It was a cool summer morning when we visited Syncline. Located on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge just where the lush green western part of the gorge begins to turn into the flatter browner drier landscape. Here though, the trees still grow lush and we entered the quiet property and set up in the gardens where James Mantone the vigneron and winemaker met us.
James is thoughtful and quiet, a man who uses words sparingly. He is happy to share information on his property and wines but is in no way boisterous. When he speaks, you know that he has thought through what he is saying.
He took us to the vineyard up on the ridge to see the view the Syrah has. You can see the river in the gorge from there. It’s beautiful and perhaps a little humbling, as you can see far into the distance and the scale really puts your smallness into perspective.
The patio at Syncline Winery
Syncline interview behind the scenes
James Mantone of Syncline walked us to the top of their vineyard to enjoy the views from their spectacular location on the Columbia Gorge
View of the Columbia River and the Gorge
The View from Syncline’s Steep Ranch Vineyard
Syncline 2017 Subduction Red – Columbia Valley
A blend of 49% Syrah, 26% Grenache, 12% Carignan, 7% Cinsault, 6% Mourvedre, this is their version of a Côtes du Rhône Villages wine.
Syncline sources this fruit from a variety of vineyards in multiple AVAs: Columbia Gorge, Horse Heaven Hills, Red Mountain, and Yakima Valley. With all of the vineyards that they work with, they have long term contracts and a good relationship and sense of trust with the growers.
91 barrels were produced. 13.7% abv SRP $25
My notes on this wine start with its medium color of dark red with blue notes. On the nose, there are raspberry notes in the front, with deeper black fruit and rich red notes. Sitting in the very back you find notes of dried currant and whiffs of anise. There is also an undertone of brambles and dried herbs. As it evolves I get more spice.
Medium in body, dry and elegant with medium to low tannins, in my mouth it has deep juicy red and black fruits and something like the scent of a woodfire with herbs.
While this wine is from many vineyards it is incredibly integrated.
Bacon-wrapped stuffed pork tenderloin with raspberry sauce, beet greens, and a root vegetable gratin
Syrah loves bacon, and raspberry notes with this wine meant I wanted to tie those in somehow. I found a recipe for a stuffed pork loin and thought this would be a good match. I had just bought fresh beets, so beet greens on the side were a no brainer.
The pork loin is stuffed with crème cheese and a raspberry sauce. The loin is wrapped in bacon, basted in the sauce, and roasted for a few hours.
This was really wonderful with the wine, bacon, and raspberry and Subduction Red makes for a perfect trio.
I did a side of sauteed beet greens, that brings in an earthy note and added to that with our rainbow root vegetable gratin. You can find the gratin recipe as part of this post.
Bacon brie raspberry bites
We stuck with the bacon and raspberry notes for a sweet/savory dessert bite. This is really an hors d’oeuvres, but it was a perfect bite to finish the meal. These are quick and easy with phyllo cups filled with brie, bacon, and a raspberry preserve.
Phyllo cups filled with brie, raspberry sauce, bacon, rosemary and almonds
Syncline 2017 Subduction Red with bacon, brie, raspberry phyllo bites
Syncline is open for limited outdoor seating on weekends for tasting and you can do take out bottle sales. They have a reservation section on their site.
The outdoor tasting bar at the Syncline Winery with its juniper posts
Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA
Syncline Wine’s tasting garden in the Columbia Gorge AVA
They are located across the river from the Dalles. If you can’t get there to enjoy their beautiful gardens you can order online and enjoy these delicious wines in the comfort of your own home.
Production here is under 6,000 cases annually. These wines are truly something special.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
A couple of weeks ago we attended the Virtual Wine Media Conference, the in-person event was originally supposed to be held in Oregon. Sadly this event was canceled due to COVID so Zephyr Conferences decided to create a virtual conference. They partnered with the Oregon Wine Board to have a virtual tasting.
We received two samples one from Troon Vineyard in Applegate Valley AVA and one from Winderlea in Dundee Hills AVA, in the Willamette Valley.
Wine Conferences during a pandemic
We usually get to take our own pictures of the vineyards and the people we talk to, but since we were on the computer, we have access to the pictures from the presentation to give you some perspective. The real bottle shots are ours. SO that being said, let’s get going!
These were samples sent to us for this tasting, however all opinions are own.
Biodynamics in farming
First a little about Biodynamics and why it should matter when you look for a bottle of wine. We have created a page where you can read more about biodynamics. Now for the short version. There are a couple of ways people talk about Bio-dynamics. Most critics use the Voodoo and spiritualism of the creator Rudolf Steiner to discredit the whole practice.
Rudolf Steiner lectures on biodynamics and the treatments were brought about in response to the bad soils that had been created by the chemical companies. These lectures advocated for a return to a more naturalistic form of farming. These lectures were meant for farming in general, and not really for wine farming, but the practice was meant to return health to the soil.
The theory of Biodynamics was truly developed after Rudolf Steiner’s death and is really based on past farming practices, very much like the Farmers Almanac, when you get down to its timing and Farm Practices. We have found that most people who go Biodynamic do so because it creates an Ecosystem that creates a healthier environment not only for the vines and the soil but insects and pest control systems that thrive and keep the entire Farm Healthy, including the people. There is a spiritualistic side but that is a topic for more in-depth analysis at a later date.
As I said you can read more on our page. But for this discussion, we will tackle just a couple of reasons for going biodynamic that these two wineries use. The first concept is you farm better. The way biodynamics really shines is the attention to detail, the use of organic manure, which created healthier soil and in turn healthier vines, in turn, healthier grapes, better wine.
Lavender at Cowhorn supporting pollinators and biodiversity
Cowhorn Biodynamic Vineyard in Applegate Valley Oregon
Sally from the Oregon Wine Board was the host for this wine tasting, and she was hosting from Troon Vineyard.
Sally is a 4th Generation Oregonian. She started us off with a little background on the Oregon wine region as well as their two newest AVAs.
She then introduced Craig Camp from Troon Vineyards who has spent 35 years in the Industry, as well as Bill and Donna of Winderlea.
She talked to us about each of the AVAs where these wine were produced.
Oregon Wine Region Stats
Oregon now has 800 wineries within 21 AVAs with the addition of Tualatin Hills and Laurelwood District AVAs both in Willamette Valley AVA approved in June 2020.
We head first to Southern Oregon to Troon, to taste the Kubli Bench Amber.
Troon is in the Applegate Valley, which is a nested AVA within the larger Rogue Valley AVA. It was established in 2000.
There are 20 wineries in the Applegate Valley, 2 of them are biodynamic; Troon and Cowhorn. These two vineyards encompass 10% of the AVA’s area.
