Learning about Wurzelwerk with German & Austrian Riesling

This week I was invited to an intimate tasting of German and Austrian wine hosted by Rudi Wiest Selection, the "leading importer of fine German wines in the United States market".  The tasting was held at B Too, the latest restaurant from Chef Bart Vandaele (Belga Café) and featured wine from three young winemakers who have just ascended to the wine making thrones for their respective family operations: Johannes Hasselbach, Gunderloch in Nackenheim, Rheinhessen, Germany; Max von Kunow, von Hövel in Oberemmel, Mosel, Germany; and Alwin Jurtschitsch, Jurtschitsch in Langenlois, Kamptal, Austria.  These three are not only friends, but family considering that Hasselbach's sister, and initial heir to the family's wine making venture, married Jurtschitsch with von Kunow serving as his best man. Before taking over their respective wineries, each traveled and interned at wineries from Australia and New Zealand to Canada. And surprisingly, a common thread was that each winery had become quite large under their parents such that the new wine makers turned towards more traditional methods. For instance Alwin Jurtschitsch re-introduced more organic farming methods and Johannes Hasselbach to

Since these three obviously spend quite some time together discussing and sampling wine, one topic that constantly surfaced was a particular wine the result of the vineyard site or actions by the winemaker.  They decided to experiment and shared a portion of their 2012 grapes (the first year each took over operations) grown in their grand cru vineyards in a project called Wurzelwerk or root work.  Each then made three separate wines using the grapes from each winery.  They attempted to eliminate by letting the grapes ferment outside using the yeast clinging to the grape's skins.  The result, I don't know. I was unavailable for the evening event which featured these wines but will link to Christian Schiller who posted about the project here.

Instead this lunch focused on two wines from each winemaker from their estate grapes.  We started the lunch with the Jurtschitsch Grüner Veltliner Loiserberg 2012 Kamptal DAC Reserve, Erste Lage and 2011 Zobinger Heiligenstein Kamptal Reserve Reisling, with Alwin introducing us to their 150 year old winery. The winery itself includes a 700 year old cellar and is located in the Kamptal DAC,  northwest of Vienna and west of . The steep hills of Heiligenstein ("holy rock") contain a unique blend of desert sandstone and volcanic soil which adds a salty minerality to the Riesling - a perfect match with our oysters appetizer. The Riesling also possessed a green apple flavor with plenty of acidity accumulated from the cool nights. The Grüner Veltliner has a more floral aroma, with a silky texture after being fermented in neutral oa and spending 10 months on its lees. These are two delicious wines.

We then moved to the two Rieslings from Gunderloch, with Johannes describing the winery's three vineyards sites situated above the Rhine river and the 120 year family history operating the winery.  An interesting story is that the harvest help has traditionally come from Poland, and as that country has become wealthier, the Polish workers still arrive for harvest, now using their vacation time to pick grapes. The first Riesling was the "entry" level 2012 Estate Dry Riesling ($15), but there was nothing entry level about this wine. It's a blend of grapes from the three vineyard sites and starts with green apples finishing in firm acidity. Very tasty and refreshing. The second wine was my favorite of the lunch, the 2012 Gunderloch Riesling Dry GG, Pettenthal ($42). The Pettenthal is the only site on the Rhine with red clay soil and this single vineyard wine is equally fruity and acidic. But it's the creamy texture that allows the wine to melt in your mouth.

The final presentation was given by Max von Kunow who brought along one von Hövel produced by his father and a second of his. The von Hovel estate was a acquired from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 ( a mini Louisiana Mosel Purchase) and Max is the 7th generation wine maker. Before Bonaparte confiscated the land, the manor house and cellar was the retreat for St. Maximin and are over 800 years old. And the wines match the winery's amazing history, these extremely low alcohol wines (7.5%-8%) are extremely fruity with a sense of sugar - yet 100% bone dry. The elder Kunow's wine was the 2008 von Hovel Riesling Kabinett, Scharzhofberger ($15) and has a peachy-apricot flavor, followed by a creamy mid and a refreshing acidic finish.  The younger Kunow's 2012 von Hovel Riesling Spatlese Dry, Estate ($35) is all tropical fruit, again a creamy mid, with balanced acidity. There's no way these flavors come from an 8% alcohol dry wine. Pretty amazing.

If you have a chance to find these wines from Rudi Wiest Selection or a retailer, grab them. I learned today that the 2008 von Hovel Riesling Kabinett, Scharzhofberger is available online at Last Bottle. And I hope to post more on the Wurzelwerk project. Cheers to German and Austrian wine.

Press Release: Brewers Association Announces 2013 Craft Brewer Growth

Volume and Sales Reach Record Levels as Market Share Surpasses Seven Percent

The Brewers Association (BA), the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers, today released 2013 data on U.S. craft brewing¹ growth. As a primary driver of growth in the beer industry, craft brewers saw an 18 percent rise in volume², representing a total of 15.6 million barrels, and a 20 percent increase in retail dollar value.

