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2006 October · Valley Wine Festival · Weibel Vineyards · Eckert Estates · Pinotage 2006 September · Chevalier Winery · Concannon Vineyards · Elvis Wines Sweepstakes · Indian Rock Winery · Rousanne · Amador's Old Vines · D K Cellars · Roco Wines - A Dream Within a Dream · GRACELAND® CELLARS NEW “ELVIS® WINES” · Crist Family Vineyards Archived Articles Be a Mensch, Buy a Blend Murrieta's Well Black Sheep Winery Domaine Becquet Winery Wine Helping Youth Amador's Old Vines Gundlach Bundschu Coulson Eldorado Winery Joullian Vineyards Wine and the Bible Scribner Bend Vineyards Loraine Gerber Vineyards Sogno Vineyards and Winery French Hill Winery Wine With Stars Carignane - Wine's Workhorse Grape Zinfandel - California's Grape Wine's Rodney Dangerfield Wine Institute Statement on 2005 Dietary Guidelines The Influence of Oak Vino Con Brio Not-So-Nouveau Beaujolais and Late Winter Red Wine Fun! Foothill Limo - Zin Tour Chianti and Sangiovese Sauvignon Blanc Primativo Petite Sirah Thanksgiving for Wine   Be a Mensch, Buy a Blend   By Harry Stoll. Near the end of the most recent century The Men's Guide to Ironing (ironically, about much more pressing problems) had a chapter titled, "Be a Man, Buy a Blend." The idea was that we should forget 100% cotton and 100% wool and buy blends because they required little or no ironing. An equally important point was that good blends often looked and felt better. Near the end of the most recent century (ironically, about much more pressing problems) had a chapter titled, "Be a Man, Buy a Blend." The idea was that we should forget 100% cotton and 100% wool and buy blends because they required little or no ironing. An equally important point was that good blends often looked and felt better. Blended wines, unlike blended fabrics, have been around a long time. While a few wines brag about being 100% of one variety of grape, almost all include other varieties. The well-known wines of France and Italy that carry those hard to pronounce yet intriguing place names such as Chateauneuf du Pape, Chianti, Montepulciano de Abbruzzi, et al, must be made from grapes grown in the area. Further, only certain varieties in certain proportions may be used. Thus, they are blends. By the way it doesn't matter, for example, if Cabernet Sauvignon can be grown in the Chianti region, if you put any in the wine you may no longer label it Chianti. (Sangiovese is the main grape in Chianti.) Type, Not Place When California wineries began to get uppity and had the cheek to compete with the Old World they decided to emphasize the variety of grape not the area in which the grapes were grown. One explanation of this is that independent Americans didn't want anybody telling them what grapes they could make the wine from and call it Napa or Delano. Hmm, maybe. Whatever the reason, California producers decided to emphasize the variety of grape. In common with many industries, vintners had a hand in writing the government regulations that were to control them. The result was that a wine must be from at least 75% of one grape to be labeled with that variety. These wines are called varietal. The 'al' ending meaning "of the." Thus variety refers to the grape, varietal to the wine. This varietal labeling meant that Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and, later, Syrah and Zinfandel, had wide recognition. Cabernet Sauvignon often has Cabernet Franc or Merlot added to smooth the edges of the tough tannins. That would seem to make it a blend. It's the Marketing, Stupid This emphasis on variety sent the market going a certain way and blended wines have had a difficult time getting our attention. The Meritage (Rhymes with heritage) Association rents it name out to wineries making Bordaux blends. But getting a marketing handle on names for blends has been difficult. But that's the marketers problem. Our problem is to get over looking for those signs on the aisles--you know the ones, Cabernet to Zinfandel--and look for blended wines. So is blended wine any good? Yes. No. Blended wines have the same range of plonk to premium that varietals have. You have to trust the vintner, the reviews, the salesman, the marketing and most of all yourself. You can't blend in bad grapes and make good wine. The tried and true dictum of the industry that it doesn't matter how good the wine is you still have to sell it is especially true when it comes to blends. If a wine has less than 75% of one variety, federal labeling regulations allow the wine type to be identified only as "red wine" or "white wine" or "red table wine" or "white table wine." It's true that in smaller type, the amounts of each variety can be shown but the big letters can only list it as "Wine" or "Table Wine." This isn't very sexy so many wineries market their red or white with a proprietary name. Sometimes the wineries pick a self-deprecating name that says, "We're calling this 'Cheap Red Wine' but it's surprisingly good." El Dorado County's Oakstone Winery calls their red blend Slug Gulch Red after the road the winery is on. Bonny Doon Winery, a very savvy marketer, calls their red blend Big House Red because the grapes are grown near Soledad prison. And there's Dad's Daily Red, Red Wagon Red and Rough and Ready Red. I'm surprised there's no "Red Table" wine with a graphic of a red table. And there is no Whorehouse Red. The label regulators probably wouldn't allow it. Other wineries go the other direction and use French or Italian names. Apparently we're still impressed with the Old World despite our attempts to get over it. Bordeaux Blends While Cabernet Sauvignon remains the bully boy of Bordeaux, wineries are blending in plenty of other varieties to make some stunning wines, that, for my taste, are often more interesting than the pure Cabernet Sauvignons. Some wineries forgo Cabernet Sauvignon altogether. Ballentine Vineyards produces a blend they call Integrity and it has that. It's a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot and is uncommonly smooth, tasty and complex. Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley produces an estate blend they call Marinus (also the name of their primo vineyard restaurant). It's mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. They said their aim was not to produce a wine that reflected the varietal but one that was complex and rich. This beauty will send you on an adjective hunt. Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards makes the praiseworthy Eloge that is not a fruit bomb but nicely balanced. It is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon with descending amounts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot to trip nicely on your palate. Claret At one time a lot of wine was sold as "Claret." Looks French doesn't it? Originally it was but it's the English word for a blend of Bordeaux. It's a term that should make a comeback. Some Clarets of note are Elliston Vineyard of Livermore Valley and Domaine Becquet in Calaveras County. There is no legal definition of Claret and often it simply means red wine. Roudon-Smith in the Santa Cruz Mountains produces a tasty Claret; its two main varieties are Syrah and Zinfandel. They add some Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Carignane. Chateauneuf and Down Under The Rhone Rangers is an association dedicated to pushing Rhone wines. (The practice is to call these "Rhone style" wines to avoid accusations of faking a French appellation.) The Rangers state that, for Rhone reds, there are often two blends. The Chateauneuf model follows the French tradition of including Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and maybe more. Zaca Mesa Winery in Foxen Canyon, Santa Barbara County, produces an excellent example of this one with its Z Cuvee as does Robert Hall Winery with its Rhone de Robles. River Run Vintners in Santa Cruz County produces its rich Cote d'Aromas. My, we love those French connections. In Livermore Valley, two wineries across the road from one another, produce two in the 'neuf style. Fenestra produces True Red (named for Robert True) and Thomas Coyne Winery produces Quest. Australian wineries are known for blending Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, thus the Down Under model. Swanson Vineyards in Oakville blended Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, named it Alexis after their daughter and they are rightly proud of this words fail wine. It aint cheap but it aint cheap. Other Rhone-Bordeaux blends are on the shelves. Steven Kent Winery in Livermore Valley produces Icarus--a mythic wine that soars exactly the right distance from the sun. It's a blend of 78% Mendocino Syrah and 22% Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. It's unfined, unfiltered and a pure joining of sensuality and strength. Super Tuscans Super Tuscan is an unfortunate marketing term but the results aren't. The mild-mannered Sangiovese goes into a phone booth, takes at least its glasses off, meets Cabernet Sauvignon or some other muscle wine and emerges heartier and more complex singing "O sweet mystery of life at last I've found you." Gargiulo Vineyards on Oakville Crossroads blended 5% Cabernet Sauvignon with their Sangiovese and named it Aprile, after their daughter April, who is their wine flogger. She has a Lorenesque mouth and is smart and interesting. Same for the wine. You've probably noticed that Alexis is from the same area. Up in Oakville, they like to name wine after their daughters. Finally, here's a guy wine: Paso Robles Fratelli Perata produces Bambino Grande, named after Bambino Diorio, maternal grandfather of the brothers (Fratelli) Gino and Joe Perata. This Super Tuscan is Sangiovese blended with three other wines that Carol Perata (Gino's wife) refuses to identify. "Drink the wine," she says, and that's my advice. (But note that they do grow Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah.) Buy it--you'll not only enjoy the wine but will enjoy identifying the blend. Vinho Tinto The name Vinho Tinto has a better marketing appeal than the name red wine, which it is. It's a blend of Portugese varieties. These wines havn't made it to celebrity status here, but they're on the way. Vinho Tinto is a ready-made marketing term. (Makes you feel all internacional to say it.) Sonora Port & Wine Works produced a Sierra Foothills Quinta da Sonora, a dry red table wine composed of Touriga Nacional and Tinto Cao with smaller amounts of Alvarelhao and Tinta Roriz. They no longer make it, so if you find any, buy it. But many other wineries produce Vinho Tinto. Field Blends and Table Blends Field blends are Mother Nature as the blender with the different varieties growing in the same vineyard on the same blocks on the same cordons, etc. The grapes are harvested, crushed and fermented together. Westbrook Farms in Madera produces Fait Accompli, which I guess means since the varieties are pre-blended it's a done deal. Field blends are old hat in many old California vineyards. I'm indebted to wine writer Anna Nicholas for the idea of table blends. Add your own Cab Sauv to that easy going Sangiovese. Or whatever. Of course there is one principle to follow, which is as solid as Green Family Winery Syrah with Mountain Mike pepperoni pizza, and that is the varietals should complement one another. What that means of course, is any wine blenders idea. I intend to open a bottle of princely Pinot Noir and introduce it to a roughneck Zinfandel. If it works I'll patent it and name it Forbidden. I have confidence that the winemakers will continue to make heavenly blends. The marketers--I'm not so sure, they have the tougher job. The wine taster, you, should open the mind and mouth. Murrieta's Well Winery     The swarthy young vaquero reined his powerful stead to a dusty halt at the pool of clear, cool natural spring water.  "We will camp here and water the horses," Joaquin told his amigos.  "In the morning we will bordered the ancient spring are now alive with emerald green grape vines.  A beautifully restored winery building overlooks the bygone campsite where clear, fresh water still pushes to the surface from a natural artesian well - "Murrieta's Well". Only a few miles east of downtown Livermore, the legend and romance of "the bandit" Joaquin Murrieta comes alive on the grounds of Murrieta's Well Winery.  From the balcony of the gravity-flow winery building, visitors can gaze on the oak studded site where Murrieta and his band refreshed themselves with cool subterranean water.  While it may have been the water that first attracted visitors to this site, it is the unique premium wines that draw attention to Murrieta's Well.  Under the direction of fourth generation Livermore vintner Phil Wente, Murrieta's Well is rapidly developing a reputation for exquisite "old world" style field blend wines from classic grapes.  In 1990, Wente and former Concannon chief winemaker Segio Traverso embarked on an ambitious quest to rehabilitate the historic old wine estate in the vicinity of Joaquin Murrieta's campsite.  French frontier salesman Louis Mel settled the property in 1884 and established vineyards, orchards and a gravity-flow winery around the artesian spring.  Mel's house still stands only a few yards from the well.  The natural source of water and unusually gravelly soil inspired Louie to import and plant classic red and white Bordeaux grape vines including cuttings of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from the famous Chateau d' Yquem vineyard.  In 1936 Mel sold the 90 acre estate to his neighbor, Ernest Wente.  For the next half century the old vineyards produced a steady stream of grapes for various Wente varietal wines.  But by the late 1980's, Wente and Traverso had bigger plans for the historic estate. Traverso left Concannon wanting to return to his native Chile to make wine for the booming Chilean industry.  As one of the forces behind the South Livermore Valley Viticultural Plan, Wente wanted to entice prominent local winemakers to stay in Livermore.  The answer was Murietta's Well.  Traverso could make wines from the old, classic vineyards in the fall, then fly south to make Chilean wines in the spring.      The Wente/Traverso vision was to produce a line of Meritage style blended red and white wines using only the classic grapes of Bordeaux grown on the estate.  "We've always felt the grapes coming off the old estate were first class," Wente proclaimed. "Initially", Wente continued, "we wanted to be very low key about the wines coming from these vineyards and just have a proprietary name for the red and wine blends.  It wasn't until we did some research on the property that we learned of its history and link to the bandit Joaquin Murrieta.  In a 1936 Wines and Vines magazine interview, Louie Mel  called the artesian spring on the ranch 'Murrieta's Well.'  Sergio remembered that the spring still flowed water down the ranch driveway so we pulled the name Murrieta's Well  from that article." "The rest is a 10 year collaboration of making blended wines trying to create one of Californian's premier estates", Wente concludes.  Traverso sold his interest in Murrieta's Well to Wente in 2000 but remains the winemaker for the project.  Murrieta's Well's flagship wines are the white and red Meritage blends.  Meritage (rythmes with heritage) is a new world term denoting wines blended from the traditional "noble" Bordeaux grape varieties including red Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Verdot, and white Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.  Crafted from 100% estate grown grapes, Murrieta' Well Meritage wines are artful combinations of the "noble" Bordeaux varietals. The white Meritage, White Vendimia, (Spanish for "harvest" or "vintage") is an exquisite blend of 53% Sauvigon Blanc, 42% Semillon, 3% Malvasia Bianca and 2% Orange Muscat.  Murrieta's Well 1999 Red Vendimia is a true Meritage blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petitte Verdot.  Aged 24 months in French Oak barrels, the wine is rich and graceful with soft tannins and a lingering finish. Early on in project, Wente and Traverso added an "old vine" Zinfandel to the fledgling Murrieta's Well stable.  The 90 year old Raboli Vineyard, across the street from the Murrieta's Well property, is a traditional "field blend" Zinfandel Vineyard with 80% Zin, 10% Carignane and 10% Mourvedre, Petit Syrah and Alicante Bouche vines.  Leasing this old head-pruned, dry-farmed vineyard fit right into the Murrieta's Well concept of making uniquely blended wines from exceptional quality grapes. In 1996, winemaker Traverso returned from a trip to Spain with the idea that Murrieta's Well consider producing wine from Tempranillo; the predominate Spanish grape variety. It was a natural since Murrieta's Well emphasized the Spanish heritage of the region.  In 1998 Wente and Traverso planted some Tempranillo then broadened the concept of Iberian influence when they became enamored with Portuguese grapes and planted Touriga Nacional and Sousao. Six years after planting the Spanish and Portugese varietals, Murrieta's Well is releasing the first wines from these vines.  The 2001 Zarzuela ( "operetta" or "folk music" of Spain) is a hearty wine blended with 62% Tempranillo, 17% Touriga Nacional, 13% Petite Verdot, 5.5% Barbera and a little Cabernet Sauvignon.  In addition to the Meritage blends (red and white Vendimia), Zinfandel, and Zarzuela bottled with the Murrieta's Well label, the winery produces two unique wines under the Los Tesoros de Joaquin label.   The Tempranillo is a luscious, perfectly structured wine with vivid color and mouth filling blackberry, raspberry and tobacco flavors.  Aged 10 months in a combination of American, French, and Hungarian oak barrels produces a distinctive wine with a long, satisfying finish A 50/50 blend, the 2002 Los Tesoros de Joaquin Semillon/Chardonnay is handcrafted to result in a beautifully balanced, luxurious wine with flavors of honey, apple, citrus, and fig.  