Category Archives: Wine Experiences

December 2, 2011 · 3:09 am

Christopher Columbus, you ain’t seen nothing (Maipo Valley, Chile – Day Two)

Like I was saying, it’s really hard to get around in Santiago in a car. It’s bad enough that roads make no sense and drivers seem to have no sense, but my navigator won’t even tell me what roads to go on! A passenger in the car today would have been appalled at the expletives coming out of my mouth in sheer frustration. If anyone knows anything about Garmin Nuvi 1300s please let me know because I can’t take much more of this. It took me 1.5 hours to travel 30km today! It almost ruins the spectacular scenery of the Andes Mountains towering over the Maipo Valley.

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November 30, 2011 · 1:47 pm

City of Life (Maipo Valley, Chile – Day One)

What a difference a day makes! It most certainly is a big change going from North America to South, not just because of the language difficulties, but the difference in setting. Adding on the difference in temperature and hours of daylight and it makes for an interesting transition. On first impressions Santiago seems like a relatively poor city in a developing kind of way, and from a certain perspective it is. Having travelled directly from New York City this is a somewhat unfair comparison. On closer inspection Santiago is a vibrant, bustling and growing city, and is as modern as many in Asia or Europe. Just be careful of anything valuable within easy reach, as it is likely to be snatched away, as I witnessed first hand. I won’t bore you with details about what I got up to in Santiago, because it’s pretty much the same stuff as what everyone does when they get here. If you haven’t already visited I do recommend making the trip, as it is an eye-opening experience.

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November 16, 2011 · 9:41 pm

Lakes Placid (Finger Lakes, New York – Day Two)

My second day in the Finger Lakes had much better weather thank goodness; it was a bit sketchy driving back to the motel in heavy rain at night (and by night I mean 5:00 p.m.) The Finger Lakes like the Niagara Escarpment were formed in the last Ice Age by glacial movement which not only tore up the gouges the lakes sit in but also shifted a lot of minerals and soil. This makes the region incredibly diverse in terms of terroir. It is also a fairly large region, taking about 1.5 hours to get from the most North East point to the most South West point. It’s lovely driving this time of year, as most of the trees have lost their leaves and it is quite stark. There are numerous small towns throughout upstate New York, looking quite rural but not poor. During the Summer this place gets pretty busy, and there is a lot to see, do and taste. The wines aren’t enough of a draw-card like they are in the Napa, but in a few years the 50% of the US population who live within a days drive will be flocking here to gobble up the wines.

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November 16, 2011 · 6:17 pm

Purple Rain (Finger Lakes, New York – Day One)

Quick question; how many readers actually knew that they made wine in New York State? If you answered yes, how many knew that grapes were grown here dating back to 1829. Much like in the West Coast, Prohibition and phylloxera all but destroyed the wine industry here, and it wasn’t till after the end of WWII that it was re-established. Until the 1960s varieties planted here consisted of either native varieties or hybrids between French and American varieties. Many might think that it is simply too cold to allow grapes to ripen sufficiently. Similar to the Niagara Peninsula, the vineyards in the Finger Lakes are planted near large bodies of water which have a moderating influence on the micro-climate, reducing the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures allowing for a more even ripening. It gets pretty cold in winter here though, so grafting onto European vinifera varieties onto native root-stocks is vital to survive the severe cold.

Lake Keuka

Lake Keuka

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November 16, 2011 · 4:01 am

Ice Ice Baby… sorry (Niagara Peninsula, Ontario – Day Two)

I haven’t had the greatest luck in terms of timing for most of my visits in North America. This has been mostly due to vintage, but in some cases due to the big Wine Spectator tasting in NYC. The bad luck I experienced in the Niagara Peninsula on this particular Saturday was due to a promotion they have running every weekend in November, which is essentially a passport weekend. You buy a ticket and enjoy a bit of food and wine at as many wineries you can visit in one weekend. There were considerably more people in the region than normal, so I was contending with crowds. This was especially apparent in Niagara-on-the-Lake, closer to Niagara Falls with larger wineries closer together. Niagara-on-the-Lake is also very flat, which in my opinion doesn’t make for great wines, but is easier to drive around I guess. Below is a photo I took above the Niagara Whirlpool.

