Working to Liberate Vines of Phylloxera

Our previous Weekend Wine Word was “phylloxera” and we learned about these diminutive pests that can be capable of destroying an entire vineyard. Not that I am growing my own grapes (yet) it is always nice to see research done to help better the industry. That is exactly what Washington State University is doing.

Richard Cockle over at OregonLive.com has written an article titled Hard to spell, hard to fight which covers the plans over at WSU.

A new research winery near this southeastern Washington farming town is transforming grape growing and wine making, or vinification, into war planning — sort of.

"We want to be prepared if there is an invasion," said James F. Harbertson, a Washington State University enologist, or wine scientist.

Harbertson, 35, is referring to phylloxera, a destructive aphid, or root louse, that preys on grape vines and injects a poison into roots as it feeds, and it could be headed this way. It devastated the great vineyards of France in the 1860s, forcing Europe’s foremost wine-drinking nation to switch to absinthe, a bitter, green liqueur, for a decade or two.

Continue to the story

Natural Wines = Avoided Hangovers?

Can this be true? Organic wines can help avoid the nuisance of a hangover. Seems to be the case or at least the latest speculation. We have now become a society obsessed with the organic culture and why not throw wine into the mix.

The older – and wiser – you get, the more you worry about what you drink. Or that’s the theory, and one which a new bar, Terroirs, is banking on as the first natural wine bar in Central London. Opening this week, it promises the biggest selection of natural wine in the country – and no hangovers.

Fiona Sims wrote and article over at TimesOnline – Titled: How to avoid a hangover with natural wines

Interesting write up on what will be the next big trend in winemaking. Personally I am surprised I have not seen more articles like this.

The Quarterbacks of Red Wine

As we have noted in previous posts – Syrah, Cabernet, Zinfandel, etc. are grape varieties. This page describes wine styles by variety and production area.

If only one variety (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, etc.) is mentioned on the label, then the wine is called varietal and is named after the grape with a capital initial (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon). A varietal wine primarily shows the fruit: its taste much depends on the grape variety.

Syrah (or Shiraz) – (Sah-ra or Shi-raz)

Shiraz or syrah are two names for the same variety. Europe vintners only use the name syrah.

Food Pairings: Meat (steak, beef, wild game, stews, etc.)

Places that Produce: Syrah excels in California, in Australia, and in France’s Rhone Valley.

Distinctive taste in varietal wine: Aromas and flavors of wild black-fruit (such as blackcurrant and black berries), with overtones of black pepper spice. The abundance of fruit sensations is often complemented by warm alcohol and gripping tannins.
The Shiraz variety gives hearty, spicy reds. Shiraz is used to produce many average wines it can produce some of the world’s finest, deepest, and darkest reds with intense flavors and excellent longevity.

Merlot - (Mare-lo)

Easy to drink. The softness of Merlot has made it an "introducing" wine for new red-wine drinkers.

Food Pairings: Merlot wines are versatile: they match many dishes.

Places that Produce: A key player in the Bordeaux blend, merlot is now also grown in Italy, Romania, California, Washington State, Chile, Australia, etc.

Distinctive taste in varietal wine: The Merlot type of wine is tannic (rough) but less so than Cabernet Sauvignon. A middle palate gap is common. Blackcherry and herbal flavors are Distinctive.

Cabernet Sauvignon - (Ca-burr-nay So-veen-yawn)

Widely accepted as one of the world’s best varieties. Cabernet sauvignon is often blended with cabernet franc and merlot. It usually undergoes oak treatment.

Food Pairings: Best with modestly prepared red meat.

Places that Produce: Cabernet sauvignon is planted wherever red wine grapes grow except in the Northern fringes such as Germany. It is part of the great red Médoc wines of France, and among the finest reds in Australia, California and Chile.

Distinctive taste in varietal wine: Full-bodied, but firm and gripping when young.

Pinot noir – (Pee-know Na-wahr)

One of the noblest red wine grapes. Pinot noir is difficult to grow, rarely blended, with no roughness.

Food Pairings: Excellent with grilled salmon, chicken, and lamb.

Places that Produce: Makes the great reds of Burgundy in France, and good wines from Austria, California, Oregon, and New Zealand.

Distinctive taste in varietal wine: Very unlike Cabernet Sauvignon. The structure is delicate and fresh. The tannins are very soft; this is related to the low level of polyphenols. The aromatics are very fruity (cherry, strawberry, plum), often with notes of tea-leaf, damp earth, or worn leather.

Zinfandel - (Zin-fan-dell)

Perhaps the world’s most versatile wine grape, making everything from blush wine (White Zinfandel), to rich, heavy reds.

Food Pairings: Very much depends on the freshness/heaviness of the wine; tomato-sauce pastas, pizza, and grilled and barbecued meats.

Places that Produce: California.

Distinctive taste in varietal wine: Often a zesty flavor with berry and pepper.

Sangiovese – (San-gee-oh-ve-zee)

Food Pairings: A good choice for Italian and other Mediterranean-style cuisines.

Places that Produce: Sangiovese produces the Chiantis of Italy’s Tuscany region and, of late, good wines from California.

Distinctive taste in varietal wine: The primary style is medium-bodied with fresh berry and plum flavors.

Barbera – (Bar-bear-a)

Not as popular as Merlot but with similar attributes.

Food Pairings: Barbera wines are versatile: they match many dishes.

Places that Produce: Another classic red of Italian origin. Widespread in California.

Distinctive taste in varietal wine: Juicy black cherry and plum fruit, a silky texture and excellent acidity.

