AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY NEWS Promoting Appreciation of Wine Through Education

Volume 25, No. 6 www.americanwinesociety.org December 2011

Contents Amateur Wine Compeon 14 AWS Educaonal Foundaon 19 Chapter Events 4 Chapter Spotlight 13 Compeon News 12 Conference News 8 Elecon Results 3 Government Affairs 12 Member Services 8 Naonal Office Notes 3 Naonal Tasng Project 9, 17 On‐Line Wine Classes 13 President’s Message 2 2011 Outstanding Member David 2011 Award of Merit Winner Vice President’s Notes 3 Barber & President Willis Parker Gordon Murchie & Willis Parker Treasurer’s Report 9 Winemakers Journal 19 Wine Expo 20

2011 Certified Wine Judges

Congratulations to the nine AWS members who became our newest Wine Judges at the AWS Nat ional Confer- ence. Eight of the graduates completed the 3-year training program and one successfully challenged the final exam. Thanks to the instructors who Incoming President Jane Duralia Outgoing Treasurer Sam Streiff worked countless hours pre - with the AWS Thyrsus with Willis Parker paring materials, teaching and grading exams: Dave Barber, Peter Cisek, Joe Dautlick, Bob Madill, Betty Net- tles, Ivan Riggle, Mary Riggle, Nancy Slick, Barry St. Pierre and Pat Valas. The 2011 graduates are: Rex Bambling, Lovettsville, VA Jennifer Crafts, Lovettsville, VA Rusty Hale, Winter Park, FL Larry Jackson, Champaign, IL Tracy Ellen Kamens, Mattituck, NY Aaron Mandel, St. Louis, MO Annemarie Morse, Richford, NY Jeffrey Stabins, Webster, NY Outgoing Director Nick 2011 National Conference Committee Kathryn Webb, Evans, GA Yankanich with Willis

President’s Message Willis Parker

The American Wine Society, founded in 1967, is the oldest and largest consumer based wine edu- This is my last AWS News article as President of cation organization in North Ameri- the American Wine Society. I am very proud to ca. We are a non-profit, education- have served the past two years as AWS went through many al corporation. Membership is open changes. Changes included finding a new Executive Director, to the general public and is benefi- cleaning up t he membership database, forming three new cial for those who have a keen Executive Advisory Board Comm ittees (Membership/Chapter interest in wine, winemaking and/ Development, Marketing and Winemakers) and, most im- or wine culture. Our mission is portantly, getting our finan cial house in order! The main ob- “Promoting Appreciation of Wine jective with all of th is was to enable us to better serve the Through Education.” membership. www.americanwinesociety.org During the Banquet in Rochester closing out this year's Annu- al Conference, I shared how proud I was to have been able to work with the Board to put us on back on safe footing. Thanks to Jane Duralia, Joe Broski, Samuel Streiff, Peter Cisek, Donnie Nettles and Nick Yankanich for being a part of the hard decisions to make changes in our National Office. AWS National Office A very special thanks to our current National Office staff of John Hames — Executive Director Executive Director John Hames and Member Services Manag- Diane Chappell— Member Services Manager er Diane Chappell for do ing a fantastic job in providing the P. O. Box 279 membership timely responses and acco mplishing many im- Englewood, OH 45322 portant task. Phone (888) AWS-9070 The past two years have seen many cha nges and improve- (888) 297-9070 ments. I truly appreciate all the hard work that all of the AWS Fax (937) 529-7888 volunteers have done to h elp get us grow ing again so tha t Email [email protected] AWS can remain the premier national wine consumer organi- zation. Website www.americanwinesociety.org As always, if you have any thoughts you desire to share with AWS National Officers me please free to email me. President Willis Parker Willis Parker Vice President Jane Duralia 2010-2011 AWS President Secretary Joe Broski [email protected] Treasurer Samuel Streiff Directors at Large IT/Education Peter Cisek Competitions Lynne Montgomery Membership Nick Yankanich AWS News Staff Pam Davey Editor [email protected] John Hames Publisher [email protected] Lee Baldieri [email protected] Joe Broski [email protected] David Falchek [email protected]

The AWS News is the official newsletter of the American Wine Society. It is published bi-monthly in February, April, June, August, October, Decem- ber. It is also posted on our website. Help spread the word of how wonderful the Ameri- www.americanwinesociety.org. can Wine Society is by "liking us" on Facebook. We welcome your comments, letters and articles. http://www.facebook.com/americanwinesociety Please send your contributions to the editor [email protected]. You can also join our LinkedIn Group by visiting http://www.linkedin.com. Search the "Groups" sec- ISSN 1543-205X tion for American Wine Society.

AWS News—December 2011 Page 2

Vice President’s Notes National Office Notes Jane Duralia John Hames

My personal thanks to all who worked d iligently Now that t he 2011 Conference is just a ple asant to make 2011 National Conference in Rochester a memory, the N ational Office can r e-focus our ef- most enjoyable and education event. While in area, we ex- forts on other areas to gro w and add value to AWS . Here’s plored Niagara-on-the-Lake and found s everal exceptional what we’re working on… wines and such pleasant people along the way. The Culinary  School presents an excellent menu, which we t horoughly Updated website—We started working on this a co uple enjoyed. months ago b ut had to put it on the back burner du e to conference activity. It’s time to get it done. Redefining the role of the Regional Vice President  AWS Wine Journal (RVP) has been on “my plate” for the past two years. Go back to quarterly issues of the —This How can we possibly expect a different outcome when is our goal for 2012 but it has to be done i n a “budget we keep doing the same thing in the same way? No neutral” fashion, meaning no additional cost to AWS. In plan = no action = no prog ress! I am read y to move order to do this, we ne ed to get mo re advertisers. Th is forward…are you? will be a priority in the next couple months.

The key areas of responsibility for our RVPs are: Add more Pro fessional Members—We will be making an effort to conta ct and add many more Professi onal Mem- Starting new self-governing chapters bers in 2012. AWS has a lot to offer wineries and o ther organizations in the wi ne business. W e need to get t he Promoting the AWS to expand recognition of our group word out so they know about us and se e the ben efits of and enhance our image joining AWS as a Professional Member.

Serving as a resource person for educa tional/specialty AWS Merchandise for sale t o members—We need to ha ve programs for chapter use through local resources and/or shirts, hats, and other items that members can buy to winery contacts and distributors. proudly show they are part of AWS. We used to offer the- se in the past but got away from it. We will be adding this As you can se e, these responsibilities are neither intimidat- back during 2012. ing nor undoable. Yet year after year the same people take the same job because “no one el se will.” History de mon- That’s just a sample of what’s coming up in 2012. strates that, on the whole, regional elections have not been effective in changing this mindset. Happy holidays to all AWS members. Enjoy the holidays with your friends and family, good food and good wine, and get I have develo ped a one year pilot progr am that was ap- ready for another exciting year for the American Wine proved by the Exe cutive Advisory Board at their 2011 Con- Society in 2012! ference meeting. The program is scheduled to be in place by the end of the first quarter of 2012 (March). New regions will be defined with input from the pilot program committee, the John Hames “volunteer RVPs” and the National Office. Every area de- [email protected] serves representation and a regional support system, so we 888-297-9070 will examine the population density in all parts of the coun- try. Some regions may span several states and some states may have multiple regions. The electronic age has br oad- ened our horizons and enhanced our communication capabil- New Board Members Elected ities. Each region is unique, so no single formula or agenda will work in all places. Congratulations to the two new members of the AWS Board of Directors: I have spoken with many current RVPs and they support this Walt Rachele—Treasurer pilot program. Some may t ake this opportunity to resign after serving faithfully and tirelessly for many years; others David Falcheck—Director of may decide to join the new wave. We have enthusiastic peo- Membership Services ple coming forward wanting to serve as volunteer RVPs, but They will begin their terms of we still need more. office on January 1, 2012. Thanks All who are inter ested in becoming a volunteer RVP are to retiring treasurer Sam Streiff asked to present a “ letter of interest.” Current R VPs also and Director Nick Yankanich. need to submit a “letter of interest.” We are evolving into a professional society of acti on and mer it, and we need to Email the le tters to me at [email protected], or mail move forward with decisive direction and suppor tive them to 6136 Pl antation Pointe Dr., Granite Falls, NC 28630. strength. Call (828-396-1601) or email me if you have questions or want If you want to take a leadership role in the exciting wave of more information. opportunities for AWS, I want to hear fro m you. S end a AWS members are a wea lth of untapped talent and I am tap- “letter of inter est” of 5 00 words or less, stating why you ping on your door. Will you answer the call? want to be an RVP for your region and what you intend to do to meet the key points of responsibility. Include both personal as well as busin ess Jane Duralia attributes. Each letter will be carefully re- [email protected] viewed and responded to. 828-386-1601

