The Rioja Experiment, Part 1

Is Rioja a great wine?

Matt Kramer, a veteran wine critic, once made a bold claim to the contrary. In his book, Making Sense of Wine, published in 1989, Kramer mentioned that the best wines do not age so much as they transform. He also noted that while Tempranillo, the main grape in Rioja, makes age-worthy wines, it does not transform with age.

Reserva & Grand Reserva

Rioja's age-worthiness is a well-known fact. The famous Spanish red is classified by how long it is aged prior to release:

• Generic (or Joven) - No aging requirement
• Crianza - Two years of aging, with at least one year in barrel
• Reserva - Three years of aging, with at least one year in barrel
• Gran Reserva - Five years of aging, with at least two years in barrel

Generally, the higher quality grapes will be aged longer and are designated for the higher classification. However, Kramer claims that because Tempranillo resists oxidation more so than other grapes, it is limited in its ability to transform and evolve into secondary and tertiary flavors that you would normally find in a Cabernet Sauvignon or my personal favorite, Nebbiolo.

Let's unpack what all this means.

Wine has a love-hate relationship with oxygen. Oxygen at the right level plays a critical role in wine making and maturation. If you think of wine as a living product, which many wine geeks do, oxygen is the catalyst that helps the wine mature and evolve.

Too little oxygen, the wine becomes reduced and develops a skunky aroma. Too much, the wine becomes oxidized, which translates to a sherry-like aroma with a vinegar taste. Like any living thing, a wine may start off young, mature and peak over time, and eventually tire and expire.

Letting wine breathe is allowing oxygen to wake up its flavors

As wine matures with the perfect Goldilocks-level of oxygen, the tannins in wine will become softer. The aromas will develop from primary to secondary and tertiary flavors. A well-made wine with the right grape(s) develops a complex flavor profile as it ages. Some examples of the flavor profile include:

• Primary flavors (from the fruit and primary fermentation) - Fruit, floral, herb, mineral
• Secondary flavors (from secondary fermentation and the barrel) - Bread, cream, wood, spice, coffee
• Tertiary flavors (from aging and oxidation) - Leather, tobacco, nuttiness, mushroom, earthy

So I recruited some friends to help me do a two-day social-distancing experiment to taste through the simulated aging process of Rioja. We each picked a Rioja of our choice that has at least a Reserva classification and tasted it about 4-5 times over two days. Each tasting would be about 6 hours apart. A bottle of Barbaresco was also added to the mix for comparison.

Rioja Experiment

The goal of the experiment is to answer two questions:

1. Does Rioja age and evolve well?

2. Does Rioja fit your definition of a great wine? 

We completed the experiment and are in the process of sharing our observations. We will do the big reveal in the next post. In the meantime, I'd love it if you try this experiment along with us. Feel free to drop me a note with your observations as well. I look forward to hearing from you and sharing our results.

Salut!

Washington Wineries Reimagined During COVID

It has been over a month since Washington State imposed the stay-at-home order and a shutdown of non-essential businesses to slow down the spread of COVID-19 virus. This has been a game-changer for wineries, especially when late spring is typically the kickoff of a new wine season with a flurry of tasting events.

While Washington wineries are still open for business, services have been restricted to wine orders, deliveries, and pick-ups. Tasting rooms are closed, and Spring Release parties cancelled. A subdued lull takes the place of the buzz and excitement normally found this time of the year.

Festivities at Spring Valley Vineyard Ranch during 2019 Spring Release

Reinventing

This indefinite pause in wine tourism and large-scale wine events has a significant financial impact on wineries. In response, many wineries have turned up the dial on online sales, offering inexpensive or even free shipping. For consumers who live in close proximity, some wineries have ramped up on curbside pickups and even offered free wine deliveries. 

Some wineries, with the appropriate license, also include meals with wine purchase. Caprio Cellars in Walla Walla offers a $50 winery takeout, which includes a scrumptious three-course dinner for two with its wine.

Sample menu from Caprio Cellars

As for food establishments that serve wine, the shutdown also changes how business is run. As dining rooms across Washington are closed, the state liquor board has made temporary allowance to licensed eateries to sell wine with meals for curbside pick-ups or deliveries. This is a great way for consumers to stay safe and still support local restaurants and wineries.

