As many of you know, I spend nearly four decades as a debater and a debate coach. During those decades we debated dozens of domestic and international policy issues…including the danger of species loss via natural selection and human interaction with the planet.

In the most recent post to the Wine and Spirits Report we examined the potential risk to the future of the wine industry as wine species are lost worldwide. The questions we examine in this post is twofold: what is the impact of this species loss? And, even more critically, is there a means by which to reverse, or slow this loss of species?

Let’s start with the concept of ‘keystone species.

National Geographic defines a keystone species as “an organism that helps define an entire ecosystem. Without its keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether. Keystone species have low functional redundancy. This means that if the species were to disappear from the ecosystem, no other species would be able to fill its ecological niche. The ecosystem would be forced to radically change, allowing new and possibly invasive species to populate the habitat”. And, “any organism, from plants to fungi, may be a keystone species”.

Vineyards are ecosystems. There are small ecosystems (like a pond or puddle), and there are large ecosystems (like the earth). A vineyard according to the publication Scientia Horticulturae, is an ecosystem, and as such, needs balance to prevent disease and to maintain control of pests.

Grapes belong to a species named Vitis. There are eight species of grapes in the Vitis genus. Of the eight, six are native to North America with only vinifera (native to Europe), and amurensis (Asia) are non-American species. It is the European vinifera that is the basis of virtually every wine we consume (the six Noble grapes from Cabernet Sauvignon to Chardonnay).

Domestic species of grapes, for the most part, do not make drinkable wine. There are exceptions. However, there has been very little effort to vinify these grapes because the Europe’s vinifera has dominated the U.S. market. The Wine Mosaic (introduced in the last post) has been devoted, despite “working with scarce funding and apathetic growers” to “improving heirloom grapes and encouraging adventurous wine drinkers to broaden their palates”. They hope to appeal “To wine lovers in search of authenticity”.

We reviewed in the last post how inbreeding developed. Following the phylloxera crisis of the late 19^th century, grape growers initiated processes to both prevent a recurrence of phylloxera and to propagate vines that would be resistant to mildew and botrytis (a grape rot). Eventually, they sought to resolve virtually every vineyard issue from insects to fungi through ‘genetic engineering’.

Vineyard yields improved, and vine were less likely, in the short run, to contract diseases. However, through the process of inbreeding growers also made it necessary for vines to have assistance from pesticides and insecticides to survive and thrive. And, they did…

There are wine writers (including New Zealand’s Wine Guy) who argue that there is no real threat to the future of grapes and wine. He argues that terroir assures diversity and protects diversity. “There is no danger of running out of interesting wine any time soon, as it is the geography, climate, winemaker and cultural influences which all play their part in making interesting wines.” I believe he is wrong.

However, despite differences of opinion, science supports the proposition that the reduction of any species (varietal) is a risk to the environment. The key is to expand our very parochial palates.

Old World Wines…a focus on “tradition and the roles of terroir versus the New World where science and the role of the winemaker are more often emphasized”.

Today, the ‘winemaker’s art’ has too often become the domain of marketing. From reviewers with their ratings driving customer interest, and distributors with consumer analysis and a need for placement of products, it should be no surprise that you will find a hundred Chardonnay options, but not a single bottle of a Norton, a robust North American native grape cultivated near St. Louis.

It is difficult to place the blame on retailers. They are simply meeting demand. White Zinfandel to Merlot to Australian Shiraz to Pinot Noir…retailers simply respond to market forces. So, the solution resides in us.

We need to understand the underpinnings of our ‘cultural palate’, and we need to challenge it. Americans have a sweet tooth and that sweet tooth has influenced our choice of beverages. We like sweet soft drinks, sugar in our coffee and tea, we like cocktails that are sweet, and we like our wine and spirits to have a ‘touch’ of sweetness. However, we should be aware that most wine is not sweet. There are fruit elements in wine which may be suggestive of sweet, but most wines, if vinified properly, are dry.

We need to be aware that wine and food are natural partners, and we need to experiment with those pairings. And, we need to experiment with taste.

