Wine Outlook

Hint: It’s not where you might think…

Next weekend is all about Pinot Noir (ok, and probably a little green beer) for Bay Area residents. If you can look to your left or right and see the Santa Cruz Mountains, you’ll be in the right place.

Here’s the scoop on what’s happening:

Saturday March 17: Pathway to Pinot Paradise
Participating SCM wineries will be pouring Pinot barrel samples and maybe even library wines. (For example, at Thomas Fogarty, we’ll be pulling from the cellar the much-talked-about ‘97, ‘01 magnum, and three small block-designated Pinot Noirs from the Rapley Trail
Vineyard). All that wine and unbelievable views to boot. Gas up the car (yeah, that’ll hurt) and grab a map.
Tickets–$25

Sunday March 18: Grand Cruz Tasting
2pm-5pm at Villa Ragusa in Campbell…where over 30 SCM wineries will pour their favorite Pinot and local restaurants & gourmet shops will provide tasty treats.
Tickets–$65 (But I’ll share a secret. If you mention you’re a friend of Thomas Fogarty Winery, you’ll get the second ticket 25% off)

Call the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association for more info (831-685-8463) or check out the website.

Pinot Noir event, Santa Cruz Mountains, winetasting, wineries

Last week I met up with another blogger from 451 Press. Jenny from Coaching Cooking and I only live a few towns apart and so decided to go winetasting together.

What a good idea it was. We met up at Backyard Wineries in downtown Los Gatos. Only open a few months, this tasting room features the wines of Clos LaChance and Fleming Jenkins (Peggy Fleming making up one half of the pair of owners). Hours: daily, 11-6, tasting fees of $5 and $10 for 3 wines. Though I didn’t see it until nosing around the back room after tasting, my favorite thing was the table of wine glasses filled with different items, representing aromas in wine. There was coconut, vanilla beans, molasses, sage, cloves, and more. A homemade Le Nez du Vin (which, by the way, they had for sale, and which, by the way, I still want). (more…)

Fogarty Sleepover, part 2

Where did I leave off? Oh, yes. The others arrived: my Irish friend, the theater buff, and even my tv show friend and his partner (up from L.A.). While I finished
dinner, I had the others set the table, with two glasses for each setting. To know me is to know that’s normal. Different wine for the salad (Sterling Sauvignon Blanc) than with the spaghetti and meatballs (Bonny Doon Barbera D’Asti and leftover Thomas Fogarty Sangiovese).

We had a great time at dinner, where the talk and wine flowed freely. Ghosts were momentarily forgotten. Somewhere after dinner, we drank Doug’s bottle of 2005 Vixen Viognier, which drew the most crowd participation. We got everything from bananas and pineapple to Fruit Loops and Juicy Fruit. (more…)

2005 Vixen Viognier

My job provided an unexpected perk last night. What started out as a passing whim in conversation a couple of months ago actually and thankfully came to fruition. And we owe it all to a ghost…

With several loyal readers (ok, so maybe they’re also good friends), I spent the night in the Hill House at Thomas Fogarty Winery. At the end of my tasting room workday, I was met by a co-worker/friend and the teacher. We carted our supplies over to the events area, and I got to it at once in the kitchen I’ve had my mind set to cook in. While the spaghetti sauce simmered on the stove, we sipped on 2000 TF Blanc de Blancs and planned, waiting for the others.

The story goes that there is a ghost who haunts the events area. I knew of the man who died during a wedding reception (heart attack, I believe), but Dr. Fogarty also told us about a bootlegger who used to live in a little shack up on the mountain and make his whiskey back in the day.

Tales abound about the sounds of doors closing and things moving around, long after everyone is gone. People talking, gusts of cold air…again when no one is there.

Did we encounter a spirit? To be continued (just waiting on pictures)

Thomas Fogarty Winery, Hill House, haunted winery

….Farley Walker

While I’m not ringing any Valentine bells myself, we are making a minor to-do up at Thomas Fogarty Winery this weekend. So if you’re in the Bay Area, driving about in the rain and wanting a place to stay dry–come on up to Skyline Boulevard. We’ll be pouring our Port, Late HArvest Gewurztraminer, and sparkling wine. We’ll also have fruit, cheese (including some made courtesy of the Harley Farms goats), and chocolate. Sunday the Redwood Room will be available for indoor picnics.

It’ll be cold and foggy, but the wine will warm you up. And the view will be amazing….if you can see it.

Details: open 11-5, and use these directions NOT Mapquest (unless you like driving up narrow, scary roads.

Thomas Fogarty Winery, winetasting, Valentine’s ideas

I’m always encouraging people to go to wine regions other than Napa. I do that because Napa can be overwhelming in the way it would be if you were being dragged along by a herd of cattle (especially if you’re claustrophbic as I am). However. A friend and I both had Wednesday off, and I was cheering for winetasting adventures. She lives in the East Bay, so it made sense to go to Napa. With that said, I immediately called two small wineries I’ve been dying to visit. The first was Venge Vineyards, and that’s Sadie, one of the two friendly greeters.

If you’re not familiar with Venge, it may be beacause they only make 3500 cases a year: 8 different wines. About two years ago, I first had the Scout’s Honor, a terrific Zinfandel blend (with Petite and Charbono)named after another winery dog. From the same family and winemaker of Saddleback Vineyards, these small productions are true works of craftmanship. And sell out too quickly, as the Sangiovese did. In addition to another Scout’s Honor, I went home with a Syrah, which Chris had us taste down in the caves, with Sadie by our side.

