Pressing News—Selected Archive
June 2010
June 1 Club Meeting: Acid Chemistry in Winemaking and Enz Vineyard Tasting
Don Graves is leading a session on Acid Chemistry in Winemaking. He sends along this note: "I anticipate we will have a lively discussion, a small amount on theory, with the main focus directed at testing and adjusting musts and wines for proper acid balance. I am bringing 10L of 0.2 N sodium hydroxide so members should bring suitable containers to fill and take away. We want people to bring their acid test kits/pH meters and we will test two different wines, a white and a red, for total acid and pH. Hopefully this will demonstrate that all our meters and test methods are meaningful. I will supply the sodium hydroxide and wine, so members should bring their syringes, wipes, test containers, etc."
In addition, there will be a tasting of three wines just brought back from the Central Coast by the grape team—a Mourvèdre and a Zinfandel from the Enz Vineyard in San Benito County and a Viognier from the Live Oak Vineyard in Paso Robles. All these wines come to us through Kenneth Volk Vineyards and are expected to be on our grape buying list for 2010. This is a $3 tasting. The auction wine for the evening is a Kenneth Volk, 2007 Enz Vineyard Zinfandel, which retails for US$36. Host for the evening is Ted Rickard. See you at Cavallotti Hall, 2060 East Wellington, 7:00 p.m. Guests welcome.
Wasn’t That a Party? Congratulations to the many winemakers and beer brewers around the province who were willing to put their products into the recent BCAWA Competitions. Some walked away with medals; others with the data which will help them make better products next time around. Yes, put those well deserved trophies on the mantle. Pour your friends some award winning wines, quaff award winning beer, and smile. Some of those beverages will come back from The Nationals with accolades. And now, relax for a moment, because just around the corner is more blending, barreling, bottling and brewing.
THANKS, and more thanks to the many Nanaimo Winemakers, their families and friends who made it look easy to put on the provincial competition with all that goes into that. The organization of judges, paperwork and the silent auction was well carried out. And the food, ah yes, the food, fabulous. Many wonderful wines to taste, and a great band that got us on the dance floor, well done, everyone!
For a pictorial overview of the Provincial competition, click here. Happy memories.
ABOVE: Our leader, George Beck, hoists the trophy the Nanaimo Winemakers won because they accumulated more points than any other club in this year's Provincial competition. George also won the trophy for the most points accumulated in BCAWA-sanctioned competitions throughout the province in the past year. Congratulations, George! For many more pictures, click on the link above.
A hearty thanks to business and organizations who supported the Silent Auction at the Provincial Competition. The B.C. Amateur Winemakers Association (BCAWA), and in particular the Nanaimo Winemakers, would like to thank the following businesses and organizations for their generous donations to BCAWA’s Provincial Wine Competition Silent Auction which was held in Nanaimo on Saturday, May 8, 2010. Because of their participation and support, the event was an overwhelming success
| Art of Brewing, Nanaimo Belcarra Winemakers, Belcarra Bodhi Artisan Bakery, Nanaimo Cavallotti Lodge, Nanaimo Cellar Craft International, Surrey Chemainus Theatre Festival, Chemainus Cottonwood Golf Course, Nanaimo Ethical Bean Coffee, Vancouver Home Hardware - Brooks Landing Mall, Nanaimo Langley Fermenters, Langley Longwood Brew Pub, Nanaimo Mahle House, Cedar McLean’s Specialty Foods, Nanaimo Miss Behavior’s Family Dog Training, Nanaimo Mistaken Identity Vineyards, Salt Spring Island Nanaimo Golf Course, Nanaimo Nanaimo Toyota, Nanaimo Nanoose WineWorks, Parksville Off the Vine Winemaking, Nanaimo Olde Nanaimo Brewery Co., Nanaimo Outrageous Edibles & Bedibles, Errington Pacific Breeze Winery, New Westminster |
