NoBullGrape

Napa and the Supremes

After being forced to fight a far too long battle by the makers of "Two Buck Chuck," the Napa Valley Vintners have finally secured protection of the name Napa Valley for wines only from Napa.  As Dr. Vino describes here wine with a brand name "Napa Ridge" can no longer be sold if it does not contain at least 75% grapes from Napa.  This is a huge victory for all who believe that location matters and that consumers should be told exactly where their wines come from.  Luckily for us, there are many great winemakers that fall into this category.  More importantly, it is a big set back for those who seek to use loopholes to hide the true source of the grapes that are used for their wine.  While there are only a few of these characters... they are very, very big.

Non-EU products to gain EU GI protection

We always talk about the failure of the US and other countries to protect the names of distinct locations.  At the very least they do so in a manner that -- when it comes to wine -- is weaker than the protections that the EU provides.  However, there has long been a problem with EU regulations.  They are not available to non-EU countries.  Places like Napa, Santa Barbara, Willamette Valley and the Finger Lakes could not be assured that their names were protected in the EU.  This is because the EU regulations required non-EU countries to also protect EU products (e.g. Chianti, Chablis, Champagne and a number of non-C places).  As the US and others did no such thing, their products did not qualify for EU protection.  Now the EU is being forced (due to a WTO ruling forced on them by Australia and the US) to open the protection they already offer to 720 of their own products to outsiders as well. 
I am surprised that the EU had to be forced to open their system.  One would think that it would be in their best interest to export the system as much as possible.  Yet, whatever the reason, I hope that the opening of the GI system (expected to be approved later this year) provides opportunities for US wine growing regions to gain protection in the EU.  At the very least, it would assure that no Sonoma's from Austria would pop up.  In the best case scenario, there would be increased pressure on the US government to better protect its own regions (and not force the growers of Napa Valley to go to court to protect their name against wine labeled "Napa Ridge" when it is from some other place).  In either case, the consumer who wants to know where their wine comes from wins.

Governor goes to bat for Napa and place names

So the Governor of California is in China and -- apparently -- is demanding that the Chinese stop misusing the name "Napa" on wine produced in China.  You go Terminator!

The contrast between the importance placed on protecting place names from the Governor of the largest wine producing state (and the clear position that the Napa Vintners are taking in this piece) and the stance taken by the US government in the recently initialed Wine Accords is quite stark.  Read more from Tuesday's San Francisco Examiner. 

        

Governor working to keep Napa wine designation pure By Albert C. Pacciorini Staff Writer Working to keep wines labeled “Napa” made only with grapes from Napa is on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s list of things to do as he begins a six-day mission in China. The focus of Schwarzenegger’s trip is to promote California products and encourage Chinese officials to crack down on the piracy of copyrighted music, movies and software. He’s also promised to ask about three Chinese companies that may be selling “pirated” wine. California law requires wines with “Napa” on the label be made with Napa grapes. It isn’t just Napa fighting to protect its reputation. The Champagne region of France, Sherry in Spain, Porto in Portugal and the states of Oregon and Washington all have a similar problem. All are working together for a “commitment to the importance of place and place names to wine growing,” said Linda Reiff, executive director of the Napa Valley Vintners trade group. Reiff spoke Monday morning at the beginning of a four-day annual meeting of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network trade group at the Metreon in San Francisco. Tuesday and Wednesday the meeting will move to St. Helena. The network includes Melbourne, Australia; Bordeaux, France; Porto, Portugal; Cape Town, South Africa; Bilbao-Rioja, Spain; Florence, Italy; and Mendoza, Argentina; and works to promote international winery tourism. Reiff gave an outline of the Napa Valley wine industry, followed by representatives of the other international regions, who discussed their locations. At a time with so much friction over differences, wine can provide a chance for people to come together, said event emcee Barry Martin. Napa got its own legal agricultural area in 1981, Reiff said. Today there are 14 subappellations. The Napa vintners, just like their colleagues in Champagne or Sherry, are working hard to protect the use of their regional names, which each feels imparts a level of quality and significance, from wineries in other locals. The trade name Napa is being used illegally in 10 countries, she said, urging those in the industry to join many regions that have signed a joint declaration promoting the importance of place to wine.

