Evolution wines by Sokol Blosser Winery, Oregon

1971 was a very good year, just ask the Sokol Blosser family.

For it was in 1971, long before anyone had lofty notions of an "Oregon Wine Industry" that the Sokol Blossers planted the self-named vineyards about 30 km (20 miles) south of the city of Portland in the county of Dundee. Started by Stanford graduates, and newlyweds, Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol, these two must have either been incredibly stubborn or truly certain of their vision. I say that because the business-law of averages states that any new company will take about seven years to start making profit.

For this vineyard, the big break took more like eight years when the intrepid couple sent their wine to the  International Wine and Spirits Competition in London winning six awards, including several golds. I can't imagine waiting eight years to receive validation from my peers that I'm doing the right kind of work... it takes a very special person to struggle to create something that flies in the face of "mass-opinion". I mean, really, at heart we're all still in high-school  waiting to see what everyone else is going to wear for the first day of class, and then running home to ask our parents for money so that we can buy the same clothes.

Well obviously Bill and Susan weren't those kind of kids. They built a winery where virtually no one else thought World-Class wine could be made. They sent that wine to one of the most prestigious competitions of the day, and won gold. They then expanded the vineyard the very next year and Bill left the stability and comfort of a well-heeled planners position to take the reins as the Sokol-Blosser winemaker full-time. Bravely forging into the unknown...

But Bill and Susan were never afraid to push into the unknown; they were innovators with the use of cover crops to preserve top-soil, they reduced and eliminated the use of pesticides and herbicides to preserve the local salmon streams, they became recognized as one of the top-100 companies to work for in the state of Oregon (the only winery that year). In short, this couple spent  their careers striving towards a different direction then the mainstream.

But why?

underground wine cellar

Why forge so ardently for organic principles long before it became popular, or even fiscally prudent to do so? Why install solar panels for energy on the WestCoast, where it rains enough to make even ducks uncomfortable? Why create the first U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified underground barrel cellar? Why work so darned hard when so many others were doing the opposite?

I believe it was to preserve their terroir. 

Inspired winemaking and stunning land weren't the only reasons that The Wine Spectator featured Sokol Blosser and their Pinot Noir in 2001. No... awards, accolades, adoring consumers all happened because these wines tell a story.

I was fortunate enough to have a colleague at PMA Canada send me some samples of the new release from this vineyard; their mid-tier wine which hovers just below the $20 price in British Columbia. Excellent price for certified organic wines in this part of the world, but what about the flavors???

A fresh take on Oregon!

Evolution n/v white

Dundee hills AVA, Oregon

$19.99 www.bcldb.com

90 points

www.PMACanada.com   importers

16th edition

varietals:   Muller-Thurgau, White Riesling, Semillon, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, 

Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner

maturation:   100% stainless steel

• visual:   clear; pale gold core with watery rim, silver highlights
• nose:   clean; medium+ to fully intense youthful aromas bursting with exotic floral and lush fruit, yellow and pink grapefruit zest, white flowers, apricot, roses... layers of bouquet
• palate:   clean; dry, medium+ grapefruit acids, medium- body, medium- ABV (12%), medium+ youthful flavors mimicking the nose... there truly are layer upon layer to this wine and yet in presents itself in a very approachable manner. Full of fruit and floral this wine uses the Gewurztraminer brilliantly and will appeal to any Spring/Summer patio/beach/deck. Excellent balance and very good structure, medium+ length
• conclusion:   imminently thirst-quenching, this bright little number drinks well now and will not develop appreciably with age. Best 2013-2017/19
• FOOD PAIRINGS:   as the Gewurztraminer was one of the most prominent varietals in the blend (for me) - I would use that as my anchor and try Dijon marinated grilled chicken with BC apricot relish, steamed quinoa, fresh rosemary sauteed apples and baby bok-choy... the sweetness in the wine will respond well to some savory tones in your food, the apricot accentuates the ripe stonefruit notes whilst playing acid (relish) off sweet fruit, I'm on a quinoa kick so there's that - but  really this wine carries multiple layers and can handle multiple layers in the accompanying food