In 2013, craft brewers reached 7.8 percent volume of the total U.S. beer market, up from 6.5 percent the previous year. Additionally, craft dollar share of the total U.S. beer market reached 14.3 percent in 2013, as retail dollar value from craft brewers was estimated at $14.3 billion, up from $11.9 billion in 2012.

“With this stellar year, craft has now averaged 10.9 percent growth over the last decade,” said Bart Watson, staff economist, Brewers Association. “Beer drinkers are excited about what small and independent brewers are offering and that is evidenced by the rising production and sales of the craft segment.”

Additionally, the number of operating breweries in the U.S. in 2013 totaled 2,822, with 2,768 of those considered craft, demonstrating that craft breweries make up 98 percent of all U.S. operating breweries. This count includes 413 new brewery openings and 44 closings. Combined with already existing and established breweries and brewpubs, craft brewers provided 110,273 jobs, an increase of almost 2,000 from the previous year.

“Openings of brewing facilities continue to far outpace closings, demonstrating that the demand for high-quality, local, fuller-flavored beers is only increasing,” added Watson. “The geographic diversity of openings and production growth shows the national nature of this movement. In towns all across the country, craft brewers are creating jobs, delivering innovative products, advancing the beverage of beer and strengthening their local economies.” 

Note: Numbers are preliminary. The Brewers Association will release the list of Top 50 craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies by volume sales on March 31. Additionally, a more extensive analysis will be released during the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, Colorado from April 8-11. The full 2013 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2014 issue of The New Brewer, highlighting regional trends and sales by individual breweries.

¹ The definition of a craft brewer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional. Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Independent: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer. Traditional: A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.
² Volume by craft brewers represent total taxable production.

Willamette Valley Wineries Come to DC for Pinot in the City

On April 2nd, 54 Willamette Valley winemakers arrive in Washington DC to host Pinot in the City, a wine tasting event held at the Long View Gallery from 6-9pm for $75 a ticket. During the event, consumers will have the opportunity to learn more about what the Willamette Valley has to offer - directly from winemakers by hearing their individual stories.

Pinot Noir is the most important grape variety in the region and accounts for approximately 70% of plantings. Pinot Gris is the next largest at about 15%, followed by Chardonnay (5%) and Riesling (4%). Since Pinot Noir will be the primary focus of the event, I asked three of the participating winemakers what differentiates Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from Burgundy and California's Russian River Valley? The consensus: expect very fruit forward wines with an acidic backbone.

Harry Peterson-Nedry of Chehalem Winery:

First and foremost differences are climatic, with Oregon’s Willamette Valley a bona fide cool climate and therefore similar to Burgundy, but like California dry during the growing and ripening season. Soils for all areas are different, so show nuance differences. More tightly wound and acid structured wines can be seen in Oregon and Burgundy, more overt fruit in Oregon and California. Oregon’s fruit is vibrant, fresh fruited and forward, with acids for great ageability and for the table.

David Adelsheim of Adelsheim Vineyard

The short, simplistic answer is that no other place in the world has the combination of intense fresh fruit, backbone of acidity, and the specific flavors and tannins of the various Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs. 

Alex Sokol Blosser of Sokol Blosser Vineyards

The main differences are the soil, sun, and growing degree days. We have very similar growing degree days as northern Burgundy but less than Russian River Valley. We have very similar sun hours as southern Burgundy and different than the RRV in CA.

theCompass View
of Oregon Wine

All three winemakers agree that Pinot Noir will maintain primacy in the future, whereas Chardonnay and Riesling could overtake Pinto Gris. Other cool climate grapes such as Gruner Veltliner or Pinot Blanc may find homes, but "only Pinot Noir will be synonymous with Willamette Valley".

Like Virginia and Maryland, wine tourism is a growing component to Willamette Valley wine sales, yet it can't rely on casual or day-trip tourists from neighboring metropolitan areas. Instead, the Willamette Valley is becoming a wine destination attracting tourists who spend several days touring various wineries. This is a result of the high quality of the wines, or as David Adelsheim states, "the Willamette Valley first developed around very high quality wines; tourism came much later". 

I've been thinking of planning a trip to Oregon wine country and I'm sure Pinot in the City will entice me further.  I recommend readers do the same - at a minimum you will taste some extraordinary wines. Cheers.

The FDA Finally Acts to Protect our Country's Livestock from the Dangerous Spent Grain from #Beer Mash

Or at least that must be how the FDA sees the world. Why else would the agency propose rules that "require that spent grain for animal feed be dried and prepackaged onsite in a manner that doesn't touch human hands." What is one source of spent grain - our country's breweries and distilleries. Instead of simply dumping the spent grain, most of these companies have established relationships with local farmers to provide the spend grain to supplement the diet of livestock. Scott Harris of Catoctin Creek Distilling Company explained how the cows that benefit from their spent grain rush the delivery truck when it arrives.  (See the 18 minute mark in this MyJoogTV video and video below.)  And not only does the spent grain supplement the diets, but it also hydrates the animals because the "wet" grain has soaked up the water.

