AWS News Promoting Appreciation of Wine Through Education Volume 32, No

AWS News Promoting Appreciation of Wine Through Education Volume 32, No. 6 www.americanwinesociety.org December 2018 In This Issue 2018 Awards This year, our Award of Merit recipient is Paul Wagner. “Paul Amateur Winemaking Awards 5,10 has been a great friend not only to our organization, but also to the AWS Educational Foundation 15 wine industry,” said David Falchek. “Working in the background as a Chapter Events 12 marketing professional and an edu- cator, Paul has influenced the way Government Affairs 6 the public drinks wine and thinks Member Service News 3 about wine. His passion and work has aligned with the AWS mission to National Conference Wrap Up 4 promote wine appreciation through education.” National Tasting Project 2018 7,8 Wagner recently retired from running Balzac Communica- National Tasting Project 2019 4 tions, but continues to teach about wine—in Barcelona at the WinTour Wine Tourism MBA program, leading AWS wine New Wine Judges 5 cruises, presenting at AWS conferences, teaching at Napa Valley College, joining the U.S. tour of the Union des Grands Outstanding RVP & Chapter Chair 2 Crus de Bordeaux, giving the keynote address at the Van- couver International Wine Festival, judging the California The Truth About False Wine 9 State Fair Wine Competition, and lecturing at Fresno State Try The Wine Curmudgeon Tasting 2 and Cambridge Universities. Our 2018 Outstanding Member is John Hames. John Wine Tasting Venue 6 changed the way we organize national conferences when he stepped Wines of Slovenia 3 up to become the multi-year Con- ference Chair. He served as AWS Executive Director and is currently our Historian and Conference Pro- gram Chair. His award honors him by stating, “Whose dedication in serving members and advancing our mission knows no equal. For his Our President’s Last Word timeless tackling of deeds from the smallest to the largest, in service to the Society.” Two years flies by! It seems like just yesterday I wrote my first AWS News article as our organization’s president, and here I am writing my last. The last couple of years have been very Conference Highlights rewarding, and I will miss being connected to all that goes on na- tionally. But there is some relief at The 2018 National Conference in Buffalo, NY, was another never having to speak on stage great success! Almost 500 people attended again! the event, which featured 2 walk-around receptions, 4 meals with wine, 50 different I came to office at a time of transi- wine education/tasting sessions, amateur tion, and I’m grateful for the op- and professional winemaking competitions, portunity to be a part of it. We and late-night hospitality rooms. Opportuni- opened a new National Office with ties to make new friends abounded and the a new executive director and mem- food was delicious. ber services manager, we celebrated our 50th anniversary and started forging plans for AWS 50+. We’ve ushered in a multi- This year’s opening reception tude of other changes, some small and some significant. The was a Tailgate Party—we were last hurrah of my tenure will be our launching of a revamped invited to wear our favorite website to improve members’ access to information and en- sports team’s gear and the hance our external marketing efforts. food included chicken wings (Of course! It’s Buffalo!) and I’m incredibly enthusiastic about the future of AWS and be- small sandwiches. Conversa- lieve that we’re on solid footing for tion abounded as people discussed moving forward. I see continued mem- their home towns and sports. It was bership growth and a recommitment Cont. on Page 9 Cont. on Page 16 Outstanding RVP and AWS National Office P. O. 889 Chapter Chair Scranton, PA 18501 Outstanding RVP Phone (888) AWS-9070 Each year we recognize one Regional Vice President for out- (888) 297-9070 standing contributions to chapter support and enhancing Fax (570) 344-4825 membership value. This year’s winner is the formidable team of Jeff and Nancy Stabins in northern New York. Jeff and Nan- David Falchek Executive Director cy support their region together, cruising from chapter to [email protected] chapter in their motor home. It’s fairly common knowledge that they purchased the motor home in large part to support Katie Kearney Member Services Manager their RVP responsibilities. That’s commitment! [email protected] Jeff and Nancy support the largest region in the country, en- Website www.americanwinesociety.org compassing 11 chapters. Many chapter chairs and members in their region nominated the Stabins for this award and it’s clear there is a lot of respect and affection for them.

2018 AWS National Officers Outstanding Chapter Chair President Kristin Kraft Each year we recognize one chapter chair for outstanding chapter service. This year’s winner is Tina Tusa, the chair of Vice President Joe Broski the Historic Lewiston Chapter near Buffalo, NY. Tina was in- Secretary LeAnne Wheeler volved with the AWS when she lived in Denver, providing in- valuable support to the Colorado RVP Kate Bowen. She has Treasurer Tom Wallman also volunteered for the challenging job of supporting the con- Directors at Large ference registration desk for the past six years. Competitions Joe Dautlick Recently Tina moved to New York and made quick work of Education Aaron Mandel starting and growing her new chapter. The Historic Lewiston Membership Jay Bileti chapter was born in February 2018 and, as of today, has 82 members! Tina has done a terrific job of managing the many details and issues of a large and fast-growing chapter as well AWS News Staff as delivering interesting and educational programs. Pam Davey Editor—[email protected] Jay Bileti David Falchek Publisher [email protected] [email protected] Renee Jones [email protected] Tom Cobett [email protected] Sharyn Kervyn [email protected] Kevin Kourofsky [email protected] Bonnie Lance [email protected] Diane Meyer [email protected]

Jeff Stabins, Tina Tusa, Nancy Stabins

The American Wine Society, founded in 1967, is the old- Try The Value Wine Curmudgeon Tasting est and largest consumer- Some of you may know Jeff Siegle, The Wine Curmudg- based wine education group eon, an irreverent and funny wine blogger who specializes in North America. We have in value wines (winecurmudgeon.com). His blog is very almost 7000 members and interesting, educational and fun. He has given several well 180 chapters across the -received seminars at AWS conferences. United States. The Wine Curmudgeon has selected 16 wines for us that We are a 501(c)(3) non- he considers outstanding values. They are widely distributed and should profit, educational corpora- be generally available. You will also find his clever descriptions of each tion. Our members appreci- wine snatched from the blog. Chapter event planners can purchase the ate, celebrate and share wines they like or are available in their areas and hold the tasting. After knowledge about wine. tasting the wines, the leader can either read the Curmudgeon’s com- Our mission: Promoting ments to the group or pass out printed copies. The wine list and descrip- Wine Appreciation Through tions are available on the AWS Website in Education & Training. Education. Jeff has also agreed to do a few Skype events for us. If you are interest- www.americanwinesociety.org ed, contact him at [email protected]. I’d highly recommend doing one of his tastings because Jeff is a really fun and educational guy—his nickname is quite apt—think of a cross between Lewis Black and Robert Parker. Jay Bileti [email protected]