Applegate Valley Stats
Applegate Valley’s wine history began in 1852 when an early settler named Peter Britt planted wine grapes. In 1873, he opened Valley View Winery, Oregon’s first official winery. Valley View closed in 1907; then Prohibition hit.
It wasn’t until the 1970s after modern pioneers began discovering the neighboring areas’ quality wine growing conditions, that the Applegate Valley experienced a resurgence of winemaking. According to Dr. Gregory Jones, climatologist and director of Environmental Science and Policy Program at Southern Oregon University where he focuses on suitability for viticulture,
“The Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area (AVA) offers the most diverse growing conditions in Oregon and arguably in the United States.”
First, we spent some time with Craig Camp as he explained his history, a little about why Troon went Biodynamic, and then about their Amber (orange Wine)
Craig Camp
“Troon Vineyard is dedicated to regenerative agriculture and Biodynamic® agriculture in our quest to put back more than we take from our plants and soils. We believe the only route to memorable wines, that reflect the terroir of where they were grown, is to be found in the healthy soils and vines that are the foundation of Biodynamic® agriculture.”
Craig Camp is GM of Troon Vineyards and has worked in the fine wine industry for over thirty-five years. He co-founded Direct Import Wine Company in Chicago, an importer, and distributor of estate wines from France, Italy, Spain California, Oregon, and Washington.
Craig moved to the Applegate after having worked in Napa for 10 years. He moved north to grow Rhone’s.
The Troon vineyard is one of the oldest in the area, planted in 1972 by Dick Troon. The Troons sold the property and it was farmed Industrially and ended up with hard soils as hard as concrete and vine diseases.
Craig joined the vineyard and began farming biodynamically to help the vineyards recovery and they were certified biodynamic in 2019.
Craig Camp with Troon Vineyard in Applegate Valley Oregon Photo Courtesy of Oregon Wine Board
Craig came into biodynamics as a skeptic. They look at this as a “framework to regenerative agriculture”.
The heart of the process is compost to use as a probiotic. Luckily there is a large organic dairy farm next door. They just ordered 800 yards of manure. They make 200 tons of compost.
Troon Vineyards have this Planting Video on their Site.
“The Klamath mountains surround the valley to the west protecting it from the cooling air and rain from the Pacific Ocean”
The Applegate river greatly influenced the development of soils in the region, resulting in deep, well-draining stream sediments, including granites.
They sit at 1400 feet and the season is shorter, but on the longest day of the year, they get 70 minutes more sun than Napa Valley.
During harvest, the days shorten causing photosynthesis to stop allowing them high acid and lower sugar levels.
Soils here are not volcanic, rather the movement of the tectonic plates influences the geology of the region. You find decomposed granite and well as river and ocean sediment.
The Vineyard had red blotch virus and has to be completely replanted. They did soil pits and had scientists come in (Biomakers from Spain) to do genetic sequencing on the soils. They do this now every year, keeping the data to set a benchmark for the science of biodynamic farming.
Doing this over the next several years they can then track the science behind Biodynamics. The soil is changing here, the microbiology increasing. The plant biology is increasing and the fermentations much healthier.
They will replant every vine.
Troon Vineyard Kubli Bench Amber courtesy of Troon Vineyards
We are tasting the Kubli Bench Amber tonight. This is a blend of Riesling, Vermentino, and Viognier. The first Amber they did was from Riesling, then they did another from Vermentino and found that this blend works best. The Riesling is not long for this world. It is not meant for the climate and will soon be torn out and replaced.
This wine is 13.3% abv, pH 3.51, TA 6
2019 Troon Kubli Bench Amber, Estate Orange Wine, Applegate Valley
Food pairings with this wine range from Sushi to steak. Ambers are very food-friendly and can pair with a wide variety of foods.
We paired this with Sushi while we tasted and of course, this paired perfectly. Riesling generally pairs well with most foods.
2019 Troon Kubli Bench Amber, Estate Orange Wine, Applegate Valley
It is 74% Riesling, 16% Vermentino and 10% Viognier.
The Riesling has high phenolics, encouraged by ripening the grape skins.
Troon Vineyard in Applegate Valley Oregon Photo Courtesy of Oregon Wine Board
Troon Vineyard in Applegate Valley Oregon Photo Courtesy of Oregon Wine Board
The Kubli Bench is a small 5-mile by 2-mile plateau. It is the bench of the old river with a 25 to 30-foot cliff down to the Applegate River.
The pH levels here are low. Their pet nat of Tannat has a pH of 2.9 with 9 grams of TA (acid).
This wine is part of their Kubli Bench Blend series of red, white and now amber. The varieties for this blend are fermented separately and are farmed as you would red wines. These are in 1-ton fermenters on the skins and native yeast fermentation. They foot trod them and it is 3 to 4 days before fermentation kicks in. In 3 weeks this wine is fermented to dryness.
They use neutral oak and age 6 months on the lees, then blend them.
They also do an amphorae amber. This is also on the skins and stems for 10 months. At the time of our tasting, this had just to press. It is done in a Georgian style, not excessive VA. They like their wines clean, from healthy grapes and these go into the Tuscan Amphorae.
Beckham Vineyard amphora - a NOVUM as Andrew calls them.
The amphorae is more aggressive and tannic and ageable, while this one is more forward and fruity. The Riesling has one more year.
They just planted Grenache Gris and Terret Blanche, that they ordered 2 years ago.
With the dry climate, they have fewer pest issues.
They have 3 amphorae from Andrew Beckham and will get 2 more next week.
They replant 10 acres each year. In 3 more years, they will be completely replanted.
Winderlea Vineyard in Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley
Winderlea is in the Dundee Hills. Donna Morris and Bill Sweat
There are more than 500 wineries in the Willamette Valley. The first of which was planted in 1965 right here in the Dundee Hills by David Lett, his Eyrie vineyard.
The Dundee Hills became an AVA in November 2005.
Winderlea Vineyard, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley Oregon Photo Courtesy of Oregon Wine Board
This is the only wine that they produce at the Winderlea Estates Vineyard. It is made under the tasting room in the garage. The wine pump and press are powered by a garden hose. Their main facility is in McMinnville.
They began making this wine in 2009 using whole clusters. At that time, most of the Pinots in the area were destemmed. This is made from one block from their vineyard.
This is from one block of Coury Pinot Noir (Chuck Coury had a nursery biz and did some midnight suitcase cuttings, so who knows, they all might be different).
Planted in 1974 and originally named Dundee Hills Vineyard, there was phylloxera in the vineyard when Donna and Bill bought the property. They asked around to see who might be able to help prolong the life of a vineyard with phylloxera and they were pointed to Doug Tunnell of Brickhouse, Rudy Marchesi of Montinore, and Beau Frere all biodynamic vineyards.
They hired Philippe Armenier as their biodynamic consultant and he consulted with them for 3 years.
