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s I gazed over a rolling vista of

manicured grape vines, I could hear

a very content group ofeld workers

ng and laughing as they toiled immediately

w my perch. ey were stripping olow

ts and non-fruit-bearing vines, in order

nserve valuable soil and water resources.

ocess entertainingly termed suckering.e sounds and sights formed my amiable

duction to the Stags Leap District

apa Valley, California, one of the worlds most

mic and important wine producing zones.

was fortunate to be a rare guest at a young,

decidedly promising, vineyard in the Stags

appellationMalk Family Vineyards,

ously known as Grin Vineyards. Graciously

ed by Brian Malk and Nancy Heitel, I had

plete access to two fantastic wine makers,

bie Meyer and Alan Peirson. Robbie is young,

onate, dedicated, and quite gied beyond his

s. Alan has an accomplished past and totalliarity with the details of his intimidating

ession. eir skil ls combine for that brand

tural mastery that inspires total condence.

Spoiled For Choice

Keith B. Homan

Ae two make a great team. From his early

days serving as the wine steward on a transformed

plantation in Georgia, to biological degrees,

pharmaceutical experience and multifaceted

wine training at the University of Cali fornia at

Davis, Robbie is a well-rounded maestro. He is the

conductor to an exceptionally intricate interplay

of climates, soils, vines, pests, elevations,infra-red planting maps, watering schemes,

turgidity detectors, grape selections, cold-

soakings, fermentations, acid-converting bacteria

incubations, rackings, decantings, blendings,

barrel selections, machinery and vineyard owners.

Robbie and Alan make stunning vintages by the

use of an elegant production formula. ey merge

admiration for the history and art of wine making

with the scientic skills and vigilance necessary

to direct the myriad biological and chemical

cascades that dene viniculture.

ere is a long list of steps in quality wine

production, and for each one up to a dozenvariations are available to the wine maker. is

wide canvas is what bestows wine making with

both good and bad mystique. As examples of the

Should the barrels be toasted via re to

only protect the juice from some of the harsh

elements of the wood, but also to add carame

other avour inuences? How long should th

bacteria be given to work? What duration sh

the juice be in each barrel? How does one be

blend dierent barrels and lots? How is the w

going to stand up to years in a bottle?

e choices go on and on, with each dec

point setting in motion signicant conseque

along the winding chemical and biological

odyssey that is wine.

Its your duty to take a trip to a winery.Ask questions. Go on the production tour

they have one. Find out what the wine mak

there think is dierent about their wine. B

some bottles and try the wine on its own an

with a variety of foods.

Keep notes on what you drink, and howyour favourite wines and dishes work toget

If you have a preferred wine, grape varieproduction zone or country, etc., do some

of your own research, as the knowledge you

gain will certainly enhance your drinking

enjoyment. I guarantee it.

If youre at a restaurant that employs asommelieruse him! If your guests can w

to eat, ask the sommelier for a pre-food wi

as well as suggestions for the meal pairing.

for a few ideas, and, if needed, dont be afrato limit your request parameters by price. A

sommelier worth their vintage should be a

to handle price limits. Finally, dont think

have to be trained in wine speak to appro

a sommelier, and unless they have a raging

inferiority complex, it should be apparent t

them that their basic job description is to h

anyone, and everyone, in the restaurant wi

wine selection.

Finally, when you hear someone saying they taste grapefruit, currant, etc. avou

that might not just be in their mind. Chem

analysis reveals that the winemaking procecreates some of the exact same compounds

that characterise a wide range of plant spec

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ricacies of winemaking, the next two sections

l explain how elevation changes of just a few

tres can aect grape growth, and the typical

ps along the way from dirt to bott le.

OM THE GROUND UP

I walked along the rows of Sage Vineyard, from

e side of a plot to another, the elevation changed

ew metres or so. In other words, the plot had

hallow U-shape with a center section about

ee metres lower than the outside sections. As

elative novice to viticulture, I failed to notice

mething fascinating, until Alan pointed it out

me. e outer rows on both sides, being a bit

her, were signicantly more ush with fruit

d growth. e middle section was struggling

produce. As a result, when harvest time comes,

characteristics of the grapes within the same

ct plot will be quite dierent. A few metres

ke all the dierence.e vines across the plot had the same

nlight, soil, water, same everything. What then

used these large dierences in productivity?

an explained that the centre section of the

t trapped cold air in the mornings, and this

s enough to suppress the growth in that area.

toundinglyckle grapes!In general, for Napa Valley Cabernet

uvignon grapes, alcohol is generated in

the grape juice by the action of yeast fermentation,

which is then followed by barrel aging, and a

secondary, bacteria-fueled fermentation that

converts harsh malic acid into a nice tasting

lactic acid. rough a process know as racking,

the spent bacteria and any other precipitates are

decanted out of the barrel numerous times over

12 to 24 months to ensure a microbe-free and

pure end product. e resulting wine is then

blended with other barrels, sultes are introduced

to retain freshness and to stop additional

fermentation, and bottle aged for a year

or so before sending to market.

Now, the above sounds fairly straightforward,

until one discovers the choices every winemaker

has to contend with at all steps of the process.

For the fermentation step: Is sulfur dioxide added

to kill owild yeasts found naturally on the grapes?

Does one do a cold soak with the grapes for a few

days (designed to coax out water-soluble avors

in advance of alcohol reactions)? How many days

should fermentation last? Are nutrients added?

Should there be a crushing step or should the

grapes be fermented whole berry style? For

the barrels: What type of wood f rom what exact

forest will age the juice best? What avour proles

will come out of the wood? Fresh or used barrels?Should the barrels be toasted via re to not

only protect the juice from some of the harsher

A while back I told a stunning and

knowledgeable waitress t hat the whole foo

pairing wine thing was way overdone, and

that Id go ahead drinking my favorites wi

whatever I wanted to eatand love them a

the same. I now, publicly, admit fault on th

It does indeed matter. I cant wait to open m

1985, 1986 and 1994 Late-Rothschilds, bu

I will enjoy their sublime curves and velve

ropes without cuisine. Makes little sense

to treasure a wines potential for years, and

then kill it with food. For an objective, use

friendly review of the matter see Guidelin

for Successful Food and Wine Pairings by

Randy Kemner (thewinecountry.com).e

piece highlights some things we all accept

the food world, and need to apply to winesFor example, why do you pair cranberry

sauce with turkey, and why mint sauce wit

lamb?e tastes compliment one another.

e acid, fruit and fats feed oone anothe

and produce a taste experience far superio

than the components accomplish on their

own. e same rules that govern such food

combinations naturally apply in the wine

world. Indeed, many wines that you might

like alone animate and amaze when paired

with the right eats. Some of Randys sage

words of advice include: salty food bringin

out the fruit in wine, keying othe sauce n

the underlying meat, to avoid pairing wine

with high alcohol and oakyavours with

food, and avoiding the potential disaster o

matching sweet desserts with a sweet wine

WINE AND FOOD

PAIRINGS

elements of the wood, but also to add caram

and other avour inuences? How long shou

the bacteria be given to work? What duratio

should the juice be in each barrel? How does

best blend dier from barrels and lots? How

wine going to stand up to years in a bott le?e choices go on and on, with each dec

point setting in motion signicant consequealong the winding chemical and biological

odyssey that is wine.