USA Flashcards
Which grapes are used for cheap blends in the US?
Colombard Chenin Blanc Thompson Seedless Carignan Ruby Cabernet Barbera
Mostly in California Central Valley using irrigation
What is the style of old vine Californian Zinfandel?
Rich full bodied wines with concentrated red berry flavours, high alcohol levels and some residual sugar
What leads to some raisining of Zinfandel at full ripeness in California?
Tendency towards uneven ripeness of Zinfandel
What is Zinfandel also known as?
Primitivo
What is Zinfandel used for in California?
Blends, varietal wines and for blush rosé
Blended with other varieties for bulk wines
Where in the US can rival Bordeaux for quality Cabernet Sauvignon?
Napa Valley
What creates expressive wines in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon?
Fruit is left until complete phenolic ripeness
Where else in the US aside from Napa Valley makes high quality Cabernet Sauvignon?
Washington State
What is the style of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Central Valley, USA?
Soft, juicy black cherry with light tannin
What is a watch out for California Cab Sav?
Sometimes unbalanced with high alcohol
What is a watch out for cheap Merlot in USA?
Fashionable, cheap soft tannins and little character
What is the flavour profile of quality Merlot from Monterey and Napa?
Blackberry and plum flavours, velvety tannins and high alcohol
Which grape is thought to have high quality potential in Washington State?
Merlot
What is a watch out for Pinot Noir from hot sites in the US?
Early planting in hotter sites lead to baked wines with little character
In which cooler sites is Pinot Noir planted in the US?
Russian River
Carneros
Santa Barbera
Willamette Valley
What is the style of quality Pinot Noir in the US?
Ranges from elegant, structured, gamey styles through to rich, full red fruit wines
What is the style of Chardonnay in the US?
Generally full bodied, high alcohol, obvious oak, hazelnut and butter character with exotic fruit flavours.
Many more restrained styles found in cooler regions
In which style is most Sauvignon Blanc produced in the US?
In the Bordeaux style with partial full fermentation and ageing in Oak.
Sometimes sold as Fumé Blanc which usually indicates ageing in oak
Cheap Sauvignon Blanc often shows very little varietal fruit
Why have there been plantings of Syrah, Viognier and Marsanne in the US?
To answer the fashion and trend for Rhône style wines
What is the third most important state for grape growing in the US?
New York State
But not all of it is for wine, grapes for table grapes, jams etc
What increased Vinifera plantings in New York State?
Farm wineries Act 1976
Saw a move away from American varieties that had dominated
What are the three main vineyard areas in New York State?
Finger Lakes
Hudson Valley
Long Island
What is perennial climatic risk in Finger Lakes, New York State?
Frost
What provides a warm, moderating effect on the climate of New York State?
Lakes and Ocean
What is the second biggest Vinifera based wine producing state in the US?
Washington State
What is grown in Washington State?
Mostly Bordeaux varieties, especially Merlot. Chardonnay and Syrah also planted.
What is the climate in Washington State?
Extreme continental climate.
Inland regions with dry, almost desert like conditions mean irrigation with river water is essential.
Severe winter frost a threat
What is the structure of the release in Washington State?
One major winery group with small independent producers
What is a key region in Washington State?
Columbia Valley (including Yakima Valley and Walla Walla)
What is the climate in Oregon?
Maritime climate influenced by Pacific Ocean and North Pacific Drift
What is the climate in Willamette Valley, south of Portland?
Maritime climate. Mild winters and warm summers
What is successfully grown in Willamette Valley?
Burgundian styles Pinot Noir
Also Pinot Gris and Chardonnay
What grapes dominate in Umpqua Valley and Rogue Valley (South of Willamette) and why?
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate due to warmer climate
What type of wineries will you most likely find in Umpqua Valley and Rogue Valley in Oregon?
Mostly boutique wineries
Why does California have such a wide range of climates?
It is 1100km north to south with vineyards along the entire length leading to a large range of climates
What moderates temperature in parts of California?
Cooling mists and fog that roll in from the Pacific Ocean
Why are Vineyards played at altitude if there is no fog influence in California?
As lower down the temperature can reach up to 40•C
What is UC Davis best known for?
It’s zonal classification of California based on degree days
Where is the North Coast Region?
North of San Francisco Bay, California
What is the climate in North Coast Region?
Wide range of climates from warm Mediterranean to cool where spring frosts are a problem
What is Napa Valley AVA known for?
Expensive vineyard land and prestigious wineries
Morning mists rolls in from the bay cooling the climate
Cabernet Sauvignon
Where is Carneros AVA?
It runs along the bottom of Napa and Sonoma AVAs in California
What wines is Carneros AVA known for?
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
And sparking wine
What is Russian River Valley known for?
Quality Pinot Noir production
Where is Russian River Valley?
Sonoma County, North Coast Region, California
What wine is Dry Creek Valley known for?
Zinfandel
Where is Dry Creek Valley?
