tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter/1 2010-11-30T06:51:40Z The Wine Technology Blog Movable Type 3.32 tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.120 2010-11-30T06:48:21Z 2010-11-30T06:51:40Z

This month my Wines and Vines column covers this frustrating but fascinating third rail of wine reviewing....

Clark Smith Wines and Vines column covers this frustrating but fascinating third rail of wine reviewing. ]]> tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.119 2010-10-16T22:43:56Z 2010-10-16T22:58:28Z

Sooth.com's latest reverse snobbery is bashing the top five annoying wine words, to wit: 1) Unctuous 2) Confident 3) Serious 4) Cacophony 5) The finish lasted X seconds Don't know their quarrel with "unctuous," as there are certainly oily wines...

Clark Smith annoying wine words, to wit: 1) Unctuous 2) Confident 3) Serious 4) Cacophony 5) The finish lasted X seconds Don't know their quarrel with "unctuous," as there are certainly oily wines -- it's basically the point of Vognier. Can't say I've ever heard a wine described as confident, but a well-integrated wine, like a good painting or musical composition, can be said to have a good sense of itself. It is not unreasonable to speak of aroma notes, which are entirely analogous to sounds, as disharmonious or cacaphonious -- this is an artifact of pour structure and lack of aromatic integration of which I have spoken frequently. The length of a finish seems a reasonable thing to estimate.]]> I use the term "serious" exclusively for distinguishing between serious rosés and silly rosés. In France, rosé consumption has surpassed white wine. In America it is only a summer quaff which many sugar-phobes are fearful even to try. Although one could as easily speak of dry vs sweet, a good, well-balanced dry rosé should have a natural sweetness to it, and the term also implies that the wine's emphasis is not entirely on simple fruit and has versatile food pairing capabilities. I think the word "serious" in this context encourages the novice consumer to expand their rosé horizons and open up the discussion to a world of dry rosés which can be taken, well, seriously. tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.118 2010-10-16T19:54:19Z 2010-10-16T19:59:05Z

Clark The 09 is in barrels. I've not had the nerve to taste it for a long time. It's the one we did without adding sulphites. What is the projected course of events, i.e. how long should it stay in...

Clark Smith Clark The 09 is in barrels. I've not had the nerve to taste it for a long time. It's the one we did without adding sulphites. What is the projected course of events, i.e. how long should it stay in barrels, and thereafter how soon should it be bottled? From the wine structure I guessed it would be a "2 to 3 year" barrel wine, but I've not done an so2 free wine before, so maybe it should reduce to 18 months? Cheers Edmund Edmund, The game with sulfite-free is to achieve microbial equilibrium by getting as much microbial activity out of the way as possible – at least two summers over 15C, and three is better. However you must bottle when the reductive strength of the wine drops below what is coming in through the barrel skin. You can tell by reading DO, but also you can run VA’s, which will start to climb at this point. I find that these wines begin very fruity and pass through a funky “animalia” stage, eventually crystallizing into something pure, well knit and minerally. That’s what you’re looking for. If the tannins are hard, you can stir lees at this stage, which will add structure and also increase your reductive energy. The result is more drinkability and also more longevity. Your lees shuld be pretty broken down by now (assuming there are any). You’d want to stir every week or two until maybe six months, or when they’re all taken up. tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.117 2010-10-03T16:37:08Z 2010-10-03T22:12:44Z

Clark: Some time back (2007?) I remember listening to a show on NPR about the relationships between wine and music. I was intrigued by the idea – as a musician I have always felt that music affects many things. Since...