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November 14, 2011 · 2:46 pm

Top Shelf (Niagara Peninsula, Ontario – Day One)

The Niagara Peninsula in Ontario has a lot going for it. Sure, it is one of the most marginal and challenging climates for growing wine grapes, but it was so many other assets at it’s disposal. For one, as a cool-climate region it is poised to capitalise on the increased interest in cool-climate food-friendly wines both domestically and overseas. They have also garnered serious attention for their ice wines, trumping some famous European regions in a number of competitions. The Niagara Peninsula is also conveniently located only an hour or so from Toronto (their biggest market), right next to one of the biggest tourist attractions in North America (Niagara Falls), and less than a days drive to over 50% of the US population. Their agritourism is some of the most sophisticated I have seen outside of California, and they are doing pretty well. If only they could have more consistent vintages…

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November 1, 2011 · 5:01 am

Location, Location, Location (Woodinville, Washington)

The first winery in Washington was founded in the 1950s. Ironically it was founded in the Eastern part of Washington, which is generally too cold and wet for viticulture. It was however, less than an hour from Seattle, their primary (and only) market. Washington is the second largest producer in the United States behind California, and nearly 99% of all grapes are grown West of the Cascade Mountains in the dry, warm and irrigated parts of the state. In terms of visiting wineries the best place is Woodinville, less than an hour from Seattle. Just don’t expect any vineyards.

Chateau Ste. Michelle

Chateau Ste. Michelle

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October 31, 2011 · 1:38 am

Where the vineyards are (Yakima Valley, Washington)

The Tri-Cities area is one of the least interesting places I have been to on my trip so far. It is a very functional area, as the gateway to the South East, and there are many new communities that have blossomed in housing estates. But it is generally a city without much heart and soul. I was fairly glad to be heading off along the Yakima River towards Seattle, as it would take me through areas where a third of the fruit is grown in Washington. After trying many wines from the Yakima AVA I was keen to see how the environment influenced the wines. The most South Eastern sub-region of the Yakima Valley is Red Mountain, where many of the best reds come from. Whilst it is at least a quarter of the size of the Walla Walla Valley, it amazingly grows more fruit. It is very dry, and probably gets very hot in summer. In a way it reminded me of the Barossa Valley, so naturally Rhone varieties like Shiraz do very well here. This is certainly not white wine country, otherwise it would be called Red & White Mountain.

Red Mountain AVA

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October 28, 2011 · 3:51 am

Writing the rule book (Walla Walla Valley, Washington – Day Two)

As I mentioned in my previous post, the wine industry in Walla Walla is nothing if not progressive. A region that has really only been around for 15 years, they aren’t so much in a revolution as an evolution, not a renaissance but a birth. As Charles Smith said to me the previous day, there are no rules here. They are all just trying to figure out what does well here, and they are so far ahead of the curve it isn’t funny. Much like the winemakers in southern NSW these guys are getting access to amazing fruit in new viticultural areas and expressing wines that are both impetuous and yet refined. Is it any wonder that wine critics in Washington and the rest of the US are so excited about this place?

The Walla Walla Valley

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October 27, 2011 · 5:35 pm

I’m so excited and I think I like it (Walla Walla, Washington – Day One)

Way down in the cocoon of Melbourne there isn’t a lot of North American wine available. It’s mostly either Californian, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, or Inniskillin. So in this environment I had no idea that the Walla Walla Valley is the most exciting place for wine in the entire United States. In doing research just before I came across I found a video of online wine phenomenon Gary Vaynerchuk stating that Walla Walla is the best region for wine, angering many in the Napa Valley. Having visited for the first time yesterday I am tempted to agree with him. The Walla Walla Valley had grapevines introduced by Italian migrants back in the mid-1800s but like everywhere else, the first bonded winery wasn’t founded until after prohibition in 1950. The Pesciallo family who founded Blue Mountain Vineyards were certainly way ahead of their time, as they didn’t survive and vines weren’t then planted until the 1970s. Walla Walla went unnoticed for almost thirty years until the mid ’90s when there were less than 10 wineries, and a number of wines started to get rave reviews. This started a serious boom in the region, to the point that there are now about 160 wineries sourcing fruit from the entire Columbia Valley & Walla Walla AVA. This is a region seriously on the move, so pay attention.

L’Ecole No 41 Tasting Room

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