Wine Tastes and Styles: A Reflection of Our Economy

By Kimberly Charles

When I moved to California 13 years ago, my primary motivation was to balance out the rarified privileged wine world I was privy to working for top-notch importer Kobrand Corporation with wines that were more accessible to the everyday person. I have always been a populist at heart, and don't get me wrong, I have had my fair share of 1896 Armagnac, 1855 Vintage Port, 1928/1945/1961 Bordeaux etc., and for that I am grateful. However, I've always been of the mindset that the more people we can turn on the pleasures and life-balancing charms of wine, the better. Given that Californian wines have over 75% of the U.S. market share in terms of sales, naturally this was the place to move, Northern California. Since my move here, I've logged close to 100,000 miles on my car exploring wine regions all over the state.

For those of you who are trendwatchers, or are fascinated by packaging innovation, there have been a lot of fast-paced developments in the world of wine packaging over the last decade, with more acceleration in the last 5 years. The Tetra Pak, was made famous by producers such as Boisset Family Estates who launched French Rabbit to great acclaim early in 2006. Many producers have since followed suit and now consumers have easy access to single serve as well as crowd pleasing larger sizes. Another cool packaging innovation came to the US due to the forward thinking mandates of the Canadian Liquor Control Board, who put pressure on all its wine suppliers to lower their carbon footprint and create less weight in wine packaging (glass, boxes etc.). Boisset once again led the marketplace in the U.S. by bringing the first California wine in a PET bottle in this marketplace with Fog Mountain.

Now, we recently had the pleasure of trying wine in a can, from the Infinite Monkey Theorem geniuses in Colorado. They've managed to find the right lining and perfect match up with their Black Muscat carbonated wine in a can, made from grapes grown in the Palisades AVA of Colorado. We love the clever, irreverent packaging and the insouciant approach to enjoying wine that is good quality but that doesn't require too much contemplation.

We all know with our busy lives that there are times we want to reflect, and times we just want to be entertained. Thanks to wine, and all of its varying offerings, we can find a wine to suit every mood and situation.

Heaven is in Oregon

This past July Charles Communications put together and participated in the ultimate tour of the Willamette Valley through the recommendations and hospitality of Archery Summit Vineyards. We spent a couple of days immersed in good wine, food and a very laid back, luxurious lifestyle (yes the two do exist together!)

The trip started with an exploration of the food truck scene in Portland, which locals claim was buzzing well before the trend hit the nation. Portland has created food truck 'pods' where you can find Korean tacos, falafel, fish n' chips and curried rice bowls all in one spot. All without having to chase the trucks around the block.

Dinner that evening was quite the departure from the morning victuals and was spent in the Archery Summit caves, where winemaker Anna Matzinger and winegrower Leigh Bartholomew hosted a library wine tasting to pair with a local feast prepared from neighboring farms. The Archery Summit Pinot Noirs have evolved gracefully over the years. The standout wine of the night was 2002 Red Hills Estate Pinot Noir. The fruit was lively and fresh, but with maturity and nuance that only comes with age.

The next morning, having spent a blissful night of sleep at the beautiful Allison Inn & Spa, guests were given the ultimate tour of Archery Summit's five Estate Vineyards - by air, naturally. Two-by-two we were lifted off the ground via helicopter for an aerial tour of the Dundee Hills, with Mt. Hood looming in the background. Watch video here.

The vineyard tour was followed by a hands-on opportunity to learn about the art of blending with the talented female winemaking duo. Anna and Leigh explained the unique characteristics that the terroir of each of the single vineyards produces in their wines and how to use our beakers, calculators, or just our palate alone to create our own signature blend of 2009 Pinot Noir. The Renegade Ridge Vineyard produces black fruit tones like boysenberry where as the Looney Vineyard has a bright, cranberry rhubarb quality. We could have been there forever trying the endless combinations of aromatics, fruit, texture, finish etc. Once each person was happy with their personal blend they were bottled, corked and labeled for storage. I'll let you know how the Charles Communications bottle turns out in when it's time to drink it in 12-20 months. If we can wait!

Our stay was capped off with an unforgettable meal at The Jory, the restaurant at the Allison Inn & Spa. I am still thinking about my salad. Yes, a salad. Frisee, duck confit and a farm egg were a decided Northwest take on a French classic. So. So. Good.

We encourage everyone to spend some time in Dundee Hills of the Willamette Valley. It is unmistakably NOT California wine country. When you're there be sure to stop by Archery Summit to say hello to Anna and Leigh and their great team.

Wine made from light?

We Danes are known for a lot of things. Big dogs, buttery pastry, a certain young lady with a fish tail where most of us have legs. But even though Denmark seems to have this kind of eclectic brand, wine doesn’t seem to fit in this picture. But maybe that's about to change - at least global warming is working in favor of my countrymen's struggle to turn Denmark into a real wine country. It's probably only known to a few people out side Denmark, but we do actually have a EU-defined quota of vineyards of no less than 222 acres. That's less than a third of the Robert Mondavi Winery's possessions, and less than 0.005 percent of the total wine grape acreage of California. During my summer vacation in Denmark I got to visit one of the 44 commercial wineries in Denmark, called 'Lille Gadegaard' and located on the small island Bornholm far east of the rest of Denmark in the middle of the Baltic Sea. There, I was lucky enough to get to talk to winemaker Jesper Paulsen who will be harvesting his 10th vintage this year.

Throughout these 10 vintages Jesper Paulsen has only bottled 3 vintages of wine, which he considers suitable for sale. The rest has been distilled to brandy except for the 2004 vintage, which was bottled and labeled 'Not suitable for drinking - works best as decoration'. To his own surprise he actually sells a few bottles of that vintage every year. At CCA we blind tasted his '2007 Syd' red wine based primarily on the Rondo variety, and though there's no doubt that the wine is well made and completely unflawed, the fruit in it just doesn't allow the wine to really excel. With the past 10 vintages in mind, Jesper Paulsen has now decided to replant his vineyard with varietals known to do well in the northern German regions with similar cold climates.

Bright summer nights On another small Danish island with the romantic name Lille¸ (Little island) another winegrower, Hans Lund Hansen and winemaker Anders Selmer have had somewhat more success doing just that by growing varietals such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Sylvaner and Solaris. The result is a beautiful dry white wine, with a floral nose and flavors of white flowers and peach. Winemaker Anders Selmer explains that what Denmark lacks in terms of warm temperatures, it makes up for in terms of light. With its northern location Denmark has long summer days and short, bright summer nights and according to Anders Selmer that's more important than warm temperatures - since it's light, not warmth, that catalyze photosynthesis in the plant.

Nordic food trend It's too early to tell, whether Denmark will eventually become a real wine country. Claus Meyer, chef and co-owner of the Lille¸ Winery and the restaurant Noma, which recently was awarded the first place in the 2010 San Pellegrino 50 Best Restaurant Award, recently offered winemaker Jesper Paulsen a piece of advice. He suggested for him to make wine based on berries that grow naturally in Denmark, such as red and black currant, raspberries, gooseberries and strawberries. That's also the idea behind Noma's success: To use ingredients sourced locally and process them using a mix of traditional and modern methods to create world-class gourmet food and wine. Jesper Paulsen took his advice and is now producing sparkling wine based on red and black currant and a still wine based on strawberries. Personally, I prefer Jesper Paulsen's berry based wines, but I'm sure that with the right selection of grape varieties he will also be making great white wines some years ahead.

Jesper Paulsen, Danish owner and winemaker at Lille Gadegaard Winery in front of his Rondo vineyard