Clark Smith Clark: Some time back (2007?) I remember listening to a show on NPR about the relationships between wine and music. I was intrigued by the idea – as a musician I have always felt that music affects many things. Since I was planning a party I decided to conduct an experiment at the party and having people write down their impressions of wine at various points after listening to a specific track. It was not very scientific, and the results were not conclusive, but the party was a huge hit resulting in us having to kick people out in the small hours because they would not leave on their own. I find the whole idea fascinating (not to mention a great excuse to drink wine and listen to great music). I haven’t heard much about it since then and was wondering whether you have taken this analysis any further. If so I would love to know what the next steps are for this idea. Thanks for coming up with such an innovative concept! Barry http://www.grapecraft.com/grapecraft/page/music.jsp. I do classes and presentations, and I always post a playlist that goes with my wines. I find sometimes when people don’t “get it” when first experiencing an unusual style or varietal, they can have their eyes opened by trying it with a good music pairing. It’s certainly a way to enhance any wine experience and get more for your money. It’s really quite easy to work up a playlist. Just pop a bottle and download 30 second snippets from iTunes. You’ll see what works and what doesn’t. It’s a fun party game. Eventually you learn the emotional modality that the wine conveys, and you match it. Bring your friends up to Sebastopol sometime and we’ll play. Clark ]]> tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.116 2010-08-26T00:57:49Z 2010-08-27T09:13:04Z

The recent attack by anti-GMO activists on an experimental planting of biotech grapes in a government-funded site in Colmar, France raises some thought provoking discussion about public safety, burden of proof and the nature of the public commons. An article...

Clark Smith A Sad Day for Wine, A Sad Day for Science" articulates one side of the debate, and there is lively and civil discussion in the comments, including some by yours truly. Recommended reading.]]> Systems thinking and prediction of consequences is not something contemporary science is very good at. Consider, for example, the consequences of USDA’s recent intentional introduction of the asian ladybug to the Central US, a disaster of epic proportions. Steve's assertion that he is in a position to assess the risks is chilling. A sad day for science indeed when we lord our education and experience over the lay public's legitimate concerns for unpredictable consequences. Scientists need to state their case — the risks and the rewards — and let the public in on the decision-making process, rather than to pre-empt such a conversation and ask us simply to trust the "professional" assessment. Aside from the fact that scientific corricula generally include little in the way of ethics, philosophical training, writing skills, or political awareness, UC Davis is a brutally tough school (I found it much more disagreable to study there compared with MIT), and graduates tend to carry the false impression that such hard-won degrees must confer special wisdom. That gut feeling of superiority results in much mischief. tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.115 2010-06-18T00:49:03Z 2010-06-18T00:54:06Z

Stuart Smith is hosting a lively discussion debunking biodynamics on his blog. My contribution:...

Clark Smith lively discussion debunking biodynamics on his blog. My contribution:]]> While my sentiments are with you in that the origins of BD are pretty shady, and as fond as I am of Stu personally, I am disappointed in the smug, self-assured tone of this blog. As someone who knows a little about science, let me play Devil’s advocate and challenge some statements here, not so much to support Steiner but more to strengthen true science by pointing out what it is not. Your arguments are largely circular: BD seems absurd, and therefore why investigate? Our inability to imagine the mechanisms of biodynamics does not by itself constitute proof of its invalidity, and neither does a smear campaign regarding its founder. Say it’s the 18th century, you’re Isaac Newton, and I tell you I’ve got a box that can pull invisible waves out of the air and show us pictures and voices from people in other parts of the world and from other times. Yeah, right. Say you can discredit my credentials: does that make the claim less accurate, or just less credible? It is this very complacency which has by its nature created alternatives to scientific progress such as the BD movement, out of shear frustration with its limitations and its lack of imagination. The only thing I can see that really distinguishes the process which established BD from science is that the latter has a well organized system of verifiable inquiry. But this is not as cut-and-dried a recommendation as one might suppose. As practiced in the last 100 years, this inquiry is based on arbitrary and often inapplicable statistical assumptions. It also is better suited to elucidating simple, linear, analytical phenomena than evaluating whole systems, particularly human responses to intricate stimuli such as a glass of wine. Science’s focus on isolated problems rather than systems thinking has led to a lot of problems. A pill for this, a pill for that, with no notion of the impact for this particular person’s body as a whole. The USDA importation of Asian ladybugs has been a disaster for the wine industry from Ohio to Niagara. Need I go on? Yet science is not fundamentally reductionist; all areas of inquiry are, in theory, fair game, even astrology, voodoo and biodynamics. In winemaking, UCDavis would do well to abandon its outdated solution chemistry paradigm and to give at least tentative credibility to phenomena such as minerality, aromatic integration and profundity. Overconfidence in science as a repository of truth, despite its inability to tackle currently vexing problems like balancing a sustainable ecosystem or turning a $30 Pinot into a $50 Pinot, has driven some very smart people such as Randall Grahm and the Benzigers to try another way. Just as Western medicine has a theory of disease but not one of wellness, scientific winemaking has stumbled badly by trying to dissect wine. It’s great for fixing defects, but has no advice for increasing wines soulfulness, harmony or even longevity. Having solved the easy problems, our current scientific practice is no longer the engine of progress in these areas – it is the caboose. It will fall to scientists in the future to evaluate the efficacy of BD systems wrought by true believers rather than to second guess now in an area where our methods have no predictive traction. tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.114 2010-06-14T18:02:07Z 2010-06-14T18:19:28Z

