Each
Monday, I post a reader submitted question along with my answer. Have a
question of your own? Ask it in the comments section below.
I’m available to answer specific
food and wine questions; questions about varieties, vintages, styles,
sequences, and regions; aeration, ageability and equipment. Please try to avoid
open ended or distracting questions about how to build a wine cellar, how to
collect, how to become a Master Sommelier, how to get in the business, etc.
I am looking for a wine
storage system for my home. The unit would be located in my garage, so it does
not have to be pretty, nor does it need a glass door (which I assume decreases
the energy efficiency). I think that I would be happy with something in the
four to five case range.Any
suggestions?
-Paul
I am
unfortunately not an expert when it comes to home wine storage units.
(Personally, I rent a cooled and humidified 30 case locker in Chicago!) When I was at
Charlie Trotter's and other fine restaurants with extensive programs, we would
insulate, cool, and humidify entire rooms, rather than use home-type units.
That said,
I think you have a good idea to get a bare-bones, non-decorative unit. I
am sure there are commercial storage units just as there are commercial stoves
and freezers and so on. The key is efficiency, as you say, and security of the
gaskets, etc. I am not informed enough on brands or systems though--so a review
of Wine Enthusiast and the like is in order for both of us!
Each
Monday, I post a reader submitted question along with my answer. Have a
question of your own? Ask it in the comments section below. I’m available to answer specific
food and wine questions; questions about varieties, vintages, styles,
sequences, and regions; aeration, ageability and equipment. Please try to avoid
open ended or distracting questions about how to build a wine cellar, how to
collect, how to become a Master Sommelier, how to get in the business, etc.
Why do some inexpensive wines give
one a headache while higher end wines do not? We recently experienced the
phenomenon at a banquet where the Cabernet that was served wasn't particularly
harsh to the palate, but resulted in a pounding headache a short time after the
dinner. We did not drink to excess. I had two glasses and my husband had one.
JUSTIN wines are phenomenal! Thanks for your great work and thanks in advance
for considering my question.
-Susan
I
don't think I can fully answer your question. There are many factors that can
contribute to various discomforts, and wine may or may not be the culprit. Of
course, alcohol is a key component of wine, and one of the prominent reasons we
drink it. It also can have variable effects, depending on a myriad of other
conditions. Tiredness, latent illness, allergies, food, other beverages--all
can compound the effect of wine, cheap or expensive.
I will say
this: better, more expensive wines go through less processing and manipulations
than large-production commercial ones, and probably have fewer
"enhancements" that can ensure consistency in simpler wines. Such
elements as sulfur, fining agents, and grape musts are more common in less
expensive wines, especially whites. The manufacturing and distribution process
requires this.
But that
said, you can develop a whale of a hangover from drinking a $200 cabernet or Bordeaux, just as you
might with a $3.00 merlot. But it will feel like you've earned it in luxury.
Each
Monday, I post a reader submitted question along with my answer. Have a
question of your own? Ask it in the comments section below. I’m available to answer specific
food and wine questions; questions about varieties, vintages, styles,
sequences, and regions; aeration, ageability and equipment. Please try to avoid
open ended or distracting questions about how to build a wine cellar, how to
collect, how to become a Master Sommelier, how to get in the business, etc.
I have every vintage of ISOSCELES
dating back to the 1996 vintage. When should I drink these vintages? Have I
missed the peak for the ’96 and ’97? Would you recommend doing a vertical
tasting, or drinking each bottle on its own?
-David
Your '97 is
still a very young and vibrant wine. My guess is that the '96 is right there,
ready to drink, and so you should enjoy it now through 2012. We build Isosceles
to mature gracefully over a 10-20 year period. Vintages behave variably, of
course, and I would guess that as they come to the 10 year mark the less
intense vintages (e.g. '98, '00, '03) should be consumed, while the more
extracted vintages (e.g. '97, '01, '02, '05) should continue to develop.
I would not
necessarily wish to taste the wines in one single event. Enjoy them over a
series of dinners perhaps. But vertical tastings are for academic and not
pleasurable purposes, in my view.
