Wine, Wit, and Wisdom

The Society of Wine Educators is a membership-based nonprofit organization focused on providing wine and spirits education along with the conferral of several certifications. The Society is internationally recognized, and its programs are highly regarded both for their quality and relevance to the industry. 

The mission of the SWE is to set the standard for quality and responsible wine and spirits education and professional certification. 

Save the Date!

Sunday, September 4—4:00 pm central time

Saturday, September 10—10:00 am central time

Road Trip through Galicia

Join us on a tour of Galicia as we drive through the beautiful wine regions of the area—including Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro, Monterrei, and Valdeorras—as well as some of the iconic spirit producers of the region. Of course, a trip to Galicia would not be complete without a visit to the city of Santiago de Compostela (and its amazing Cathedral), and a few bites of Pulpo a la Gallega, a slice of Tarta de Santiago, and a burning bowl of Queimada. Grab your favorite bottle of Rías Baixas Albariño if you’d like to taste-along!

This is a members-only webinar sponsored by the Society of Wine Educators. This event is offered free-of-charge to SWE members, but don’t forget to save your spot! Advance registration is required.

To secure your spot, please contact Jane Nickles at jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org

The government of Turkey (the country) has officially changed the English name of the country to Türkiye (tur-key-YAY), the spelling and pronunciation used in the Turkish language. As of June (2022), the United Nations has approved the change and mapmakers everywhere are sure to follow suit.

Wine lovers recognize Türkiye as a transcontinental Eurasian country located in the Caucasus Region. Situated just to the south/southwest of Georgia, Türkiye is among the oldest wine-producing regions of the world.

Türkiye is home to over 600 Indigenous vinifera varieties; of these, at least 60—including Yapıncak (white), Papazkarası (red), Öküzgözü (red), Boğazkere (red), and Çalkarası (red)—are used for commercial wine production. International varieties—to include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon—are also grown.

Istanbul at Sunset

According to the OIV, as of 2018, the country contained 448,000 hectares of vines. The country is consistently among the top ten countries in the world in terms of vineyard acreage. However, Türkiye is also one of the leading global producers of table grapes and raisins—so only a portion of the vineyard crop is used for wine.

Students of distilled spirits will recognize Raki—an anise-flavored spirit as the national drink of Türkiye. When mixed with ice or water, raki turns milky white and due to this color, its sturdy levels of alcohol—many versions are 45% to 50% abv—and a plethora of local legends, raki is often referred to as lion’s milk (aslan sütü). Raki was originally produced from the pomace left over from winemaking. However, when pomace was in short supply, spirits were imported and processed with aniseed. Today, high-quality raki is produced from grapes—primarily of the Sultana and Razaki varieties, both of which are primarily table grapes and likely native to the country.

References/for more information:

Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org

Today we have a guest post from maverick winemaker and author Clark Smith. In this article, Clark gives us a glimpse inside his upcoming presentation, “The Postmodern View: Reconsidering Modern Winemaking Dogma.” This session will be presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, scheduled for August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA).

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so”

-often attributed to Mark Twain

My talk at Indian Wells will explode a string of Just Ain’t So stories taken as received wisdom by most wine professionals, often illustrated in wines I’ll pour. I prepare you here to appreciate surprising shifts underway in style trends in the marketplace.

In 1983, I completed Enology studies at UC Davis and embarked on a winemaking career which culminated 30 years later in the publication of Postmodern Winemaking, Rethinking the Modern Science of an Ancient Craft.

My book explores what I learned over three decades that altered my notion of what wine is and how it ought to be made.

I just finished reading Hugh Johnson’s “The Story of Wine.” I highly recommend it to anyone. It’s a playful and thorough trek through the history of wine from the ancients to the present day.  As you probably know, this man does his homework.  And Lord, he can write. Every sentence is a delight.

Right at the start of the book, Hugh says “the polite definition of wine is ‘the naturally fermented juice of fresh grapes.’”  He goes on to say, “a more clinical one is ‘an aqueous solution of ethanol with greater or lesser traces of sugars, acids, esters, acetates, lactates, and other substances occurring in grape juice or derived from it by fermentation.’”

Well, right the first time Hugh.

The basis of my new understanding derives from the discovery that wine is not a chemical solution.  The unhappy belief that it is leads us into error, not least because it holds back winemakers from making great wine.

The Gospel According to Modern Enology

With ideal solution behavior, wine is just as Hugh Johnson says, a bunch of chemicals dissolved in an aqueous solution containing ethanol.

Various aromatic compounds dissolved in that wine will have a range of volatilities according to Henry’s Law, each with a concentration in the headspace where we smell it in proportion to the concentration in the liquid wine.

The implications for winemaking are that we manage aromatics by controlling the composition of the wine.

For example, if we want more fruit and less veg, we have to take some action to manage the composition. We farm for flavors, working the canopy, crop load, irrigation, nutrients and harvest date to minimize pyrazines and maximize fruity aromatics.