Especially, considering experimenting with more ‘field blends’.

The Old-World Wine movement encourages the return to a time before mechanical farming and harvesting. And, the movement focuses on how well the “wine communicates the sense of the place where it originates”. The focus on terroir is not new  Growers and winemakers have long been aware that the soil dictates the flavor as much as the varietal.

However, the Old-World wine people also believe in a return to use of wild yeast. ‘New World’ winemakers traditionally rely on cultured yeast strains. Cultured yeast, controlled fermentation through temperature-controlled tanks, and limited maceration (contact of juice with the grapes) all suggest a wine more influenced by the winemaker than the grapes.

Field Blends are an excellent example of Old-World Wine. Made from a blend of grapes grown together in the same field or vineyard. The grapes are then picked and fermented at the same time. “Old World winemakers planted some for ripeness, some for acidity and others for color”. The process ensured that if environmental conditions impacting one of the varieties, the remaining varieties would survive. Quality control is provided by nature. The varietal is not as important as the final product.

There are ‘field blends’ you have likely already sampled. The Prisoner, Ménage a Trois, and Apothic Red/White would all qualify as Field Blends. Field Blends can even mix red and white grapes. And, the field blends tend to focus on old vines. There is an  assumption being older vines represent a more intense flavor profile. And, winemakers are generally not as concerned about what grapes are included in the final ‘mix’ as what the flavor profile might be.

However, this is a flavor profile that requires a ‘trained palate’. The tannins are more aggressive, and the flavor profile require a palate willing to be challenged. This is tricky process. The blending is handled in the vineyard not in the winery. The skill of the winemaker is ultimately determined by the decision as when it is the ideal time to harvest a vineyard populated with multiple varietals.

Ask your local retailer for suggestions of other ‘field blends’. Your palates will expand, and you may ultimately save a grape species. If your retailer is not stocking any field blends, encourage them to do so.

There is always so much more to learn.

Joy and I have participated in many wine clubs over the years. We have enjoyed the extraordinary Syrah and Pinot Noir of Sonoma’s Tom Dehlinger and the old-world characteristics of Oregon’s Patricia Green. We have opened boxes of excellent Cabernet and luscious Chardonnay. We have been involved in the importation of wine, including the excellent Refosk of Slovenia’s San Tomas, and we have purchased small production Brunello from a wonderful enoteca in Montalcino. We have tasted wines produced in states as varied as Illinois, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, and decades ago we stumbled across a wonderful sparkling wine producer named Gruet north of Albuquerque. We traveled through Northern Italy tasting only local products, including a bottle of Lambrusco declared by a Modena waiter to be the “finest in the region” as he ‘popped’ the cork. However, despite our efforts to explore and learn, we continue to be surprised by a wine or a grape with which we have had no experience.

It is the potential for surprise offered by a new wine or grape that offers an appropriate segue into Kevin Begos new book, Tasting the Past (2018, Algonquin), and a companion conversation about Accent On Wine’s newly formed Wine Club.

Vinny Wedderspoon (AOC wine club guru/wine specialist) and Stephane Peltier (former Woodland’s sommelier/owner of AOW) introduced their wine club in late 2018. As with many wine clubs they offer a red and white option (or mixed), and you could acquire 1-3 bottles of each. However, unlike many wine clubs, Vinny and Stephane are willing to challenge your wine palate. Chardonnay and Cabernet are not the common offerings. We have recently discussed Abouriou from the Rhone and will review Sicily’s Catarratto and Austrian Blaufrankisch in the near future. The world of wine is certainly wider than Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and Vinny and Stephane explore the wide range of grapes and the flavors they offer a consumer.

Begos, in Tasting the Past becomes intrigued by the origins of wine initially sparked by a taste of a Cremisan wine produced from indigenous Israeli grapes. Much like Kermit Lynch’s 1988 classic, Adventures on the Wine Route, Tasting the Past is a narrative of wine revelations. Lynch travels through the French wine country as he comes to a nuanced understanding of French wines.  However, unlike Lynch, who focused primarily on the discussion of the dominant six varietals and the producers of contemporary French wine, Begos explores the origins of both wines and grapes outside the mainstream.