AWS News December 2018 Page 2 Member Service News Wines of Slovenia

Whew. What a busy and fun few months we have had at the National Office. We’ve been exploring ways to engage with members and new audiences, so we decided to start an Insta- gram page for AWS. We view this as a way to broaden our reach and as a quick and fun platform to reach out to members. We kicked the page off a few weeks before conference and were able to give followers a behind-the-scenes look at conference prep. Most of the images are also shared on Face- book. Going forward we would like to use the Instagram page as a tool for people to see local chapter events all over the country. Would you like to host an "Instagram Takeover" to give our followers an inside look at your chapter? What a local Chapter Chair or member would do is reach out to me and I’ll get you a temporary Instagram password so you can At the 51st Annual Conference in Buffalo, our organization take us behind the scenes of your tasting—set up, meeting received a living piece of wine history from Slovenia. the speaker, selfies with your members. The great thing about A contingency of young, dynamic winemakers from Slovenia Instagram is that it is fun—and I know that you all are having conducted several sessions at the conference. The Slovenian fun at your tastings. By seeing what other chapters are doing, industry provided wines for a meal and we were joined by you might find new ideas for your tastings and people may the Slovenian ambassador to the United States, Stanislav even decide to start their own chapters. Vidoviĉ, who gave a talk about Slovenia. We learned how Speaking of chapters, this year has been GREAT for chapter their national identity incorporates wine. Their national an- development. This is largely due to the Regional Vice Presi- them is subtitled “A Toast.” dents and Jay Bileti, Director of Member Services, working Unexpectedly, Ambassador Vidoviĉ offered the AWS a gift—a hard to get new groups started. Our 2018 new chapters are bottle of wine more rare and valuable than any in the room, Collector’s (AZ), AOC East Bay (CA), Golden (CO), South Met- a bottle of wine made from the oldest productive grapevine ro Denver (CO), First Coast (FL), Chicagoland (IL-restart), in the world, a claim backed up by Guinness. Derby Somm (KY), St. Louis Cellar Dwellers (MO), Pine Belt (MS), Glacier Wine Guild (MT), Shallotte (MT), Historic Lewis- Since the middle ages, “The Mother Vine” survived every- ton (NY), Wines Without Borders Suffern (NY), Puerto Rico, thing from the Ottoman Batesburg/Leesville (SC), Northeast Tennes- invasion and blights to see Wine Lovers and Cork N’ Fork (VA). We World War II bombings. also have a few chapters just getting ready This national symbol of to begin as the year closes out. perseverance and prosperi- ty originally planted out- It's been a great 2018 because of all of you. side of the city wall, is Thank you! I can’t wait to see what happens beautifully trellised on the in 2019. side of a what is known as the Old Vine House in the Katie Kearney city of Maribor, producing [email protected] small amounts of fruit every year. That fruit is vinified and bottled and those bottles used for protocol purposes. I’m told the AWS’s 250 ml bottle, designed by Slovenian artist Oskar Kogoj, is one of just 36 made in 2016. Festivals celebrate the Old Vine, which has its own anthem. We want to Members by State 11/15/2018 research the most respectful and appropriate way for our AL 134 IN 51 ND 52 RI 31 organization to handle this gift. The Slovenian contingent and their wines were warmly re- AR 8 KS 9 NE 23 SC 211 ceived by AWS members, who appreciated this survey of an historic, but under-represented wine-producing country. With so many new friends in Slovenia, we AZ 151 KY 116 NH 14 TN 76 are examining the possibility of an AWS- organized trip. Let us know if you may be CA 433 LA 4 NJ 380 TX 153 interested. As I told Ambassador Vidoviĉ, the bottle, CO 273 MA 107 NM 57 U.K. 4 nestled in straw in a wooden box, symbolizes a connection between Slovenia, its wine in- CT 164 MD 203 NV 88 UT 8 dustry and our members.

DC 11 MI 431 NY 538 VA 476 David Falchek [email protected] DE 61 MN 37 OH 295 VT 5

FL 305 MO 38 ONT 13 WA 58

GA 117 MS 17 OR 108 WI 10

HI 11 MT 65 PA 1124 Other 16

IL 68 NC 422 PR 6 Total 6982

AWS News December 2018 Page 3 2018 National Conference National Tasting Project 2019 Wrap Up

The 2018 National Conference in Buffa- lo, New York is officially complete and I have to say I’m thrilled with how won- derfully the event went, and a little sad it is over. For those of you who were lucky enough to attend I hope you en- We are very excited to announce that Napa Valley Vintners, in joyed yourselves and learned about a partnership with Constellation Brands and Opici Family Dis- few new wines along the way! tributing, are proud sponsors of the 2019 National Tasting Project! We will explore the diverse terroir of Napa I have always said that you are only as strong as your team Valley and sample the broad range of varietals coming from and this continues to be true. Thank you to this year’s confer- the varied soils and micro-climates. Napa Valley is not just ence committee for helping put on an amazing event and be- about Cabernet Sauvignon (although there may be some Cab ing my support during this huge undertaking. THANK YOU in the mix)! Katie Kearney, Tom and Marj Wallman, John Hames, Nancy and Jeff Stabins, Beth Camann and Paul VanHorn, Tina Tusa, Marketview Liquor, our online shipping source out of Denise Gibson and Tony Lawrence—I couldn’t have done it Rochester, New York, and Winework- without you! sonline.com, out of Marlton, New Jersey have both agreed to stock all 12 wines for I would also like to thank all of the session speakers who us. They plan to include an AWS tab on their came to the AWS Conference to teach us and let us learn home page for ease of ordering the wines. something new. You gave us tasting and learning experiences They are giving us the best price, providing you can only get at an AWS Conference. I was able to have case discounts, and not adding sales tax to many wonderful conversations and thank most of you in per- help offset the shipping costs. These wines son but in case we didn’t cross paths THANK YOU so much for will be allocated to our members for a lim- sharing your knowledge and your wines with us! ited time—they will be ∗ available to order begin- Thank you to Wine Country Ontario for ning mid-January, and will sponsoring the incredible meal wines at remain available through the lunch on Friday and showing us April 30, 2019. what Ontario can produce. Meet with your chapters and plan ahead so you can place ∗ Thank you to the Wines of Slovenia for your orders before April 30. After the deadline passes, the sponsoring the amazing meal wines on wines go on sale to the general public and we cannot guaran- Saturday and for making the trip from tee you will be able to get all of the wines for your tastings. Slovenia to come and personally repre- The deadline to submit your scores to us for inclusion in the sent your wines to all of us. final report has been extended to October 10, 2019. Unfortu- nately, we are unable to accept any late reports. Thank you ∗ Thank you to Lugana wines for once for understanding. again sponsoring our Showcase of Wines and sharing your amazing wines Tasting Details with us. We were glad to have you back Early in 2019, we will send an email that includes everything again! you’ll need to conduct the tasting: Ordering Information, PowerPoint, Score Sheets, Reporting Form and Survey. The ∗ Thank you to Balzac Communications PowerPoint will be designed to sample the wines as you go and Marketing for your continued through the slides and conduct this blind tasting as an addi- support of our Conference. There are so tional learning opportunity for our members. Please maintain many of the sponsors, sessions and the integrity of this aspect of the tasting. We will also be wines that were only there because of sending out a retail order guide for the states where Mar- you. ketview and Wineworks don’t ship so those chapters can obtain the wines. We send this email only to the chapter chairs, ∗ Thank you to Cayuga Wine Trail for to forward to the individual in their chapter conducting the sponsoring our lanyards and to Bremn- tasting (to respect the ‘blind’ aspect of this tasting). er Wafers for donating the crack- How great would it be to have ALL of our ers. chapters participate in the National Tasting ∗ Project! Please spread the word to support Thanks also to Grand Crus de Bordeaux, Leonard Oakes these efforts, our goal is 100% participation! Estate Winery, Wine & Spirit Education Trust and Wines ’Til Sold Out for sponsoring our conference. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Sharyn Kervyn [email protected]

AWS in Social Media Like us on Facebook americanwinesociety ∗ Thank you to all the wineries, importers and presenters who supported our Welcome Reception on Thursday night Join us on LinkedIn American Wine Society and the Showcase of Wine on Friday night. You gave us your time, your knowledge and your wines to enjoy and Follow us on Twitter @AmericanWineSoc we appreciate it so much. Follow us on Instagram americanwinesociety Cont. on Page 11

AWS News December 2018 Page 4 2018 Amateur Winemaking Competition

This year, 455 wines were entered in the Amateur Winemak- ing Competition. A dedicated team of judges tasted and evalu- ated the wines and awarded medals to 335 of the wines: • 24 Double Gold Medals • 8 Gold Medals • 131 Silver Medals • 172 Bronze Medals Below is a list of the Best-in-Category wines. The complete list of winemakers who won medals (96 people) is on page 10. To see the full list of the award winning wines, please go to the AWS Competitions website (www.awscompetitions.com). Thanks to Larry Jackson, Melissa Bartlett, the judges and the dedicated volunteers who organized, opened, poured and de- livered the wines to the judges. Thanks to all the winemakers who entered wines!

