VINOGRAPHY^®: a wine blog

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Vinography Gone Fishin'

All work and no play makes Alder a dull boy. I've just spent the last couple of weeks immersing myself in New Zealand Pinot Noir. But before I head back to the U.S. to write it up and put out all the fires that have gotten started at my day job in my absence, I'm taking a little personal time. I'm off to go fishing for a week in the wilds of New Zealand. I won't be in cell phone or internet range, I'll just be stalking wild trout in the small streams of New Zealand's Rotorua region. So... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on February 5, 2017 11:58 PM

Filed under: Ramblings and Rants

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I'll See Your Wild Ferment and Raise You Another

Few things more starkly divide the winemaking world than the philosophy surrounding how fermentation takes place. This is both a literal and philosophical separation. As the single most important chemical change in the context of winemaking (the conversion of the fruit's sugars to alcohol) it might be said that the method of fermentation is among the most significant ways that the winemaker can shape the final wine. In my 13 years of visiting wineries, meeting with winemakers and talking with them about their craft, few ideas are held more strongly than a winemaker's point of view on native (using... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on February 4, 2017 11:57 PM

Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine Reviews

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Vinography Unboxed: Week of January 29, 2017

Hello, and welcome to my periodic dig through the samples pile. I'm pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently. This week included couple of excellent wines from Vietti in Italy's Piedmont region, including their really lovely Tre Vigne Barbera, which is one of the best examples of its kind and a phenomenal value at under $20. Their Perbacco Nebbiolo is also worth seeking out. Look for an unusual Willamette Valley Syrah from Franchere, a nice old-vine Zinfandel, and more as well, this week.... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on February 4, 2017 11:45 PM

Filed under: Wine Reviews

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Vinography Images: Hay There

Hay There BUELLTON, CA: The Santa Rita Hills, an agricultural wine grape growing region located in the western hills between Lompoc and Buellton, has become recognized as a world class wine region. Because of its close proximity to Southern California and Los Angeles population centers, the coastal areas of Santa Barbara has become a popular weekend getaway destination for millions of tourists. INSTRUCTIONS: Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and then select the desired location on your computer to save the image. Mac users can also just click... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on February 4, 2017 11:06 PM

Filed under: Vinography Images

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Turangawaewae: A Maori Expression of Terroir

You've heard of terroir. The famously untranslatable French term for "somewhereness," that unique sense of place that comes through in wine. But have you heard of Turangawaewae? I've just spent the last three days at the 2017 New Zealand Pinot Noir celebration, an event that gathers producers from all of New Zealand's wine regions together to celebrate what has become the signature red grape of this small island country. New Zealand, unlike America or Australia most notably, has a much more respectful and appreciative relationship with its indigenous people, the Maori. While the effects of colonialism were much the same... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on February 2, 2017 11:38 PM

Filed under: Ramblings and Rants

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Wine News: What I'm Reading the Week of 1/29/17

Welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I post them to my magazine on on Flipboard, but for those of you who aren't Flipboard inclined, here's everything I've strained out of the wine-related muck for the week. Enjoy. Can California Winegrowers Refill Underground Aquifers? A proposal for flooding vineyards. The vines of Windsor Great Park Jancis checks in on the Queen's vineyards Good Times Roll for U.S. Wine Industry Analysis of recent industry data. 'A Nightmare Without An End': Wildfires Burn Out Of Control In Chile Very sad news... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 31, 2017 8:48 PM

Filed under: Wine News

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I'll Drink to That: Winemaker Ehren Jordan of Failla Wines

Episode 404 of I'll Drink to That! was released recently, and it features Ehren Jordan of the Failla Winery located in St. Helena, California. Many California winemakers have a soft spot for Syrah, but few of them have accomplished a couple of harvests in Cornas to go with it. Ehren Jordan did work along the slope of Chaillot for a couple of years, and he has plenty of entertaining stories to share from his time living in Cornas, a small village that views visitors from even the next town over as outsiders. Ehren shares his memories of Noel Verset... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 30, 2017 11:56 PM

Filed under: I'll Drink to That

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Vinography Unboxed: Week of January 22, 2017

Hello, and welcome to my periodic dig through the samples pile. I'm pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently. This week included a bottle of green melony happiness that is delightful enough to drink straight from the bottle with friends on a sunny porch. But don't wait for summer to get your hands on Vietti's Moscato. You can drink it all year long. The same thing could be said for the Stony Hill Chardonnay, which held up to the high bar that this... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 28, 2017 9:37 PM

Filed under: Wine Reviews

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Views of New Zealand Wine Country: Episode 2

Hello from the bottom of the world. I'm still wandering around New Zealand and soaking in all the beauty (not to mention Pinot Noir and Riesling). Here are some of the very nice things I've seen in the past couple of days. Amazing clouds over Bell Hill Vineyards in the Weka Pass area of Waipara. Limestone for Pinot? I got yer limestone right HERE. Bell Hill Vineyards. Looking up at the Angel Flower vineyard at Pyramid Valley Vineyards. New Zealand has great skies. With apologies to all others, Rippon is definitely the most beautiful vineyard on the planet. Morning rain... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 28, 2017 9:16 PM

Filed under: Ramblings and Rants

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I'll Drink to That: Winemaker Heidi Schrock

Episode 403 of I'll Drink to That! was released recently, and it features Heidi Schrock, from Weingut Heidi Schrock in Rust, within Austria's Burgenland. Heidi Schrock knows how important the local Lake Neusiedl is to the production of the famous Ruster Ausbruch wine, because for a few years in history there was no water in that lake, and that also meant there was no wine made in Rust for a decade. Heidi, who has documents dating back to when her family founded their farm in Rust in the late 1700s, has a grasp on all sorts of historical details... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 28, 2017 9:08 PM