Evolution n/v red

Dundee hills AVA, Oregon
$19.99 
89 points

2nd edition

Bronze Medal Winner - Dallas Morning News Wine Competition

Bronze Medal Winner - New York International Wine Competition

• visual:   clear; deep garnet core with distinct cherry rim
• nose:   clean; moderate+ youthful aromas bursting with cherries, cherry blossoms, roses, savory earth background and light spice
• palate:   clean; dry, moderate+ red currant acids, moderate+ green/grippy tannin  moderate- body, moderate+ ABV (13%), moderately intense youthful flavors much like the nose: fresh and cheery with a hint of savory backbone but not overly complex. Very good balance, good structure, medium length
• conclusion: fresh young wine best consumed young. Will not develop appreciably in bottle but tannin will soften over the next 12-18 months and will drink more easily without food (for those who enjoy a soft red). Enjoy 2013-2017
• FOOD PAIRINGS: I would use this Syrah based blend much like an inexpensive Chianti or perhaps Primitivo... pasta bolognese with prosciutto chips, grilled sausage and portobello mushrooms, shaved Parmesan... it needs no explanation - a juicy wine for some juicy food!

"All things unto themselves" I've heard it said... to me, as I grow in the wine-industry, I find that is still a rarity. It's rare to find people I guess in any walk of life who dare to express themselves as they are, rather then how they wish they were. For a winemaker to express grapes the way that they want to be expressed- well- that's not every winemaker.

Winemakers are proud. Winemakers are bold. Winemakers want to put their stamp on a wine so that people half-way around the world will say: "Oh - that was made by Winemaker X!". It takes more strength of character to allow a wine to travel halfway around the world and someone says: "Oh - that was made in Dundee Hills!".

The Evolution line of wines is still introductory, but certainly walks a long way towards expressing more of where it came then of who made it. These wines may well change the way consumers look at Oregon wines... from lofty Pinot Noir commanding top-level prices to these which are easy drinking and (relatively) easy to afford. I look forward to tasting more of the wines that made Sokol Blosser famous.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Vancouver Urban Winery, BC

I'm a bit of a nostalgia-geek... I love history.

I can remember being a kid and watching movies about the middle-ages; kegs of wine lining the walls of "The Great Hall" of a sprawling manor or estate. I always thought that was pretty cool, even before I was a wine-drinker. Flash-forward a few decades and I hear a story about some guys who are doing the same thing but with modern technology. Wow@! Wonderful@! Where are they??

the Lounge @ Van Urban Winery

Believe it or not, we have craftsmen here in our own little city of Vancouver, BC who are kegging wine in stainless steel. They're doing it, they're building a market, and supporting a growing clientele.

Vancouver Urban Winery ( http://vancouverurbanwinery.com ) has sprung to the fore-front of an emerging industry. As the wine industry itself continues it's unprecedented evolution with sales growth in the double-digits year after year, and now decade after decade, business people like Steve Thorp @ Urban Winery see opportunity.

I've worked in the hospitality industry for over 25 years, and have seen change after change. But one of the biggest changes must be the dramatic increase in "wine-by-the-glass". Most restaurants two decades ago carried a mediocre selection of wines period, and the wines they carried by the glass went by the monikers of "House Red" and "House White". Not terribly inspiring.

Now there are entire restaurant concepts revolving around wine-by-the-glass.

One of the greatest pities of this - can we call it evolution? Is that the pace of wine-education in the service industry hasn't kept pace with the dynamic leap forward in wine-consumption. It's been a hundred years or more since we as a society consumed this much wine per person, and yet the average server pouring your wine in a restaurant, pub or bar has relatively little more experience then the barkeep or waiter who was doing so in yesteryear.

And what does this mean for you? What does this mean for the consumer? It means that time after time, bottle after bottle, wine is being poured that is corked, overheated, over-chilled, oxidized and so on, and so-on. You, my friend, are not always getting the wine that the winemaker intended. Indeed, in many markets, you rarely are.

I certainly don't want to come across as if I'm condemning the service industry; far from it! However, this is a simple truth of today - that we have far fewer wine-savvy servers then we have serving positions, and the ratio doesn't seem to be improving. What do we do Steve Thorp?