Each
Monday, I post a reader submitted question along with my answer. Have a
question of your own? Ask it in the comments section below. I’m available to answer specific
food and wine questions; questions about varieties, vintages, styles, sequences,
and regions; aeration, ageability and equipment. Please try to avoid open ended
or distracting questions about how to build a wine cellar, how to collect, how
to become a Master Sommelier, how to get in the business, etc.
I am a long time member of the
JUSTIN Wine Society. We are partial to all reds. We have just purchased a small
wine storage unit that holds about 60 bottles. What temperature do you
recommend we keep the red wine at?
-Thomas
For
long-term storage, typically we recommend 55-60 degrees F. But a unit that
you're drawing from regularly for dinnertime wine, which is what it sounds like
you have, I would keep it at 65. And if you can make sure you are managing
humidity, which should be above 60% consistently so that corks don't dry out.
Each
Monday, I post a reader submitted question along with my answer. Have a
question of your own? Ask it in the comments section below. I’m available to answer specific
food and wine questions; questions about varieties, vintages, styles,
sequences, and regions; aeration, ageability and equipment. Please try to avoid
open ended or distracting questions about how to build a wine cellar, how to
collect, how to become a Master Sommelier, how to get in the business, etc.
How much longer can I cellar my 97
Isosceles Reserves? The book says a couple more years, could it be longer as
well? Thanks for your help!
-Dana, Society Member since 1994
It should
be fabulous right now, but I believe you can hold it another 4-6 years without
any downturn in flavor or aroma. It's a classic year for us, and should be
sensational.
Each
Monday, I post a reader submitted question along with my answer. Have a
question of your own? Ask it in the comments section below. I’m available to answer specific
food and wine questions; questions about varieties, vintages, styles,
sequences, and regions; aeration, ageability and equipment. Please try to avoid
open ended or distracting questions about how to build a wine cellar, how to
collect, how to become a Master Sommelier, how to get in the business, etc.
This question is a bit from the
outfield, but I can't seem to get anything but opinions all over the board. In
addition to JUSTIN wines, I love Champagne. Several
years ago I purchased a Magnum of 1985 Veuve Cliquot Rose for a Nevada Ballet
fundraiser. Interestingly, my wife received the same magnum as a major
birthday gift from our wine loving friends. When properly cellared, do you have
any idea how long really good Champagne
tends to last?
-Brad
I love Champagne too, and so do
Justin and Debby Baldwin! Unfortunately it's not a style we can make very well
in a warm climate region like Paso Robles, so we leave it to the experts.
Your bottle
sounds wonderful. You have three things in your favor: one, the wine is from a
superb house, Clicquot. Two, the vintage is an excellent one, among the top
three of the '80s. Three, it is in magnum format. IF you have kept the wine
cool all these years, it should be splendid, still quite effervescent, and a
lovely coral/salmon hue that I find most attractive. Fruit character in Rose
Champagne changes dramatically over time, and a 20+ year wine will be smoky and
Burgundy-like in the nose rather than lightly red-berry aromaed. But that is
all to the good.
In general,
vintage Champagne,
from great vintages especially, can mature for decades. I have had 40
year-old Champagne
that is still quite lively and could go another 20 years. I have also
encountered, alas, younger wines that have not made it, usually because of heat
or too much moving around. I would not advise holding non-vintage Champagne any longer
than three years after purchase--its multi-vintage nature ensures that it is
ready upon release.
We’re
starting a new blog feature! Each Monday, I will post a reader submitted
question along with my answer. Have a question of your own? Ask it in the
comments section below. I’m available to answer specific
food and wine questions; questions about varieties, vintages, styles,
sequences, and regions; aeration, ageability and equipment. Please try to avoid
open ended or distracting questions about how to build a wine cellar, how to
collect, how to become a Master Sommelier, how to get in the business, etc.
I have ‘02, ’03, ’04, and ‘05
ISOSCELES Reserve in my cellar. I would like to do a vertical tasting of ’02 –
‘05 and would like any ideas you have regarding appropriate food for the
occasion.
-Allan
While all
the Reserves you list are young and still powerful wines, they build in stature
from older to younger. You will find that intensity and tannin levels vary: '02
is becoming slightly more secondary (earth, dried flowers, leather) in its
aromas with bottle age, and is not so fruit-driven now. '03 is very generous
and the least tannic of the four; '04 is very densely black-fruit driven, and
still opaque, very tannic. You will find the greatest fruit intensity and range
in the '05; it is also the most tannic, naturally, as a new release.