The wine finishes with a delightful hint of oak and vanilla from 10 months aging in a combination of French, American and Hungarian barrels. These distinctive Los Tesoros de Joaquin wines are available only in the exquisite Murrieta's Well tasting room that occupies the meticulously restored stone winery built by Louie Mel around the turn of the century.  Comfortable leather sofas and chairs provide a relaxed atmosphere in the spacious tasting room staffed by enthusiastic, informative, knowledgeable hosts.  Visitors can sample the full line of Murrita's Well wines while browsing the array of gourmet food items as well as wine related merchandise and publications. According to Phil Wente, "We make about 10,000 to12,000 cases of our wines annually.  Our goal is to make beautifully balanced, very expressive, handcrafted wines for a wide range of consumers." The Murrieta's Well tasting room is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  For more information on the availability of Murrieta's Well wines call (925) 456-2390 or visit www.murrietaswell.com. "Let's go amigos; we are off to Mexico," the bandito commanded swinging into the saddle after one last gulp of cool water from "Murrita's Well". By Kenneth Young. Black Sheep Winery   By Kenneth Young. We often associate the term "black sheep" with something odd or eccentric.  But, in the Sierra Foothills, Black Sheep refers to lush, hearty, premium wines.    Several years ago. Robert Conrad starred in a televisions series called "Bah Bah Black Sheep".  This action show featured Conrad as Maj. Greg Boyington, a maverick Marine pilot who assembled a band of outcast and odd-ball fighter jockeys into one of the best squadrons in the Pacific.  Although a stretch, the story of Jan and Dave Olson is somewhat similar to that of the Marines.  When Black Sheep Winery opened in 1986, Calaveras County was barely a fly-speck on California's wine country map.  Sure, there were a few eccentric folk up in foothills growing grapes and making wine.  But to the main stream wine consumer, foothills wines were a bit "odd".  Not so today.  Calaveras growers and winemakers are producing some of California's most sought after Zinfandels, Syrahs and Cabernet Francs.  Far from being an "outcast" or "misfit", Black Sheep Winery is one of the foothill's leading boutique producers.  "Our first release was 500 cases of Zinfandel and we wondered how in the world we were going to sell all that wine," Jan muses.  "Now, we sometimes don't have enough Zinfandel to meet the demand.  Funny the way it worked out."  Black Sheep specializes in red wines made of grapes purchased from foothills growers. "We know winemaking and our growers know grape growing and we want to keep it that way," Jan explains.  "This allows us to pick and choose which vineyard we want for each wine."  While Jan is the tasting room manager, bookkeeping, public relations person and janitor, husband Dave is the winemaker.  Dave started as a home winemaker.  Jan recalls that Dave began with five gallons and worked all the way up to 20 gallons before he applied for a job at Stevenot Winery in 1982.  Under the tutelage of then Stevenot winemaker Steve Milliarie, Dave learned the craft of winemaking the hard way; hands-on experience.  In 1984, Stevenot wasn't able to utilize all of Frank Alviso's Clockspings Zinfandel grapes and Dave was offered the fruit.  Through a "very attractive arrangement" for an unused facility, Dave and Jan were in the wine business and Black Sheep Winery was born.  Dave Olson's philosophy of winemaking is to let the grapes do the talking.  He works with his growers to get optimum grape maturity, sugar and acid but makes the wine to reflect the character of the fruit.   Jan calls Dave's style "a minimalists approach to winemaking.  He doesn't bend or hammer the wine into a style that the fruit won't support.  He tries to guide the process, not manipulate it."   Black Sheep makes about 3,900 case of truly "handcrafted" wines annually.  "We have a part-time cellar master but when it comes to harvest, we have a lot of friend willing to help," Jan says.   All the fruit is hand sorted when it arrives at the winery.  The reds are crushed then fermented in open, half-ton bins.  The cap is punched down by hand two or three times a day until fermentation is complete.  The wine is then pressed from the skins using a small bladder press and placed in a combination of oak barrels for aging.   For something a little different, Black Sheep produces a light blend of Zinfandel and Cinsault.  Called True Frogs Lily Pad Red, this tasty table wine with a hint of oak is perfect for a fall dining.  Semillon, an unusual foothills varietal, is dry and crisp with a hint of melon.  The slightly sweet white table wine under the True Frogs Lily Pad White label is a salute to the "celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County."  There is little doubt that the traditional application of the term "black sheep" doesn't really apply to Jan and Dave Olson's Calaveras County winery.  In truth, when the couple moved to the foothills from the Bay Area some 28 years ago, they settled in the tiny community of Sheep Ranch.  According to Jan, "We used to raise black sheep as a hobby so when it came to naming the winery, we wanted something to kind of set us apart from the other Calaveras wineries.  Of course the term 'black sheep' means . . ." Domaine Becquet Winery     A French aristocrat making wine in Calavaras County?  "Why not", says Baron Becquet de Mille, winemaker and owner of Domaine Becquet Winery in the Sierra foothills near Valley Springs.       Actually, the Baron is Jean-Jacques Charles Vitrac, a man whose bearing and demeanor accurately reflects his French aristocratic linage.  Jean-Jacques - Charles to his friends - can trace his family history all the way back to Thomas Becket, the Archbishop murdered in the Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.  Thomas's father was from Normandy and participated in the first Crusade.  The family shield with the cross that adorns the Domaine Becquet label is a tribute to Charles historic ancestors.       Charles is no less accomplished than the esteemed members of his family that include a grand uncle who was President of Finland.  Educated in the finest Jesuit schools of France, Charles was first a successful journalist then became a highly respected international management and political consultant.  Among his more notable acquaintances is the late President Richard Nixon and French President Jacques Chirac is a personal friend.       While international business and politics were Charles' profession, wine and the country life are his passion.  "My family had a winery in France so my wife and I decided to have one here," Charles recounted.  "You probably won't believe this but I am fifth generation Californian.  My family came here in 1913 but as you can tell from my accent, I was raised in France".       "My job working with corporate CEOs and international politicians was very stressful so we wanted a place where we could get away and raise our children."  Charles recalls.  "We lived in Napa for a time but wanted more of a country atmosphere.  We found this 20 acre property 16 years ago and made it our country home.  We made our first wine here in 1997."        A broad smile accents his strong Gallic features as Charles welcomes visitors to his spacious tasting room patterned after a French hunting lodge.  A lovely, smiling woman soon appears at Charles side to offer the hospitality of the Domaine.  Roswitha is Charles' German born wife, partner and soul mate of almost 40 years.       While half of the two person Domaine Becquet winemaking team, Roswitha is the chef extraodinare of the lodge.   Her mouth-watering, tummy-filling breads, soups, salads, and other French/German dishes are perfectly suited to accent the wines of Domaine Becquet.       "Our wines are made in the traditional French style", Charles proclaims.  "They contain less alcohol (around 12.8%) and have less oak from the barrel."  The wines of Domaine Becquet are typically more fruit forward in both flavor and aroma.  "We try to avoid the 'bite' of wines aged too long in new toasted oak barrels.  We typically use five year old French oak barrels from regions that best match the wine we are making." Charles adds.       Grapes for Domaine Becquet wines come from the Lodi region.  Charles calls the Lodi delta "the Carneros of the foothills" because of the cool afternoon winds that blow through the area from the bay.  During harvest, the grapes are picked at or before dawn to preserve the perfect acid and sugar levels, then quickly transported to the winery for crushing.       "We are very particular about the fruit for our wines," Charles says.  "Since I am not a chemist, I harvest the grapes by taste.  For me, it is all about making wine by tasting."       Balance is the watch word for Domaine Becquet wines.  "Our wines are truly hand made and we are very gentle with the wine.  I believe the winemaker is the artist who expresses the natural quality of the fruit." Charles explains.       It really is a small world when we can make a short trip to the Sierra foothills to meet a true French Baron who makes wine in the traditional French style. You too can experience the gracious French hospitality of Jean-Jacques Charles and Roswitha Vitrac at Domaine Becquet by visiting the tasting room on Highway 12 in Calaveras County just east of Valley Springs Wednesdays through Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  It will be a classic experience that may well begin your own wine tradition.   By Kenneth Young. Wine Helping Youth   CyberMill Clubhouse The AG Experience From September 2003 through May 2004, a twenty student production team from CyberMill Clubhouse set out to experience and chronicle the life cycle of a Napa vineyard. Known simply as The Ag Project, students videotaped and created media of their first hand experience in the field. This ambitious project was made possible thanks to Koves-Newlan Vineyard & Winery who dedicated a section of their vineyard to the kids at CyberMill and provided special funds to support the project. The project began during the harvest of 2003, on Saturday morning, September 27, at 6:00 a.m. when fifteen to twenty youth set out into the Koves-Newlan Vineyard to harvest grapes. One ton of grapes were harvested that morning and a special tasting of the grape juice topped off the first experience. CyberMill kids, armed with digital movie cameras, captured one another working hard harvesting the grapes. The first in a series of trainings provided by the Koves-Newlan staff and winery management team on a variety of subjects ranging from tools used to the actual crushing of the grapes was also fodder for the film. In March, the kids headed out to hoe over the weekends and prune these same vines; they continued checking the vines through every season of the year and took a real interest and ownership on their piece of the vineyard. The final four-segment movie production was released on October 14, 2004 at the clubhouse. The DVD production includes the pruning experience, the harvest experience, the crush and then other productions in the clubhouse. Throughout the year, the students discovered the hard work of farming grapes and what it takes to produce a premium grape as well as how much work it takes to produce a 4 segment movie production and related media. For more information on the CyberMill Clubhouse, check out www.cybermill.org. Amador's Old Vines   Amador's Old Vines Bent, twisted, haggard old arms reach to the crisp mountain sky from a gnarled, defiant truck weathered gray-brown by a century of wind, rain, frost, and sun.  Its job done for another season, the ancient Shenandoah Valley Zinfandel vine is read for winter slumber. This particular vine is one of the "old vines" on 14 acres still producing two to four tons per acre for Amador County grower and vintner Ken Deaver.  Planted in 1886 by Ken's grandfather, Joseph Davis when he was 16 years old, the Deaver/Davis vineyard has thrived 117 years in the decomposed granite soils of Sierra Foothills. To many, 117 years doesn't sound like that long.  But let's think back to 1886.  The Civil War was only twenty years behind a recovering nation.  Gold had been discovered only 38 years earlier and California had only been a state for 36 years.  Coco-Cola was invented in Atlanta, GA and Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But 1886 didn't mark the beginning of grape growing or even Zinfandel in Amador County.  According to Eric J. Costa in his book Old Vines - A History of Winegrowing in Amador County, the county's first known grape grower was Massachusetts native Benjamin Burt who first planted grapes in 1852.  By 1855, Amador County sported 4,740 grape vines or about six acres of grapes. In 1857, New Hampshire native and Jackson physician Dr. Samuel Page bought an orchard and vineyard originally belonging to Horace Killam.  Page expanded the vineyards and planted a grape he referred to as Black St. Peter's.  This is significant to Amador grape history because, according to wine historian Charles L. Sullivan, New England Black St. Peter's and California Zinfandel grapes were identical. Zinfandel came to the United States in 1829 from the imperial nursery in Vienna, Austria.  Imported by Long Island nurseryman George Gibb, "Zinfandal" vines were sold to Bostonian Samual Perkins in 1831 and by the late 1830's New Englanders were growing Zinfandal as a popular table grape.  Exactly when the first Zinfandal vines arrived in California is uncertain.  Some of the first items to be shipped from New England around the horn to California in 1849 were tree and vine nursery stock. Amador's first Zinfandel vines were most probably brought to California from New England in 1855 by Sacramento nurseryman A.P. Smith.  At about the same time, San Jose nurseryman and wine maker Antoine Delmas imported Black St. Peter vines from the east. Exactly when the first grape vines were planted in the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County is unknown.  "Most of the old records of who planted how much of what where were lost when the original farms house burned." says fourth generation Valley grower Ken Deaver.  "The only records we have are old newspaper articles and some documentation from local and state agricultural commissions." One such report was the census of August 1870 indicating several Shenandoah Valley residents in possession of wine from what was most likely the 1869 vintage.  Figuring at least five years for vines to mature enough to produce wine grapes, vines must have been in the ground at least in 1865.  Two of the notable names of those having wine in 1870 were Adam Uhlinger (600 gallons) and John J. Davis (200) gallons. Swiss immigrant Adam Ulinger came to Amador County in 1856 from Iowa.  By 1867 Ulinger considered himself a "vine grower" and by 1869 was making substantial amounts of wine and became the first truly commercial winery in Amador County.  Because Ulinger realized Mission grapes limitations in making good "claret" it is suggested that at least some of those early vines were Zinfandel. Ulinger's winery was built of hand hewn native oak timbers and rock quarried on site.  His fermentation and storage casks also fashioned on site of native oak by neighbor John J. Davis.  Today, the old winery is a museum on the property of Sobon Estate and is open to the public at no cost. In 1852 John J. Davis headed for the California gold fields from Iowa.  Originally from Indiana, Davis worked five years as cooper before venturing west.  Arriving in Placerville, Davis was a fair placer miner who made enough to settle on a 117 acre ranch in the Shenandoah Valley in 1859.   By 1870, Davis one of the most successful fruit ranches in the valley with 43 "improve" acres including at least two acres of grape vines. With experience as a cooper in the east, Davis opened a Cooper Shop in the valley in 1869 and advertised his ability to manufacture and repair wine casks.  Samples of his craftsmanship can be seen in the 500 gallon oval shaped oak casks on display in the old Ulinger (Di Aoustini) winery at Sobon Estate. The Deaver family came to Shenandoah Valley as school teachers.  Grover Deaver was the teacher at the Shenadoah School and, as was tradition in those days, boarded with a local resident.  That local was John Davis's son, Joseph Davis.  Some time later, Grover brought his wife Elizabeth and three children, Willard, Ruth and Ken from Fiddletown to live in the valley.  After both Grover, and Joe's wife passed away, Elizabeth married Joe in 1927.  Elizabeth's son Ken, kept the Deaver name and became a rancher.  Ken Sr. managed  the original Davis vineyard for John Davis's daughter Mary and eventually inherited the property in 1964.   While the original planting records are gone and passed-down information is a bit hazy, the Davis/Deaver vineyard planted in 1886 may be the oldest producing vineyard in Amador County.  This is some evidence however, in the form of a U.S. Geological Survey map, that suggests Grandpere vineyard on Steiner Road was in existence in 1869.  Only about 200 acres of truly old vines are left in Shenandoah Valley today.  Some of these old vineyards including Story, Esola, Fox Creek and the famous Eschen Vineyard in Fiddletown were propagated with cuttings from the original Davis/Deaver vineyard.  The origin of other old vineyards including Teri Harvey's Orginial Grandpere Vineyard are more uncertain. There is no wine industry standard for applying the term "Old Vine".  In many cases, the term is applied for marketing purposes and may refer to wines made from grapes from 20 to 30 vines.  