Vinification concentrates on selective extraction.  Let’s maximize the good stuff such as desirable flavors and minimize the bad stuff such as harsh tannins.  Techniques include very gentle crushing, gentle cap management, gentle pressing and delicate handling. Increase the extraction of color by using high alcohol as a solvent.

We prevent oxidation by keeping air away from the wine at every stage to preserve its freshness and fruit.  We control sulfides with copper treatments.

We’ll use protein fining agents to remove harsh tannins. These also strip the wine, so we take special care to minimize the hit to aroma and color by doing extensive trials with numerous combinations of fining agents.  Selective extraction.

Because we regard unmanaged microbiology as an existential threat in the bottle and a clear and present danger in the cellar, we employ draconian sanitation procedures in the cellar and sterile filter into bottle.

Our goal is to lock in clean varietal fruit, suspended in development so the wine will preserve itself over its intended shelf life.

That’s No Solution

Postmodern methodology considers every one of these practices as misguided.  It turns out that the deviation from Hugh’s ideal solution behavior is actually a good working definition of quality.

We recognize that well-made red wine is a two-phase system: the polar aqueous phase where acids, sugars and other polar compounds are dissolved, and the tiny apolar tannin-color colloids that naturally aggregate.

Since they contain stacks of phenolic ring structures, aromatic ring compounds will want to hang out (intercalate) inside the structure. Pyrazines (bell pepper) and volatile phenols (Brett), and oak compounds like guaiacol (smoke), vanillin, and cinnamates (spice) that will be pulled down into the structure of the wine.

The wine will no longer obey Henry’s Law.

Note: When I talk about structure, I’m discussing a physical macromolecular architecture present in the wine.  This has nothing to do with what MWs talk about the balance sucrosity, acidity, and astringency, a cognitive structure in your perceptive brain. Colloidal structure is really THERE, not just in your head.

What does that mean for wine? Well, properly structured wines display varietal fruit in the center of the aroma, supported by all of these aromatically integrated phenols, pyrazines, and so forth that are taking a back seat, acting in support to add richness and complexity to the aroma.

The properties of the well-structured wine include refined textures so we don’t have a harsh wine.

The finer the colloids, the more they support flavors rather than masking them. This understanding is captured in the French word finesse, which means “grace” (as it does in English), but also “fineness of texture.”

If we have a proper structure, tannins won’t precipitate, so these characteristics will persist for decades, resulting in graceful longevity.

We are not managing aromatics simply by controlling composition.  We’re controlling the structure.  Don’t just farm for flavors, farm for building blocks: anthocyanins, co-factors, and tannin precursors.

No selective extraction. We want all the tannin we can get — guts, feathers and everything — because we know how to put that together into a refined architecture.

I love the mantra I learned from Randall Grahm, “I will fear no tannin.”

The co-pigmentation colloids that we want are more stable at low alcohol. Who knew? We avoid over-ripeness.

Healthy anti-oxidative power controls Acetobacter.  Brett can be outcompeted by a healthy microbiome such as you might foster in your garden or your body.

Instead of copper, an oxidation catalyst, we use enological oxygen to incorporate sulfides into the structures, transforming stink into silk. Miraculous!

A sterile filtered wine can never be great. A beneficial microbiome will develop profound soulful bottle bouquet.

Our goal is not to make a clean wine, frozen in its development, but rather a wine that’s set up to have a natural development of aromatic greatness.

While Natural Wine’s blundering explorations help map location of land mines in the terrain of a Postmodernist revolution, they scarcely lead the way. In determining best élevage practices, their dogmatic extremist is about as useful as Christian Science research on effective medical protocols.

We’ll talk more about the politics of this paradigm shift in Indian Wells. See you there.

Clark’s session—The Postmodern View: Reconsidering Modern Winemaking Dogma—is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10th at 10:30 am as part the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, to be held August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA).

Photo via foldedhills.com/vineyards

Today we have a guest post from Sam Schmitt, CWE, CS. Sam—one of our favorite speakers and well-known to SWE conference attendees—is currently serving as the General Manager at Folded Hills Winery in California’s Santa Ynez Valley. Sam gives us a preview of his upcoming presentation, “Warm and Cool Climate Influence on Rhône varietals in the New World — An Upside Down Comparison.” Trey Busch, co-owner and winemaker at Sleight of Hand Cellars in Washington State’s Walla Walla Valley AVA will be Sam’s co-presenter (more on this later). This session will be presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators. The conference is scheduled for August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA). 

It is widely accepted in the northern hemisphere that cool wine growing climates are found in higher latitudes approaching 50º N, and warmer wine growing climates are found in lower latitudes approaching 30º N. After all, 50º N is more than halfway from the equator to the North Pole.  But intuition is confounded by the natural landscape along the North American Pacific Coast where the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the North American Plate has created some of the finest wine growing climates in the world, albeit somewhat upside down!