They try to work on the biodynamic calendar. Bill grew up in New England where they farmed by the farmer’s almanac, so this was intuitive.
This is practical, as a winegrower and a business. You are on the ground spraying, you go by each vine and you can see differences in the vineyard and know if something does not look right.
Biodynamics provides better carbon sinks, microbial diversity, and activity.
Bill finds that the vines are more consistent, and the canopy stays healthy through harvest.
For the 2017 vintage they had good water and snowpack. Budbreak was normal, then they had heat in May and the hottest August on record. This was a big vintage with 4.3 tons per acre. It allowed them to pick the fruit that was the most robust and drop the clusters not up to snuff.
This is 100% whole cluster. Part went into Amphorae 500 liter from Tuscany with a stainless steel top with added dry ice. This fills the amphorae with CO2, so you get carbonic maceration bringing out the red fruit notes. Gases can escape but not air cannot get in.
Another part went into 4 puncheons (400-600 liters, like a mini fermenter) and part in 2 Macro Bins.
Fruit was harvested on 9-26-17. The puncheons and macro bins were pressed on October 17th, the amphorae went to press on November 8th.
The 2017 vintage was the first Amphorae. This then went into neutral French oak barrels for 18 months. Abv 13%, pH 3.6, TA 5.4, bottled 3-15-19, and just 229 cases made.
Bill finds the whole cluster to be more aromatic. With the stems, the potassium in the must raises the pH.
Wine Media Conference Winderlea Pinot Noir courtsey of Winderlea Vineyards
The only wine produced onsite at the Winderlea Estate Vineyard, the Demeter certified Biodynamic® Imprint Pinot noir is made by owner Bill Sweat using old-world winemaking techniques and 100% whole cluster fermentation.
TECHNICAL
Harvest Date: 9.26.2017
Clones: Pommard, Coury
Fermentation: 100% Whole Cluster
1⁄2 ton Clay Amphora, pressed on 11.08.17
4 Puncheons, pressed on 10.17.17 2 Macro Bins, pressed on 10.17.17
2017 Winderlea Imprint Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills
2017 Winderlea Imprint Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills
These both were great wines. Both wines had complexity and Nuance. I return to the basis that when you have a healthy vineyard, you have better grapes and therefore better wines. It matters how you get there.
Troon is keeping data on there journey of taking a chemical and diseased vineyard and transforming it using Biodynamics. In the future, you can see at least some of the science behind the process.
These are both vineyards we will be following, and we hope to get back to Oregon when we are allowed to travel, to speak with each of these vineyards and get you some more in-depth pictures and stories and about how these Oregon Wines are really a cut above.
We have many more stories from Biodynamic vineyards that tell the same tale and produce some excellent wines. As they say, why drink bad wine? Search these winemakers out and you really will taste the difference.
Visit These Links for more on these wines and Biodynamics
Michael and Robin Renken travel and chronicle stories from wine country. While Robin does much of the writing, Michael typically captures the visuals via video and photos to showcase the region, the wine and the people.
Michael Renken
42 Aspens Productions LLC Photography & Video Production 702.604.8101
After years of putting together shows, lighting them and making everyone look good, Michael turned his skills to the camera, capturing moments and telling stories through photos and video.
It’s harvest and the group of writers at Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) this month are led by Gwendolyn Alley of Wine Predator. She sent us an Invitation to re/consider Harvest and how global warming will change what we eat, drink and plant.
The way I enjoy harvest since most often I must do it from afar, is through the social media and blogs of my favorite wineries. When I stopped to consider wineries who have upped the ante on making great wine and taking care of the planet, Tablas Creek was the first to come to mind. They also provide great harvest coverage. You should really check out their blog, where they share in-depth information on how the harvest and the vintage went, complete with grapes, and lots of data.
In addition, they recently got their Regenerative Organic Certification.
Tablas Creek
Tablas Creek Vineyards, Adelaida District, Paso Robles
Tablas Creek Vineyard Spring 2015 at this point certified Organic
Vineyards at Tablas Creek recently certified as Regenerative Organic
Tablas Creek is a joint venture with the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel from France’s Rhône Valley and the Haas family of Vineyard Brands. Founded in 1989 in Paso Robles, the winery was certified organic in 2003 and got their biodynamic certification in 2017. So why do this new certification?
A little bit about Regenerative Organic Certified (or ROC)
This organization was established in 2017 by people in various industries that were concerned about the planet and wanted to promote a system of regenerative agriculture. Companies like Patagonia and Dr. Bronner, to drop a couple of names that you might be familiar with.
On the ROC (Regenerative Organic Certified) website they share the reason behind the organization.
“We exist to heal a broken system, repair a damaged planet, and empower farmers and eaters to create a better future through better farming.”
I have been hearing the term “regenerative agriculture” quite a bit lately. Many biodynamic farms use this term. It is mostly used in terms of soil. Healthy soil is good for plants and the ecosystem and it sequesters carbon and goodness knows we could use a hand with that. Methods used include cover crops and not over tilling the soil.
Regenerative Organic Certified goes beyond this. They have 3 pillars: Soil health, Animal welfare, and social fairness. And before I go any further, I should make it clear that this is not a certification just for wineries and vineyards, this certification takes in all of agriculture and products from it, so farms, for produce or livestock or fibers.
Their motto “Farm like the world depends on it”. And well, it does.
Regenerative Organic Certification at Tablas Creek
In February of 2019 Tablas Creek was approached to be part of a pilot program for Regenerative Organic. After looking through the pillars, they realized that much of what they were already doing made them the perfect candidates for this. When they looked closely at the organization and what it stood for, they were on board.
Jason Haas, GM for Tablas Creek was gracious enough to take some time out of his day and talk with me about this new certification. I asked him if there were any requirements that were new to them, or anything that caused them to look differently at something they were already doing.
“There were a couple of things. One of the things is that…there were a lot of things that we were doing, but not measuring the results. Particularly a lot of the kind of carbon capture in the soil sorts of things with the flock of sheep and the cover crops and the rotational grazing and trying to leave sections that we don’t till, so we don’t till every section every year. We had pretty good confidence that this was the right thing to do and that it was building carbon, but we weren’t actually measuring how much carbon and how much moisture the soil was retaining and how that was changing year over year.
As part of the certification process, you have to submit this information and it has to be information that’s monitored regularly over the course of multiple years. So we’ve become a lot better about measuring the results of the things we were doing. Just because we had to. Though the whole reason that we were chosen by the Regenerative Organic Alliance to be a part of the pilot program is because we were doing most of this stuff anyway. It wasn’t because they were like “let’s take a chemically farmed vineyard and see if we can transform it into something different.” They had pretty good confidence that we were applying most if not all of the principals that they wanted to see. So, the measurement is one piece.