Yet the FDA in their wisdom now wants breweries and distilleries to prepackage the feed, adding production costs to the operations for those companies that provide their left over grain to farmers. Instead of packaging the spent grain, they could also choose to just dump the spent grain, adding other costs in itself. The FDA also wants to force brewers to dry their grain, removing any hydration benefits that farmers prefer. Perfect. Another example of government bureaucrats creating a problem where one doesn't currently exist. In this case, just let the invisible hand of the marketplace do it's thing.

The Brewer's Association is on top of this situation and has posted these suggestions to brewers.

For BA members, we ask that you:

1. Communicate with your farmers that we will be looking for them to submit comments to FDA based on the draft farmer comments that we will circulate once final. Farmer comments should focus on the impact to their business of the proposed rules, the preference to receive grains "wet" from brewers, the lack of problems with receiving spent grains as currently in practice and the environmental issues related to a change in current practice.

2. Prepare your own set of comments to FDA based on the sample brewer comments, with an emphasis on how the current proposed rules will impact your business and any thoughts on how landfilling grains may not fit with sustainability efforts.

3. Sign up for the March 27 Power Hour and then send in comments after final revisions by the March 31 deadline.

Let's hope these comments to dissuade the FDA. Beer and spirits consumers should also contact your local representatives in the House of Representatives & Senate.


Update: another video describing farmers love for spent grain:

Hungary's Etyek-Buda Wine Region & Nyakas Pince

One of the wines we tasted while learning about oxygen management during my trip to Nomacorc was 2012 Nyakas Budai Chardonnay.  I immediately noticed this Hungarian producer because many of their wines are available in the Washington D.C. market. The winery focuses exclusively on white wines and is located in the northern part of the Etyek-Buda wine region. This is a newer regional designation with the Buda inscription reference the rolling Buda hills with the regional spreading westward towards the settlement of Etyek, only 19 miles from the capital city.

The region's wine making history is quite fascinating. It is speculated that Romans planted grapes along the Buda Hills, but the first documented evidence starts in the 13th century when Serbian immigrants arrived, having been chased from their land by the Ottomans, and planted red varieties, probably Prokupac and Kadarka. At the time, the Buda wine region flowed along the Danube from Szentendre to Tétény. The Ottomans eventually reached Buda and Pest in the early to mid 1500s and ruled for a 150 years. Once the Turks were expelled, German immigrants were imported to resettle the area and they brought along many white grape varieties. After the phylloxera epidemic, many of these vines were replanted and their success led József Törley to establish his sparkling wine Törley House in the region. Other factors, of course, include the chalk and limestone soils as well as sharing the same latitude as Champagne. The Budafok sub-region now accounts for 70 percent of Hungary’s sparkling wine production.

The rest of contemporary Etyek-Buda is comprised of boutique wineries, mostly small family plots, and because of it's proximity to Budapest, wine tourism is a growing industry. White wines still dominate: Irsai Olivér, Olaszrizling (Welschriesling), Szurkebarat (Pinot gris), Zold Veltelini (Grüner Veltliner), Rizlingszilvani (Müller-Thurgau), Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Although not common, some red grapes are planted, particularly the indigenous Kadarka and Pinot Noir.

Getting back to Nyakas, I've tried many of their wines in the past. The Chardonnay was tasted at Nomacorc imparted different sensations based on the corc used - but the flavor itself was very reminiscent of the Chardonnay grape. Their Sauvignon Blanc was very kiwi-ish in the sense of lemon grass flavors with nice acidity. I always enjoyed their Irsai Olivér and Müller-Thurgau with the former portraying that muscat aroma and the later a nice young wine.

So if you find yourself in Budapest, head West into the hills to enjoy some whites and sparkling wine. Here's a video to give you an idea of the land - and a chance to learn Hungarian. Cheers.

A Much Belated Return to Willowcroft Farm Winery

This weekend I realized that it had been almost eight years since I last visited Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, located just southwest of Leesburg in Loudoun County Virginia. Don't know why the long hiatus, but Sunday night we used theCompass mobile application to navigate to the winery.  Good timing, since the winery is celebrating it's 30th anniversary in 2014 - one of the oldest in the Commonwealth. Once a space opened at the tasting bar, our tasting room rep, Lydia, guided us through the winery's portfolio and history.  (We also found a couple books in the tasting room that describe the history of the properties on Mt. Gilead.) 

All the wines we tasted were harvested directly from the estate, except for the Petit Manseng which is sourced further southwest in the Shenandoah Valley.  We sampled most of their wines, and in general, I was quite impressed. Almost all possessed the characteristics you would expect from each grape.  The estate grown Albarino was my favorite white (floral with nice acidity), followed by the Harmony and Cabernet Blanc. The former is an semi-dry blend of Petit Manseng, Vidal Blanc and Traminette (great acidity to balance the sugar); whereas the later is a lightly pressed Cabernet Franc that tastes of the lighter side of cherries. Moving on the reds, the Petit Verdot was medium bodied with mellow tannins; the Chambourcin was also medium bodied with a spicy tail, and the Merlot was full bodied - very smooth and tasty.