So that is
the order I would serve them in: old to young. As for food, in a tasting where
the wines are the highlight, keep it fairly simple: a prime rib roast, or a
roast leg of lamb, or an array of cow's-milk aged cheeses will set off the
flavors of the wines.
This morning, our winemaker, Fred Holloway told me we'd be receiving a couple of new open top fermenting tanks around 10am if I'd like to take pictures of the installation. We're really happy with the results we're seeing with the new tanks (more about that later), so I wasn't surprised to hear we were adding a few more to the tank farm. Part of my job at the winery is to take pictures of everything. Literally everything. It is not uncommon to see me wandering around the vineyard following our workers around snapping photos of them pruning, weeding, picking, etc. as I attempt to talk to them in my (extremely) broken Spanish. I'm also responsible for taking photos of large trade groups, winery events (if you make it out for our Annual Wine Society Gala - and you should! - you will definitely see me walking around with a camera around my neck), construction projects, and anything else of interest that happens at the winery.
Typically I wear jeans and flats nearly 5 days every week. There's a reason for that. It's just not practical for me to dress up when I could get bright purple juice splattered all over me or if I have to go climbing up to the top of a pyramid of barrels to get a good shot of the Barrel Chai. (If you've ever been here for a Guest Chef Dinner, there's a 90% chance you'll see me early in the night atop my perch, camera in hand, snapping away a few shots of the tables.)
Today, of course, I decided not to wear my typical uniform of jeans and flats...I wore a skirt and heels. To get the best pictures of the tank installation, I needed to walk the catwalk...and I'm not talking about the runway catwalk, I'm talking about a metal grate 20-60 feet high (or so) with stairs. Did I mention it was breezy today? It was a bit like this:
So now that I've disclosed my embarrassing Marilyn moment, I thought you might also enjoy some photos from the tank installation. It's pretty amazing how just two guys are able to unload and move into place these heavy tanks in a matter of minutes.
The tanks arrive at the winery on a large semi with a crane.
The tank is hooked up to the crane, hoisted into the air and moved into place. (That's our tour guide Jim in the red shirt waving at the camera. He was just about to give the 10:30 tour as the tanks were being installed so he came over to check it out.)
The tank is moved into place using the crane and then lowered down and released.
I'll be back soon with a post about how our open top fermentation tanks work and why we're so excited about the results. If you have any questions you want me to address, please post them in the comments section below.
Thank you to all of you who posted a comment or emailed me
in response to yesterday’s post. I’m mailing your corkscrews next week.
Yesterday I asked you a few questions about what the differences are between
organic and biodynamic farming and what sustainable farming means. A lot of you
had good comments, but I gather that there is some confusion about what it all
means. I’m going to try to clear up that confusion and expand your knowledge
(and mine! – I’m not an expert myself, but, I have an open dialogue going with
our production staff and they’re more than willing to help me out.)
So, from
yesterday:
1. What
is the difference between Organic and Biodynamic farming?
Although organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides, pesticides
and herbicides can still be used when farming organically as long as
they’re not created synthetically. According to the USDA's definition, organic farmers emphasize the use of renewable resources and conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. (For more information on organic farming, check out the California Certified Organic Farmers website.)
Biodynamic farming takes things a step further and looks at the farm in relationship to the environment as a whole. Biodynamic farmers use special teas to give the plants the nutrients they need. Predatory animals and beneficial
insects are used to control pests instead of pesticides. (Organic farmers may
also utilize predatory animals and beneficial insects to control pests.) Additionally,
in biodynamic farming, the focus is on looking at the farm as part of the
ecosystem, and considering forces outside the realm of the fence line. As
such, everything that is done in the vineyard (picking, pruning, weeding,
etc.) coincides with the lunar cycle. For a more expansive definition of biodynamic farming,
please browse the Demeter website. Demeter is the only Biodynamic certification agent in the
Unites States.
2. What
does Sustainable farming mean?
