Oct 2020 the Behrens Family Rebuilds a Dream
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NAPA VALLEY REGISTEr Napa CountyFRIDAY, wine OCToBER 30, 2020 | C1 coverage: Visit us online at NapaValleyRegister.com/wine for more coverage of the wine ON WINE industry. FRIDAY, OcToBER 30, 2020 | napavalleyregister.com | SECTION C ON WINE How much alcohol? ome people might define me as a binge drinker. S On average, I consume about two 5-ounce glasses of wine a day. Sometimes three. It varies, but I almost never exceed that average since in the course of a normal week I evaluate about 30 wines, expec- torating almost all of it. (I cherish my coffee.) By dinnertime, DA N I can be a bit tired BERGER of wine. As a two-glass- a-day imbiber, I know how variable the ethanol content of wines can be, so I monitor it closely. Because of my love for Ries- LISA DRINKWARD PHOTOS ling, I consume a lot of it, and in Behrens Family Winery after the 2020 Glass Fire . most cases, those I prefer have about 11% alcohol, usually less. This is a far cry from the average amount of alcohol in a bottle of California red wine, such as Zin- fandel. You’d be hard-pressed to find one that’s less than 15% alcohol. Rebuilding a Dream I began consuming wine in the 1960s, when almost all Cal- ifornia wines were about 12% alcohol; 13% was considered late-harvested! We still have a few bottles left of some 1970s Zinfandels that are marked on the Mountain “late-harvested,” even though the listed alcohols are well below Behrens Family just north of St. Helena, Drink- 14%! ward and Behrens watched as fire Higher-alcohol wines cost Winery and engines cut across it from High- more to make because of taxa- way 29 and disappeared on fire tion. I have long known of the the Glass Fire roads into the nearby hills. Those connection between taxes on trucks were directed to the most wine and their alcohol content. TONY POER pressing fire locations. Until recently, the federal or the last 20 years, Lisa But for the couple and their government charged wineries an Drinkward and Les Beh- neighbors, it meant disaster, as excise tax based on alcohol con- rens have passed by an the emergency vehicles were tent. Any wine that was under impressive Douglas fir drawn away from Spring Moun- 14% alcohol was taxed at $1.01 Fnear the entrance to their Spring tain. Not that it might have made per gallon. Wines over 14% were Mountain winery, Behrens Fam- any difference: with firefighters taxed at a rate of $1.51 per gallon. ily Winery. Shortly after the likely prevented from accessing As a result, wineries knew that Glass Fire burned through their Spring Mountain Road in the to pay less tax, all they had to do property, the tall tree was gone. first place, Behrens acknowl- was keep their alcohols under It wasn’t engulfed by flames edged that the destruction was 14%. But in the face of global but, rather, caught fire from the unavoidable. climate change, often resulting inside, an effect of the intense He told the story of another in higher temperatures, sugars heat. Because it was at risk of winery neighbor whose own ter- were rising, so wines had higher toppling over, someone thought Destruction wrought by the Glass Fire at Behrens Family Winery. rifying ordeal included driving alcohols. to cut the tree down before the down the road through flames, Wineries usually try to pick smoke had even cleared. But who band are the co-owners of Beh- avoid hearing bad news. with fire on both sides. “It was fruit based on flavor maturity. that was, according to the wine- rens Family Winery, one of more “Our neighbor got up the road not a situation where someone Since the usual alcohol was making couple, is anyone’s guess than two dozen Napa Valley win- with a firefighter buddy of his,” could go back up the road. And above 14%, many wineries had — maybe Cal Fire or a work crew eries burned to the ground or Drinkward recounted, joining then because they were fighting to resort to extraordinary tactics brought in to clean up the wreck- badly damaged by the Glass Fire. the phone call with her husband the fire everywhere, no trucks to get their wines under the ex- age on Spring Mountain Road, or The blaze that started on the last from their home in St. Helena. came up that hill. tra-tax level. just a vigilant neighbor with a big Sunday of September left a path “It took them two and a half “We know that there were Some used alcohol-removal chainsaw. of scorched hillsides and charred hours to do that 15-minute drive fire trucks all over the valley,” systems (such