California’s Central Coast extends along the corridor between the Pacific Ocean and the hillsides and valleys of the Coast Range Mountains between Santa Cruz, just south of San Francisco down to Santa Barbara County, just west of Los Angeles. Along this roughly 100 mile stretch of territory, topography and cold Pacific Ocean influences produce continuously-changing local climates.  The cold Monterrey Peninsula evolves to warm, almost hot, midway in Paso Robles, then turns cool again just a few miles south in San Luis Obispo until you reach the Santa Ynez Valley, at the Central Coast’s southernmost point. Here, in the span of 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean eastward, we have examples virtually every growing climate present in France, all within a single AVA.

Photo via foldedhills.com/vineyards

Santa Ynez Valley (SYV) is Folded Hill’s home AVA. SYV is unique among the world’s wine growing regions due to its location in California where the Pacific Ocean borders the region on both the West and the South. Tectonic influences in this area have created a rare transverse series of mountain ranges with their valleys predominantly open to the west out to the Pacific Ocean.  Moving inland, average daily temperatures rise approximately 1ºF for every mile you move east of the shoreline. For this reason, Santa Ynez Valley AVA has given rise to several nested AVAs from West to East each with distinct terroir personalities —the cool Sta. Rita Hills AVA to the west, the warm Ballard Canyon AVA and Los Olivos District AVA in the mid-section, and the very-warm-to-hot in Happy Canyon AVA to the East.

Thanks to the pop culture phenomenon of the 2004 movie “Sideways,” most people know Santa Ynez Valley as an epicenter for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which is expressed most impressively in the Sta. Rita Hills. Sta. Rita Hills takes the first full brunt of the cold Pacific Ocean breezes and frequent marine layer cloud cover because the valley opens directly to the sea. As you travel inland, you quickly discover that Santa Ynez Valley is home to a cornucopia of celebrated grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Sangiovese, Vermentino, Tempranillo, and virtually the entire catalog of Rhône varietals, especially Syrah and Grenache.

Folded Hill’s Winery, established by Andrew Busch, Great Grandson of Annheuser-Busch founder Adolphus Busch, has the distinction of being the southernmost vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, sitting just inside the AVA perimeter along the base of the Santa Ynez Mountain range. It is also one of a handful of vineyards in SYV that is more significantly influenced by the Pacific Ocean from the south rather than the west — in fact, it is the closest vineyard to the Pacific Ocean in all of SYV, just four miles away from the shoreline.  This location creates a very uncommon terroir and microclimate that turns out to be ideal for growing Rhône varietals — in an uncharacteristic otherwise cool climate.

In fact, although the vineyard is located at 34º 32’ N, its Regional Winkler Classification is 1b, in the company of Burgundy and the Willamette Valley. Common wisdom suggests that region 1b—with average daily temperatures well below 62ºF—would be far too cold to reliably ripen Syrah and Grenache year after year. But Folded Hills’ location within SYV’s unusual terrain allows it to perform more like a mid-region II location—more like the Northern Rhône—by virtue of a growing season that starts in mid-March most years and extends into early November with a daily average temperature between 63ºF and 64ºF before fall/winter precipitation becomes a threat. Additionally, we experience relatively low temperature variation between winter and summer and wide diurnal ranges consistently spanning 35ºF to 40ºF throughout the growing season.

Photo via sofhcellars.com/vineyards

The other half of this story is Sleight of Hand Cellars, founded by Trey Busch, Great-Great Grandson of Adolphus Busch’s brother, Ulrich — however, Andy and Trey just discovered they were distant cousins this past winter! Sleight of Hand Cellars is located in Washington State’s Walla Walla Valley AVA—in the Southeast corner of the greater Columbia Valley AVA—and also produces exceptional Rhône varietal wines, but in a very different climate.

Walla Walla Valley, like much of the greater Columbia Valley is greatly influenced by the rain shadow created by the Cascade Mountain range separating eastern Washington from the Pacific Ocean.  This magnitude of the Cascade Mountain rain shadow has given rise to an unusually dry, almost hot, arid desert over most of the Columbia Valley. Like Folded Hills, Sleight of Hand’s Regional Winkler Classification is a counter-intuitive Region II (almost region III) despite it’s vineyards being between 46º 01’ N and 46º 18’ N latitude — roughly the same as Mâcon in Burgundy, which just as far inland from the French Atlantic coast as Walla Walla is from the Pacific Coast in Washington—but Mâcon is rated as a cool 1b Region.  However, similar to Burgundy, Walla Walla’s climate behaves more Continental with sharper temperature changes between seasons and much hotter mid-summer month high temperatures.  A key difference is that Walla Walla does not experience the precipitation and extreme weather of a fully Continental climate, which ultimately classifies it as hot-Mediterranean due to its long dry summers and mild winters.  In addition, the average growing season day in Walla Walla boasts more than 2 hours of additional sunlight than Santa Ynez Valley. These extended daylight hours have an equally significant, favorable impact on the phenolic profile at harvest which are remarkably different than similar warm/hot New World regions that feature Rhône varietals such as Paso Robles, CA and Barossa Valley, Australia, both of which are closer to 34ºN and S respectively and have fewer sunlight hours daily than Walla Walla throughout the growing season.