Paradise Island Foods, Nanaimo Port Theatre, Nanaimo Quality Foods, Nanaimo Rainy Crick U-Vin Winery, Nanaimo R.J. Spagnols, Delta Simon Holt Restaurant, Nanaimo Terasen Gas, Surrey The 8th Estate Winery, Hong Kong The Keg, Nanaimo The Market, Nanaimo The Nanaimo Wine Shoppe, Nanaimo Top Lite Car Service, Nanaimo Urban Wine Cellar, Nanaimo Valentino Cigars, Vancouver Victoria Salmon Kings, Victoria Vancouver Canadians Baseball Club, Vancouver Vancouver Island Symphony, Nanaimo Waves Coffee, Vancouver WineExpert, Port Coquitlam WineWorks, Nanaimo WineKitz - Terminal Avenue North, Nanaimo |
Are there health benefits in drinking white wine? Beth Janicek writes on BrightHub (April 30, 2010) that though red wine gets all the attention, there are several health benefits of white wine, too. Some are specific to wine, and others are true of any moderate alcohol consumption. From heart health and reducing cancer risk to overall stress reduction, learn about the health benefits of white wine. The health benefits of white wine can be grouped into two categories: some because of its health properties as wine and others because of the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption in general. Its health benefits come from the properties of those grapes after they have fermented. Read on to learn more. [here]
May 2010
No Club meeting in May—just the Provincial Competition. Remember that we are not having a meeting on the first Tuesday in May. Everyone is too busy with the our duties as hosts of the BCAWA Provincial Competition on May 7 and 8 (Friday and Saturday). Next regular general meeting is June 1.
We welcome new members to the club: Bill Reilly and Ronald Morse.
Great wines and good times expected at the Provincial Competition! With a great deal of sniffing, tasting and studying, wines have been decanted, rebottled, carefully boxed and sent to wayward spots throughout British Columbia. From there they are being redirected to the Cavallotti Hall in Nanaimo. Friday and Saturday, May 7th and 8th will see them uncorked, and further scrutinized. And for the clever folk who bought their tickets, while tickets were still available, the judged wines will find their way into appreciative tasting glasses.
Having ‘The Provincials’ here in Nanaimo gives us opportunity to showcase this beautiful part of the globe and show off wonderful wines which have been made by BC amateur winemakers.
Beer is also on the competition slate. That should prove interesting.
Lots of items available at the Silent Auction—though we are sure it won’t be all that ‘silent’. Still have something you want to add to the auction? Call Jan at 250-729-9414.
Expect an array of fabulous foods—the menus keep getting better and better. And dust off those dancing shoes, the music is going to be ‘hot’.
CHANGES CHANGES CHANGES CHANGES and an ADDITION. Changes in the NW Executive ...and ... changes on your NW calendar. To accommodate certain Nanaimo Winemakers Executive members, the dates of Executive meetings have been changed to the second Tuesday of the month. This means they will be just one week after the General Meeting, which occurs regularly, except for July and August, on the first Tuesday of the month.
Does he have a crystal ball? We don’t know how he did it, but George Beck was able to look into the future and, by doing so, filled the Vice President position for this year while lining up another person for the following year. With this lineup in place Doug may actually be able to retire as Past President in 2011. :)
Executive
President: George Beck (250-468-7997)
Vice President: Peter Huyghebaert (250-756-3241)
Secretary: Maureen Millar (250-754-5000)
Treasurer: Neels du Plessis (250-760-0152)
Steward: Vern Rogers (250-729-9414)
Past President: Doug Morrison (250-758-5361)
Communications Coordinator: Maureen Millar (250-754-5000)
Education Coordinator: Rainer Hocker (250-758-7291)
Events Coordinator: Peter Huyghebaert (250-756-3241)
Recipe of the month: Pot Roast. This recipe is designed for a slow cooker, but it works equally well in my pressure cooker and much faster! Get the details.
