Author Archive

By Jon Lebkowsky from Austin, Texas, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Joseph Temple

Texas, a place we sometimes associate with Stetson hats, grazing cattle, and pointy-eared armadillos.  But did you know that the second largest state in America is also carving out a reputation as a wine making hotspot?  In fact, with eight recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) and nearly 300 wineries, the Lone Star State is now the fifth largest grape and wine producer in the United States.  And matching quality with quantity, 20 of their wineries recently took home a total of 87 medals at the 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.  Simply put – don’t mess with Texas wine!

Given the history, it makes sense that Texans would be drawn to viticulture.  According to its Wine & Grape Growers Association website, the state is where the first vineyard in North America was established.  Similar to California, the presence of Spanish missionaries resulted in a demand for sacramental wine, with much of it coming from vineyards grown adjacent to their places of worship.

What many might not know is that a Texan saved European wine from complete devastation.  Thomas Munson was a Denison-based horticulturalist that through his travels developed more than 300 disease-resistant varieties of grapes.  So when phylloxera – a tiny insect that attacks the roots of grapevines — threatened vineyards across Europe, it was Munson who shipped his rootstocks to fight this disease.  Awarded the French Legion of Honor Cross of Merite Agricole in 1888 for his successful efforts, wine writer Karen MacNeil notes that to this day, the vines of Bordeaux and Burgundy have the same lineal rootstock as those in Denison and throughout Texas.

Thomas Munson (left) helped to save European vineyards from phylloxera in the late 19th century. You can download his iconic 1909 book Foundation of American Grape Culture (right), which is now in the public domain for free by clicking this link.

Fast-forward to the present and that same can-do spirit is alive and well in the vineyards across Texas.  Of the eight AVAs, West Texas is home to several including Mesilla Valley, which encompasses El Paso County and neighboring New Mexico.  Relatively high in elevation, the area is known for a long growing season with cooling winds funneling through the valley to help maintain acidity levels, which tend to be lower in hotter climates.  Fourteen different grape varieties are grown there, including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Zinfandel.

Moving north up the panhandle is the Texas High Plains AVA, covering approximately eight million acres of land – of which 3,500 acres are used to make wine.  With a very dry climate, vintners are dependent on both the cooling winds and the subterranean Ogallala Aquifer, allowing them to produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chenin Blanc among others.

Traveling east to Munson’s hometown of Denison is the Texoma AVA, on the border with Oklahoma and just north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Established in 2005, the wineries here number just six but with a diverse array of soil, both native Texas varieties as well as vitis vinifera varieties are grown here.

Texas AVA Map. Special thanks to GoTexanWine.org for the image.

Finally, covering an area of nine million acres is Texas Hill Country — the second largest AVA in the United States – encompassing the cities of Austin and San Antonio.  Being hundreds of miles away from the Gulf of Mexico insolates the vines from the hot and humid winds.

At the International Wine & Food Society, we have a solid presence across the state, with branches in Austin, Houston, Fort Worth, Northeast Texas and an upcoming branch in Dallas.  Perhaps these locals can chime in on what Lone State State wines they would recommend?

 Loading ...

By Joseph Temple

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT

Alex Sebastian, an escaped Nazi who flees to South America poses as a wealthy Rio de Janeiro socialite alongside his fellow Third Reich fugitives.  But little do people know that they are plotting revenge against the Allies by building their very own atomic bomb.  The only question is where to store the weapons grade uranium needed to detonate the bomb?

Director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1946 motion picture Notorious starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman as American spies determined to uncover this explosive secret hidden inside a bottle of ’34 Pommard proves to be the perfect blend of wine and film.  As part of their undercover operation, Bergman’s character Alicia marries Alex and successfully steals the key to his wine cellar so she and Grant can go investigate while a lavish party takes place upstairs.

Searching for clues, Grant’s character Devlin discovers a sheet of paper located behind several vintages standing upright – an unusual position for any bottle in a wine cellar.  But while taking a closer look, a 1934 Pommard moves closer and closer off the shelf.  Delicate as the grapes that created this fine Pinot Noir, one careless mistake causes the bottle to come crashing down. Yet on impact, black sand is seen amongst the broken glass, raising the eyebrows of both Devlin and Alicia.