Photo via sofhcellars.com/vineyards

In Rhône varieties—Syrah in particular—these (upside down) terroir influences have a profound impact on their expression in our respective wines. The exceptionally long, relatively even growing season at Folded Hills yields fruit at full phenolic ripeness with bright, almost vibrant, acidity, fine grained textural tannins, complex red-black fruit and baking spice driven flavors, delicate almost floral aromas, with medium body and jewel-toned colors developed over a slow, even growing cycle.  The warmer, but longer daylight growing season at Sleight of Hand yields fruit at full phenolic ripeness with lively acidity, soft, supple ripe tannins, rich dark fruit and black spice flavors, pronounced complex aromas, and medium+ to full bodied wines with classic inky-deep color. Both very different, yet varietally correct for their local climactic influences — albeit “upside down” in the New World.

At the August 2022 Annual Conference, I will further discuss and illustrate the unusual natural landscape that influences Folded Hills’ vineyard site and wines in California’s Santa Ynez Valley AVA and Trey Busch, co-owner and winemaker at Sleight of Hand Cellars in Washington State’s Walla Walla Valley AVA will present the terrain and climactic influences of their vineyard sites in Walla Walla and Yakima Valley as we share a side-by-side comparative tasting of our Grenache and Syrah wines. The presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10th at 3:00 pm. See you there!

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Today we have a guest post from Bonnie Graves, who gives us a preview of her upcoming presentation, “Post-Covid California: Sustaining and Thriving in a New Normal.” This session will be presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators. The conference is scheduled for August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA).

As we approach harvest 2022 in California, it’s useful (if painful) to look back two years to 2020—to the last weekend in September when the Glass Fire erupted near the Silverado Trail. As the wildfire moved east, many of us in the industry—holed up at home due to the pandemic—watched with horror as iconic wineries and vineyards and hotels burned. It seemed as if lockdown closures and coronavirus ravages had cruelly converged with massive wildfires to create an authentically apocalyptic moment; a massive conflagration of everything we love. It genuinely felt like the industry was doomed.

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If anything, though, the wine industry is marked by resourcefulness. The challenges of growing, making, and marketing an agricultural product in uncertain economic times are as old as the beverage itself. Over the past two years, we have seen the California wine industry not just survive but thrive. Managing drought and labor shortages in the vineyard is as critical as rethinking sales and marketing channels. Through it all, resourceful and resilient Californians have continued to make and sell great juice.

Join us as we taste through a line-up of six exemplary California wineries from six different wine-producing regions. Each is marked by a commitment not just to sustainable winegrowing practices but also by a commitment to a sustainable business model that values people as much as product. From prestige small-lot producers like Arroyo Grande’s Talley and Inman in the Russian River Valley to larger companies like Monterey’s Scheid and Shannon Ridge in Lake County, we will examine how sustainability can span varying production levels and multiple brands in meaningful ways.

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We’ll do a deep dive into the next-wave regenerative farming championed by Jason Haas at Tablas Creek in Paso Robles and discuss next-wave winemaking when an icon like Alma Rosa changes hands.  How do brands remain not just financially afloat but vibrant amidst ownership changes, challenges related to smoke exposure, and shuttered on-premise restaurants? We’ll sip and discuss strategies in a collaborative dialogue designed for educators, curious consumers and industry insiders alike.

Featured Wines Include:

Bonnie’s session— Post-Covid California: Sustaining and Thriving in a New Normal—is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10th at 10:30 am as part the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, to be held August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA).

About the speaker: Bonnie Graves is the founder, president and voice of Girl Meets Grape, a wine and lifestyle agency based in Los Angeles and launched in 2005.  Bonnie was born in Salt Lake City and raised on the Jersey shore, both areas known for many things if not the vineyards.  She graduated from Harvard magna cum laude before she could legally drink.  She collects weird rocks and old maps.  She speaks a pile of fancy languages.  She wound up a sommelier.  Bonnie worked in restaurants for 15 years before paroling herself to marry the cute guy who is now the father of her two cute kids—life works like that.  Follow Bonnie @girlmeetsgrape and visit girlmeetsgrape.com.

Seven Sisters Country Park, East Sussex

Effective today (July 5, 2022), the UK has recognized its first post-Brexit protected designation of origin (PDO) for wine—the Sussex PDO. This designation is approved by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and applies to still and sparkling wine made in the area historically known as Sussex, referring to the present-day counties of East Sussex and West Sussex.

East Sussex and West Sussex are located in the far southeast of England, along the English Channel coast. They are bordered (to the north, east, and west) by the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Westchester. The area—which has a long history of grape and wine production—is known for its cool climate, high degree of sunshine (at 1,750 hours of sunshine a year, a bit higher than most of England) and chalk soils.

