Goat Cheese For Your Reading Pleasure

Wine making tips one and two.

You can try for years and home made wine will never taste as good as a real wine from a Mediterranean country, or more recently the wines of the Southern hemisphere. OK, occasionally there is an exception, but the abundance of chemicals used in making wine at home frequently taints it.

My grandfather who was otherwise a pretty sane chap and fountain of knowledge, having spent a lot of time in India, started making his own wine when he retired. My first taste of homemade wine was when I was about 7 when I was allowed a few sips of his "vintage" blackberry wine. Even at that tender age I could tell that it was immensely alcoholic but tasted awful. He belonged to a wine making "Circle" who used to give out wine making tips to other keen winemakers. Because all the members used the same chemicals they did not notice them at their 'tastings'. Anyone used to real wine would rather have a G&T or a Scotch.

I must admit that later in life I dabbled in winemaking myself. I should have known better, I know, but living in the English countryside with often more produce than I needed I decided to do something with the gluts of apples, pears and other fruits in the garden, as well as picking blackberries and elderberries from the local hedgerows.

I invested in a load of gear, bottles, books, corks, demi-johns and tried to make wine without chemicals, having remembered the times I had been forced to try various friends' unpalatable brews, "Oh you must try my carrot wine, it tastes just like Frascati". (It was more like battery acid and bore no resemblance to that fine wine).

So I read loads of books, most of which told me to use lots of chemicals without which one could not make wine, and gave it a go. A few gallons of apple vinegar (which was great for cooking), several gallons of funny tasting water and a year or two later I finally made a small batch of very drinkable elderberry wine using a port yeast. It was rather like a half-decent chianti. So having invested in all the equipment, spent many, many hours picking fruit, washing it, bottling-up, siphoning-off and all the other numerous tasks necessary in home-made wine making, I ended up with some very good vinegar (around 10 years worth) and 7 bottles of drinkable wine.

Nowadays I'm very happy to go to the local shop and get a decent bottle of the real thing. One of the main problems with homemade wine is its unknown strength. Yes I know there are various gadgets for measuring that sort of thing, but that is rather throwing good money after bad, and if it doesn't really taste very nice anyway why bother?

Sitting here with a glass of chilled Frascati and a smoked salmon sandwich I really wish I had taken the two most important wine making tips before I even started. It would have saved me a lot of aggravation.

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Wine Dictionary For Your Reading Pleasure

Carneros Wineries And Wine Country


Although Carneros Wineries are located in both Southern Napa and Sonoma Counties, the region has always had its own unique identity. Being a huge Pinot Noir fan, I really enjoy exploring new, interesting wines from this region.

Carneros is an example of an AVA that has a more uniform terroir than most. Whereas the borders of some AVAs have been extended beyond their natural climactic boundaries because of politics and influence, Carneros resisted this all too common tendency.

History

During the Spanish era of California, the region was a natural place for settlement in the North Bay due to its proximity to San Francisco, and accessibility by water routes. When General Vallejo secularized the Spanish Missions in 1834, he divided the region amongst several of his cronies. The area was initially developed to produce subsistence crops and livestock.

The first vineyards were planted in the 1830s, and Carneros Wineries flourished for many decades until phylloxera devastated the region's grapes along with most vineyards throughout California.

Prohibition appeared to be the last nail in the coffin for Carneros Wineries. After this unfortunate law's repeal, Andre Tchelistcheff and Louis M. Martini took an interest in the region's unique climate. Investment in Carneros Wineries was slow until the 1970s when it began to surge with the rest of the Napa Valley.

Terroir

Regular fog derived from the San Pablo Bay and Napa River has a cooling effect on the region. Wind is a constant factor, and it blows relatively unobstructed throughout most of the AVA.

Additionally, rainfall is relatively scarce, causing most Carneros Wineries and growers to irrigate their crops. The lack of abundant fresh water as well as the encroachment of sea water into some parts of the ground inhibit rampant vineyard expansion.

As one moves north from the San Pablo Bay, rolling hills begin to replace the extremely flat terrain in the south. There are a few hills that rise to 1000 feet, but they do little to shield the wind and fog. Because of Carneros' consistant climate, certain varietals grow in a very methodical manner.

A multitude of fossilized sea life exists in the soil, and is reminiscent of when the San Pablo Bay covered much of the region. The soil has relatively low fertility, giving grape vines only enough nourishment to focus on scarce, concentrated fruit. The soils of Carneros are generally made of relatively compact clay and are quite shallow.

Varietals, Wines, and Wineries

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are quite compatible with the terroir of Carneros, and the AVA produces some great examples of these two varietals. About 80% of the grapes produced here are either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. Carneros Wineries also produce some excellent sparkling wines. Some parts of the region have also had a degree of success producing Merlot and Syrah in the northern, slightly warmer parts of the AVA.

Carneros is an example of an AVA that has a more uniform terroir than most. Whereas the borders of some AVAs have been extended beyond their natural climactic boundaries because of politics and influence, Carneros resisted this all too common tendency.

History

During the Spanish era of California, the region was a natural place for settlement in the North Bay due to its proximity to San Francisco, and accessibility by water routes. When General Vallejo secularized the Spanish Missions in 1834, he divided the region amongst several of his cronies. The area was initially developed to produce subsistence crops and livestock.

The first vineyards were planted in the 1830s, and Carneros Wineries flourished for many decades until phylloxera devastated the region's grapes along with most vineyards throughout California.

Prohibition appeared to be the last nail in the coffin for Carneros Wineries. After this unfortunate law's repeal, Andre Tchelistcheff and Louis M. Martini took an interest in the region's unique climate. Investment in Carneros Wineries was slow until the 1970s when it began to surge with the rest of the Napa Valley.

Terroir

Regular fog derived from the San Pablo Bay and Napa River has a cooling effect on the region. Wind is a constant factor, and it blows relatively unobstructed throughout most of the AVA.

Additionally, rainfall is relatively scarce, causing most Carneros Wineries and growers to irrigate their crops. The lack of abundant fresh water as well as the encroachment of sea water into some parts of the ground inhibit rampant vineyard expansion.

As one moves north from the San Pablo Bay, rolling hills begin to replace the extremely flat terrain in the south. There are a few hills that rise to 1000 feet, but they do little to shield the wind and fog. Because of Carneros' consistant climate, certain varietals grow in a very methodical manner.

A multitude of fossilized sea life exists in the soil, and is reminiscent of when the San Pablo Bay covered much of the region. The soil has relatively low fertility, giving grape vines only enough nourishment to focus on scarce, concentrated fruit. The soils of Carneros are generally made of relatively compact clay and are quite shallow.

Varietals, Wines, and Wineries

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are quite compatible with the terroir of Carneros, and the AVA produces some great examples of these two varietals. About 80% of the grapes produced here are either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. Carneros Wineries also produce some excellent sparkling wines. Some parts of the region have also had a degree of success producing Merlot and Syrah in the northern, slightly warmer parts of the AVA.

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