USA - California - Introduction Flashcards
Give a brief overview of Californias history
- Late 19th century: Wine research at University of California (now based in Davis)
- 1930s to 60s: Wine industry rebuilt
- Preference for medium-sweet and sweet wines
- Mid to late 20th century: Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon became dominant varieties
- 1976: two Californian wines received top scores at blind tasting in Paris
- Strong trend towards concentrated, high alcohol wines with lot of oak -> now not anymore
What are some factors that allow California to produce high quality wines today?
- Greater concentration on matching grape variety to the regional or site climate and soil
- Higher number of professionally trained winemakers with international experience
- Highly-regarded local wine research center located in Davis
- Great interest in experimenting with a wide range of grape varieties, winemaking techniques and wine styles
What are the two major influences on climate and, hence, grape growing?
- Cold Pacific Ocean: current form the north and upwelling (deeply cold water rises to the surface) along the west coast
- Mountains: topography has much more influence than latitude
What is the approx. latitude of Californian wine regions and what does that mean for regions without influences from coast or mountains?
- 32–42° N
- Sunlight is intense
- Much warmer
- -> mostly inexpensive, high-volume wines
How do regions further inland profit from the ocean?
Through valley channels
What is the trend regarding manual and mechanized labor? Why?
- More mechanization where it is possible
- Skilled Mexican labor not as available as before
Comment on irrigation practices and trends
- Lack of rainfall during the growing season
- Irrigation often installed
- Drought a problem in recent years
- Tensions between various agricultural businesses and residents
- Local water sustainability agencies enforce water management schemes
What is the major disease risk?
- Pierce’s disease spread by leafhoppers
- Fungal diseases not a big problem because of low rainfall and breezes
What are major weather hazards
- Spring frosts -> sprinklers and wind machines
- Wildfires
- Risk of smoke taint
Comment on sustainable grape growing
- Widely practiced
- Different certification programs
- 85% of wine production from sustainable wineries
Comment on organic grape growing and wine production
- Wine labeled as organic must have no addition of SO2 -> not many do it
- More often: certified organic grapes
- Some do biodynamic
What are the most grown varieties (in descending order of ha planted)?
- Chardonnay (≈20%)
- Cabernet Sauvignon (≈20%)
- Pinot Noir
- Zinfandel
- Merlot
- French Colombard
- Syrah
- Pinot Gris
- Sauvignon Blanc
Cabernet Sauvignon
What impact do cooling influences have on the style of Cabernet Sauvignon (aromas, body, alcohol)? How is it countered and what other style can be produced?
- Vineyards with some moderating influence: fresher black fruit and herbal flavours, less body and lower alcohol
- Vineyard management (e.g., Green-harvesting)
- Harvesting dates (e.g., ong ‘hang times’)
- Very concentrated, very ripe styles of wine, often with a full body and high alcohol
Cabernet Sauvignon
Describe the winemaking process (maturation vessel and blending)
- Almost always matured in oak
- High percentages of new French oak
- Now shorter maturation and better balance of oak and fruit
- Often blended with some other Bordeaux grapes
Chardonnay
On what does the style depend and what sites are increasingly chosen?
- Depending on site climate, winemaking practices and price
- Trend: nearer the coast or with coastal influence, or at high altitudes
Chardonnay
What are three typical style of Chardonnay?
- Premium wines with pronounced flavors, full body, malo, and new oak influence
- Fresher, leaner style with less-ripe fruit and less new oak; sometimes lees contact will be managed to give struck match aromas from volatile sulfur compounds
- Inexpensive wines in a soft, easy-drinking style, medium acidity, sometimes slight residual sugar, unoaked
Pinot Noir
What is the trend in grape growing?
Strong increase over the last 20-30 years
Pinot Noir
Where are (super-)premium wines grown?
Relatively cool sites (influence from coast or altitude)
Pinot Noir
Describe the two ends of the style spectrum
- Fresher style
- Medium body and alcohol
- Medium(+) acidity
- Fresh flavours of red cherry and raspberry
- Riper style
- Greater body and alcohol
- Medium to medium(+) acidity
- Riper flavours of black fruits or slightly jammy
Zinfandel
What is a problem of the variety and what does it lead to?
- Uneven ripening
- Combination of medium(+) acidity and fresh + jammy flavors
Zinfandel
Describe the typical style of premium wines (aromas, acidity, body, tannins, oak)
- Raspberry to blueberry and blackberry
- Medium(+) acidity
- Medium to full body
- Ripe medium(+) tannins
- American oak often used -> vanilla aromas
Zinfandel
What is the typical style of inexpensive Zinfandel?
- Soft, ripe, often jammy style
- Possibly with oak alternatives
Zinfandel
What other type of wine is Zinfandel used for and what is the typical style? (color, aromas, sweetness, acidity, body, alcohol, quality, price)
- White Zinfandel from Central Valley
- Medium pink color (short maceration)
- Strawberry and fruit candy flavors
- Medium-dry wine (fermentation stopped earlier)
- Medium acidity
- Medium body
- Low alcohol
- Acceptable to good quality
- Inexpensive to mid-priced
Merlot
What is the trend regarding planting?
- Popular in 1990s and early 2000s
- Plantings have declined since then
Merlot
What is the typical style produced from Merlot?
- Inexpensive and mid-priced wines
- Fruity plummy character
- Medium acidity and tannins
Merlot
In what climate are premium wines from Merlot produced?
Moderate climates, rather than hot
Colombard
What wines are produced from it? (aromatics, color, region, price, labeling)
- Neutral white grape variety
- Generally grown in the Central Valley
- Inexpensive wines
- Often blended and labeled as ‘fruity white’ or ‘dry white’
Syrah
What is the trend?
Rise in popularity in recent years
Syrah
Where is it typically grown and what is the typical style? (aromas, acidity, body, tannin)
- Areas with cooling influence
- Fresh plum, blackberry and spices
- Medium(+) acidity
- Medium to medium(+) body
- Medium(+) tannins
Petite Sirah
What is the ripening time and where does it grow best?
- Late ripening
- Does best in warm areas
Petite Sirah
Describe the typical style of wine (color, fruit, acidity, body, tannin)
- Deeply colored
- Black fruit and spice flavors
- Medium(+) to high acidity
- Full body
- Medium(+) to high tannin
When are wineries allowed to label their wines as “estate bottled”? What has this led to?
- Only if the wine has been made and bottled at the producer’s winery, from the producer’s grapes, from producer’s vineyards that are within the same AVA.
- Led to creation and approval of very large AVAs, so largest producers can use this label as well
What business are mostly involved in production and what does this lead to?
- Growers (5,900)
- Wineries (4,800)
- Many wineries act as merchants or grower-merchants and, hence can produce a wide variety of wines
What type of businesses are important in grape growing?
Independent professional grape growers that farm thousands of ha
