. If the cover crops are planted in every other row than the vine is able to put more energy into its leaves and branches thus giving more to produce better grapes.
Every row- Fawn Park Vineyard
Every other row- Estate Vineyard
No cover crops- Fawn Park Vineyard
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March 31, 2008
Bigger the price tag, better the wine?
I always assumed that wine had to be expensive in order to be good. I figured this was a safe assumption considering cheap hard liquor tastes exactly like what it is- cheap hard liquor. And the cheap stuff is never good, no matter what you mix it with! It's not that way with wine with the exception being: cheap or expensive, because nothing really mixes good with wine.
(I don't care what my mom says about the 1970's and home made wine coolers.) To my surprise what I have found is that while a more expensive bottle of wine will often times taste better, you don't have to drop a ton in order for the wine to be a good-quality bottle. One thing that I must say for all the newbie's out there, don't go out and buy a bottle of wine just because of the costly price tag. Do some homework and by homework I mean taste some wine. Best kind of research involves drinking right? Sigh... reminds me of college. (Sorry Mom) So go out wine tasting with your friends. Mix it up a little. Instead of going bar hopping Friday night, like you always do, go out wine tasting. There are many local wine bars with staffs that are more often than not incredibly friendly and very helpful. I promise you you will have some fun and you might even learn something about wine too. In all seriousness, what I have learned is that price is the lease accurate barometer for quality but it's a place to start. But if you're looking to buy a bottle tonight and don't have time to do any research generally a mid-range bottle is a safe buy.
For those that live in the East Bay there is a wonderful establishment in Walnut Creek, the Artisan Wine Lounge & Cafe. The feeling of the lounge is very laid back yet with a chic and modern influence. For directions and further information visit them at http://artisanwl.com/index.html.
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March 21, 2008
This Buds for you WLW!
And no I'm not talking about the so-called King of Beers. After one short winemaking lesson with our winemaker, Dean Sylvester, I learned more about the wine making process than I could by taking a class at Davis. I'm exaggerating a tad here, but my pen and notepad could barely keep up. And by the way, we have the best winemaker in the whole Napa Valley hands down!
The vines are starting to grow. I am told this is called bud break. The agriculture and farming aspect of the biz is very interesting to me. The vines are just beginning to grow and its fascinating how they look more like mothballs than anything reminiscent of a grape right now. They will continue to grow until around the 1st of May and by April the vines will be about 2 feet long. Dean says that that we are heading into the potential frost time of the year. If the temperatures drop to 28°F- 30°F the vines are at risk.
There are a few different ways to prevent frost. One way is to plant the vines on the side of a hill, another way is to use overhead sprinklers. I thought this was extremely odd but evidently the ice, that forms on the little buds from the sprinklers, act as an insulator and protect the vines. A different way to prevent frost is to use Wind Fan Machines. The fans circulate the air and keep frost from developing. And apparently turning on the wind fans at 3am or whenever the frost alarm sounds is part of my job description. Who knew that a Marketing Assistant would be responsible for circulating the air with the Wind Fan Machines? My boss said it's easy since I already blow a lot of hot air around here. Thanks Mike. :-) Hey it sounds like a learning experience to me so if you see a little bundled up figure moseying around the vineyards, yelling at a giant fan, don't be alarmed it's just little old me taking care of my buds.
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March 5, 2008
The "New Girl"
It's not just the baby boomers drinking wine anymore. Today more and more of the 20-30 year old crowd are enjoying a glass. Thus steadily becoming recognized as wine lovers. Being in my twenties, I am pleased to say I have entered the wine world with an open mind and a curious palate. Being in a brand new industry along with my relatively limited prior wine knowledge, I am the bonafide "new girl" and have even been introduced as such. The goal of this blog is to discover, share, and ultimately enjoy this new experience. And with any luck uncover the tasteful world of wine. I'm looking to create an informative blog to share what I learn. I also want to be your source for questions relating to wine. I may not know the answer but I have wonderful sources! Please post your experiences, thoughts, likes, dislikes, misconceptions seeing that you will be hearing mine as I walk through the new and unknown.
Posted by WLW at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)