Thanks to our Sponsors Division of Polymer Chemistry, Inc. The ATRP of Sonoma Wines: The Convolution of Area, Terrain, River and Palate Buddy D. Ratner University of Washington 1
Wine is an alcoholic beverage Evil? "When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." ~ Henny Youngman Why have there been so many interesting quotes about wine? Why does wine engender such enthusiasm and passion? Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy. - Benjamin Franklin 2
Why have there been so many interesting quotes about wine? Why does wine engender such enthusiasm and passion? Wine is bottled poetry. - Robert Louis Stevenson To understand and best enjoy wine, appreciate: Where the wine is grown (terroir -- Area, Terrain, River) What grapes The winery and the winemaker How to appreciate wine How old How expensive Wine culture Wine and health 3
Where the wine is grown (terroir) Great wine regions of this planet New World Napa, CA Sonoma, CA Paso Robles, CA Walla Walla, WA Willamete Valley, OR Chile Argentina South Africa Australia Old World France Italy Spain Portugal Germany (white wines) Austria Where the wine is grown (terroir) Why do specific regions specialize in specific grapes? Great wine regions of this planet Answer: Terrior New World Old World Napa, Cabernet CA France Cabernet, Pinot Noir Sonoma, Zinfandel CA Italy Nebbiolo Walla Merlot Walla, WA Spain Garnacha Willamete Pinot Noir Valley, OR Portugal Porto Germany Reisling (white wines) Chile Carmenere Austria Grüner Veltliner Argentina Malbec South Pinotage Africa Australia Shiraz 4
What s special about Sonoma? 60,000 acres of wine grapes Morning fogs (syrah, pinot noir, chardonnay) Land at elevations from sea level to 2600 feet Varied soil types First winery 1857 (Buena Vista) Less pretentious than Napa 5
Sonoma Terroir 6
A Walla Walla Story about Terroir Christophe makes a lucky find While visiting the Walla Walla Valley in 1996, Christophe spotted a plot of land that had been plowed up to reveal acres of softball-sized stones. He became ridiculously excited. This stony soil, this terroir, reminded him of vineyards he had visited in France and Spain. The difficult ground would stress the grapevines, making them produce more mature, concentrated fruit. Christophe Baron had found a new home. Cayuse Winery http://www.cayusevineyards.com/ Photos at Cayuse Vineyards 7
What grapes (red wine grapes)? Cabernet Sauvignon Flavors: currant, plum, black cherry and spice. Also, herb, olive, mint, tobacco, cedar, saddle and anise, and ripe, jammy notes. Syrah White pepper, spice, black cherry, tar, leather and roasted nut flavors, a smooth texture and smooth tannins. Merlot softer, more supple, mediumweight, less tannic and features more herb, cherry and chocolate flavors Zinfandel zesty, spicy pepper, raspberry, cherry, wild berry and plum flavors, and its complex range of tar, earth and leather notes http://www.winespectator.com/wine/wine_basics What grapes (white wine grapes)? Sauvignon Blanc classic flavors are grass, hay, citrus, fig (cat piss??) Viognier Soft, floral, aromatic, crisp Chardonnay Butter, oak, crisp Cool climate crisp, stoney Warmer climate honey, tropical fruit Reisling flowery, almost perfumed aroma, high acidity (rarely oaked) 8
The winery and the winemaker Dr. Julio Palmaz Dr. Vince Bryan 9
SageCliffe How to appreciate wine Why do we clink glasses? To appreciate wine, we: http://rosalieee.wordpress.com/2008/06/ Look at the wine (color, clarity) Smell the wine (bouquet) Feel the wine in your mouth (viscosity, body) Taste the wine By clinking glasses, we hear and so we ve got all five senses covered! 10
How to appreciate wine Smell the wine: Get your nose in the glass! And then describe what you smell, what you experience " It's like stuffing lilac petals up one nostril, violet petals up the other nostril, sealing both nostrils with wads of hot road tar; then sticking your tongue out betwixt the jaws of a vise and torquing that sucker down"!! And that's for GOOD Barolo/Barbaresco!! Tom Hill 11
How to appreciate wine Aerate the wine 12
Put the wine in a blender 30 to 60 seconds! A suggestion from Nathan Myhrvold, former CTO of Microsoft A useful French verb: aviner (ah vee nay) : to rinse one's wine glass before sampling another wine Example Sentence: Avant de déguster un nouveau vin, il faut aviner le verre. (Before tasting a new wine, you must rinse your glass. ) 13
How to appreciate wine -- a few more considerations Alcohol content Residual sugar Corked / spoiled Finish how long does the flavor & mouth feel last? Nice label picture? http://weburbanist.com/2009/04/09/61-exceptionally-creative-wine-label-designs/ 14
Braille has been present since 1996 on all M.Chapoutier labels. This symbol draws its origin from the history of the Hermitage vineyard. Maurice Monier de la Sizeranne, owner of the plot of the Hermitage, la Sizeranne, is also the inventor of a first version of Braille. The trademark pays tribute to Monier de la Sizeranne, but also expresses the desire to reach out to and include all people with sightimpairments, lovers of good wines. How expensive? Good wine ruins the purse; bad wine ruins the stomach Spanish saying 15
The wines we are tasting are between $8/bottle and $18/bottle You can buy good wines in this price range More expensive wines are cellarable, collectable, and more hand-made (more hand-tended grapes; more nurtured, studied wine making) Visit the boutique wineries of Sonoma, pay the $5-10 tasting fee, and find out what higher-end wines are all about Expensive wines 16
High priced pinot noir! 17
How old? Old wines and aging of wines Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it. Anonymous 18
Wine cards can give insights as to what years are best and when the wine is over the hill Wine and Health 19
Over 400 studies worldwide, many of them long-term and in large populations, have concluded that most healthy people who drink wine regularly and moderately live longer. http://www.winepros.org/wine101/wine-health.htm Resveratrol in red wine? (real data, so far, comes only from mice) The Culture of Wine friendship, the art of winemaking, the art of wine, collecting Health Vitality Quality of life 20
Fun collecting Marilyn Merlot 21
Error message The 2013 wines are now being harvested! 22
Coming soon: The RAFT of Sonoma Wines: Red Aroma Follows Terroir It means taking a hefty pay cut, but I have decided to accept the position as the god of wine. 23