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Harvest 2009! It’s harvest time again, and the vineyards have taken on a mantel of the reds and oranges of fall. The warm, dry air of summer has finally been replaced by the clean, crisp air of early autumn. Anyone who says that California does not have a true fall season has never been to wine country in late October. This is probably the most beautiful, and exciting time to take a drive through the California countryside and try out a new winery or two. From all indications this is a harvest with a mind of its own. Some regions have reported one of the earliest harvest of white grapes in a decade, others were worried about a late red grape harvest being impacted by some unusually late cool summer weather. There is never a dull moment this time of year when you are a vineyard owner. |
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The Impacts of Terroir 
In the world of wine, one of the hardest to grasp concepts for the wine enthusiasts is that of terroir. Terroir is a French word that has no direct translation into English. The closest definition that we can approximate is literally “a taste of place,” but that doesn't quite capture the true meaning of the word. A more accurate description would be that 'terroir' encompasses the totality of all natural and location-specific factors (climate, weather patterns, geography, elevation, proximity to a body of water, soil types/conditions, etc.) that influence the grapes as they are produced by the vineyard, and thus the flavor profiles in the wine those grapes eventually become. This is how wine enthusiasts with refined and well trained palettes can distinguish wines grown in different regions simply by the way that they taste. |
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Cabernet Franc with Grilled Beef Tenderloin This was an amazing pairing that made the wine and the food better for the experience. If you are looking for a dinner to impress your friends, this deceptively simple main dish works at even the most elegant affair. The meat takes a mere 20 minutes from start to the table, and the topping takes even less. I usually make the steak, and while it is on the grill I start the soup for the top. Great side dishes are the obvious baked potato, or a nice risotto. I recommend fresh bread, whether you make it yourself, or buy it that day from the bakery. We started the meal with a caesar salad topped with sauteed shrimp and a crisp Pinot Griggio. With the main course we served home baked french fried potatoes and fresh baked dinner rolls. The meal was a hit.
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Mushroom Gnocchi with Sangiovese This is a great light summer meal for those warm evenings when a heavy meal is just too much. The wines selected, made from the Sangiovese clone, Brunello. We were looking for something that would work well with the spicy earthiness and fruit in the wines and portobello mushrooms with some sweetness from red onion, tomatoes and yellow peppers. These wines worked beautifully. The acidity in the wines paired well with the cheese and gnocchi, keeping them from feeling too heavy on the palate. Any vegetable with a bit of earthy taste to it would work well with this meal, like carrots or zucchini. We choose a sauteed summer squash with olive oil.
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Sangiovese Food and Wine Pairing Advisor  The famous grape of Tuscany creates one of the great red food wines based on its significant fruit and herbal characteristics and high acidity. It can be big and bold with black fruit and big tannins or light bodied and fruity. This grape is the main ingredient of the great Tuscan wines like Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. It is also a major partner in the creation of the Super Tuscans along with Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a grape that has a great number of clones that can create very different wine styles. The major clones are the sangiovetto utilized in most Chianti Classico, brunello which is used to make the most expensive wine in Italy, Brunello di Montalcino.
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Regional Tasting: SangioveseSangiovese is one of the world's great food wines that have found its most celebrated success in the famous Tuscan region of Italy. The grape creates wines with good acidity, a bold fruit characteristic, good tannins, and an amazing capacity to morph itself into an amazing complexity of wines and wine styles. Sangiovese is known for its ability to clone easily which creates some very distincly different styles. The most widely produced clone, sangiovetto, is most often used in lighter, dinner wines, such as Chianti, while the brunello clone is used to make the richer, fuller Brunello di Montalcino style wines. |
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