Other vintners consider old vines as those planted prior to prohibition (1920) or World War II (1940).  Vineyards over 100 years old are being referred to more and more as "ancient" vines. In reality, the term "old vine" may have viticultural base.  Many veteran winegrowers and winemakers agree that vines can be considered "old' when they become self-regulating. According Shenandoah Valley grower and winemaker Leon Sobon, "I think grapes become self-regulating/self balancing at 35 to 40 years but it depends on the growing conditions.  Self-regulating vines kind of take care of themselves.  Canes never get too long and the vines don't shoot a second crop anymore which limits crop size."   Consulting winemaker Don Reha says that self-regulating vines tend to produce consistently smaller yields of grapes with more intensity, color and flavor.  "There are only so many flavor and aroma components in a given area of vineyard", Reha says.  "The vines want to naturally distribute those components over a smaller volume of fruit.  Therefore wines from old 'old vines' tend to be more intense and concentrated."  Is there really a difference between mature and "old vine" Zinfandels?  That's up to you to decide.  Visit some of the Amador wineries that feature old vine Zin and taste for yourself.  Amador Old Vine Zinfandels Amador Foothill Winery 2001 Shenandoah Valley Zinfandel - Esola Vineyard.   Grapes from Esola Vineyards 65 year old vines produced a wine of luscious fruit flavors with complex spice, earth and black berry aromas.  An intense wine with rich flavor, ripe tannins, firm acidity, and exceptional balance. Deaver Vineyards 2000 Zinfandel.  Deaver doesn't always use old vine fruit in their Zins but the 2000 is 100 percent old vine.  Rich an opulent with signature spiciness, this wine is a classic Amador Zinfandel.  Wonderful black fruit flavors with lively berry, cherry and pepper aromas are exquisitely balanced with velvety tannins and nuance of oak. Karly Vineyards 2000 Sadie Upton Zinfandel.  An opulent Zinfandel full of big, firm black cherry fruit with a bouquet of freshly scraped cherry bark.  Grapes for this fruit dominant wine were harvested from the vineyard planted by John and Sadie Upton in 1922. Montevina 1998 Terra D' oro Zinfandel Deaver Ranch.  A classic old vine Zinfandel made from grapes from the original Davis/Deaver Vineyard.  Nearly black in color, the wine is marvelously complex with aromas of super-ripe blackberry and black raspberry fruit mingled with scents of raisin, anise, pepper spice and oak vanillin.  Lush flavors are well balanced with soft tannins and excellent acidity. Renwood 2000 D'Agostini Brothers Zinfandel.  Unique maple and blueberry aromas are followed by brilliant acidity and bright berry flavors with firm tannins.  The D' Agostini vineyard was planted in 1920 and has been tended by the family ever since. Sobon Estate 2001 Fiddletown Zinfandel.  A stunning wine with intriguing aromas of spice, cherry, and concentrated fruit.  Highly complex featuring multiple toasty, dusty-cherry flavors typical of the Fiddletown Lubenko Vineyard planted in 1910. Story Winery   2000 Picnic Hill Zinfandel.  Planted about 1900 with cuttings from the original Davis/Deaver vineyard, grapes from Picnic Hll make wonderfully dark, spicy "old-style" Zinfandel.  Loads of black cherry and blackberry flavors set off with a touch of casis and firm tannins.  By Kenneth Young. Gundlach Bundschu Winery   Gundlach Bundschu Winery Gundlach Bundschu has been a player in California's wine industry from the very beginning.  The very beginning of California that is.    Bavarian-born Jacob Gundlach arrived in San Francisco in November of 1850, a mere five years after a group of English-speaking local residents raised the California Republic flag over the Sonoma town square.  As if guided by fate, Jacob and partner Emil Dresel purchased the 400 acre Rhinefarm only a couple miles east of California's founding site in 1857. By then, California was a state but little else.  Winegrowing and winemaking were little known except around Pueblo de Los Angeles and the other Spanish missions scattered about the state.  Jacob recognized an opportunity and in 1858 brought European grape rootstock to Rhinefarm.  In 1861 Jacob and wife Eva celebrated the first Rhinefarm vintage and a baby daughter, Eva.  In 1868, young German Charles Bundschu joined J. Gundlach & Co and married the boss's daughter in 1875.  With Jacobs death in 1894, the company is re-organized as Gundlach Bundschu Winery with an east coast branch in New York and a two square block warehouse in San Francisco.  It all came crashing down, literally, in April of 1906 with the great San Francisco earthquake which destroyed the company's buildings, offices, and wine.  The company bounced back as the younger generation builds a successful international wine reputation capped by the Exposition Grand Prize at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition.  Prohibition, not fate, signaled the next transition in the history of Gunlach Bundschu.  In 1919, the winery closed to the public but continued to make sacramental wine and provide grapes to home winemakers.  Following Repeal, Charles Bundschu's grandson Towle slowly nursed Rhinefarm back to grape growing prominence.  Over the next thirty years, the vineyard returned to being a player in the wine industry by suppling volumes of quality fruit to major California wineries.  It was 1969 when Towle's son Jim decided to become a player in the fine estate wine business as well. Jim chose to become an industry player by adding humor to the stoic wine business.  With partners in crime (winemaker Lance Cutler and marketer Jim McCullough), the so- called "bad boys of Sonoma" would promote company and region wines using humorous  pranks and gimmicks like holding up the Napa Valley Wine Train.   While maybe not as outrageous as a train stick-up, sixth generation Bundschu, Jeff, still employs humor and fun to promote wine.  With two long-time wine business buddies, Jeff founded the Wine Brats, a 15,000 member organization dedicated to promoting wine to the "Y" generation of 21 to 36 year old consumers.  Smiles and a sense of humor are major contributors to Gundlach Bundschu's position today as a player in the California wine industry.  But the primary factor in GunBun's success is the wine.  Except for Chardonnay from nearby Sangiacomo Ranch, and Zinfandel from Morse Vineyard, all the fruit for Gundlach Bundschu's 16 wines are grown in the 300 acre Rhinefarm vineyard.   A graduate of U. C. Berkeley in ag economics, fifth generation Bundschu Jim tends the historic vines.  "My highest aim is to be a good farmer," Jim says, "one who understands the subtle nuances involved in the producing grapes for exceptional wines vintage after vintage." The cool Region II climate of Rhinefarm is an excellent environment for growing outstanding Riesling and Gewurztramier.  Gundlach Bundschu's Riesling opens with exotic tropical aromas backed by a pronounced honeysuckle character.  The Gewurztraminer exhibits pleasing aromas of jasmine, orange blossom and ripe citrus while delivering flavors of lychee nut, grapefruit and allspice. Kleinberger is a Gundlach Bundschu exclusive.  Made from the Elbling grape which has been cultivated in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer of Germany since Roman times, this extraordinary wine offers aromas of guava, ripe pineapple and gardenia.  Honeycomb and pineapple favors balanced by a brisk key lime character make this wine worthy of taste. Speaking of tasting, the cozy tasting room occupies the front portion of the restored original stone Gundlach Bundschu winery.  It took Jim and the family three years to renovate the old building into a fully functioning winery.   Even with the restored building there wasn't enough room for fermentation tanks and barrels so in 1991 the winery dug a 430 foot tunnel into the Sonoma hillside.  The state's longest straight wine storage bore holds 2,000 barrels or about 90 percent of the winery's total 55,000 case production. Much of the current success of Gundlach Bundschu wines can be attributed to a commitment to quality.  Whether Zinfandel, Merlot, or Cabernet, fruit is harvested and fermented by distinctive blocks.  The wine from each block is then aged at least 12 months before blending by winemaker Linda Trotta. After graduating form U. C. Davis, Trotta interned at St. Francis Winery before becoming a lab tech at Sebastiani for two years.  She joined Gundlach Bundschu as an enologist 13 years ago. Trotta uses blending to achieve balance between acid, fruit flavors and tannins.  The process mixes art and science to create distinctive flavors, textures and aromas in each of Gundlach Bundschu's wines. CEO and General Manager Jeff Bundschu puts it best.  "Our life here at Gundlach-Bundschu, with its wine and good people, has always been about laughter, hard work, inspiration and sharing."  These are the qualities that have made Gundlach Bundschu a player in California wine for a century and a half. By Kenneth Young. Coulson Eldorado Winery   By Kenneth Young. When we think of "family owned" wineries, we tend toward operations like Mondavi, Gallo, or Wente where the patriarch of the family has built a legacy for future generations.  In the case of El Dorado County's Coulson Winery, the family contributes to the operation to keep the patriarch "off the street". It's not quite as bad as it sounds.  Owner, winemaker, salesman and family patriarch Ed Carlson smiles brightly as he recounts how he and his family got into the wine business.  In 1978 Ed had finished a career as a chemical engineer in the aero-space industry in Sacramento and decided he really didn't want to move from his home in Placerville.  That meant a new career so Ed was dabbling in the real estate and insurance when a friend introduced him to homemade blackberry wine, suggesting Ed "make a batch".  "I had a couple of big Concord grape vines in the yard and found out the hard way that dry Concord grape wine is not good," Ed laughs.  "The only way we could drink it was with a bottle of wine, a bottle of 7-Up and bottle of soda." From that experience Ed figured he needed to learn a little more about winemaking so he bought a book and more importantly, joined the fledgling El Dorado County home winemakers club.  "What I found out from reading the book was that I really needed some equipment to do testing," Ed recalls.  "That stuff didn't come dirt cheap so I thought about how I could justify getting the testing equipment I needed to make good wine.  In those days there was no wine lab in the foothills and wineries had to send samples to Napa for analysis", Ed says.  As a former chemical engineer, the solution was obvious.  Ed set up a licensed wine laboratory and offered his services in exchange for grapes. "I got to know what I considered to be really good vineyards in the county" Ed goes on. "I found out that with grapes from these quality vineyards, as an amateur, I was consistently making as good wine as the professionals." The quality of Ed's amateur wines planted the seed for a commercial venture but according to Ed, "the finances just weren't there" in the 1980s Ed continued to make outstanding wines in his home until the early 1990s when he was approached by the owner of the facility now occupied by Coulson Winery.  "This person was not a wine maker, but made wine," Ed says.  "He wanted me to be his wine maker but from my perspective, the arrangement just wouldn't work."  About three years went by when Ed was again approached, this time with the offer to lease the facility and buy the equipment on time.   "That's when I penciled it all out and recruited the family into the venture by asking them if they would like to keep their old man off the streets," Ed chuckles.   In the summer of 1995, Coulson Eldorado Winery negotiated a long term lease for the old El Dorado winery built in 1927 as a pear and apple packing facility.  The first 1,000 case of Coulson wine were made in the fall of '95.   Ed has four children who are all stock holders in winery.  Although not involved in day to day operations, Ed says they usually participate in the winery's special events.  One of Ed's daughters runs the food service program at U.C. Davis so she does the catering for events like Passport Weekend.  "She also fronts for me when the media needs a recipe to go with our wines," Ed says. Coulson wines are made in small lots from carefully selected foothill grown grapes that are best suited to the soil and climate of El Dorado County.  The resulting wines include Grenache, Mourvedre (Mataro), and Syrah reminiscent of the Rhone region; Italian varietals Pinot Gris and Sangiovese; and Bordeaux varietals Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot made in the California style. Coulson believes in the old world manner of winemaking.  Minimal handling and processing will produce wines of exceptional varietal character and intensity.  Ed says he likes to make wines that are "people friendly".  He wants to make red wines ready to drink within a year of harvest.  "That means keeping tannins under controls and the wine in balance", Ed explains.  "I accomplish this by de-stemming - not crushing - and letting the skins and juice cold soak for 48 hours".  This method provides maximum color extraction without harsh tannins from crushed seeds.  Coulson continues, "After inoculation, I do a fast fermentation at about 95 degrees and press into tanks at one or two percent residual sugar for malolactic fermentation.  When maloactic is almost complete, I put the wines in barrels for aging." A favorite in Coulson's tasting room is the Mataro (Mourvedre).  This Rhone grape, also grown extensively north of Barcelona in Spain, produces a wine of unique flavor and aroma with a full mouth feel.  Coulson Mataro features rich berry favor, soft, supple tannins and a lingering finish. Coulson Vintner's Select is a unique Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault grapes characteristic of southeastern France.  A wine of exceptional structure with velvety tannins and rich fruitiness that pairs well with game, lamb and spicy dishes. Both Coulson's Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are drinker friendly.  The Sauvignon Blanc is lightly oaked and features aromas and flavors of apple and citrus.  The Chardonnay is whole cluster pressed to retain the aromas of pineapple, citrus and mango with just a touch of oak and crisp acidity. While not a family dynasty, yet, Coulson Eldorado Winery has all the feel of a family owned enterprise.  With an annual production of about 2,500 cases, Ed Coulson is able to retain the family flavor while producing wines with a truly personal touch.  It also keeps him off the streets. Coulson Eldorado Winery Website Driving Directions Joullian Vineyards   Article By Kenneth Young. In 1982, Jack Nicklaus lost the U. S. Open Golf Championship to a holed chip shot on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach on the Monterey peninsula. Pebble Beach is 25 miles due east of the Carmel Valley home of Joullian Vineyards. What do the two have in common you ask? The Watson brothers. Ten months after Tom Watson chipped-in to win the U. S. Open, brother Ridge (Raymond) Watson selected 655 acres of Carmel Valley hillside bench land as the site for Jouillan Vineyards, Ltd. Created by the Joullian and Sias families of Oklahoma, Jouillan Vineyards was established to produce world-class estate wines. Ridge was the guy selected to implement the oil and gas family partnership's plan. Choice of the upper Carmel Valley vineyard property was made after careful evaluation of central coast terrior. "We did a year and a half of research including setting up eight temperature monitoring stations throughout the area," Watson explained. "I walked the sites everyday collecting weather data and gathering detailed information." Attention to detail comes naturally to Ridge Watson. A graduate of Stanford University where he studied history and world wines, Ridge spent five years as a Bay Area wine merchant before earning his Masters Degree in Enology from Fresno State. After honing his skills with apprenticeships in both France and Australia, Ridge returned to California to realize his dream as a winemaker and viticulturist. According to Ridge, the Joullian goal was to make Bordeaux style wines. That meant looking for Cabernet country. Napa was out because of economics and Sonoma didn't yet have a track record for Cabernet. Monterey and Durney Vineyards had developed a reputation for Cab from Monterey County that encouraged Ridge. It was no accident then, that the final site selected for Joullian Vineyards bordered Durney's famous Cabernet Vineyard at the 1,400 foot elevation. Site selection however, was only the beginning. For the next almost two years, Ridge went about preparing the rocky, Arroyo Seco loam and selecting specific Bordeaux varietal clones for planting. "We wanted rich, flavorful complex wines so we chose multiple clones of each variety and planted in site specific, high density blocks." About two-thirds of 40.2 acre vineyard is planted to Bordeaux varietal Cabernet Sauvignon (13.5 acres), Merlot (4.7 acres), Cabernet Franc (1.2 acres), Sauvignon Blanc, (8 acres) and Semillon (1.7 acres). The original 1984 planting included Chardonnay which was recently grafted over to Carmel Valley's only Zinfandel. Ridge took the same care selecting Zinfandel clones as he did the Bordeaux varietals. The own rooted Chardonnay was grafted to Zinfandel with bud wood from such famous parents as Sonoma's Lytton Springs, Napa's 1930's Brandlin Vineyard, and the pre-Prohibition Bioletti Collection. With the vineyard in full production, it was time to implement the next phase of the Joullian master plan. In 