Begos, in seeking the Cremisan wines of his youth, discovered that there were wines that have been, or soon would be, lost. He cites Sean Myles, an expert on wine biodiversity, who argues that the world is practicing “viticultural apartheid”. The focus of the wine world (both producers and consumers) is on the six French ‘noble’ grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. While Tempranillo, Airen (Spanish White), Syrah, and Grenache Noir are included among the ‘big ten’ in acres planted, it is the six ‘noble varietals’ that have generated a self-fulling prophecy regarding the questionable future of wine diversity. Many producers/distributors heavily market the ‘big six’ while arguing that those are the wines sought by their customers. The customers, of course, seek those wines that are heavily marketed…and so the cycle goes.

The wine industry is just that…an industry…and industry is driven by profit. Grapes are one of “the most economically important horticultural crops in the world”. However, instead of an increase in the diversity of grapes, thus expanding the flavor palate to attract more consumers, just the opposite has occurred. Sean Myles determined through a study of genomes that “despite their distinct differences in color and flavor, all wine grapes of European origin are very closely related from a genetic point of view”. The genetic inbreeding of grapes represents a significant danger for the survival of viticulture.

Grape growers are farmers, and in the short term farmers seek crops that are vigorous. In order to increase yields and combat pests, growers “have taken to grafting new grape vines from old stock, rather than growing new plants from seed”. Ultimately, many of today’s grape varieties, according to Cornell’s Institute of Geonomic Diversity, are “genetic siblings to those grown a thousand years ago, and some vineyard fields are filled entirely with clones of a single plant. From a plant’s perspective, that’s a problem”.

Inbreeding diminishes variation between varieties and that inbreeding has “prevented the plants from evolving pest resistance over time…and grapes have become more and more susceptible to fungi, viruses and insects”.

The Wine Mosaic Project, a non-profit organization championing vinodiversity, has determined that there are 155 endangered varieties in the Mediterranean region alone, and those varieties are planted on less than 24 acres. The Project reports that many others are moving toward inclusion on the ‘endangered’ list. Many of the ‘endangered’ varieties “make lousy wine”, but others, like Abouriou, are certainly worth saving.

The need for increased variety on the shelves of wine shops is not the only reason for protecting a greater grape species. The Wine Mosaic Project has utilized DNA research to “provide clues to wine history”, they also “offer researchers a genetic toolbox for overcoming challenges of climate change, vine disease and changing consumer tastes”. Plylloxera, a disease at the end of the 19^th century and the early part of the 20^th, devastated the wine industry on both sides of the Atlantic, and “wiped out many varieties”. Sadly, “even more varieties disappeared in the last decades of the 20^th century when indigenous grapes were replaced by more marketable international varieties”. Man can be more dangerous than disease.

This post offers a bleak outlook…the next post will be more optimistic.

Our friends at Accent on Wine introduced us to the unique 2016 Elian Da Ros, Le Vin Est Une Fete from Cotes-du-Marmandais in the south of France. It was both enlightening and delightful.

I had no experience with either the wine or the region. I had never heard of Abouriou, the primary grape of Marmandais, nor could I have easily pointed to Marmandais on a map. My failure to know anything about this grape could be explained that there are over 10,000 varieties of wine grapes in the world of which nearly 1,400 are vinified, and knowing them all would be a challenge, and tasting them a virtual impossibility. It could also be explained that of those more than 10,000 varieties, just 10 dominate vineyard plantings around the world. Those 10 varieties demand a lion’s share of the study associated with wine.

There are an estimated 18 million acres of cultivated vineyards worldwide. Of those 18 million acres, only 800 are producing Abouriou. Most of those vineyards are in the south of France (with a few in acres in California), and most of those vineyards (although Abouriou is noted for its vigorous growth), are controlled for very low yields. A medium yield for a vineyard is considered five tons per acre, Abouriou producers restrict their yields to as little as 1 ½ tons per acre. Doing the math, the maximum number of Abouriou cases produced would be less than 60,000. By comparison between 90-100 million cases of Cabernet Sauvignon are produced each year.