Clark- can you elaborate on the following text from your TONG paper? Specifically, the relationship between "active tannins and sulfides"? Also, what do you mean by "field oxidation"? "Alcohol adjustment enabled California winemakers to achieve full ripeness, but that resulted...

Clark Smith Clark- can you elaborate on the following text from your TONG paper? Specifically, the relationship between "active tannins and sulfides"? Also, what do you mean by "field oxidation"? "Alcohol adjustment enabled California winemakers to achieve full ripeness, but that resulted in new problems. Ripe musts full of well-extracted, active tannins produce stinky sulfides. These unpleasant but transitory compounds are a sign of healthy life energy, but they are disconcerting to the novice winemaker and require a new skill set. Instead, reductive behavior in highly concentrated wines like Cabernet and Syrah has prompted many winemakers to drive the life energy out of their grapes by excessive hangtime and field oxidation." Thanks, Ken Ken: Red grapes at peak ripeness have a maximum reductive strength. A typical Napa Cab Sauv will take up 60 – 80 mls of oxygen for a month. If deprived of oxygen, it will become very reductive, often producing H2S as an artifact. These sulfides have nothing to do with dusting sulfur and are an artifact of very low redox potential. Flavonoid phenols such as catechin exist in grape skins as monomeric, and also as two types of polymers. During early ripening they form enzymatically into non-oxidative polymers with 4-8 bonds and a compact macrostructure. These bonds are acid-labile, so from a functional point of view can be regarded as banked monomer, and become monomeric in must as soon as they are crushed. The second type of polymeric linkage is oxidative. These are not 4-8 linkages, but instead are initiated by oxidation of the B ring, which contains an ortho-diphenol structure, and result in random linkages which are covalent and permanent, not subject to acidic hydrolysis. For example, the epicatechin gallate polymers in seeds become oxidatively cross linked in seeds during ripening, reducing their solubility and harsh flavor, making berries more palatable to birds. The field oxidation process takes place in the late stages of ripening, resulting in permanent structures which are oxidatively inactive. Since anthocyanins are compartmentalized in skins, they are not optimally incorporated into these structures, which are prone to over polymerization and precipitation after a few years, leaving a dry, gritty impression on the palate. They are also incapable of forming copigmentation colloids. Thus field oxidation robs the wine of both anthocyanins and active tannins. A typical Napa Cabernet with three weeks of excessive ripeness will be able to consume only 30 – 40 mls of oxygen for 3 – 5 days, having lost approximately 90% of its reductive strength. Those extra three weeks on the vine steal a decade of cellaring potential. The technique of field oxidation was perfected by the Australians to soften tannins so no cellar elaboration was necessary, as an easy means to produce bottle-ready fruit bombs today’s marketplace demands. This is fine as long as it is understood that the effect is transitory. It’s all very well for production of flavorful (if shallow) wines intended for current consumption. The problem arises when the technique is used for expensive wines with ageworthy reputation, such as the modern anathemas currently perpetrated in Barolo and in Napa Cabernet. Postmodern Winemakers do their cooking in the kitchen, not the field. A trained hand will pick ripe but not overripe and utilize oxygen to convert reductive energy into structure, taking advantage of active tannins and monomeric anthocyanins in intimate contact, and producing a rich, light, stable tannin soufflé using oxygen as the wire whisk, building and balancing reductive strength in the process. The result is wines of both youthful finesse and enhanced longevity, to say nothing of the enhancement of profundity of flavor and character. tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.113 2010-06-10T17:43:11Z 2010-06-10T17:54:59Z