1990, Ridge oversaw the construction of the state-of-the-art Jouillan winery. Using the latest technology and gravity, the15,000 case winery was set up to minimize labor and maximize control of the winemaking process from fermentation to final blending. Watson's viticulture and enology philosophy is simple. Start with the best possible grapes from meticulously managed vines. Then use winemaking skills to transfer the resulting lush flavors and elegant complexity to the bottle. A scenic fifteen minutes drive up Carmel Valley Road from Highway 1 provides the opportunity to sample the fruit of Ridge Watson's labor. Located in an elegant Carmel Valley Village stone building reminiscent of an old world Burgundian church, the French Provincial style tasting room was decorated by Joullian's President, Marion Joullian-Story. From a winning chip shot by Tom in 1982 to award-winning wines by Ridge two decades later, the brothers Watson are acknowledged champions in their chosen professions. Wine and the Bible   Recently I heard of a poll taken on what people in the San Francisco Bay Area enjoyed doing most in their spare time. Visiting wineries was top on the list and Bible study was down at the bottom with bowling. Seems to me the creation should never get more props than the Creator. To help the ratings we will combine Bible Study with our favorite pastime. Here's what the Bible has to say about wine: "He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth, And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, And bread which strengthens man's heart." Psalms 104:14-15 Wine is a gift from God. However, it has a dual status in the scriptures much like sex or food. It is esteemed as a gift of God but vilified when it is abused or misused. Like food, it should be used in moderation. It is drunkenness that is condemned; "Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise." Proverbs 20:1 Like sex, wine is right in its proper context. Priests were not to imbibe in their priestly function nor were kings to partake lest it impair their judgment. This would be similar to our cultural mandate, "Don't drink and drive:" "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted." Proverbs 31:4-5 Wine is also seen in the Bible for its medical value. Paul, the great apostle to the nations wrote to his understudy Timothy: "Use a little wine for your stomach sake" (1 Timothy 5:23). When my mother was ill with lung cancer, she was prescribed Brompton's cocktail, containing alcohol and morphine. This would give her relief from the pain without causing her to be non cognizant. We shared those last few hours and days together in our home thanks to Hospice and the drug: "Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more." Proverbs 31:6-7 Even Jesus, when He was dying on the cross, as a response to, "I thirst," was given gall or myrrh mixed with sour wine or vinegar: "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." John 19:28-30 (See also Matthew 27:48) The anomaly of the hour was that, though He was thirsty, He had vowed at the infamous "last supper" that He would not partake of the fruit of the vine until He drank it with His disciples in His coming kingdom (Luke 22:18). They gave him a drink, but on principle He could not drink it; adding grief to His passion: "Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it." Mark 15:23 Vineyards, vines and wine were as familiar to the Middle Eastern culture as sheep and goats. The vine was used both in the Old Testament and the New as an analogy of God's relationship with His people much like the shepherd and his sheep are used. In Isaiah, chapter 5 God through the prophet describes His complaint against His people with the vineyard analogy. Jesus, knowing this precedent speaks to His followers with this analogy: "I am the vine and you are the branches" (John 15). However the grapes are not always seen in a positive light. The same author, John, the apostle, uses them in his Apocalypse to talk about the harvest at the end of the age when the winepress of God crushes the grapes of His wrath (Revelation 14). This has been brought into our music culture with songs like: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, He is trampling out His vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored..." The romantic poem of King Solomon begins with the phrase, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for your love is better than wine" (Canticles or Song of Solomon 1:2), no doubt the antecedent of the popular song phrase, "kisses sweeter than wine." Probably the most famous story of wine in the New Testament cited at most traditional weddings is the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine. This is the first recorded miracle of Jesus. Reluctantly, at his mother's prompting, Jesus commands the feast attendants to fill the jugs with water as the wine had run dry to the embarrassment of the host. It is at this moment that the miracle takes place. The water becomes wine. Different denominations have adopted different approaches to wine drinking. Some are so adamant about abstinence that you would have thought Jesus turned wine into water or at best Welch's. Other groups would suggest that what the early believers drank was grape juice or a very diluted wine. These approaches all seem to be either a throwback to prohibition or an attempt to control people's conduct. It is not drinking that is condemned but rather drunkenness. A leader in the church should, "not be given to much wine" according to prescriptive lists in 1st Timothy and Titus. The largest congregation in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the faithful often attending daily, are all abstainers and for good reason. Alcoholics Anonymous was started to help people recover from the addictive power of alcohol. The real message of the Bible could be summed up with Paul's admonition in the letter to the saints in Ephesus: "Don't get drunk with wine but be filled with the Holy Spirit." Ephesians 5:18 Another issue addressed in scripture is respect for another's beliefs or vulnerabilities; "Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak." Romans 14:20-21 The case for abstinence or avoiding alcohol altogether is made either by personal necessity/ conviction or when you consider others and what may cause them to stumble. A missionary explained that when they were in Europe they would drink wine in honor of the principle "Eat what is set before you" (Luke 10:8). However, when they would come to the United States, they would abstain as many of their constituents were Baptists who in their Church covenant promise lives and homes free of any alcoholic substance. There was a vow taken by devout Jews called the Nazarite vow (not to be confused with Nazareth, the city Jesus grew up in). As recorded in the law of Moses it included three things: Not touching a dead body, not cutting your hair or touching the fruit of the vine. Samson was a Nazarite and it is believed that John, the baptizer, had taken such a vow. In the words of Christ condemning the religious establishment of His day: "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children." Matthew 11:18-19 This is probably the best text for arguing that Jesus was not an abstainer or a Nazarite, He was a Nazarene, from the city of Nazareth. Possibly the most famous story in the Old Testament is also the first mention of wine in the Scriptures: "And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: 'Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.'" Gen 9:20-25 This curse was not so much a function of just seeing his father's naked body, but as Noah was drunk and probably sexually aroused, the curse was for the dishonoring his father and what scripture calls "exposing his nakedness" (See Leviticus 18). As a sidelight, it is interesting that even today modesty is taken to extremes by the descendents of Ham who was father to the Egyptians (Cush) and the Canaanites or what we call today, the Palestinians. Wine has been a part of the Catholic and Episcopal traditions for many centuries. It is the monks who initiated the vineyards in California to provide wine for the Eucharist, where Catholics believe the elements actually become the body and blood of Jesus. Jesus turned water into wine, and the Mass turns wine into blood. Protestants object and say that the wine symbolizes the sacrifice but does not become the sacrifice. Lutherans would go further to say that it brings the presence of Christ. So the Church holds different traditions; go to a Baptist Church and you will be served grape juice once a month, go to Mass and you will dip your wafer in the cup at every Mass. Wine has a prominent place in the Bible. It is praised as a gift, seen as a symbol of sacrifice, vilified for its effects when used in excess, prescribed as medicine and seen as having a place in heaven at the wedding feast of the Lamb. In the very words of the vine who spoke in personified parable; "Then the trees said to the vine, 'You come and reign over us!' But the vine said to them, 'Should I cease my new wine, Which cheers both God and men, And go to sway over trees?'" Judges 9:12-13 An appropriate lesson for us all, wine makes a good gift but a terrible god. By Gregory Escher               Gregory Escher holds a Masters of Divinity from Trinity in Deerfield, Illinois and has pastored Churches in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 25 years where he resides with his wife and three children. All quotes are from the New King James Version Stylistic note: Deity and pronouns are capitalized. The NKJV does this and I have follow suit. Scribner Bend Vineyards   By Kenneth Young. Just a few miles south of downtown Sacramento, California, thousands of acres of wine grapes bask in the warm sun of the Sacramento River Delta.  Protected from winter and spring flooding by a series of seemingly endless levees, everything from Chardonnay to Syrah thrive in the rich "bottom land" soil that once was home to sugar beats and pears. In 1892 George Washington Scribner began farming along the river in an area called Scribner Bend, just south of the community of Freeport. Five generations later, Mark Scribner and his family still farm the original homestead. Today however, the cash crop is Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Syrah, and Tempranillo.   A short 15 minute drive south of Sacramento on River Road, a visit to Scribner Bend Vineyards is a unique treat. The completely refurbished 1918 Scribner barn houses one of only two actual wine tasting facilities in the delta region. The barn is also the Scribner Bend barrel room, warehouse and office. Mark Scribner is an unpretentious wine grower with a quick wit and bubbling enthusiasm for his wines. With "substantial" contribution from his consulting winemaker, Mark has produce a line of pleasant, easy to drink, food friendly wines. Scribner Bend Chardonnay, Viognier, and Pinot Grigio are all produced from estate grapes. The Chardonnay is stainless steel fermented then racked to barrels to complete malolactic fermentation and six months aging. The finished 2001 wine has aromas of tropical fruit, pineapple, cocoanut and butter. Crisp acidity highlight flavors of pineapple, lime, butterscotch and a touch of oak. The 2002 Viognier is a more delicate wine with apricot, nectarine and pineapple. Malolactic fermentation in stainless steel prior to barrel storage retains flavors of grapefruit, quince and gooseberry with a tart finish. All stainless steel fermentation and storage with no malolactic fermentation gives the 2002 Pinot Grigio a lively, clean flavor of mandarin orange, and lime with aromas of fig, papaya and vanilla. This nice wine finishes in refreshingly crisp style. While white grapes do well in the Sacramento River Delta, red grapes flourish as a result of the warm days and cool marine influenced nights. Prime examples are the Scribner Bend 2001 Merlot and Syrah. Grapes for both wines are estate grown and allowed to come to full maturity as determined by taste. The 2001 Scribner Bend Merlot exhibits the classic aromas of cherry and cassis with ripe cherry, cranberry and vanilla flavors. Great color and mild tannins are a result of rotary fermentation and patient barrel aging. For a rich, full-bodied, delta region red, the 2001 Scribner Bend Syrah fills the bill. Dark, earthy and spicy, this wine has nice black cherry fruit flavors backed by firm tannins and great structure provided by around 24 months of barrel aging. A pleasant surprise is the afford ability of Scribner Bend wines. Prices range from $9.95 for the Pinot Grigio to $12.95 for the Syrah. After generations of growing fruit and vegetables along the Sacramento River, the Scribner family is now growing classic grapes for some truly delightful wines. You can visit Scribner Bend Vineyards Friday through Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 916-744-1803 or visit ScribnerBend.Com. MAP  Laraine/Gerber Vineyards   Scene: A lush, green valley nestled deep in the Sierra foothills.  A white barn dominates  the bend in the road.  A turn of the century farm house sets across the road behind a white rail fence.  An old dog slumbers peacefully beneath the spread of an ancient walnut tree. Sound like a scene from a TV show like say, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"? If so, you're a lot closer than you might imagine.  Actually, this is the scene of Gerber Vineyards and Laraine wines near Murphys in history rich Calaveras County.                      The owners of this fantasy-like setting are David and Laraine Gerber.  David is a well know Executive Producer of such television productions as "Police Story", the Peabody Award winning mini-series 'George Washington, the Emmy winning movie "Tele Lindbergh Kidnaping Case" and of course, the 1980's series, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers".  An accomplished actress in her own right, Laraine Stephens Gerber has gone from Hollywood to bud wood.  She is now a skilled viticulturalist having extensively researched the subject of grape growing and attended numerous classes at UC Davis.  "I've always loved the outdoors and gardening, so I was up for the challenge." Laraine relates.  "We had a lot of help from our friends and neighbors and we learned by doing." The saga of Gerber Vineyards started back in the 1960's when David and a group of University of the Pacific buddies bought the historic Murphy's Hotel.  As Laraine tells the story: "David and his friends would come to Murphy's to hunt and party.  They kept getting kicked out of the hotel so they bought the place to save themselves the trouble." In the 1980's David chose the Murphy's area for the location of the "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" series.  It was during this time that they purchased the stunning parcel in its own little isolated valley.  Laraine's research indicated that the valley's microclimate and soils were perfect for vineyards.  The first Chardonnay vines were planted in 1989. The Sierra foothills hasn't been known as a great Chardonnay region.  That didn't stop the Gerbers.  The 30 acre Chardonnay vineyard thrived and in a few years, Gerber fruit was in demand by such luminaries as Carneros Creek, Stag's Leap and Rodney Strong.  In 1996, the vineyard was expanded by adding 18 acres of Merlot.  Today, Gerber is the largest vineyard in Calaveras County with almost 100 acres of Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Petit Syrah, Syrah, and Malbec.  With Laraine commuting frequently between Murphys and the Gerber home in Beverly Hills, Steve Collum is responsible for the day-to-day management of the vineyards.  A former vineyard manager for Kendall-Jackson, Steve believes in feeding the soil and letting the soil nourish the vines.  Steve and the Gerbers have a deep respect for the land so cover crops, mulches and composts are extensive utilized to foster healthy vines with exceptional grapes. According to Laraine, it was love at first taste.  "We just had to have John make our wines," she insisted.  John Gibson has made the Laraine wines since 1993.  He met the Gerbers while Associate winemaker at Stags Leap Wine Cellar.  In 1998, after a four year stint at Vine Cliff Winery, John fulfilled a life-long dream to become a full time consultant winemaker.  His current portfolio lists several impressive clients including Gerber Vineyards and Laraine wines.                     Gerber currently produces about 1,000 cases.  "We would like to slowly progress to about 10,000 -15,000 cases.  We're not in a big hurry," Laraine says. Scene: A couple sitting on the porch of a white farm house now bathed in the warm, golden glow of a setting sun.  They sip wine while they gaze at the surrounding hillsides as early evening casts long shadows on the neat rows of leafy vines.  They smile contentedly.  Fade out. To visit Gerber Vineyards, take Highway 4 out of Angels Camp toward Murphys.  Turn left on Six Mile Road a go about two miles.  You won't miss it. By Kenneth Young Sogno - The Dream Comes True in El Dorado   Sogno (sewn-yo) means dream in Italian.  For the Davis family, the dream came true in 1998 when Rich, wife Jackie, son Eric and daughter Summer purchased the 24 acre Hodgkins Ranch in the Shingle Springs area of El Dorado County.  The old Sierra foothills homestead that had been used for gold mining and farming since the 1880s now sports lush vineyards of Syrah, Primativo, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Barbera, Viognier, and Muscat Cannelli.                     For Rich Davis the dream began in the Spokane area of Washington state.  "I always dreamed of being rich and famous," Rich laughs with an underlying tone of determination. A big man with an enthusiastic smile emerging from a full, sandy gray beard, Rich more resembles a biker than a winemaker.  