Sussex PDO sparkling wine may be either white or rosé and must be made using the traditional method of sparkling wine production. The wines must be “made principally” using Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Arbane, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Petite Meslier, and Pinot Noir Précoce. Varying levels of sweetness are allowed.

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The range of still wines produced under the Sussex PDO are described as “crisp dry whites to fruity red wines and elegant rosé.”  A substantial list of grapes is allowed for use in still wines produced using the Sussex PDO (there are 24, to be exact). These include the following: Acolon, Auxerrois, Bacchus, Chardonnay, Dornfelder, Gamay, Huxelrebe, Muller-Thurgau, Orion, Ortega, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir Précoce, Regent, Regner, Reichensteiner, Riesling, Rondo, Roter Veltliner, Schonburger, Siegerrebe, and Solaris.

Leading wine estates in the area include Nyetimber, Rathfinney Estate, Bolney Wine Estate, and Artelium.

Note: This designation pertains to products distributed within the UK and is not (at this time) recognized by the EU. The UK retains its previously approved, EU-designated appellations of origin including English Wine PDO, Welsh Wine PDO, and Scotch Whisky GI.

References/for more information:

Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org

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Big news out of British Columbia! Six new sub-geographical indications (sub-GIs) have recently been approved for the Okanagan Valley GI.

The Okanagan Valley—a long, narrow, and dry valley located inland of the Coast Mountain Range and tucked between the Cascades and the Columbia Mountains—is home to the great majority of British Columbia’s vines. Overall, the valley’s continental climate is somewhat assuaged by the northerly latitude and the presence of Lake Okanagan. However, as evidenced by the recent approval of these new subregions, the large Okanagan Valley is home to several diverse soil types and climate conditions—and supports the production of a wide range of wine types and styles.

The six new sub-appellations are as follows:

East Kelowna Slopes: Covers a series of hillsides overlooking Mission Creek in the central area of the Okanagan Valley. A cool climate area known for premium sparkling wine; the leading grape varieties include Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. At this time, about 203 hectares/501 acres are planted to vine. Read the Technical Report for the East Kelowna Slopes Sub-GI here (includes detailed maps of the area).

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Lake Country: Situated near the northern edge of the Okanagan Valley, the Lake Country GI covers the west-facing slopes and benches overlooking a section of the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake. This GI is currently planted to about 100 hectares/247 acres of vines and is known for rich, flavorful Pinot Noir and white varietals. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer are the leading varieties. Read the Technical Report for the Lake Country Sub-GI here (includes detailed maps of the area).

South Kelowna Slopes: This small area covers a series of hillsides and slopes on the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake. The region has a unique concentration of mixed glacial sediment (soils). The area currently contains 131 hectares/324 acres of commercial vineyards; leading grape varieties include Pinot Noir, Gamay, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer. Read the Technical Report for the South Kelowna Slopes Sub-GI here (includes detailed maps of the area).

Summerland Bench: This appellation covers the foothills and terraces located to the east and south of Giant’s Head Mountain (on the west shores of Okanagan Lake). The area is largely planted to fruit orchards (apples and cherries), with approximately 60 hectares/148 acres of vines. White grapes (primarily Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer) dominate the plantings; small plots of Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Syrah are found as well. Read the Technical Report for the Summerland Bench Sub-GI here (includes detailed maps of the area).

Map of the Okanagan Valley GI; copyright Wine Growers British Columbia (click to enlarge)

Summerland Lakefront: This appellation covers a 12-kilometer (7.5-mile) stretch of land hugging the western shore of Okanagan Lake, near the community of Summerland. The area is largely planted to white grape varieties and currently boasts just over 65 hectares/160 acres of vines. Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris are the leading varieties; lesser amounts of Pinot Noir and Merlot are grown as well. Read the Technical Report for the Summerland Lakefront Sub-GI here (includes detailed maps of the area).

Summerland Valleys: This appellation contains some of the highest-elevation vineyards in the Okanagan Valley, linking two separate valleys via a stretch of land that runs across Cartwright Mountain. Like the Summerland Bench and Summerland Lakefront GIs, this area is situated around and near the community of Summerland, located on the western shores of Okanagan Lake. There are currently 35 hectares/85 acres of vines planted in the region. Chardonnay is the leading variety. Read the Technical Report for the Summerland Valleys Sub-GI here (includes detailed maps of the area).

Okanagan’s Eleven: These six new sub-appellations join the five already in place—Golden Mile Bench, Golden Mile Slopes, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Falls, and Skaha Bench—for a total of 11.

Okanagan’s Twelve? Hang on to your flashcards…yet another Sub-GI has been proposed. Click here to read the June 2022 Proposal for the Black Sage Bench Sub-GI

References/for more information:  

Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org

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Today we have a guest post from Jim Clarke, U.S. Marketing Manager for Wines of South Africa. Jim gives us a preview of his upcoming presentation, “In the Shadow of Chenin.” This session will be presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators. The conference is scheduled for August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA). 