Giving Back

Despite this being an uncertain time, it is heartening to know that there are wineries that are able and willing to pitch in to help the community out. Here are some creative ways that wineries are showing support to others during the pandemic:

• Alexandria Nicole Cellars and Genoa Cellars offered healthcare workers 50% off wine purchase in March to thank them for their sacrifice.
• Betz Family Winery donated $5 per bottle of The Untold Story, a red blend, sold through mid April to the Seattle Foundation's COVID-19 Response Fund. The fund provides emergency assistance to the region's most vulnerable communities, such as financial support, healthcare, and childcare.
• DeLille Cellars is donating 50% of the sale of D2 Heart, its wildly popular Bordeaux blend, to Seattle Foundation's COVID-19 Response Fund and Lifewire, a non-profit that strives to end domestic violence.
• Doubleback Winery, owned by former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe, sponsored free meals from Andrae's Kitchen to out-of-work employees in Walla Walla's hospitality industry during the first two weeks of April.
• Quilceda Creek, a premium Washington winery, recently joined the bandwagon by releasing bottles from its private library to its members with the plan to donate 50% of all proceeds from the sales to Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. RERF was created to help restaurant industry employees who are experiencing extraordinary hardship due to the pandemic.

#QuilcedaCares campagne raising money for RERF

My Verdict: While COVID is a global pandemic that penetrates countless countries and across different societal strata, the human spirit to reinvent, to adapt, and to give back and support our community is what that will get us through this crisis. I am proud of Washington wineries for doing just that. So stay home, stay healthy, and drink good wine (not disinfectant). This too shall come to pass.

SIP (Shelter-In-Place) in Walla Walla, COVID-19 edition

March 14 (Saturday)

It was a cold spring day as we drove to Walla Walla. We took the usual scenic route through the Cascade Mountain Range to Vantage before heading south along the Columbia River on and off till we arrived in the wine country. 

Breathtaking drive through the Cascades

Still, we counted our blessings: the ability to work remote in a place with no known case of COVID-19, and our friends in Walla Walla who were awaiting with nourishment and libation.

March 15 (Sunday)

It seemed unusually quiet even for the shoulder season in Walla Walla wine country. Cayuse had called off its annual Private Release weekend, usually held in the first weekend of April. There were rumors that other wineries might follow suit, culminating in the cancellation of Spring Release in May.

We snuck in a visit to the newly opened tasting room of Caprio Cellars in the southside. The winery welcomed us with a glass of sparkling Vouvray before we got into the estate 2018 Semillon. This was followed by a vertical tasting of the 2015 to 2017 Eleanor Vineyard Bordeaux blends. Completing the line-up was my favorite, the 2015 Sanitella, also a Bordeaux blend but from both estate Eleanor and Octave Vineyards.

Wine tasting at the new Caprio Cellars tasting room

The tasting room was gorgeous and airy, with plenty of natural light and outdoor seating. On certain days, an on-site chef comes in to prepare food that pairs with the wines. And once a week, you can order dinner-to-go for two with a bottle of wine for $50. The upcoming meal deal is lasagne. Something to think about!

March 16 (Monday)

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced statewide shutdown of restaurants, bars, and large social gatherings starting the next day. That would include all tasting rooms. Not knowing how long this would last, we got together with some close friends for our last supper to support our favorite restaurant, Passatempo.

Last supper at Passatempo

Restaurants all over town announced to-go and delivery services starting Tuesday. It would be weird to be in Walla Walla and not be able to visit a winery and go to our favorite restaurants. But safety first.

March 20 (Friday)

TGIF! I have not spent this much time at home, and the dogs definitely love it. Once or twice a day, we will take the dogs to the beautiful Pioneer Park and Aviary across the street from our house. The dogs enjoy checking out their feathered friends and sniffing out red fox squirrels.

Dog-tired from working remote

It has been quiet here in Walla Walla; a college town without students and a wine country without tourists. Businesses are shut down for the most part, and we don't know how many will return or recover after the pandemic.

March 21 (Saturday)

We did get the lasagne meal deal from Caprio Cellars after all. It came with a bottle of wine, a scrumptious salad with sliced beets and citrus dressing, brownies for dessert, and the winery-branded toilet roll!

Caprio-branded TP

Speaking of TP, the stores have been out of toilet paper even before we got there. Whenever a shipment arrives, the store would announce it, and the merchandise would be gone within the hour.

BAD NEWS! Walla Walla County got its first confirmed case of COVID-19. A man in his 40s is under home isolation for two weeks or three days without fever, whichever is longer. We believe we will see more cases in the coming days. 

March 23 (Monday)

This is the start of my second week of remote work from Walla Walla. The work day ended with Governor Inslee issuing a stay-at-home order. We had already been home for the most part besides running essential errands and walking the dogs. We started looking into grocery delivery services such as Instacart. In Walla Walla, that means a fine offering of Safeway, Albertson's, and Petco. 