The other thing, that for us was really an eyeopener, were some of the audits that we had to do for our farmworker welfare. We know we pay our team a good wage, we know that we are careful about working conditions. But the sorts of questions that they were asking were like “How much input does your team have into the decisions that are being made on a weekly basis in the vineyard?” We were like, well? Not a lot most of the time. We are consulting with our Vineyard manager and then …directing the team. So we are like “Well, okay, this is one of the things that is an important part of this.” We are supposed to do weekly meetings, get the whole team together, and talk through what’s going to be coming up the next week and solicit their feedback. And there were several things that the team suggested, “well why don’t we do it this way,” that we’ve decided, that’s a great idea let’s do it this way. So it was being a little more mindful about incorporating the feedback of the vineyard team. So that was one of the eyeopeners for us.”
“That’s really the biggest thing I think behind the Regenerative Organic certification is that they are trying to set up essentially a framework within which you can be confident that the agricultural products that are certified Regenerative Organic are a part of the solution to that climate change challenge not contributing further to the problem.”
Jason Haas, September 8, 2020
They recently shared a video with an explanation of the Certification.
One of the things that you find with vineyards is that many people want to adapt to some biodynamic practices, but when they look in-depth at the background of biodynamics, some of the mystic stuff becomes a non-starter for them. The thing is, if you taste wines from biodynamic vineyards and wineries, in my experience, the quality is always high. In addition, as I’ve mentioned before, when I meet these people, I like them. They are people I want to associate with.
Many biodynamic vineyards owners stick mostly to the things they can measure when it comes to biodynamics avoiding the mysticism. Jason wrote a recent twitter thread about this, citing the science behind why the cow horn silica preparation has an impact on the vineyard.
“yes, biodynamics works, but I’m not sure that it works for the reason it says it works. There are a lot of things … in biodynamics, you are certainly attracting people who want to farm the right way, which goes a long way. This particular collection of techniques has proven basically to make good wine, but the stated reason behind why it’s supposed to work, in most cases sounds ridiculous. It’s nice to just eliminate the whole ridiculous piece of it and dive a little deeper into the science. “
Jason Haas, September 8, 2020
I asked if he thought this new Regenerative Organic Certification might be a gateway for biodynamic skeptics.
“I do, I think there will be a lot of people who are a little more science-based who maybe they have gone organic, but they looked at biodynamics and thought…hmm..”
Jason Haas, September 8, 2020
We also spoke a bit about the past weekend and the heat spike that caused them to only do their outside tastings until noon. I wondered how the vineyard fared and if some of their vineyard practices help them manage the impact.
“We had a couple of days that touched 110 which in my recollection, we have never seen before…
I do think that that wider spacing and the deeper root systems that result from that and from just the age of the older vines, it does help us withstand things like heat spikes in relatively good shape… I talked to Neil this morning and he said that he didn’t see really anything significant in the way of damage from the heat over the last few days. And I think a big piece of that is that the vines roots are down so far that they barely notice what’s going on at the surface. If the root mass is down 10 feet, that doesn’t get impacted by a couple days of 110 versus 100.”
Jason Haas, September 8, 2020
He did mention that with the temperatures now dropping to highs in the mid-90s for this week with cool nights that they expect to see harvest ramp up fairly quickly. This heat spike will likely compress the beginning of harvest.
*After this piece posted Jason shared a twitter thread with more of his thoughts on climate change for the wine industry. It is a worth read. You can find it here.
Lighter bottles – good for the environment and the budget
We spoke a little about packaging. They have added stainless steel kegs to their packaging which is great for restaurants. Once things come back, this will be great for them.
As to environmentally friendly packaging, Tablas Creek went to lighter weight bottles 10 years ago. I asked about the savings with that change. Often with new packaging, it can be more expensive as it’s not as available in the market. It seems in general, the lighter weight bottles are less expensive in many ways.
“…it was cheaper from the beginning. The bottles were cheaper because it’s just less glass, a big piece of it is just the raw materials. And then the transport was a ton cheaper. The average case was 9 lbs less of glass than the previous bottle, so it was ¾ of a lb per bottle less. That was cheaper to transport to us, it was cheaper to transport away from us, whether that was UPS or FedEx going to a consumer customer or whether it was even something as simple as because of the less weight of the glass we could fit 3 more pallets onto a truck, before we get to the trucks weight limit. So there were fewer trucks. It was a cost savings from the beginning.”
Jason Haas, September 8, 2020
Tablas Creek Pairing for Harvest
Typically when you think of harvest, you think of fall, of pumpkins and sweaters. Up until just recently our temperatures have hovered around 114 degrees and we had smoke over the Vegas Valley, as much of the West Coast has and is seeing.
Then the front pushed through bringing winds, which while they are terrible for the coast, did clear our skies and drop our temperatures.
We feel a little more fall like, but it’s still not sweater weather, so we are going with a white wine for harvest.
2018 Tablas Creek Grenache Blanc
As we open and enjoy this wine, they are getting ready to harvest this year’s Grenache Blanc.
All the aromas and flavors from the 2018 Tablas Creek Grenache Blanc
The 2018 vintage was their 16th bottling of this wine. Their site notes
“A classic Grenache Blanc nose of lemon pith, green apple peel, anise, and briny minerality. On the palate, very bright at first, with a burst of lemon on the attack, then sweeter flavors of sarsaparilla and tarragon, while the grape’s richness comes out on the finish, leaving on a long sweet/tart lemon drop note.”
I did not get the sarsaparilla, but everything else was spot on with my tasting. This wine is bright, but round and feels like the perfect white for weather changes. That softness, making it okay for some long sleeves while enjoying a chillier breeze as fall begins to show itself.
This is an estate wine and it sits at 13.4% abv. Most of their Grenache Blanc goes into their White wine blends each year. Tablas is a winery in the Southern Rhone style, so they focus on blends. Luckily for wine geeks like me, they also like to do varietal bottlings, so we can see what each of the components bring to the blends. They fermented some lots in stainless steel and some in foudre (which gives the wine its roundness) and then blend before bottling.
This wine retails at $30 and they produced 1470 cases. It’s still in stock if you want to grab a bottle or two for yourself.
Pairing with fish and fennel
Fish with Fennel and 2018 Grenache Blanc from Tablas Creek Vineyard
I looked to the suggested pairings on their site and chose to work from a recipe they suggested for Fish & Fennel.
This is again one of those early fall cross-over dishes. It is light with citrus and fish, but the broth is full of warming savory notes. The fennel notes again leading me into fall with the promise of licorice candy and heavier baking spices on the horizon.
It was a perfect pairing to enjoy on the rooftop. We celebrated weather that allowed us to get back out here, as we had not been able to do dinner on the roof since June! We took in the sunset and the mountains and shivered a little, which was kind of delicious.