AWS News—December 2011 Page 3

an Argentinean wine called Enamore made with alternate Chapter Events grapes (Malbec, Syrah, Bonardo and Cab Franc) produced Joe Broski using the Amarone technique. 2005 Villabella Montemazzano, $15 100% Corvino  The Atascadero (CA) Chapter met on Octo- 2008 Zenato Valpolicella 12 ber 14 at the Ata scadero Library. Since our Villabella Valpolicella Ripasso 17 chapter director, Alana Reynolds, selected the 2007 Zenato Valpolicella Ripassa 26 (3) wines for the club, she facilitated the blind tast- 2006 Allegrini Bodega Renacer Enamore 36 (2) ing. Breads & cheeses were provided. (Argentina) 2008 Golden Eye (Duckhorn), Anderson Vly. $27 (3) 2007 Allegrini Amarone 90 2008 Etude Winery, Carneros 24 (1) 2007 Zenato Amarone 75 (1) 2008 Toulouse Winery, Anderson Valley 24 2009 Croix de St. Sylvestre Cotes du Rhone 12  The Detroit (MI) Chapter’s October meeting featured 2009 Les Arbousiers Coteaus du Languedoc 12 (2) “Wine Under the Radar” and was organ ized by Bob B ilenchi 2009 Morin Pere & Fils Pinot Noir 12 and Rosemary Lauder. It represented the best and most in- teresting of the wines recently discovered by Bob, who looks  Bucks County (PA) Chapter Fourteen members of the for wines in many places. These wines were discovered in met at Bob and Pat Lynam’s to taste Pinot Noir from three wine shops both local and d istant, gained with i nformation regions of the world: California, Oregon and France. Although from magazines, news sources and the internet. being described as a “difficult” grape to grow, pino t noir is 2010 La Ardilla Moscato de Valencia, Spain $8 grown all over the world. Th e best value rated wine was the 2010 Excelsior Chardonnay, South Africa 7 Pinot Project, which is a blend of Pinot Noirs from California. 2008 Toscolo Chianti, Italy 11 2007 Gloria Ferrer Carneros, California $12 2007 Pasqua Amarone, Italy 19 2009 A to Z Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, OR 14 2008 Volver La Mancha Tempranillo, Spain 13 2009 Auteur Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, CA 34 (1) 2007 Stonestreet Momument Ridge Cab. 40 2006 Joseph Drouhin Chorey Les Beaune, 21 2008 Cousino Macul Antiquas Reserva 12 Cote de Beaune, Burgundy France Cabernet Chile 2009 The Pinot Project California 10 (2) 2008 Robert Mondavi Carneros, California 18 (3) The aperitif sparkling Moscato was a nice example of an in- creasingly popular wine. The Chardonnay was made by the  The Carroll County (MD) Chapter met on September 11 Robertson group, a large maker in South Africa. Both w ere at the home of the Susan and Mike Barbour. The tasting fo- good, full bodied win es at bargain prices. From Italy came cused on the 2001 vintage and featured a selection of wines two wines: A good $11 Chianti followed by a very good Ama- from Rioja. It was presen ted by Lee Ste wart. Lee provided rone. Bob explained the Amarone process which involves wonderful background on the region, the climate, and the drying the grapes on racks before processing. Amarones can requirements for a wine to be rated as a Crianza, Reserva, or get expensive—the best around $80. The Volver Tempranillo Gran Reserva. The warm-up wine was 2010 El Coto Rosado. had a rating b y Parker of 9 1 and was an exce llent example 2001 Barón De Ley Gran Reserva $39 of this varietal. 2001 Marqués de Riscal Gran Reserva 49 The last two wines were tasted blind. Both had very high Par- 2001 Viña Ardanza Especial 35 ker ratings, 94 and 91, respec tively. The group rated them 2001 Marqués de Cáceres Gran Reserva 35 (1) quite closely, 13.3 and 12.7 with the Stonestreet higher. The 2001 Beronia Gran Reserva 24 (2) two wines were quite different in character and it was an 2004 Beronia Gran Reserva 24 (3) interesting test of value.  The September 25 meeting of the Cleveland (OH) Chap- ter was held at the ho me of Eileen Win iasz (co-hosted by  The Houston (TX) Chapter met on November 12th at the Laraine Bailey) with 22 members and 2 guests attending. The home of Kim and Joe Tecca for a Blind Tasting . Twenty-five theme "Range of R ose," was presented blind by Wer ner & members and guests tested their palates against Kim’s great Michele Klingbeil, with emphasis on t he composition style. wine selections. Kim actually categorized eleven of o ur past Members had to guess which one of three styles was used in favorite varietals so a s imple process of elimination was not producing each wine—a Mono-Red, or a Multi-Red, or a Red possible. Could we all determine w hich type of wine we w ere and White blend. drinking? One member pretty much spoke for the major ity, “Kim made our brains and tongues work overtime and mine 2010 Corail Cotes du Provence, Multi-Red $17 (2) did not cooperate at all.” Wine tastin g is the sensory exami- 2010 Maysara Pinot Noir Rosé , Mono-Red 15 (3) nation and evaluation of wine an d this "Blind Tasting" tested 2010 Tres Ojos Grenache-Tempranillo, 10 our palates on di fferentiating eight common red wines that Multi-Red we have experienced before in pr evious tastings. Tasting a 2009 Sutter Home White Zinfandel, Mono-Red 6 wine blind is one of the best ways to form ulate an unbiased 2010 Werner Klingbeil Cellar Rosé, Red&White N/A opinion about the wine—it also forces the taster to concen- 2009 Yali Merlot Rosé, Mono-Red 10 trate on every tiny aspect of the wine. 2009 Menage a Trois Rosé, Red&White 12 (1) Ferrari Carano, Alexander Vallet Cab Sauv $22  The Carroll County (MD) Chapter met on October 16 at Lynmar Russian River Pinot Noir 35 the home of t he Ann and Jo hn Carr. Th e theme was a “ For Willamette Valley Pinot, Pinot Noir 17 the Love of Amarone—An Exploration of the Composition and Fat Monk Merlot, Paso Robles 10 Process of Making Amarone" presented by John Carr. The Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel 18 tasting featured a selection of Italian win es. The warm-up Guasti Barberad-Asti, Italy 15 was a 100% C orvino (one of the staple grapes of Amarone), Nozzole Chianti, Italy 24 and then a V alpolicella. Next up wer e a pair of wines pro- Gascon Malbec, Argentina 13 duced using the Ripassa technique. We concluded the tasting with a specta cular pair of true A marones. John and Mike  Ole! The Hudson (MA) Chapter met on October 13 at the Bareford also included a surprise in the middle of the lineup— home of chapter cha ir Mike Blake. After a welcome peri od of AWS News—December 2011 Page 4

socializing and ge neral merriment while enjoying Viura, the The premise of the tasting was to compare five sets of wines, 17 members in attendance sampled a selection of wines from each set containing the same grape vari ety or blen d. One the Rioja region of Spain organized by Dick Phillips. A special sample was obtained from the “cool room” of the Cedar Crest selection of Spanis h tapas, State Store a nd the other from th e regular shelves in the including Manchego cheese, store. The assumption to be tested was that the cool room Jamon Serrano ham, Span ish wines should be better beca use of the marketing and the potato omelet and empana- higher prices. das, were supplied by th e 2006 Alexander Laing, Old Vine Grenache $45 (1) members. Following this won- Barossa Valley derful line-up and tasting ex - 2006 Yangarra Estate,Old Vine Grenache 24 perience, the chapter cele- McLaren Vale brated their 4th anniversary with a re cap of memories and 2008 Ninety+ Cellars, McLaren Vale Shiraz 13 (2) highlights over the past 4 ye ars and cake! The icebreaker Viognier was a 2010 Cortijo DOC 100% Viura ($15). 2005 DeBortoli, Yarra Valley Estate 33 Flight #1- The Rioja classification system Shiraz/Viognier 2007 Campo Viejo Crianza $12 (3) 2006 Graeme Leith Passing Clouds Bendigo, 28 (aged at least 24 months/6 in oak Victoria Researve Shiraz 2006 Campo Viejo Reserva 15 (2) 2009 Henry's Drive Vignerrons Morse Code 9 (aged at least 36 months/12 in oak) Shiraz 2002 Campo Viejo Gran Reserva 21 (1) (aged at least 60 months/18 in oak) 2010 Lindemans Red Cliffs Bin 43, Victoria 7 Flight #2- 100% Tempranillo Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 LAN Reserva 18 (1) 1998 Leeuwin Estate Art Series, Cabernet 45 (3) 2001 Finca Valpiedra Reserva 40 (2) Sauvignon Margaret River Flight #3- Blended Wines 2008 Aramas Vineyard, Shiraz Cabernet, 18 2004 Conde de Valdemar Reserva 21 (2) McLaren Vale 85% Tempranillo/15% Mazuelo 2009 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Magill, Shiraz/ 10 2007 Palacios Remondo La Montesa Reserva 26 (1) Cabernet Flight #4—Wines that don’t fit the DO/DOC rules  On September 10, Trey an d Adrienne Johnson hosted 24 2005 Artadi Vinos de Gain 32 members of the Lone Star/DFW (TX) Chapter at Grapes to 2005 Artadi Pagos Viegos 79 Wine in Bartonville, TX. Owner Dan Adams did a fabulous job  Seafood & Sauvignon Blanc was the theme for a wonderful of choosing some unusual suspects for this comparative, evening at Renée Wagner and Mark Berhow's home in Peoria blind tasting of wines from California versus the same varietal for the Illinois Heartland (IL) Chapter. The mild fall from another region of the world. Some of the most educated weather provided a p erfect start, with a variety of prelim palates in our organizat ion were stumped when it c ame to wines and appetizers on M ark & Renée's backyard patio . choosing the grape varietal and its region of origin. For many Mark & Renée provi ded a nice grouping of six Sauvignon of us, it was fun as we ll as educational to see ju st how Blancs for us to taste from C alifornia, Washington, New Zea- “atypical” a wine varietal can taste, depending upon where its land and France. The top rated wine was the 2008 Chate au grapes were grown, its fermentation process, and the type of St. Jean Fumé Blanc. Dinner was wond erful with entrées of barrel in which it was sto red. Although we all hav e very dif- both shrimp and salmon. In addition to the six tasting wines, ferent, palates and preferen ces, Dan chose wines that were they also provided a Sauvignon Blanc dessert wine - a Hanna well received by all. A follow-up dinner was held at Palermo’s 2006 Estate Grown Russian River Late Harvest Sauvignon Italian Café, a nearby BYOB re staurant that features tradi- Blanc. tional Italian cuisine. 2009 Cedarville Vineyard Viognier $23  The weather was perfect for the September 18 tasting of 2010 Bouchard Finlavson Blanc De Mar 21 the Lehigh Valley (PA) Chapter arranged by Jan Thomas. 2007 Tete a Tete Domaine De le Ter Rouge 21 (3) th, The event was originally scheduled for August 28 but had to 2009 Domaine Les Aphillanthes 22 be rescheduled due to the floods of Hurricane Irene. A hearty 2007 Amador Foothill Sangiovese 20 group of 20 showed up to taste a selection of wines that are 2008 Antenisi Red 15 carried by Si lver Creek Coun try Club and to see how t hey 2009 Felino Cabernet Sauvignon 22 (2) paired with the food provided by the Club . It was great to 2008 Red Mare Cabernet Sauvignon 39 (1) taste each wine blind and then to taste it again with the food. Each of the four courses were accompanied by two wines and  Bart and Meriel Springer welcomed seven members and the dessert by one wine. two guests to the annual Northampton (PA) Chapter Bor- 2009 Chateau St. Michele Riesling $17 (3) deaux tasting held at Crave Restaurant at the A lbright Man- NV Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 10 sion in Jim Thorpe. The ta sting started with two whi te Bor- 2009 Sycamore Lane Chardonnay 8 deaux wines served blind followed by ten red Bordeaux 2009 Ironstone Red Vin Zin 11 wines, primarily 2008 vintage. This was a great tasting that 2004 Bridalwood Syrah 11 featured excellent wines and much critical discussion and 2009 Sycamore Lane Merlot 8 (2) evaluation of all the wines. This tasting confirmed a couple of 2007 Arancio Pinot Noir 9 important points. First, there is a lo t of very good red Bor- 2007 Clayhouse Red Blend 13 (1) deaux wine being produced at reasonable prices, particularly 2009 Wente The Whip the non-classified wines (cru Bourgeois and Bordeaux Superi- eur) by reputable cha teaus. Second, the 200 8 vintage is  On September 26, an Au stralian wine tasting was enjoyed quite accessible and drinking well right now. by members of the Lehigh Valley (PA) Chapter at the 2008 Ch. BL de Bastor-Lamantagne, home of Pamela and Ken Burton in Allentown. It presented a Bordeaux Sec great opportunity to taste some great Australian reds and 2009 Le “G” de Ch. Guiraud, Bordeaux Sec stroll through the formal garden on a beautiful fall afternoon. 2008 Ch. Le Conseiller, Bordeaux Superieur $24 AWS News—December 2011 Page 5