In many ways Abouriou should be attractive grape for growers. The grapes ripen early and has a reduced risk of mildew and other diseases. The grape also is also known for being successfully cultivated in cool sites. However, the variety has so little following that nearly half of Abouriou vineyards were replanted to other varietals between 2007 and 2011. Those vineyards that remain are largely farmed and harvested by cooperatives.

Generally blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Fer, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot to produce varieties of the Cotes du Marmandais, it is also vinified in small quantities as a single varietal. Plant scientists, studying the DNA of grape vines, have determined that Abouriou is either “a half-sibling or grandparent” to Malbec and Merlot. However, Abouriou as a varietal offers neither the depth of Mabec, nor the fruit forward elements of Merlot.

The California version of the grape, largely planted in the Russian River Valley, ripens early in the harvest season, and is often referred to as New Burgundy. Planted initially by Giuseppe Martinelli (the scion of the Martinelli Winery…better known for Zinfandel), those Abouriou vines are still in use today. The grapes are now largely the responsibility of Darak Trowbridge and his Sonoma Old World Winery. Trowbridge produces biodynamic ‘field blends’ of natural wines that “are singular expressions if the winemaker, the grapes and the land”. Old World Wines are available through their website or from smaller California retail outlets.

The dark-skinned grape offers low acidity, high levels of tannin, spice on the nose, and a tart element on the palate.

The Accent on Wine version of the wine adds Cabernet Franc and Merlot to the blend, and their notes accurately suggest that you will find plum, pomegranate and cherries on the nose. You will find rhubarb and strawberries both on the palate and through the medium finish.

Elian Da Ros is considered the ‘father of Marmandais wines”. He developed his winery in 1998 following five years working with the extraordinary Domaine Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace. Upon his return to the south of France, his father gifted him five hectares planted with vineyards with grapes that were largely destined for local wine cooperatives. Today, Elian and his wife Sandrine, now biodynamically farm and vinify grapes from 22 hectres.

The winery uses native yeasts for fermentation and after experimenting with a variety of aging processes, ultimately settled on eight-foot-tall amphoras made ‘from a mix of concrete, clay, and sand’ named ‘Drunk Turtles’ for his white wines. Red wines are aged in concrete eggs and concrete tanks as well as oak barrels.

However, do not get too excited about tracking down Abouriou. You could find it in select French wine shops, and from a few retailers in the U.S. (including Accent on Wine). And, should you be unable to locate an Abouriou, ask a trusted wine specialist to recommend another wine vinified from a grape outside of the ‘big six’. Trust the retailer to guide you, and your palate to inform you.

That brings us to a conversation about why there is so little  Abouriou available, and to the concept of endangered species…”an animal or plant that is seriously at risk of extinction”.  Risk of extinction includes grapes.

Stay tuned…

Recently, Joy and I shared a bottle of 2006 Myuge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Even now, 13 years past its vintage, this wine is excellent. The dark fruit we remembered from earlier bottles remained. The texture is rich, the color deep, and the finish long.

Sterling Cellars in Mahopac, New York, had carried a couple of vintages of Myuge Cab and I went on the hunt for more. Nope …

Not only was it impossible to find Myuge, it is also apparently difficult to find the individuals who had been responsible for Myuge finding its way onto retail shelves. It seems that the Myuge people, headed by “prominent New York sommelier”  Michael Greenlee, had eventually formed a broader wine entity named Amedo, and purchased a wine shipping operation named Wineflite. Things do not seem to have been successful.

Amedo was closed in 2015, and states began to “seize wine shipped by Amedeo and associated entities, for failure to comply with state tax laws”. Napa Valley wineries were successful in winning judgments against the “absent owners”. Greenlee has a recent profile on Linkedin indicating a continued connection to the wine industry. The wine and companies associated with it are gone, but the individuals appear to have moved on.