I plan on returning very soon, particularly when the medal winning Cabernet Franc and Apple wine are released to the public. Lydia almost talked me into the Wine Club, and I think I can be persuaded on my next visit. Since the strength of their portfolio encompasses the breadth of the wine selection, I think I can be assured that every two months I'll receive a wine I enjoy. Cheers.

Oxygen's Role in Aging Wine: Nomacorc - Part II -> Oxygen Management

After leaning about how Nomacorc manufactures their corcs and market share of closures (See Part I), the subject turned to an issue that I was on vaguely familiar - oxygen management. And this is a subject Nomacorc takes seriously> yes, their raison d'être was eliminating wines tainted with TCA; but they quickly pivoted to helping winemakers eliminate wine faults due to the (mis)management of oxygen.

In general, winemakers practice "reduction" techniques where they attempt to eliminate oxygen in most phases of the process. Small amounts of oxygen are needed at the beginning of fermentation as  oxygen encourages the yeast to multiply, but afterwards oxygen may encourage the spread of acetic acid bacteria or turn the wine off-color. Thus, winemakers try to eliminate oxygen elsewhere in the process by using sulfur, inert gases and stainless steel tanks and then topping off barrels lost to the angels. Usually winemakers are successful, but as this graph shows over a 5 year average,  about 5% of the wine were characterized as faulty due to oxygen (mis)management. And a similar study from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Composition found 2.4% of the wines were faulty due to O2 management.

These oxygen (mis)management faults can be introduced in all phases of production, but this chart on Oxygen Management Objectives shows that the biggest variation in optimal oxygen exposure result from bottling, with smaller non-optimal exposure in materation and bottle aging. This chart was an eye-opener; I've witnessed some poor bottling techniques and I'm sure these wines aged poorly.

In order to assist winemakers to determine how much oxygen is imparted into a bottled wine, Nomacorc created the NomaSense™ Oxygen Analyzer System. These sets measure that amount of oxygen exposure in headspace of the bottle as well as the dissolved oxygen in the wine itself. Pretty cool.


Getting back to out Nomacorc sessions, first Vice President, Strategy & Innovation Malcolm Thompson presented Oxygen Management Strategy & Objectives - by showing how different closures provide different Oxygen Transmission Rates (OTR) which usually lead to different tasting wines. At the extremes these different rates can create oxidized or reduced faults, but in the median arbitrary transmission rates lead to different tasting wines - even when opened from the same case.  Wes Ward, Technical Sales Manager, Americas & South Africa, then lead a session on Oxygen as a  Winemaking Tool describing the chemistry and actual senses perceived due to different OTR. 

Nomacorc initially handled oxygen transfer rates by creating a closure that imparts a consistent rate for each and every Classic corc - all a result of their co-extrusion technology.  They eventually leveraged this technology to launch a new product line called the Select Series, which allows different (but consistent) oxygen transfer rates into the bottled wine. The Select Series consists of four corcs (100, 300, 500, 700), which will provide less to more transfer rates as the series progresses higher. But what corc should a winemaker choose for each varietal wine?  Nomacorc has automated this decision making process by creating the Noma Selector - as software application that guides the winemaker through the decision making process. Thus Nomacorc is confident that by utilizing their NomaSense™ analyzers with the Select Series, winemakers can improve and extend the shelf-life of every bottled wine.


But does it matter to the consumer which Select Series is utilized? Our final session of the visit tested this question by tasting a white and red wine bottled with three different Select Series corcs. We started with the 2012 Nyakas Budai Chardonnay by blind tasting three versions, and even with the short bottle aging, produced three completely different wines. The first glass was very light, citrus, with a lemongrass-acidic finish; whereas the second was more Burgundian with more minerality and depth.  The final glass was funky and the 500 series corc closing this wine had allowed the most oxygen to transfer. The first glass was corked with the 100 series and the second with the 300 series.

Our red blind tasting consisted of the 2009 Clos des Cordeliers Cabernet Franc which had been bottled with three different corcs in April 2011; providing three years of bottle aging. The first glass was a fruity wine, with plenty of cherry flavors and dusty tannins. The second glass was earthier, still a nice cherry flavor, finishing with smoother tannins. The final wine was musty, acidic, and not pleasing. Once again, three completely different wines, all bottled on the same day, but aging distinctly due to the Select series corcs utilized (300, 500, 700 in this instance).