2008 Chateau Senéjac, Haut-Medoc 28 tral Valley of California and for years has been prod ucing 2008 Ch. Soleil “Promesse” Puisseguin, 25 grapes that other regions (including Sonoma/Napa) have St. Emilion used to supplement their wines. Within the past fifteen years 2008 Ch. La Tour de Mons, Margaux, 28 or so, an em erging winemaking industry has begun to flour- cru Bourgeois ish in Lodi. The region is especially known for its Zinf andel, 2005 Ch. La Tour de Mons, Margaux, which was included in this tasting along with other varieties. cru Bourgeois The voting of the group came down to an o verall tie between 2008 Ch. Clos Fourtet, 1er GCC, St. Emilion 59 the two regions. Lodi’s Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel wines 2008 Ch. La Grange, St.Julien GC (3rdgrowth) 58 won while Napa’s Chardonnay and Sonoma’s Cabernet Sauvi- 1997 Chateau La Grange, St Julien GC (1) gnon won. Not part of the competition, but very much en- 2008 Ch. Grand-Puy-Lacoste Paulliac GC 61 (3) joyed was the St. Amant Vintage Port produced in Lodi using (5thgrowth) six varieties of Portuguese grapes grown in Amador County, 2002 Ch. Grand-Puy-Lacoste Paulliac GC 1855 (2) which is in the Sierra foothills of California. 2009 Markham Sauvignon Blanc (Napa)  The Northern Neck Uncorked (VA) Chapter met at 2010 Van Ruiten Sauvignon Blanc (Lodi) Belle Mount Vineyard in Warsaw, VA, on O ctober 7. Twenty 2009 Seven Heavenly Chardonnay (Lodi) four members were present to hear Marie Minor’s game show 2009 Raymond Chardonnay (Napa) “Guess that Celebrity” as part of her topic “Wines by Celebri- 2008 Van Ruiten Cabernet Sauvignon (Lodi) ties.” Marie h ad five wines which were associated with a ce- 2007 Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma) lebrity from various areas. All the wine bottles were wrapp ed 2009 Castlebank Old Vine Zinfandel (Sonoma) in disguises until her audience guessed the name of t he ce- 2009 St. Amant Old Vine Zinfandel (Lodi) lebrity from the clues which Marie gave. The bright member who was the first to guess the identity of the celebrity then  In October, the Pittsburgh East (PA) Chapter meeting received a prize from Mari e. While the w ines were be ing featured our f avorite presenter, Carol Pascuzzi, from Penn poured, Marie gave a brief biog raphy of each of t he celebri- Mac, reviewing an a ssortment of c heeses especially selected ties and how they became involved with the wine making for the wines being tasted. As usual, Carol provided a wealth industry. The wines were accompanied by food pairings done of information about t he cheeses along with other insights by Diane and Kevin Kean. The members sampled smoked into their storage, manufacture, purchase and prepara tion. salmon, shrimp, Emmentaler cheese, black olives, Chevre The cheeses were: S tella Asiago, Goat Beemster, Vallee and chocolate raspberry pastries along with a se lection of D’Aspe, Lou Bergier Pichin, Campo de Mo ntalban. The wines fresh breads and bagel chips. for the evening were selected by Karen Wayner and specifical- 2009 Francis Ford Coppola, Rubicon $13 ly matched with the cheeses Carol had selected. Chardonnay Diamond Collection The favorite wines were the two Chateauneuf du Pape. There 2009 Paul Newman, Newman’s Own, Chard. 9 were 19 votes for the Reserve des Olivers 2008 which was a 2009 Greg Norman, Great White Shark Chard. 12 chairman's selection purchased at the Waterworks store. This 2008 Fred MacMurray Sonoma Coast Chard. 15 wine is un-oaked, and fruit driven. It is the first vintage of La NV Richard Childress Scupperdine 6 Reserve des Olivers. Described as supple and rich. Soft tan-  On October 23, thirty-one members and guests of the nins. Fruit is first and last impression of this wine. Ocean Isle Beach (NC) Chapter met at the Silver Coast The 2nd favorite wine was the Chateau Cabrieres with 12 Winery for a tasting of Affo rdable “New World” Reds. The votes. According to Robert Parker. 2007 was the vintage of a wine for this event came from Australia, California, Argentina, lifetime in France. This wine was rated 92 points in the Wine Oregon, Washington and C hile. These wines were all pur- Spectator. The welcome wine as 2010 Rem y Pannier Sauvi- chased locally, all were rated 85 or higher, and all cost $18 or gnon Blanc from the Loire ($12). less. 2009 King Estate Signature Pinot Noir, OR $17 2007 Joseph Drouhin Burgundy $16 2008 Ch. Ste. Michelle, Cab. Sauv., WA 11 (2) Chorey-Les-Beaune 2008 Cousino Macul, Antiguas Reservas Cab. 12 (3) 2008 Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits 20 2007 Sebastiani, Cab.Sauv. Sonoma County 13 (1) Mongeard-Mugeret 2009 Bodega Septima, Malbec Mendoza 10 2009 Seigneur de Fontimple Vacqueyras 14 2008 Wyndham Estate Shiraz, Bin 555 2008 Rand Vin de Bordeaux Chateau de 24/1.5 l. SE Australia Paillet-Quancard 2008 A Favier Reserve des Olivers 30  The Piedmont Wine and Vine (SC) Chapter met at the Chateauneuf du Pape home of John and Lucy A ckerman in Simpsonville, SC, on 2007 Chateau Cabrieres Chateauneuf du 34 November 20. John and Lu cy have been v isiting the Finger Pape Tradition Lakes for the last thirty years and treat ed 28 members to  Rochester (NY) Chapter some of their favorite wines from that region. The ice break- The met on Sept. 17 for a tast- ers were Chateau Frank Sparkling Brut 2005 ($22) and Swe- ing of Sou th African wines and foods. Tw enty-seven mem- dish Hill Dry Riesling ($17). bers and gu ests met at M ountain Rise United Church of Christ in Fairport, NY. While South Africa is about the size of 2008 Lamoreaux Landing Chard,Seneca Lk. $11 Texas, most of the wines are made in a ha ndful of small re- 2010 Dr. Frank Gruner Veltliner, Keuka Lake 18 gions on or near t he coast within the W estern Cape. Eve n 2009 Lamoreaux Landing Riesling, Seneca Lk. 18 within these small regions, climate can vary, and th ere is a 2009 Dr. Frank Rkatsiteli, Keuka Lake 18 wide variety of soil types - all of which present considerable 2009 Keuka Spring Lemberger, Keuka Lake 18 challenges to the vineyard managers and winemakers. Some 2007 Shalestone Lemberghini, Keuka Lake 19 of the foods served in cluded bobotie, chakalaka, yellow r ice 2009 Keuka Lake Leon Millot, Keuka Lake 21 with raisins and gril led sausages, and me lk tert.  The Princeton (NJ) Chapter held a blind tasting on Sep- (Curious?? You can "Google" these for more info!) tember 17 at the home of Rona and Rob Henry. Twelve mem- 2010 Goats do Roam (white) $7 bers compared the wines of Lodi (CA) to the wines of the 2010 Raats Chenin Blanc 11 Sonoma/Napa region of California. Lodi is located in the Cen- 2009 Sincerely Sauvignon Blanc 10 AWS News—December 2011 Page 6

NV Graham Beck Brut 14 (3) 2006 Aglianico del Taburno Fidelis 12 2007 Southern Right Pinotage 19 (1) 2004 Tenuta del Portale Aglianico del Vulture 19 2009 Kanonkop Kadette 12 Riserva 2009 The Left Bank 9 (2) 2007 Castel dell’Angelo Colli e Sole Campania 19 (3) 2007 Spice Route's Chakalacka 18 1997 Mastroberardino Radiei Campania 34 (1) 2009 Nederberg Select Late Harvest 9 Tauras NV KWV Tawny Port 8 2005 Mastroberardino Radici Campania 55 (2) Taurasi  Mike Botwin took the San Luis Obispo (CA) Chapter on a tour of Chile and Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. Each flight con- tained wine in the $10, $20 and $30 plus pri ce range. The Do you see your chapter events in the AWS News? You group’s palate seemed to favor the h igher end wines with the will if you email your tasting results to Joe Broski top number of votes going t o Concha y Toro’s Don Me lchor. [email protected] An interesting note about the flight line‐up was that all three wines in the first flight came from the same winery. THANK YOU to all the chapters who regu- 2008 Concha y Toro, Marques de Casa $20 (3) larly send tasting results to the AWS News! Concha 2009 Concha y Toro, Casillero Del Diablo 10 2007 Concha y Toro, Don Melchor 62 (1) 2008 Santa Rita Medalla Real Grand Reserve 19 (2) 2007 Concha Y Toro, Terrunyo 35 2010 Santa Rita 120 9 2005 Montes Alpha, (Apalta Vineyard) 19 2009 Los Huertas Grand Reserve 25 2009 Los Vascos 11  The Triangle (NC) Chapter met on August 21 at The Pre- serve in Wake F orest for a tasti ng hosted by Bob Butl er. We got to taste wines that most of us were not familiar with from France's Loire Valley. 2008 Mabileau, Frederic, St Nicolas de $18 Bourgueil, Les Rouilleres 2007 Domaine Bernard Baudry, Cinon 17 Peter Mondavi, Jr. Paul Wagner 2009 Reserve des Vignerons, Saumur 13 (1) Champigny 2010 Marionnet, Henry Premiere Vendenge 15 (2) Touraine 2009 Le Rocher des Violettes, Xavier 22 (3) Lone Star/DFW Chapter Hosts a WeisKopf (Malbec) 2006 Coteaux du Giennois, Les Tetes de 21 Special Charity Event Chats Matheu Coste (Pinot Noir)

 On August 27, 16 members of the Tucson (AZ) Chapter On September 24, 18 members of the Lone Star/DFW (TX) met at Maynards Market and Kitchen, a restaurant and mar- Chapter participated in Dent on (Texas) first Susan G. ket specializing in innovative cuisine that focuses on food sup- Komen 5K Race for the Cure. Lone Star member, Dr. Bruce plied by lo cal farmers a nd vendors. Maynards is lo cated in Hermann, has a practice in the North Texas Breast and Plas- downtown Tucson, in th e historic train depot. The theme for tic Surgery Center and sponsored all participants by paying our event was “Sommelier Wine Class” and was hosted by the the walkers/runners event and registration fees. The group Maynards’ Sommelier, Lars Fasel. During the tasting, Lars raised over $900 dol lars to be allocated to breast cancer shared several tips learned from his experience as a somme- diagnostics, treatment and education within Denton County, lier. He emphasized the importance of knowing your importer. Texas. Lars also explained how he selects which wines will be served by the glass. He tries to provide a wide selection of standard Dr. Hermann’s wife, and Lone Star Chapter’s Dir ector of wines, but also adds som e what he calls “geeky” wines into Special Events, Dr. Cyndi Hermann, organized the en tire the mix. event and served as the team captain. Immediately follow- NV Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth, $46 ing the race, Bruce and Cyndi welcomed all participants into Italy their home and provided a lovely cha mpagne brunch. Be- NV Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’ Alsace, 26 cause of the success of this event, the Lone Star/DFW chap- France ter has decided to participate in Susan G. Komen’s Race for 2007 Francine et Olivier Savary, France 38 the Cure in Denton as their annual philanthropic event. 2002 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia, 80 Spain We extend a big thanks to Drs. Bruce and Cyndi H ermann 2008 Joseph Hofstatter Lagrein, Sudtirol, 32 for their time, fi nancial support and thei r hospitality. The Italy Hermann’s are very activ e members of the Lone Star C hap- 2006Chateau Roumieu-Lacoste, Sauternes, 38 ter and w e are very pro ud to represent the North Texas France Breast and Plastic Surgery Center in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in many years to come.  The Walt Whitman (NJ) Chapter’s September tasting was hosted by Leslie Dicker and Roman Luzecky. It featured wines from Aglianico of Campania and Basilicata. 2008 Terredora Di Paolo Campania $13 AWS News—December 2011 Page 7