Apropos of nothing, I just had to repost this item off Jancis Robinson's blog commenting on her article about Canadian wines. It's among the funniest things I ever heard....

Clark Smith Jancis Robinson's blog commenting on her article about Canadian wines. It's among the funniest things I ever heard.]]> From Valerie d'E Miller, Millers Landing, Ontario: Thank you for an excellent article on the Canadian wine scene. We have a small vineyard in Canada and have found the whole situation mighty frustrating. You covered it beautifully. PS A perhaps unique problem in Prince Edward County is the raccoons. They love grapes and damage whole bunches by wrenching off their favourite grape. The answer is low electric fences six and nine inches high. While this was being installed we were told that they were repelled by the sound of human voices so we covered the field with portable radios. Activating them after dark, we found that so many of the local stations had music playing. The only guaranteed rabble rousing talk programmes were the US religious programmes. So you can imagine our satisfaction to be walking back home in the dark, hearing from all corners of the field voices telling us that 'Jesus saves - and if you have a problem, you can rely on Jesus!' tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.112 2010-05-20T15:05:35Z 2010-05-20T15:08:11Z

I'm hosting a pretty thorough discussion on minerality at wine.woot this week. Recommended reading....

Clark Smith wine.woot this week. Recommended reading.]]> tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.111 2010-05-08T22:07:53Z 2010-05-08T22:11:05Z

Interesting discussion on Snooth.com about Parker's closing his site. I like this discussion centered around costs and value. A public posting board is like a public park, and it is easier to maintain than a building with sticks and bricks...

Clark Smith discussion on Snooth.com about Parker's closing his site. I like this discussion centered around costs and value. A public posting board is like a public park, and it is easier to maintain than a building with sticks and bricks and a staff. ]]> A site like, say, Jancis Robinson’s, which generates heaps of professional content (plus a lively discussion from subscribers at least professional enough to foot the subscription bill) offers a much higher value than a public chatroom. Appellation America’s bill was over a half million dollars a year, not $250, but it also offered incredible content. This is private enterprise, folks, and if you don’t pony up, you can only hope that your click can be converted to enough cash to balance the books. All addictive drugs are marketed on a first-one’s-free basis, but ask your dealer – it doesn’t create a lifetime free entitlement. What did you think? Parker would have kept it going if it made any sense, and it doesn’t fall to us outsiders to second guess his books. I recommend either paying the piper or sending him a very nice note thanking him for the eight-year free ride, then moving on to the content-free sites, which I hope you may find worth more than you are paying. tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.110 2010-05-08T20:56:06Z 2010-05-08T21:06:24Z

Here's a link to my recent article interviewing my great friend Randall Grahm. It's not your typical RG article, and if you are a winemaker yourself, it contains much food for thought to ponder your relationship with the public and...

Clark Smith recent article interviewing my great friend Randall Grahm. It's not your typical RG article, and if you are a winemaker yourself, it contains much food for thought to ponder your relationship with the public and perhaps with your Marketing Department. I have been writing this column for Wines and Vines on Postmodern Winemaking since January, and the previous articles are now posted. I strongly recommend the whole series to lovers of this blog, starting with January's column, The Solution Problem: Overcoming Enology.]]> tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.109 2010-04-23T04:16:33Z 2010-04-28T19:36:50Z