Across the U.S., in bistros and other places with smaller wine lists, if there’s only one South African wine included, it’s likely to be Chenin Blanc; the grape has definitively taken up a position as South Africa’s flagbearer. But on retail shelves and other spots with a little more room, many other South African wines are finding homes as well.

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Among the more planted varieties Sauvignon Blanc, which makes up more than ten percent of South Africa’s vineyards, has enjoyed a two-side role in the U.S market. Imports are strong, but largely in the form of lower-tier brands that are not necessarily marketed as South African. Meanwhile, restaurant wine directors have increasingly realized that an old cliché about South African wine, that it’s “a little bit Old World, a little bit New” rings particularly true with Sauvignon. It doesn’t have the full, in-your-face tart fruit and grass of a Kiwi version, but it’s also more expressive than the citrus and mineral expressions of Sancerre. This makes it a great by-the-glass wine in markets where both those styles are popular, and this saves restaurants from having two Sauvignon Blancs open and losing their freshness. As the popularity of Sauvignon Blanc continues to grow, and especially in response to recent supply issues, these quality-driven South African Sauvignon Blancs are expanding their place in the market.

Back in South Africa more and more premium versions are appearing as more maritime areas focus their attention on the grape. Constantia and Durbanville, both a short drive from Cape Town, have made it a specialty, as has Darling, further up the West Coast. Some of the fastest growing areas for Sauvignon Blanc are in the Cape South Coast region, an area little explored for winegrowing at all until deregulation in 1992 removed a quota system that largely forbid planting there. Within the region Elgin is South Africa’s coolest climate winegrowing area, but Sauvignon Blanc plantings dot the coast all the way down to Elim in Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the African continent. These windswept vineyards produce intense Sauvignon Blancs with a strong saline character.

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Chardonnay falls in line just behind Sauvignon Blanc as South Africa’s fourth most-planted white variety, but emerged almost out of nowhere in the 1970s, when there were less than 6,000 Chardonnay vines in the whole country. It was heavily associated with the estate producers who drove quality production as the country emerged out of apartheid in the 1990s and has increasingly lived up to their aspirations. Relatively small appellations like Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde have earned outsized reputations for their Chardonnays, but so has Stellenbosch, a much larger region with corresponding more hectares of the grape.

As in other places around the world, South African Chardonnay endured a phase where oak and weight showed more in the glass than the quality and character of the fruit, but that has since passed, a process accelerated by the poor state of the South African rand; imported oak barrels have become prohibitively expensive, leading South African producers to scale back new oak use and explore alternative aging vessels. The resulting wines are more balanced and elegant, but still offer a pleasing weight and texture on the palate. Together with Chenin Blanc, South African Chardonnay demonstrates winemakers’ interest in developing mouthfeel and texture in white wines without sacrificing freshness. This is particularly true with the country’s unoaked Chardonnays. Unoaked New World Chardonnay is often a light, crisp affair, but careful control of the fermentation process and lees work lend South African examples great presence on palate. The resulting wines can still appeal to more traditional Chardonnay fans while often eliciting a response from others along the lines of, “I don’t normally care for Chardonnay, but this!”

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If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice we’ve skipped a grape somewhere. Chenin Blanc is South Africa’s most planted grape, and Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay rank third and fourth among whites. Quietly occupying the number two spot is Colombard. Varietal examples are rarely seen, however, as much of the grape goes either into bulk wine or brandy production. That is changing, and a handful of exciting examples of premium Colombard have begun to appear, especially from old vine vineyards where yields have dropped and the fruit is more concentrated. The wines are often lighter-bodied and more aromatic than the country’s Chenins and Chardonnays, but display depth and a rounded, pearly texture. There are also a few exciting examples of Colombard being used as a base for Cap Classique – traditional method sparkling wine – and a few experts have suggested this could become an intriguing niche within the fast-growing Cap Classique category.

There’s beyond Chenin, and there’s also beyond the top four planted varieties we just looked at. As winemakers explore further they’re considering and embracing a number of other varieties, mostly of Mediterranean origin. For now, these plantings are small – grapes like Clairette Blanche and Grenache Blanc occupy less than two percent of the country’s vineyards – but there are plenty of alternative varieties for the curious wine drinker to explore.

Jim’s session—In the Shadow of Chenin—is scheduled for Thursday, August 11th at 8:45 am as part the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, to be held August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA).

About the speaker: Jim Clarke is the U.S. Marketing Manager for Wines of South Africa. Prior to joining WOSA in 2013 Jim was the wine director at Armani Ristorante and Megu, both in New York City. He is also a writer, regularly contributing to a number of trade and consumer publications including World of Fine Wine, Club Oenologique, and Fortune. In 2020 Jim received the International Louis Roederer Wine Writer Award for Feature Writing and in August of that year Wine Business Monthly named Jim as a Wine Industry Leader of the Year. Jim is the author of The Wines of South Africa, published by Infinite Ideas as part of the Classic Wine Library in July 2020.