Conference News Member Services John Hames Diane Chappell

New York, New York … wha t an amazing Confer- 2011 National Conference ence! As I am busy ca tching up on everyt hing, I am still feeling the excitement from Co nference Rochester, NY week. We had 32 states and Canada represented this year! That is such a compliment to all of us! th As I write this article, memories of the 44 AWS conference Thanks to everybody who was involved in making this years are still fresh in my mind. The great wines, great service by Conference such a su ccess. It is a lways a group effort and the Radisson staff, incredible sessions and the opportunity to you are only as good as those who are on your team. Many talk to AWS members from around the US all mad e the con- of you st epped up wh ere needed without questions. This is ference memorable. Thanks again to ev eryone who he lped how we are able to make this happen, thank you! make the conference special—the conference committee, the volunteers, the speakers, the wineries that provided wine, I think my favorite part was meeting so many of you in per- and most of all, the 500+ attendees from 32 different states son. Putting faces to na mes is something I really love being who made the conference such a great success. able to do. I saw m any familiar faces from the 2010 Confer- ence and meet many more of you this year. I am already looking forward to 2012! I would like to summarize the growth of t he American Wine 2012 National Conference Society for 2011. We have 114 active chapters in 29 states across the Nov. 8-10 – Red Lion Hotel on the River US—12 new chapters were formed in 2011! Portland, Oregon We have 4323 total active members. We have had 1032 new members sign up in 2011! Yes, I know it’s almost a year away but we are already work- New Chapters in 2011 ing on some new ideas for the Portland conference. Ev ery year we try to take the “lessons learned” from the previous Alle-Kiski Chapter (at River Forest), PA conference and apply them to t he next one – co ntinuous Austin Hills, TX improvement. Here are a f ew improvements we’re working East Las Vegas Valley Chapter, NV on for 2012; Green Gables Chapter, PA Schedule a dedicated time period to recognize all of the Lone Star Chapter, TX individual Amateur Wine Competition medal winners – Napa Valley Chapter, Napa, CA they worked hard to make their wines and they deserve Ocean Isle Beach Chapter, NC to be reco gnized. We tried to combine the awards wi th the Amateur Wine Experience for the last couple of years Santa Barbara Chapter, CA but we seem to run o ut of time each year. Next year Silicon Valley, CA we’ll have a time slot dedicated to the medal awards. Space Coast Chapter, FL Make prior arrangements with a local printer to have Waverly Chapter, PA posters with complete lists of amateur and commercial Wine School of York Chapter, PA medal winners ready before the awards lunch. Eliminate the volunteer sign up option in the conference As you can see we are growing and it is fantastic to see. registration process. Instead, contact everyone after With more chapters and more members we get more word of they register to see w hat they want to volun teer for. mouth advertising which produces more growth. With growth This will simplify the registration process. we are able to add more services to you and more value to your membership. Look at having a dedicated room captain in each session room for the entire day instead of a different one in each We are working hard to keep the AWS moving into the fu- session. Also, have the roo m captain be responsible for ture . Thanks to all of you who volunteer your time and skills moving the wines to the session room in time and mak- to make this happen. ing sure the correct number of glasses are ready before The last year has been amazing but I know that it is only the the session starts. T his should help all sessions start beginning. Bring on 2012! and finish on time. Diane Chappell There will be more improvements, but these are a few we know of now. It’s not too early to put a Portland vacation on Member Service Manager [email protected] your calendar next November!

John Hames [email protected] 888-297-9070

AWS News—December 2011 Page 8

Treasurer’s Report National Tasting Project Sam Streiff

In last year’s Treasurer’s Report I comment- ed on the decrease in conference attendance 2011 National Tasting Project and membership that had occurred over th e Merlot, The Wine that Gets No Respect 3 preceding years. I am pleased to report that conference attendance rebounded for t he 2010 Ci ncin- nati conference and that membership has started to in- The 2011 NTP is complete and the results are on pages 17- crease. 18 of this issue of the AWS News. Thanks to Dennis Cassady and his committee for puttin g together this great group of The Board reo rganized and reloca ted the nat ional office in wines and handling all the details of the presentation materi- 2010, hiring John Ham es as Exe cutive Director. Since then, als and data analysis. We are delighted that a record nu m- John has worked hard to red uce our expenses - questioning ber of chapters and members participated. every expense and trimming many. The conference is currently the f inancial engine that drives our organization, and since the Cincinnati conference did so well and since John has controlled our expenses so well, we had over $54,000 of ope rating income for Fiscal Year 2011 2012 National Tasting Project which ended August 31st. Subtle and Soft, Pinot Noir Thus, at the end of fi scal year 2011 the Society again has a reasonable (but not large) “rainy day fund.” As we l ook for- Selecting the varietal, Pinot Noir, for this coming year, came ward to fiscal 2012, we see that we again have good attend- from two directions. First, 2002 was the last time that varie- ance at the Rochester conference and our budget again calls ty was t asted; secondly, the location of the 2012 N ational for a profit. conference, Portland, OR, cemented the choice. I am i n the process of ass embling a cro ss country team to select the This spring the Board re emphasized the importance of wine for tasting. Not only will wines come from many re- providing service to our curr ent and future members by hir- gions, they will also represent different wine making styles ing a membership services manager. With her help, we look for an educational opportunity to enjoy. Check out the NTP forward to the chall enging task of increa sing our me mber- page on the AWS website to track the team’s progress. ship. http://www.americanwinesociety.org/displaycommon.cfm? As always, we remain committed to the Society’s mission of an=1&subarticlenbr=54. wine education and to informing other s of the benef its of wine. Rege Duralia 2012 National Tasting Project Chair As I am reaching the end of my term as Treasurer, I want to [email protected] thank all of you for your support and assistance. Sam Streiff [email protected]

Financial statements on Pages 10-11 Nominations for National Officers

Do you know anyone who woul d make a good AWS N a- tional Officer? How about you? In 2012 our membership will be electing the following officers, for terms b eginning January 1, 2013: Secretary to serve a 3-year term (2013–2015) Director of Education to serve a 3- year term (2013- AWS Website Updates 2015) www.americanwinesociety.org Nominations deadline is May 15, 2012 Have you visited the AWS website recently? It’s going to have Please contact Willis Parker, Chairman of the Nominations a whole new look soon, so be sure to check it out. Committee at [email protected] or Joh n Hames at [email protected] for The complete results from the 2011 Com mercial Wine Com- more information on the nomination process. petition have already been posted, along with information on Award of Merit winner Gordon Murchie and Outstanding Mem- ber Dave Barber. More conference photos will be added soo n. Maybe you will see your face on the net….

AWS News—December 2011 Page 9

AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY STATEMENT OF INCOME AND FUND BALANCE FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDING AUGUST 31, 2011, 2010, 2009 2011 % Total Rev 2010 % Total Rev 2009 % Total Rev Revenue Membership Dues $127,494 36.4% $132,602 43.0% $160,833 37.6% Conference Fees and Income 191,265 54.7% 138,439 44.9% 198,934 46.5% Book & Resale Items 665 0.2% 745 0.2% 1,369 0.3% Journal Advertising 3,307 0.9% 1,852 0.6% 2,803 0.7% Interest Income 157 0.0% -205 -0.1% 627 0.1% Wine & Label Competitions 24,770 7.1% 33,695 10.9% 53,688 12.6% Other Income 2,167 0.6% 1,528 0.5% 9,195 2.2% Total Revenue $349,825 100.0% $308,656 100.0% $427,449 100.0%

Expenses Conference $132,023 37.7% $119,486 38.7% $237,285 55.5% Wine Competitions 22,410 6.4% 28,624 9.3% 41,999 9.8% Journal: Printing Graphics and Art/Photo 14,545 4.2% 19,325 6.3% 25,335 5.9% Mailing/ Delivery 3,688 1.1% 1,870 0.6% 2,287 0.5% Editor and Asst. Editor Compensation 2,500 0.7% 2,500 0.8% 2,500 0.6% Total Journal Expenses $20,733 5.9% $23,695 7.7% $30,122 7.0% Administrative Expenses: Director/ Officer Travel $9,278 2.7% $22,113 7.2% $12,479 2.9% Telephone & Internet 3,285 0.9% 5,327 1.7% 5,010 1.2% Printing/ Copying 2,233 0.6% 12,425 4.0% 7,693 1.8% Mailing/ Delivery 1,700 0.5% 6,120 2.0% 9,359 2.2% Membership Certifications (See Note 4) 7,562 2.2% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Office Supplies 1,068 0.3% 1,920 0.6% 4,439 1.0% Books for Resale 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 3,181 0.7% Executive Assistant 13,605 3.9% 6,606 2.1% 17,027 4.0% Executive Director Salary (See Note 5) 40,500 11.6% 46,307 15.0% 44,100 10.3% Payroll Taxes 5,011 1.4% 5,801 1.9% 4,693 1.1% Executive Director Expenses 0 0.0% 2,165 0.7% 5,877 1.4% Newsletter & Special Publications 4,435 1.3% 2,240 0.7% 8,391 2.0% Insurance 7,236 2.1% 9,328 3.0% 9,462 2.2% Depreciation 564 0.2% 2,096 0.7% 1,470 0.3% Website & Database Development 9,464 2.7% 10,889 3.5% 10,182 2.4% Bank and Credit Card Fees 7,763 2.2% 5,439 1.8% 8,185 1.9% Office Rent & Utilities 0 0.0% 12,661 4.1% 24,674 5.8% Miscellaneous (See Note 6) 6,412 1.8% 13,986 4.5% 10,130 2.4% Total Administrative Expenses $120,116 34.3% $165,423 53.6% $186,352 43.6% Total Expenses $295,282 84.4% $337,228 109.3% $495,758 116.0% Surplus (Deficit) $54,543 15.6% ($28,572) -9.3% ($68,309) -16.0% Fund Balance Beginning of Year $27,305 $55,877 $122,646 Restricted Donations 0 0 1,540 Fund Balance End of Year $81,848 $27,305 $55,877

Financial Statement Notes 1. The Society operates on a fiscal year ending August 31st, and the Financial Statements are prepared on the accrual basis. 2. Membership dues are collected on a calendar year basis and recognized as income on a prorata basis during the fiscal year. Lifetime dues are amortized yearly based on annual dues amounts until exhausted. 3. Depreciation is on a straight line basis over 3 and 5 years. 4. The Membership Certifications account was started in 2011 to show the cost of items denoting membership sent to members. 5. During the 2010 transition of Executive Directors, 1 month termination was paid to the previous Executive Director. 6. The 2010 Miscellaneous category includes $ 4,202 of extraordinary expenses related to the transition of Executive Directors. 7. In 2010 old fully depreciated assets in the amount of $33,723 were written off as they had been disposed of and had no economic value. AWS News—December 2011 Page 10

AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY BALANCE SHEET AS OF AUGUST 31, 2011, 2010, 2009

