(Left) President Thomas Woodrow Wilson. (Right) Wilson’s wine cellar at 2340 S St NW, Washington, DC. Photos courtesy Library of Congress. (click to enlarge)

By Joseph Temple

A great show to check out on the History Channel is 10 Thing You Don’t Know About, a documentary series that uncovers little-known facts about popular historical subjects.  And during a recent episode dealing with the topic of prohibition, viewers were given a fascinating tour of President Woodrow Wilson’s private wine cellar.  According to the historian interviewed on the program, the collection was moved directly from the White House to Wilson’s home at 2340 S Street in Washington DC as he left office in March of 1921.  But with prohibition in effect – and the transportation of alcohol illegal – the ex-president was given a special exemption by Congress to move his vast collection to what is now known as Woodrow Wilson House, a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

Reading Garrett Peck’s Prohibition in Washington D.C.: How Dry We Weren’t, the author notes that Wilson’s collection included many bottles of Champagne and Bordeaux from the 1920s which were probably given to him and his wife by Parisian diplomats working on Embassy Row in D.C. In fact, fellow Treaty of Versailles architect and former French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau visited Wilson during his three-year stay on S Street.  Of course, being the good house guest, Clemenceau most likely brought a few bottles with him as a present for his gracious hosts!

Occupying the lowest room of the entire house, the president’s wine cellar symbolizes the many double standards of the prohibition era.  While the country’s poor risked prosecution for the mere consumption of alcohol, Wilson along with numerous manor-born politicians and wealthy elites acted as if the laws didn’t apply to them – and in most cases they didn’t.   Having a bottle in one hand and an Anti-Saloon League membership card in the other, many in Congress violated in private the policies they advocated for in public.  In fact, the reason why Wilson became so adamant in moving his collection from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was out of fear that his successor Warren Harding – a staunch supporter of the temperance movement — would drink it all.

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By PRA (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
By Mick Stephenson (mixpix) based on original by Plamen Georgiev (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

New Zealand Winegrowers just presented in Vancouver an excellent Master Class on “Get the Dirt on New Zealand Pinot Noir” showing 13 pinot noirs from 7 regions all served in appropriate shaped Riedel glasses. Their industry has done an admirable job now exporting 70% of wine production. Amazing when you consider that 70% of their vines are still under 12 years old. They also are to be congratulated on getting wonderful compliance from most everyone on using sustainable farming practices. World recognition for NZ Sauvignon Blanc is now quickly followed by other aromatics as well as a viable competitor for a range of pinot noirs. Also really enjoyed the fresh so drinkable Forrest “The Doctors” 2012 dry SB coming in at only 9.5 alcohol from earlier low yield pickings and fermented at quite low temperatures. The descriptive characteristics given for the pinot noir regions  in New Zealand are as follows:

(1) NELSON: “Small region of artists and artisans. Fragrant, complex, softly textured with bright cherry and plum flavours”.

(2) MARLBOROUGH: “The largest region for pinot noir. Bright red fruit, raspberries and plums. Linear structure with even tannins”.

(3) WAIPARA VALLEY: “Limestone influences in areas. Red fruit and darker plummy, sweet fruits, with hints of pepper ad spice. Firm tannins and acidity.”

(4) WAITAKI VALLEY: ” Rare wines from limestone country”. Dark fruit and minerals cut with suave acidity”.

(5) CENTRAL OTAGO: “World’s most southerly wine region. Black cherry flavours, fresh herbs. Firm.”

(6) WAIRARAPA: “Wider, younger region beyond Martinborough. Slightly more lifted cherry flavours than Martinborough, plus plum and tobacco”.

(7) MARTINBOROUGH: Oldest pinot noir region with some vines 30 years old. Fuller, supple style with plum, chocolate and meat”.

I encourage you to try more pinot noirs from New Zealand. They generally all have a bright lively acidity that matches well and improves them with food. These four dishes were served half way through the tasting and paired successfully: Tombo Tuna Tataki, Fresh Wasabi, Smoky Tentsuyu Sauce; Ginger Chicken Jiaozi Potsticker, Braised Burdock; Seared Halibut, Pata Negra Iberico Chorizo Butter; Portobello Mushroom Curry, Crispy Pakora.

Have you tried NZ pinot noir? What region?

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By Joseph Temple

Monaco’s Prince Rainier III once said that a postage stamp is “the best ambassador of a country.”  So its no surprise that many nations around the world have decided to promote their local wine making industries through philately.  From Austria to Australia and from Canada to Chile, viticulture has been the subject of numerous commemorative stamps over the years.

Below you can find a few wine themed postage stamps (in no particular order).  Is there any one stamp that catches your eye?  Have we missed anything?  Please share your comments with us and visit this link to see more wine and food stamps on our Pinterest site.

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Two outstanding events this past week focusing on getting out there and foraging for your own wild food.

1. Chef Bill Jones of Deerholme Farm (www.deerholme.com/foraging) is an expert and has been actively doing so for over 20 years. He has a best selling Mushroom book and a new just published Foraging one. His informative mycelia guide includes porcini (cepe), pine (matsutake), chanterelles (early Fall) and morels (Spring) – in fact he says there are over 20 varieties of morel. Tips on sautéing wild mushrooms, roasting, grilling, steaming, rehydrating, freezing and powdering them. Bill’s demo for his The Deerholme Foraging Book: Wild Foods & Recipes from the Pacific Northwest spotlighted the fresh morels and stinging nettles. He served a delightful welcoming tea from the leaves of the nettles – heating, drying or freezing gets rid of the sting. Useful in making a pesto instead of basil leaves or good with chickpeas for a hummus with a more attractive rich green colour. More detail and recipes: www.timescolonist.com/eric-akis-stinging-nettles-101-1.938808.

2. “Nettles, nettles, nettles!” dinner by Chef Chris Whittaker at Forage Restaurant. Every course featured wild nettles with appropriate beverages. The first course of nettle & beer soup, hop croutons and drizzled raw honey matched well to a special local beer made from nettles, a bit of hops, with mint & ginger. Second course nettle and faro risotto, Golden Ears brie, hazelnut and nettle pesto. Third course nettle-crusted line-caught fresh halibut, nettle gnudi, wild mushrooms. Fourth course dessert nettle sorbet and crispy pain perdu with quince caramel.

Foraging can be fun, economical and educational. Be careful but explore. What interesting food item have you discovered on your own local hunting adventures?

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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?

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