We know that the 2006 vintage was nearing the end of the ‘wine glut’. Vineyards production had been reduced and was more closely matched with consumption. Myuge, like many fine and reasonably priced wines, was likely vinified from surplus grapes, and with the inability to acquire those grapes, likely disappeared (apparently like the company that marketed it).

Myuge is apparently no more, but my questions are…where did those grapes grow? And, who was the winemaker?

I will continue the hunt for an answer and will share it should I find one. If anyone has a clue…let us know.

Joy and I recently had the pleasure of sharing an extraordinary bottle of 1979 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande gifted to us by our dear friends Steve and Phyllis.

A Second Growth Bordeaux (based on the French government’s 1855 classification), this Cabernet based wine is a product of the Pauillac appellation. The winery, now owned by the Roederer Champagne people, has been unique in its approach to winemaking since a 1925 expansion of planting of Merlot. Since then, the Pichon Lalande has included far more Merlot than Cabernet (35% to 45%) than do most Pauillac wines. Thus, the Pichon Lalande is noted for softer tannins and is also more approachable earlier than many its Bordeaux brethren.

Ironically, the Pinchon Lalande vineyards are located just a row of grapes from First Growth (and very, very expensive) Latour. Latour, a wine defined as more ‘masculine’, blends nearly 75% Cabernet with less than 25% Merlot. Pichon Lalande also relies on older vines than does many Classified Growths (nearly 50 years for the Pichon Lalande) that produce fewer, but generally more intensely flavored, grapes.

Classified Bordeaux is generally noted for its longevity. The rule for Bordeaux has been to buy it as a future, store it wisely, and enjoy it decades later. However, there are exceptions to the rule. Wine critics recommend that some vintages be consumed younger.

The ‘softer’ tannins characteristic of 1979 Pichon Lalande mentioned earlier resulted in a wine often described as ‘feminine’. The lower tannins would also suggest that, unlike many other Bordeaux products, a Pichon Lalande generally has limited potential to age. In fact, many wine reviewers, assumed that the 1979’s drinkable life should have ended a decade ago.

The Bordeaux grape crop in 1979 was large and resulted in many diluted wines. The summer of 1979 in Bordeaux was cool and the brix level of the (sugar) crop was generally low. As a result, the prices of 1979’s were very modest by classified Bordeaux standards. And, unfortunately, most distributors and retailers still had large quantities of vintages of 1975-1978 still in warehouses or on shelves. Adding injury to insult, the 1979 vintage earned just 83 points from the Wine Spectator.  But, there are always wines that outperform the vintage, and Pichon Lalande was one of those.

This specific bottle also proves that there is one factor other that can significantly alter a wine’s survival equation…proper storage.

We opened our 1979 at Nico, a favorite Charleston area restaurant. It had been stored in its original wood case, and in ideal conditions, since its release. The bottle’s fill level was like new as was both its label and foil.

The color was still excellent and the earth, dark berries, and spices that the Wine Spectator noted in a 1997 review were evident through a still lingering finish. The 1979, while soft, was still a vibrant drink 40 years after it was vinified. A 1979 Pichon Lalande, properly stored, still has a couple of years before it is beyond the peak of ‘drinkability’. Ideal storage is what permitted this Pichon Lalande to maintain its vitality.

The same rule would apply to virtually any other bottle…cool, dark, and on its said to keep the cork moist…and don’t forget it is there.

It is not surprising that Randall Graham, the owner-winemaker of Bonny Doon, refers to himself as the product of a “permanent liberal arts” education. It is clear, that while ‘liberal arts’ may have been his area of study as a student at The University of California Santa Cruz, Graham has historically been on the side of the ‘liberal’ spectrum regarding winemaking strategies.

Although Graham was born in Los Angeles (1953), it is his work in Santa Cruz for which he is best known. Following his undergraduate time at UC Santa Cruz, Graham returned home and eventually found work sweeping floors at The Wine Merchant (now a 20,000 square foot retail store in West Los Angeles). Somehow, while sweeping floors, he uncovered a passion for wine that extended beyond consumption. In 1979 Graham enrolled in the Plant Sciences program at The University of California at Davis. It was at UC Davis that Graham began his obsession (particularly regarding Pinot Noir) with wines that at the time would have been considered ‘off the beaten path’.