2011 2010 2009 Assets CURRENT ASSETS Cash - Checking $176 $4,334 $91,649 Cash - Savings 311,096 217,513 87,550 Total Cash 311,272 221,847 179,199 Accounts Receivable 20 5,100 3,497 Conference and Committee Advances 12,731 12,742 25,416 Prepaid Expenses 16,415 13,864 17,424 Total Current Assets 340,438 253,553 225,536 FIXED ASSETS Equipment (at cost) 14,032 9,909 43,632 Accumulated Depreciation (8,447) (5,520) (34,783) Total Fixed Assets 5,585 4,389 8,849 Total Assets $346,023 $257,942 $234,385

Liabilities and Fund Balance CURRENT LIABILITIES Accounts Payable & Wages Payable $876 $4,589 $213 Accrued Payroll Taxes 2,307 2,247 1,313 Deferred Revenue - Membership Dues 68,220 62,269 66,504 Deferred Revenue - Annual Conference 192,614 161,374 110,478 Total Current Liabilities 264,017 230,479 178,508 FUND BALANC E Unrestricted 27,463 15,923 44,337 Restricted 54,543 11,540 11,540 Total Fund Balance 82,006 27,463 55,877 Total Liabilities and Fund Balance $346,023 $257,942 $234,385

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN FINANCIAL POSITION FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDING AUGUST 31, 2010, 2009, 2008

2011 2010 2009 SOURCES OF WORKING CAPITAL Current Surplus (Deficit) $54,543 ($28,572) ($68,309) Items Not Affecting Working Capital: Fund-Raising Donations 0 0 1,540 Depreciation 2,927 4,618 2,652 $57,470 ($23,954) ($64,117) USES OF WORKING CAPITAL Purchase of Equipment (4,123) 0 (4,090) NET CHANGES IN WORKING CAPITAL $53,347 ($23,954) ($68,207)

CHANGES IN ELEMENTS OF WORKING CAPITAL Cash $89,425 $42,648 $1,526 Conference and Committee Advances (11) (12,674) (5,625) Accounts Receivable (5,080) 1,603 218 Prepaid Expenses 2,551 (3,560) (4,959) Accounts Payable 3,713 (4,376) 40,902 Accrued Payroll Taxes (60) (934) (32) Deferred Revenues (37,191) (46,661) (100,237) NET CHANGES IN WORKING CAPITAL $53,347 ($23,954) ($68,207)

AWS News—December 2011 Page 11

Competition News Government Affairs Lynne Montgomery

CARE (Community Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness) This edition will be s hort – still very busy with HR 1161—Fortunately the House of Representatives has had final things to be done following the great 2011 other topics before it recently and th e so-called CARE Act Rochester Conference. As those of us who have been working all year preparing, listening, and gathering ex- hasn’t gotten out of co mmittee. Despite its name, this bill pected, there were pros and cons to be sure. With MUCH presents a direct threat to direct shipping of wine to consum- hard work we increased both numbers and awards given for ers and could trump the existing state laws that allow such both the Amateur and Co mmercial competitions – close to a shipments. 25% increase for Commercial entries. W ith most co mpeti- tions losing numbers, we feel pretty d arned proud of our ef- Massachusetts—Unfortunately, little progress has been forts. My very great thanks to the committees of M artha made on adopting HB 1029, which would permit winery direct Gioumousis, Joe Dautlick, Lorraine Hems and Harvey Reissig, shipping into the state. The bill conforms to the Family Wine- as well as the few other hard working volunteers. Thanks to makers of CA v. Jenkins ruling that overturned an onerous David Falchek, who spent many hours over the past months to achieve this increase. In addition, the behind the comput- capacity cap. Wineries that produced more than 30,000 gal- ers team of Alice and Ethan Irwin, Larry Lavery and Linda lons per year were prohibited from shipping directly to MA, Schuler did a super job of coordinating all the techie things which excluded 98% of the US wine production. HB 1029 that make events run smoothly. Kudos to the Cellar Rats in- removes the capacity cap and attempts to resolve a licensing cluding the warehousing team of Dolores and K en Fanton, issue with the common carriers (FedEx, UPS) that has pre- Linda Lavery, Deb Huckle, Gail Eyer, Wanda Wood and Chuck vented wine from being shipped directly to consumers under DiFasi. Finally, the on site folks who kept things moving for 3 the current statute. days that include d all those already mentioned as well as a dozen or so more, including those strolling by who vo lun- New Jersey – Following the US Court of Appeals ruling that teered to help! Our goal is to continue to increase the partici- pation in both these events. declared “satellite” tasting rooms illegal, legislation has been introduced to restore “satellite” tasting rooms and allow lim- It’s no surprise to those of us clo se to the organization that ited direct wine shipments to consumers. Unfortunately both there is still more to do and areas i n need of seriou s atten- S.2782 and A.4303 include capacity caps that would not allow tion. We have been and are at work. Now get ready to celebrate the coming holidays – with wine! consumers to receive direct shipments from 90% of the wine producers. This type of cap was declared unconstitutional in Monty January 2010 in the Family Winemakers of CA v. Jenkins case [email protected] in Massachusetts. New Members by State from 1/1/2011 Pennsylvania—New legislation (SB 790) was introduced in March that would change the existing law, approved in 1951, AL 9 NJ 41 that prohibits direct shipping into the Commonwealth. Since then 3 other bills have been introduced on the same topic. All AZ 13 NM 9 4 bills are similar to direct shipment laws in place in the ma- jority of states that a llow winery direct shipping to consum- CA 128 NV 11 ers. Among other provisions, these bills require wineries and CO 47 NY 130 retailers to purchase a s tate-issued shipping license, to pay PA taxes, to mark boxes as requiring signature at delivery, CT 30 OH 28 and to limit the quantity of wine shipped to individuals. FL 64 ONT 9 Washington voted overwhelmingly to end the state’s 78- year monopoly on liquor sales by about a 6 0% majority in GA 14 PA 187 November. The number of spirits retailers is expected to IL 8 RI 4 more than quadruple. The new law will now put spirits on the shelves of Cos tco’s nearly 30 stores a cross Washington. Re- IN 6 SC 19 tailers will now be permitted to purchase directly from suppli- ers, so Costco can effectively act as its own distributor. KY 14 TN 3

Washington must now sell off its Sea ttle-area central ware- MA 28 TX 78 house and inventory, and also auction off its 328 retail stores, MD 23 VA 57 about half of which are st ate-run. Contractors operating the franchised stores must buy back their inventory in order t o MI 12 WA 4 continue doing business. Private sales of liquor are s et to begin on June 1, 2012. NC 25 Other* 14

ND 10 TOTAL 1032 For more information, visit *DE, Bogata, Brazil, Korea, MN, MO, NE, OR, Japan, www.freethegrapes.org UT

AWS News—December 2011 Page 12

North Alabama Chapter On-Line Wine Classes By Karl Starkloff Coming To provide ad ditional benefits to AWS members, the Bo ard 2011 Grape Harvest at the Collier’s has approved the development of a seri es of on-l ine "classes" available to he lp members with their understand- On Saturday, September 10, several couples from the North ing of the world of wine. The goal of these self-paced classes Alabama Chapter spent a wonderful day at the Collier’s pick- is to provide well researched, authoritative information on ing their 2011 harve st and stomping the grape s for ne xt the world of wine. The information will serve to expand the year’s wine. Walt and Therise Collier have a beautiful planta- knowledge of both wine novices as well as more experienced tion-style home and v ineyard close to Huntsville, in Moores- winos. Each topic will include text, graphics, multi-media ville, AL. Needless to say, this magnificent late 1860’s home and on-line resources to expand our understanding of vari- with its adjacent vineyard provided a picturesque and roman- ous topics, as well as su ggested practical tasting s. These tic setting for the work to be done. We should also m ention classes can help individual members develop their under- that the Collier’s are building a pavilion to hold weddings and standing of the wine wor ld, as well as h elp chapters with receptions. background information and ideas for their local tastings. Besides the Collier’s friends and f amily, three AWS couples We are looking for volunteers to help with wr iting the- tried their grape-harvesting skills: Steve and Beth Young, se educational materials. Most of the ar ticles will be a few Karl and Judy Starkloff, and Edwin and Marisol Núñez. After pages on a sp ecific topic, so no one is expected to wr ite a receiving instructions, shears and bins, the “workers” divided thesis or be a the next Hugh Johnson or Jancis Robinson. If into several groups and sta rted picking grapes on different you can use email, a word processor or a manual typewriter sides of th e vines rows. There were many beautiful Norton (remember those), we can use your expertise. (aka Cynthiana) clusters, but Judy Starkloff got what ap- The initial focus will be on the 100-Series introductory mate- peared to be the largest bunch of the morning. rials. The 100-Series is meant to provide a basic u nder- standing of t erminology, wine growing and making, a nd grape varietals. The 200-Series courses focus on the New World, with 300-Series covering the O ld World. The 400- series features a variety of more advanced topics related to other aspects of the wine and beverage world. The purpose of these classes is not to replace the Wine Judge Certifica- tion Program or make you into a award winning amateur winemaker, but help the membership improve their ability to be a knowledgeable consumer. We are looking for exper ienced wine tasters from d ifferent regions, certified win e judges, wine travelers, and w ine By noon we were all done with the picking as the “workers” makers to help in write these informative articles. If you are became more nimble at cutting the grape clusters. Once the interested in h elping with this project, please email me. A harvesting process finished, everybody moved to the house few people vo lunteered to help during the Chapter C hair- where Therise had prepared a delic ious lunch for the group. man's Breakfast at the Rochester Conference, but we a re Walt toasted us with great wine from last year’s vintage. The looking for a broad cross-section of the membership to help good food and wine enhanced the conversation. share their knowledge and t he workload. You will be co n- tacted with more specifics about the particular classes need- After lunch, we moved to s tomping the grapes. Only lad ies ed, topic outline, etc. We are planning to have th e initial volunteered to try this process. After a thorough cleansing of series of cl asses available through the AW S website b efore the feet, several ladies took turns crushing the grapes with next year's conference. We expect this to be an evolving, their feet. Initially they were timid, but after a sho rt time growing source of wine k nowledge useful to all members of they became quite enthusiastic. The famo us “I Love Lucy” the AWS community. No co mputer website or formal train - episode, where Lucy stomps grapes, was mentioned several ing is required. We will take care of the formatting and web times and served as a inspiration for the ladies. issues. If yo u have any q uestions, please contact me. Thanks for your help. If you asked the participants, they all got great enjoyment from the a ctivity. Great surroundings, excellent food, g ood wine, and enjoyable company: can anybody ask for more? Dennis Hall [email protected] 937-233-6152

Obituary

Jeff Hondo, a member of the AWS Kylix (NY) Chapter, passed away on Oc tober 19, 2011. He was also member of the Dionysian Society International and was to be ele- vated to Tastevin member status at the March 2012 gath- ering. He and his wife, Tula, were very well liked and ac- tive in local, regional and national wine groups. Jeff lived in Absecon, NJ and worked in New York City.