Names, location talked about everywhere!

Tom over at  Fermentations makes some very good points about the previously mentioned Center for Wine Origins.  By the way, they seem to have launched a very nice web site since we last spoke about them.

I highly recommend reading Tom's piece.

In addition, Daniel Sogg of the Wine Spectator does a great job outlining how the California Supreme Court (protecting the name Napa against the Fred Franzia's of the world who want to use the words on bottles that do not include grapes from Napa) are in direct opposition to the position of the US Government (read Wine Institute) in the Wine Accords.

In the end, all 3 -- Sogg, Fermentations and the Center for Wine Origins -- come to a similar conclusion.  Place names matter and semi-generics should cease being used.  As Fermentations makes clear, these names do not inherently guarantee quality, but -- whether it is a truth-in-labeling issue or time for everyone to stand on their own two feet -- they certainly should only be used by these particular regions. 

When it comes to harvest, taste buds still reign

We read a lot of articles about how science is making wines (particularly California wines) better.  It is all probably true, but I think it is important to remember that the grower and/or winemakers taste buds remain an integral part of the process and why one should not always rely on test tubes and gauges when making wine.  Two articles that I ran across this morning brought this to life.  The Spectator's web page has a "Napa Harvest report" from Cathy Corison, one of those down to earth/non 15% alcohol winemakers who we have discussed previously.  After the usual discussion about Brix, etc. she says:

"The tannins in the skins mature over time, so we're looking at the way we chew on the skins and the quality of the tannins. When a grape gets ripe, when you squeeze it the skin begins to slip off the pulp in a way it doesn't do before it's ripe. You look at the uniformity of the color. A completely black berry that is black all the way to the pedicel [is ideal]. And then, of course, flavors. And very important, I do all my own sampling because I've got to be out in the vineyard to see how the vines are doing. I'm in the vineyard every single week and, as we get close to ripening, I'm in there every couple days, watching the vines."

There is just no substitute for chewing the skins  and tasting the grapes to find the best time to pick. 

This is further supported by another article in today's papers.  Corie Brown of the LA Times is one of this blogs favorite writers as she writes good stories about interesting people in the wine industry.  Today she profiles Moraga Vineyards, LA's only bonded winery.  I can't afford their wines, but was inspired by the following description of their decision-making process for harvest. 

"On the first Saturday of this month, Jones, Rich and vineyard manager Carlos Contreras sat down to taste Sauvignon Blanc grapes at the vineyard picnic table, a reconditioned slab of the old Santa Monica Pier. Rich, Moraga's winemaker since 1996, spends the harvest months jetting back and forth between Moraga and his winery in Napa Valley, Talisman Cellars.

After crushing the grapes in six sandwich bags, Rich poured the juice out into six plastic bowls. Each bag of grapes represented a separate vineyard section. Each tasted dramatically different as the men took sips from the various bowls. Only one block delivered the nectarine and ripe banana flavors they were looking for. Several grape samples had the pepper scratch at the back of the throat that signals under-ripe grapes."

In a world where we highlight traveling oenologists and high-priced consultants who try to calculate the chemistry of a 100-point wine, it is wonderful to be reminded that -- whether the wine is from the New World or the Old World -- quality requires human interpretation and involvement.  Kudos to those winemakers who take the time to do this as, I think, it is one of those unquantifiable factors that influences the final product.

Learning about harvest via wine blogs

The Northern Hemisphere harvest season is in full swing.  It is a great time to learn about what goes into your wine.  This year it is even better as there are a number of cool blogs run by vintners that give you unparalleled access.  Remember, winemaking is VERY HARD WORK.  Therefore, don't give up on blogs that don't post much as they have their hands full right now.