For Hitchcock to use a bottle of wine as the “MacGuffin” – a desired object that the protagonist pursues in a movie – is not surprising.  A passionate oenophile, the Master of Suspense was renown for giving those who visited his Bel-Air mansion a detailed tour of the custom built wine cellar he had installed.  And having purchased a vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains probably explains why many of his movies including The Birds were filmed in Northern California.  But his choice of 1934 Pommard as the bottle to store the uranium ore in reflects Hitch’s passion for French wines, and more specifically, the region of Burgundy.

While a collector of the best Bordeaux and Champagne, Hitchcock was most fervent about Burgundy’s Pinot Noir grapes. And just how one careless error broke the bottle ’34 Pommard and the secrets in it, the same rings true for any vintner who doesn’t pay close attention to detail while cultivating Pinot Noir.  As he would explain to actress Tippi Hedren in the 2012 made-for-TV movie The Girl: “It’s called the heartbreak grape. Do you know why? Of all the grapes used to make wine, these are the most fragile. It has a very thin skin, prone to disease, mould, every kind of rot and virus known to the vintner’s art. So growing Pinot Noir is a bit like making a movie – heartbreak guaranteed.”

Good evening, indeed!

 Loading ...

By Joseph Temple

After a brutal and unforgiving winter, the United States Department of Agriculture declared the Finger Lakes to be a disaster zone.  What impact this will have on the current harvest is still unknown, but with the area in the news, here’s ten interesting facts about this upstate New York wine region:

Special thanks to the New York Wine & Grape Foundation for providing most of these facts.

By Flickr user: Plutor South Boston, Massachusetts http://www.flickr.com/people/plutor/ [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Visit Finger Lakes (Flickr: Sunrise overlooking a vineyard) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Agne27 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Flickr user: Valerie Knoblauch Canandaigua, New York http://www.flickr.com/people/visitfingerlakes/ [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Bill (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The International Wine & Food Society is proud to have a strong presence across the state of New York with branches in New York City, Long Island and Buffalo.  Please click on any of the links to visit their respective websites.

 Loading ...

President Ronald Reagan & First Lady Nancy Reagan toast each other.

By Joseph Temple

Entering the oval office as president in 1981, Ronald Reagan assumed the role of not only the most powerful person on the planet, but as America’s ambassador-at-large.  Whatever he said, whatever he ate and whatever he drank at home or abroad would be in tomorrow’s newspapers for everyone to read.  And with this giant megaphone, the oenophile-in-chief was determined to promote the best vintages that the United States had to offer.

“They are the best informed administration on wine this century,” declared John DeLuca of the San Francisco Wine Institute.  Looking back, it is an education that began in 1947, when Reagan’s doctor recommended that he have a glass with dinner to help recuperate from a near-fatal bout with pneumonia.  While never much of a drinker, the Gipper’s fascination with wine grew by leaps and bounds as he transitioned from Hollywood actor to politician.

Beginning his collection in the early 1950s, Reagan’s wine cellar over time acquired many notable bottles including 1947 Lafite Rothschild, 1953 Mouton Rothschild, 1947 Haut Brion and 1962 LaTache.  Of course, hosting the General Electric Theater had its perks, including a state-of-the-art cellar with thermostatic controls installed at Reagan’s Pacific Palisades home by his bosses at GE.  But with his sights set on Sacramento, the focus of the actor’s wine collection shifted from the vineyards of France to a more local setting.

  As Governor of California, Reagan enthusiastically promoted his state’s booming wine industry.

After becoming Governor of California in 1967, Reagan suddenly stood at the helm of a state experiencing a wine making renaissance.  After nearly four decades of producing mostly dreadful fortified and jug wines, a whole new generation of vintners began turning the corner.  And within a decade, the Golden State became one of the finest wine regions in the entire world, defeating the best France had to offer in numerous international competitions.  Adding to this new found sense of confidence was Governor Reagan, a key ally in promoting California terroir beyond the state’s borders.

One memorable story dates back to 1972, when the Oakland Athletics battled Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine at the World Series.  In a friendly wager against Ohio Governor John Gilligan over the fall classic, Reagan bet two bottles of California-produced chablis and burgundy against a bushel of Buckeye State corn.  After seven grueling games, the A’s emerged victorious, denying Gilligan the championship and more importantly, the opportunity to enhance his palate.