I’m
giving you the definition and standards set forth by the Central Coast
Vineyard Team (CCVT). We’re currently in the process of applying for the Sustainability
in Practice (SIP) Vineyard Certification offered by the CCVT.
Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet
the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs. Therefore, stewardship of both natural and human
resources is of prime importance. Sustainable farming systems are
biologically-based and designed to be productive in both the short- and
long-term.
Sustainable agriculture integrates three main
goals—environmental health, economic profitability, and social equity. Because
it is more a philosophical approach to agriculture than a set of farming
practices, the specific practices that can be called sustainable vary depending
on the crop and the specific environmental and social issues important to a
region. Therefore, it is important that all those interested in making
agriculture more sustainable—consumers, growers, environmentalists, farm
workers, processors, retailers—educate themselves on the related issues.
(This
definition was taken in its entirety from the Central Coast
Vineyard Team’s website. I highly encourage you to browse their site for
additional information.)
...
At JUSTIN, we are always striving to find new ways to improve
the quality of our wines, and farming biodynamically started out as an
experiment in five vineyard blocks totaling 7 acres. We’ve been monitoring the
progress of those blocks and we like what we see, so we’ve expanded the program
to 4 additional blocks for a total of 20 acres. Additionally, we encourage our growers
to incorporate biodynamic farming practices into the management of their
vineyards as well.
Farming biodynamically is a labor-intensive process and
we’re converting vineyard blocks gradually. We expect to eventually extend the
program to the rest of the estate vineyard in the upcoming years, assuming it
continues to produce high quality fruit.
As part of our biodynamic/sustainable program, we’ve added bird
boxes to encourage predatory birds such as Barn owls, Hawks, Eagles, and a
Kestrel Falcon to nest on property to help control our squirrel, gopher, mice, and
small bird (Starlings and Sparrows) populations. You can read more about our
predatory birds in Paul’s article in the current issue of the JUSTIN
Times.
Yesterday, during our vineyard tour, Paul showed us a
variety of teas that we use in the biodynamic blocks of the vineyard. Some of
the teas are less exotic, like Chamomile (just like what you’d make at home!)
and other teas such as Horseweed, Nettle, and Yarrow. Some of the other more
offensive sounding preparations include cow stomach and horn manure (horn manure is cow manure stuffed into a hollowed out cow's horn and buried in the vineyard until it is ready to be made into a tea and sprayed into the vineyard).
Yesterday, Paul also taught us about predatory insects…predatory mites
to be exact! And we all happily assisted in releasing them into the vineyard. Bad
(spider) mites cause dead spots to form on the leaves and high populations of
spider mites can render the leaves nonfunctional. To ensure we maintain
healthy, functioning leaves, we released two different types of mites, the Cali
Predatory Mite and the Western Predatory Mite to eat the spider mites. The
mites arrived in a brown bag on bean stalks which we distributed by placing a
stalk on every sixth vine throughout the affected block. The mites are barely
visible to the human eye, and will crawl off the bean stalks and make their way
through the vineyard, eating the spider mites as they move along. Once these predatory
mites consume all of the spider mites, they will move on to the rest of the
vineyard to find more food or die off.
Check out the following video of Grower Relations Manager
Paul Kaselionis talking about the mite release.
Did you find this interesting? Confusing? Do you have any
questions? Do you want to learn more about our biodynamic program?
Today I went on a vineyard tour with our Grower
Relations Manager, Paul Kaselionis. I arranged the tour for myself and anyone
else who wanted to go from Sales & Marketing, Wine Society, Accounting, and
the Tasting Room. I thought it would be interesting and useful for all of us to
learn more about our Biodynamic Farming Practices.
Paul started out the tour with a couple of questions…I
thought it might be interesting to post them here as well. Please respond with
your answers. I’ll add the official answers, more details on the JUSTIN Biodynamic Farming Program and some video from our tour
tomorrow.
I’m interested in your
thoughts…
What is the
difference between Organic and Biodynamic farming?
What does
Sustainable farming mean?
Is sustainably
produced wine important to you? Why?
If you post a response before noon tomorrow (5/22/09),
I’ll send you a JUSTIN logo corkscrew! (send an email to tracy@justinwine.com with your name and address after you post your comment)