View of the Sheep Range Mountains
Sunset View over Mount Charleston
Wine Pairing Weekend #winepw
Continue the harvest conversation with the group from Wine Pairing Weekend on twitter this Saturday, September 12th at 11 am EDT by following and commenting with the hashtag #winepw. Our discussion will encompass Harvest, climate change, vineyard practices, and of course some amazing pairings.
Here are the pieces by my colleagues on the subject!
We have been lucky enough to visit Tablas Creek Vineyard on several occasions and did a vineyard walk and interview with Jason in 2015. Here are some other pieces on this vineyard.
I did work one morning of harvest, picking Pinot Noir at the Clos Pepe vineyard in Santa Barbara’s Sta. Rita Hills. And just a couple years ago we traveled through the Yakima Valley just at the end of Harvest. You can read about those adventures here.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
I’ve waxed poetic before about my favorite new wine spot in town Garagiste. Well Eric and Mario have a wine club where they shoot out an email when they get in new wines. Most are limited quantity, but all are amazing and fun. When I saw a Zweigelt Pet Nat on the email, I knew I had to have it! Thanks guys, for yet again introducing me to an amazing wine.
This wine is an outlier, and there is a bit to unpack here. It’s a Pet-Nat, made of Zweigelt from a biodynamic vineyard in Kamptal in Austria. We will start first with Austrian Wine.
Austria is a country that is re-emerging in the wine world. This is an old region for wine, it is thought that the Celtic tribes brought grapes to the region before the Romans arrived.
The 1980’s were not good for Austria, and there were years where much of the wine produced was bulk wine for the German market. Wine controls were tightened to assure quality and they have worked there way back into the quality wine world.
Most of the wine in the country comes from the East and south east portions of the country. This is broken into 3 regions: Steiermark, Burgenland and Neiderösterreich or Lower Austria.
Neiderösterreich or Lower Austria is actually the Northernmost of these regions. It is the largest of the regions, with the Danube River traversing the southeastern part of the region. It contains 7 subregions, the one we will focus on is Kamptal.
Kamptal is named for the Kamp river that flows through the region. The area has wide diurnal shifts (warm days, cool nights). Grapes are often grown on terraced slopes. The soils here vary as to the vineyard aspects, which means wines from this region can vary in character.
The Kamptal DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus), is one of the now, 17 designated DAC regions in Austria. The Kamptal DAC covers the Grüner Veltliner and Rieslings made there. Our wine is made of Zweigelt, which is the 2nd most planted wine grape in Austria. But as it is not a recognized variety in this region, our wine sports the more generic “Österreich” for Austrian wine.
Hager Matthias
Our wine comes from Hager Matthias. They have 13 hectares near the village of Mollands. Matthias Hager is the owner and winemaker. He worked his family’s vineyard and eventually moved his vineyard to organic practices and then in 2006 began farming biodynamically.
Matthias is thought of as one of the most experimental winemakers in the region. He has 3 lines of wine. The blue line wines are refreshing and fruity and are an introduction level for their natural wines. The Brown line is their next level natural wine, with a bit more character and the red line is their “PUR” line which free of added sulfites. Our wine is in their blue line.
Hager Matthias Zweigelt Pet Nat 2018
This is a natural sparkling wine made from 100% Zweigelt. Time for a little more explanation.
Zweigelt
This grape is a cross of Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent, created by Dr. Zweigelt. While it is the 2nd most planted grape in Austria, it is not often found outside Austria.
Short for pétillant naturel, this is a lightly sparkling wine made via the method ancestral. This method bottles wine which is only partially fermented. The wine continues to ferment in the bottle catching the CO2 bubbles which give the wine it’s fizz. These wines are low in alcohol and are typically closed with a crown cap, like old soft drink bottles.
The Zweigelt is grown in soils of loam, Schist, and loess. It is fermented in stainless steel and then unfined, unfiltered and with no added sulfites is bottled, while still fermenting.
My notes:
This wine was pink with a copper tinge. It was clear, but there was a bit of sediment in the bottle of the bottle. This was expected as it is unfined and filtered and it was still fermenting when bottled. The nose had white cherry, blood orange, wet stone, cranberry and mandarin orange. It had lovely acid and was bright and lively in my mouth. The wine was 11.5% alcohol and I spent $27.00 on it.
We put together a cheese plate and it went well with everything, from brie to manchego to honeyed goat cheese to rosemary gouda, with smoked salmon, cherries and raspberries, prosciutto, Italian sausage, pecans, and almonds.
Overall, this was a bottle of joy. I have had Pet-Nats before that had some funk on them. (And don’t get me wrong, it was good funk). This wine was clear and vibrant, with a rich fruit note. My recommendation…if you see this, get it!
Hager Matthias Zweigelt Pet Nat with a cheese plate
Resources & Sources
If you want to know more about Austrian Wine, the Austrian Wine Media Board site has all the information you could ever want! I’m including links to their home page, the page on Kamptal and their page on Zweigelt for you.
If you are interesting in learning more about Hager Matthias, get your google translate ready! I’ll include the link to their site as well as a couple others I found from distributors
Lastly, if you are in Vegas, and you are looking for wine, Garagiste has you covered. You can visit their site or go to their Link Tree (which you can find through Instagram) where you can find the list of what they currently have.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
This area in the Western part of the Hunter Valley feels isolated and remote. As you pass through the village of Broke and drive down the 2 lane Wollombi Road, the hill of Yellow Rock rises up on your left while fields reach out past Wollombi Brook to the Mount Broke on the right. Out here is where you will find Krinklewood, a biodynamic vineyard and winery in the Broke-Fordwich sub region of the Hunter Valley.
We arrived and turned down the lane at Krinklewood. You can’t help but be transported. Green vineyard rows are capped with mirror balls. The sunlight catches them and bounces the morning light about. It’s beautiful with a bit of joyful ktich.
Krinklewood Biodynamic Vineyard with its disco balls and Minti
Rod Windrim, the owner of Krinklewood, met us with his dog Minti. Meeting Rod, there is no doubt that you are in Australia, he sports a bush hat with a colorful hat band, and an easy going demeaner.
Rod Windrim, Vigneron at Krinklewood.
Birds and disco balls
Rod asked if I had seen the disco balls before. I had not. They use this here, as a deterrent for birds. It’s a bit flashier than the tinsel you see in many places.
“With birds there’s all sorts of partial solutions, there’s no total solution. Other than standing over them with a machine gun. This came about because I’ve got a neighbor that moved into the area across the road and the sound of electronic speakers and things drove him nuts. He was a miner so he was working shift work, so it was my attempt to try to get on top of the problem in a gentle soft sort of way.”
