UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

Book Review: The Billionaire’s Vinegar

by

Part detective caper, part wine history, The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace is an intricate exposé about the “fake wine” importer Hardy Rodenstock and his quest to sell the world’s most expensive bottle of wine, or in this case, bottles of wine. A bottle of the infamous 1787 Château Lafite Bordeaux wine, with the etched initials Th. J., was purportedly owned by founding father and third President, Thomas Jefferson. That particular bottle of wine sold at a London Christie’s auction for $156,000 in 1985 to the Forbes family, the highest price paid for a single bottle of wine to date.

Author Wallace regales readers with multiple accounts of lavish three-day marathon wine tastings hosted by the imposing Rodenstock, and other equally heady social wine gatherings held in the pretentious high society wine circles in the 1980’s both in the States and abroad.

Anecdotes from Jefferson’s days serving as Foreign Minister to France circa 1785-1789, detail his great love of wine and  interest in viticulture.  His journal indicates the shipping of thousands of vitis vinifera root stock to the United States, hoping to successfully plant and cultivate a vineyard with french varietals at his home in Monticello.

While Jefferson was well-documented as a wine aficionado and collector, the provenance of the 1787 Château Lafite puzzled scientists and collectors alike.  Carbon dating tests were performed on the sediment in the bottles and the corks, glass and labels were scrutinized for authenticity.

Other wealthy collectors, such as Bill Koch, would join the elite ranks and purchase Bordeaux wine from Jefferson’s supposed “extended collection” only to later sue Rodenstock and the auction houses that sold the “fake wine” to him.

It would be many years for the truth to be finally revealed.  Wallace engages readers in this well-researched page-turner novel.  The Billionaire’s Vinegar  has enough historical value even if the reader has little interest in wine.

Book Review: Sonoma Wine And The Story Of Buena Vista

by

For the discerning wine geek on your holiday list, Sonoma Wine And The Story of Buena Vista would be a most welcome read.   Modern California wine historian Charles L. Sullivan offers a fascinating detailed perspective on the state’s 200+ year viticulture history complete with vintage photos and colorful anecdotes.

Sullivan engages readers with in-depth tales of the ginormous entrepreneurial wine pioneers and overwhelming financial hardships encountered in Alta California’s La Frontera del Norte in the 1800’s. 

Many Italian immigrant farmers found their way first to the “promised land” and successfully planted the vineyards with their native grape varietals, many of which remain today.  Others with “deep pockets” and little farming skills became large winery owners or shipping magnates.

By far, the most intriguing chapters of Sonoma Wine trace the tumultuous early years at Buena Vista, California’s oldest premium winery, through the acts of brillant, yet quixotic founder Agoston Haraszthy in 1857.  Add the aftermath of the Gold Rush, the devastating plague of phylloxera and the dry years of Prohibition to the mix and it becomes a novel worthy of historical fact and reflection.

California Wineries Are Now “Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop…”

by

So what does “waiting for the other shoe to drop” really mean?  Here’s a little backstory to the ominous phrase.  In the tenements of New York City in the late 19th and early 20th century, apartments were built with bedrooms stacking another. It was common to hear your upstairs neighbor take off a shoe, drop it, and then repeat the action.  Hence, “waiting for the other shoe to drop,” literally means waiting for something to happen that you feel is inevitable.  Much like all of 2020, California wineries are now “waiting for the other shoe to drop” and will be keeping a close eye on neighboring Oregon’s Willamette Valley during the next month.

Last week, Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown announced that a two-week statewide lockdown will begin November 18th, shuttering all restaurants, bars and tasting rooms for on-site consumption, both indoor and outdoor, to help slow the spread of Covid-19.  Many wine industry experts fear the same will happen in California in the coming months.  For now, wineries statewide are struggling to keep the outdoor patio areas open for tasting and bottle sales during the cooler fall temperatures.  It is no surprise that the big winners are the party rental companies who supply the canvas tents, tables, chairs and portable propane heaters.  Several wineries in Russian River Valley are being proactive and constructing permanent covered outdoor seating areas, hoping to attract visitors in the off-months, weather permitting.

In the meantime, as we all wait for the return to “normalcy”, check out the myriad of virtual wine tastings and events offered online.  High-end wineries offer personalized virtual group tastings  which bring family and friends together in a fun, festive way.  So raise your glass high and support your favorite local wineries and order holiday wines online!  Cheers ~

Russian River Valley Welcomes Visitors in Uncertain Times…

by

I had the pleasure to take a quick jaunt to Russian River Valley in North Sonoma County over the long Labor Day weekend with my lovely daughter Tara.   Perhaps, not the most ideal time to visit due to the smoldering wildfires, extreme heat and the pandemic.  But, it felt really good to travel again and to visit my favorite wineries and see familiar faces.  We were well-received all weekend and experienced some of the grandest tastings with super personal service.

Our first tasting adventure started at Dutton Estate for a Dusk Wine Tasting.  We were greeted by friendly faces with Dutton’s estate Hard Cider in hand and led to our table amidst the summer blooms surrounded by the vineyards and towering pines. Dutton’s Estate Sauvignon Blanc and gourmet charcuterie plate was most fitting for the glorious sundowner.

Our wine trip itinerary was focused primarily on Westside Road, where days before, all of the residents and wineries had been evacuated from the raging Wallbridge Fire, still semi-active over the crest of the hill.   A major arterial roadway, Westside Road had been closed in both directions for several weeks and was used by the fire crews to travel from Jenner to Dry Creek during the initial fire outbreak.

What was on everyone’s mind, but rarely spoken, was the topic of possible smoke taint in the vineyards.  Harvest was already mid-way in RRV with fruit still on the vines in many vineyards

Smoke taint would be the bane of many large and small growers and winemakers alike.  There was great uncertainty hanging in the smoky air with many wondering if there would be an actual 2020 wine production.

Our top reservation tastings included MacRostie Vineyards, Arista Vineyards and Flowers Vineyards, all off Westside Road.  As is elsewhere in California wine country, wine tastings are permitted outside only,  by appointment, with social distancing and face masks required when not seated.  Other than that, it was business as usual, albeit, without the crowds.  Winery staff were very gracious everywhere we went and happy to have visitors once again. [Read more…]

BOOK REVIEW: A Wine Journey Along The Russian River

by

Calling all Oenophiles….

One of my favorite wine books about the history of Northern Sonoma Wine Country, A Wine Journey Along The Russian River, takes readers on a slow and easy trek through Mendocino County, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek and finally through the storied Russian River Valley.  Author Steve Heimoff, previous West Coast Editor of Wine Enthusiast Magazine artfully details the beginning of the region’s viticulture experimentation and influential pioneer wine makers of the day.  Filled with first hand encounters and a bird’s eye view from the riverbanks to the vineyards above, this historical read will captivate the best of the wine geeks.

Having spent a lot of time in this wine region, I found the book to be well-researched and have read it cover-to-cover a few times, each time gleaming a deeper insight.   Interestingly, there are a few geological theories about the actual rock formation of the Russian River itself, but overall the story line focuses on the key players in the burgeoning wine industry in the 1970’s.

The Russian River, named after the Fort Ross Russian settlers in the early 19th century, flows south, originating east of Willits in Mendocino County, before making a sharp turn to the west near Healdsburg, then continues through Guerneville before meeting the Pacific Ocean.

While the Russian River plays an important role in moderating temperatures for grape growing in the valley, it is also an important ecological habitat for warm and cold water fish migration and spawning and is well known to locals for its sandy beaches.

Heimoff delights readers with stories and interviews from the area’s first growers and vintners in this superb read!

Cheers!