Wine Discovery Session on Friday, July 11 with Jackson Family Wines

– a Sponsor Note from WBC supporter and former keynote speaker, Steve Heimoff –

When Jackson Family Wines asked me to moderate this panel, I jumped at the chance because this particular subject—“Evaluating Wines: How the Pros Taste”–is obviously near and dear to my heart.

Tasting wine—the actual, physical act of it—is the most fundamental thing a wine lover can do, whether he/she be a critic, blogger or winery CEO.

As a former wine critic with more than 25 years under my belt, I developed my own methods of wine tasting, but it’s amazing how little my colleagues and I ever compared notes on the nuts and bolts of our procedures. We compared our findings, of course—but not how we arrived at them. So, in this panel, the panelists will strip themselves bare (so to speak) and describe, exactly and specifically, how they go about the daily tasks of tasting.

Our panel is an extraordinary one. Joe Roberts AKA 1WineDude needs no introduction to this audience. He’s quite clearly one of the most successful wine bloggers in America. A former sommelier, Patrick Comiskey is an esteemed wine critic and writer for Wine & Spirits, one of the country’s most distinguished magazines covering the alcoholic beverage industry; he reviews the wines of the American West Coast.

I’m currently the Director of Wine Communications & Education at Jackson Family Wines, and spent more than 23 years at Wine Enthusiast and, prior to that, Wine Spectator. So together, Patrick, Joe and I combine a lot of years of hard work in this tasting business.  

Each taster ultimately ends up tasting wines in his or her own particular way. I’ve been grilled more times than I can remember on my thinking when I taste wines, and whenever it happens, I discover something new about myself and my approach. Nor has my approach over the years remained the same. I’ve adapted and modified it to suit the circumstances. But I think every taster has this in common: we all recognize that the only valid tasting results are those that stem from honesty, a healthy disregard of external pressure, and the years of experience upon which to build a knowledge base. Speaking for Joe and Patrick, we hope to share all this with you—and learn how you, yourselves, go about this important and pleasurable business of tasting.

 

A Note from Peter Stolpman of Stolpman Vineyards, one of the WBC14 Sponsors representing the Ballard Canyon AVA

From its ancestral Motherland, the Northern Rhone, connoisseurs love Syrah for its layers of flavor often described with words including: smoked meat, iron, olive, and black pepper.

Over the past twenty years, however, vintners and large wineries increased production of Syrah worldwide and often in warmer climates.  In the US alone, Syrah plantings went from less than 1,000 acres in 1990 to over 100,000 acres in 2011.  The resulting Syrahs, often jammy and over-ripe, lacked the complexity and nuance that made Syrah a noble grape. These wines were eventually rejected by the international marketplace.  Sales in the US for both domestic Syrah and Australian Shiraz dropped about a third from 2008 to 2012.  But the subject of Syrah, in fact, great Syrah, is a main topic of conversation in the Ballard Canyon AVA.

Syrah has returned to it’s roots in the Ballard Canyon AVA as a grape suited best for a smaller scale of production.  Large wineries grafted Syrah vines or winemakers now blend the grape into opulent-styled red blends.  Because the market proved that Syrah is not the right varietal to make mass produced fruit-forward red wines, boutique vintners still dedicated to Syrah are free to produce wines abounding with interesting secondary characteristics.  These wines are made for discerning wine lovers who seek out interesting wines rather than a beverage.  The time seems right for a small American Viticultural Area to focus on balanced, complex Syrah.  As the newest California AVA, Ballard Canyon is doing just that.

Ballard Canyon AVA: Syrah Territory

Ballard Canyon AVA, published on October 30^th, 2013, lies in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County.  Vintners started planting here in 1974 and over the next decades, these pioneers experimented with dozen of varietals.  By the mid 1990’s, Syrah emerged as the best fit for the AVA.

The cold, maritime influenced nights allow the vines to retain acidity while the short periods of high peak heat allow for ripeness and concentration.  This 40 degree average diurnal swing plus morning fog and gusty afternoon winds culminates in bright, intense wines with exciting balance.