Did you know? There are approximately 20 million acres of grapes planted across the world; because of this, grapes are ranked as the world’s number one fruit crop. (I understand up to two glasses of wine a day can count as two of the five servings of fruits and vegetables Canada’s Food Guide encourages us to have each day. What a perfect way to get our fruits! M)
The wine snob Bill Zacharkiw in the Montreal Gazette, April 3, 2010: In North America, we have the opportunity to drink from the world over. We have a selection of a multitude of grapes, at different price levels. To be fair, there is a lot to understand and whenever there is a difference between "haves" and "have nots," there is breeding ground for snobbery, whether because of the amount you know, how much you spend, what you drink, or where it's from. But not all snobbism is the same. I have come across a number of forms of snobbery during my career and if I am to be perfectly honest, I, too, have been guilty of it as well. Here is my list of the most common forms of wine snobbery . . . [more]
Europe's super-high alcohol beer heads to North America Sean Gregory in Time, April 10, 2010: Thanks to a war between European brewing companies, it's never been easier to catch a healthy beer buzz. Or get yourself totally sloshed. In November BrewDog, a Scottish microbrewery started three years ago, released a new brand, dubbed Tactical Nuclear Penguin. The beer set a new record by weighing in at a scary 32% alcohol-by-volume, over six times the strength of familiar domestic brands like Budweiser. The brewery was able to attain such a high alcohol content for its product by freezing the beer at a local ice cream factory, at temperatures as low as -6 degrees, for 21 days. Alcohol freezes at lower temperatures than water, and removing water from the solution increased the alcohol concentration. A warning label on the Tactical Nuclear Penguin bottle does state: "This is an extremely strong beer; it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. It is exactly the same manner you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost." Some alcohol watchdog groups aren't laughing. [more]
How does it feel? Waters&Wine, March 6, 2010: Getting a grip on the touch of taste . . . wine professionals I know cringe whenever someone invokes "mouthfeel" to discuss a wine's texture. They take issue with it being yet another exclusionary piece of jargon employed by wine geeks and, in some instances, just say it sounds wrong. As someone who squirms . . . [read more]
Mosel Valley to get maimed by progress? John Allemang in the Globe and Mail on April 16, 2010: George Beck sent along the reference to this article and the threat must be real because George doesn't even care all that much about white wine! It will be interesting to see what happens in the long run for the Mosel wineries if the autobahn goes ahead. Many wineries benefit in terms of sales by being accessible to big city commuters. But perhaps the Mosel has no need to increase customers. [read the article]
April 2010
Club meeting on Tuesday April 6: Us versus the pros. The education session for April will feature three of our prominent winemakers going head to head with commercial winemakers from the same area as our grapes were sourced. Our medal winning wines will include a Gewurz from Summerland, a Cab Sauv from Paso Robles, and a Zinfandel from Paso Robles. We will do three comparative tastings with the equivalent commercial wines. After each tasting, our winemaker will provide details of his wine-making process and take questions from those attending. So, sharpen up your pencils and jot down some some of your burning questions about wine-making. Here is your chance to pick the brains of three of our best wine-makers. There will be a tasting fee of $5. It is also election night. The raffle wine for April is a 2006 Barolo from Batasiolo, which sells for about $39 in BC. This is an economy Barolo, but 2006 is a good vintage and (if you win) you will probably want to cellar it for a few years. Host for the evening is Norm Lemmen. See you at Cavallotti Hall, 2060 East Wellington, 7:00 p.m. Guests welcome.
Things to do now for the Provincials on May 7-8
- Get your tickets. They are $50 per person this year, but you will get a lot, including an extra round of wine and a dinner at the Meet and Greet on Friday night. For the schedule and menus click here. For tickets, contact Rainer Hocker (see club mailing list).
- Make a "silent auction" donation. Jan Rogers, the auction organizer, is looking for all sorts of donations. The auction is fun and is an important source of support for the club. Jan is on the club mailing list (see Vern Rogers). Let her know what you can donate.
- Prepare your wines for entry. Wines for the Provincial competition are due at drop-off points by April 17. There is no club varietal competition this year, so club trophies will be awarded to club members on the basis of standings in the Provincials. For details on entering your wines in the Provincials, click here.