The trip to Nomacorc was extremely informative and these sessions on Oxygen Management were a revelation in a noma-sense; another topic to discuss with winemakers on future visits.  And winemakers now have the tools to decide the proper closure for their wines. Some may choose to continue with natural cork; others like Jordan Harris of Tarara Winery will use strictly screwcaps. And others like Ben Mayo of Eberle Winery will continue to utilize Nomacorc Select Series in order to optimize oxygen transfer rates. Cheers

A Taste of Science at Doukenie Winery

The first Saturday of every month Doukenie Winery (Hillsboro, VA) hosts a very informative and interesting event: A Taste of Science at Doukenie Winery. Led by geologist Leanne Wiberg, the program starts with a tour and wine tasting in the depths of the facility followed by a vineyard tour of the winery's experimental vineyard. After a year of urging I finally found a free Saturday to participate. The tour costs $18.00 for general public, but free for  Heritage Club members, and starts with an overview of the winery's Greek Heritage: Doukenie=Dutchess.  Once in the basement we then learned about winemaker Sébastien Marquet and his Burgundian background followed by a tasting of eight wines. Most of these wines were made from estate grapes with the others sourced from a vineyard near Fredericksburg. And the wines were quite pleasant, with the Riesling, Pinot Grigio, "Le Vin Rouge", and Cabernet Franc selected as the group's favorite. In fact, the Pinot Grigio, was the nicest I can remember tasting in quite some time. After the tasting we learn about the winery's use of oak and the source of their French oak barrels.

Finally it was time for the vineyard tour and Leanne led us to the experimental vineyard where Marquet grafts various grape vines on another varying set of rootstock. Leanne described to the group the history of phylloxera and reason for rootstock and interpreted the different combinations of rootstock to grape vines.She then showed us geological maps of the area and described how Short Hill and the plateau to Leesburg were created. Then on to sunshine, rain runoff, soil, you name it; pretty interesting stuff - even in the cold weather. 

After the program I realized there was plenty to appreciate about Doukenie; the obvious being that they provide a geologist to host this program. The others is the dedication to quality - having an experimental vineyard - and even Marquet selecting the specific trees for the cooperage. And this reflects in their wines - as a whole they are much nicer than my last visit many years ago - and their are a few standouts that I'd like to partake on a daily basis.  Cheers to that.

Crooked Run Brewing's Shadow of Truth Release Party

 Last night, along with over 100 other people, I attended Crooked Run Brewing Shadow of Truth Release Party held at Beltway Brewing Company in Sterling VA. Crooked Run is located in Leesburg's Market Station (great bicycle access off the W&OD) and brew non-traditional English and Belgium styled ales at this location. However, they have decided to expand capacity in order to target a wider consumer base, and to meet these goals, have contracted out with Beltway Brewing (See my first visit to Beltway's facility).

And the first beer Crooked Run chose to distribute is their Shadow of Truth - a black Belgian tripel. The beer is brewed with debittered black malt as well as a smaller portion of Vienna malt. The result is an extremely smooth beer, not overly malty and which masks the 8.5% abv quite well. The finish is balanced with just enough hops for a smooth transition but not an abundance to override the flavors. The beer should be making it's Metro DC debut this week so check out Lost Dog Cafe, Whole Foods, Rustico, Fireworks, World of Beer or any of the other well represented craft beer outlets in the area. For me, I need to bike out to Market Station to try the remaining portfolio. Oh yea, almost forgot. The DC Sliders truck was on hand providing very unique sliders - try the Elvis if you see them. Cheers. 

New Search Filters added to #theCompassApp Android Mobile Application

Based on customer requests, I have added two new search filters to the Android version of theCompass Mobile Application. Within the Location & Search activity, users can now select from a dropdown whether they would like to (1) Search by zipcode or establishment or city name or (2) Search by location. When selecting the first search criteria, a search box is displayed allowing the user to enter their search term - in this example, the great wine town of Hermann, MO.  In the second criteria, results are returned based on the co-ordinates of the device. The previous functionality remains, where users can then filter the returned result list or map the results. Keep the tips coming and happy travels. Cheers.

Boneyard Wines Take Over #VAWineChat

Last week Tarara Vineyard & Winery winemaker Jordan Harris presented a selection of his new brand, Boneyard Wines to the monthly twitter chat #VAWineChat. These wines diverge from the traditional Tarara brand in that they are more experimental and consist of entry level as well as "uber" luxury options. The labels are very cool - earth movers digging up the boneyard - which respects Tarara's tradition by honoring a field where old wine making and vineyard equipment are sent to rust. The tasting for the evening consisted of the Boneyard 2012 Skins (Rkatsiteli orange wine), the Boneyard Boneyard Bubbles Blanc de Blanc, the Boneyard 2012 Cabernet Franc, and Boneyard 2010 Syrah.

We started with the much anticipated Boneyard 2012 Skins ($20), much anticipated in the sense that I am a deep believer in Rkatsiteli. In order to create an orange wine, the juice was macerated on its skins for 31 days, followed by mild oak treatment. In general, this type of wine possesses a floral aroma, with spicy characters in the palette and finish - with plenty of acidity. Unfortunately, the Boneyard Skins did not live up to my expectations; the floral aroma was present but the wine lacked both acidity and the spicy characters.  Yet, I applaud Jordan for his experiment - keep on digging....

The Bubbles Blanc de Blanc ($35), on the other hand, nailed all expectations. The wine was produced from Chardonnay grapes harvested in 2009 and then vinified using methodoise champagne traditions.  The wine was then bottled aged on its lees for 3 and a half years, developing texture and creaminess, before being disgorged and undergoing secondary fermentation. There sparkling wine is clean, fresh with plenty of effervescence, as well as gentle green apple and citrus flavors. Well done.