AWS News—December 2011 Page 13

2011 Amateur Winemaking Competition Winners

Best In Class Best Red Vinifera & Don Gisolfi - 2010 Zinfandel 70%, Cab Sauv 30% Best Estate Marion Krauss - 2010 Black Raspberry 100% Best of Show Best White Vinifera Lamont Beers - 2009 Viognier 100% Best Native Scott Montgomery - 2010 Norton 100% American Oak Best White Hybrid Steve Kampers - 2008 Vidal, Traminette, Geisenheim Best Fruit Marion Krauss - 2010 Red Raspberry, Red Currant Best Sparkling Carl Shively - 2009 Chardonnay 60%, Pinot Noir 40% Best Kit Joe Fao - Blueberry, Raspberry, Cranberry Best Dessert Luke Capotosto - 2009 Apple Cider Double Gold Beers, Lamont NY 2009 Viognier 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Strawberry 75%, Red Currant 25% Beers, Lamont NY 2010 Strawberry 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Red Raspberry 75%, Red Currant 25% Calcagni, Dominick NY 2009 Zinfandel 100% Longo, Ralph NY 2010 Chenin Blanc 100% Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Apple Cider Mikals, Jack OH 2010 Vignoles 90%, Traminette 10% Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Black Currant 100% Montgomery, Scott AL 2010 Norton 100% European Oak Cisek, Peter CT 2009 Cab Sauv 100% Montgomery, Scott AL 2010 Norton 100% American Oak Fao, Joe PA 2009 Blueberry, Raspberry, Cranberry Piancone, Louis NJ 2009 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petite Verdot Gisolfi, Dan NY 2010 Zinfandel 70%, Cab Sauv 30% Riggle, Ivan PA 2010 Locust Blossom 100% Gisolfi, Dan NY 2009 Sangiovese 75%, Petite Syrah 25% Scahill, James PA 2010 Port, Raspberry, Chocolate Gisolfi, Dan NY 2009 Camenere 100% St. Pierre, Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Cab Sauv 100% Kampers, Stephen ON 2009 Vidal, Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc, Chenin Blanc Szaro, Robert MA 2010 Strawberry 100% Kampers, Stephen ON 2008 Vidal 50%, Traminette 25%, Geisenheim 25% Gold Calcagni, Dominick NY 2009 Syrah 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Red Raspberry 100% Calcagni, Dominick NY 2009 Petite Sirah 100% Shively, Carl NY 2009 Chardonnay 60%, Pino Noir 40% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Seyval 100% Sperk, Jim OH 2010 Cherry 100% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Cayuga 100% St. Pierre, Barry/Sissy CT 2008 Primitivo 100% (Zin.) Keating, Lana TX 2009 Port Sweatt, Glen IN 2010 Piesporter 100% Klein, Danny NJ 2007 Barbera 80%, Syrah 20% Wilen, Bill OH 2009 Grenache, Syrah, Cab Sauv Klein, Danny NJ 2005 Grenache 44%, Cab Sauv 32%, Syrah 24% Wilen, Bill OH 2006 Cab Franc Port 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Black Raspberry 100% Silver Baldieri, Lee CT 2007 Cab Sauv 75%, Merlot 25% Frelllsen,David/Betty AR 2009 Cab Sauv 80%, Merlot 20% Baldieri, Lee CT 2008 Zinfandel, Carignan, Syrah, Petit Sirah Frelllsen,David/Betty AR 2010 Vidal Blanc 100% Baldieri, Lee CT 2008 Zinfandel 100% Furfaro, Darrel PA 2008 Riesling 100% Baldieri, Lee CT 2008 Zinfandel 100% Furfaro, Darrel PA 2009 Concord 100% Beers, Lamont NY 2010 Diamond 100% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Chardonnay 100% Booth Brian PA 2009 Cab 80%, Carmenere 20% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Gewuztraminer 100% Booth Brian PA 2010 Cab 70%, Carmenere 20%, Malbec 10% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Ortega 100% Booth Brian PA 2010 Cab 73%, Carmenere 18%, Malbec 9% Gauntner, Donald PA 2009 Pinot Noir 100% Boykin, Dan CA 2009 Malbec 100% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Ortega, Muller Thurgau, Kerner, Gewurz Browning, Doug NJ 2010 Muscat 100% Gisolfi, Dan NY 2010 Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Zinfandel Browning, Doug NJ 2010 Vidal Blanc 96%, Traminette 4% Gisolfi, Dan NY 2009 Pinot Noir 75%, Petite Syrah 25% Browning, Doug NJ 2010 Traminette 100% Gower, Charles CO 2006 Cab Sauv 100% Browning, Doug NJ 2010 Chadonnel 100% Gower, Charles CO 2008 Cab Sauv 100% Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Zinfandel 85%, Petite Sirah 15% Gower, Charles CO 2009 Cab Sauv 100% Calcagni, Dominick NY 2010 Merlot 100% Gower, Charles CO 2010 Pinot Noir 100% Calcagni, Dominick NY 2009 Syrah 60%, Cab Sauv 40% Graves, Gary IN 2009 Vieux Chateau du Roi 100% Calcagni, Dominick NY 2008 Cab Sauv 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2009 Zinfandel 67%, Cab Sauv 33% Calcagni, Dominick NY 2009 Sangiovese 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2009 Petite Syrah 100% Calcagni, Dominick NY 2008 Cab Franc 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2008 Sangiovese 100% Cameron, Paul/Leslie MA 2011 Strawberry 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2009 Blueberry 50%, Cab Sauv 50% Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Cab Sav, Syrah, Merlot, Cab Franc Kampers, Stephen ON 2008 Syrah, Grenache, Carignan Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Pinot Grigio 100% Kampers, Stephen ON 2008 Riesling 50%, Gewurztraminer 50% Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Merlot 80%, Cab Sauv 15%, Cab Franc 5% Kampers, Stephen ON 2008 Gewurztraminer 100% Carson, Frank MI 2010 Zinfandel 100% Klein, Danny NJ 2010 Cab Sauv 100% Cisek, Peter CT 2009 Merlot 75%, Cab Sauv 20%, Syrah 5% Klein, Danny NJ 2008 Zinfandel 100% Cowan, Larry R. PA 2010 Blueberry 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Fredonia 100% Czyrny, John NY 2010 Reisling 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Strawberry 100% Dershem, Ron MI 2010 Merlot, Black Raspberry Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Gooseberry 60%, Strawberry 40% English, Errol OH 2009 Syrah 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2009 Red Currant 75%, Red Raspberry 25% Fao, Joe PA 2010 Carmenere 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Gooseberry !00% Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2008 Chardonnay 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Red Raspberry 75%, Gooseberry 25% Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2007 Chambourcin 98%, Cab Sauv skins 2% Le Roux, Tom MI 2009 Cab Franc 100% Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2008 Vignoles 100% Le Roux, Tom MI 2009 Chambourcin 100% AWS News—December 2011 Page 14

Silver (continued) Mikals, Jack OH 2009 Mulberry 100% + honey St. Pierre,Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Marquette 88%, Pinot Noir 12% Mitchell, Thomas NY 2008 Riesling 100% St. Pierre,Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Primitivo 80% (Zin.), Syrah 20% Moore, Phil SC 2010 Palomino 100% St. Pierre,Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Syrah 50%, Cab Sauv 50% Nettles, Donnie FL 2011 Raspberry 100% St. Pierre,Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Syrah 100% Nettles, Donnie FL 2010 Noiret 100% St. Pierre,Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Primitivo Oren, Rett PA 2009 Gewurztraminer 100% Stinger, Kenneth OR 2009 Merlot 100% Oren, Rett PA 2007 Cab Sauv, Chambourcin, Cab Franc Stinger, Kenneth OR 2009 Pinot Noir 100% Oren, Rett PA 2010 Seyval Blanc 85%, Traminette 15% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Niagara 100% Oren, Rett PA 2010 Kerner 100% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Concord, Stueben, Catawba Piancone, Louis NJ 2010 Sauv Blanc 100% Napa V. Szaro, Robert MA 2010 Blueberry Port 100% Prendergast, Larry NJ 2008 Kerner 100% Topolski, Mark NC 2010 Blackberry, Orange Blossom Honey Roccograndi, Frank PA 2010 Zinfandel 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2010 Chardonnay 100% Schlachter, Mel IA 2010 Chardonnay 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Syrah 100% Scovil, Ron CO 2010 Orange Blossom Honey, Plumcot Traxler, Tim PA 2010 Riesling 100% Seluk, Larry MI 2007 Syrah 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2008 Niagara 100% Seluk, Larry MI 2009 Zinfandel 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Zinfandel 100% Seluk, Larry MI 2009 Pinot Noir 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Red Raspberry 100% Spaziani, Gene CT Chardonnay 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Black Raspberry 100% Spaziani, Gene CT 2008 Riesling 100% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2009 St. Pepin, Cayuga, Vignoles Sperk, Jim OH 2007 Noiret 60%, Cab Franc 40% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 Chancellor 100% Sperling, Leslie PA 2010 Cynthiana 100% Bronze Baldieri, Lee CT 2008 Sangiovese 90%, Merlot 5%, Cab Franc 5%, Eisberg, William MD 2008 Cab Sauv 100% Baldieri, Lee CT 2005 Cab Sauv 75%, Merlot 25% English, Errol OH 2009 Cab Sauv 100% Beers, Lamont NY 2009 Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Traminette Fao, Joe PA 2009 Elderberry 50%, Gamay Port 50% Beers, Lamont NY 2008 Merlot 100% Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2007 SK 77-5-3 100% (like Gewurztraminer) Beers, Lamont NY 2009 Gewurztraminer 60% Traminette 40% Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2007 Tinto Cao, Nebbiolo, Cynthiana, Rougeon, Vidal Beers, Lamont NY 2010 Catawba 100% Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2010 Apple 100% Beers, Lamont NY 2010 Catawba 100% Fisher Donna/Jeff PA 2006 Merlot 100% Beers, Lamont NY 2010 Vignoles 100% Fisher Donna/Jeff PA 2005 Sauv Blanc 100% Beers, Lamont NY 2007 Vignoles 50%, Riesling 30%, Traminette 20% Frelllsen,David/Betty AR 2010 Seyval Blanc 100% Bourcy, Joseph NY Zinfandal 100% Furfaro, Darrel PA 2009 Gewurztraminer 100% Bourcy, Joseph NY Pinot Noir 100% Furfaro, Darrel PA 2009 Elderberry 100% Bourcy, Joseph NY Cab Franc 100% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Pinot Grigio 100% Boykin, Dan CA 2009 Syrah 88%, Petite Sirah, 8%, Merlot 4% Gauntner, Donald PA 2008 Chambourcin 100% Boykin, Dan CA 2009 Petite Sirah 96%, Syrah 4% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Kerner 100% Boykin, Dan CA 2009 Merlot 61%, Cab Franc 34%, Petit Verdot 4% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Mulller Thurgau 100% Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Petite Sirah 90%, Zinfandel 10% Gauntner, Donald PA 2009 Merlot 100% Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Cab Sauv 90%, Merlot 5%, Cab Franc 5% Ghent, John CT 2010 Malbec 80%, Carminere 15%, Cab Sauv 5% Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Petite Verdot 60%, Merlot 20%, Cab Franc 20% Gisolfi, Dan NY 2009 Cab Franc 100% Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Cab Franc 45%, Petit Verdot 45%, Merlot 5% Gower, Charles CO 2010 Cab Sauv 100% Chambourcin, Noiret, Chancellor, Cab Franc, Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Gower, Charles CO 2007 Cab Sauv 60%, Pinot 40% Viognier Brunkhorst, S & M MO 2010 Chardonel 100% Graves, Gary IN 2009 Australian Petit Verdot 100% Buell, Larry WI 2009 Marquette 100% Green, Thomas OH 2009 Zinfandel 100% Buell, Larry WI 2008 Frontenac 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2010 Vignoles 100% Calcagni, Dominick NY 2004 Merlot 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2009 Muscat 100% Cameron,Paul/Leslie MA 2011 Blueberry 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2009 Cab Sauv 100% Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Raspberry 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2010 Blueberry 50%, Cab Sauv 50% Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Red Currant 75%, Raspberry 25% Kenney Kahler PA 2010 Chardonnay 100% Carson, Frank MI 2009 Zinfandel 100% Keating, Lana TX 2010 Cab Sauv 100% Chrzan, Terry NY 2010 Cayuga 100% Keating, Lana TX 2009 Malbec 100% Collier, Walter AL 2009 Tempranillo 100% Kerswill, Randy WI 2007 Elderberry 100% C onlin, Roger VA 2010 C ab Franc 100% Kerswill, Randy WI 2008 Frontenac 100% Consorte, Mark CT 2007 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec Klingbeil, Werner OH 2010 Pinot Grigio 100% Consorte, Mark CT 2007 Malbec 100% Koempel, John PA 2008 Cab Franc 100% Consorte, Mark CT Malbec 100% Koempel, John PA 2010 Sangiove 100% Cowan, Larry R. PA 2010 Black Raspberry 100% Koempel, John PA 2009 Chambourcin 100% Czyrny, John NY 2009 Traminette 100% Koempel, John PA 2010 French Columbard 100% Czyrny, John NY 2010 Valvin 60%, Riesling 40% Koempel, John PA 2008 Riesling 100% Czyrny, John NY 2008 Valvin Sherry 100% Kourofsky, Kevin NY 2009 Cab Sauv 90%, Merlot 10% DeLa Pena, Jose A. PA 2008 Chancellor 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Dornfelder 100% DeLa Pena, Jose A. PA 2008 Gamay 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Cayuga 100% DeLa Pena, Jose A. PA 2008 Zinfandel 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Strawberry 75%, Red Raspberry 25% Dershem, Ron MI 2010 Piesporter 98.5%, Raspberry 1.5% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Blackberry 100% AWS News—December 2011 Page 15