Growing up a "poor" country boy, Rich went into the Army and became a diesel mechanic.  "There was no work in Spokane when I got home so I decided to go the big city (Los Angeles) to work," Rich recalls.  "A couple years later I was paralyzed in an industrial accident which put an end to my mechanic work.  I came back to the Bay Area and went to technical school to study electronics." For 17 years, Rich worked mostly for startup electronics companies moving from draftsman to engineer.  "I've always been a dreamer," Rich smiles, "I dreamed of owning my own business so I started an electronics consulting firm."  After building a successful company for seven years, Rich was able to sell his firm and move to the foothills.  "We started with the original 24 acres but kept adding until we wound up with 95 acres," Rich grins.  "I knew I wanted to farm but didn't know what until my brother in-law suggested that I grow grapes," Rich continued.  "When I went out to research grape growing, I kept hearing that if you're going to grow grapes, you'd better make wine.  When I asked why, I was told that every ten to fifteen years there is a glut of grapes and I wouldn't be able to sell my fruit.  If I made wine, I could put the grapes in a bottle and at least get my money back.   I told my wife I was going to build a winery and that was OK with her because it would keep me out of her hair." Sogno is truly a family dream.  Rich's wife Jackie is the "on-site wedding coordinator" for about 50 weddings per year held in the beautiful white gazebo framed by lush green vines.  Daughter Summer is in charge of the newly completed, well appointed tasting room while son Eric is responsible for vineyard operations. Rich's Sogno passion is the wines.  "When I got into this, I didn't know anything about grape growing or wine making," Rich admits.  "I've always believed I can do anything I wanted.  I've always been a kind of an over-achiever."  To learn the wine business, Rich attended every viticulture and enology extension course offered by UC  Davis.  Realizing that wasn't enough to be successful, Rich teamed with former Sonoma-Cutrer vintner John Kelly as consultant winemaker.  "Our first year, John was with me every day during crush and I really got and education," Rich recalls.  "The next year I only saw John a couple of times during crush and the following year I didn't see him until after crush.  I was pretty much on my own last year and I didn't see John until February.  The Sogno philosophy is to hand-craft the wines with a low input approach to winemaking.  Rich believes that the less he manipulates the wine, the more flavor and complexity will emerge in the finished product. A great example of the Sogno philosophy is the un-oaked Chardonnay.  Tank fermentation and early bottling have preserved the crisp fruity essence of the Chardonnay grape at it best.                        For those who want a more traditional Chardonnay, El Dorado County grapes provide aromas and flavors of tropical fruits harmonized with vanilla cream butter and herbs.  The wine is barrel-fermented in 40% new French oak and aged sur lie for nine months. From the beginning of Sogno, Rich wanted to make wines from grape varieties that were compatible with the Sierra Foothills.  That meant Tuscan Sangiovese, Rhone Syrah, Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and of course, Zinfandel.  But where did the Italian word for dream come from?  "I'm Heinz 57 variety but my wife Jackie's family is Italian," Rich replies. Her grandfather came from Italy and we wanted to honor her Italian heritage. No better tribute could be made to Jackies grandfather than the Giocchino Red and the  Vermiglio.  Giocchino - grandfathers first name - is a Super Tuscan style of Chianti.  A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the wine exhibits aromas and flavors of dried cherry, and almond with layers of pepper, blackberry, chocolate and tea.  A wine worthy of the Italian Maremma Super Tuscan producers.   Vermiglio - Jackie's family's last name - is a harmonious blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 30% new, mostly French oak barrels.  This bright, lively, fruity wine won the distinction of Best California Appellation Red Blend at the State Fair. In addition to the Italian blends, Sogno produces a stunning bright Merlot with candied orange, clove and pine flavors and a crisp spicy finish.  The Syrah is full of blueberry, pepper and anise flavors with a soft jasmine nose and fine tannins.  The Cabernet Sauvignon has sweet black cherry, cassis, and vanilla flavors with nice oak notes and firm tannins while the Cabernet Franc is rich in blackberry, chocolate and cedar character. Sogno produces two outstanding but different Zinfandels.   The El Dorado Zinfandel is loaded with fresh berry fruit and subtle oak while the Amador Zin is a rich wine deep in raspberry fruit and black pepper with textures of briary tannins. Lovers of softer, slight sweet wines will discover a pleasant surprise at Sogno.  The Riesling is crafted in the German "Spatlese" style with a soft, sweet pear flavors balanced by crisp acidity.  Today, Sogno consists of 30 acres of vineyards, a winery capable of producing 20,000 cases, a 7,000 case wine cave and a wedding facility that can accommodate 250 guests.  The original Hodgkins ranch house has been completely restored as a two bedroom Bed and Breakfast complete with authentic antique furnishings. For the Davis family, the dream continues.  "We want to increase our production and expand our restaurant trade", Rich explains, "I also want to build another barrel cave and plant about another 20 acres of grapes." On the door of the current wine cave is a partially completed painting of a steam train emerging from the tunnel with a silhouette of Rich as the engineer.  "You know," he says as a kind of glaze comes over his eyes, "I've graded an area down by the pond where I could lay some track and ......."  Sogno Rich.                                           Sogno is open 11 a.m. Thursday through Sunday.  Sogno is located at 3046 Ponderosa Road, Shingle Springs CA, 95682.  Phone (530) 672-6968 or visit the Sogno website at www.sognowinery.com for information and directions to the winery. French Hill Winery     Sculptors say the statue is in the marble; it is merely the artist's role to chip away the excess rock to reveal the form.  Winemakers say the wine is in the grapes; their role is to oversee the natural processes that allow the wine to express the character of the fruit.  Artist and winemaker: Same concept, two people.      In the case of French Hill Winery however, the artist and the winemaker are one in the same.  Owner and winemaker Rod Ruther is both talented graphic artist and award-winning vintner.       A product of San Jose State University' s Art Department , Rod started his journey to French Hill in the advertising business.  A photography trip to Calaveras Big Trees resulted in Rod's move to Mokelumne Hill in 1975.  Rod was one of the only professional graphic artists in the Sierra foothills well into the 1990s and established himself as a premier wine label designer.  Even though winemaking is his passion, Rod continues his work in art and label design from his office/studio in the winery building.      French Hill Winery is starting its fifth year in the quaint village of Mokelumne Hill in the historic Sierra Foothills between Jackson and Angels Camp.  Just a block off Highway 49, French Hill is an exciting winery discovery.  "We are geared totally toward the wine tasting experience," Rod explains.  "People are flabbergasted that they haven't found us sooner."    Rod likes to say, "at French Hill, we have something for everyone."  That's a claim hard to dispute given the wide range of French Hill wines.  From standards like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel to unique new varietals including Piontage, Temparnillo and Cabernet Franc, French Hill has something terrific for every wine lover's taste.  According to Rod, "people can always find something they love when they visit our winery."      Besides award winning wines, the French Hill Winery offers a variety of fine art items.  As a result of Rod's connections in the art world, the tasting room is also a gallery for distinctive art objects including paintings, jewelry, sculpture and pottery. "If only one person drinks wine, the other person gets to shop in a very unique, custom-type art gallery,"Rod said.      "Our staff are really fun, knowledgeable people", Rod exclaims.  Assistant winemaker Denny Norman takes tender loving care of French Hill wines and can sometimes be found behind the tasting bar sharing the tasting experience with customers.  Staffers Denise Parker and Patti Hedlum are outgoing, funny, talented locals who really know their wines.  "I just couldn't ask for better people," Rod smiles.      It is the wine however, that makes the French Hill experience so extraordinary.  "I am a completely self-taught winemaker," Rod relates.  He applies the artist touch to his wines by making winemaking decisions based on taste.       "I have an excellent palate and know when the wine tastes right," Rod claims.  His approach is to obtain the very best fruit for his wines, use French oak barrels for aging, and apply sound winemaking techniques.  The result is a variety of ultra-premium wines that are clean, low in volatile acidity and sulfides, and express the character of the grape.      All the grapes for French Hill wines come from the Sierra foothills.  That's why most of French Hill's wines are red varietals.  "We make a wonderful barrel fermented Chardonnay from Amador County fruit but we don't have the equipment for producing other white varieties," Rod explained.      The red wine list at French Hill is truly impressive.  While French Hill makes some delicious, beautifully balanced classic Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel, it is more unusual varietals such as Pinotage and Tempranillo that makes the winery distinctive.      Pinotage is a grape of South African origin that produces wines of exceptional flavor and fruitiness.  According to Rod, "there is less than 50 acres of Pinotage in California but I think we will be seeing that increase significantly in the future."       Tempranillo is the primary grape for wines produced in the Rioja region of Spain .  Because of climate and geographic similarities, Tempranillo does very well in the Sierra foothills.       As wonderful as all Rod's wines are, it is Barbera that put French Hill on the map. The self-proclaimed home of "World Class Barbera" has a lot of support from wine judges and the media.  The 2003 Grand Reserve Barbera was judged Best of Class at the 2005 West Coast Wine Competition.       Mokelumne Hill is not readily recognized as one of California' s Art and Wine centers.  "We sell 90 percent of our 2,500 case production out of the tasting room and gallery so we have to make the visit to French Hill a worthwhile experience," Rod said.  "The two comments we hear most often are: "I've never been to a winery where I like all the wines", and "I wish I had discovered this place sooner."              Wine With Stars       It was a bright spring day in the waning years of the 17th century when the cellarmaster at the Benedictine Abbey in the French Champagne District town of Hautvilliers went to check on the progress of the previous fall's vintage.  On tasting several bottles that exhibited tiny bubbles in the wine, the monk called to his brethren to "Come quickly, I'm drinking stars!"  Thus was born the legend of Dom Perignon as the "discoverer" of Champagne.         While the legend of the monk is romantic, the truth is that sparkling wine goes all the way back to the time of the Roman poet Virgil and his mention of hausit spumantem in his poem Aenied.  We also know that the Champagne region produced sparkling wine about a century prior to the monk's declaration.       Sparkling wine in the form of French Champagne came to California in the early 1850's.  Wine pioneers Isador Landsberger and Arpad Haraszthy made California's first commercially successful sparkler called Eclipse in the late 1860s.  In 1899 a bottle of Francis Korbel's Viking champagne christened the battleship USS Wisconsin.       Today, California produces over eight million cases of sparkling wine using one of two methods - "Le Methode Champenoise" or "Charmat Bulk Process".  By the way, while the French have tried to restrict the use of the word "champagne", we Californians are free to use "champagne" and "sparkling wine" interchangeably.         Methode Champenoise is the traditional French way of making sparkling wine. While there is no clear legal definition of this method, the term implies that you will be drinking wine from the same bottle in which the secondary fermentation occurred.  Sparkling wine starts as small batches of gently-made white table wine.  Grapes are harvested under cool conditions and "whole berry" pressed to minimize the extraction of tannins and color. These wines are then blended to produce a "base wine" or "cuvee" that is bottled for secondary fermentation and aging.        The sugar-yeast solution bottled with the base wine causes a second fermentation which produces carbon dioxide and lees (residue from the fermentation process).  As the bottles continue to age in dark coolness, the wine undergoes chemical changes through the interaction of the less and wine.  From nine months to several years after the secondary fermentation, the bottles are shaken and turned (riddled) to move the solid lees to the neck of the bottle where they are expelled as a frozen plug.  The wine is finished by adding a bit of sweetening (dosage), then corked and labeled for sale.             The preferred grapes for traditional sparkling wines are the red grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and the white grape Chardonnay.  In California, Pinot Blanc is sometimes used in place of the Meunier.  These varieties grow best in regions with very cool climates where the grapes mature with low sugars and high acidity.  The Anderson Valley in Mendocino, the Green Valley and Russian River Valley in Sonoma County and the Carneros region along San Pablo Bay are ideal areas for growing champagne grapes.       The second method of making California sparkling wine was pioneered almost a century ago by Frenchman Eugene Charmat.  The process named for its developer is also called the "bulk process" because the secondary fermentation takes place in large, pressurized, temperature controlled tanks.  The base wine is seeded with sugar and yeast and fermented.  Carbon dioxide from the fermentation is trapped in the wine due to temperature and pressure.  The dry sparkling wine is filtered to remove the lees, then sweetened to adjust flavor and style.       Large California producers including Gallo, Constellation Brands and Weibel employ the bulk process for economic reasons.  Bulk sparkling wines use inexpensive, high yielding grape varieties including French Colombard, Chenin Blanc and Sylvaner, which are widely grown in the Central Valley.  Bulk production accounts for over 75% of  California sparkling wines.       A quick look at the label will tell you the method used to make your sparkling wine.  Whether it's a methode champenoise from Mendocino or a Charmat from Weibel, celebrate with a flute of "wine with stars".         By Kenneth Young.   Carignane - Wine's Workhorse Grape     The Carignane grape variety is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world.  In fact, it is the most widely planted grape in France, principally in the southern Rhone, Midi, and Languedoc regions. The Carignane grape variety is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world.In fact, it is the most widely planted grape in France, principally in the southern Rhone, Midi, and Languedoc regions.       Carignane probably originated in northern Spain and grows well in warm "Mediterranean" climates.  Carignane is a prolific producer of high crop yields, which may account for its world wide popularity.        Wines from Carignane have deep violet and purple color with red-fruit flavors, strong tannic structure, and are usually high in alcohol.  These characteristics have made Carignane one of the most accomplished blending wines in the world.  It often provides the backbone for the vast quantities of table wine produced by almost every wine making region.  When controlled to produce low yields, Carignane can result in a very good, food-friendly table wine.       Carignane came to California not long after the gold rush and by 1880, the grape was planted extensively in northern California and the Central Valley.   Carignane was a primary component of "Hearty Burgundy" and Claret bulk wine blends.  At one time, there were over 15,000 acres of Carignane vineyards in the state. Over the years however; Carignane has fallen from favor and now less 7,000 acres are planted.       Some of California's oldest Caignane vines are found in Aparicio Vineyards, about six miles east of Sutter Creek on Sutter Ridge.  Originally thought to be Zinfandel, about 300 vines were planted in the spring of 1934.  These 69 year old vines are head trained and spur pruned, standing over six feet tall.        As wine writer James Halliday has said of the decline of Carignane as California's "workhorse" grape, "it deserves a better fate."     By Kenneth Young. Zinfandel - California's Grape    Zinfandel is California's official state wine grape since few places except California grows the versatile, vigorous, grape variety.       Grape Profile   Zinfandel vines produce large, reddish-black neutrally favored berries that form medium to large compact clusters.  Able to adapt to a variety of soils, Zinfandel vines are of medium vigor and can yield four to nine tons of fruit per acre.  