Category Wine Winemaker Best in Show 2016 Semi-Dry Riesling Stephen R. Kampers Best Red Vinifera 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Louis & Madeline Piancone Best White Vinifera 2017 Semi-Dry Columbard John Koempl Best Native Wine 2017 Semi-Dry Catawba Lamont Beers Best Mixed Types Grape Wine 2017 Semi-Dry Aromella & Riesling Lamont Beers Best Fruit Wine 2017 Strawberry Luke Capostoste Best Mead 2017 Blueberry, Rhubarb & Honey Jeff Ferris Best Kit Wine 2016 Cabernet Franc Ice Wine Tim C. Traxler Best Dessert Wine 2017 Mango, Pinapple, Passion Fruit William F. Stefan Best Estate Grown Wine 2016 Late Harvest Chambourcin Joseph A. Fiola Best Label 2017 A Splash of Red Denise Griner Best Label

Pierre, Bob Madill, Lorraine Hems, Dave Barber, Walt Rachele New Wine Judges and Nancy Slick—who really make the program run. Their hard work in setting up the The American Wine Society conference in Buffalo was a great classes, writing the curriculum and their time with wonderful sessions. The Wine Judge Certification dedication to helping the students cannot Program (WJCP) had another successful year, with a large be overstated. It takes a tremendous effort graduating class and several past graduates re-certifying. to make the program a success and they deserve greater recognition. With their con- We also had a full class for our Super Tasting Series Level One tinued efforts, I am certain the program will wine education class. Thank you to Annemarie Morse, Leanne be a great success for years to come. Wheeler and Brandon Seager for doing such a great job teaching that class. Aaron Mandel We graduated ten people from the Wine Judge Certification [email protected] Program and twelve (yes, twelve) graduate wine judges successfully re-certified. We have already started preparations for the next year of the program, which will likely include an April session in Washington, D.C. If you want to participate in the WJCP, please do not delay. The class sells out fast. We congratulate the hard-working students who successfully completed the judging class this year: Catherine Baltar, Donna Fisher, Jeff Fisher, Robert Garay, Tara Hardiman, Kevin Norris, Don Reed, Leann Stacy, Dawne Swanson and Amy Toedt. We trust they found the educational experience they received in the program valuable, that they will enjoy their judging opportunities, and will remain active in the AWS for years to come. The twelve re-certs were: Mike Blake, Jane Duralia, Charles Franklin, Rick Jelovsek Sandy Jelovsek, Richard Kaish, Charles Landino, Rachel Peake, Ivan Riggle, Gordon Rouse, Mike Was- senberg and Paul Zanella. Recertification is required every five years and is completed by taking the same exam as those completing the training program. Of course, we could not have accomplished anything without the instructors—Pat Valas, Betty Nettles, Kathy Webb, Barry St

AWS News December 2018 Page 5 Government Affairs Wine Tasting Venue Idea

Michigan: Nearly 150,000 bottles of wine were illegally shipped into Michigan between April and June, resulting in a loss of $25,000 in unpaid taxes to the state. The Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association says that most of the shipments of wine As the new calendar year is upon us, many chapters are ask- into Michigan are legal. Unfortunately, ing, “What events can I offer my members that are new, edu- many shipments are still being made by cational, exciting and require little planning?” Well, I have a out-of-state retailers who aren’t licensed by the state of Michi- suggestion—check out Total Wine! gan. The MBWWA’s findings showed out-of-state retailers still are ignoring a state law and illegally shipping wine to Michigan Total Wine & More is a retail store with over 190 locations in residents. 23 states, and is self-proclaimed as America’s largest inde- pendent retailer of fine wine. Total Wine offers a large selec- The U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing the legality of tion of beer, spirits and especially WINE. Yes – they offer this, and other license requirements. At issue is whether or about 8,000 different types of wine! not state legislatures can create different rules for out-of-state liquor retailers and their own local stores. A vote in the affirm- Many of the Total Wine locations have an educational center ative could mean that most people in the U.S. will soon be located within the store, and offer these well-equipped rooms able to order wine from stores anywhere in the country. This to non-profit groups like AWS, for FREE. That’s right, a FREE privilege is currently possible in just 14 states. facility where you can host chapter events. The educational centers are equipped with tables and chairs, an LED projector Victoria, B.C.: The new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and screen, microphone and speakers. These rooms can ac- (USMCA), which replaces NAFTA, will now commodate group presentations in a clean, professional, pri- allow grocery stores in British Columbia to vate environment. You can even bring our own snacks or sell wines from California and around the other food items. world. These stores were previously limited to selling only B.C. wines. Canada has fi- Want to make things even easier for your chapter chair or nally started to abide by the World Trade program coordinator? Let Total Wine put on the presentation Organization rulings that prohibit discrimi- and select the wines for your event. That’s right, it could be nation in wine sales policies. The USMCA as easy as sending an invite to your members and just show- failed to address other discriminatory wine marketing practic- ing up for an educational tasting event put on by Total Wine’s es in Quebec and Ontario. team of trained professionals. Tennessee: The new law, which allows grocery stores to Total Wine offers a variety of pre-arranged beer (AWS mem- sell wine on Sunday, takes effect on Janu- bers love beer too) and wine-themed educational experiences ary 6th. The law allowed liquor stores to from which to select. Their educational group tastings make it start Sunday wine sales back in May. easy to just show up and satiate your thirst for knowledge as Many of the liquor stores are bracing for their staff handles all the setup, handouts, presentation and reduced wine sales on Sunday, once the wine selections. Standard tastings are offered for $20 per grocery stores start Sunday sales. I sup- person, while a premium wine tasting is $30 per person. All pose that customers will go wherever the courses are 2 hours in duration. Even better, Total Wine han- prices and selection are the best. Of course, a knowledgeable dles all the money, which takes the administrative burden off wine sales person could also tip the scales. the AWS chapter. Washington, DC: The U. S. Supreme Court case, Tennes- While it’s great to know your local Total Wine store manager, see Wine & Spirits vs. Byrd Clayton, will all private room bookings are done online review residency requirements for wine through the national Total Wine website retailers and could bring about game- www.totalwine.eventready.com and re- changing implications for retail-to- quire 4 weeks advance notice. consumer wine shipping. This case could be If you have a Total Wine in your communi- viewed as a states’ rights issue or as a ty, why not give them a try, and allow commerce clause issue. This is going to be them to help with your next chapter event! a huge showdown between federal law and state law. Ulti- mately, the states have the right to establish laws to prohibit the importation of alcohol. The case will likely be heard in Leanne Wheeler [email protected] January and SCOTUS will issue their ruling in the Spring. Pay close attention to the SCOTUS ruling. This is likely to be a preview of the inevitable Supreme Court case that will determine the legality of marijuana sales and use laws in the individual states. Election Results Illinois: The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Congratulations to our newly elected officers: Northern Illinois District court erred • Vice President JoAnn DeGaglia (NY) when it dismissed a case involving the • Secretary Leanne Wheeler (CT) ability of retailers to ship wine to Illinois • Director-Education Aaron Mandel (MO) residents. The court said that not only was the lawsuit im- properly dismissed, but that there is no good reason to conclude that the U.S. Su- preme Court’s 2005 Granholm decision ap- plies only to wineries—not retailers. Tom Cobett [email protected]

AWS News December 2018 Page 6  Based on overall averages, the wines scored 1 Gold, 9 National Tasting Project 2018 Silver and 2 Bronze medals. Every wine earned a medal. The NTP committee likewise awarded medals to all the wines we selected for this project.  This effectively concludes a successful calibration among our members, having a less than 1 point spread in the group averages for the top 2 wines. Overall the gap was 1.2 between the chapters judges and non- judges scores. There were only two reports of faulty wines. During the pre- evaluation of the wines by the NTP team, all the wines selected had no faults and all were bronze or higher ranked. Coinci- dently, the top three wines in the committee tasting matched The National Tasting Project (NTP) gives AWS chapters across the top three final scores! Dona Maria 20 yr. Port 17.12, the U.S. the opportunity to sample the same group of wines in Amantis Reserva 16.47 and the White Port 16.38. a blind tasting in an effort to calibrate our palates. This year 66 chapters, representing 1465 tasters across the country The following table shows the average scores for the partici- participated in the NTP. This year, our participation increased pants and the graduate wine judges. The last 2 columns show by 18 chapters and 240 tasters. The wines were very well re- the percentage of the chapters that tasted a particular wine ceived and the chapters that held tastings had larger turnouts and rated them as the favorite and the wines in the top 3. than the previous year. First, Second, and Third place winners are highlighted. Each participating chapter selected from 12 wines, tasting as All wines scored a bronze or higher. Also of many as they wished. The wines were tasted blind and scored note is all of the twelve wines had rankings on the AWS 20-point scale. The results show that: in the top three wines (on average) among  The top 3 favorite wines were: #1 Porto Quinta Vale the participating chapters. Overall, the wines Dona Maria 20 year Tawny, #2 Dona Maria Amantis were very well received and the calibration Reserva Red and #3 Porto Quinta Vale Dona Maria was a success. Thank you to all the groups White. who participated and submitted results.  The difference between the judges and non-judges Sharyn Kervyn scores for both the top 2 wines was 0.5. [email protected]

