Rebel Rose

You got it! I'm afraid we've pulled all of our distribution back from the east coast to feed our winery club and California distribution. But don't worry . . . there's a secret eG discount, available to anyone who posts in the Wine Forum. Oops. Forgot to mention . . . we have a famously "cute" label.

Exactly. And as the English understanding of the word seems to be so very hard to define, it is considered a very foreign term.

The winners of the American Wine Blog Awards! Congratulations to Josh! I hope you will check out the winning sites.

Former wine forum guest Mel Knox is quoted in today's LA Times: Simple Solution for Cork Taint Interesting. You mash up a square foot of plastic wrap, pour your wine over it, mash it down into the pitcher, swirl for FIVE minutes (my arm would get tired!) and voila! No more TCA, aka cork taint. Anyone want to try it?

This article in the LA Times asks the question, "What's Really in That Wine?" Unless the Wine Institute lobby succeeds in talks with regulators, wineries will be required to disclose possible allergens on their wine labels, even if those allergens are not proven to exist in the wine. The possible allergens under discussion include: * the food grade wheat paste used to seal barrel heads into the barrels * oak tannins from barrel aging * eggs used for fining * bentonite (a natural clay used for fining) * isinglass (a fish product used for fining) It would be interesting to hear from posters here who truly suffer from food allergies if they have had averse reactions to wine. All of the products listed above except the tannins are removed from the wine, and if they exist, would exist in infinitesimally small amounts. What say you?

Absolutely you should look at Paso Robles for Rhones! (Including Dover Canyon . . . ) And to make your search easier, our local alliance website has a search function that allows you to search for wineries by type of wine or varietal. I am partial to the Four Vines releases partly because the wines are great, the packaging is distinctive, and they have the good taste to employ my son--he's their cellarmaster. How did you like their packaging? I can get you a "Zin Bitch" T-shirt. As far as "mastering" a varietal, you will never see Paso Robles claim a single varietal. Our appellation is geographically three times as large as Napa, and our region has east-west valleys and major wind tunnels, as opposed to the north-south ridges of northern California. Therefore, we have far more diversity in climates and topography. Although the region is not widely known for it or dedicated to its production, there is even some excellent pinot grown here, as the western half of Paso is in the Santa Lucia foothills.

No, there isn't a "right" answer. Just darn good guesses, and I personally agree with your comments. I think the cab has the best chance of making it. Higher alcohols tend to caramelize the fruit, and zins have an irregular tannin structure, so the zin will probably be great up to about seven years, perhaps longer . . . the briary styles seem to last longer than the plush purple, slightly sweet styles. The first wine, the syrah, has the least chance, in my opinion, because the plush mouthfeel indicates low acidity and probably high pH . . . any problems in the wine will be compounded in that fertile environment, possibly even creating a nasty secondary fermentation. Even if that doesn't happen, without acidity, the tannins will not soften. (Think of it as using vinegar to clean a pan--acids are critical to the process of softening up the hard, woody structure of the tannin and pigment.)

Very frosty here in Paso Robles as well. It's still only 34 degrees at 8 am. Brrr! Our zinfandel and syrah is not very far along, so we're not too worried . . . I'll be walking down to the zinfandel later today. Dan says we have a badger again. Several burrows. We're very pleased, as they're ferocious gopher eaters.

Yes, I think I am! From experience, I know that some stores and buyers will always look down their noses at winemakers and distributor reps . . . I'm used to absorbing condescending comments about Paso wines, and worse. But when I leave these places I think . . . it's Tasting Tuesday, for pity's sake. (Most stores and restaurants meet with wine reps on Tuesday, traditionally a slow day for customers.) If you didn't want to waste your time with us, why didn't you say so on the phone? So clearly, they just want to waste OUR time acting superior. And that lead me to wonder how my customers would be treated, if they came into that store and asked for a Dover Canyon release. So I've been doing some clandestine scouting in our distribution area, and yes, I would have to say that as a woman shopping for wine, I much prefer 1) the small, stuffed warehouse geek places that look unorganized but really aren't, and where the staff wear name-embroidered mechanic's shirts . . . 2) the "friendly market" type wine stores with a young, exuberant staff that will answer YOUR question, not reply with a canned $130 answer . . . 3) newer wine bars with a fun, irreverent attitude and especially the ones with alternative lifestyle staff (they're a hoot, and very effusive hosts).

I just came back from a sales trip to southern California. While there, I visited a wide range of wine shops and wine bars. Some, like Wine Steals in San Diego, were so hopping on a Tuesday night I was hoarse at the end of a two-hour tasting. Others were . . . well, there was one shop that had blackboards advertising "90 plus" point wines, and very snooty owners. And, I noticed, there were no customers. Very sterile. As a winery owner, of course I would love to have my wines in upscale restaurants and stores. But as a person, I enjoy calling on the friendly, kicked-back, muddled inventory, family stores. They're always so . . . happy! To my great delight, there were also some wine bars with beautiful interiors, eclectic inventories, and a modern, democratic, fun approach to wine. My dream wine shop would have: * A book corner, with two tall bookshelves of books, and a small sofa corner with a coffee table for tasting while book browsing What would your dream wine shop have?