Characteristically, Zinfandel berries ripen unevenly and tend to raisin.        Wine Profile  Raspberries, berries, black pepper and raisins characterize Zinfandel aromas and flavors.  There seems to be no "typical" Zinfandel style.  Zins can range from medium bodied, fresh, fruity, lightly tannic wines to full bodied, concentrated heavy hitting wines with lots of pepper and tannin.  Zinfandel has aging potential similar to that of cabernet sauvignon; about 10 to 20 years.       History   According to wine historian Charles L. Sullivan, Zinfandel came to the United States in 1829 from the imperial nursery in Vienna, Austria.  Imported by Long Island nurseryman George Gibb, "Zinfandal" vines were sold to Bostonian Samual Perkins in 1831 and by the late 1830's New Englanders were growing Zinfandal as a popular table grape.        Exactly when the first Zinfandal vines arrived in California is uncertain.  Some of the first items to be shipped from New England around the horn to California in 1849 were tree and vine nursery stock.  According to Sullivan, one important shipment arrived in 1852 on a ship captained by Frederick Macondray who supplied Zinfandal vines to Napa Valley nurseryman Joseph Osborn.  Cuttings of these vines made their way to the Sonoma Horticultural Society in 1859 and some wine of note was produce by William Boggs in 1862.       By the mid 1860's Zinfandal had become Zinfandel and in 1865 Benjamin Bugbey of the Natoma Vineyard east of Sacramento was promoting Zinfandel as one of the five best grapes for wine making in California.        By the 1880's Zinfandel had become the most widely planted grape variety in California.  Twenty years later, most of Northern California's vineyards had been destroyed by phylloxera.  Some of the Zinfandel vines survived like those in Amador County because they were isolated from the infested areas.  California vineyards were replanted and by 1919 Zinfandel was a leading varietal in the production red table wine.  Zinfandel survived Prohibition as grape of choice for eastern home wine makers and by 1960 Zinfandel was again an important variety in the blending of California red table wine.  White Zinfandel was born in 1972 and demand for the grape soared.  Around 1985, wine drinkers started to take Zinfandel seriously as a premium red wine and winemakers throughout California began producing varietal-designated premium Zinfandels.  In 1998 Zinfandel passed Cabernet Sauvignon as California's most widely planted wine grape variety.       The origin of Zinfandel is still the object of research.  In 1967, UC Davis plant pathologist Austin Goheen was visiting a colleague in Bari, Italy and noticed that the wine he was drinking tasted like Zinfandel.  This wine was made from the Primitivo Gioia variety which were grown on vines that look just like Zinfandel vines.        Cuttings from these Primitivo vines were brought to UC Davis and planted next to Zinfandel and tests available at that time indicated that the two were probably the same variety.  In 1990 DNA testing by Professor Carole Meredith showed that they were indeed the same grape variety.  Historical records indicate that Zinfandel was planted in the United States prior to the first documented planting of Primitivo in Italy.  This evidence makes it unlikely that Zinfandel originated in Italy.       In 1983 historian Leon Adams suggested that Zinfandel might be related to the Croatian grape Plavic Mali grown on the Adriatic coast a few hundred miles north across the sea from Bari.  In May, 1998, UC Davis Professor Carole Meredith traveled to Croatia to collect 150 leaf samples of Plavac Mali from vineyards throughout the Dalmatian Coast growing region.  These samples were subjected to DNA analysis and the results showed that almost all of them were identical to each other but none of them was Zinfandel. Further research by Dr. Carole Meredith and Croatian scientists have determined that the Croatian grape Dobricic and Zinfandel are the parents of Plavac Mali.       The "mystery" of Zinfandel appears to be resolved.  Dr. Meredith and Croatian scientists Ivan Pejic and Edi Maletic have proven that Zinfandel and the indigenous Croatian grape Crljenak are the same.        Charles Sullivan suggested however that "we should not be surprised to find the Zinfandel vine in Italy and on the Adriatic in what is today Croatia.  Much of Italy and all of Croatia were part of the Austrian Empire from whose capital, Vienna, George Gibbs imported his then-nameless dark grape to Long Island in 1829."         By Kenneth Young.   Wine's Rodney Dangerfield     Like the much maligned comedian Rodney Dangerfield who "gets no respect", Amador County Zinfandels have garnered little respect in the past from the upscale wine world. Even though Zinfandel and Mission grapes had been growing in Amador County since shortly after the gold rush, rarely did anything related to wine and wine grapes from Amador register on the radar screens of wine enthusiasts.  In fact, wine luminaries Bob Thompson and Hugh Johnson placed Amador County's  Shenandoah Valley in Placer County in their 1976 edition of The California Wine Book.  A mere 40 years ago, there was only one winery in Amador County, the ancient D'Agostini Winery (circa 1911), but there were over 400 acres of Zinfandel vines.  The fruit from these hearty plants was either sold to flat-land home winemakers or the big wine operation in Modesto.  There was no Amador Zinfandel.  However, hope was on the horizon. In 1968, Bob Trinchero, winemaker for a small Napa Valley winery called Sutter Home, bought 20 tons of Shenandoah Valley grower Ken Deaver's old vine Zinfandel grapes.  When released in 1971, the 15 percent alcohol, intensely flavored wine took first place at the Berkeley Wine and Food Society Zinfandel tasting.  In his 1975 book Gorman on California Premium Wines, critic Robert Gorman set the tone for Amador Zinfandel by describing the 1968 Sutter Home Deaver Ranch Zinfandel as "a very dark ruby, just beginning to take on a tawny hue at the edge of the glass.  An immensely rich, fruity nose; one thinks of plump Santa Clara prunes which have been steeped in a good Port." Thus was born the reputation of Amador County Zinfandel wines as "big and bold" "briary", "inky", "tannic monsters with lots of alcohol."  In 1980 Terry Robards, wine writer for the New York Times declared Amador Zinfandels as the "biggest, richest, spiciest, most intensely favored wine produced in the nation".  Unfortunately, this exuberant style was not widely embraced by either the wine press or consumers.  Only ten years ago, wine guru Matt Kramer talked about Amador County Zinfandel in his book Making Sense of California Wine.  He wrote: "Not for nothing over the years there has been sniggering about Amador County as 'Amateur County'.  Too often over the years, wines from this remote hill country have seemed, well, hillbillyish".  Kramer goes on to say that: "Authentic Sierra Foothills Zin is a bold, almost belligerent wine.  Too often, the wines can be tannic, searing experiences."  He concludes his Rodney Dangerfield approach to Amador County by stating: "Frankly, those wines unable to harness these forces of tannin, alcohol, and intense fruit are indeed not worthwhile." My, how things have changes.  Amador County is now home to more than twenty wineries with over 2,400 acres of vines.  While most of Amador's vineyards are found in the Shenandoah Valley and Fiddletown areas, Zinfandel grapes are grown on Sutter Ridge, on hillsides near Sutter Creek, in Jackson Valley and in the lowlands near Ione.   As a result, winemaker preferences and vineyard or site specific fruit characteristics provide a multitude of Amador flavors and styles. Is there then, such a thing as "Amador Zinfandel"?  Absolutely, say the growers, winemakers and consumers.  The regional character of Amador Zinfandel today is primarily a big, fruity, spicy, fully extracted wine without being a high-alcohol monster.  Amador Zins strive for good balance between characteristic flavors of blackberry, black cherry and cassis, and cinnamony spice with notes of black pepper.  While a hint of ripe plum or soft prune flavor is still a characteristic of Amador Zins, the days of ink and tar are all but over. Another distinction of Amador Zinfandel is the high tannin in the grapes.  Tannin extraction is increased by high alcohol which is also an Amador characteristic.  However, the tannins soften early in the juice and well balanced Amador Zinfandel will gain complexity in the bottle for several years with little loss of fruit flavor. Whatever the characteristic of the region, everyone agrees that good wine starts with good grapes.  Most agree that Amador's distinctive character comes from its unique soil and climate which produce grapes with high sugar, high acid and intense flavors.    The soil in Amador County is largely granitic with areas of slate/quartz and volcanic rubble.  Shenandoah Loam is unique to the Shenandoah Valley.  This subset of Sierra series soils is a red loam over non compacted decomposed granite and is credit for the valley's earthy blackberry fruit character. Amador County is roughly 100 miles slightly northeast of San Francisco Bay at the foot of the Sierras.  Elevations run from about 600 feet near Ione in the west to almost 2,000 feet above Fiddletown.  The region's growing season is marked by warm days and relatively cool nights.  Low humidity is a result of warm air rising from the Sacramento Valley meeting the cool air sinking out of the mountains.  There is a bit of afternoon maritime influence as cool air moves thorough the San Joaquin Delta and up the Cosumnes River valley. While the annual average rainfall in Amador County is 36 inches, soil moisture can swing wildly from year to year and site to site.  With rocky, well drained soil depths of two to twenty feet, vines often struggle to find moisture late in the growing season.  This causes the vine to stress.  Stressed vines naturally limit yield but can cause grapes to ripen quickly and produce shriveled fruit with high sugar levels and high alcohol wines. Most of Amador County's Zinfandel is grown in unirrigated, hillside vineyards.  Vines are unsupported, head trained and spur pruned.  Growers shoot for an average of four tons of fruit per acre but winemakers are looking for balance in the crop.  Overcropping will result in distinctly undesirable heavy raisiny, pruny flavors while undercropping results in simple, uninteresting wines. Many of Amador's winemakers have become so familiar with the fruit that ripeness is determined by taste, not numbers.  Vintners say the ideal Zinfandel grape cluster 85-90 percent ripe berries which give the fruit and spice flavor, 10-15 percent shriveled fruit for a hint of characteristic pruniness, and a few green berries for acidity.  If you are a numbers person, Amador Zin grapes would ideally be harvested at 23.5 to 24.5 brix with a pH of 3.5 to 3.6.  When it comes to the actual winemaking, each Amador County vintner applies his own unique style and preference to the process.   A prominent Amador vintner once said that Amador Zins can't be made by recipe.  Some winemakers crush all the fruit prior to fermentation while some like to ferment a large percentage of whole berries.  Some use open top fermentors and punch down the cap to extract flavor and color.  Others prefer closed top fermentors and pumping the juice over the cap for flavor and tannin extraction.  Some Amador winemakers allow the must to ferment to dry before pressing while others will press at 2 to 12 brix and finish the fermentation in stainless steel tanks or oak barrels. Speaking of barrels, there is no barrel management or aging standard for Amador Zinfandels.  Lee Sobon uses American oak for some of this Sobon Estate vineyard designated Zins and French oak for his Vintners Selection.  Buck Cobb of Karly prefers French oak barrels while John Bree at Sutter Ridge likes the spiceness of Yugoslavian oak.  Montevina's Jeff Myers likes to use mostly neutral barrels for aging but uses 30% new French and American oak.  Are the more recent vintages of Amador County Zinfandels being given more respect by the wine world?  If a 200 percent increase in visitors to Amador tasting rooms in the last five years is any indicator, the answer is certainly YES.  But, unlike the Dangerfield comment, respect is not given, it is earned. By Kenneth Young Wine Institute Statement on 2005 Dietary Guidelines   Wine Institute Statement on 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Wednesday January 12, 6:17 pm ET  From Robert P. Koch, Wine Institute President and CEO SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- "We commend the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) on their balanced approach to the recommendations on wine, beer, and distilled spirits consumption by adults in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released today. We support the key recommendation which maintains the emphasis on moderate consumption: 'Those who choose to drink alcoholic beverages should do so sensibly and in moderation,' defined as up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. For purposes of explaining moderation, the guidelines count as a drink five ounces of wine, 12 ounces of regular beer or 1 1/2 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits." ADVERTISEMENT     "Since ancient times, wine has been appreciated as an enhancement to meals and a beverage of enjoyment by cultures throughout the world. The straightforward advice in the Dietary Guidelines, encouraging physical activity, weight control, balanced nutrition and moderate consumption of certain foods and beverages, serves as an important education tool which should be actively shared with the American public." "We concur with the balanced opening statement of the guideline, 'The consumption of alcohol can have beneficial or harmful effects depending on the amount consumed, age and other characteristics of the person consuming the alcohol, and specifics of the situation' and with the guidelines' caution against excessive consumption and its assertion that there are some individuals who should not drink. To this end, Wine Institute incorporates the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans into our social responsibility program." The guidelines, which are revised and released jointly every five years by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, serve as the basis for the nutrition policy in the United States. To view the guidelines, go to: www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines. The Influence of Oak   What's the big deal about storing wine in oak barrels?  We hear the "wine geeks" talk and write about this or that wine being "aged 12 months in new French oak", but what does that mean?  While storing wine in wood barrels may seem simple, issues regarding the use of oak in winemaking are quite complex. Oak has been used to make wine barrels for over 2000 years.  Other types of wood including redwood and chestnut have been used to construct wine cooperage for larger volume storage but oak is the favored container for aging wine. As wines mature in oak barrels, three things occur.  First, organic compounds are extracted from the wood and dissolve in the wine.  These "phenolics" affect color, taste, mouth feel, and aroma; what we call the "bouquet" of the wine. Different oak species will impart different characteristics to the wine.  American White Oak (Quercus alba) comes from oak forests in the Midwest and imparts a spicy, vanilla or whisky tone to the wine.  American oak contains about 40% more extractable phenolics (tannins and flavor components) that French oak which can result in a "rougher" wine characteristic. French oak (Quercus robur and Quercus sessilis) is found primarily in the lowland forests of central France.  The Limousin region is the most notable source of Q. robur for barrels that give up flavor and tannins to the wine more gradually because of the tight-grained, denser wood.  Q. sessilis comes primarily from the Nevers region of France and is less phenolic but more aromatic than Q. robur.  French oak adds complexity and finesse to the wine and is "smoother" in character. Charring the inside of an oak barrel - called "toasting" - also influences the extraction of phenolics from the oak.  Toasting imparts caramelized, smoky notes such as mocha, and toffee to wines. The deeper the charring, the less tannin extracted and the softer the wine.   Second, water and alcohol evaporate through the pores in the wood.  Depending on a number of factors including humidity, oak species and barrel age, a typical 60 gallon barrel may loose between 4 and 10 liters (1.5-2.5 gallons) of wine to evaporation per year.  Dry storage conditions result in more water evaporation and increase the alcoholic concentration of the wine.  Third, as wines are racked, (transferred from barrel to barrel) or topped off, the wine will absorb a small amount of oxygen.  This is most often a good thing since the oxygen will dissolve in the wine allowing oxygen-dependent maturation reactions to occur slowly. The age of an oak barrel also influences the style and character of wine.  It stands to reason that more tannins, flavors and aromas will be extracted from new oak barrels.  Total phenolic extractions decrease with time and usage until the barrel becomes "neutral" - about 5 years.  Even though the barrel doesn't contribute any more flavor and aroma components, neutral barrels can be used for wine storage another 5 to 10 years.  The problem is that the wine may extract several volatile phenols with less pleasant odors from older barrels. Barrel management (selection and maintenance barrels) is influenced by a combination of economics and wine style.  