After a brief stop at Silver Oak, where the crowds were at half-force, we drove towards my most-eagerly-awaited stop. Roz laughed as I practically ran towards the doors at Robert Biale Vineyards. Every wine I had previously made me eager to try more. Plus, we were a tiny bit late for our appointment with Jon. He was knowledgable and welcoming, and the only bad thing I can say about him is that he wouldn’t let me buy any Black Chicken Zinfandel or Thomann Station Petite Sirah.

The cruelty to be able to taste and not take home. Alas, they were not released yet. Club members get the chance to order first, then ordinary people like you and me can put in ours. The Black Chicken will be available to carry out, cradled in your arms, in mid April. We were also lucky enough to try the Monte Rosso, which Jayme flew through and told us was just discovered to come from cuttings of the first Zinfandel to be planted. The first Zin in Napa was in the Oak Knoll District, and Biale is the only Zin producer in Oak Knoll (which I just discovered by reading his newsletter is the newest sub AVA in Napa). Put yourself on tha mailing list as I did, so you can have the chance to purchase these bottles. But if you get some and I don’t, be prepared to share.

Venge, Silver Oak, Robert Biale, Napa Valley

….Farley Walker

Though there is still some debate up in the air over screwcaps, I was rather happy to walk into the winery last week and see a stack of them. We’re only using them on the very small (and first) production of Pinot Gris and the Gewurztraminer. The second imparts very good news because, in my experience, that one is corked most often. Since it’s meant to be drunk young, as-yet-undocumented, long-term effects shouldn’t matter as much.

As for the rotten egg smell, from what I gather, it oftens disappears after a few minutes.

Besides,with most of New Zealand, many in Australia, and more and more big names in the States switching over from cork, there may not be much room for argument. Screwcaps are here to stay.

screwcap, Stelvin closure, rotten eggs

The Santa Cruz Mountains? Yeah, you know, one of the oldest wine-growing regions in California. Things started back in the late 1800’s but were put on the back burner with Prohibition. Today there are over 60 wineries, many of them small and without tasting rooms. Perhaps, though, you may have heard of a few minor operations such as Ridge, Bonny Doon, and David Bruce? (Oh, yeah, and Thomas Fogarty….)

With the AVA running from south of Santa Cruz all the way up to Half Moon Bay, it covers quite a large area, but only 1500 acres are actually under vine. Therefore, it could take you days to hit all the spots. That’s one reason the Passport Program, courtesy of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association, is such a dandy thing. For $30, you receive a passport which allows you to travel from one winery to another for special tastings and, of course, a stamp on the appropriate page. Some wineries which are normally closed participate, providing you, the tasters, a rare opportunity to visit. And it never expires, so you can take your time. (more…)

Before I got a job in the wine business, I flew out to California in the hopes of finding one. Southern charm works better face to face and all that. The first winery I went to, outside the door was sitting a cat.

I knew it was a good sign. (Rightly so.)

Here’s why wineries need a cat:
1) keeps the mouse population down
2) gives people something to do and/or talk about between tastes
3) entertains bored kids
4) provides opportunity for merchandise (photo cards, t-shirts)
5) well, I’m sure Jill over at We Heart Cats could give you more reasons.

Essentially, it’s the need for a mascot, a way people can relate. But then again, ducks work, too….

winery cat, mascot

A month or so ago, I went to Napa to hang out at a friend’s house. I’d been hinting at an invitation for a while, as his family is Italian with a huge garden, lots of traditional homecooked meals, and, ok, they make their own wine.

We decided to hit a couple of wineries. Since we were there. After first stocking the bubbly supply over at Mumm, we drove up the Silverado Trail and back down Highway 29. As we were passing the vast institution which is Beringer, it struck us that we might as well give it a go.

Now, Beringer may be best known by many for its white zin. Sad, because there is many a tasty (and often pricey) Cab Sauv to leave that production line. When we were there, I steered us directly to the reserve tasting room (ah, the perks of working in the business). The three of us each tried a different menu and shared. And while the Cabs were quite good, I left with a Pinot Noir in tow.
(more…)

Sometimes, owners or winemakers name vineyards after loved ones. Wives, daughters, dearly cherished but departed grandparents, pets…

I met a lady from Fess Parker Winery the other day who said one vineyard was named after Fess’s daughter and one after his wife. The first, Ashley’s Vineyard, is still doing well, making one of their highly regarded Chardonnays. The wife’s vineyard, however, has fallen by the wayside. I asked in alarm if they were divorced, but she said they were still very much in love. Just a matter of location.

Speaking of location, it can also determine how to name certain vineyards. Porter Creek Winery in the Russian River Valley is itself named accroding to setting–after the nearby tributary. Then some of the wines are also designated by place, as with the Hillside Vineyard Pinot Noir.

Sometimes when location seems the obvious choice, it can cause problems with trademarks. Here’s a case in point in Missoula, MT. A couple there was making wine under the Rattlesnake Creek name, until another winery in Washinton that had been making a wine under a similar name– but for much longer–demanded they stop. Now it’s called Ten Spoons. Here’s a more of the story. If memory serves, my friend Kyle brought over some of their Sauvignon Blanc when I was last in Montana, and it was suprisingly good.

But my favorites are the names with really good stories behind them. For instance, one of our estate Chardonnay vineyards started out with Dr. Fogarty asking friends and family to join him in the planting of the vines. When everyone showed up, they found out he had gone to catch fish instead. So the Albutom Vineyard had to be planted by “all but Tom.”
I made him a shirt recently with the picture below, including the caption underneath.

So not only does vineyard designation usually indicate higher quality, in the special attention to detail and decision to bottle it separately, but often you get some insight into the personality of those making the wine.

….Farley Walker

vineyard names, Fess Parker Winery, Porter Creek Winery, Albutom Vineyard