Pinot Noir, Though Pire, from 1812 to 1821; First Mexican Em- Typically in the Low 80S
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Volume 10, No. 1 What’s New – Interesting Summer 2011 Numbers Wine has been a part of the 4.65 billion liters – what’s a under vine alone.) So, what human race since approxi- half billion liters between does all this mean? Well, mately 3,000 B.C. The earli- friends, right? The US pro- financially, if you were a est evidence of organized duced 2.77 billion liters in grape farmer, with premium viticulture and vinification is 2009, earning us a fourth grapes, you would be shar- in Georgia (the Eastern place, and interestingly we ing in a market of approxi- European, former Soviet consumed 2.75 billion liters, mately $72 billion (assuming satellite, not the Southern which was about 300 million $1,000 per ton, with a yield United State.) It’s believed liters more than Italy… The of 4 tons per acre). As a the Egyptians were tinkering final statistic that I always wine maker selling premium with wine making at this find interesting is acreage table wines, you would be point too and I bet, if you under vines. Although sharing in a market of ap- look hard enough, you will France is tops in production, proximately $193 billion find evidence in many other it is Spain that has the most (assuming an average sell- far flung parts of the globe acreage under vine with 2.72 ing price of $65 per case to as well. Simply put, wine has million acres. France is num- wholesalers.) As a wine been with us for a very long ber two at 1.96 million and retailer you would be sharing time. Wine is also big busi- Italy, at number three only in a market of approximately ness. According to the Wine managed 1.71 million acres. $400 billion and this doesn’t Institute’s Trade Data and Fourth place was held by include spirits… Analysis (TDA), the world China at 1.2 million acres, Wine is Big Business… consumes approximately 24 followed by Turkey, also at billion liters of wine every 1.2 million. That leaves the Cheers! Betsy & Paul year. Interestingly, France US in sixth place at .944 had been on the top of the million acres (by the way, pile for many years, finally California has approxi- being displaced by the USA mately .79 million acres in 2010. I’m proud to say, we drank 2.967 billion liters of wine last year, with France only managing 2.885 billion liters. Another interesting statistic is wine production. Although steadily declining over the last 5 years, the Wine Institute puts total an- nual wine production at ap- proximately 27 billion liters. France topped the chart in 2009 with 4.7 billion liters, followed closely by Italy at PAUL J. MALAGRIFA, CWE, CSS, CSW Inside this issue: Upcoming Fall 2011 Wine Events Feature: Critics vs. Judges 2 Sept/Oct (TBD) —Smart Wine Shopping Feature: Sonoma County 2 September 24—Napa/Bordeaux Shootout, Part IV Notable Potables—Whites, Rosés, 5 October 8—Northern Rhone Reds October 22—Older Wines, Part IV Musings on the Vine Regulatory Update 7 November 19—The Wines of North America Upcoming Musings Events 8 December 10—Fortified Wines Ask the Sommelier 9 Feature: Critics vs. Judges This past April, Team Musings judged in law, combined with a long track record for unfavorable view. Judges, on the other hand another WineMaker Magazine Annual Wine impartial decisions that leads to a seat be- must remain free of bias when they render Contest up at the Equinox Inn in Manchester hind the bench. Both require keen minds. their opinions and those opinions are often Center, VT. For 2011, we judged for 17 characterized as perceptive, wise or sage. hours over a three day period, we tasted 113 It is at this point, though that I feel the simi- Why is this important? flights or 633 individual wines. It was a great larities end. The word critique is an alteration time and it spurred me to think about the of the word critic and inherent in the defini- I have spent decades judging wines. I pur- difference between critics and judges. tion of the word critique is the term criticism. posely used the term judge, because every The primary definition of the word criticism is: time I taste a wine, regardless of its origins, I According to Webster’s, a Critic is: (a) one (a) the act of criticizing usually unfavorably free my mind of any encumbrance and con- who expresses a reasoned opinion on any <seeking encouragement rather than criti- centrate only on what is before me. I open matter especially involving a judgment of its cism>; or (b) a critical observation or remark my mind to the infinite store house of memo- value, truth, righteousness, beauty, or tech- <an unfair criticism>; and lastly (c) critique. ries, looking for markers