Wine makers will use a combination of French and American barrels of varying ages to achieve their particular style of wine.  Zinfandel, for example is a hearty, bold wine full of fruit and spice flavors.  Aging in American oak will enhance the spiciness of Zinfandel and can be moderated by the use of new and used barrels.  Chardonnay on the other hand is often aged in new French oak barrels to get that smooth, creamy, toasty oak character. There are no hard and fast rules for what wine is aged in which barrels.  Winemakers are always experimenting with wine and oak combinations and it's  that unusual to find Zinfandel aged in French Oak and Chardonnay in American.  Throw in some of the new barrel producing regions including Oregon, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and China and the winemaker has an infinite array of choices. The cost of new barrels can range between $350-$450 for American oak and $600-$800 for French oak.  At these prices, purchasing new oak barrels is a real commitment of resources that must be carefully managed to produce the desired quality and style of wine.  What about oak?  Simple question with a complex answer. Vino Con Brio   Con brio is an Italian term meaning to play music with liveliness and gusto.  Vino con brio is therefore translated as "wine with passion and spirit".  You can feel the passion and spirit of Lodi's Vino Con Brio wines the minute you step into the tasting room.  Owner Mike Matson exudes passion as he enthusiastically welcomes visitors into the one-time boiler room of the Olde Lockeford Winery, now resurrected as Vino Piazza. A tall, animated man with an eager smile, Mike bubbles with passion about his wines and vineyards.  Pouring a sample of Pinot Gris into an unusually large glass on the ornate tasting bar, Mike launches into the story of Vino Con Bio. "We have been growing grapes in the Lodi area a lot longer than we have been making wine," Mike relates.  "The family has over 400 acres of vineyards so its mostly family grown grapes in Vino Con Brio wines." "About 1995, a friend of mine and I decided to begin making wine in my garage," Mike recalls.  "One garage stall led to two, then three before our wives kicked us out.  We went over to my father-in-laws warehouse where we kept getting carried away until he kicked us out." It was about then that Don and Karyn Litchfield were looking for winemakers to lease space in the Olde Lockeford Winery they had renovated into Vino Piazza.  It was the perfect match and Vino Con Brio became Vino Piazza's first tenant, moving into the old boiler room once used to heat water for brandy distillation.  Today, Mike produces about 3,500 cases of red and white wines in the Vino Piazza facility.  According to Matson, the mission of Vino Con Brio is to "create exceptional wines with Lodi appellation grapes, as well as introduce unique Mediterranean varietals that are ideally suited for our region's microclimate." Mike is a member of the Lodi Woodbridge Winegrape Commission Education Committee and avid proponent of Lodi grapes.  "We have been selling grapes to wineries throughout California for decades.  Now its our turn to shine with Lodi wines from Lodi grapes," Mike proclaims. Vino Con Brio's flagship wine is the Matzin 2000 Estate Bottled Old Vine Zinfandel.  The vineyard on Locust Tree Road just east of Lodi was planted in the early to mid 1940's - only a few years before the birth of the owner.  Usually one of the last vineyards to be harvest in the Lodi appellation, perfectly ripe grapes from the old vines were rotary fermented and the wine aged 17 months in a combination of new and neutral American oak barrels.  This luscious, unfined, unfiltered Zin starts with a semi-opaque, blackish-ruby color leading to aromas of juicy berries, geranium, lilac and anise.  A full-bodied wine with dark berry, vanilla and black tea flavors concludes with velvety tannins and a long, satisfying finish.   Certainly one of the most unique wines in the Lodi region is Vino Con Brio's 2000 Estate Bottled Pinotage.  A difficult grape to grow, Pinotage is to South Africa what Zinfandel is to California.  "The 2000 was the first harvest from our Karma Vineyard and we were pleased with our five and a quarter ton harvest," Matson said.  "There is little precedence for making domestic Pinotage so our challenge is to find the best way to express the essence of the grape in a California wine making regime." Vino Con Brio' first Pinotage effort is a yummy wine with bright purple-garnet color and a nice, ripe berry nose.  Blended with 15% old vine Zinfandel, the wine displays characteristic favors of cola, blueberry, cranberry, and juicy raspberry framed by coffee, spice, vanilla, and a touch of oak.  The medium-bodied wine finishes elegantly with a velvety texture. The Vino Con Brio stable of hearty Lodi Estate red wines includes a beautifully crafted McQueen Vineyard Syrah, which garnered bronze medals at both the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and the Florida State Fair.  The delightful 2001 Geohring Vineyard Sangiovese also captured a silver medal in Florida. While the Lodi appellation is best noted for red grape varieties and rich, ripe red wines, Vino Con Brio demonstrates that Lodi can produce some spectacular white wines with great flavor and balance.  A sterling example is the Oregon-style 2002 Estate Bottled Pinot Gris.  About three-quarters of a ton of grapes were hand harvested from the Karma vineyard in early September of 2002 and basket-pressed into small portable stainless steel tanks.  After fermentation, the wine aged in year old French oak for eleven months.  The lees were stirred periodically to produce an interestingly complex wine with aromas of lemongrass, grapefruit, tangerine and geranium, which evolves into flavors of ripe pear and honey.  Served slightly chilled, the wine finishes with medium acidity and a lingering citrus aftertaste. Viognier is not the first wine that pops to mind when thinking Lodi appellation.  But to dismiss the Vino Con Brio 2001 Viognier would be a big mistake.  Almost 10 tons of fruit was harvested from the Ripken Vineyard planted in 1992.  At 25.9 Brix and 4.12 pH, the ripe, flavorful, mature grapes were whole cluster pressed and allowed to settle overnight.  About half the juice was racked to stainless steel tanks for slow, cold fermentation while the other half was put in a combination of new and neutral French oak barrels for fermentation.  Following malolactic fermentation, two-thirds of the barrel fermented wine was use to top the stainless steel tanks while the wine remaining in barrels aged on the lees for almost eight months.  The wines were blended, lightly fined and filtered shortly before bottling.  Vino Con Brio Viognier has a medium straw color with an up-front toast and vanilla nose giving way to lemon and grapefruit.  Floral aromas lead to luscious melon, tangerine and citrus flavors.  Powerful now, the wine will age gracefully for a few more years. Dr. Mike Matson's con brio spirit doesn't stop at the vineyards and wines.  An orthodontist with a thriving practice in Lodi, Mike is also co-proprietor with wife Renae of the Amorosa Inn and Gardens.  The 3,500 square foot, four bedroom Bed and Breakfast Inn is situated on 25 acres of vineyards not far from Vino Piazza.  After 34 years of marriage and three children, Mike and Renae Matson are the epitome of "con brio".  They are dedicated to the promotion of Lodi as a viticultural center and to the future of Vino Con Brio - "a winery with passion". Visit Vino Con Brio in Vino Piazza located at 12470 Locke Road in Lockeford, just five miles east of Lodi.  For further information and tasting hours call 1-888-41-VINO or visit the Vino Con Brio website at www.vinoconbrio.com.   By Kenneth Young. Not-So-Nouveau Beaujolais and Late Winter Red Wine Fun!   By Guy Bower the "Good Life Guy" Late winter is as far away from November and Nouveau Beaujolais as can be, and that's a good thing.  Nouveau Beaujolais is that fresh young fruity wine that is shipped and enjoyed right after harvest. Beaujolais and the ten distinct villages or crus that produce wine from Gamay grape are distinctly more complex while maintaining their fruity freshness.  Beaujolais the region, while technically part of Burgundy, is located at the southern most end of Burgundy.  In Beaujolais, the grape variety, climate, wine making and attitude differs from Burgundy, where Pinot Noir is king.  The Gamay grape is the only grape used in Beaujolais and produces a light bodied wine with lots of sweet black cherry, black raspberry flavors and aromas of violets and roses with a hint of peppery spiciness at the end.  A big contributor to Beaujolais character is not only from the grape, but also from carbonic maceration.  This process involves whole clusters of grapes being placed into the fermenting tank where fermentation actually takes place inside each grape.   Enough of the technical stuff!  Beaujolais is an easy to drink wine that is low in tannin, soft and fruity but capable of great character.  When you go to your wine store to look for Beaujolais, you won't often find the word Beaujolais on the label.  Instead you will find the Village or Crus prominently featured.  French wine labels don't make it easy! There are three categories of Beaujolais; in ascending quality (and price) they are: Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and Beaujolais Cru.  Of the ten Crus, my favorites are from Morgon, Julienas, Moulin-A-Vent and Fleurie.  Look for younger more current vintages, the 2003 vintage was especially good for Beaujolais.  I have listed a few wines that are available locally and hope you will give them a try.  Serve this wine lightly chilled and enjoy it with simple cheese, late winter soups and stews, grilled pork and roasted winter vegetables. 2002 Barton & Guestier Beaujolais $11 Fresh and lively with raspberry and strawberry aromas and a quaffable easy style 2003 Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages $12 Aromas of black berry and black cherry with a little spicy earthiness on the finish. 2003 Georges Duboeuf Julienas $13 Candied blackberry, dark raspberry and sweet dark cherry aromas with long soft finish. 2003 Georges Duboeuf Moulin-A-Vent $15 Fresh aromas of candied red fruits with lots of red cherry, raspberry and strawberry flavors lead to a balanced and concentrated spicy finish. 2003 Georges Duboeuf Morgon $15 Big nose of rich blackcurrant, strawberry and kirsch with a lingering earth & spice finish. 2003 Georges Duboeuf Fleurie $16 Violets, roses and black cherry on the nose with rich cassis and spice on the palate, velvety and concentrated. The "Good Life Guy" Guy Bower is the host of the The Good Life radio program on KNSS Newstalk 1240AM - Saturdays. http://www.goodlifeguy.com/  Foothill Limo - Zin Tour   It's our anniversary. Ten wonderful years of wedded bliss so we have to do something special for this anniversary.  I know; let's go wine tasting in Amador County's Shenandoah Valley. Now, this may not sound like something special for someone in the wine business.  But this will not be just an ordinary trip to wine country; this will be a "Zin Tour" in a Foothill Limousine. The glorious, sunny day promised an exciting adventure as we headed for Sutter Creek to rendezvous with our ride.  A delighted smile exploded on my wife's face when she spotted Jim Edmunds 1994 Lincoln stretch limousine gleaming in the bright foothill sun.  Decked out in traditional chauffeur garb, the smiling, amiable Mr. Edmunds opened the limo door and ushered us into a world of opulent luxury.  Chilled champagne waited in the ice bucket and soft music flowed from the umpteen speaker Dolby Stereo CD player.  We barely took notice as the stretch quietly eased onto the road for our five hour tour of  Shenandoah Valley wineries. Jim Edmunds came to the foothills of Amador County to manage the Jackson Cinemas in 1980.  Refusing a transfer, Edmunds elected to stay in the foothills and begin a thriving janitorial service.  Jim and wife Pattie started Foothill Limousine Service in 1992 with the purchase of an immaculate black and silver 1985 Cadillac limo.  "We started with the idea of being a full service limo company but we had so many requests for winery tours we decided to focus on that market," Jim relates. In 2002, Jim bought his second car so he could accommodate larger groups.  "The Caddy is perfect for tours of up to four people.  We really needed a car that would comfortably accommodate groups of six to eight wine tasters," Jim said.  The white stretch Lincoln nicely filled the bill.  Jim takes great pride in his cars which are meticulously maintained to be spotless inside and out. Another thing Jim takes great pride in is the service and value provided his clients.  "We usually stop at five Shenandoah Valley wineries during a tour," Jim says.  "I can suggest which wineries to visit or they can make their own selections."  The five hour Zin Tour includes a stop at either Story or Deaver for a gourmet picnic lunch including a bottle of Amador red or white wine.  Talk about value!  The Shenandoah Valley Wine Tasting Tour by Foothill Limousine is a tremendous value at $40 per person for parties of four tasters or more.  The fare  includes Champaign, lunch with wine, and a commemorative wine glass.  There is a minimum fee of $125 for the five hour tour so the more, the merrier.   You can be picked up in historic Sutter Creek or at any of the hotels or bed and breakfast inns along the Highway 49 corridor in Amador County. Foothill Limo tours of Shenandoah Valley wineries are perfect birthday, pre wedding, or anniversary outings.  Only an hour from Sacramento, Zin Tours are a great way to say "thank you" to exceptional employees or special friends.  Weekend tours book several weeks in advance so call or email Foothill Limousine well in advance of your planned event.  Jim suggests that weekdays are great times to book your wine tour.  The pace in the tasting rooms is more relaxed and you will often have the opportunity to talk wine with the owner or winemaker. The oak studded Sierra foothills glide past as we approached Sutter Creek and the end of our marvelous adventure.  We had sipped Italian varietals at Montevina, sampled Zinfandels at Story, enjoyed a leisurely lunch by the lake at Deaver, explored the Wildlife Gallery at Charles Spinetta, and tasted Sangiovese at Villa Toscano.  Suddenly, it was back to the real world as we stepped from the beautiful white stretch limo.  It had indeed been a glorious day and we scored a perfect ten for our tenth anniversary. To reserve a Foothill Limousine Zin Tour, call (209) 267-1077 or toll free (877) 4-FHLIMO (434-5466).  To learn more about Foothill Limousine, visit their website at www.zintour.com or e-mail fhlimo@volcano.net Chianti and Sangiovese       Stately villas overlook rolling hills splashed with emerald green vineyards. Dark purple Sangiovese grapes ripen contentedly in the late summer sun. Squads of swarthy workers scurry about readying equipment for the coming harvest. Is this romantic Italian Tuscany or the scenic foothills of the Golden State? Actually, both. The difference is thousands of miles and hundreds of years. Sangiovese - "the blood of Jupiter" - is the predominant red grape of Italy. Thought to be a native of the Tuscan region, the use of the grape to make wine probably predates Roman times. Sometime around 1400, wine from the Sangiovese grape began to be associated with a geographical area in the hills just north of Siena. However, the Chianti of the Middle Ages is not the same as the Tuscan wine of today. Prior to the 19th century, Chianti was a white wine made mostly of Canaiolo grapes to which Sangiovese was added. In 1861, Italian Prime Minister Bettino Ricasoli established the traditional Chianti blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, 10% white varieties (Trebianno, Toscano, Malvasia del Chiante) and 5% other varieties. Today, Chianti vintners are allowed up to 90% Sangiovese and 10% other varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon. Chianti is Tuscany's and Italy's largest appellation. Over 5,000 growers farm more than 83,000 acres of grape vines producing 26.5 million gallons of wine. The most important of Chianti's seven subregions is the hillside area between the 820 and 1,640 feet elevation called Chianti Classico. About six million gallons of Italy's finest wines are produce in the warm, dry Tuscan climate according to strict governmental control. It didn't take long for the Italian immigrants who flocked to California after the Gold Rush to recognize the similarities between central Italy and northern California. One early Italian miner turned farmer was Benidet Murphy who was known to have made wine in Amador County in 1860. Whether any of Murphy's wine was made from Sangiovese grapes is not known but we do know that Sangiovese was imported to Sonoma by Agoston Haraszthy as "San Giovetta" in 1862. Those first vines did not survive and Sangiovese was not heard from again until the late 1880s when Italian Swiss Colony began importing vines from Tuscany. Between 1900 and Prohibition, Sangiovese was the foundation of Italian Swiss Colony Tipo Chianti. In 1886 Eduardo Segheiso arrived in Sonoma County from Italy's Piedmont to work for Italian Swiss Colony. Segheiso bought 36 acres near Geyserville and planted his Chianti Station vineyard in 1910. Grapes from the oldest Sangiovese vineyard in California are still used in Segheiso's Chianti Station wine. The modern era of California Sangiovese began in the mid 1980s when the Robert Pepi family and a few other growers planted small blocks of vines in the Napa Valley. It was renowned Italian wine producer Marchese Piero Antinori however that put California Sangiovese on the map with his development of Atlas Peak Vineyards. Antinori started the largest Sangiovese vineyard in the state by planting five acres with cuttings from his Santa Christina estate in Chianti. The Sierra Foothills region is great Sangiovese country. Jim and Suzie Gott were among the first to grow Sangiovese in the foothills. The first five acres of their Amador County Vino Noceto Sangiovese were planted in 1987 with vines sourced from Montevina and Robert Pepi. Sangiovese grows best in hot, dry climates at elevations between 500 and 1,500 feet. The vines are vigorous and produce highly variable yields. Grapes are medium to medium-large in size with a relatively thin skin of purplish black. Slow to mature and late to ripen, Sangiovese is fairly disease resistant although subject to raisening when overexposed to the sun and rot when exposed to late season moisture . Sangiovese is not a particularly easy grape to grow. It is high site-specific and even on low nutrient, well drained soils, growers struggle to control vigor. Aggressive viticultural practices including heavy pruning, canopy management and "green harvesting" are employed to prevent over-cropping and keep yields between 3 and 4 tons per acre. California Sangiovese is usually a fruity medium-bodied wine with moderate to high acidity and moderate tannic structure. Aromas are a bit subdued but are most associated with strawberry, blueberry, and violets with a slightly floral character. Predominate flavors include wild berry, cinnamon, clove and thyme spice, vanilla, toast, and smoky oak. Sangiovese winemaking styles vary widely across the state. The fruit is usually harvested at 23.5-25 brix. and 3.45-3.50 pH. Fermentation usually takes 7 to 15 days in stainless steel tanks although some producers will use small open top containers. The application of oak for Sangiovese aging is a matter of winemaker style. Some producers subscribe to the "traditional" method of aging Sangiovese in new French oak barrels while others prefer a mix of new and used or neutral French and American oak barrels. Sangiovese is fairly susceptible to oxidation so winemakers tend to minimize operations such as racking, fining and filtering that can expose the wine to air. Sangiovese is enjoying growing popularity in California. There are more that 70 wineries producing Sangiovese from over 3,000 acres of vines. While it may not be "next Cabernet Sauvignon" California Sangiovese is terrific wine that retains the noble heritage and traditions of its native Chianti. Sauvignon Blanc   Sauvignon Blanc is one of our most prolific white wine grapes.  