Wine, Women, and Albariño

Pergola-trained Albariño vines; photo courtesy of Pazo Señorans winery.

Last week, at the first Wine, Women & Wednesdays Networking Salon (http://www.meetup.com/winewomenandchocolate/events/122062882/) I had the pleasure of talking about and sharing a lovely white wine from Spain that I enjoy all summer long – Albariño.  Most of the approximately 60 women at this event were having their first tasting of this indigenous Spanish varietal.

“Albariño is not Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay, but it is frequently on wine lists and is fairly popular in retail, where bottles in the $10 to $12 range can be found,” says Alexander Stuempfig, Western Regional Director of European Cellars (www.europeancellars.com), who represents some Spanish importers. He adds that Spanish wines are a great value now, particularly “cool wines in older vintages” from regions such as Rioja – including the red varietals of Tempranillo and Garnacha – but Spanish whites are probably the least well known.

The southernmost portion of the Galician coastline of northwestern Spain is home to the Rías Baixas wine region. This is the coolest and wettest area of Spain, similar in climate to Scotland, with humid ocean breezes flowing in from the Atlantic, creating perfect growing conditions for white wine grapes. The jewel of these is the Albariño, which accounts for about 90 percent of all plantings in the area.

A thick-skinned white grape that is able to resist the fungal diseases prevalent in moist environments, the aromatic Albariño offers peach and apricot on the nose and palate, as well as a pleasing minerality. This grape is naturally high in acid, which balances out the fruitiness, and makes it a great food-pairing wine. Rías Baixas Albariño screams sea food, which is “the best in the world,” says Stuempfig, who says the wine goes “hand in hand” with the region’s indigenous razor claims, octopus, and scallops.

Per tradition in Rías Baixas, grape vines are trained on large pergolas to encourage air flow among the plantings and discourage fungal growth. Newer, more modern vine-training methods are now being implemented, as well as temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, which are producing Albariños with a crisp, refreshing style that allows the delicate fruit character to come through.

If you haven’t experienced an Albariño, I encourage you to do so. It’s a nice summer wine that will impress your friends at a gathering. I plan to bring a bottle to the Hollywood Bowl this week.

Earlier this month European Cellars had a variety of Albariños and other Spanish wines available for tasting at the Wine House (http://www.winehouse.com), and to my delight I sampled some excellent ones.  Among them: 

Pazo Señorans Albariño 2011 (http://www.pazodesenorans.com/) tasted of peach and yellow apple, with a nice acidity and smoothness attributable to some yeast (lees) contact. At $20 a bottle, this was my pick of the day.  I was also told that this is a real “women’s” wine, as the winemaker, Marisol Bueno, is a woman and harvest is gently handled and carried out mostly by women at this vineyard.  (Bueno was instrumental in having the Ríias Baixas region designated as a wine region in Spain.) This, of course, is the wine I chose to share at the WW&C Networking Salon, and it was a hit.

A less expensive ($13) option is the very aromatic Burgans Albariño (http://www.martincodax.com/en/producto#/burgans) which was crisp with hints of peach and apricot and a nice mineral finish.

Learn more about the Rías Baixas region of Spain at http://www.riasbaixas.depo.es/web2009/ and learn more about Albarino at www.albarinoexplorersclub.com.

Until next time, Salud!

Old Vines, Fine Wines, My Vines

A single bunch this year.

I live on a lovely street in West Los Angeles, where the 50+ year-old Chinese Elm trees provide a beautiful canopy that adds to the charm of our neighborhood.  Sadly, these trees are reaching the end of their life, and many of them are simply falling down, as their aging roots can no longer support their hefty weight. Fortunately, my local government is replacing them with young, strong trees that should grow and produce lovely shade for the next 50 years.

This circle of life, if you will, is similar to that of a vineyard. Grape vines also reach old age at around 50 years (up to 100 years in rare cases), by which time they generally stop producing enough fruit to be commercially viable. Viticulturists often choose to pull out the old vines and replant young, strong ones.

In the wine industry, the term “old vines” is used to market wines to a discerning audience, and generally refers to wines produced from vines aged 20 to 50 years. For a variety of reasons, these vines may not be at their peak in terms of production quantity, but their production quality is such that they can produce some of the finest and priciest wines in the world. 

The term “old vine” is subjective, says Los Olivos, Calif.-based Larry Schaffer, owner and winemaker of award-winning Tercero Wines (www.tercerowines.com).  He says that in California and elsewhere in the world, old vines are those that are close to 100 years old. But in Santa Barbara County [where Tercero is based] the oldest are only 50 years old, and most are 20-30 years old, or younger. “In general, the older the vine, the less fruit it produces, and the conventional wisdom is that these make more concentrated and complex wines. I’m not sure if that is the case or not,” Schaffer admits.

Not everyone concurs that older vines make better wines. There are those who believe a vineyard’s best wines are produced in the first or second year of production when, similar to old vines, yields are still quite low.

About three to six years after planting a vineyard will begin producing its highest yields and reach a stabilization period. As long as pests, disease, water (too little or too much), minerals, and other contributing factors are managed properly, the vineyard can be maintained for quite a long time. It’s rare, however, to have any crop ever untouched by pests or other maladies in its lifespan. Vineyard management is a high-stakes business.

Trader Joe's "Old Vine" Offerings

I wasn’t thinking about this a few years ago when I purchased two grape vines from a winery in Paso Robles, Calif. I just wanted to grow grapes and live my dream of being a vintner, albeit on a teeny tiny scale. So I planted the vines in my back yard, and thus far, over three years, the vines have produced as follows: Year 1, a few bunches on each vine; Year 2, zero bunches on each vine (sad, so I pruned back the vines thinking this would help); Year 3 (now), one bunch is going strong (see photo at top). This year’s grapes have just begun to ripen, turning purple (known as véraison in viticulture-speak), and I should be able to squeeze out one half glass of wine (varietal unknown) this fall!

In the meantime, I’ve been pondering the “Old Vine” designation. Schaffer advises to try a bunch of old vine wines and compare them with same vintage/same vineyard/newer vines to make your own determination. That’s my plan and I’m going to stick to it!

A quick perusal at Trader Joe’s turned up a couple old vine wines: Old Moon Old Vine Zinfandel 2011 and Ravens Wood Old Vine Zinfandel Vintners Blend 2010, at just $5.99 and $7.99, respectively. I’ll be tasting a few dozen French and Spanish wines this weekend at a Wine House (www.winehouse.com) tasting, and hope to sample some old vines there.

Until next time, Cheers!