We install a wine-keg; a FreshTAP system; we go to wine-on-tap. And why do we do this? Zero chance of oxidization, zero chance of corkage, zero wastage, total control over pouring, total control over temperature and let me go on a little rant about wine temps! Far too often I'm served white wines that are barely above zero degrees; the aromas are deadened, the palate is opaque... truly, the better the white wine, the closer to room temperature we can serve it. And the other spectrum isn't pretty either... I was at a Zinfandel tasting many months ago, in the middle of a heat-wave in Summer, and it was held in a facility that had no functioning air-conditioning. 15% ABV Zinfandels in 30C are not pleasant my friends... the alcohol seems to expand in ones mouth, in ones nose, and becomes truly offensive.

And so what's not to love about the idea of FreshTAP; of wine-on-tap? Well I for one had no problem telling Steve that I wondered about the base-line quality of wines going into a keg. A keg - like what Budweiser goes into. Of course, as soon as the words were out of my mouth I looked around the room and saw the impressive array of BC wineries who were choosing this new wave of packaging. Savvy business people are getting in line to work with the likes of Steve Thorp and the Vancouver Urban Winery, and small wonder!

Reduced costs per bottle, increased quality, increased control over wastage (which can reduce profitability by up to 25%) and a reduced amount of shelving (or real estate as restaurant-gurus will state) all yield phenomenal results for the open-minded restaurateurs who utilize this. And this is without considering the dramatic environmental impact; less bottling, less boxes, less shipping... you get the idea. Though the number of BC establishments utilizing this system are small (around 50 out of several thousands), the number is growing.

We as consumers, and I've said this before, are at a New Age of wine industry. We have access to quality for price like never before. We have access to varietals that were on the verge of extenction. We have access to wine from a global market to a global market. And all of this can benefit from the FreshTAP system.

It's a part of the puzzle. Here are fresh, young wines that will stay fresh and young for month-upon-month, in the same condition they left the winery in. Here is a chance for young winemakers to truly speak to an international market about what they are trying to accomplish. Do you really know Beaujolais? Or Sancerre? Or Marlborough? Unless you've been there, and had some barrel-samples from reputable wineries... perhaps you don't know it as well as you thought you did.

But I had the chance, the opportunity, to taste something special at Vancouver Urban Winery.

Roaring Twenties Sauvignon Blanc

New Zealand

$14.99 CAD (BC)

89+ points

• brilliant example of typicity (the varietal). I would serve this in a lecture to illiustrate what a "classic" New Zealand Sauv Blanc can be
• pale straw color with silver & green highlights
• on the nose very soft herbaceous, green grass, melon tones
• on the palate fresh lively acidity, tastes like young pineapple, strong undercurrant of minerality. Great balance and structure. Medium length
• in short - this drinks like a $20+ wine for $15

Roaring Twenties Malbec

Argentina, Upper Mendoza

single vineyard

$14.99 CAD (BC)

88-89 points

• what a treat to have a single-vineyard Malbec (or any varietal) for $15~!
• to the eye this is a young wine, and so much more ruby color rather then garnet - lighter then most wines from this region that I've experienced
• on the nose ripe plums and red cherries, savory earth
• on the palate much the same, with fresh young acidity and approachable medium tannin, the concentration I found medium and somewhat simple, but simple isn't always a bad thing! On a Saturday night I would gladly crack open a few bottles of this when we have people over

In closing, I asked Steve what he would say to the wine-snobs in the audience who ask (and rightfully so) "What about wine being a living thing? What about a wine's evolution in bottle?"

Steve thought for a moment, then responded with true candor: (forgive me if this is not verbatim)

"The evolution of wine in a bottle is sexy. It's a sexy part of the wine-industry and something that I personally find appealing. We here at  Vancouver Urban Winery don't try to compete with that, we compliment it. We compliment how some wines are meant to evolve for years or decades by the same token that some wines are meant to be enjoyed fresh and fruity. 

There's nothing sadder to me, in this field, then knowing that the wine I'm having in a well-respected restaurant or bar is nothing like what the winemaker intended it to be. Now I get to facilitate that experience from winery to glass, and that's really the best part of my job."