March 27 (Friday)

The work week ended with a total of five confirmed COVID cases in the county; all under home isolation. One of them happened to be a TSA screening officer at the Walla Walla Regional Airport. The airport was shut down a couple of days for deep cleaning. 

2011 Dunham Late 
Harvest Riesling

On the wine front, our neighbor had brought over a bottle of dessert wine from Dunham Cellars several days ago. It is the 2011 vintage of the Late Harvest Riesling from Lewis Estate Vineyard in Columbia Valley. The wine has a deep amber hue, likely contributed by its age, and a port-like honey nose. The 26.7% residual sugar is much higher than most dessert wines, but the honeysuckle sweetness on the palate is balanced by citrusy acidity.

Winemakers, Eric Dunham and Daniel Wampfler, were certainly right in their description that the "wine is going to last a long, long time in the bottle (if left unopened)." It is quite delightful!

March 29 (Sunday)

Another quiet home weekend spent working on the yard and cleaning the house. Spring weather is always unpredictable with a mix of rain and sun breaks. Feeling a little stir-crazy, we decided to go out for a drive to Milton-Freewater in Oregon. 

While it sounds far, the truth is Walla Walla and Milton-Freewater are less than 12 miles apart, equidistant from the stateline. In fact, Walla Walla AVA extends from southeastern Washington to the northeastern Oregon. You really get both Washington and Oregon wines from the AVA.

Rainbow over spring wheat field

The drive through parcels of vineyards and wheat fields turned out to be quite uplifting. To top that, we were greeted by a light rainbow that stretched across a huge spring wheat field with the Blue Mountains as a faint backdrop. It gave me hope that the pandemic shall pass as we wait it out in beautiful Walla Walla wine country.

Screaming Eagle? Screaming Deal?

I was looking over the wine list at my favorite local Italian restaurant when the owner's selection caught my eye.

2011 Screaming Eagle $3,900

Credited as the trailblazer for Napa cult wineries, Screaming Eagle was founded by Jean Phillips, a former realtor with a knack for good soil. In 1986, she bought a 57-acre vineyard in Oakville. While Phillips sold most of her grapes to nearby Napa wineries, she kept an acre of Cabernet Sauvignon for her personal winemaking.

Screaming Eagle, the most expensive Napa wine

A few years later, Phillips decided to go into commercial winemaking and hired Heidi Barrett to be her winemaker. Barrett is a second-generation Napa winemaker and wife of Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena fame. At that time, she was already a rising star with a couple of Robert Parker 100-points from a consulting gig with Dalla Valle.


In 1995, Phillips released the first vintage of Screaming Eagle. The 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon was a hit, scoring 99 points from Robert Parker. Both ladies became an overnight phenomenon.

The winery is not open to public

With continued accolades and production kept low at around 500 cases per vintage, the demand for the celebrated wine sky-rocketed. A mailing list was quickly established, and only members of the list were able to purchase the wine directly from the winery. The members-only price started at $75 per bottle, which was high at that time. It then increased to $125 a bottle, making Screaming Eagle the most expensive wine in the Valley.

By the time Phillips sold the winery to Stan Kroenke and Charles Bank in 2006, the members-only price was $300 a bottle. Today, the wait to get on the Screaming Eagle mailing list is rumored to be a few decades long. If you are patient enough to get on the mailing list, you get to purchase Screaming Eagle at $850 a bottle, a screaming deal since the aftermarket price averages three to four times that. And the restaurant price... you do the math!

Personally, I have not tasted Screaming Eagle. At that price, it will be a very special day if I do. My friends, who were fortunate enough to have it, definitely thought highly of it.

So what you would consider to be a screaming deal for Screaming Eagle? I have my number. What is yours?

One Wine Lover's Two Cents on Dieting

January is coming to an end. Some of you may be on the last stretch of Dry January or Whole30 or a similar month-long break from alcohol and/or other indulgence. I congratulate you.

Can't say no to Champagne and caviar

Try as I might, that is not my cup of tea (or glass of wine). But I am not immune to the allure of fad diets and exercise routines that promise a toner trimmer version of me. In fact, I am in the middle of an 8-week program. Just that I am ignoring the no-alcohol diet portion of it. Let me share my two cents on dieting.

No to No-Alcohol Diets

Unless you have alcohol abuse or binge issues, I can't imagine why anyone who appreciates wine would want to follow a no-alcohol diet, even if only for a month. The key word is "appreciate."

Proponents of Dry January suggests that taking a break from alcohol helps reset one's relationship with it. I see the point to some extent. I once gave up meat for Lent. When I got back to eating meat again, I became more selective in the meat I would partake. But I wouldn't say that I "appreciated" meat pre-Lent the same way I do wine.