Clark Smith What serendipity. Jo Diaz had cooked up on her own an idea about pairing the jazz piano and bluesy vocals of Alacia Van with a pile of Petite Sirahs, and invited me along without any notion of the work I’ve done on the subject. It was her notion that we could pair each of the 15 wines with a different selection. I told her this wasn’t likely to work. Either we would see no good pairings at all, or there would be groups of emotional modalities which would cluster around one song or another. Wine Personality Music matchTwisted Oak ’08 Feminine, romantic Heart and Soul Miro ’07 Affable American Tune (Paul Simon)? Langtry ’05 Heavy metal Fever Vina Robles Austere The Music That Makes Me Dance Diamond Ridge Vineyards ’08 Salsa swing I Feel So Smoochie, Fever Concannon Livermore ’07 Pathos PS I Love You Line 39 ’07 Lyric, lean La Vie En Rose Ursa ’05 Spicy, elegant Foxy Lady (Jimi Hendrix)? Silkwood ’07 Macho soulful Fever Artezin ’07 Mendocino Sultry, complex PS I Love You, Nearness of You EOS Estate ‘06 Bright, exotic Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings? Parducci “True Grit” ’06 Rock and Roll Fever Mettler ’04 ‘80’s Funk I Wish You Love Clayhouse ’05 lyrical, Gershwin The Very Thought of You Pedroncelli ’06 soft pop rock Hole in the World Tonight (Eagles)? Quixote ‘05 Complex, austere Carmina Burana (Carl Orff)? Lava Cap ‘’05 sweet pop rock La Vie en Rose Artezin 07 Garzini Ranch epic Needs Opera Hess Collection Big, austere PS I Love You ]]> tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.108 2010-04-21T23:14:45Z 2010-04-22T00:20:46Z

Monday was a truly remarkable day organized by Jo and Jose Diaz of PS I Love You and well recounted by Ken Paxton's Reign of Terroir. My own account has been delayed by the necessity of a redeye flight to...

Clark Smith Jo and Jose Diaz of PS I Love You and well recounted by Ken Paxton's Reign of Terroir. My own account has been delayed by the necessity of a redeye flight to Charlotte immediately thereafter and a combination of intensely working the market and being jetlagged out of my mind ever since. Still, with the others blogging, I should at least give you the link from here to my research on wine and music, with a followup report on this fascinating day promised shortly.]]> tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.107 2010-04-09T17:07:49Z 2010-04-09T17:14:43Z

Recent published papers by statistician and winery owner Robert Hodgson on judge unreliability and on the inconsistency of awards in 13 U.S. wine competitions have created a well-deserved scandal surrounding the inconsistency of wine competitions in awarding medals. To explore...

Clark Smith judge unreliability and on the inconsistency of awards in 13 U.S. wine competitions have created a well-deserved scandal surrounding the inconsistency of wine competitions in awarding medals. To explore the notion that competitions could be more effective if judges are given target profiles, this year’s Riverside International Wine Competition has agreed to allow me to conduct an experiment in the Petite Sirah category with regionally based style profiles provided to the judges. For more on this story, check out (and contribute to) Jo Diaz' blog on the subject.]]> tag:www.grapecrafter.com,2010:/grapecrafter//1.106 2010-03-23T08:40:51Z 2010-03-23T08:45:13Z

When I teach, I like to ask for responses from the class, to get them thinking actively. This doesn’t always go so well, but the one query they never have trouble with is “What’s the Prime Directive for white wine?”...

Clark Smith When I teach, I like to ask for responses from the class, to get them thinking actively. This doesn’t always go so well, but the one query they never have trouble with is “What’s the Prime Directive for white wine?” “Fresh.” They get it every time. Yet wine can be and often is too fresh. Even the most flowery, delicate sauvignon blanc needs a little time to emerge. And I defy anyone to show me a rosé that isn’t better in year two than in year one – I include White Zin in this. The problem is reduction, which is caused by anti-oxidative power, a sign of health and integrity. The best whites are the ones that need that extra year the most. The New Zealanders have an edge on us. They harvest in March instead of September, so they can put their 2009’s out with an extra six months of development and the consumer will still think they are brand new. Consumers, or at least sommeliers, need to get better sense. A vintage is not an expiration date.