Well said. I, too, have such aspirations.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Yasa vineyards, old vines Macabeo

http://www.kysela.com/spain/virgendelaSierra.htm

I recently purchased a bottle of wine at auction on a whim... the subject was a non-vintage bottle of a Spanish varietal that I rarely, if ever, see as a single-varietal in this part of Western Canada: Macabeo. I knew very little about the varietal other then it's use in northern Spain for one of my favorite sparkling wines; Cava.

So I bid, I won, and I took it home. The bottle was very inexpensive and I thought to myself "Meh. How bad can it be?"

Turns out, it's brilliant. So brilliant that I saved my last half-glass in the fridge for over two weeks, and even without vacu-vin, it's still superb. How can this be you wonder? Well let me tell the tale~!

the Calatayud region

Spanish winemakers have had a rough go of it for decades... only just recently have they come back into favor. And so in Calatayud, northern Spain, in the 1950's banding together was really all the little producers could do to stay afloat. Hence the creation of the Virgen de la Sierra co-operative in 1954. They have 579 members, and fight to produce quality wine in a place that for many people must look barely inhabitable.

Not so to the grapevine~! This stony, loose soil - so poor in nutrients - is perfect for the grapevine. Not only does it not mind that it has to find moisture, it loves it. Remember that; grapevines are like people... always thriving because of challenge, not despite it!

Macabeo vine; 50 years or older

Anyways. This stony soil is quite loose, which allows the vines a bit of an easier time to push down, down, down to the iron-rich deposits below and the sacred water. In fact, it was the local name for the dry creek-beds that gave the name to this wine: Yasa. These vines thrive, and find all that they need in the dry and dusty high-altitude valley. Just look at this vine, bent with age... no machine has ever touched it - this is entirely worked by hand and has been for decades. The average age of the Macabeo here are over 50 years... and whilst many New World producers would charge dramatically higher prices because of the vine age, this co-op does not.

They have my thanks.

And they have my thanks for showing me what this brilliant little varietal is capable of! I've discovered that the best white Riojas which sell for upwards of $100 or more in my market, are made with top level Macabeo and aged sometimes for decades (I have one in the cellar right now from 1991). But then, why am I surprised? 

This is the age of the wine-consumer; never before have we been able to enjoy such quality, such diversity, and at such extraordinarily low prices. True enough, there is mass-produced, chemically-enhanced, bag-in-a-box swill as never before, but for those willing to look in dusty corners, and try something other then the norm - treasures abound! 

The co-op winemakers of Calatayud display quality and precision in their winemaking. They also display a high level of honor in how they treat their land, their vines. These are the types of winemakers who excite me and make me want to try more! And when they hawk their wares for a more then reasonable price? Then I'm willing to try just about anything they care to sell.

n/v Yasa old vines Macabeo

$9.99 USD,   88 points

Kysela Pere et Fils importers

varietal:   100% Macabeo, 50 years or older

altitude:    850 metres to 1000 metres

soil:     poor, stony, loose; high iron-content, clay sub-surface

• visual:   clean; light golden-amber core with bright silver highlights
• nose:   clean; moderate+ intensity of youthful aromas; very precise minerality, crisp and clean, lime juice, tree resin, light musk
• palate:   clean; dry, full lime acids, light body, moderate+ ABV (13.5%), moderately intense youthful flavors mimicking the nose with an extremely focused though not developed minerality throughout, sharp citrus tones mixing with a light floral background. Very good balance and structure. Good length
• conclusion:   A cheeky little devil, this is a playful Tuesday wine with spirit and substance. This wine has it's own character and will not be confused easily with other wines in it's pricepoint! Worth buying a case, it will not develop further in bottle. Drink 2013-2015
• FOOD PAIRINGS:   crisp acids call for some fat, and the minerality with play off seafood. Consider Oysters rockefeller!!! The above mentioned is self-explanatory, but the bacon in a good Rockefeller will bring the savory qualities out from the wine and make it even more like a northern Rhone white then it already is.