Bronze (continued) Le Roux, Tom MI 2010 Cab Franc 100% Spaziani, Gene CT Niagara 100% Lewis, John PA 2009 Malbec 100% Sperk, Jim OH 2005 Pinot Noir 100% Longo, Ralph NY 2009 Zinfandel 100% Sperk, Jim OH 2009 Syrah 100% Mikals, Jack OH 2009 Zinfandel 100% Sperk, Jim OH 2010 Vignoles 100% Mikals, Jack OH 2010 Fredonia 100% Sperling, Leslie PA 2010 Volunteer 100% Mikals, Jack OH 2010 Malvasia Bianca 100% Sperling, Leslie PA 2007 Cynthiana 60%, Chambourcin 40% Mikals, Jack OH 2010 Catawba 65%, Fredonia 35% St. Pierre Barry/Sissy CT 2010 Cayuga, Chardonnay, Vignoles Mikals, Jack 2010 Catawba 65%, Fredonia 35% Stallard, Matthew PA 2010 Cab Sauv, Malbec, Camenere Mitchell, Thomas NY 2009 Noiret 90%, Cab Sauv 5%, Carmine 5% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Peach 100% Nardelli, Joseph PA 2009 Mix Black 50%, Pettit Syrah 50% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 St. Pepin 100% Nardelli, Joseph PA 2010 Malvasia Bianca 100% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Stueben 100% Oren, Rett PA 2010 Sauv Blanc 80%, Pinot Grigio 20% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Concord 100% Oren, Rett PA 2010 Traminette 85%, Seyval Blanc 15% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Red Raspberry 100% Pauszek, Michael IN 2010 Cranberry 100% Tomaiuoli, Catherine NY 2010 Cab Sauv 100% Pavluk, Jonathon VA 2009 Vignoles 50%, Honey 50% Topolski, Mark NC 2010 Blackberry 100% Piancone, Louis NJ 2010 Sauv Blanc 100% Wash St. Traxler, Tim PA 2010 Gewurztraminer 100% Powell, Noel MA 2006 Chardonnay 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Traminette 100% Powell, Noel MA 2009 Syrah 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Nero De Avola 75%, Shiraz 25% Powell, Noel MA 2009 Apple 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Riesling 100% Powell, Noel MA 2010 Maple Syrup 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2010 Niagara 100% Prendergast, Larry NJ 2008 Traminette 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Tempranillo 85%, Raspberry 15% Prendergast, Larry NJ 2009 Kerner 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2008 Pinot Noir 100% Prendergast, Larry NJ 2009 Traminette 100% Verde, James RI 2009 St. Croix 100% Riggle, Ivan PA 2010 Strawberry 100% Washburn, Dan NY 2010 Diamond 100% Roccograndi, Frank PA 2008 Syrah 100% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 Vignoles 100% Schlachter, Mel IA 2005 Chancellor, Chambourcin, Chelois Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 Plum 100% Schlachter, Mel IA 2010 Vidal 95%, Traminette 5% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 Cab Franc 100% Schlachter, Mel IA 2010 Chardonnay 100% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 St. Pepin 56%, Cayuga 44% Schnarr, Alan CO 2009 Cab Franc 100% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 Chancellor 52%, Leon Millot 48% Orange Blossom Honey, Strawberry, Passion Scovil, Ron CO 2010 Wilen, Bill OH 2009 Rosette 90%, Syrah 10% Fruit Siegle, Mark/Ginny PA 2010 Syrah 80%, Petite Syrah 20% Zoghlin, Mindy NY 2009 Gewurztraminer 100% Spaziani, Gene CT Cab Sauv, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel Zoghlin, Mindy NY 2008 Merlot 100% Major Award Winners receiving plaques from Joe Dautlick

Lamont Beers, Best White Vinifera Luke Capotota, Best Dessert Joe Fao, Best Kit Wine

Steve Kampers, Best White Hybrid Mickey Krauss, Best Fruit & Best Estate Scott Montgomery, Best Native

AWS News—December 2011 Page 16

2011 National Tasting Project Merlot – The Wine that Gets No Respect

The National Tasting Project gives chapter across th e US th e opportunity to sample the same group of wines in a blind tasting. This year 53 chapters, representing 1,145 tasters in 22 different states participated in the NTP. This represents the largest number of tasters and chapters participating in the event. Each participating chapter selected 6 wines from a list of 15, representing 4 geographical areas – France, California, Washington State and Australia. The wines were tasted blind and scored on the AWS 20-point scale.  The Washington State wines garnered the highest scores  The Aussie wines were great values.  The overall scores were very close, with 4 wines scoring 14.8-14.9 points and 5 wines scoring 14.5-14.6 points.  The top-rated wines for all participants were: Columbia Crest H3, Ste. Michelle Indian Wells, Columbia Crest Grand Estates and Christian Moueix.  The top-rated wines for the AWS Graduate Wine Judges were: Chateau Souverain, Ste. Michelle Indian Wells, Columbia Crest Grand Estates, Columbia Crest H3 and Frei Brothers.  All of the wines scored in at least the AWS bronze medal range (13.0-14.9)  The wine judges would have awarded silver medals to 6 of the wines. The following table shows the average scores and standard deviation (Std. Dev.) for the participants and the graduate wine judges (WJ). Thanks to all the groups who participated and submitted results. Dennis Cassady

WJ Avg. Avg. Std. WJ No. Wine Region Tasters Std. Cost Score Dev. Score Dev.

F1 2006 Chateau Pipeau France 497 $35 13.5 2.9 13.5 2.9

F2 2005 Christian Moueix France 338 $15 14.8 2.8 14.8 2.1

C1 2006 Saint Francis California 704 $18 14.3 2.8 13.9 2.5

C2 2006 Chateau Souverain California 227 $16 14.6 2.8 15.6 1.7

C3 2007 Frei Brothers California 702 $18 14.4 2.8 15.0 2.0

C4 2006 Robert Mondavi California 547 $16 14.5 2.8 14.7 2.1

C5 2007 Beringer Napa California 198 $16 13.7 3.1 14.8 1.4

W1 2008 Ch. Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Washington 691 $20 14.8 2.8 15.2 2.0

W2 2007 Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills Washington 405 $17 14.9 2.7 15.0 1.2

W3 2008 Hogue Genesis Washington 372 $17 14.8 2.7 14.9 0.9

W4 2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Washington 641 $14 14.5 2.7 15.1 2.0