Eight years later, Californians rejoiced at yet another victory as Reagan won the keys to the White House, defeating President Jimmy Carter decisively in the Electoral College.  And to celebrate, on Election Day the Gipper told various media that he personally ordered four cases of Jordan Winery’s world-famous 1976 Cabernet Sauvignon.  It seemed that with the move from the Governor’s Mansion to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Reagan’s victory put American winemakers center stage.

“He really considers himself to be a wine buff,” proclaimed his deputy chief of staff and wine consultant Michael Deaver.  Personally committed to bringing back the elegance of state dinners lost during the Carter years, it wasn’t uncommon for both the president and first lady to sample several suggested wines before the big night.  If ever unsatisfied with the choices, Reagan often made the executive decision to include one of his own personal favorites to the list.  During a state dinner honoring Prince Charles, one of the commander-in-chiefs preferred bottles – a 1970 BV Private Reserve was added at the last minute.  “The president literally made the final decision,” remembers Deaver.

(Left) President Reagan enjoying a glass of wine with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the White House Red Room. (Right) Photograph of President Reagan toasting at a State Dinner for Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser.

And with every selection came millions of dollars in free publicity for that winery.  When Nancy Reagan admitted her fondness for Kendall Jackson Chardonnay in a newspaper interview, sales skyrocketed.  Likewise, when the president toasted Queen Elizabeth II at a dinner in San Francisco with 1976 Jordan Cabernet, it became all the rage in the wine tasting circles.  It was such a popular selection that even Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau ordered an entire case after sampling it at a White House state dinner.

Following the departure of Deaver in 1985, a new system of what wine to pair with each dish went into effect during the second term.  After receiving the menu from White House chef Henry Haller, a call from either the president or the first lady was made to wine consultant David Berkeley, who offered his personal recommendations.  The result can be seen in the menu for Ecuadorian President Febres Cordero that included “a Clos due Bois Calcaire 1984 served alongside salmon and sole mousse followed by a Carneros Creek Pinot Noir 1983 with the medallions of veal.”

Since leaving office in 1989, there has probably never been a more ardent supporter of American viticulture in the oval office since the Reagan administration.  Whether at home or abroad, his unique blend of diplomacy, humor and fine wine is illustrated in a toast he gave to the French President in Paris. “I hope you all realize that we know, of course, France has great appreciation for fine wines,” said the president, “and that’s why we decided to treat you to some California wine tonight.”

 Loading ...

By Joseph Temple

In the fall of 2004, oenophiles everywhere arrived at their local movie theater to watch the Academy Award winning film Sideways.  The tale of Miles Raymond, a failed writer and wine-aficionado traveling through California wine country with his womanizing best friend Jack for an unforgettable week-long bachelor party became a certifiable smash hit, grossing over $100 million dollars in worldwide ticket sales.

With its enormous crossover appeal, anytime someone mentions “wine” and “movies” in the same sentence, Sideways is likely the first flick that comes to mind.  And an astounding number of columns, blog entries and even peer-reviewed academic journal articles have been written about the so-called “Sideways Effect.” Full of anti-Merlot sentiments, one of the movie’s most memorable lines is when Paul Giamatti’s character bluntly states, “if anyone orders Merlot I am leaving. I am not drinking f—–g Merlot!” Throughout the film, Pinot Noir is his clear preference, describing its flavors as “brilliant,” “thrilling,” and “subtle.”

Ever since audiences heard those words, wine geeks have tried to prove a correlation between Merlot’s decline and Pinot Noir’s rise based on the movie’s influence.  But in 2009, several academics writing for the Journal of Wine Economics concluded: “… Sideways did have a small negative impact on the consumption of Merlot while increasing the consumption of Pinot Noir.  However, far from having a “devastating” affect, the positive impact on Pinot Noir appears greater than the negative impact on Merlot.”

What do you think?  Ten years later, can you still feel the impact of that film whenever you attend an event?  Are you or somebody you know still hesitant to drink Merlot?  Share your thoughts by voting and/or posting a comment below.

 Loading ...