Grown on every continent and in a wide range of soils and climates, Sauvignon Blanc grapes produce white wines of distinctive flavors and aromas. Sauvignon Blanc vines probably originated in the Bordeaux region of France when the Roman Empire ruled all of Gaul.  Centuries later, the vine showed up in the upper Lorie Valley.  In Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc is blended with Botriytis infected Semillion to produce Sauternes - one the worlds great dessert wines.  While Sauvignon Blanc had been in California since the mid-1850s, it was Robert Mondavi who got the varietal commercially kick-started.  Always the savvy marketer, Mondavi took advantage of the popularity of imported French Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume' by calling his Sauvignon Blanc "Fume' Blanc".  The name stuck and Sauvignon Blanc and Fume Blanc are interchangeable in California to this day. Sauvignon Blanc comes in two principle styles - grassy and herbaceous or crisp and citrusy - depending primarily on where the grapes are grown.  Wines from grapes grown in cooler coastal climates tend to be more herbaceous while Sauvignon Blancs from warmer regions (such as the Sierra Foothills) tend toward more citrus aromas and flavors.  What makes this distinction you ask?  A chemical called methoxy-pyrazine. A powerful compound that is detectable at concentrations as low as 2-3 parts per trillion, methoxy-pyrazine produces grassy, herbaceous, asparagus, Bell pepper, jalapeno, gooseberry, kiwi, lemon/lime,  and grapefruit flavors and aromas.  Sauvignon grape varieties are pyrazine-prone so it almost impossible to complete eliminate.  Grapes grown in warmer climates, exposed to sunlight, and allowed to fully ripen exhibit more of the kiwi/citrus characteristics.  Grapes shaded by the vine canopy or harvested before reaching full physiologic maturity show more grass and asparagus tones.  Winemaking techniques can also affect the influence of pyrazine in Sauvignon Blanc.  Minimizing skin contact during crush, fermentation temperature control, barrel fermentation, barrel aging, and blending are all winemaking strategies to deal with the sauvage in Sauvignon Blanc. Crisp acidity is a pleasant feature of Sauvignon Blanc that produces a lively mouth-feel whether you prefer the herbaceous or fruity style.  Be sure to serve your Sauvignon Blanc chilled (about 45-50 degrees) by placing your wine in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before serving.  ~;:. Kenneth Young Primativo       As much as we like to think we know the origins of today's classic wine grapes, the truth is that the precise lineage of the great vitas vinifera are locked in the secrets of ancient botanical history. So is the case of Zinfandel and its alter ego - Primitivo. The story of Primitivo and Zinfandel probably starts ages ago on what is now the Dalmatian coast of Croatia on the Adriatic Sea with a native vine we now call Crljenak Kastelanski. At some point in the dark past, Crljenak cross-pollinated with another Croatian variety called Dobricic giving birth to Zinfandel. In 1967, UC Davis plant pathologist Austin Goheen was visiting a colleague in Bari, Italy and noticed that the wine he was drinking tasted like Zinfandel. This wine was made from the Primitivo Gioia variety grown on vines that look just like Zinfandel vines. Cuttings from these Primitivo vines were brought to UC Davis and planted next to Zinfandel and tests available at that time indicated that the two were probably the same variety. In 1990 DNA testing by Professor Carole Meredith showed that they were indeed the same grape variety. Historical records indicate that Zinfandel was planted in the United States prior to the first documented planting of Primitivo in Italy. It is theorized that Zinfandel was imported from the imperial nursery in Vienna, Austria in 1829 then re-exported to the Apulia region of southeastern Italy. Mystery solved, right? Not so fast. Italians claim that what is now called Primativo was grown in southern Italy during the classic Greek period - 3,000 years ago. To complicate matters even further, Professor Meredith reported in 2003 that Primativo is not Zinfandel. While the two grapes are genetically identical, they are not the same. The word primitivo literally means "first grape" marking one of the striking differences between Primitivo and Zinfandel. Primitivo will ripen about 10 days before Zinfandel in any give locality if grown side by side. Leon Sobon is a veteran Zinfandel grower in Amador County's Shenandoah Valley. He also grows Primitivo. "We grow Primitivo side by side with the Zinfandel on trellis," Sobon relates. "Primitivo is genetically identical to Zinfandel and the vines look alike if you look at the shape of the leaves. But they are morphologically different. When you turn a Primitivo leaf over, it is almost slick underneath as compare with Zinfandel leaves that are fuzzy. "Zinfandel is in one great big tight bunch with a sort of shoulder bunch on the side. Primitivo is a much looser bunch with smaller berries, almost like Syrah. All the berries in Primitivo ripen at the same time," Sobon continues. "Primitivo ripens evenly and a week or two earlier than Zinfandel." Many who taste the wines side by side agree with Sobon's assessment that Primitivo has completely different flavors than Zinfandel. According to Sobon, "Primitivo reminds you of Zinfandel but with more of a blackberry rather than blackberry/raspberry combination of Zinfandel. Primitivo is almost monochromatic in flavors. More like a claret or cabernet." Does it really matter whether it is Primitivo or Zinfandel? There is enough genetic and sensory tasting evidence to suggest that the two grapes produce distinctively different wines. This is a great situation for wine consumers because it will be up to them to make the ultimate determination; by the glass. Petite Sirah       No sooner had we solved the mystery of Zinfandel's origin when California wine consumers were faced with another perplexing question: "What the heck is Petite Sirah"? While not as romantic as Zinfandel's tale, we are pretty certain we now know the story of California Petite Sirah. It all begins in France where growers distinguished between petite Syrah which is a low yielding, noble grape and grosse Syrah, a vigorous, productive vine of lesser quality. Wine historians generally agree that the Syrah imported into California in 1878 was indeed petite Syrah, but not the same grape we know as Petite Sirah today. In 1880 Dr. Francois Durif developed a new grape variety he piously named for himself. The new vine was grown from a Peloursin grape seen cross pollinated from an unknown source. Today we know that source to be true Syrah. Durif came to California in 1884 and in fact may have been labeled as Petite Sirah. By 1897, Phylloxera had destroyed the last of the true Syrah and what growers had taken to calling Petite Sirah (Durif) was widely planted as a replacement for Mission vines. Most of the red grape vineyards planted prior to Prohibition contained Petite Sirah as well as Barbera, Carignan, Zinfandel, or Grenache. This "field-blending" was the norm in the early 1900s and some of the "ancient" surviving Zinfandel and Cabernet vineyards included a sprinkling of Petite Sirah. U.C. Davis scientist Dr. Carole Meredith has determined that more than 90% of California's Petite Sirah vineyards are indeed Durif. The rest are Peloursin - Durif's mother. Petite Sirah can produce 4-8 tons of fruit per acre. The vines are sturdy and thrive in many soils. Favoring warm climates, the grapes are somewhat prone to sunburn and fairly tight clusters are subject to rot when damp. Over the years, Petite Sirah has been used mainly as a blending grape to add color, complexity and tannin. Today, Petite Sirah is enjoying a resurgence of popularity as more wine lovers appreciate the grapy, peppery wine with lively tannins and inky purple color. Thanksgiving For Wine   It is that time of the year again when we give thanks for the bounty of life. The American holiday of Thanksgiving is most often celebrated with a copious feast leaving the participants as stuffed as the traditional turkey. Besides providing an excuse for taking a break from the low carb diet, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to enjoy American Wines. Since the Thanksgiving turkey has both white and dark meat, red and white wines can be served without a disapproving scowl from your wantabe connoisseur uncle from Chicago. The prefect starter is a sparkling glass of California bubbly from Napa or Sonoma. Sparkling wines are terrific with pre-meal munchies or the first course salad. If tradition is your thing, turkey with cornbread stuffing goes great with a crisp Oregon Pinot Gris, a Clarksburg Chenin Blanc, or a light Chardonnay from Santa Barbara. Lighter reds are the best match with the traditional meal so a Napa Merlot, Calaveras County Grenache, or Sonoma Zinfandel would be dandy. Smoked or roasted turkey with oyster, chestnut and sausage dressing requires a wine with a bit more body. Napa Chardonnay with moderate oak or Sauvignon Blanc from Amador County would be good white picks, while a fruity Napa Merlot, Livermore Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles Syrah, Lodi Barbera, and/or Sierra Foothills Zinfandel would be the red of choice. For those non-traditionalists here are a few alternatives. Goose - try a hearty Sonoma Viognier as your white selection or a Sierra Foothills Rhone blend. Duck - Rich and gamy, earthy reds like Lodi Zinfandel, Santa Maria Syrah, Dry Creek Valley Pinot Noir or, El Dorado County Mourvedre will Make a memorable match. Ham - It takes a fruity red to handle the salty, sometimes spicy (glazed) Thanksgiving ham. A Carneros Pinot Noir is a terrific match for the basic baked ham. If your ham is on the spicy side, a Tempranillo from Calaveras is great. For a little something different, try a Sierra Foothills Sangiovese or Barbera. The finishing touch of the Thanksgiving spread is the desert and, of course, a glass (or two if you want to sleep through cleanup) of Port. California is blessed with a wide variety of Port-style wines using traditional Portuguese grape varieties, as well as Zinfandel, Barbara, and Syrah grapes. Sweet and luscious, Ports put a period on the feast. Happy Thanksgiving from one of the truly thankful.   Featured Wine Grape [ Zinfandel ]   Zinfandel    Zinfandel is California's official state wine grape since few places except California grows the versatile, vigorous, grape variety.   Grape Profile   Zinfandel vines produce large, reddish-black neutrally favored berries that form medium to large compact clusters.  Able to adapt to a variety of soils, Zinfandel vines are of medium vigor and can yield four to nine tons of fruit per acre.  Characteristically, Zinfandel berries ripen unevenly and tend to raisin.        Wine Profile  Raspberries, berries, black pepper and raisins characterize Zinfandel aromas and flavors.  There seems to be no "typical" Zinfandel style.  Zins can range from medium bodied, fresh, fruity, lightly tannic wines to full bodied, concentrated heavy hitting wines with lots of pepper and tannin.  Zinfandel has aging potential similar to that of cabernet sauvignon; about 10 to 20 years.       History   According to wine historian Charles L. Sullivan, Zinfandel came to the United States in 1829 from the imperial nursery in Vienna, Austria.  Imported by Long Island nurseryman George Gibb, "Zinfandal" vines were sold to Bostonian Samual Perkins in 1831 and by the late 1830's New Englanders were growing Zinfandal as a popular table grape.    Exactly when the first Zinfandal vines arrived in California is uncertain.  Some of the first items to be shipped from New England around the horn to California in 1849 were tree and vine nursery stock.  According to Sullivan, one important shipment arrived in 1852 on a ship captained by Frederick Macondray who supplied Zinfandal vines to Napa Valley nurseryman Joseph Osborn.  Cuttings of these vines made their way to the Sonoma Horticultural Society in 1859 and some wine of note was produce by William Boggs in 1862.   By the mid 1860's Zinfandal had become Zinfandel and in 1865 Benjamin Bugbey of the Natoma Vineyard east of Sacramento was promoting Zinfandel as one of the five best grapes for wine making in California.    By the 1880's Zinfandel had become the most widely planted grape variety in California.  Twenty years later, most of Northern California's vineyards had been destroyed by phylloxera.  Some of the Zinfandel vines survived like those in Amador County because they were isolated from the infested areas.  California vineyards were replanted and by 1919 Zinfandel was a leading varietal in the production red table wine.  Zinfandel survived Prohibition as grape of choice for eastern home wine makers and by 1960 Zinfandel was again an important variety in the blending of California red table wine.  White Zinfandel was born in 1972 and demand for the grape soared.  Around 1985, wine drinkers started to take Zinfandel seriously as a premium red wine and winemakers throughout California began producing varietal-designated premium Zinfandels.  In 1998 Zinfandel passed Cabernet Sauvignon as California's most widely planted wine grape variety.   The origin of Zinfandel is still the object of research.  In 1967, UC Davis plant pathologist Austin Goheen was visiting a colleague in Bari, Italy and noticed that the wine he was drinking tasted like Zinfandel.  This wine was made from the Primitivo Gioia variety which were grown on vines that look just like Zinfandel vines.    Cuttings from these Primitivo vines were brought to UC Davis and planted next to Zinfandel and tests available at that time indicated that the two were probably the same variety.  In 1990 DNA testing by Professor Carole Meredith showed that they were indeed the same grape variety.  Historical records indicate that Zinfandel was planted in the United States prior to the first documented planting of Primitivo in Italy.  This evidence makes it unlikely that Zinfandel originated in Italy.   In 1983 historian Leon Adams suggested that Zinfandel might be related to the Croatian grape Plavic Mali grown on the Adriatic coast a few hundred miles north across the sea from Bari.  In May, 1998, UC Davis Professor Carole Meredith traveled to Croatia to collect 150 leaf samples of Plavac Mali from vineyards throughout the Dalmatian Coast growing region.  These samples were subjected to DNA analysis and the results showed that almost all of them were identical to each other but none of them was Zinfandel. Further research by Dr. Carole Meredith and Croatian scientists have determined that the Croatian grape Dobricic and Zinfandel are the parents of Plavac Mali.   The "mystery" of Zinfandel appears to be resolved.  Dr. Meredith and Croatian scientists Ivan Pejic and Edi Maletic have proven that Zinfandel and the indigenous Croatian grape Crljenak are the same.    Charles Sullivan suggested however that "we should not be surprised to find the Zinfandel vine in Italy and on the Adriatic in what is today Croatia.  Much of Italy and all of Croatia were part of the Austrian Empire from whose capital, Vienna, George Gibbs imported his then-nameless dark grape to Long Island in 1829." By Kenneth Young.