A fundraiser in support of
The Citadel Theatre

 

How to work a wine room April 2010

Arriving at the California Wine Fair can be a bit overwhelming; when the doors open at (7 PM) the entranceway becomes flooded with wine lovers, all scrambling for their programs to see what wines will be poured during the evening. The seasoned wine veteran always has a pen handy and will start to scribe notes in the program before even entering the wine room. But what are they writing? Hopefully we can answer some of your questions about how to work a wine room.

1. Ladies and gentlemen, get your pens ready

Remember that there are over 300 wines to sample at the California Wine Fair and you only have 3.5 hours to do so. Upon arriving it is best to get your wine program and spend a few minutes going through it. This will help you to determine what wines are being poured. Look for specific wines or wineries that you recognize; if it is a wine that you have always wanted to try, make a note to stop by that booth. This program review is also handy for wines that you know well — if you have the opportunity to try 300 new wines you may want to skip your tried, tested and true favourites and find some new gems. 

2. Sequence

Ok, you’ve arrived, made notes in the program as to which wines you want to taste…now what? Now, you have to have a look at the room map and try to taste your marked wines in ‘wine sequential order.' Start with the wines that will be lightest in colour, flavour and body and move through to the biggest and most flavourful  wines. This is the ideal wine sequential order:

Bubbles/sparkling
Light whites
Heavier whites (most likely heavily oaked chardonnays)
Light reds
Big, bold reds
Stickies: the late harvest or port-style wines

3. To rinse or not to rinse

This is a question that I have been asked frequently and the best answer is: If you taste your wines in the above-mentioned order you shouldn’t need to rinse your glass between wines. There is much debate over using water to rinse a glass because water contains traces of minerals that may affect the aromas and flavour of a wine. 

4. What does a sample of wine look like in your glass?

Because there are over 300 wines to sample in a short period of time, the wine agents behind the booths do their best to help you get through the room to all of your wines as quickly as possible. They will only pour you a sample that will measure between ½ ounce to a full ounce – this is the perfect amount to swirl in the glass, nose (smell), taste and spit. Keep in mind that if you were to get a full ounce of ever wine that you taste at the show – you could potentially have over 3 bottles of wine!  Don’t think that the wine agents are being chintzy – they just realize that you have a myriad of wines to sample during the evening. Instead of standing at a booth and asking for continual samples, try to navigate the room a bit. If you find that at the end of the night you had a particular favourite, go on back for a last taste.

5. The spit bucket

Although not so attractive, they are there for a reason and should be used. With all of the wines to sample it is best to spit as much as possible. Within 20 minutes you could potentially consume an entire bottle of wine – and then you won’t even be able to really taste the rest of the wines, not to mention you’ll be very sluggish on the Friday morning after.

The spit bucket can be very daunting: how does one spit delicately? It does take some practice, but my best advice is to rehearse your spitting technique at home with water or with your daily dose of mouthwash. Be sure to hold back dangling jewelry, pashminas or hair while spitting.

6.  Table etiquette

The wine agents are all knowledgeable, friendly people who are there to help answer any questions that you might have about the wine, so please don’t hesitate to ask. However, keep in mind that there will be over 600 people who too will want to taste and ask  questions, so try not to block the booth as you sip and sample. As this is a social event you will most likely bump into some friends – we don’t discourage social interaction, but it is best to chat with friends away from the front of the booth where other wine lovers will be getting wines poured for them.

7. A note on fragrance

In the proper wine tasting environment you want to be as fragrance-free as possible. This way you will be able to appreciate the full aromas and flavours of the wine. Some fragrances can so overwhelming that we start to smell or taste them in our wine. We bring fragrance with us in the form of perfume, cologne, hairspray and that deliciously flavoured lip gloss that we ladies love so much…although it makes our lips soft and shiny, it can make our sauvignon blanc taste like chocolate peppermint!

Coming to a wine show is undoubtedly a night out, and it might be a stretch to banish all fragrances, so I suggest to be mindful of the amount of perfume/cologne that you are applying. This way you will get the full flavour effect from all your wines and so will the other guests at the event.