as Spinning Cone In a year of cruel surprises, the buildings, a scene grimly familiar because they had to chainsaw he emphasized. “They were just or reverse osmosis). It’s an ar- missing Douglas fir was fittingly across swaths of the West Coast trees and clear the road. working their butts off. You can’t duous and costly process, but symbolic. and now inclusive of the heart “He told me that he thought thank them enough.” worth doing because the indus- “Let’s face it: people aren’t of America’s most famous wine his property and ours were OK,” Unlike at some wineries — the try knows that excess alcohol going to be super excited to have region. she said. “And then we found out ones that lost everything in the actually robs a wine of flavors. ‘2020’ on their wine,” said Les Much of upvalley is a tragi- later that day that they were on Glass Fire in terms of buildings Wines with slightly lower alco- Behrens. “It’s like, ‘Well, that cally changed landscape, but on fire. So, they didn’t burn until and wines in tank, barrel, and hols usually display better fruit. was a great year. The year of Monday morning after the Glass Monday around midday.” bottle — it wasn’t all bad news Covid and natural disasters.’” Fire began, the couple had reason The day before, from the park- Please see BERGER, Page C4 Lisa Drinkward and her hus- to believe they might narrowly ing lot at Brasswood Restaurant Please see REBUILDING, Page C3 PLA E SE THE PALATE THE WINE EXCHANGE Pinot, Pinot and more Pinot What does wine inot is an old grape that is more than 2,000 years old, mean to you? Part 2 Pyet the origin of the name is unclear. It may be because everal weeks ago, my col- nior editor of Grape Collective the clusters resemble a pine- umn — “What does wine and past Wall Street Journal cone or it may be named after a Smean to you?” — imme- wine columnist, “It just tastes place in France, Pignols, where diately generated many inter- good.” the first cutting esting and touching responses Many of the comments I re- came from. But that continue trickling in even ceived related to special times regardless, Pinot now. It must have struck a sim- where wine commemorated an is the parent and ilar chord with occasion or evoked a wine rev- grandparent to as readers as did my elation, while others expressed many as 21 off- ALLISON LEVINE PHOTO initial column — how it became a stepping-stone spring, including German wines from a recent tasting. “What was your in their life’s work. So in their AL L ISON Chardonnay, wine epiphany?” own words, let’s take a look at a LEVINE Gamay, Aligoté, Germany for a long time. The (Italy), Klevener (Alsace) — from February cross-section of several com- Auxerrois and Pinot grape was first brought Pinot Blanc is planted in Al- 2011, which, in ments I received from readers Melon de Bour- to Baden from Burgundy in sace, France where it is typically A LLEN some ways, was with varying levels of vinous gogne. 884 AD by Emperor Charles blended with Auxerrois. And in BALIK the inspiration interests and experience, each When I am talking about III (aka Charles the Fat). And the 1980s, Pinot Blanc grew in for writing my sharing a personal memory Pinot, I am not talking specifi- in Germany, the Pinot trio of popularity in certain regions, follow-up piece a marked by wine. cally about Pinot Noir. I am also Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), such as north-eastern Italy. But month ago. Ted Latty is a long-time wine talking about Pinot Meunier, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Germany has grown to be the Wine lovers and fans know collector who, with tongue- Pinot Gris/Grigio and Pinot and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) largest producer of Pinot Blanc wine elicits far more mus- in-cheek, “laughed at [Paul Blanc. These varieties all have can be found. I had the pleasure in the world. Today there are ings than other alcoholic and Frank’s] ‘just a beverage’ anal- identical DNA, yet they are mu- to enjoy four German Pinots 5,747 hectares planted. non-alcoholic beverages. Wine ogy to air — something few on tations. The inner cell layers are this week as Wines of Germany Selbach-Oster 2018 Pinot is a living thing that continues the west coast are taking for composed of a Pinot genotype, hosted a series of “Wine From Blanc, Mosel ($20) — Sel- to grow in the bottle. It is often granted these days!” but the outer layer is made up Home” events. bach-Oster is a classic, tradi- a meaningful part of import- Ted shared his own experi- of a distinctive genotype.