My friend and wine blogger, Amber LeBeau, wrote a post that Dry January Can Go to Hell. She suggests that instead of taking a pause from alcohol in January, try mindful consumption all year round. Engage your senses when enjoying a glass of wine. Learn the story behind the wine and the vintage; how was the weather that year, what challenges were presented by Mother Nature, and how the winemaker artfully crafted the wine.

Wine flight is a great way to learn about wine appreciation

I mentioned in my blog that I belonged to the Specialty Club from my local wine shop. Every month, we get a red and a white from anywhere in the world. Tom, the shop owner, is a wealth of wine knowledge, and he always tells a good story for each bottle he carefully curates for the club. It brings a richer experience as I sip the wine. It is more than getting a buzz from the alcohol. If that is your experience too, then say no to no-alcohol diets.

No Bad Wine is Worth the Calories

One might argue that a good wine is a matter of taste. I think enjoyment is a matter of taste. Good, which suggests quality, is different. Consider this. I adore Jack in the Box tacos and all the beef-ish meat product tastiness. But that doesn't make them good tacos. Nor should I be eating them beyond rare moments of guilty pleasure. They are just not worth the calories.

Tasting our homemade wine

Wines of the Jack-in-the-Box-tacos variety are often mass-produced from leftover or poor-quality grapes, buffed up with all kinds of additives to hide the flaws. These could range from powdered tannins to provide structure to Mega Purple for a deeper color and a little residual sugar to mask any off-flavors.

Now I am not advocating for natural wine. As a hobby winemaker, I certainly have used my fair share of sulfur, commercial yeast, yeast nutrients, and malolactic bacteria. My goal is to ensure a clean and successful fermentation, but not to manufacture a taste. I very much subscribe to the philosophy of minimal intervention. Get the best grapes you can afford and make a wine that is a true expression of the variety, the vintage, and the terroir.

Perhaps I have the luxury since I don't make wine for a living so I don't worry about consumer taste and sales. But the overused additives in mass-produced wine can't be any better than the meat product of Jack in the Box tacos. When I go to a restaurant that only has cheaply-produced wine by the glass, I would skip it. If I were to add wine calories in my body, I'd like to have the full experience of a well-made wine.

So there you go! This is just one wine lover's two cents on dieting. What do you think?

Who is in Your Wine Cave?

Who would have thought that wine caves would be a topic of discussion at the Democratic presidential debate? 

It was a fundraiser for presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, hosted by Craig and Kathryn Hall, owners of Hall Wines. The event was held in the wine cave, decorated with 1,500 Swarovski crystals, and where $900 bottles of wine were served. Certainly, an event that is exclusively for those with deep pockets.

Beautiful and extravagant Halls wine cave

His critics decry that billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the United States. So I thought, let's talk about wine caves in this post.

Let's be clear, I LOVE WINE CAVES!

Bottles in an old wine cave

Just as bibliophiles love libraries, oenophiles love wine caves. I love seeking out wine caves in my travel. Some are old and musty, storing each wine bottle in cobwebs, mold, and history. Others are sparkling clean and high-tech, with an opulent display of carefully curated bottles and barrels. But each wine cave is a treasure trove, and I am one equal opportunity oenophile.

The origin of wine caves dates back thousands of years during the time of the Roman Empire. The Romans stored their wines in catacombs. They discovered that the subterranean structure would protect the wine from temperature variation and provide the perfect humidity for cellaring.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, these underground tunnels continued to persist. In many parts of France, they were used primarily for cellaring wine. However, these wine caves were not immune from political activities of their times as well.

Wine Cave for the Resistance

One of the most fascinating wine caves that I've visited belongs to Maison Joseph Drouhin. The subterranean cellar in Beaune was so old that you can see herringbone-style stonework on some of the walls. This indicates the presence of Romans. Other walls were added on over time, including facades built during the Nazi regime to hide the French Resistance activists and treasured wines.

Drouhin wine cave herringbone-style stonework from the Roman era

In the book, Wine and War: The Battle for France's Greatest Treasure by Don and Petie Kladstrup, you will read about how Maurice Drouhin served in the French Resistance from his cellar. In fact, French winegrowers played a big role in fighting the Nazi regime from the intricate labyrinth of wine caves.

Wine Cave for the Ritzy

Moving 200 miles northeast from Beaune is Épernay, the capital of Champagne. Under the streets of Épernay are over 60 miles of the underground caves storing millions of bottles of sparkling wine. I visited the wine cave of Möet et Chandon, the famous Champagne house that is associated with luxury name brands Louis Vuitton and Hennessy.