8. Dine, then wine

Drinking on an empty stomach is never fun; the day after is even worse. The California Wine Fair does offer small appetizers with your entrance fee; however, there is no additional food available for purchase, so please eat before you arrive. With over 300 wines to sample I would strongly suggest to have a good meal beforehand.

9. Most importantly, please arrange for a safe ride home – we want everybody to return next year

A larger wine glass will be available for purchase for $5. Due to its larger size you can swirl, sniff and slurp like a professional. You get to keep the wine glass at the end of the night and all of the proceeds go to the Citadel Theatre!

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California wine label lingo

January 2010

Californian wines are straight shooters when it comes to wine label language. They are very good at stating the grape varietals, where the wine comes, and a general description of the tasting notes. Wine laws in California require that the basics are printed on the label.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking at a California wine label:

Only 75% of the wine in a bottle has to be of the stated varietal. For example, if a label from California says that the wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon, this means that up to 25% of the wine can be blended from other grape varietals (and they don’t have to be mentioned on the label). Blending is very common and it doesn’t mean that the wine is of lesser quality — it’s a bit like blending spices for a pasta sauce, sometimes you need a bit of pepper or a pinch of basil. Wine can be the same way, winemakers blend all of the time. It helps them to keep their wines consistent from vintage to vintage or to add layers of texture and flavour to the finished product.

If an AVA (American Viticultural Area) is stated on the label, at least 85% of the grapes used for that wine must come from the AVA. For example, Dry Creek Valley would be a smaller AVA within a larger AVA and 85% of the grapes would have to come from within the legal boundaries of the Dry Creek Valley.

*AVAs are the system for defining growing regions in California. They can be any shape or size but they are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF). The designation of an AVA is typically based on geographical features of the area, soil, climate, elevation etc.

Smaller, or sub-AVAs are contained within larger AVAs. The main AVAs that will you need to know to navigate through our California Wine Fair are:

1. North Coast AVA
   This AVA is where we will find Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Carneros, Mendocino, Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley just to name a few.
2. Central Coast AVA — there is a North and South Central Coast
   In this larger AVA we will find the smaller AVAs of: Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County.
3. Central Valley AVA
   This is where 80% of the wine coming form California is produced. Lodi is a pretty common AVA within the Central Valley.
4. Sierra Foothills AVA
   This is one of the largest AVAs but you have to hunt to find wines from her as they are typically small boutique producers. The Sierra Foothills doesn’t necessarily produce the most amount of wine but its geographical boundaries stretch far.

If the wine hails from a specific vineyard, then 95% of the grapes have to come from the stated vineyard. Some wineries have special names for their specific vineyard sites and they can become famous.

Information is key to have when you go shopping for wine and lucky for us — Californian vintners make it pretty easy to understand. In blogs to come we will target specific smaller AVAs for wine picks to help you get to know California a bit better.

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Californian wine owes a great deal of thanks to gold

November 10, 2009

Believe it or not, a pivotal moment in California’s wine industry was the Gold Rush in 1849. The population of California exploded with gold seekers and they changed the direction of wine in California forever.

With the influx of thirsty gold miners and immigrants from around the world, a new industry for California began. Although the gold miners weren’t concerned with grape varietal, oak aging or flavour profiles, they were interested in an intoxicating liquid called wine. Small wineries popped up around California, mostly near mining sites, which led to more and more wine drinkers. It took several years for consumers to develop a more sophisticated palate, but their demand is what has taken California from bulk sweet wine in jugs to some of the world’s most prestigious award-winning vintages.

As the wine industry grew in California it attracted wine makers and wine dreamers from all around the world. Many small families came to California with their European winemaking techniques and tried to recreate their success in a new land. Grape growers and wine makers were faced with many challenges including soil types, longer or shorter growing seasons, hillsides, mountains and bench lands, areas that were prone to floods, areas that were very desperate for water and areas that were flanked by water.

Through many difficult years of experimentation with different types of grape varietals and wine growing techniques, we have come to appreciate the complexity and diversity that California has to offer to the vine.