by which to render nique; or (b) one who engages often profes- Judgment is the action of a judge and inher- an educated, reasoned opinion. I do not care sionally in the analysis, evaluation, or appre- ent in the definition of the judgment is the whether I particularly like what I taste, only ciation of works of art or artistic perform- that I can offer unbiased insight into the wine. ances. A Judge is: (a) a public official author- Bias comes into play when I ask myself if I ized to decide questions brought before a want to purchase said wine for our cellar. court; or (b (often capitalized)) a tribal hero exercising leadership among the Hebrews Too often, when tasting with others it is clear after the death of Joshua; or (c) one ap- that their judgment is actually criticism. Their pointed to decide in a contest or competition; opinions may appear well-reasoned, but the or (d) one who gives an authoritative opinion; use of the terms “like” and “dislike” in their and lastly (e) a critic. Huh, so, according to notes belie the truth. This is one of the big- Webster’s, one could consider critics and gest reasons why I discount much of what I judges the same. Well, as you might expect, read about wine and spirits. Too many peo- I respectfully do not agree. ple writing about the subject allow their per- sonal preferences to rule their pen (or key- term discernment. Discernment is the skill or The best place to start is where the defini- board, actually.) Is this entirely bad? No, but ability to grasp and comprehend something tions of these two terms agree. Critics and unless you have tested how your assess- that is obscure. Synonyms of the term dis- judges are both individuals with the ability to ments of a particular wine stack-up with cernment are: wisdom, insight, perception, offer reasoned opinion. Often times, a rea- those of a particular critic, then you likely will perceptiveness, perceptivity, sagaciousness, soned opinion comes from an intimate knowl- be disappointed more frequently than not. sagacity, sageness, sapience. What the heck edge of a particular subject. In the case of am I driving at, you ask? theatre critics, a deep knowledge of stage All in all, the point that I’m trying to make is that one should strive to judge wines, not and film productions with significant experi- By implication, critics are folks who offer an critique them. Some folks see these activities ence actually watching said productions is opinion, often containing bias and often as one in the same, but now you know that I necessary. For courtroom judges it takes where the opinion is characterized by an years of legal practice and studying case do not. Feature: Sonoma County It was a long time ago – October 2010 to be approved American Viticultural Areas and 16th to mid 19th century, seeking timber, fur, precise – that a small group of Musings folks over 250 wineries. Sonoma County was once and farmland. By 1850, European settlement gathered to taste some wines from an always home to several Native American tribes. The had set a new direction that would prove to underrated wine region – California’s Sonoma Pomo, Coast Miwok and Wappo peoples were radically alter the course of land use and County. Before I get to the wines, here is a the earliest human settlers of Sonoma resource management of this region. little piece about Sonoma County. County, between 8000 and 5000 BC, effec- tively living within the natural carrying capacity The Russians were the first newcomers to Sonoma County, located on the northern of the land. Archaeological evidence of these establish a permanent foothold in Sonoma coast of the U.S. state of California, is the First people includes a number of occurrences County, with the Russian-American Company largest (in area) and northernmost of the nine of rock carvings, especially in southern So- establishing Fort Ross on the Sonoma Coast San Francisco Bay Area counties. Sonoma is noma County; these carvings often take the in 1812. This settlement and its outlying Rus- the southwestern county of California's Wine form of pecked curvilinear nucleated design. sian settlements came to include a population Country region, which also includes Napa, Spaniards, Russians, and other Europeans of several hundred Russian and Aleut settlers Mendocino, and Lake Counties. It has 13 claimed and settled in the county from the late and a fort with artillery. However, the Rus- Page 2 MUSINGS ON THE VINE Feature: Sonoma County, continued sians abandoned it in 1841 and sold the fort to Sonoma County, as is often the case with were an established part of agriculture in the John Sutter, settler and Mexican land grantee coastal counties in California, has a great region.