Today, nine boutique wineries make up the Ballard Canyon Winegrowers’ Alliance.  BCWGA aims to create an identity in the Old World sense, with Syrah as the appellation’s specific varietal focus.

Syrah Style

Stylistic variations present themselves based on different soil types, elevations, harvest dates, and winemaking methods.  Regardless of the specific vineyard within Ballard Canyon, all of the Syrahs show a high-toned fresh fruit profile compared to the warmer climates of Paso Robles or Napa Valley.  On the flipside, Ballard Canyon Syrahs possess more weight and lushness than wines from the Northern Rhone.  In this sense, Ballard Canyon lies balanced in the center of the world-wide Syrah continuum.

WBC 2014

Eight of the nine BCWGA wineries will pour one estate-grown Syrah to present the common character of Ballard Canyon while demonstrating the subtle differences between vineyards and approaches.  At the Ballard County AVA Wine Discovery Session on Saturday afternoon, Patrick Comiskey, senior correspondent for Wine & Spirits, will examine his favorite varietal, Syrah.  Specifically, Patrick will focus on Syrah with a panel of 8 winemakers from Ballard Canyon AVA.

Beckmen Vineyards:  Critically acclaimed La Purisma Mountain Vineyard sweeps up a hillside to 1250 feet of elevation.

Harrison Clarke:  A Small vineyard and winery perched atop the headland of Ballard Canyon.

Jonata Wines:  High-density, immaculately farmed vines on rolling hills of sandy soil produce cult wines sought after around the world.

Kimsey Vineyard: A young vineyard now sought after by grape-purchasing wineries, a small portion is also bottled.

Larner Vineyard:  Famous for vineyard-designated wines, Michael Larner makes small lots of Syrah, releasing them with extended bottle age.

Rusack: On the site of the former Ballard Canyon Winery, Rusack is the only grower-producer with an on-site tasting room and winery on Ballard Canyon Road

Saarloos and Sons:  Available only through the tasting room and mailing list, Saarloos and Sons Windmill Ranch sits on Iconic terraces overlooking Ballard Creek.

Stolpman Vineyards: The Original Syrah plantings of Ballard Canyon, Cote-Rotie and Cornas styled own-rooted plantings abound.

At the 2014 WBC, the new Ballard Canyon Syrah bottle will be unveiled to attendees.  Beginning this year, BCWGA members package their estate grown Syrahs in a custom bottle with the words “BALLARD CANYON” rotating around the shoulder, raised above the glass surface.  The producers hope that one day, this bottle will become synonymous with great Syrah throughout the world of boutique wine.   Only Syrahs that are estate grown in the AVA are eligible for the new bottle.

 

 

It is no doubt that wine is a sensory experience; the Wine Bloggers Conference brings  hundreds of members of the new media discipline of blogging together every year to sniff, swirl, and sip on wines from a different wine region – with the pre-conference wine activities, program content, lunches and dinners, and post-conference excursions at WBC14 that include side trips to Bridlewood Estates Winery and the wineries in the Funk Zone of Santa Barbara, CA, bloggers have the opportunity to taste, literally, hundreds of different wines this July 11-13, 2014.

The sensory experience at the upcoming 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference is being heightened by Riedel, the Austrian wine glass company that has been making wine glasses for over 250 years.  The Wine Bloggers Conference is thrilled to announce the 2014 partnership with Riedel, who is the official provider of glassware for the conference.  Riedel is furnishing glassware for all wines tasted this coming July 11-13.

Established in 1756 and currently managed by Georg J. Riedel (10th generation) and his son, Maximilian J. Riedel (11th generation), the Riedel company is charged with the innovation in creating varietal specific glasses in the 1950’s.  This innovation matches shape and nuances of the glass that are specifically paired with grape varieties.

The Bowl – Riedel’s signature differentiation

The bowls of Riedel glassware are the most visible, signature difference among their stemmed glassware lines.  Each glass, specific to a different varietal reflects a distinct shape, size, and rim.  Riedel aims to deliver the individual “message” of each varietal and wine by delivering superior aromatic expression, perception of texture and mouthfeel and finish.  Following the design principle that “form follows function”, the thin-blown, unadorned glassware looks beautiful with or without any wine in the glass.

