Hope everyone had a good Christmas. The highlight of mine was just being able to relax, unwind, and not have any schoolwork to worry about! I'm on semester break (Spring classes begin Jan 18) and enjoying the respite.
I was pretty happy with my grades from my first semester - five A's (Viticulture Fall Practices; Vineyard Management; Fall Winery Operations; Vineyard Pruning; Pruning Techniques for Vine Balance) and one B (World Viticulture & Wine Styles). Those of you who know my competitive nature when it comes to grades (!), know I was a bit 'miffed' at that B, but considering how much material was covered (that was the class where our Unit 2 test covered all of the regions, sub-regions, grapes, wine styles, viticulture practices, climates, soils, history, etc. of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, and Germany) I decided I'll take the B and hope for a clean sweep next semester!
After the New Year, I have some plans to get out and visit some wineries I've wanted to see, and hope to have some interesting experiences to post on the blog. So stay tuned!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
For My Champagne-loving Friends
For my Vit 1 (World Viticulture & Wine Styles) term paper, I decided to research one of my favorite champagnes, Veuve Clicquot. Great story, whether you are into champagne or not. What follows below is a really "condensed" version because I had to limit my paper to 6 pages.....if you want to know more, "The Widow Clicquot" by Tillar Mazzeo is a good read. Enjoy!
The Story of Veuve Clicquot Champagne
THE STORY OF
VEUVE CLICQUOT
CHAMPAGNE
AND THE WOMAN
WHO BROUGHT IT TO THE WORLD
Oscar Wilde once said, “Only the unimaginative can fail to find a reason for drinking champagne.” (Kladstrup 2005, 5). While most champagne drinkers do not understand the physical science behind the bubbles – bursting at the surface…making a crackling sound…radiating a fragrant cloud of tiny droplets over the tip of the nose… causing a heightened sensual experience for the taster (Liger-Belair 2004, 103) – they know champagne is synonymous with celebration and the good life. Champagne is also a wine associated with women. This is the story of one woman whose pioneering passion for winemaking changed her own destiny, and that of champagne – Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who lived through the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars to become the first great female entrepreneur of her time and build the famous champagne house that still today bears her name: Veuve (“Widow”) Clicquot.
Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin was born in Reims, France in 1777. Her father, Count Nicolas Ponsardin, was a prominent, well-connected textile merchant and an ambitious politician who, as Mayor of Reims, hob-knobbed with the likes of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. His dreams of nobility were shattered in 1789 when a bread riot-turned-grassroots political movement hailed the start of the French Revolution. Nicolas was wise enough to know how dangerous it would be to side with his aristocrat friends, so in a decidedly practical move, he joined the revolution as an activist. Embracing the “cause of the common man,” he saved his family fortune, and even prospered.
At 21, Barbe-Nicole wed Francois Clicquot in an arranged marriage – an economic decision made by her father to connect two wealthy merchant families. In addition to their textile business, Clicquot et Fils, Francois’ family dabbled in wine. They also owned a great deal of property in the Reims countryside which was regarded as prime grape-growing land. (It is notable that by the 18th century, the concept of terroir was already recognized; even then, it was widely known that soil and microclimate play as much of a role in shaping the character of wine as the winemaking style itself.) Although Francois’ father regarded wine as a sideline, Francois dreamed of reinventing the family business to focus exclusively on wine, and he dedicated himself to developing a small wine trade. Fortuitously, Barbe-Nicole shared the same dream. They received a large farm and cash as a wedding gift and, united by their passion for wine, they proceeded to develop expertise in growing, making and marketing the best local wines. “They had the resources to dream, and it was a dream of wine from the beginning” (Mazzeo 2008, 21).
It wasn’t long before Barbe-Nicole and Francois discovered ‘the bubbly.’ In the 1790’s, the French called this intensely sweet dessert wine vin mousseux, or sparkling wine – it was not until the 1860’s that the term “champagne” was used. In reality, it was nothing like the champagne we enjoy today. In addition to the fact it was served as a cold, icy slush, it was also ten times sweeter, often having as much as 200 grams of residual sugar, and it produced a foamy head not unlike that of beer, and large, gassy bubbles. The French aristocracy disliked the bubbles and considered it a sign of poor winemaking (Liger-Belair 2004, 11). In fact, bubbles in wine were an indication that something had gone wrong. This ‘problem’ first appeared in the Middle Ages, with a climate pattern change that brought much colder weather. During the fermentation process, winter temperatures dropped so low that the yeast did not have enough time to consume all the sugar. Then, when spring brought warmer temperatures, a second fermentation took place which resulted in bubbles being trapped in the wine. Although this methode champenoise, or champagne method, is how sparkling wine is made today, winemakers in the 17th century regarded this second fermentation as accidental. Dom Perignon, the famous winemaking monk, is largely credited with having discovered champagne, excitedly proclaiming he was drinking “stars” – as it turns out, this was just clever marketing because in reality, he had been given the task of trying to find a way to get rid of the bubbles that were thought to be ruining wines. What he did do, however, was pave the way for today’s sparkling wines by advocating gentle pressing – “because the color from the skins was largely eliminated from the juice, the resulting wines were no longer murky but instead were distinguished by their clarity.” (Kladstrup 2005, 27).