Paso Robles: The best wine region you may not know. Gary Dobrovolsky suggests this AP article as a "nice write-up on one of our favorite areas." It is not that we need to be introduced to this wine region, but we can still be interested in what others see and be impressed by the quality of the wines being made. Tracie Cone, the writer, is also an amateur winemaker.
Australia now drinks more Sauvignon Blanc than Chardonnay. And it come from New Zealand! Who would have thunk it? James Lane in the New Zealand Herald crows about the Kiwi "savalanche." The big mystery to me is why California grape growers and wine makers do not try to approximate the New Zealand flavor profile for Sauvignon Blanc. Many could, if they wanted to, but they don't. Strange.
Wine makers seek alternatives to barrels. This is a 2007 article from the San Francisco Chronicle, but it is still a good, popular review of the barrel/mini-barrel issue for winemakers as far as oak flavor is concerned. (But remember that flavor is only one part of what Doug Morrison likes to call "barrel magic.")
Who says wine is good for you? Certainly not the French. Wine consumption is slumping in France (the current President is a teetotaler) and there are moves to require health warnings on anything that can even be remotely construed as the promotion of alcohol, even news stories. A proposed wine and food channel could be banned outright. Some blame the growing Muslim population, but it is really health authorities that are taking the lead. The story cited above (from The Times) introduces some of the health logic, according to the French. For more on the "Loi Evin," which undergirds the French push against alcohol, go here.
March 2010
Club meeting on March 2nd. The education session is "red wine in progress." Rod Church is organizing a tasting of the Bordeaux varietals we got from the Central Coast in 2008. George Beck, Don Graham, Norm Lemmen, John Taylor, Vern Rogers, James Waring and other wine makers still have some of these varieties separate and have not barreled them yet. So we will get to taste them in their unfinished form. The reactions from this tasting will help determine the grapes we get this year. It should also be interesting to see (i) how well we can distinguish the five Bordeaux varieties, (ii) how well they match their textbook descriptions, and (iii) what we might think about appropriate blends. Appropriately, the raffle wine for March is a Bordeaux style wine. It is a 2006 Meritage from Seven Stones Winery in the Similkameen Valley. This wine, which was selling for about $30, has won several gold medals and is now sold out—a real treasure. Host for the evening is Richard Kuhn. See you at Cavallotti Hall, 2060 East Wellington, 7:00 p.m. Guests welcome.
Things to do now for the Provincials on May 7-8. (1) Get your tickets. They are $50 per person this year, but you will get a lot, including an extra round of wine and a dinner at the Meet and Greet on Friday night. For the schedule and menus click here. For tickets, contact Rainer Hocker (see club mailing list). (2) Make a "silent auction" donation. Jan Rogers, the auction organizer, is looking for all sorts of donations. The auction is fun and is an important source of support for the club. Jan is on the club mailing list (see Vern Rogers). Let her know what you can donate. (3) Prepare your wines for entry. Wines for the Provincial competition are due at drop-off points by April 17. There is no club varietal competition this year, so club trophies will be awarded to club members on the basis of standings in the Provincials. For details on entering your wines in the Provincials, click here.
Remember to check out the members section (members only).You'll find several new things in our members-only section. More pictures have been added to the gallery of members and there are some new bios too. There is a final version, which prints on four pages, of the recently approved revised club constitution and bylaws. Also posted are the draft minutes of the February general meeting.
The collapse of cabernet. Louis Lucas, our most important source of Santa Barbara red grapes, recommends this recent article by by Dan Berger in the Napa Valley Register. Louis says it pretty much accurately describes his own thoughts about what is wrong with the direction the California wine industry seems to be going with Bordeaux grapes in general and Cab Sauv in particular ("go for the brix and screw the acids"). It is a trend that he says his winery has no intention of following.