Wine Favorite In Top 3 Average Average Judge Wine Wines No. Wine Tasters Cost Score Average (percent of (percent of chapters) 1 Castello D’Alba Reserva White 2015 943 $17 14.3 15.0 0% 10% 2 Beyra Reserva Vinho Blanco 2015/16 1324 $14 13.6 14.8 0% 2%

3 Dona Maria Amantis Reserva Viognier 2014 1164 $22 14.3 15.2 0% 10%

4 Beyra Tinto Reserva Red 2013 1062 $14 15.0 15.7 0% 25%

5 Quinta do Gradil Red 2015 1153 $10 15.1 15.9 8% 26%

6 Dona Maria Amantis Reserva Red 2013 935 $24 16.0 16.5 31% 71% 7 Castello D’Alba ‘Vinhas Velhas’ G.R. 2014 1072 $24 15.5 16.2 4% 35%

8 Dona Maria Grande Reserva Red 2012 475 $35 16.1 16.7 14% 64%

9 Quinta Vale D. Maria Red 2013 786 $61 16.1 16.7 11% 51%

10 Porto Quinta Vale D. Maria White Port NV 903 $14 16.1 15.9 24% 73%

11 Porto Quinta Vale D. Maria Ruby Port NV 790 $14 16.2 16.2 23% 69%

12 Porto Quinta Vale D. Maria 20yr Tawny Port NV 570 $59 17.1 17.6 76% 100%

AWS News December 2018 Page 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Dona Castello Beyra Dona Beyra Quinta Cast. D'Al- Quinta Vale D. Vale D. Vale D. Dona Maria Maria D'Alba Vinho Maria Tinto Do Gradil ba Vinhas Vale D. Maria Maria Maria 20 Amatis Red Gr. Res. White Branco Viognier Red Red Velhas Maria Red White Port Ruby Port Yr Tawny Chapter Red Alle-Kiske PA 14.8 14.1 16.2 17.3 15.8 15.6 AOC East Bay CA 14.0 11.6 11.9 14.2 14.5 15.1 15.4 14.8 16.5 14.0 17.7 Beaver County PA 14.4 12.9 14.2 15.9 15.7 15.5 Bill Tuller SC 13.5 12.1 13.9 14.4 13.5 15.1 14.3 14.9 Bucks County/Philly PA 13.3 12.9 14.4 16.8 15.7 16.0 Carroll County MD 13.9 13.8 15.6 14.8 15.5 16.5 Catalina Foothills AZ 13.5 12.2 13.4 14.5 14.6 15.9 18.1 Catawba NC 13.9 11.0 12.5 13.9 13.8 15.3 15.1 15.6 15.3 16.0 Cleveland OH 14.2 13.2 14.2 15.4 16.8 16.8 Columbus OH 12.4 12.1 12.8 13.6 13.5 14.9 Dayton OH 14.6 15.9 15.2 14.4 13.9 16.4 16.1 Electric City PA 14.8 15.1 16.4 15.5 16.3 16.0 Emerald Coast FL 12.7 14.3 16.4 16.2 15.5 17.0 18.6 First State Wine Guild DE 14.7 14.2 16.0 15.9 16.3 14.3 17.9 17.3 Fleetwood Farm VA 12.1 12.7 15.2 14.3 15.5 14.8 16.1 15.3 Glacier Ridge NY 14.6 14.3 15.2 14.6 17.6 18.3 Glimmerglass NY 16.5 15.4 17.5 16.6 17.7 17.1 Greater Atlanta GA 14.7 14.6 14.9 15.6 15.6 14.8 15.1 16.0 15.2 15.2 16.2 15.6 Hammonton NJ 15.3 16.1 17.7 16.7 18.1 17.5 17.2 17.3 18.2 Hartford CT 14.0 13.2 15.3 16.0 15.3 15.2 16.5 Heritage Hunt VA 14.6 13.4 14.7 15.8 15.1 16.8 16.3 16.7 17.2 17.6 17.6 Houston TX 11.2 13.1 13.1 11.4 12.6 16.0 Indian Valley PA 14.7 14.7 15.0 15.8 15.6 16.3 John Marshall VA 15.5 15.9 15.2 15.3 17.5 15.7 16.8 17.2 Keuka NY 13.1 13.2 12.2 13.0 14.7 16.1 13.1 14.1 King George VA 14.5 12.7 13.5 15.5 15.0 15.1 15.4 15.8 Lake Hickory NC 13.9 13.8 14.9 16.6 15.8 18.1 Laurel Highlands PA 16.6 16.5 17.0 17.1 16.6 16.6 Lone Star TX 15.7 15.3 16.2 16.2 16.5 18.3 17.5 17.6 Meadowlands NJ 13.4 12.7 12.6 13.3 14.8 15.3 Meadow Run Mtn Lake PA 13.3 14.1 17.2 17.1 15.0 16.4 17.6 18.0 15.8 Mount Nittany PA 14.7 16.7 16.7 17.5 16.5 18.3 North Alabama AL 14.7 15.9 16.6 16.4 17.3 Northampton PA 14.6 13.4 16.7 16.0 17.5 16.9 15.5 16.4 N. Louden County VA 14.5 13.7 15.6 15.7 15.0 16.9 16.1 Northeast TN Wine Lovers 14.5 13.5 14.1 15.7 14.0 15.0 15.7 16.3 16.4 15.6 16.9 Northern Virginia VA 12.3 12.7 12.6 13.0 14.1 14.4 16.1 14.9 Northern Neck Uncorked VA 13.0 11.9 13.4 14.3 14.7 14.7 13.6 15.9 Ocean Isle Beach NC 14.9 16.7 15.8 16.8 Perkiomen Valley PA 15.6 16.3 16.3 15.5 16.2 17.3 Phoenix AZ 13.1 14.2 15.6 15.6 15.6 17.3 Piedmont Wine and Vine SC 15.1 14.0 14.7 15.0 17.0 17.0 Pioneer Vly Wmakers MA 13.6 14.1 14.7 13.5 16.0 16.8 Pittsburgh PA 14.4 14.9 15.3 16.6 16.4 16.2 Pittsburgh East PA 15.3 14.3 15.5 16.0 15.2 16.6 16.2 16.2 17.0 16.2 Princeton NJ 15.3 13.2 14.5 14.7 15.5 15.2 16.1 14.7 Puget Sound WA 13.2 14.3 14.5 15.0 14.4 14.0 15.7 16.4 16.6 15.3 16.5 Raritan Valley NJ 15.7 16.7 17.2 14.9 17.1 17.9 17.5 Rehobeth Beach DE 14.9 12.9 15.2 15.9 16.6 14.7 16.8 16.9 Rochester NY 13.8 13.0 13.1 14.1 14.6 15.4 15.4 17.6 San Diego CA 13.3 15.0 14.5 15.2 15.0 15.8 17.1 16.7 18.7 SE Huntsville AL 16.5 16.1 15.8 16.3 16.3 17.9 18.0 18.1 18.2 19.0 18.4 19.1 Silicon Valley CA 14.1 14.0 13.8 14.9 13.8 15.8 14.2 15.1 14.7 13.5 13.3 Smoky Mountain TN 13.9 11.6 14.5 13.4 16.0 14.7 17.9 Sonoita AZ 15.3 14.5 13.7 14.8 13.8 18.5 Space Coast FL 16.0 14.2 15.5 15.3 16.5 16.6 15.8 17.3 17.3 16.7 Springfield OH 14.5 15.6 14.6 16.1 16.9 18.5 St. Louis/Gateway MO/IL 13.9 14.2 15.5 13.7 15.1 17.2 16.0 15.4 16.4 16.3 Suffolk NY 14.3 13.1 13.8 13.8 14.7 13.8 15.3 14.6 16.3 Tippie Tasters IN 14.0 15.6 14.6 14.4 15.9 Triangle NC 15.8 14.6 15.5 16.2 16.6 17.5 18.0 Tucson AZ 11.5 12.2 12.0 13.3 14.6 15.8 Tupelo Blue Hawaii MS 15.3 10.9 15.3 17.3 15.1 14.2 16.4 17.2 Walt Whitman NJ 13.6 13.7 13.8 15.7 15.6 16.3 16.5 14.6 15.2 17.4 West Michigan MI 15.9 14.5 15.9 16.6 17.4 17.7 17.3 17.5 Worchester MA 15.0 14.3 13.3 15.3 15.0 15.9 15.8 15.8 16.2 17.1 remember that citric acid with malolactic bacteria can produce The Truth about False Wine off odors. Tannin Since these “used” grape skins have given up much of their In vino veritas: In wine lies truth. tannin to the first run wine, additional oenological tannin may But, what if your wine is false? And be added and is recommended. Be careful if you are using a how can you tell? The secret to a good tannic varietal or if you added tannin to the original must. false wine is that you shouldn’t be able Tasting is important, and remember that it is harder to take to. out than put in. An eighth (1/8) tsp. per gallon is usually added.