Photo via: winesofargentina.org

Today we have a guest post from Veronica Kathuria, CSW. Veronica gives us a preview of her upcoming presentation, “Argentina: A Discovery Awaits!” This session will be presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators. The conference is scheduled for August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA). 

The quality of Argentine wine is better than ever. The uniqueness of the grapes; the immense diversity of flavors, aromas, and textures; the long winemaking history; the country’s unique terroir; and the constant bet on innovation and sustainability as the engines change, are thriving the Argentine wine industry and succeeding in producing the best wines in its history.

Naturally distinctive wines: Argentina has a wealth of natural diversity featuring different climates, geographies and cultures that have positioned the country as the fifth world’s largest wine producer, and number one for Malbec. Argentinian wineries have more than 500 years of trajectory. Viticulture was introduced to Argentina as early as the 16th century and winemakers started to develop its vast extension. Producers have pushed the wine frontier, growing grapes wide across the territory; each wine region printing its own geological characteristics that define the wines’ identity. 92.2% of the vine surface produces grapes for wine, while 7.8% are grape varieties suitable for fresh consumption.

Argentina has vineyards in eighteen provinces, which gives rise to five wine-growing regions: North, Cuyo, Center, Patagonia, and the Atlantic Region. Non-traditional wine regions are also gaining relevance in the center and northeast of the country.

Photo via: winesofargentina.org

Other landscapes must be added to the vineyards along the snow-capped peaks of the Andes: the high-altitude deserts with cardones in the North; the lost vineyards in the Central valleys of Córdoba, where the tendrils climb the thorny native forest; or, further south, the few rows of vines in the Andean Region, in Patagonia, that contrast with the leafy forests of coihues and cypresses. Each area has been studied in detail by Argentine winemakers and agronomists; they define the identity of wines within a framework of natural purity and provide a sum of diversities that highlights the wide range of Argentine viticulture.

Exceptionally diverse wines: In 2021, Argentina’s wineries harvested 2.2M kilos of grapes in 480K acres of vineyards. All told, Argentina grows over 200 varieties and produces a range of still and sparkling wines; total annual production includes 59% red wine, 23% rosé, and 18% white wine.

An endless range of expressions—altitude and wines: The climate, soil conditions and variability, altitude, the winemaking practices, and the ever-present influence of the Andes Mountain range all influence the quality and character of Argentine wine. Most Argentine vineyards sit at 4,500 feet/1,372 meters above sea level or higher; the altitude helps to produce fresh, textured and age-worthy wine.

Not many countries in the world can boast altitude as a condition of terroir, and they certainly tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Pushing the limits above 4,430 feet/1,350 meters asl, up to 1,500 4,921 feet/1,500 meters asl in Mendoza (Cuyo), and with a ceiling of 10,922 feet/3,329 meters asl in Jujuy (North Region), there is a universe of increasing diversity.

Furthermore, the higher you go, the steeper the slopes get, and the soil is ever newer—while its composition changes depending on when it comes into contact with rivers. More wineries are investing in exploring their soils to discover what can distinguish one micro terroir from another to obtain the best wines ever.

Photo via: winesofargentina.org

About Malbec Argentino: Malbec is—by far—the most widely consumed Argentine variety domestically and overseas. Its contemporary emergence on the international viticultural scene is thanks to the hard work of the community of Argentine wine producers that restored the allure of a grape that had almost fallen into oblivion.

While Malbec vineyards spread across the world, Argentinians have been working to make its reds even more precise and extending the range of styles. The dedication and loyalty to the development of Malbec has resulted in a range of expert knowledge. The combination of soils and altitude, in addition to other climatic factors, creates a puzzle when determining the character of the resulting terroirs. Hence, Malbec has become the best means of representing the spectrum of landscapes in Argentina. As a result of these conditions, this variety stands out primarily for its quality; maintaining, vintage after vintage, a high standard that distinguishes us in the world.

Wine lovers can taste many styles of Malbec—from raw wines, aged wines, floral and herbal wines to robust, classic styles. The new breeds of Malbec reveal the grape’s true diversity: a very expressive red wine with easy-going textures that never feels harsh on the palate, with fruity freshness and great precision.

Sustainability and innovation: Argentina continues to move forward and reinvent global wine traditions and practices. The country’s wine industry is committed to paving the way to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way to produce great wines with +2.5K hectares devoted to biodynamic wines; more than 60 Argentine producers focusing on developing organic grapes; and (at last count) 76 wineries with organic certification.

Unfold Argentina´s infinite range: Who is Argentine wine for? For everyone who dares to try something new. Beyond the famous Malbec, and the essential red wines, Argentina produces a diversity of wines of the highest quality. Its wine amplitude is immense; there is a wine for every taste, you can choose from a spectrum from light bodied wines to robust reds. At the end, it all comes down to experiencing the magic in your glass, an endless range of flavors. What is the next step? Challenge yourself to pick your new favorite Argentine wine.