The Great California Wine Mystery. Read Slate wine columnist Mike Steinberger on why superstar West Coast vintners don't (or won't) put out inexpensive bottles. Snobbery and economics both figure in the picture. I don't know whether this story helps illustrate the decline of California and the United States or helps explain why we can still purchase good grapes on the the Central Coast. Perhaps neither. But it is an interesting article nonetheless.
It’s all rosé for Provence wine cooperative. George Beck recommends this article from The Guardian Weekly, which shows not all French wine production is in the doldrums. Because we freeze our red grapes, it is virtually impossible for us to produce a good rosé. Pity.
"Pinot Noir" scandal in France: Gallo and perhaps you got duped. Could you tell the difference between Pinot Noir and a combination of Merlot and Syrah or Pinot Noir with a heavy component of Syrah and Merlot? No, not good Pinot Noir, but the stuff you can buy for about $15 ($10 in the US). Apparently, North American consumers, and even Gallo, the wine giant, couldn't. It took French inspectors to unearth one of the biggest scandals in the French wine industry in a long time. Read all about it by clicking the link above, which will take you to a story in The Guardian by Lizzy Davies. I wanted to find a moral to this story (something like "buy better wine or make your own from good grapes"), but then I decided I didn't know what to say to people who thought they were getting the Sideways Pinot Noir experience but were really drinking that "f***ing Merlot." Who knows what somebody else experiences when they drink as long as they think they are drinking the right stuff.
February 2010
Club meeting on February 2nd . Business will include the bylaws amendment and details of the provincial competition we are hosting in May. The education session is ".white wines in progress." Don Graham will chair a panel (with Doug Morrison and Vern Rogers) in which they will review their winemaking techniques and we get to taste and evaluate their wines. If you made a white wine this past fall, please bring along a sample bottle (no matter what stage it is at) and contribute to the learning and fun. If possible, let Don Graham know what you are bringing. February’s raffle wine is a Thirty Bench Small Lot 2007 Pinot Noir from Thirty Bench Wine Makers in the small Beamsville Bench appellation of the Niagara region. It retails for $35 in Ontario and was purchased by Doug Morrison during a recent tasting visit to the area. Only 333 cases were made, so this is a rare one, especially in BC! You can find winemaking and tasting notes on the Thirty Bench website. Host for the evening is Don Gillingham. Cavallotti Hall, 2060 East Wellington, 7:00 p.m.
Photos and comments from the January edcational session. At our January meeting, Gary Dobrovolsky took pictures of our educational session when we were tasting the vertical flight of Tinhorn Creek Merlots. Check out the photos, along with Sandra Oldfield's comments on the wines and her reactions to our ranking of the wines. [This is a "members only" story. Password required.]
Details of "the Provincials" emerging. Remember to book May 7-8 for the BCAWA Provincial Competition being held in Nanaimo and hosted by us. Rainer is now collecting on the $50 ticket price. The headline above will take you to a page with the details so far. The only development since last month is a bit more detail on the banquet catering.
NW Grapes resuming full-scale operations. Rod Church and John Taylor are set to resume grape operations on behalf of the club. The focus will again be on high-quality grapes and juices from our own operations on the Central Coast (from Paso Robles to Santa Barbara) and from Brehm Vineyards and other sources of North Coast grapes. If you ordered grapes in 2008 you will be hearing from them shortly. A general announcement of the plans for 2010 should be ready by about the end of February.
How much alcohol in wine is too much?. Lorn Razzano, wine columnist for the Ashland (OR) Tidings explains alcohol levels in wine and offers his views on keeping alcohol levels under control.
War of the Tokays. Frank Kondas draws our attention to this article from Polityka about regional rivals battling over a famous wine name, wine quality, and money. Who knows how this war would have been resolved a few generations ago. Now the Euro bureaucrats play a major role.
Oxidation of wines under various kinds of closures. Doug Morrison found a reference to this article on our cork manufacture's website when he went to order corks. The article appeared in The Drinks Business in 2008. In it, writer Sally Easton, a Master of Wine, reviews what we know about the science of closures and how closures might affect the way our wine age and oxidize. Don't forget to let Doug know now if you want to order corks. He is placing an order right after the February 2 meeting.