And so, from this quiet part of northern Spain comes a value wine that truly has value. And so much of that part of Spain is in the wine: it has kept it's bright acids because Calatayud is a continental climate: they have hot summers, cold winters, but above all they have a marked change in temperature from day to night. Hot summer days and cool summer nights preserve the acidity in wine. The soil I can still taste, and find impressive in such an inexpensive wine. But then there is the last part of what we call terroir that I can't explain, not yet. That is the people... but I dearly want to meet the people who work so diligently to coax wine from old vines in a parched part of the world. Yes, I want to meet those people and shake their hands.

As always, I look forward to your comments and questions.

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Stift Goettweig, Gruner Vetliner, Austria

So many new words it's like a foreign language... well, that's because it's a foreign language! Gruner Vetliner is known primarily as the white wine of Austria (where it is over 30% of all wine production), Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

     Gruner Vetliner, or GruVe as the hip kids in Austria call it, produces a crisp white wine capable of greatness. It can be enjoyed quite young (evidenced by the 2009 I'm enjoying today) or can cellar well (as is evidenced by http://www.jancisrobinson.com/ giving high points to the 1990 Grüner Veltliner "Vinothekfüllung" Smaragd, Knoll, Austria). It also has in interesting heritage...

     It turns out that no one really knew where the GruVe came from (for certain), and so some researchers - researched. To no avail, still they couldn't deduce both of the parent grapes until... until someone (no idea who) discovered a solitary vine in the abandoned vineyard of St. Georgen outside of Einstadt, Austria. After many years, finally the mystery father appeared! And so, work is being done now to bring it back to the point where crops can be made from St.Georgener-Rebe so that researchers can analyze it properly.

     Pretty neat, huh!?

     Almost as cool as the story of Stift Goettweig, the monastery in Austria that produces the GruVe I'm tasting: the above picture is inside the cathedral.

     Founded in 1083 (as per the label), Stift Goettweig produces a special type of GruVe called Messwein, which can only be called such when it has been produced with permission of a Benedictine Bishop, and follows strict guidelines. Having grown up Irish Catholic, I can well believe the guidelines would be strict .

     Well now the secular has moved in, and though the wine is made under the auspices of the monastery, it is not the monastery Brothers who are toiling in the fields or heading up production. The traditions have been maintained however, from the way the fields are maintained, to the methods of vinification and maturation. Some oak is used now, which certainly did not happen in 1083, but the old ways are still alive and well in the Wachau Valley.

2009 Gruner Vetliner, Messwein

from Stuft Goettweig, Wachau Valley, Austria

http://www.weingutstiftgoettweig.at/

Very Good Value

12% ABV, $22 CAD @ Fox's Reach Wine Store, Maple Ridge

http://tagliquorstores.com/fox-reach/

• visual:   clean; pale straw core with gold highlights and a light watery rim
• nose:     clean; moderately intense youthful aromas showing signs of development; layers of slate minerality, wild grasses, little summer meadow flowers, ripe stonefruit especially apricot, light honey nuances, soft oaky finish
• palate:    clean; dry, moderate+ to fully intense crisp yellow grapefruit acids, moderate+ (supple) body, moderate+ to full alcohol (don't serve too warm), moderate+ intense youthful flavors showing signs of development; yellow grapefruit, layers of minerality, crisp stonefruit, young pears, light backbone with soft oak, pronounced peppery finish. Good balance, very good structure, short to medium finish.
• conclusion:   Well made entry level Gruner, this wine drinks very well right now, and will continue to do so until the end of 2012. Will not improve with cellaring.
• PAIRINGS:    As always, the wine of a region pairs well with the food of a region, but in this I'll move outside-the-box. Try this delightfully crisp wine with butter braised rabbit and fresh pasta with wild thyme; the light gameyness of the meat will play off the spice in the wine, the butter will blend with the buttery texture of the wine, but also play off the acids and the wild thyme plays off the light grass/ripe meadow flowers.

Looking forward to more from Stift-Goettweig!!!

CINCIN~!!!    SLAINTE~!!!    CHEERS~!!!

Falanghina, ancient white wine from Campania, Italy

Some of you may know that Mrs Astudentofwine is of Italian descent. Her father was the first to be born here in Canada, of Calabrese parents, and so she was raised  surrounded by Italian speaking aunts, uncles and grandparents. Very cool for me then to be learning about wines from just up the coast from where her family lived for generations.