Riddling rack in Möet wine cave

Möet et Chandon is all about opulence and extravagance. Founded in 1742 by Claude Möet, the high-end winery focused its clientele on nobles and aristocrats. In fact, Claude's grandson, Jean Rémy, went to military school with Napoleon Bonaparte. The alignment with the powerful emperor continued for many years. Today, deep in the Möet wine caves, you will see a big barrel of port that was gifted by Napoleon himself. You can't get tighter than that.

Napoleon's Gift of Port

My Verdict: As you can see, the relationship between wine caves and politics did not begin in Napa Valley's Rutherford Hall Winery. It is a fair question to ask whether a candidate is able to rise above lobbyists and donors to do what is best and right for his or her country. Is the wine cave fundraising event so incriminating? Because sometimes there is a Maurice Drouhin in the wine cave. Other times there is a Napoleon Bonaparte. You be the judge.

'Tis the Season to Drink Bubbly!

 I only drink champagne on two occasions. When I am in love, and when I am not. 

- Coco Chanel

Nothing puts me in the holiday spirit more than the whisper when the Champagne cork is gently twisted off. Or for those who prefer a touch of drama, the slash of the saber across the bottle neck.

During the holiday season, you can also expect Champagne tasting at many local wine shops, drumming up the sale of the celebratory libation. So I'd like to take this moment to share with you a few fun facts about Champagne.

NV Louis Roederer

#1 Will the Real Champagne Grapes Please Stand Up?

You have seen them in the grocery store. Those tiny sweet seedless berries of Champagne grapes. Alas! Those are not the grapes used to make Champagne. They are not even *gasp* French.

So what grapes are used to make Champagne?

About 98% of the grapes that go into Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The other 2% allowed are Pinot Blanc, Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Pinot Gris (a.k.a. Fromenteau), Pinot de Juillet, and Pinot Rosé. Even though both white and black grapes are used to make Champagne, most bubblies are white wine, and about 12% are pink.

Sometimes you will see Blanc de Blanc (white from white) or Blanc de Noir (white from black) listed on the label. Despite the names, both are white Champers. Blanc de Blancs are made with only white grapes, typically 100% Chardonnay. Blanc de Noirs are made with only black grapes, primarily Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier, but with minimum skin contact. Blanc de Noirs are not to be confused with rosé Champagnes.

#2 NV, MV, or Vintage?

Most Champagnes you see are labelled NV (non-vintage). This means the Champagne is blended from grapes of different vintages or different years of harvest. NV is sometimes marketed as MV (multi-vintage), which more accurately describes the blend. Most NV Champagnes follow a house style, ensuring consistency in taste and quality. NV or MV wine can be released for sale fifteen months after harvest, which provides early cashflow for the Champagne houses or growers.

Dom Pérignon tour in Eperney

Vintage Champagne, on the other hand, is made from grapes that are harvested in the same year. On the label, you will see the year of the vintage. Vintage Champagnes are rare as they rely on a single year of good harvest. Additionally, the wine needs to be aged three years in the bottle prior to release. This is a luxury that small producers cannot afford. 

Dom Pérignon and Cristal are two famous vintage Champagnes. The last Dom Perignon vintage was released in 2009, and the last Cristal vintage 2012.

#3 Does Size Matter?

Yes, if cellaring wine is important to you. Larger-format bottles are usually made of thicker glass and provide better protection from light exposure and temperature variation. Moreover, the higher wine-to-oxygen ratio helps the wine age more slowly and gracefully. The rule of thumb is to drink smaller formats young and cellar bigger formats.

Moët & Chandon bottle sizes

While no one really knows the origin of why larger-format bottles are named after biblical characters, it is always fun to see if you get the names right. To complicate matters, some of the same names are used to refer to different sizes when describing still wine.

Piccolo/quarter bottle = 187.5 ml

Demi/half bottle = 375 ml 

Bottle = 750 ml 

Magnum = 1.5 liters (2 bottles)

Jeroboam = 3 liters (4 bottles)*

Rehoboam = 4.5 liters (6 bottles)*

Methuselah = 6 liters (8 bottles) 

Salamanazar = 9 liters (12 bottles) 

Balthazar = 12 lite4s (16 bottles) 

Nebuchadnezzar = 15 liters (20 bottles)

Solomon = 18 liters (24 bottles)

* For still wine, 3-liter is called Double Magnum, and 4.5-liter is called Jeroboam.

Now that you know a few more things about Champagne, go in confidence to that sparkling wine tasting. Perhaps you want to get yourself a Jeroboam of that NV Blanc de Blanc for the holiday party. 

'Tis the season to drink bubbly!