Pairing wines with foods. I am not a big fan of articles about wine and food pairings, but something in this recent Wine Spectator web article made me stop and think. Harvey Stimen puts Riesling and Gewürztraminer at opposite ends of a white wine spectrum. I don't think this would have occurred to me (and I not sure I agree). Overall, the article is a good, short review of food-wine pairing.
January 2010
Special vertical tasting to be highlight of January 5th Club meeting. Peter Huyghebaert is planning a vertical tasting of six Tinhorn Creek Merlots (2001-2006). As Peter says, "this a rare chance to taste the fruits of the same vineyard/winemaker (Sandra Oldfield) over a 6 year period with only the vagaries of the weather (and bottle aging) to influence the quality/characteristics of the resulting wine." This is an expensive presentation, so be prepared to spend about $12.50 for the tasting fee. The raffle wine will be a 1999 Puelles Rioja Reserva, which sells in BC for $29. Host for the evening is Dave Croot. Cavallotti Hall, 2060 East Wellington, 7:00 p.m.
Notes on the Winter Social from our Special Correspondent. If you missed the winter social you will want to check this out. Even if you were there, you might want to check to see whether our special correspondent got it right.
Peter's notes on the Winter Social Wine Tasting. Peter promised those attending the Winter Social on December 1 that there would be details of the wine tasting on the web site. Here they are. And congratulations to Mary Rickard for being the only one to pass "the examination."
Announcement of the Saanich Sommeliers annual competition on January 30. This competition has many, many categories, including white and red kit wines and several styles of beer. No entry deadline and no Nanaimo drop-off point are included in the announcement, but that may be clarified by the time of the Club meeting on January 5. Or just contact Larry Cole, the competition coordinator (see the announcement—a PDF document).
Details of "the Provincials" emerging. Remember to book May 7-8 for the BCAWA Provincial Competition being held in Nanaimo and hosted by us. The headline above will take you to a page with the details so far. There is even going to be live music!
Don McQueen to be membership coordinator. At its December meeting, the Executive appointed Don McQueen to be membership coordinator for the Nanaimo Winemakers. You will be hearing more about this in the near future.
Why do good wines have higher alcohol than they used to? A friend drew this Globe and Mail article to George Beck's attention. George draws it to ours. It explains why good wines (including ours) have higher alcohol than they used to a decade ago.
How wine became like fast food. John Taylor draws this interesting article by Keith Wallace to our attention. Even the comments are worth looking at, if for no other reason than to see how difficult it is to have a courteous discussion of wine on line.
The best wines in Canada for less than $15. Franco Sartor alerts us to up-magazine.com's recent list of the top 25 international wine values available in Canada for under $15. Clicking on the headline above will take you to a PDF version of that list. The ranking is based on Wine Access scores and availability in Canada (not necessarily BC, alas). FYI, the following is the national origins of the 25: Australia (7), Spain (5), Italy (5), Argentina (2), South Africa (2), Chile (1), Austria (1), USA (1), France (1).
October 2009
CLUB: Minutes of September 2009 meeting. Good news—the Club is solvent. [There was no meeting in March. February minutes are repeated here in case you want to review them before the April meeting.]
Champagne glut prompts hope of cut-price bargains. Franco recommends this story from The Guardian (September 6) on the problems in Champagne, one of the many premium grape-growing regions suffering from an over-supply in the current recession.
Latest version of the YAN Calculator. Willem Wyngaards has forwarded the latest version of his calculator which will help you plan your nutrient additions to wine if you know or can estimate the YAN (yeast available nitrogen) in your current juice or grapes. Click here for the YAN Calculator in Excel. For background on the calculator and how to proceed manually if you have to, see the "Adding Nitrogen" article by Rod Church.
May 2009
Preview of monthly meeting on April 7. See what is coming up, including details of the raffle wine and the education session.