Riedel still makes many of their glassware lines using the traditional, mouth-blown technique that has been in existence since the Romans started blowing glass some 2,000 years ago.  The Kufstein factory, located in the mountainous Austrian state of Tyrol, near Germany’s Bavarian border, exclusively produces hand-blown lead glass products.  The other three factories, Weiden, Frauenau, and Amberg, focus on automated production.

The company has developed an app to help users determine what glass matches with what wine.  Popular, grape varietal specific glassware collections include:

– The Sommeliers Collection, an original, classic line that features mouth-blown, lead crystal.

– The Vinum line, unleashed in 1986, which was the first machine-made lead crystal glass in history to be based on the characteristics of individual grape varieties.

– The Wine line which was made for customers who want the full “key to wine” concept, but with a more decorated stem.

– The O Wine Tumbler line, the original stemless wine glass that abides by Riedel’s commitment to creating varietal specific glasses.  Currently celebrating it’s 10th Anniversary of being part of the Riedel collection.

The Wine Bloggers Conference brings together a fantastic collection of new media every year.  Hundreds of bloggers will convene in Santa Barbara County this July 11-13, 2014 – “in vino veritas” will be alive and well as these bloggers taste hundreds of different wines from the five different AVAs of Santa Barbara’s wine country, just two hours north of Los Angeles.

Just as every palate perceives something different from the other, every blogger has just a little bit of a different take on rating wines.  But is this “take” universally perceived by wine consumers?  WBC14 sponsor, Quini, has developed a new way of tasting wines via their application.  Quini standardizes the wine tasting process with a common, standard language and structure that enables consumers to compare “apples to apples” or in the case of wine, “grapes to grapes.”  And Quini is asking you, the wine blogger, to investigate the Quini wine app before, during, and after the 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference.

JUMPSTART WBC15 QUINI CONTEST

Quini is giving away:

• 3 x WBC15 registrations
• 2 x Grand Prize giveaways that include:  1 x two nights of accommodation AND registration to WBC15 and 1 x registration to WBC15 + an iPad mini

You must be registered for, and attend, WBC14 and participate in the Quini Contest to be eligible for the prize draw.

Details for Quini’s Jumpstart WBC15 Contest:

TO WIN A WBC15 REGISTRATION

• WBC14 conference registrants download the Quini App, (link available at www.quiniwine.com).
  •  If you’re on Android, drop Quini a note for alternatives at: support@quiniwine.com
• Use the app at WBC14 to rate the great wines you taste at the conference, as well as during the pre and post conference excursions and events.
• Bloggers have until 11:59 pm PST on July 13 to review wines from WBC14 for the contest draw.
• Three Quini app users will be chosen, at random, in the drawing for WBC15 registration prizes.  
• The more times you use Quini to rate wines, the more chances you have to win one of the three registrations.
• Only complete wine reviews on Quini will be entered into the draw, so get started by familiarizing yourself with the application by watching this concise video and get a few ratings done before you head to WBC14!
• Email your name to Quini at:  support@quiniwine.com with the subject line “WBC14” to get your wine review entries tracked. 

TO WIN ONE OF THE TWO WBC15 GRAND PRIZES

• WBC14 conference registrants use the Quini app to review a wine or multiple wines tasted at WBC14 (including wines on the pre-conference tour and on the post-conference activities).
•  Bloggers are required to write a blog post about the conference and wine/wines they review using the app and have until August 15, 2014 to publish and submit their blog posts.
•  Two Quini users will be chosen, at random, in the drawing on August 15 for either
  •  two nights of accommodation + registration for WBC15 (location to be announced at the end of WBC14)
  • OR registration to WBC15 + iPad mini.
• Links to your blog posts for the two grand prize giveaways also need to be emailed to Quini in order to fulfill the contest requirements.
  •  Send your emails to:  Ashley Hargreaves of Quini at:  ashley@quiniwine.com.  Again, more posts equal more chances to win.  