Living Motion of Vines

Browsing around last night, I came across a fascinating video on the twining motion of vines. The plant shown in the video is a morning glory, although I still believe that young grape vines perform much the same way in order to find a suitable support on which to mature.

Soon after germination, the young plant begins an apparent tracking motion in which the shoot tip rotates counter clockwise, in a
nutational movement. The word "nutation" is defined as follows:

nu-ta-tion n.
Botany. A slight curving or circular movement in a stem, as of a twining plant, caused by irregular growth rates of different parts.

If the shoot comes in contact with a support of a desired shape, the rubbing stimulates a thigmotropic response. This, in turn, causes the shoot to begin wrapping around the newfound support. Vines characteristically show the most extreme nutational movements. This video was made up of stills taken with a digital camera at 10-minute intervals.

Please let me know if I am incorrect about grape vines performing such actions. I am almost positive they do.

Ultimately, I find it simply amazing how Mother Nature takes care of herself. Watching a video such as this makes one want to believe that plants truly do have a personality. The video almost has a romantic tone to it as well. So respect those vines! They seem to do a quite a bit of hard work to generate such a lovely product for us to enjoy.

Nursery List for the Backyard Amateur

If you think you might be ready to start growing your own grapes next season, here is a list of suppliers you might want to have on hand.

I came across these while browsing and thought I would share. There seems to be some really good deals with some of the suppliers listed. Who knows, you might even live close enough to one of them for local pickup.

If you know of any other nurseries that should be added, please contact me. I will put it in the list.

Beer and Wine Hobby
155 New Boston St.,
Unit TWoburn, MA 01801
PH: 1.800.523.5423
www.beer-wine.com

Concord Nurseries Inc.
10175 Mileblock Rd.
North Collins, NY 14111
PH: 1.716.337.2485
www.concordnurseries.com

Double A Vineyards
10277 Christy Rd.
Fredonia, NY 14063
PH: 1.716.672.8493
FX: 1.716.679.3442
www.doubleavineyards.com

Great River Vineyard / Nursery
35680 Highway 61 Boulevard
Lake City, MN 55041
PH: 1.877.345.3531
www.greatrivervineyard.com

Inland Desert Nursery
32508 W. Kelly Rd.
Benton City, WA 99320
PH: 1.509.588.6615
www.idnursery.com

Miller Nurseries
5060 West Lake Rd.
Canandaigua, NY 14424
PH: 1.800.836.9630
www.millernurseries.com

Nursery at Ty Ty
4723 U.S. Hwy 82 W.
Ty Ty, GA 31795
PH: 1.800.972.2101
FX: 1.299.388.8108
www.tytyga.com

Orchard Valley Supply
PH: 888-755-0098
FX: 1.704.455.4952
www.orchardvalleysupply.com

Silver Creek Vineyards & Nursery
23393 Double Arch Rd.
New Douglas, IL 62074
PH: 1.217.456.6641
www.silvercreekvineyards.com

Vintage Nurseries
27920 McCombs Avenue
Wasco, CA 93280
PH: 1.800.499.9019
www.vintagenurseries.com

The Grape We Have Grown to Love

Wine grape varieties represent only a small portion of a family of more than 600 species. Each grape variety has its own exclusive properties including:

• Acidity
• Color
• Flavors
• Skin Thickness
• Size
• Yield

Of these many different types of grapes, the best wine grape is the European Vitis vinifera. It is a liana (woody climber) growing to 35 m tall, with flaky bark. The leaves are alternate, palmately lobed, 5–20 cm long, and broad. The fruit is a berry, known as a grape; the wild species is 6 mm in diameter and ripens dark purple to blackish, with a pale wax bloom. In cultivated plants it is usually much larger, up to 3 cm long, and can be green, red, or purple.

The European Vitis is considered optimal because it has the right balance of sugar and acid needed to create a good fermented wine, without the addition of sugar or water. It has been said that a wine is only as good as the grape; a
poor winemaker can ruin good grapes, but a good winemaker isn’t going to make great wine from inferior grapes.

The grapes’ history is intimately entwined with the history of wine, with wild grapes being first harvested by foragers and early farmers. For thousands of years, the fruit has been harvested for both its medicinal and nutritional value. Changes in pip shape (which is more narrow in domesticated forms) and distribution point actually began occurring around 3500-3000 BC. It was around this time that domestication of wild grapes took place in southwest Asia or southern Transcaucasia (Armenia and Georgia). Cultivation of the domesticated grape spread to other parts of the Old World in pre-historic or early historic times.

Grapes followed European colonies around the world from Africa, to South America and Australia, when they arrived on North American shores around 1600. In North America, hybrids were formed with species from the Vitis genus native to that region. Some of these were intentional hybrids created to combat Phylloxera, an insect pest which affected the European grapevine. The effects there were far greater than in North America, and in fact managed to devastate European wine production in only a matter of years. Later, North American rootstocks became widely used to graft V. vinifera cultivars so as to withstand the presence of phylloxera.

In North America, growing Vitis vinifera was limited mostly to the relatively mild West Coast, starting in New Mexico and continuing into California and The Pacific Northwest States. However, due to the research of Konstantin Frank, it is now widely grown in harsher climates, such as New York State, western Michigan and southern Ontario. Dr. Helmut Becker’s work in the early 1980s even brought Vitis vinifera to the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.

Read more about Vitis vinifera here.

Side note on “Variety”

The word “varietal” means “of or pertaining to a variety.” Types of grapes are “varieties”. Wines made from a single variety are varietal wines. So, for example, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine is a varietal. The cabernet sauvignon grape, zinfandel grape and merlot grape are varieties of grapes. According to US law, as long as it has at least 75% of a particular variety of grape, the wine can be labeled as that variety.