What Is It? Yeast Nutrient “False wine” is also called vino d’aqua, or second run wine. It’s You must make a nutrient addition to the second must from a water-added ripasso method, refreshing the grape pomace the very beginning. In the first run, you may have held off with water, acid, sugar and tannin. It is an old country prac- adding nutrient until 1/3 of the Brix were depleted. If you tice, where nothing goes to waste. It also makes a lighter wine were careful with your original nutrient additions to the first with the same characteristics and can increase your yield as run must, your second run grape skins may not have any nu- much as 50%. One acquaintance told me that her mother trients that the yeast will need. would use her father’s pomace to create a gentler wine that “didn’t make her head spin.” The Midas Touch I first heard of this practice from Joe Diponzio, a Rochester- Joe’s secret to making a good false wine was to always re- area award-winning amateur winemaker, whose family made serve some original juice from the first run. Alternatively, add wine. He learned of this technique elsewhere, but set himself some grape concentrate at 1 liter/gallon to the second must. to the task of mastering the process to fool his family by pro- You can freeze unfermented grapes or must to hold back for ducing a vino d’aqua wine that was as good, or better than, the second wine. Also, remember to punch down the cap to the family wine. keep those skins in contact with the juice to obtain as much color as possible. My parents were beer drinkers, as you might expect from my Polish last name. But they were of the depression/WWII gen- Kevin’s False Malbec eration. I must have inherited some of their frugality, as I was I had 108 lbs. of Malbec as grapes. I chose to accent the fla- intrigued when I learned of this method. When I decided to vors by only making 3 gallons of second wine. I thought that obtain 108 lbs. of Malbec grapes, I knew this would be my this wine would need food as it’s a lighter style of wine, so I chance to experiment with this ancient tradition. Why waste chose to make a more acidic, food-friendly wine. I also light- those beautiful and expensive skins? It was also an opportuni- ened the alcohol at 12%. The wine came out quite well, with ty to reconnect with Joe and get some tips from him on how to beautiful color and even more cherry aromas and flavors than make this strange process work. its parent. As of this writing it may be one of my favorite wines of 2018. Thank you, Joe! First, this is really a red wine method. If you ferment white wine on the skins, you get Please join our winemakers forum on the AWS “orange wine.” Although this might be an inex- website, built for you to ask questions and pensive way to try your hand at that new, share. It’s for all levels of expertise. trendy style of wine, it works best with red skins. Kevin Kourofsky What You Need Kevin is a Rochester area amateur winemaker What you need for this, besides the skins, is probably already and grape grower. He is a Certified Specialist in your home. You’ll need lots of sugar, water, tartaric acid in Wine from the Society of Wine Educators. and tannin. And, if you want to fancy this up a bit, add some He also holds the Advanced Certification, with extra grape juice or concentrate. The yeast is already on the distinction, from the Wine and Spirits Educa- skins, so even that is free! tion Trust. He can be reached through his Color blog at Kourofskywine.com. It’s important to limit your water addition to, at most, 50% of the original run. If you made 6 gallons, limit the water addition to 3 gallons. The color in the skins will color the second run, but only so far. Consider also using a thick-skinned grape The Last Word such as Cabernet or Malbec. Light-skinned grapes find it hard enough to properly color the wine on the first run so Pinot Cont. from Page 1 Noir, for instance, might not work as well without limiting the o to our wine education mission that includes enhanced edu- water ratio even further. A tip from Joe—heat the water to 75 cational opportunities for all members. We have an amaz- to better dissolve the sugar and remove as much of the chlo- ingly cohesive Board of Directors and a dynamic National rination as possible. The warmer water will also extract a bit Office, along with hundreds of volunteers at the national, more color. regional and chapter level who are dedicated to the future of the Society. I urge all of you to support incoming Presi- Sugar dent Joe Broski and the entire leadership team with your The skins no longer contain much, if any, sugar. You’ll need to ideas and energy. create “Brix water,” or sugared water, to a certain desired Brix. A rule of thumb is that .125 lbs. of household sugar per I’ve met so many wonderful people from gallon will create 1 Brix. So, for 3 gallons, the calculation is 3 across the country and shared the common gallons x 24 Brix x .125 lbs. sugar = 9 lbs. A pound is about bond of wine. Thank you all for your en- 2.25 cups of sucrose. couragement and support. I look forward to your ongoing collaboration and wonder- Acid/PH ful friendship. Tartaric acid is needed to imitate the grape’s natural acidity. Cheers! Joe says to shoot for a TA of 6.5%. 3.8 grams of tartaric acid per gallon should raise TA 1 gram per gallon or 1%. Be careful Kristin Kraft using acid blend as the above calculation may not work and [email protected]

AWS News December 2018 Page 9 2018 Amateur Wine Competition—Medal Winners

Double Double Name Gold Silver Bronze Name Gold Silver Bronze Gold Gold George Agnew 1 Angel Martinez 1 1 Greg Ambrose 1 Myles McMahon 1 Joe Asturi 2 Stephen Merowsky 1 1 Gary Atchison 1 1 Scott Montgomery 1 3 Lamont Beers 1 1 7 4 Timothy Morse 3 Stephen Brunkhorst 1 1 Michael E. Nall 1 2 Larry E. Buell 2 Donnie & Betty Nettles 1 1 Adam C. Burns 1 2 Rett Oren 5 John Caiola 1 Mark Orthner 1 Luke Capostoste 2 1 3 2 Stephen Pendrak 1 Frank Carson 1 3 Richard Phillips 1 Dale Clemence 1 Louis & Madeline Piancone 1 2 2 Chris Creasey 1 Mark Prell 1 Rick Cusker 1 Larry Prendergast 1 Greg P Cutt 2 Phillip Rahn 1 2 Deborah L. Danielson 1 Jason Razzo 1 Kevin M. Danna 2 Barry W. Remington 1 Ron J. Dershem 1 1 Ivan Riggle 4 1 Edward M. Diponzio 1 Bob Riggs 1 Kevin Donahue 1 Frank Roccograndi 1 2 4 3 Frank J. Dutko 1 Michael L. Ronca 3 Roberto F. Erb 2 James Russo 2 Jeff Ferris 2 3 Thomas J. Saam 1 1 Joseph A. Fiola 1 3 4 Mel H. Schlachter 2 1 Jeffrey j. Fisher 5 5 Alan J. Schnarr 2 1 Tom Fitzgerald 1 1 Jason E. Schultz 1 1 Jesse Fresch 2 Jon Schwartz 5 7 Michael Fritze 1 1 Dean S. Scott 1 5 John Gizzi 1 Mark & Jenny Siegle 1 Thomas J. Gormley 1 Dave Sienknecht 2 3 Charles J. Gower 2 8 Gene Spaziani 4 Gordon W. Gribble 1 1 3 8 Jim Sperk 1 1 Denise Griner 1 1 Sissy & Barry St. Pierre 4 1 Al Guber 3 2 William F. Stefan 1 3 3 Deanna Haberer 1 Edward M. Stopper 2 1 5 James S. Harding 1 Greg Stricker 1 4 Judith L. Hindom 1 Robert P. Szaro 2 Samantha Hunter 1 2 1 Tim C. Traxler 4 9 Stephen R. Kampers 2 2 2 Peter R. Truelson 1 Joseph Knizeski 4 Vincent E. Turula 1 John Koempel 1 3 James P. Vakos 2 1 Marion L. Krauss 1 16 3 Timothy M. Valdez 1 1 Christopher Lake 1 Edward J. Walkowski 1 1 Rick LaNoue 1 2 Michael B. Westman 2 3 Tom & Kim LeRoux 2 Harold E. Whitworth 1 Andrew Lewis 1 1 1 Richard R. Wowk 1 4 Frank Lorello 2 2 Charles F. Zander 1 Ted C. Mack 1 4 Alison Ziegler 1

AWS News December 2018 Page 10 Conference Wrap Up Cont. from Page 4

∗ Thank you to all of the wineries that donated wines for our Sparkling Breakfast and Grand Banquet meals. Your generosity was enjoyed by all.