Rod Windrim, October 2019
He’s even thought about adding wings to them, to catch the breeze better. They look fantastic and let you know that this place does not take itself too seriously. Driving up to the cellar door, you won’t expect a hauty, snooty greeting after seeing those. It sets the mood. It also makes you think immediately of music, and music as we will see, plays a big part in these wines.
The History of Krinklewood
Rod and his family live in Sydney and started coming to the Hunter in 1978. They planted a vineyard in Polkobin in 1981.
“We then moved out of Pokolbin to Wollombi because we felt Pokolbin was becoming too suburban. Actually we thought, next there will be traffic lights and there were tarred roads…so it wasn’t what we were looking for. So we ended up moving to Broke, because it was sort of like we were in the country.”
Rod Windrim, October 2019
In 1996 they decided to plant the vineyard here. They spent 2 years doing the research with soil pits etc. In 1998 they planted to conventional methods, but Rod was researching and found a book by Nicolas Joly on biodynamics. He was fascinated and took a night course on biodynamics. He would rush home late after the class and wake his wife up to tell her all the exciting things he had learned. It was the synergy of this method that really attracted him.
The contractor they were working with was open to this, while still a bit skeptical. They started using biodynamic preparations in 2002 and were certified biodynamic in 2007.
Krinklewood, Biodyamic Vineyard, in New South Wales, The Hunter, Australia
When I say certified biodynamic, it is for the entire property, which includes an orchard and garden, as well as multiple animals they have on the property.
They had sheep, but spent so much time moving the electric fencing, as they moved the sheep from area to area, that it became too much work. With biodynamics, you cannot use chemical drenches to kill worms and parasites in your sheep. The alternative is to have pasture open to heat and light and allow the parasites to die before allowing the sheep in that field to graze. Hence the moving of the fencing constantly.
The inspiration for the Krinklewood label
They still have cattle, but the numbers are dwindling due to the draught. The cattle are an important symbol here, you see them on the label. These are Limousin cattle. When they bought the property they had 60 head of these cattle here. This breed comes from the Limoge province in France. The ancient cave paintings here were the inspiration for the Krinklewood logo.
Cave Paining in Lascaux Cave in the Dordogne region of France, the inspiration for the Krinklewood logo Thierry, Adobe Stock
Krinklewood, Biodyamic Vineyard, in New South Wales, The Hunter, Australia
In addition, they have chickens and there are geese. The idea is biodiversity. It is bucolic and beautiful and it makes you breathe deeper, wrapping you in a sense of calm.
Next we head out for a “wander” as Rod says, to see the property and discuss their biodynamic approach. You’ll want to check back to join us.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
The drought in Australia fueled the fires we saw the beginning of this year. We talked with David Lowe at Lowe Wine about the drought and about biodynamics, a subject you know we are very interested in.
The drought in Australia
David says that the drought has been very damaging for people who were not prepared for it. We later spoke with another winemaker who explained the earlier longer drought that the country had gone through. After a short reprise they plunged into the current drought which is more severe.
Biodynamics and how it helps with drought
Droughts can be debilitating and this is a country that waffles between severe drought and flooding. David feels that he has set his vineyard on the right path over the past 20 years setting it up to be more drought resistant. Removing all the damaging pesticides and letting diverse native grasses grow have helped with ground cover and have limited pests. They don’t irrigate so the roots have dug deep.
“In fact our Shiraz roots go 5 meters deep were all planted with a shovel and a bucket of water and we’ve relied on rainfall scarce as that’s been, all the time and we’ve never lost a vine. They’re quite productive in fact they look better than most vineyards that are drip irrigated. “
David Lowe, October 2019
An explanation of biodynamics
David tells us there is no recipe for bio-dynamics, it is about observation, learning when to interfere and when not to interfere. He gives us a description from his consultant on bio-dynamics, comparing Newtonian science, which is absolute and the philosophy of Goethe, who looked at the precedents and how they occurred and looked for an explanation. If he didn’t find it, it was because it was something we did not completely understand.
“So to me bio-dynamics understands and respects the precedents and what’s happened in nature over the last 5 or 7 thousand years as been mapped and tries to apply Newtonian science to it. I find it a really interesting way to do it. We’re not just looking at the sky and the cosmos and the land and saying, oh we’re all hippie about it. But there is a scientific reason it happens and we’re trying to find it. If we can’t understand it, at least appreciate, this has happened and work with it.”
David Lowe, October 2019
Soils in Australia and Mudgee
We move on to discuss the soils here in Mudgee and within Australia. This is an ancient and eroded land. It is the oldest land form in the world, part of the Gondwaraland. Changes in soil here come from erosion. So the top of the hills are stony and rocky while the bottom fills with silt and loess. On the slopes, of course you get a variation. Variation makes winemakers happy.
Working with soils to make the best wines
David has tried to map the soils and work with it. There is quartz and shale with minerals. It’s well drained and that important for the grapevines, it encourages them to dig deep which promotes drought resistance and increases the quality.
“We’ve said we don’t care about what crop we get off it any year, we care that it’s the best wine possible. Because we are in control of our market, because we are in control of our all of our sales, as you see, our only sales are here, we can tell the message. People can respond to the authenticity of growing and making it and selling it onsite. That’s worked with us. Probably as an accident, but we’re not going to stop it now.”
David Lowe, October 2019
More from David Lowe
We have one more conversation to share with you from our visit with David Lowe. The next one gets pretty geeky on yeasts and barrels!
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
I had heard of Red Mountain. It is on the East end of the Yakima Valley AVA in Washington and was all the buzz. I had even heard it called “Washington’s Napa”. I was skeptical, not of the wines, but of the buzz. So on our first trip to Washington for a wine conference in Walla Walla, we focused our extra time elsewhere.
Returning a little less than a year later, we had a little more time to spend and time to research. As we have been focusing on biodynamic vineyards, we looked for one in the Red Mountain AVA, and came across the Hedges Family Estate.
Hedges Family Estate
The history, the beginnings
As I started exploring their site and learning about the Estate and the family I was anxious to see the property and speak with Sarah Hedges Goedhart, the daughter of the owners and their winemaker.
The property is beautiful. Upon arriving you feel as if you have been swept away to a French Château. This is no accident. Sarah’s mother Anne-Marie, is originally from Champagne….but wait….let me tell this story in order.
Tom Hedges & Anne-Marie Liégeois
Sarah’s farther Tom is from the Tri-Cities area. His family arrived in Washington back in 1888, settling first in the Waterville area and farming wheat, then moving to Wenatchee to grow apples. Her grandfather got a job in Hanford, so the family moved to this area.
Sarah’s mother, as I said before is from Champagne. It was at a party in Mexico, that her parent’s met. Her mother, there studying language, her father, studying tequila production, while getting his masters in International Business. 3 months after the party they were engaged, a year later married. It’s a romance that is coming up on 45 years.