Sonoma County in California’s North Coast Region
What is the climate in Anderson Valley, Medocino County?
Cool climate
Where the hell is Anderson Valley?
Mendocino County, North Coast Region, California
What wines are revered from Anderson Valley?
Pinot Noir
And Riesling and Gewürztraminer
Due to cool climate
What regions are in California’s North Central Coast?
- Monterey County, cool dry climate - producing Chardonnay with crisp, citrus character and rich dark Merlot with firm tannins
- Santa Cruz Mountains, cool (Zone 1) locations of poor soil producing some of California’s greatest wines
Where in California’s South Central Coast is known for producing fine Zinfandel?
Santa Ynez Valley and Paso Robles
What facilitates the flow of cool ocean breezes in South Central Coast California?
The mountain range lies East-West rather than North-South
Which region represents 80% of California’s total production?
Central Valley California
What is the focus of production in Central Valley California?
Quantity
What some is Central Valley in?
Zones 4 + 5 it is hot hot hot
Who has experimented to create varieties that can handle the heat of California’s Central Valley’s?
UC Davis
Which varieties has UC Davis created to deal with the heat of Central Valley California?
Ruby Cabernet and Rubired
What soaks up excess production in California’s Central Valley?
Wine Coolers and brandies
What grows best in the Sierra Foothills, California?
Old Vine Zinfandel
Italian varieties like Sangiovese
Hot days and cool nights ensures good fruit concentration
Where is the Sierra foothills?
In California
At the foothills of the Rockies
What ensures good fruit concentration in the Sierra Foothills?
Hot days and cool nights makes for some great concentrated old vine Zinfandel
Why did half of Napa vineyards need to be replanted?
Poor research from UC David led to planting on rootstock ARC1 not tolerant to Phylloxera, meaning half of Napa Vineyards needed to be replanted
What disease is a problem in Southern California?
Pierce’s Disease carried by Sharp Shooers
It is incurable and fatal and a problem in Southern California
Which California wine region is said to be a hotbed or experimentation and why?
Lodi
While best known for its old vine Zinfandel there are 100 different vines in the ground at Lodi including Italian varieties like Aglianico, Sangiovese and Nero d’Avola
Napa gets a big return on Cab Sav but Lodi winemakers Cab experiment more as land is cheaper and lots of different soil types that suit a broad range of grapes
There is a lot of interest in planting Albariño
How much does Lodi produce of California’s wine output?
40%
Why were attempts to establish European vines in the US repeated failures?
Vines died of a mysterious ailment which only much later in the mid 19th Century came to be identified as Phylloxera
What vines were planted on the Eastern Seaboard of US?
Labrusca varieties and hybrids such as Concord, Catawba, Niagara and Delaware
What is the third most important state for grape growing in the US?
New York
Makes wine, table and jams
What was the most widely planted grape variety in the US in the 19th Century?
The American hybrid Catawba
Red grape
Hardy suitable to harsh cold winter
Late ripening, susceptible to fungal disease - powdery and downy mildew
Used to make wine, jams and table grapes
Thought to be a hybrid of Vitis Labrusca and Vitis Vinifera variety Sémillon
Why were Franciscan missionaries able to cultivate the Vinifera variety Mission (País, Criolla Chica) in Alta California in the late 1760s?
Due to the Phylloxera free soils of San Diego, Monterey and San Francisco
What drew people and prosperity to California in 1848?
The gold rush
James W Marshall discovered gold in the American River in California
Who introduced Zinfandel to California?
Italian immigrants they called it Primitivo
What two Ps caused disaster to US wineries?
Phylloxera late 1880s
Prohibition 1920-1933
What is the legacy of prohibition that lives on to this day?
State legislation
Each US state imposed its own alcohol tax with some remaining puritanical dry and exporting wine across state boundaries can present such a legislative hurdle as to dissuade many producers from even trying.
Viticulture continues during prohibition in production of table grapes, juice concentrate, raisins and communion wine
Which pioneers in the 1960s helped shift the focus from port style fortified wines that had dominated post-Prohibition to Bordeaux style Cabs and Burgundy-influenced Chardonnays?
Robert Mondavi
André Tchelistcheff
Gallo brothers
Who set up the Judgement of Paris?
British wine merchant Steven Spurrier
What is the Judgement of Paris?
It refers to the blind tasting panel convened in 1976 by British merchant, Steven Spurrier, pitting best of California against the best of Bordeaux and Burgundy.
California wines top the top prize in every category
What is 1976 an important date in US wine history?
Year of the Judgement of Paris (Cali v Bordeaux and Burgundy, 1976)
Farm Wineries Act 1976 increased Vinifera plantings in NYC
How much of US wine does California represent?
In volume terms ~85% of production
If California State was a country, where would it rank in world wine production?
Fourth, after Italy, France and Spain
Where in the US is justifiably proud of its Riesling?
Finger Lakes Region, NY