∗ Thank you to all the AWS members who volunteered their time before and during conference to make this conference run so smoothly. We would not be able to run our conference without you. Lastly, thank you to all the AWS members for coming to this event year after year, having so much support for each other, saying such wonderful things, pitching in and having each other’s back so we can pull this crazy event off, smiling and enjoying yourselves so much. You make me feel proud to be a part of this organization. I am already looking forward to next year at the Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach, FL on 2018 National Conference Committee Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2019. Top Row: Marj Wallman, Diane Meyer, Tina Tusa, Beth Camann, Paul VanHorn, Tony Lawrence; Bottom Row: Nancy Stabins, Jeff Stabins, Diane Meyer Denise Gibson, Katie Kearney, Tom Wallman, John Hames [email protected]

Is your chapter planning a sparkling wine tasting?

Check out Aaron Mandel’s new youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=hQWcZApB28Y

To advertise in the AWS News, please contact Katie Kearney [email protected]

AWS News December 2018 Page 11 petroleum quality. The Emilio Moro had richness, body and well-integrated aromas and flavors. The final wine was Viña Chapter Events Heminia, a 50/50 blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo. It was well balanced and the ripe red fruits had hints of spice and  The Beaver County (PA) Chapter’s November event was earthiness giving an interesting complexity. Afterward, the held on a wintry night, but the meet- group savored a 40+ year old Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry ing was warm and inviting with good paired appropriately with dried fruit and ice cream, along with friends. We enjoyed an Italian Wine other special wines from Spain the group brought to share. Tasting with Rachael Neish of Right- 2016 Nisia ‘Las Suertes’ Old Vines Verdejo, Rueda eous Imports, who shared several 2006 Viña Ravonia, White Rioja delicious Italian wines. Also a big 2014 Viña Real, Crianza Rioja thank you to Trish and Marcos for 2012 Convento de ‘Las Claras’ Tinto Fino,Ribera del Duero sharing their Paramount with us! 2011 Emilio Moro Tempranillo, Ribera del Duero Salud! Cin Cin! 2009 Viña Herminia Excelsus, Rioja  The Bristow (VA) Chapter met on October 21 for North vs.  On Sept. 9. the Hammonton (NJ) Chapter gathered at the South: The Battle of the Americas tasting. The event was con- home of our secretary Jen ducted by Al Guber. Sixteen members were in attendance. Merkel for a South African There were five flights of wine: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, tasting. Jen prepared tradi- Malbec, Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon. Attendees were tional South Africa foods for asked to match the wine to its descriptors and identify wheth- us to enjoy with the wines er the wine was from North (California) or South America from the same area and all (Chile or Argentina). the foods were vegetarian! It 2015 Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc, Napa $15 (1) was so eye opening to taste 2014 Lapostolle Grande Select Sauv Blanc, Chile 11 rich red wines from South 2016 Kendall Jackson Vintner Reserve Chard, CA 10 (2) Africa with diverse dishes that 2016 VistaMar Corte de Campo, Chile 16 included curry, turmeric, fresh 2014 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Chardonnay 14 herbs and eggplant. The Chenin Blanc Dessert Wine, “Straw 2015 Quimay Malbec, Argentina 17 Wine,” is made using grapes that are dried in the shade on NV Barefoot Malbec, CA 5 (2) mats after being harvested at peak ripeness, but not a late 2016 Waterbrook Malbec, Columbia Valley, WA 14 harvest level. The overall age-ability of the reds was surpris- ing—we tasted a 2002 red blend that still had many years of 2014 Carmen Grand Reserve Carmenere, Chile 14 developing to go before hitting its peak. We even sampled a 2017 Chateau Los Boldos, Carmenere, Chile 11 (3) grape no one had heard of, Bukettruabe, which scored very 2016 Mascota, La Mascota Cabernet, Argentina 16 highly overall. 2015 VistaMar Grand Reserve, Chile 20 2016 Mullineux Chenin Blanc “Straw Wine” $45 (1) 2014 Louis Martini Napa Valley Cabernet 30 (1) 2002 Rust En Vrede Red Blend 30 (2) 2016 Pampas del Sur Reserve Tenacious, Arg. 13 2016 Cederberg Bukettraube (off dry white) 15 2011 Warwick Estate Cape Red Blend 15  Greg Polyak designed an Opera and Italian Piedmont Wine 2017 Raats Chenin Blanc 12 tasting for the Cleveland (OH) 2016 Fairview’s “Goats Do Roam” Red Blend 10 Chapter. Giuliana Bozza and 2015 Indaba Chenin Blanc 12 Ethan Edmund Burck sang Ital- 2015 Fairview Pinotage 15 ian Opera songs during the 2016 Kloof Chenin Blanc 19 tasting, Marcia Snavely, a professional pianist, accompanied  The Heritage Hunt (VA) Chapter and 86 members attended and Greg emceed the event. A the September meeting with Chris Pearmund, of Pearmund big thank you to co-hosts Den- Cellars, presenting a uniquely formatted program entitled nis Rosa, Dennis Beckman, “Virginia vs The Old World”. Chris selected two white and two MaryAnn Tower, and Natalie red wines from his winery. For each of these, he paired com- and Norman Brobst. The parably priced wines of the same basic grape either from Eu- Brobsts provided handmade gnocchi with beef sauce as the rope and/or California. Members had an opportunity to taste main dish and the Beckman’s bought true Italian cheeses. and compare to get a true feel for how Virginia wines were in 2016 Cameron Hughes Lot 590 Gavi DOCG $15 similar and different from their European and/or Californian 2017 Malvira Roero Arneis DOGC 17 counterparts. A selection of foods hand-selected by Chris ac- 2016 Punset Barbera D’Alba DOC 17 companied the wines so members could experience the wines 2012 Sordo Barolo Gabutti DOCG 47 with various cheese, meat and fruit. All in attendance totally 2017 Ascheri Axienda Agricola Dolcetto D’Alba 15 (1) enjoyed the evening! 2015 Vietti Lange Nebbiola Perbacco DOC 26 (3) 2017 Pearmund Petit Manseng $29 2014 Riva Leone Barbaresco DOCG 26 (2) 2017 Domaine Rossignole Sancerre 29 2017 Pearmund Viognier 29  The Eastern (CT) Chapter held a 2017 Cline Viognier 25 reception on October 22 at the Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Ston- 2016 Domaine Raffault Chinon 27 ington, Connecticut. Some 25 2016 Pearmund Cab Franc 29 members and guests enjoyed a 2013 Lang and Reed Cab Franc 39 variety of premium wines and tasty 2016 Pearmund Petit Verdot 29 foods. Each attendee also received 2016 Jeff Runquist Petit Verdot 39 a souvenir glass.  The October 21 meeting of the Lehigh Valley (PA) Chapter  The Fifty Shades of Grapes (NJ) Chapter held a Spanish was hosted by Joe Pugliese at the Vivo Food and Wine Pairing on Italian Kitchen in suburban Allentown, PA September 30, hosted by (South Whitehall). Thirty-eight members Linda and Nick Cashan. enjoyed an icebreaker of 2016 Masseria Each wine was perfectly Sirani Athemis Fiano from Puglia, which paired with Spanish Tapas, was Joe's home before he came to the U.S. and ended with a delightful at the age of 10. The theme for the tasting Paella to pair with the last was 10 Primitivo wines--a luscious red that two wines. All the wines is genetically identical to Zinfandel. In fact, were well received, espe- the U.S. TTB permits Italian winemakers to cially the White Rioja, which sell its Primitivo as Zinfandel. Primitivo age had developed a noted wine has deep, intense red color with an