Only 26 cases were made from the Boneyard 2012 Cabernet Franc so this wine is only available for Case Club members. The wine spent 12 months in oak and despite the oak, is a medium bodied, fruit forward wine with very smooth tannins. The nose has a little smoke and tobacco, but the palette is a mixture of blackberries and raspberries. I enjoyed this one, but so long - unless I join the Case Club.


We finished with the Boneyard 2010 Syrah ($100) - yes the most expensive Virginia wine to date - more than those from RDV Vineyards.  The Syrah was co-fermented with 6% Viognier and then aged 38 months in oak;  Jordan is a self-described Rhône geek.  Like the Cab Franc, the tannins are smooth - yet the flavor is more plum and finishes with plenty of spice. Like the other wines, this one is closed with the screwcap and it needed to breathe for awhile to allow the Viognier floral notes and fruit to develop. Before breathing, the wine raced straight to the spicy finish. The price point speaks for itself, and we will let buyers express their rational. Cheers.

The Rise of Synthethic Corks: Nomacorc - Part I -> The Plant Tour

The last few years have witnessed a debate on the proper wine closures - whether natural cork, synthetic corks, and screw caps. This debate has sometimes been serious, other times completely hysterical - but a debate that will continue indefinitely.  Natural cork, made from the bark of Cork Oaks, remains the traditional closure choice (60%), but carries some baggage in the form of "cork taint" (3% of wines closed with cork are affected by TCA), expense, and uncontrollable rates of oxygen transfer into the wine - at the most extreme leading to oxidized wine.  Screw caps are a rising player and close 27% of wines - all of New Zealands and most from Australia.  I appreciate the portability and ease of opening these closures, but on the flip side there are arguments about how long a wine closed with screw caps can age and since these closures allow practically no oxygen to permeate, these wines are susceptible to reductive attributes. Synthetic corks are the third major player, and whereas we all can agree that the hard injected molded plastic corks are disagreeable, I will feature the world's world's leading producer of synthetic corks, Nomacorc.

Last week Nomacorc hosted myself and five other wine bloggers and writers (Ben Carter, Cath Monahan, Michelle Locke, Luke Whittall, and Mads Jordansen) to their Zebulon, North Carolina plant for a tour and a presentation of their products.We learned quite a handful over these two days, starting with the company's background.  It all started when businessman and wine connoisseur Gert Noël opened several bottles of wine that had been tainted with TCA. With his son Marc, they used their experience in foam extrusion technology to develop a synthetic cork that consists of  a foamed core and an outer skin. Marc officially formed Nomacorc in 1999 as they released their first corc - Classic. Over the years, the company has grown to hold 13% share (2012) of the total wine closure market (2.2 billion corks) while adding several new corcs to their portfolio - all designed to to allow winemakers different options in oxygen transfer rates. This topic requires it's own post - coming soon.  

Our visit began with introductions and an overview by President and CEO Lars von Kantzow. He also described the uniqueness of Nomacorc's corcs.  They are produced by a patented co-extrusion technology where The skin is flexible yet provides a tight neck seal that eliminates leaking and protects the core foam from crumbling. This foam core has a uniform cell structure that provides a "consistent, predictable oxygen permeation that eliminating off-flavors due to oxidation, reduction, or cork taint".

We then dressed for the plant tour - hair nets, gowns, ear plugs and radios in order to communicate over the running machinery. But before entering the plant itself, we stepped into the Sensory Laboratory, which is one phase of the company's quality assurance implementation. Antoinette Morano, Sensory Services Lab Manager, described to us how the lab is intended to "ensure that their wine closures are completely sensory neutral". The lab is a controlled non odorous environment where her team evaluates the raw materials and finished goods. This process also includes inspecting delivery trucks and pallets.  The laboratory also evaluates wines closed with Nomacorc closures to ensure that the corcs are not affecting the character of the wines they protect.

We then entered the physical plant and yes, the ear plugs and radios were necessary. There is a wall that contains a display case of wines closed with Nomacorc closures as well as samples of the raw materials, co-extruded synthetic material, and the finished product.

How are the corcs manufacured?

"First, raw materials are mixed, melted, and extruded to create a long, foamed cylinder, forming the closure’s core. Then a second extrusion process applies a flexible outer skin, which is thermally bonded to the inner cylinder. The shape is stabilized in cooling water before our high-speed cutting operation cuts the closures to the proper length."

As we witnessed, this process is continuous, leading to a consistent product - no variations or inconsistencies due to batch processing. The machinery was quite fascinating - I always wonder how they even build the machinery that makes the machinery and so on down the line. The process from inputting the raw materials to the co-extrusion itself, where the outer skin and foam core are extruded together, was rather anti-climatic. The most interesting parts did not occur until after the co-extrusion process where a laser controls for size and shape and when the corcs are cut into exact lengths. And I did notice one set of corcs failed and rejected by the laser. Another interesting aspect was their ink adhesive process where the company can now stamp their corcs on both ends as well as the standard sides.