Scenario: "Taster Al" posts a tasting note on a wine that he has acquired from a limited release winery. He's been on the waiting list for a while, and so he is anxious to taste these new releases and evaluate them, so that he can buy more wine, if possible, before they are sold out. But "Taster Al" finds that the wines are not pleasing. His solution? He will "age" them, and they will "resolve" into beautiful wines. Or will they? Check out Al's wine choices below. Will these wines improve with age? Why or why not? If one thing could be improved in each wine, what would it be? "Serious Syrah" has: * super-ripe fruit, but somewhat one dimensional in the blue fruit category * gentle acids, a thick, soft mouthfeel * thick, astringent tannins The "Zuper Zin" has: * overtly high alcohol, a hot finish * an interesting brick (as opposed to purple) color * layers of raspberry, clove, pepper, and fines herbes And the "Shiraful Cab" (80% Cab, 20% Syrah) has: * Medium tannins and medium (13.5%) alcohol * Layers of complex fruits; titillating secondaries like wet gravel, roast beef, licorice; a long finish * A lack of "pow," gentle mouthfeel, somewhat feminine

As always, Jim, your tasting notes are a delight to read. I am also a big fan of ESJ, although we can never seem to keep any around. Steve Edmunds adheres to a more classic, brighter style of California winemaking. Glad to hear the 2001 is maturing nicely. For the price, I woud encourage anyandeveryone to pick up some ESJ selections if you can find them.

Thank you, Ted! Here's a link to the article Disgusting Things in Wine. The "barnyard" character that people refer to is also sometimes difficult to define, as it depends on each person's experience with a barnyard. So if you can, ask your companion to define "barnyard" a little more specifically . . . * nasty, gaseous poo things * shaved wood and sawdust * horse sweat, animal hide * saddle leather * mushrooms and compost * decaying vegetation * steaming, healthy poo with masticated grass

We have a thread called Eminently Drinkable Plonk, $10 or Less, which is a valuable resource for the house/table wine bargain hunter! But today, I would like to introduce you to a fine wine blog called Good Wine Under $20. Today's post is about the new WineQ wine club. The cross-country shipping charges alone are an incentive to join the club, and the prices are very reasonable. The club also features new wineries that have not yet been rated by critics, so there may be some futuristic gems in the selections. Or not. But for the price . . . What are your "secret selections" for good wine under $20?

I just returned from a sales trip to San Diego. Coming home, I turned off Highway 101 onto Vineyard Drive, and then onto Winery Road, which winds behind Turley's venerable old vine Pesenti Vineyard . These old vines are about three feet high. The cover crop is robust and leafy right now, over two feet high and the grasses are starting to bloom. I love the look of these old, gnarled vines nestled in their spring cover. Pesenti crews are starting to mow the cover crop. On the western part (closer to the tasting room) the field has a tidy haircut look, with a wild 'mohawk' around each vine.

So I was looking at this Yahoo article on Hangover Remedies, and wondering if I could combine all of these potential rescue remedies in one delicious beverage: I think I would go with a tomato juice/hair of the dog/herb theme. And bacon.

We're in the middle of a wine festival this weekend. The weather is gorgeous, so yesterday I had a hospitality table outside in the gravel picnic area. We don't take money, just give out glasses, tasting sheets, explain the program, etc. I also had a bottle of viognier chilling in ice water in a large ceramic pot, and everyone who signs our email list gets a complimentary sample. So, I lift the bottle and pour a sample each for two ladies. And while I'm answering questions from one, the other takes a gulp, then pours her wine out in my ice bucket. Thaaaaaaanks.

Well, these headtrained vines are only two feet tall . . . we will have to mow the cover crop several times during spring and early summer, and by then, the vines will be trailing on the ground. So Dan sprays the zin wider than he does in the syrah, which is trellised.

I just received a link to an interesting new blog by the owners of a vineyard software management company, and a vineyard in Napa. This post in particular applies well to our activities this time of year. . . Pruning Zen

Casey, in addition to mechanical harvesters, aren't there also now mechanized pruners and trellising systems? And I seem to recall a recent demonstration of a tractor-pulled hoeing device that (purportedly) grubs out weeds around the base of the vine without banging and damaging the vine itself. Now if we could just find a gopher-seeking missile . . .

Some speakers at the annual UC Davis Wine Executive Program predicted that more wineries will abandon the use of barrel cooperage, and that vineyard work will all be managed by machines, guided by GPS systems. Missing in the Future: Barrels and Footprints? What do you think? Fact or fiction?

Here's some incentive for study! Institute of Masters of Wine announces winner of 2007 scholarship

The passing of a legend. Read these excellent articles: The Life and Times of Ernest Gallo, Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast Wine Industry Reacts to the Loss of a Legend Steve Heimoff compiles comments from people who met or knew Ernest Gallo. Thoughts on the Passing of Ernest Gallo Adam Strum, Wine Enthusiast

The drinking window for an open bottle is probably no more than a week, no matter what precautions you take. A few years ago a wine industry publication (Wine Business Monthly) did side-by-side evaluations of the various methods--oxygen pump, gas spargers, and . . . refrigeration. Of all the methods and accessories sold in wine catalogs, simply putting the wine in the fridge proved to keep the wine freshest, over the longest period of time. If you happen to have a pump or a sparger, combining that method with refrigeration would probably keep your wine best.

That's good to hear. What is Russell planting? And how many vines? Was he disappointed that your planting project was delayed by the rain?