A BIT ABOUT QUINI:

Quini serves as common platform for professional wine tasting and rating as well as an educational tool for the wine consumer.  The state of the art Quini application was developed with wine industry gurus:  Sommeliers, doctorates in sensory analysis & food science, doctorates in statistics, and interactive architecture and design experts.  By drilling down the core sensory experience of tasting wine, Quini allows bloggers to project their wine reviews to the end consumer using greater detail, a common language, and engaging visual representations.  Quini also functions as a database to catalogue one’s own personal tasting notes and makes wine suggestions based on your own, unique palate.  As Quini CEO, Roger Noujeim, relays:

“Besides being the only application designed to expand user experience and knowledge about wine tasting, Quini is like having a wine steward in your pocket at all times.  Users get amazingly accurate wine recommendations based on what they have indicated they like in a wine.  The more a wine consumer uses Quini, the more Quini “gets to know” the user and the more accurate their wine recommendations get.”

In the wine blogging setting like the one coming up this July in beautiful Santa Barbara wine country, Quini allows bloggers to voice and share their reviews using a common language that readers can easily understand and use to the best of their purchasing advantage.

 If you have any questions about Quini or the Quini Contest, please contact Ashley Hargreaves at:  ashley@quiniwine.com.

WBC 14 sponsor, the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Association, is host to an After Hours Event at Standing Sun Winery on Thursday, July 10, after the Registration and Expo at the conference hotel.  These folks have put together an awesome evening including wine, dessert, and transportation to and from the winery and until midnight.  The entire Santa Barbara wine region has come together to show off the unique terroir, winemaking, and people behind the scenes for WBC14 and the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Association is no exception.

The Uncorked After Party event starts at 10 p.m. and after the Registration and Expo at the conference hotel on Thursday.  Standing Sun Winery is only ½ mile from the hotel and the first buses to the event, provided by the Association, will be outside the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott starting at 9:45 p.m.  In addition to all 15 wineries of the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Association being represented at the Uncorked After Party event on Thursday, DOOR PRIZES will be given out all night long.

When bloggers load the bus for Standing Sun Winery, they will receive a raffle ticket good for 15 different winery prizes (think bottles of delicious Santa Ynez wine…) throughout the evening.  Must be present at the event to win. 

BONUS GIVEAWAY

 The Association also has a table at the Opening Reception from 7-10pm where they will be giving out Wine Blogger Chocolate Bars that each contain a lucky number inside the wrapper – recipients can check the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Association website each month to see if their number is the lucky “golden ticket”.  And trust me, you will want to be one of six prize winners between July and December, 2014…giveaways include:  

• wine gift sets
• magnums of wine
• dessert wine with decanter and glasses

All of which are donated by the wineries involved in the Association:   Alexander & Wayne, Arthur Earl, The Brander Vineyard, Buttonwood Farm Winery, Casa Cassara, Cimarone Estate Wines, Daniel Gehrs Wines, Imagine Wine, Lincourt, Lucas & Lewellen Estate Vineyards, Rideau Vineyard, William James Cellars, Standing Sun Wines, Toccata, and Toretti Family Vineyard.

Of course there will be wine and winemakers and winery owners present at the Uncorked After Hours event (and live music!!) but have I mentioned the desserts, yet?  Satisfy your sweet tooth on this evening with fresh, local made delights like:

• chocolate crisps
• cinnamon lavender fudge
• lemon squares
• english toffee
• fresh fruit from local farms
  

Santa Ynez sparkling wines and dessert wines will be recommended for each dessert, too.

The Uncorked After Party showcases the Santa Ynez AVA and the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Association represents a selection of 15 boutique wineries in the heart of the Santa Ynez AVA.  These small, family-run wineries are located in the quaint villages of Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Buellton, and the Danish hamlet of Solvang. With a moderate climate, beautiful scenery and peaceful country living,

“Santa Ynez Valley has become a wine tasting destination unlike any other.”

Cheryl Stauffer – Director, SYVWCA

On behalf of all the wineries represented at the event, Cheryl looks forward to seeing the WBC14 blogging community at the Uncorked After Party at Standing Sun Winery on July 10!