Filed under: I'll Drink to That

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Vinography Images: Mountain Vines

Mountain Vines HEALDSBURG, CA: Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards are viewed in the Alexander Valley, near Healdsburg, California. Growers in Sonoma County are waiting to see if this Winter's rains can erase several years of extreme drought. INSTRUCTIONS: Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and then select the desired location on your computer to save the image. Mac users can also just click the image to open the full size view and drag that to their desktops. To set the image as your desktop wallpaper, Mac users should follow... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 28, 2017 2:29 AM

Filed under: Vinography Images

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I'll Drink to That: Authors Bill Nesto and Frances Di Savino

Episode 402 of I'll Drink to That! was released recently, and it features a duo, Bill Nesto and Frances Di Savino. They co-authored The World of Sicilian Wine as well as the more recently published Chianti Classico: In Search of Tuscany's Noblest Wine. Bill Nesto and Frances Di Savino value primary sources. Their books contain a wealth of detail collected from pouring over old and forgotten documents tucked away in archives, often finding surprising revelations that are sometimes more at home in our time than in they one they were written in. Several of the historical figures they refer... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 26, 2017 12:22 AM

Filed under: I'll Drink to That

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Views of New Zealand Wine Country: Episode 1

A welcoming site above the vineyards of Black Estate in Waipara. Hello from New Zealand. I'm tromping around down here for a couple of weeks, tasting a lot of wine and attending the New Zealand Pinot Noir festival at the end of the month. I'll be doing a little bit of writing about what I'm up to as I go along, but for fun, I thought I'd share a few shots from my first day and a half. I've landed in Christchurch with the goal of spending some serious time getting to know the North Canterbury region, which is a... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 24, 2017 7:40 PM

Filed under: Ramblings and Rants

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Wine News: What I'm Reading the Week of 1/22/17

Welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I post them to my magazine on on Flipboard, but for those of you who aren't Flipboard inclined, here's everything I've strained out of the wine-related muck for the week. Enjoy. Jefford on Monday: In search of a lost wine Andrew Jefford rhapsodizes over Seyssuel. U.S. Files Trade Challenge Against Canada Over Wine Canada is doing to us, what Trump promises to do to the world. When an Empty Wine Bottle Is Worth $300 Kate Krader on wine fraud. Corsican Reds, a... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 23, 2017 8:15 PM

Filed under: Wine News

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The Taste of Gratitude, Thirteen Years On

Warning. Self reflection ahead. Skip if all you want to read are wine reviews. It's been a long hard year, but not in the sense that my life approached anything close to suffering. By hard I mean I'm contemplating so-called first-world problems. My struggle this year has been one of balance. As some of you know, I spend most of my hours during the day running a design agency in San Francisco. I've been lucky enough to have that business thrive in the past couple of years, and that has been as good for my family's future as it... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 22, 2017 5:27 PM

Filed under: Ramblings and Rants

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Vinography Unboxed: Week of January 15, 2017

Hello, and welcome to my periodic dig through the samples pile. I'm pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently. This week included one of the best Gewürztraminers made in California, thanks to producer Dutton Goldfield, which manages to make this wine so light and fresh, without some of the oily bitterness that can characterize the grape when not made well. Bonny Doon showed up this week with a nice white Rhone blend and his high-performing Vin Gris de Cigare, which is a pretty... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 21, 2017 5:30 PM

Filed under: Wine Reviews

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I'll Drink to That: Writer Katie Parla

Episode 401 of I'll Drink to That! was released recently, and it marks a return to the show for Katie Parla, who was originally featured in episode 155 of IDTT. That earlier episode focused on Katie's experiences dining in Rome, which she has cataloged online. This more recent interview brings out Katie's knowledge of Turkey and particularly of Istanbul. Parla is the author of Katie Parla's Istanbul, which is available in app stores. Katie Parla doesn't mix words when it comes to the situation for wine in Turkey: she ticks off the many steps Erdogan's government has taken to... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 20, 2017 10:12 PM

Filed under: I'll Drink to That

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Vinography Images: The Bins

The Bins BUELLTON, CA: Small yellow bins are placed under the Pinot Noir vines at Pence Ranch in advance of workers arriving for the harvest. Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir has gained significant traction since the movie Sideways. INSTRUCTIONS: Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting "save link as" or "save target as" and then select the desired location on your computer to save the image. Mac users can also just click the image to open the full size view and drag that to their desktops. To set the image as your desktop wallpaper, Mac users... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 20, 2017 10:07 PM

Filed under: Vinography Images

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Enologix - Same as it Ever Was in Napa

Fifteen years ago, at the height of wine critic Robert Parker's influence and fame, WIRED magazine wrote an article about Enologix, an obscure company in northern California started by a man named Leo McCloskey who audaciously claimed to be able to use statistical analysis to predict wine scores based purely on the chemistry of the finished wine. Enologix had already been in business for six years prior to the article's publication, but the coverage in WIRED rocketed Enologix to controversial prominence in California wine. As the landscape of wine criticism has broadened and diversified in the past 15 years,... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 16, 2017 9:54 PM

Filed under: Ramblings and Rants

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Wine News: What I'm Reading the Week of 1/15/17

Welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I post them to my magazine on on Flipboard, but for those of you who aren't Flipboard inclined, here's everything I've strained out of the wine-related muck for the week. Enjoy. Jayer & Rouget change US importer for first time in 30 years And to an upstart no less. A tough climb for Chinese wine David Williams on Ao Yun. Jefford on Monday: For common cause Andrew Jefford looks at cooperatives in Alsace Grenache, the toughest grape in the world Tough, but... continue reading

Posted by: Alder on January 16, 2017 9:26 PM

Filed under: Wine News

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