The beginnings of the Hedges Brand
They traveled the world with her father, Tom, working in International Produce sales, spending time in South America, North East Canada and finally ending up in Seattle, with Tom looking for a new direction. West Coast wines were becoming a thing, so they started brokering wines, starting with bulk wines internationally, then getting more specific when they started getting requests for Washington wines.
The first Hedges wine was sold to the government of Sweden. 5000 cases blended from the bulk wine they sourced from Washington. It was popular and inexpensive compared to European wines. The 2nd year they doubled their volume and decided to try selling this wine in the states. This is when the Hedges Brand was born. They moved from buying bulk wine to buying grapes.
The decision to build on Red Mountain
Then came a trip to Vin Expo in Bordeaux where they were continually asked where their vineyard was. Her father was confused, but her mother explained. In France you are nothing without land. So then the decision to be made was, build a winery or buy land? Her father went to a High School reunion in 1989 and heard that Red Mountain was going to be big, with the best fruit in the state. So decision made, they bought 40 acres at somewhere around $1,200 an acre, and they got the last private water rights ever granted in the area.
The Château
In 1995 they broke ground on the Château. This is a place that with it’s attention to detail, transports you to France. Vines line the circular driveway leading up to the Château. You enter through the cobbled walkway shaded by Umbrella Calabra trees, with stone benches and lanterns that you can invision lit at evening. When you reach the entrance you arrive in a courtyard with seating under the trees and a large fountain. The large winery doors beckon, but so does the view of Red Mountain the other direction.
We will continue with our interview with Sarah, discussing the biodynamic practices they have chosen to employ on the estate.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Years….they used to take forever! No longer. Now they often seem to speed by in a blur. The coming of the New Year makes me nostalgic. I sit warm, happy with a full belly and I remember that this is not to be taken for granted. Time for a little reflection and gratitude.
2019
I head to social media to reflect on the year. Remember the days when we had journals or diaries or a box of photos? Well, technology has allowed us to share those memorable moments, both big and small.
Instagram is my go to photo journal. So I’m sifting through to give you an idea of my year…holy crap there are alot of wine photos! LOL!
The Quiet Time
My photo essay of the beginning of my year…snow, studying, a Valentines Day on the ice, new Ramen places, hiking at Mount Charleston, beautiful sunsets, reading by the ocean in Carlsbad, high tea with friends, the super bloom in San Diego, a blind tasting event and of course, Loki. Okay…that gets us through the quiet months.
Double click on any of the photos for a larger picture and perhaps a bit more information.
The Scenic Route
We did our typical drive a million miles summer vacation. This year it was named “The Scenic Route”. It took us from Vegas to Tahoe, to Mount Shasta, to Southern Oregon, through the Columbia Gorge to the Yakima Valley, Walla Walla and then back through the Willamette, down to the Applegate Valley and finally to Yosemite before traveling home. We met incredible winemakers, saw beautiful scenery and vineyards and while we shared the overall story of our trip this year, you can look forward to many more in depth pieces on the places we visited this year.
Studying
Then we rested…that should be what I write next. But no. This was crunch time for me. I had been studying all year to take my test to become a Certified Specialist of Wine. After a 13 week course and then months of additional study I hoped I was ready. I was…
#OurAussieWineAdventure
Now was it time to rest? Nope. We were off to the Wine Media Conference in October. Social media got to see much of our trip…there are still interviews and articles to be written in the new year. Here is a glimpse of our travels through New South Wales Australia. We dubbed it #OurAussieWineAdventure.
So, exhausted and exhilarated, we returned. At this point the holiday’s approached and our 2nd Annual 12 Days of wine celebration was at hand.
12 Days of Wine
Here is a link to that page. 12 Days of Wine 2019. You’ll find fun video reveals and details about each of the wines there.
Now we’ve come to the end of the year. It was a full year. We have writing to do video’s to create and tons of content to share with you. And…there will be new adventures. For right now…I’m going to relax and then day dream about what the New Year might hold.
What wine list of ours would be complete without a bottle from Johan.
The Van Duzer Corridor
View of the Johan Vineyard in the Van Duzer Corridor of Oregon’s Willamette Valley
The Van Duzer Corridor is one of the newer AVA’s in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The TTB approval of the AVA happened in December of 2018 (7 years after they started the process). So what is this corridor and where is it?
The Van Duzer Corridor AVA map courtesy the Oregon Wine Resource Studio
1st, this is a nested AVA lying within the larger Willamette Valley AVA in Oregon. It is in the southern part of the AVA, north of Salem. Encompassing 59,850 acres, there are but 1,000 acres planted to vines. The soil here is marine sediment. It is named for the area 10 miles to it’s west, the actual Van Duzer Corridor, where there is a drop in the coastal range that funnels cold air into the interior.
This happens daily at around 2 pm. The breeze, or should I say wind (it often gets up to 8 mph) does a couple of things. It cools things down and it dries out the berries, keeping them free from mold and fungus (think the Mistral in Provence). It also forces the berries to protect themselves. To do this they thicken their skins and tend to grow smaller and fewer. This gives you more tannins and anthocyanins (which give you color). Lower yields, smaller berries, thicker skin…this all means more flavor.
Johan Vineyard
I have a great love for the wines of Johan. If you know me, you are probably surprised that this was not a Pet Nat! (I do love their Pet Nats). But today we dive into their Estate Grüner Veltliner. But before we get into that…a little on the vineyard.
The vineyard road at Johan Vineyards in the Willamette Valley’s Van Duzer Corridor AVA
Vines at Johan Vineyard
Vineyard View at Johan in the Van Duzer Corridor
Jack and the compost at Johan in the Van Duzer Corridor
Jack pointing out the mushroom innoculation on this stump at Johan
A cowhorn at the biodynamic Johan Vineyard
Views from the tasting room at Johan
Johan Vineyard is 85 acres certified biodynamic. More than that, the winery is certified biodynamic. A holistic approach is important to them here. We walked the vineyard with Jack when we visited and saw the compost heap, and the oak stump innoculated for mushrooms. They have a garden and their wines…most lean toward that “natural wine” style, with many deliciously unfiltered.
For more on Johan you can catch a couple of our previous pieces
Grüner Veltliner can be an underappreciated variety. Hailing from Austria, this grape can often trick people in tastings. That is until they get to the finish where white pepper is the give away. These wines can be citrus, or herbal, lean or full. Flavors as well as textures can vary dependent on climate and style.
In Austria white wines dominate, much of that due to the climate and Grüner is the definite leader covering about a third of the vineyard acreage.
2017 Johan Estate Grüner Veltliner
The grapes are crushed and destemmed, then barrel fermented through primary and malolactic fermentation in puncheons and aged 10 months sur lie (that’s on the dead yeast cells that fall to the bottom). They do not stir the lees. It sits at 13.6% abv and runs $34.99.