AWS News December 2018 Page 12 intense fruity aroma of red berries, blueberry, raspberry, field have experienced. Lacrima is a very unusual and obscure vari- flowers and licorice. The winner was the Varvaglione Papale etal from the Le Marche region. Many thanks to Don and Bar- Linea Oro, which Luca Maroni called "Wine of the Year for Ita- bara Appleton for organizing and presenting this tasting! ly!” 1996 Manzoni Barolo 70 $17 2014 Tormaresca Torcicoda Primitivo Salemto $23 2006 Vallana Campi Raudii 22 2015 Masso Antico Appasito Primitivo Salento 11 2017 Brunori Lacrima Alborada 17 2014 Castello Monaci Piluna Primitivo Salento 13 2006 Sesta Brunello di Montalcino 45 2015 Red Fire Old Vine Zinfandel Puglia 12 2007 Calabretta Nerello Mascalese Etna 35 2015 Antico Ceppo Primitivo di Manduria 15 (3) 2013 Valle Dell’Acate Nero d’Avola 24 (3) 2016 Baglio Al Sole Primitivo Salento 12 2010 Galardi Terra di Lavoro 75 (2) 2014 Fuedo di Santa Croce LXXIV Primitivo 18 2013 Buglioni Amarone Riserva 48 (1) di Manduria 2015 Fuedo di Santa Croce LXXIV Primitivo  The Shallotte (NC) Chapter met on November 7 at the home di Manduria of Ed and Suzanne Gurski 2013 Varvaglione Papale Primitivo di Manduria 23 (2) for a tasting of “The Lost 2013 Varvaglione Papale Linea Oro Primitivo 50 (1) Wines of Bordeaux.” There di Manduria were ten members present. We learned that there were  The Lone Star (TX) Chapter met on September 22 in the originally eight Noble home of John and Tammy Grapes in Bordeaux, but Barnes with the theme of three never came back af- “Bad Boy Wines” from the ter the Phylloxera outbreak Prisoner Wine Company. in France. They were Car- Twenty-four members and menere, Saint Macaire and guests gathered on a Gros Verdot and we tasted rainy afternoon to taste these three varietals. We and compare the notable learned that Saint Macaire wines from this innovative was being resurrected in wine company created by California (a half acre) and Australia. The Gros Verdot was Dave Phinney. Though banned in the Bordeaux AOC's in 1946, but it can be found in many of us were familiar with The Prisoner, the blend that small areas of California (less than 40 acres), Chile and Argen- started it all and challenged how wine should be made, we tina. Our final grape, Carmenere, can be found in France (< were mostly unfamiliar with their other blends. These wonder- 500 acres), Italy (2,652 acres), California (56 acres) and Chile ful wines exist due to a collaboration with over 80 growers (21,802 acres – their 5th largest varietal). across California where old school sensibilities meet new tech- 2015 Hanna Saint Macaire $68 nologies. Though The Prisoner Wine Company has been pur- 2014 I-Latina Carmenere (investors only) 38 chased by Constellation, these wines remain interesting blends 2015 Yorkville Cellars Carmenere 38 of distinct quality and character, as evidenced by the high 2014 Inama Carmenere 23 scores of the evening. A delicious dinner followed—smoked 2016 Errazuriz Max Carmenere 20 brisket prepared by our resident chef David Szydlik with sides 2012 Kenneth Volk Gros Verdot 28 and desserts prepared by members. Our evening ended after (Cabernet Pfeffer) catching up with old friends and our newest visitors. 2015 Blindfold White Blend $32  The Southport (NC) Chapter met on Friday, October 12, at 2016 The Snitch Chardonnay 35 the St. James Community Center in Southport. The tasting 2016 Saldo Zinfandel 32 (3) was hosted by Dave and Vicki Caruso (co-chairs). Our meeting 2012 Thorne Merlot 45 (3) had 75 members and one guest in attendance. Hurricane Flor- 2016 Prisoner Red Blend 47 (2) ence caused the cancellation of our NTP meeting in Septem- 2015 Cuttings Cabernet Sauvignon 55 (1) ber, so we tasted the wines of Portugal with food pairings 2015 Derange Red Blend 100 (without scoring). We reviewed AWS national and local chapter news, local wine festival events, and celebrated new chapter  The Omaha (NE) Chapter held a members and member birthdays. We reviewed the history of Spooky Label wine tasting in Octo- wine in Portugal and gave a surprise quiz to the membership ber. Jeff and Angela Olesen hosted to see how knowledgeable they were on Portuguese wines. the event. We researched to un- Our chefs provided roasted vegetables, chicken paté puffs, earth high-scoring wines that also Swiss cheese, chourico (Portuguese spicy sausage), grilled brandish spooky label designs. To sausage and lemon sherbet to pair with the wine. The mem- our surprise, we found several bership had a great time tasting! potentially fun wines with a festive flare to present to guests. Three  The St. Louis (MO) Chapter held a "Blends of the Universe" reds, three whites and three arri- tasting in October. It was a pretty special event. Wines from val wines made for an October Spain, Italy France and California ... but wait, there's more. A afternoon of engaging delight. special tast- Members has a faBOOlus time. ing of Dry Creek Vine-  On October 14, the Northampton (PA) Chapter held an In- yard Merit- digenous Italian Wines event at Tre age was pre- Scalini Ristorante in Bethlehem, PA. ceded by Italian wine lovers certainly would special barrel not want to miss this tasting. Wine tastings of included Barolo, Brunello, Amarone the individual and several other Italian reds. All 22 grape varie- attendees thoroughly enjoyed the tals provided wine, educational discussion and by Dry Creek dinner prepared by Tre Scalini exec- Vineyards. Special individual barrel tasting of Cabernet Sauvi- utive chef Santo. The wines scored gnon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot pulled very well, with average scores in from the barrels at Dry Creek especially for this tasting. This the Excellent category per AWS was followed by a tasting of the finished product—Meritage. scoring standards. Of particular This was an unheard of tasting. A big thank you to Steve and interest was the Brunori Lacrima. Maggie Brunkhorst and Bob and Carol Richardson for all their After a few minutes in the glass, it showed a compelling floral work in putting together such a great event. and perfume aroma and a flavor unlike any other Italian wine I