W5 2007 Snoqualmie Washington 119 $13 14.1 2.5 13.5 1.4

A1 2008 Casella Yellowtail Reserve Australia 707 $10 14.6 2.5 15.0 1.5

A2 2008 Little Penguin Australia 380 $11 14.6 2.4 14.9 1.4

Las Vegas

Cleveland Space Coast

Jean-Jacques Dufour Mohawk Valley Phoenix AWS News—December 2011 Page 17

American Wine Society 2011 National Tasting Project - Merlot 2008 2007 2006 2008 2006 2005 2006 2007 2006 2007 Ch. Ste. 2007 2006 Columbia 2007 2008 Chateau Casella Chateau Christian St. Frei Bro- Robert Beringer Michelle Columbia Hogue Crest Snoqual- Little Souver- Y ellow t ail Pipeau Moueix Francis thers Mondavi Napa Indian Crest H3 Genesis Grand mie Penguin ain Reserve W ells Estates Balt imore-T ow son, MD 13.0 12.9 12.8 14.1 14.1 Bill T uller, SC 11.0 13.6 13.9 14.0 13.5 14.6 Bucks County, PA 12.4 13.7 13.1 15.5 15.4 13.9 Carroll County, MD 13.1 14.6 14.5 14.6 14.9 14.6 Cleveland, OH 12.9 13.4 15.2 15.2 14.1 14.8 Clos Friends, SC 12.6 16.8 14.3 14.6 16.1 14.7 Dayton, OH 10.7 12.9 13.6 14.4 14.8 13.9 Electric City, PA 13.3 13.8 13.9 14.4 15.5 15.0 Frederick, MD 11.9 12.1 14.8 14.8 15.4 13.7 Glacier Ridge, NY 12.8 14.9 13.2 12.8 13.5 12.9 Hartford, CT 13.8 14.5 15.6 16.0 15.6 14.1 Heritage Hunt, VA 10.2 13.4 13.6 13.3 14.3 15.0 Houston, TX 11.3 13.6 9.1 13.4 12.5 12.6 Hudson, MA 13.0 14.8 14.1 14.0 14.2 14.2 Illinois Heart land, IL 13.2 14.8 14.5 15.1 15.4 13.3 Indian Valley, PA 13.6 16.0 14.3 12.7 14.7 13.5 Jean-Jacques Dufour, KY 16.4 18.2 15.6 16.5 13.7 16.4 John Marshall, VA 14.9 14.6 15.7 14.9 14.2 14.4 Keuka, NY 12.7 15.8 14.4 15.1 14.3 14.3 Lancaster, PA 12.0 15.4 15.1 16.4 15.8 14.5 Las Vegas, NV 11.2 14.5 16.2 13.4 14.7 15.1 Laurel Highlands, PA 16.1 16.6 16.8 15.3 16.5 16.2 Lone Star, TX 11.6 14.9 15.8 14.0 15.8 14.3 Mait land, FL 12.8 16.5 14.8 14.9 16.7 14.8 Mesilla V alley, NM 12.9 16.6 13.3 16.4 13.8 15.2 Metro Detroit, MI 12.8 13.6 14.1 15.2 14.2 13.9 Mohaw k V alley, NY 15.2 14.7 14.5 15.6 15.1 17.0 Mt. Nittany, PA 13.2 14.3 16.8 15.8 16.4 15.9 New Haven, CT 14.6 15.5 13.6 14.7 13.6 14.3 15.0 Nittany Valley, PA 17.8 16.5 16.3 16.6 16.0 17.0 No. Neck Uncorked, PA 12.4 14.0 11.9 13.4 13.6 13.2 North Alabama, AL 13.3 14.1 14.2 16.0 14.7 15.7 Northampton, PA 14.7 14.5 14.0 16.2 15.7 14.8 Ocean Isle, NC 12.0 14.4 12.1 15.7 14.7 13.5 Omaha, NE 15.0 16.9 14.8 15.9 17.3 Perkiomen V alley, PA 13.2 15.0 14.3 15.9 17.1 15.9 Philadelphia, PA 11.6 13.6 16.3 14.8 15.3 13.8 Phoenix, AZ 13.7 16.1 13.6 15.4 15.0 15.8 Pioneer Valley, MA 13.0 14.5 11.0 14.4 14.8 14.5 Pittsburgh , PA 14.2 15.1 16.7 13.6 14.2 Pittsburgh East, PA 13.5 12.6 15.3 12.7 14.0 Rhode Island, RI 14.0 14.5 14.0 15.1 13.8 14.5 Rochester, NY 12.6 15.0 14.8 13.8 14.0 14.7 Space Coast, FL 14.2 13.2 15.4 17.1 13.9 15.6 Suffolk, NY 12.5 13.9 14.1 14.9 15.4 13.9 Syracuse, NY 14.2 12.8 14.7 14.2 T ellico/E. T enn., T N 13.4 14.9 14.9 16.7 15.4 14.9 Tippie Tasters, TN 13.5 14.0 14.4 14.7 13.6 13.3 T riangle, NC 11.5 15.1 14.9 15.6 14.1 14.8 White Clay, PA 12.6 12.8 13.7 13.8 14.9 15.4 Winston-Salem, NC 9.8 12.5 14.9 14.3 14.1 13.5 York, PA 11.5 12.4 15.9 10.6 11.5 12.4 Average Score 13.5 14.8 14.3 14.6 14.4 14.5 13.7 14.8 14.9 14.8 14.5 14.1 14.6 14.6 Wine Judge Average 13.5 14.8 13.9 15.6 15.0 14.7 14.8 15.2 15.0 14.9 15.1 13.5 15.0 14.9 Average Price $35 $15 $18 $16 $18 $16 $16 $20 $17 $17 $14 $13 $10 $11 AWS News—December 2011 Page 18

AWS Educational Foundation Winemaker’s Journal Dick Marsden Lee Baldieri

Greetings from the AWS Educational 2011 Grape Harvest Update Foundation Trustees By the t ime this Newsletter is publ ished, the The Rochester Conference is over and with it the 2011 California grape harvest will be over. This year was a bit 2011 AWSEF Annual Meeting held at the Saturday difficult for the growers a s well as the winemakers—the har- breakfast. We sincerely appreciate all those who came to par- vest came 2-3 weeks later than normal and California grape ticipate in th is meeting, the checks that were received from growers are experiencing shortages in grape output. chapters and regions at this meeting, and the s ilent auction Jon Ruel, Director of Vi ticulture & Winema king at Trefe then participants! Funds received at the annual meeting and the Family Vineyards recently reported, "Early in the season it was auction will go directly to scholarships in 2012 and furt her very wet and very cool , cooler than usual. That really slowed into the future! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR DEDICATED SUP- down the development of the grapes and that is why w e were PORT! in a few weeks later, two to three weeks later than average." Here is a breakdown of monies received during conference: At Cakebread Cellars, President Bruce Cakebread says, "We Silent Auction $5,525 started the Sauvignon Blanc harvest, and we're see ing nice Named Scholarship Funds $3,362 fruit thanks to a moderate gr owing season. We are seeing Other General Fund $1,050 good quality but not a big crop. 2011's smaller crop and later Total $8,937 harvest is due to this year's spring rainfall during the bloom period. The moisture combined with the coolness meant there One of the Named Scholarship Fund checks received was was less than average fertilization and not every flower turned from the C entral Pennsylvania Region, which directed the into a grape. Looser grape clusters equals fewer grap es at AWSEF to open a new scho larship in their name wi th the harvest.” (Reported by Kerrie Cassini, weather.com) $1,000 check written from the Mt. Nittany Chapter. The Foun- dation was a sked to initially identify this scholarship in From a personal point of vi ew, the quality of t he grapes we memory of Tom Pelick and Fred Coombs. purchased and fermented so far was excellent, as Bruce Cakebread reported. We fermented 30 The following promised contributions were also accepted: cases of Peti te Syrah and 3 0 of Old Vine Zin - Cleveland Chapter $3,500 fandel and made very few adjustments to ei- North Alabama Chapter $2,000 ther of the gr apes. The grape numb ers (brix, Pittsburgh Chapter $1,000 pH, TA) were very good right out of the case. Donation in memory of Dr. Shady $100 As of October 27, 2011, and we haven’t received the Cabernet Total promised $6,600 Sauvignon or Merlo t grapes we previously ordered. Hopefully I want to especially recognize the major contributions of out- the grapes will show up by week’s end. Normally this would going AWSEF Trustee Eileen Tobias who will be completing a not be a be a problem bu t we ferment ou tside and the eve- four-year term as a trustee at the end of 2011. Eileen took nings on the east coast are becoming very cool. This presents on the responsibility of cond ucting the silent auction held at a new challenge for a winemaker beca use maintaining heat in conference each year of her term. This meant devoting con- the fermenter and s electing the correct yeast that w ill work siderable time soliciting donations, finding a plac e to ho use under colder temperatures makes additional work for the wine- the items, and then devoting the entire first day of confer- maker. I’m hoping all will go well and the fermentation will ence to setting up, monitoring bids and answering qu estions. complete as normal. Following the close of ea ch auction, she located each of the Since the last issue I received questions from two winemakers. winning bidders to let them know of their success and ensure AM from Milwaukee, WI asked, “I noticed that yeast packages their winnings were tak en with them. Eileen performed this show expiration dates, how important are these dates? If I exhausting task with great skill and ultimate grace. Eileen continue to use the yeast beyond the expiration date, will it had wonderful AWS supporters who helped her in many ways affect the fermentation?” I don’t like using yeast that is either including Jack Tatum, Julie Hasson, Patricia Green and Joyce close to or has gone beyond the expiration date becau se fer- Vecchioli. The l ast 4 s ilent auctions netted over $18,000 to mentation is the foundation of the winemaking process and it fund AWS Ed ucational Foundation scholarships! Our thanks is best to use fresh and quality products. Prior to harv est we go to Ei leen and her work er/supporters, and to her AWS take an inventory of our wi nemaking supplies and order new member supporters. products that will make the winemaking process successful. In 2012, 3 new members will join the Foundation: Incoming From JJM, Cranston, Rhode Island, “I’m new to wine making AWS President Jane Duralia, former and new Trustee Carl and I would like to ask if recycling corks is a good idea? Will I Shively, and new Trustee and Treasurer Elisabeth Tozin. run the risk of ruining my newly bottled wine?” Recycling corks All AWS Regional Vice Pr esidents know J ane well for her re- not a good th ing. Used corks can carry mold and wh en the cent work to strengthen the RVP roles. Carl was a member of cork contacts the newly bottled wine it can create a nasty aro- the initial AWSEF Board of Trustees from 1994-1997 and has ma making the wine undrinkable. Also, older corks dry out and been elected to serve ano ther four-year term. We’re ex- may cause the wine bottle to leak while it is resting on its side tremely pleased to have his experience both as a many -time or allow air to enter the bottle and turn t he wine into vinegar. AWS amateur wine award winner and as a former trustee. Recycling corks sounds noble, but it is not a good idea. Elisabeth comes to us from the Huntsville (AL) Chapter/ Happy Holidays to my winemaking readers. Serve your best Southeast Region. A nat ive of Brooklyn, New York, Elisabeth wines over the holidays to your family and friends. worked for Tiedemann Investment Group (TIG) on Wall Street Lee Baldieri @AmericanWineSociety.org (Continued on Page 20) Winemaker AWS News—December 2011 Page 19 AWS News American Wine Society P. O. Box 279 Englewood, OH 45322

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of viticulture and enology of import ance to the east. Some AWS Members Offered Discount to topics focus on improving the quality of hybrid reds and cab- ernet franc, for example. Other sessions focus on the new Wine Expo products and techniques for the vineyard and cellar. David Falchek Many speakers will be familiar to AWS members. Some are AWS members themselves, including Dr. Peter Oldak of Jewell AWS members have the opp ortunity to a ttend Towne Vineyard, Brad Knapp of Pi nnacle Ridge Winery and the Eastern Wine Winery Ex position in Lancas- Jerry Forest of Buckingham Valley Vineyards. ter, PA, March 7 and 8, 2012, at the Lancaster Expo Program D irector Richard Leahy, himself a ho me wine- County Convention Center (Lancaster, PA). maker, grape grower and A WS member, said the conference Through a special relationship between the AWS and the expo, is ideal for people between amateur and commercial wine- AWS members are entitled to receive a 10 percent discount on making. the admission to the Expo events or activities using discount For more information and registration to the conference, visit code AWS1. AWS members will find some familiar faces and www.easternwineryexposition.com and remember the dis- names at the expo and conference. count code: AWS1. This is the inaugural year for the event and the American Wine Society is an offi cial supporter. Through the ye ars, several AWS members have made th e leap from amat eur to commer- cial winemaking and now operate successful wineries. American Wine Society Executive Director John Hames said the AWS and Expo have many of the sa me goals: Education and improving the quality of wine. “Attending the expo wil l benefit our profess ional members, amateur winemakers and anyone with an i nterest in eastern wines,” he said. “At the AWS, we k now great wine can come from anywhere. We are pro ud our memb ers have a ro le in growth and success of the eastern wine industry.” AWS Educational Foundation The expo offe rs existing and aspiring growers and vintner s (Continued from page 19) access to a b road range of winery and vineyard suppliers. Many of the suppliers are a ccustomed to dealing w ith both for 8 years as an Analyst. One of her job functions was to ana- professional and amateurs, such as AWS professional members lyze company fundamentals to make trading decisions. Elisa- Presque Isle Wine Cellars. The AWS will have a booth at the beth is in a ca reer transition, and ser ves as financial advisor expo and members are welcome to stop by, say hello, and see for the Board of Tennessee Haitian Voices, a non-profit organi- the exciting developments in the organization. AWS Member zation formed to provide aid to Haitian schools. Service Manager Diane Chappell will be staffing the booth with Thank you again to all AWS members, chapters and regions other AWS off icials, offering samples of w ine entered in t he that directly support AWSs mission in wine education!! American Wine Society’s commercial and amateur wine com- petitions. Dick Marsden The venue, the Lancaster Convention Center, co-located with AWSEF President the Marriott hotel, is two-years-old. The agenda covers areas [email protected]