Graham’s family helped him purchase Santa Cruz Mountains property in the “quaint hamlet of Bonny Doon”. And, the wine legend known as ‘The Rhone Ranger’ was formed. Joined by Bob Lunquist of Qupe Wine Cellars, Fred Cline of Cline Cellars, and Joseph Phelps of Joseph Phelps Winery (and a few others) the ‘Rhone Rangers’ pioneered and encouraged other grower/winemakers to plant Rhone varietals and the group was ultimately instrumental in “popularizing Rhone varietals”. The group was very active throughout the 1980s, and following a quiet 1990s, were reenergized in the late 1990s advocating for the expansion of Syrah as a primary California varietal.

Graham’s original goal was to “replicate Burgundy in California”. However, despite his affinity for Pinot Noir, Graham “realized early on that he would have far more success creating more distinctive and original wines working with Rhone varieties in the Central Coast of California”. The first Le Cigare Volant (1984), a tribute to Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CDP), was released in 1986. Summerville’s Accent on Wine included the 2012 version of Le Cigare Volant as the inaugural red offering for their newly formed Wine Club.

There are 18 varietals which may be utilized, under 2009 French AOC rules, in the blending of CDP. However, there are 13 traditional varieties (including both red and white grapes) employed in the blend. And, while there are no rules regarding percentages, Grenache dominates most CDP blends. The Rhone region is planted to more than 70% Grenache (Syrah at 10.5% and Mourvedre at 7%). There are just under 4,000 acres of Grenache planted in California. By comparison, there are more than 70,000 acres of Cabernet. Syrah is found on just over 15,000 acres. There are 250,000 acres of Grenache planted in France (second only to Merlot). Spain grows Grenache on 170,000 vineyard acres.

Grenache is a prolific grape. Each acre can potentially produce an average of 10-12 tons of grapes per year. However, older Grenache vines are prized for ‘the depth of flavor’. Older vines generally produce less fruit. Grenache yields in California, however, are generally limited to just two tons per acre (eight tons of fruit per acre is the average yield for wine grapes in California). Two tons of grapes will produce just 120 cases of wine And, while the ratio of low yield to excellent wine is not absolute, many California Grenache growers and winemakers using Grenache subscribe to the lower tonnage mantra.

The 2012 Le Cigare Volant was blended from 39% Mourvedre; 33% Grenache, and 26% Syrah (with a touch of Cinsault). The wine was the product of biodynamic production, and there were only 4,000 cases of this Santa Cruz based wine available.

This deeply colored liquid offers elements of earth on the nose and just a hint of softer red fruit. The palate has pleasant cherry and chocolate tones on the palate. There is “lively acidity” and soft tannins with a flavor package that offers a medium finish.

Current vintages of the Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant generally sells for more than $40. However, Bonny Doon does offer many excellent wines at more ‘budget’ friendly prices. A Proper Claret is priced lower than $15 (and rated more than 90 points by James Suckling), The Vin Gris is priced at less than $12. Bonny Doon wines are available nationwide.

Randall Graham still makes wine ‘his way’. He pioneered screwcaps as a bottle closure and believed it was important for consumers to know what was in the bottle – thus, he supports the listing of ingredients on the label.  He is also a strong proponent of biodynamic processes. I am working on a longer post devoted to new trends on biodynamic winemaking, including Graham’s thoughts on this process.

Graham also argues that everyone, winemakers and consumers, should be aware of the difference between ‘vine de terroir’ – “wine that expresses a sense of place, and ‘vin d’effort’, a wine that expresses the stylistic intention of the winemaker’s will”. Graham does not believe that the winemaker is any “more responsible for making wine than they are responsible for converting sunlight striking the leaves of a grapevine into sugars and more complex flavor components elaborated within the vine”. Graham is clearly a supporter of the winemaking model that argues for great wines being the product of the vineyard.

Regardless of the process employed in getting juice into the bottle, conversations with Randall Graham often include the comment that he makes wines that he enjoys consuming.

So will you…