AWS News December 2018 Page 13  The Triangle (NC) Chapter met on Sunday, October 21 at the home of Mark and Helen Spain in Spotlight: Meadowlands, NJ Raleigh for a special and new oeno- th philic experience– On November 14 , members of the Meadowlands (NJ) Chap- Sherry. Like Port, ter met for a special tasting of the Atlantic Seaboard Sherry is a fortified Wine Association in Northern NJ. Sommelier for the Hard wine where neutral Rock Casino Paul Tonacci and AWS RVP Danny Klein conduct- spirits are added to ed the tasting. raise the alcohol Established in 1973, the Mid-Atlantic-based ASWA promotes level. Born in the the advancement of the East Coast Wine industry. They rep- 17th century out of the need to prevent wine on long sea voy- resent the 2000 plus wineries from Maine to Florida and help ages from succumbing to the natural process of acetification– with the challenges they face from varietals/hybrids, weath- conversion of ethanol to acetic acid (vinegar)–when exposed er/humidity and disease pressures. to oxygen. Sherry has continued to be popular even after the routine use of fortification became unnecessary, but it has We sampled 26 wines including whites, roses, reds, ciders, also fallen to be the most ignored wine in the world. Today it desert and ice wines. Some of the favorites included 868 is making a rebound thanks to sommeliers who sell Sherry Virginia Sauvignon Blanc, William Heritage NJ Grenache daily and to wine drinkers in their 20s and 30s, who are at- Rose, and Lamoreaux Landing Finger Lakes (NY) Merlot. The tracted to something different with food. With a flavor profile Cabernet Franc and red blends also stood out to the mem- quite different from wine typically served with meals, and bers proving that red vinifera varietals will grow well on the several styles from which to choose, Sherry can be a bit of an East Coast, if the weather cooperates. Red wines from Stan- enigma for wine lovers. As our evening progressed, our hosts burn, Narmada, Tomasello, Muse and Unionville were tasted. provided small tasty bites—cheese, olives, marcona almonds, hazelnuts, chorizo, smoked salmon, chicken, pulled pork and The night completed with some Natali Vineyards Aronia fruit, chocolate—to bring out the unique flavor of each course of Arbor Hill Traminette desert and Seven Mountains Vidal ice Sherry. It was an eye-opening experience for the 22 members wine, a double Gold AWS winner and PA Governor’s Cup Best present and has certainly changed our way of thinking about of Show. Sherry! With the help of the ASWA, East Coast wines are garnering Hijos de Rainera Perez Marin La Guita Manzanilla$16 more 90+ scores from national publications and will continue Lustau Fino Jarana 19 to do so well into the future. Lustau Amontillado Los Arcos 19 (3) Hidalgo Oloroso Faraon (500ml bottle) 18 (2) , CSW,WSET,CWJ Osborne Pedro Ximenez 1827 24 (1) Danny Klein  The Walt Whitman (NJ) Chapter October tasting was hosted by Rosemary and Michael DiNatale and featured wine from the Washington State’s Walla Walla Valley. A fabulous dinner pared perfectly with the wine. 2014 L’Ecole Frenchtown No.41 Meritage $17 2014 Spring Valley Vineyards Frederick 45 2012 Balboa Mith Red 30 (3) 2012 Balboa Eidolon Estate Red 16 2011 Balboa Constrictor 16 2014 Otis Kenyon Cabernet 42 (1) 2011 Balboa Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 20 (2)  It was a little windy and cooler at the Western Michigan (MI) Chapter’s Oz Wine Tasting Party in September. It was held at LeRoux's Vineyards. We had a great time tasting a wide variety of Red Zinfandel wines brought by each guest. With 6 judging groups, we managed to narrow 37 bottles down to two winners. This year first place went to Jaclyn Hansen, second place went to Daniel Hansen, third place went to Roger Schiefler with the Toto Award going to Jo Marshall Schmidt. Congrats to all the winners! Thank you Kim and Tom LeRoux for hosting another great event.

To be included in the AWS News, e-mail your tasting results to [email protected] Please follow the format specified for Chapter Events. Down- load it from the AWS website-Publications-AWS News. Include the cost of the wines you tasted, plus scores or rankings. This information lets other members know what you liked and what wines were good values. Did you know that AWS can receive a contribution from Amazon every time you place an order? It AND … Please send us sharp, interesting doesn’t cost you a thing … the prices are the same; pictures from your event. We would love you have the same selection of merchandise; your to share them. account history, shopping cart and wish lists remain the same. All you have to do is sign up and then go to smile.amazon.com when you shop. It’s easy and you Renee Jones can help AWS with every purchase. [email protected]

AWS News December 2018 Page 14 These raffle tickets were a huge success as we were able to boost our endowment fund with over $2,500 net proceeds. AWS Educational Foundation Thank you to all who participated! We will definitely continue with this tradition at next year’s conference! Silent Auction Thank you very much to all who participated by donating and 2018 Scholarship Recipient Video and PowerPoint bidding on items at our annual AWSEF silent auction held at Please check out our 2018 scholarship recipient video and the AWS National Conference. Christine Murphy and our be- PowerPoint presentation outlining the scholarship winners’ hind-the-scenes helpers (who do not want to be named, but graduate research projects on our website, www.awsef.org you know who you are!) did an incredible job making every- and on our Facebook page. Please share them with your local thing work; so thank you all! The silent auction raised over chapter members and friends. If you can’t find them, please $5,000 on 125 items received from loyal AWS members, email Kristen at [email protected] and she will happily AWSEF supporters, wineries and small businesses. We are send along. If your region or chapter has a 2018 scholarship incredibly grateful to all those who donated and bid on winner, Kristen will also send the scholarship video of your items to help us raise money for future scholarships. We winner to your chapter chair for easy distribution. look forward to doing to all again next year! Reminder – 25th Anniversary Campaign in Progress 2018 Award of Merit Our 25th Anniversary Endowment Campaign is still un- The AWSEF proudly presented Ray Hartung with the 2018 derway and will run through December 31, 2018. Award of Merit at our annual breakfast meeting on Saturday Please continue to help the AWSEF raise $25,000 for during the AWS Nation- our 25 years. As of November 15, we have $11,235 al Conference. Ray was donated, so we continue to need your help! Our anony- one of the founding mous donor is willing to match dollar-for-dollar, up to members of the AWSEF, $25,000, until the end of the year. Please send your along with Ken Brewer, donations before then to support future scholarships for Alcide Porell, George enology and viticulture. Wilson, Hal Kohn and The AWS currently has 8,000 members. If only half of you Carol Petusky. Ray is a donate $25, we could far exceed our goal! Please consider former President of accepting our challenge and donate $25 or more today! Re- AWS (twice) and former member, your donation is 100% tax-deductible. Treasurer of AWS (several years). He is a The 25th Anniversary Campaign form is on our website and great friend of the was recently sent out in an email to the AWS membership. AWSEF and founded the But, in case it has gone to your spam or you just want it Alexis Hartung Special emailed to you to make it easier, please email me at presi- Scholarship Account [email protected] and I will send it to you. We are able to take (aka Pittsburgh Region- credit card. al) in memory of his late wife. He is recognized and appreciated for his role as a Thank you for your continued support of founder, trustee, supporter and contributor to the AWSEF, as the AWSEF. May your holidays be happy well as all the contributions of Alexis Descaunets Hartung. and filled with family, friends and great wines! 2018 Fruit Wine Award Congratulations to Luke Capostoste for receiving the 2018 Bonnie Lance AWSEF Fruit Wine Award for his Strawberry 2017! This fruit [email protected] wine award recognizes both Luke as the AWS winner and our own Les Sperling, who during his distinguished AWS/AWSEF membership won countless Best of Show Amateur Fruit Wine awards and was a charter member of the AWSEF. This award is unique to the AWSEF and is designed to highlight the AWSEF’s citizenship in the greater AWS community.

Raffle Winners Congratulations to Jaime Zapata from Madison, AL for having the winning raffle ticket to claim the Banfi 2012 Brunello di Montalcino 5L! Congratulations to Annette Jackson from Champaign, IL for having the winning raffle ticket to claim the 50/50 prize!

AWS News December 2018 Page 15 AWS News American Wine Society® P. O. Box 889 Scranton, PA 18501

Address Service Requested

Conference Highlights Cont. from Page 1 a great opportunity to introduce ourselves to wines made in Ontario and New York. Friday started with a Sparkling Wine Breakfast where we ate breakfast pizza, bacon, pastries, potatoes and baked apples accompanied by 3 sparklers from France, Canada and Italy. With full stomachs and very happy, we moved on to our educational sessions. The range and quality of the classes was extraordinary. Here are some of the topics you could choose: ∗ Geographic Areas: South Africa, Costa Brava, Hungary, Ontario, Rioja, Montepulciano, Loire, Vinho Verdi, Israel, Slovenia, Lodi, NY Finger Lakes, Beaujolais, Lugana, Tus- cany, Lombardy, Bordeaux, Hudson Valley (NY), Rhone ∗ Varietals: Vermentino, Prosecco, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, New grapes, Old Vines, Grenache ∗ Specialties: European Ciders, Sherry, Port, Sake, Calva- dos, Cognac, Armagnac, Sparkling Wines ∗ Other Fun Topics: Monasteries, Tasting, Judging, Wine History, Pronunciation, Historic Vineyards, Chicken Wings The Amateur Wine Experience provides an opportunity for members to sample amateur competition wines and rate them, under the tutelage of an AWS Graduate Wine Judge. After- wards, the medal winners were announced. It’s not just for winemakers—we can all learn and have fun at this session. Both the Friday and Saturday lunches included 4 courses and 4 -5 wines that paired well with the food. The only meal we had that didn’t include wine was the Saturday buffet breakfast! The Showcase of Wines, another walk-around, included hundreds of wines, chef-carved roast beef, fried turkey, pasta, stir-fry, cheeses, Caesar salad and many desserts. The food and wine offerings were only exceeded by the Saturday evening Banquet. It was truly a conference to remember! Hope to see you next year in St. Pete Beach, FL! Pam Davey [email protected]