I had read other visitors comment about the amount of water used to cool the synthetic material - but in my opinion - it wasn't out of the ordinary of similar cooling operations and Plant Manager, John Wojcik, stated that the water is sent to the sewer in better shape then from the tap. 

After we finished the plant tour we listened to Ben Mayo of Eberle Winery in Paso Robles describe his customer experience from using several Nomacorc closures over the past ten years. He said they turned to Nomacorc because of supply issues from natural cork and experiencing a 2-3% return rate from TCA. And during the past decade he has never had one of his customers complain or even mention the closure. Mayo feels strongly that the Nomacorc closures slow the aging process and he has never witnessed cord dust or a crumbling cork in his wines.  We then sampled the Eberle 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon closed by Nomacorc's Classic corc. And yes, it had held up, it seemed like a young wine - plenty of blackberry and dark cherry aromas and flavor with no signs of reduction - just smooth chewy tannins. Mayo explained that these characters are a result of the closure's oxygen management - which we will turn to in Part II.

My take on Novelty Wines v Class Wines

First Robert M Parker Jr and now Jancis Robinson have written lengthy columns on what Robinson describes as "Novelty v classic wines". Basically Parker had a hissy fit about the rise of obscure indigenous grapes such as Trousseau, Savagnin, Grand Noir, Negrette, Lignan Blanc, Peloursin, Auban, Calet, Fongoneu and Blaufrankisch - at the expense of the royal court of Cabernet, Merlot, and Chardonnay.  Alder Yarrow of Vinography posted an outstanding rebuttal and I, for one, good use some obscure Blaufrankisch right now.

Jancis Robinson then jumped into the debate with an article titled Bottle fight: Novelty v classic wines which is an unfortunate start - depicting indigenous grapes in a carnival sense and not as grapes that have thrived in their terrior for centuries. This is odd considering Robinson's many books portray her as a fan and expert on the world's indigenous grapes.  Robinson starts by criticizing Parker's tone and states that she would provide a "sturdy defense of the thrilling quality and distinction of some wines" from these indigenous grapes, but then agrees with Parker that these indigenous grapes will never exceed the great wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay.

In defending this position, she then makes two interesting claims. First she says that 90% of Chardonnay is dull; but because there is so much Chardonnay planted by the laws of averages some must be delicious. Then she says that she agrees with Parker that "that viticultural rarity does not necessarily bestow wine quality".  Well obviously the same holds true for planting Chardonnay if 90% is dull.  Personally, I would rather drink a dull Savagnin and learn about Jura then drink another dull Chardonnay from anywhere. I don't think anyone has argued that indigenous grapes make outstanding wines simply by existing, but as Yarrow attests in his rebuttal - there are examples of outstanding wines outside of Parker's domain. 

Maybe what Parker and Robinson fail to perceive that the public is growing tired of  the same old choices when going to restaurants or wine shops. Perhaps we are thirsting for something new besides the big three. Seems like American winemakers have foreseen or driven this trend by planting more Rhone, Spanish, German, and Italian grape varieties. And do we really want to see hectares of  indigenous grapes ripped apart to plant more international varieties? Do we want our wine choices to be more homogenous? I don't think so, and I'm quite satisfied with the current status of Novelty wines.  Cheers.

The Beer Scene in Raleigh: Trophy Brewing Company

This week I spent a couple snow covered days in Raleigh, North Carolina as a guest of Nomacorc, the world's leading producer of synthetic corks. In between a factory tour and seminars, I discovered that Raleigh has a decent beer culture with a fair number of breweries located within city limits. Big Boss Brewing Company is one I've encountered before and during lunches and dinners I was able to sample their Hell's Belle Belgium ale, Bad Penny dark brown ale, and Blanco Diablo Wit ale. All nailed their respective styles and were quite pleasant.


On my last day I had a couple hours free and planned to walk to a few that were closest to the hotel. However, because of the snow storm two were closed(Natty Greene's Pub & Brewing Co and Crank Arm Brewing Company), so using theCompass mobile app I sloshed my way to Trophy Brewing Company, a 3 barrel nano brewery and pizza joint.  The restaurant was lively with all bar seating taken - as were most tables. Finding a seat, I immediately noticed the shelves of sports trophies - donated by generous patrons.

I ordered a four beer sampler and soon was Casanova Export Stout, Best In Show “American Saison”, Slingshot Coffee Porter, and Loner Berliner Weisse. The later is a low abv wheat beer, brewed to be tart and sour with very little of hop bitterness. Their version was true to form, although it is also brewed with peaches and ginger and I really didn't pick up on those flavors. The Slingshot was true to its name with the coffee sourced from local Slingshot Coldbrew Coffee. I definitely enjoyed the inter-play of the chocolate and coffee in the palette.  In a similar fashion, the Casanova had a nice balance between the chocolate roasted malt flavor and hop bitterness. However, once again I failed to notice the additives, this time the vanilla notes as described on the chalk board. My favorite of the four was the Best In Show - a very appropriately named farmhouse ale. From the citrus nose to the bitter tail, this beer was completely enjoyable - well done. Next time, I'll try the pizza and expand my visit to the other breweries. But when in Raleigh, pair any of these breweries with American Aquarium. Cheers

Notaviva Vineyards Hosts Melodies of the Danube 2015 - a European River Cruise

Stephen Mackey, owner of the Virginia winery Notaviva Vineyards (Purcellville), is hosting a wine and music European river cruise next year - where travelers can enjoy fine European and Virginia vinifera and Central European music. The Melodies of the Danube 2015 starts in romantic Budapest where you spend the day touring Buda and Pest. I highly recommend an hour in the Central Market Hall and the Tokaji wine bar.  Learn to appreciate dry Furmint as I did many years ago. Also, if you have a chance to sample Soproni Kekfrankos or anything from Villany - drink it.