     Campania is actually a Latin word, and literally means "the Countryside". There may in fact be somewhat of a stigma against winemaking (not without justification) from "the Countryside" but - just as with most regions of the world - here as well great strides in quality are being made. And what better place to start then this magnificent anicent grape Falanghina, native to Campania, and capable of rich aromatic white wines that pair as well with seafood as they do with a crisp pizza topped with buffalo mozzarella? Both pairings, by-the-way, are in fact regional. Did you know that the pizza (as we know it now) was first made in Napoli, capital city of Campania?

     Well anyways, Falanghina has 15 pseudonyms (which I will not bore you with) which makes it a horror for any student to try to learn about. It also has a plethora of rich possibilities in the bottle, which makes it an absolute pleasure to drink. Did I mention that it's also reasonably priced?

2009 Falanghina, by Terredora

Campania, Italy (Indicazione Geografica Tipica)

13% ABV, $20   **EXCELLENT VALUE **

http://www.terredora.com/

2008: Decanter Awards 2009 – silver

         The International Wine Challenge 2009 - bronze

2007: Decanter Awards 2008 – bronze

         The International Wine Challenge 2008 – bronze

         Vinitaly 2008, Concorso Enologico Internazionale – commended

2006: Decanter World Wine Awards 2007 – bronze

         The International Wine Challenge 2007 – commended

• visual:     clean; moderately intense golden lemon core paling to watery rim
• nose:     clean; moderately intense young and vibrant aromas of minerality, wild grasses, mild exotic fruit such as pineapple, almondy lees
• palate:    clean; 0 dryness, moderate+ Amalfi lemony acids, moderate- body, moderate+ ABV, moderate+ intense youthful and somewhat layered flavors comparable to the nose; Amalfi lemons, wild flowers, strong minerality throughout the palate, lemon finish with a hint of peppery arugula. Very good balance, good structure and moderate+ finish
• conclusion:   A wonderfully crafted "table" wine that is drinking superbly now (through 2012)
• PAIRINGS:   Seafood (as they do in Campania). Scallops in a buerre blanc are a natural, as would be butter poached lobster, fresh pan seared trout.... just about anything that is white from the ocean will love this. Herbs would be dill, tarragon, basil (but be sparing and try Thai basil). I personally would stay away from spice as it may throw the wine out of balance

     If anything, this small taste of Campania and the Amalfi Coast has made me more eager then before to take some time to visit Italy. Until then, I'll just have to try different varietals from the region, and from Terredora wines.

CIN CIN~!!!   SLAINTE~!!!   CHEERS~!!!

happy Gruner!

A very good day to all, and happy Gruner!

Gruner is a very neat varietal... not the least reason being that it tastes very minerally (my own word). You all know that I've been grappling with the ability to "taste minerality" or more appropriately "describe a taste in wines as being mineral". So where better to go, than one of the epitomes of minerality.

A luscious grape, primarily from Austria & Czech (where it is 11% of all grapes grown for wine-making it the second highest)... apparently it has beaten world class Chardonnays in blind tastings! Very cool indeed, especially when one considers that it is almost unknown & rarely planted. Check out wikopedia - it tells a bit more.

_________________________________________
WINE A

clear visual, moderately intense of pale lemon

clean nose, moderate- intensity of dust, chalk, mild summer flowers (think dandelions), green grapes

00 dryness, full- acid, 0 tannin, moderate+ intensity in the flavors; chalk, gravel, granite, really under ripe stone-fruit (peaches, nectarines), honey, even a touch of petrol (or am I just over-tired?)

moderate body

moderate alcohol (11.5% but it tastes like 12+%)

full length of palate going 10 seconds and longer
___________________________________________________________________

So what a beautiful wine! I would serve it with mildly roasted chicken or pork (no heavy grilling), sauteed prawns & scallops, soft cheeses like boursin... it was truly a pleasure to drink it, and I feel like I spent $30 wisely.

Thank you again Marquis Wine Cellar!
Cin-cin & slainte!!