Here are a just a few of the ones I like (and I'm sure there are many that I have yet to discover):
Domaine de la Gramiere -- The first harvest of a US family seeking to make organic wine in Languedoc
Anomaly Vineyards -- Napa vineyard that is about to start picking.
Carolyn Tillie's Ultimate Grape Vine Blog -- Great photos, insight, etc. on the situation in her part of California

Napa Harvest

I always like the ways that different societies kick off their harvests.  In most cases, I think of this as a European tradition.  Apparently Mondavi has a blessing of the grapes each year:

Blessing Of Grapes Signals Start Of Napa Harvest

(CBS5) NAPA Before you fill your glass with wine, consider your blessings.

That's what they're doing in the North Bay, despite the fact that it's not yet time to start picking grapes. The annual harvest-time tradition of blessing the grapes got under way in the Napa Valley Wednesday.

The annual tradition started with the foundign of the Robert Mondavi Winery in 1966.

The unusually cool and cloudy weather of late has slowed the wine crush this year. Grapes need warmer weather and sunshine before they are ready to come off the vine.

The grape harvest season generally begins in late August and extends into October, with white wine grapes ripening before reds.

Nice to see that Napa has some fun ways to herald the commencement of the picking of the grapes.

In high alcohol world, a few stand out

With more and more wine critics giving higher scores to "fruit forward" wines, alcohol percentages have increased.  We have discussed this previously.  Yet, today's San Francisco Chronicle has a great article by Dan Berger that highlights one of the exceptions.  Based in Napa, Cathy Corison makes great Cabernet Sauvignon.  Unlike many of her neighbors, you will find the beautiful numbers "13" and "13.5" on the sides of her bottles, not the 14.5 and 15's that seem to now be commonplace from that region.  Her wine is refreshing and the perspective she provides in the article is also refreshing.  Enjoy the article and -- if you can find it -- her wines.

Wine regions agreeing

I mentioned the Napa Declaration earlier, but I am reminded by it again as there has been a wide range of  coverage about the event and its repurcussions.  The San Francisco Chronicle wrote a front page article about it, GrapeRadio has the audio from the press conference as well as supporting interviews up, and Wine Spectator wrote about it.  As a reminder, the Napa Declaration is an historic coming together of both US (Napa, Washington and Oregon) and European (Champagne, Port and Sherry) wine regions to pronounce their shared belief in the importance of place, the effect it has on the wines that are produced from the grapes and how important it is to educate consumers about the sanctity of all wine growing areas.  I can't say enough positive things about the importance of location.  Winemakers can wax poetically about the effects of microclimates, etc. (and I believe them), yet I see this as a truth-in-labeling issue.  If we found out our "Florida Orange Juice" really came from Louisiana or Oklahoma, we would cease buying the product immeditely and it would be a scandal.  The same should go for wine.  Napa comes from Napa.  When I buy a Napa wine I expect to get a wine made with Napa grapes in it.   I shouldn't have to look on the label to see if it comes from Napa California or Napa China.  And anyone who hides behind the claim that there are other words on the label that  differentiate the products  is just trying to use a loophole to mislead the consumer.
From an article by Cyrill Penn in the San Francisco Chronicle the EU and US governments can't agree on how to handle these names and how to end this practice.  This is a shame.  But I don't think it should take a government mandate to put consumers first, it should be the winemakers -- like those that signed the Napa Declaration -- who take the lead and end this practice once and for all.   
The Napa Declaration seems to be a watershed event where wineregions from different places came together to agree on something very simple. In a world where the wine press likes to pit region vs. region and Old World vs. New World, I think we should herald this kind of cooperation and urge others to use this as the kind of thing that needs to happen more often so that consumers can focus on the wine, not the ugly policy differences.