From Hungary, the boat travels to Austria and while gently cruising along the Danube, Mackey will be leading several wine lectures throughout the journey.  He will be pouring wine from Notaviva and showcasing why Virginia is a rising wine region as well as leading comparative tasting between the Virginia and Austrian wine.

1) Onboard Wine Tasting - "Austrian Varietals in America" Host Stephen Mackey leads a discussion of Blaufrankisch, Zweigelt and Gruner Veltliner. Enjoyed with Notaviva Vineyards "Vierzig" Blaufrankisch inspired by Mozart's 40th symphony.

2) Onboard Wine Lecture #1 - "Wine and Music Pairing Experience" -- Led by host Stephen Mackey, guests will enjoy two blind tastings of Virginia wines, accompanied by diverse music playlists and and engaging, interactive evaluation of how various musical genres accompany different wine styles. Includes discussion on the science of cognitive neurology and emotional receptors as they relate to the sensory perception of wine.

3) Onboard Wine Lecture #2 - "Introduction to Music Theory" -- Enjoy a carefully chosen selection of Virginia and Austrian wines while host Stephen Mackey analyzes works from Beethoven, Mozart and Strauss and explains the core technical elements of Western music such as melody, harmony, texture, rhythm, dynamics, form and tone color. Each composer's work will be paired with an appropriate wine, and there will be fun quizzes and prizes!

4) Paired Wine Dinner - "Ottantotto" barrel-fermented Viognier, "Vierzig" (Mozart) Blaufrankisch, "Ode to Joy" (Beethoven) Meritage

5) Onboard Wine Lecture #3 - "TasteLive!" -- Host Stephen Mackey will conduct the first-of-its-kind live International tasting of Austrian and Virginia wines from the ship while connected via social media and video conferencing with passengers' friends, family and Virginia wine industry colleagues back in Loudoun at the Notaviva Vineyards tasting room.

Wachau - courtesy of AWMB / Gerhard Elze

The boat spends four days in Austria - Vienna, Krebs, Durnstein, and Linz where the spotlight remains on wine but the classical music of Strauss and Mozart as well as traditional folk music are introduced. There are several opportunities to explore medieval villages and sample wine from various Austrian wine regions: Wein, Wachau, Kremstal, Wagram, and more. Here you will get your fill of Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and perhaps a smooth Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder). The final destination is Passau, Germany where Octoberfest and beer come into play. And for even more fun, AMAwaterways, the host travel agency, is also offering pre and post cruise tours of Budapest, Munich, and Prague. To learn more about the host winery, Notaviva Vineyards, check out this profile in Northern Virginia Magazine. Cheers and happy
cruising.

Crashing @DCBeer at Beltway Brewing to Promote #theCompassApp

This past Saturday I noticed a tweet from @DCBeerBill Braun how DCBeer had organized a bus trip with Reston Limo to three Virginia breweries: Mad Fox Brewing Company, Port City Brewing Company, and Beltway Brewing Company. Since I had a kids birthday party in Sterling that afternoon, I decided to crash their visit in order to show him #theCompassApp and to learn more about the brewery. Glad I did. Although I didn't have much time to converse with the DCBeer folks, I sampled some nice beer and learned more about the only full service contract brewery in the area. Currently Beltway Brewing offers two house beers, the Batch One Amber Ale and the Suite Dee Session IPA. Both beers were brewed basically in order to test the brewing equipment because their business model is to contract wholly for other breweries. In the past they had produced the brews for Adroit Theory Brewing Company before they moved to their Purcellville location and currently they are pouring a couple from Hilton Head's Wooden Skiff Brewing Company. Once their beers sell out, Beltway will "buyback" a few kicks of each contracted brew that they will pour on Thursday and Friday nights in the tasting room. A great concept for us consumers as our options increase with each contract.

It's too bad Beltway won't continue their house brand because they are quite tasty. The Batch One was malt forward but had a nice hop finish to balance the sweetness. The Suite Dee has a powerful refreshing citrus aroma followed by a light bodied beer and a clean refreshing finish. And at 4.8% abv - love this style of beer.  Going forward, we will have to check out the recipes from the contracted breweries - the Wooden Skiff Blonde was nice and I'll have to head a little further west to sample the Adroit Theory. Fortunately Beltways also sells cans and bottles and not just growlers so I will be able to enjoy the Suite Dee until my stock runs out. Cheers.