Veronica’s session—Argentina: A Discovery Awaits—is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10th at 4:45 pm as part the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, to be held August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA). 

About the speaker: Veronica Kathuria, CSW, is the USA & Canada Area Manager at Wines of Argentina. In her role, she provides opportunities for U.S. wine trade professionals to learn about the diversity of Argentina’s wine and connects key players in the trade sector to the country’s new generation of agronomists and winemakers. Veronica holds a master’s degree in Wine Marketing & Management from the French INSEEC Business School.

About Wines of Argentina: Wines of Argentina is the organization in charge of promoting Argentine wine worldwide. Since 1993, it has been contributing to the global success of the national wine industry. In addition, it guides the export strategy of the sector by offering innovative actions focused on digital marketing and generating business opportunities for its members. Currently, WofA has about 180 partner wineries from all the wine regions of the country, which, in turn, export to more than 135 countries and represent 95% of the total wine exported from Argentina.

Today we have a guest post from Jim Gerakaris, CWE. Jim gives us a preview of his upcoming presentation, “What you Probably Don’t Know about Paso Robles: It’s Even Cooler than You Think!” This session will be presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators. The conference is scheduled for August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA). 

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What you Probably don’t Know about Paso Robles- It’s Even Cooler than You Think!

The dangers of being type cast are both great and frustrating. Just like actors that get cast in the same types of roles after seeing some initial success, the region of Paso Robles has been viewed in the wine world as that place that makes reliably rustic, chewy Zins that could never possibly be viewed as complex, balanced wines.  Most of the current wine literature only repeats this same narrative about Paso Robles, but a lot has been happening in this region that warrants a second look, especially over the last few decades.

Beginning with the growing of mission grapes for the production of sacramental wine at Mission San Miguel in 1797, and nearly a century later with zinfandel vineyards planted by Swiss/Italian immigrants in the 1880s to make their wine in a new land, Paso Roble’s reputation was for a big, rustic wines that are often typical of a warmer region.

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This style of winemaking continued until the 1980s, when a few newcomers began to realize the potential of making quality wines from classic grape varieties like Cabernet, Syrah and other highly regarded varieties while also exploring some exciting white varieties, especially those from the Rhone Valley.

The growing conditions of Paso Robles are very different than most other California wine regions and initially, conditions like alkaline soils, and low rain levels posed challenges to defying the norms that had yielded those rustic wines. Eventually a collective knowledge began to emerge regarding where to plant vines, what kind of root stock (if any) to use and how to farm grapes with a focus on quality not quantity. This, along with the advancements in viticulture and winemaking technology seen in the last thirty years have brought about a revolution that has redefined the reputation of Paso Robles and its wines. To show how much things have changed, Zinfandel now only comprises about 6% of the total planted acreage of the region.

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The knowledge that was gained over this time has changed how the growers and wineries in Paso Robles began to view the AVA and most felt that the larger AVA designation was too broad and did not describe the nuance and potential that Paso Robles has to offer. In 2007, an independent committee including scientists from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, submitted a petition the TTB to establish 11 sub-AVAs within the larger Paso Robles AVA to better describe the region’s growing conditions. In 2014, after a thorough review of the massive amount of data presented by the committee, the petitions were approved and since then, the region has emerged in a new light.

While Paso Robles has had some great press in the last few years, mostly in periodicals and in newspapers, the established wine literature is still lagging beyond stating the 11 sub AVAs, and a wine educator still needs to dig though many sources to get a better feel for the region and its potential.

Map via: pasowine.com/paso-robles/ava/

For instance, here are a few things you may not know about the Paso Robles AVA:

To learn and see more about the dynamic and developing region of Paso Robles, join Jim Gerakaris, CWE in an exploration of the unique combination of soils, climate and culture that has brought Paso Robles into prominence while tasting a variety of wines that is bound to surprise you. Jim’s session is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10th at 4:45 pm as part the 46th Annual Conference of the Society of Wine Educators, to be held August 10-11 in Coachella Valley (Indian Wells, CA).

About the speaker: Jim Gerakaris is the Winery Sommelier and Wine Educator at JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery in Paso Robles, CA. He is a Certified Wine Educator since 2014 and a Certified Sommelier since 2010. Through an early introduction to Bordeaux and other European wines, Jim fed his passion for food and wine while traveling internationally during a previous career in technical sales in the semiconductor industry.  In 2003 he jumped ship and entered the wine industry in various winery hospitality positions in the Paso Robles area and has been at JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery since 2008.  Known for his ability to convey complex concepts regarding wine to both the novice and the pro in an entertaining and memorable way. Jim is a senior member of the hospitality management team with a focus on education, a part of the blending team for JUSTIN wines and a frequent winery representative for JUSTIN at dinners, conferences, and other events in the U.S. and abroad.

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