2009 Competition post mortem and looking forward to 2010. From the Executive meeting: The Steward's report and additional observations on the competition results, first take on the financial situation, and other reflections as we move forward to hosting the BCAWA provincial competition in 2010.
Minutes of April meeting. Good news—the Club is solvent. [There was no meeting in March. February minutes are repeated here in case you want to review them before the April meeting.]
Gewürztraminer available this year [PDF order form]. Duane Lukyn and John Taylor will be bringing in Peter Krieger's Summerland Gewurz, pretty much as usual, this year. You can get the order form on the link above.
Do you want a new barrel this year? Let Doug Morrison know if you are interested in a new barrel. With the Club not getting many grapes this year, orders for barrels will be reduced, but there may still be some demand. Talk to Doug.
Are you drinking for health or pleasure? Slate wine columnist Mike Steinberger asks why are we in North America so obsessed with the [potentially dubious] heath benefits of wine.
What's wrong with my wine? In a recent edition of Vinovanity Fair, George Gibson pointed the way to this article by Benjamin Spenser. A good review of what can befall your wine, with clues about detecting the problems.
March 2009
Details of annual competition and banquet (March 7). Things you need to know to have an enjoyable day.
Minutes of February meeting. Good news—the Club is solvent.
Next regular Club meeting is April 7. Because of the competition and banquet, there is no first-Tuesday monthly meeting in March. Get ready for the red-wines-in-progress session at the April meeting.
No "NW Grapes" operations in 2009. Read about the Executive's decision to have a sabbatical from formal grape operations this year before returning to our excellent grape sources on California's Central Coast in 2010.
To soak your corks or not? Alison Crowe, the Wine Wizard at WineMaker Magazine, answers two questions about how home wine makers should treat corks.
Sensory evaluation of red wines. In preparation for the April educational session you might want to download Dominique Deltiel's notes on the sensory evaluation of red wines from the Virginia Tech wine site and practice your technique.
VAWA Wine Label Competition. Entries are due by March 28 in the 2009 VAWA wine label competition, which is held every two years. Get the details here.
Ten signs you are spending too much time in the cellar (Wine humor?)
June 2007
Minutes of May meeting. What happened at the May 1 meeting of the Club. Ernie Sargent for one!
May 2007
Winemaker Magazine reveals Alison Crowe as the Wine Wizard and gives Alison’s answers to 10 favorite winemaking questions . See especially answer number 4 on some of the keys to Rhone blends. This link takes you off-site to Winemaker Magazine.
Keep up-to-date with Peter Brehm. The Brehm Vineyards website has notes and regular updates from Peter on the North Coast and Washington grape seasons. This link takes you to the Brehm website.
Bosa Grape and Juice has moved. New location, bigger store, longer hours.
Minutes from April 10. What happened at the Club's last monthly meeting.
April 2007
2007 membership fee resolution. Passed at the April meeting. No fee increase. Clarification only.
Make better whites with cool fermentations. A how-to article from WineMaker Magazine by Daniel Pambianchi, with additional comments by Club member Peter Huyghebaert.
Steward's report on the Varietal Competition. Don Graham extends thanks and lists trophy winners.
Aggregate results from the Varietal Competition. Overall points for all entrants. You figure out average scores!
What you can learn from wine labels. As if you didn't know. An article from the Cheers 2 Wine Newsletter.
Minutes from March 6. What happened at the Club's last monthly meeting.
March 2007
Herbed Aperitifs. Notes by Tony Pearson and Jack Ziebart for an educational session at the Club in March 2007..
Fewer grapes in California in 2006. Rita Feschuk noted this AP wire service story in which Michelle Locke reports that the 2006 California grape harvest was down 20% from 2005. This is an off-site story.
Our wine judges need to smarten up. "Ranting #1" by Guildmaster Sam Hauk.
Minutes from February 6 meeting.
Making better second run wines. Here are some notes from Ray Bodnar and his educational presentation at the Club on February 6.