2017 Johan Estate Grüner Veltliner
They look to make this wine rich and exotic, choosing to pick appropriately and going through malolactic and sur lie aging to increase the texture.
It should be noted that white wines from the Van Duzer Corridor have a few things in common. They tend to have bright fruit and acid that is compimented by weight and texture. The Oregon Wine Board also notes that you will often find Iodine and Nori characteristics in these wines.
The Tasting
Exotic and rich…lime, lemon, herbs, white pepper, poprocks, nectarine, ginger, honey are all typical aromas and flavors for Gruner.
Johan Estate Grüner Veltliner Scents
This wine was a deep golden color in the glass. The first thing on the nose was bruised apple, then white flower and nectarine. It exploded out of the glass and bottle when it was first opened. It perfumed the air for a several foot radius around the bottle and glass. Then it quickly became shy, making me search for aromas. The acids were firm and the wine had a depth of texture.
The Pairing
We paired this with camembert cheese and found that it brought forth the floral notes. It was lovely with our asparagus risotto. This is one of those rare wines that can pair with asparagus! We also tested it with a split pea soup and found it was less exciting. Perhaps a lighter style of Grüner would have worked with this. I did struggle to find that signature Grüner white pepper on this wine. On a second pour tropical notes came forward and it opened again in the glass with rich warm baked apples.
Other pairing suggestions
Grüner can pair beautifully with Wiener schnitzel (breaded veal cutlets quickly fried). It also pairs well with fried chicken. In addition it is one of those rare wines that will pair with artichokes! Try it with cauliflower, trout or gnocchi!
Noooooo….Only 1 day left!
Thank goodness there is Christmas to cheer us after tomorrow! Otherwise what would we do? The sadness as the 12 days comes to an end would be unbearable! Come back tomorrow!
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
If you are familiar with biodynamics, the first thing that will come to mind when you hear the word is often cowhorns. Bill Steele and his wife Barb, run their property biodynamically and own it right up front with their name, Cowhorn Wine.
The truth about those cowhorns
If you are not familiar with biodynamics, one of the most commonly discussed practices involves cowhorns. Cowhorns are filled with manure and buried in the ground, where they perculate over the winter and come out in the spring filled with all sorts of good microbes. This is then made into a solution (Preparation 500) which is sprayed in the vineyard to encourage all those good microbes to flourish in the soils.
Visiting Cowhorn Wines
Last July we had an opportunity to spend the morning with Bill Steele at his biodynamic vineyard in Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley AVA. Bill walked us through the vineyard. It’s set in a valley and feels like it’s own world. The sound of birds in the trees that surround and dot the property, the buzz of bees as they wake up in the lavender patch, the sound of the water trickling over rocks from the pond…all are enough to make you want to move in and never leave.
The decision to go biodynamic
Bill and his wife Barb were living a homeopathic lifestyle, both of them working in the financial sector. They were ready to make a lifestyle change and get back to the land and found this property. As they explored options for farming techniques for their vineyard, Barb met with some biodynamic farmers in Sonoma. It was more than just the farming techniques, this was a group of like minded people who were open and willing to share. Barb felt they had found friends. These were people who held the same reverence for the earth and they were an inclusive group.
Receiving help and paying it forward
They had help getting started from Brickhouse in the Willamette and from Benzinger in Sonoma. Now as Troon (another vineyard in the Applegate Valley) works toward becoming biodynamic, they can pay it forward, helping as they were helped.
And they were lucky. When they purchase the property it had been untouched for 15 years, so they started their biodynamic vineyard from a relatively clean slate. Troon has a harder road to hoe. Their vineyard had been managed conventionally for a period of time and the journey to biodynamic will take longer, as they restore the vineyard to a semblance of normalcy in soil.
Lavender at Cowhorn supporting pollinators and biodyversity
Why Demeter Certification?
I asked Bill about why he felt Demeter Certification was important. I know wineries that are farming in a biodynamic style but have found the certification to be difficult due to time and expense. For him, it is important because as he says “Wine travels”. With his asparagus, it will be sold close by and people can get out and see how he is growing. With wine, if you are sitting on the other coast and want to support biodynamic vineyards by having a bottle in a restaurant, or picking up one at the store, the Demeter certification is the only way you can be sure of what you are getting in the bottle.
Biodynamics in the winery
I had seen on their website that they were certified as a Biodynamic farm & Winery. I don’t often hear about the winery side of biodynamics and asked Bill about this.
There’s over 200 additions that wineries can put into our wines without disclosing. The only one that we can read about is sulfites. So at Cowhorn, as the winemaker I can guarantee you that there are no additives in there….I actually make my own sulfites. What I do is, I take distilled water and pure SO2 gas, and I diffuse the gas through the water to a certain concentration. The reason for that most folks will use something called “potassium metabisulfite”. I don’t really know exactly what’s in it, but what I wanted was the purest wine that I could have. So what’s in my wines is: organic grapes Demeter certified, a little bit of distilled water and a little bit of SO2 gas, and that’s it.
Bill Steel July 2019
The Patio and creek at Cowhorn
Why biodynamic?
I asked Bill what the most important thing about biodynamics was to him.
I think the thing that is most important to me is that 365 days a year I can have people on the property. My friends kids, my nieces, my nephews, the dogs, people bring dogs here everyday. There is no hazmat suit here, so it’s a safe environment.
Bill Steele July 2019
Quite honestly, I’ve asked this same question to other biodynamic growers and the answer is the same.
The truth about industrial agriculture
Perhaps we don’t think about the hazmat suits that are so often found in agriculture. We prefer to think of bucolic farms and quite honestly, agriculture prefers that we have that image in our minds. But it’s there. Industrial agriculture, which is probably where your lunch came from is filled with chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides. The people who work these farms pay a price with their health. They typically don’t get paid much and rarely have insurance. There is a reason that these farms use migrant workers. You see photos in ads of beautiful produce on the vine, not the chemical sprayers and then the people doing the backbreaking work of picking and breathing in the chemicals left behind.
So choosing biodynamics, or even organic or sustainable foods and wines, makes a difference. Perhaps for you, the choice is just for your own health. But there is a bigger picture, with many more facets. We will continue to explore these through vineyards and wineries…but it carries over to so much more in our world today.
Visiting Cowhorn
The Tasting Room at Cowhorn
If you want to get out and see this beautiful vineyard for yourself… you will find them in Southern Oregon, outside the city of Jacksonville at 1665 Eastside Road, Jacksonville, OR 97530.
They are open for drop ins from 11-4 Thursday to Sunday. You can also reserve a tour or tasting on their website. https://cowhornwine.com/#visit
For more on Cowhorn Wine check out a couple other pieces we have done.