Fortunately, these “accidental” sparkling wines developed a sort of cult following. They became a status symbol for the trendsetters of the time, and a market for them developed throughout Europe – by 1808, sparkling wine was “all the rage in Russia” (Susie Lacey, “Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin”, December 29th, 2008, http://www.LadieswhoLaunch.com).
Even though Barbe-Nicole was living a privileged, comfortable life as the wife of a wealthy businessman, societal laws of the time dictated a “narrow world” for women; as historian Bonnie G. Smith put it, “A prejudice against women acting in the marketplace appeared in the Napoleonic Code (which) pointed women toward an exclusively reproductive life.” (Mazzeo 2008, 39). Happily for Barbe-Nicole, however, though her husband Francois made all of their financial and business decisions, he did not exclude her from the vineyards. As he evolved from grower to vigneron, she was by his side, and by the time he died of typhoid in 1805, leaving her a widow at the age of 27, she had already learned a lot about winemaking, and began to imagine a different future for herself. As a widow, she now had the ability to manage her own affairs, a unique situation in French culture at the time.
Just four months after her husband died, Barbe-Nicole was able to persuade her father-in-law to give her a chance to take over the family business. Without Francois, his only son, Phillippe Clicquot’s first inclination was to liquidate the company; instead, he partnered her with Alexandre Fourneaux, a wealthy textile merchant and winemaker. Barbe-Nicole and Alexandre each invested 80,000 francs (about $4 million in today’s equivalent) in capital to start their new company, Veuve Clicquot Fourneaux. In their first year in business they had some “beginner’s luck” – in the midst of a war with Great Britain and political tensions that were not especially conducive to the international wine trade, they were able to negotiate delivery of 50,000 bottles of champagne through a military blockade that was paralyzing commercial shipping routes. Ultimately, ongoing blockades, skyrocketing storage costs & port fees, and an inability to get insurance to cover transportation of wine during wartime, made the situation untenable. By the time their four-year contract expired, Alexandre gave up his interest and walked away.
It is ironic to note that the many wars following the French Revolution were both a hindrance and a help to Barbe-Nicole as she struggled to stay in business, and their importance can’t be overestimated. “Wherever French troops were to be found… (champagne) was never far behind. As soon as a battle was won, up they would move their supplies for the victory celebration…” (Forbes 1967, 143). Barbe-Nicole herself often opened up her cellars to “thirsty Russian troops, turning French defeat into a marketing coup” (Guy 2003, 15) and in the century that followed Russia became Clicquot champagne’s top market. Even Napoleon, before each of his campaigns, was known to stop at the cellars of his friend Jean-Remy Moet to pick up a supply of champagne. “In victory you deserve it, in defeat you need it,” he said (Kladstrup 2005, 65).)
Barbe-Nicole carried on. Her father-in-law, still confident in her abilities, supplied another infusion of cash, and to keep the business going, she sold local red wine by the barrel. She took a temporary break from the luxury wine market, but continued to make champagne. Realizing its potential, she was determined to perfect the process to eliminate the big bubbles and unsightly foam and sediment. Her obsession with making crystal-clear wine with small, pretty bubbles, led her to the revolutionary technique of remuage (riddling), without a doubt her most important achievement, and the discovery that transformed the way champagne was forever made. Using her own kitchen table, she “riddled” it with slanted holes into which she inverted champagne bottles. She periodically removed the bottles and gave them a sharp twist which loosened the sediment and allowed it to settle on the corks. This accelerated the process of clearing the sediment. In just six weeks, one quick flick of the cork (degorgement) removed all of the unwanted debris. Then the bottles could be topped off with more wine and resealed with a new cork. (It was actually Veuve Clicquot’s chef de caves (chief cellarer) Antoine Muller who discovered that cutting the bottle holes at a 45-degree angle was the key to this technique (Stevenson 1986, 36).) Up until then, removing the sediment had been a labor-intensive, expensive, tedious and time-consuming task (often taking many months) done with a variety of methods. One such method was transvasage, which involved pouring the wine out of one bottle into another; the problem with this was that in addition to destroying some of the fizz, it also wasted a lot of good wine! Barbe-Nicole knew her discovery automatically gave her a huge advantage over her competitors – her biggest and most formidable rival was Jean-Remy Moet, and she “looked forward to devastating” him. (Mazzeo 2008, 127). Amazingly, she was able to keep this “secret” from her competitors for almost a decade before others, Jean-Remy included, began using it. But by that time, Veuve Clicquot champagne had already become one of the world’s most famous and sought-after wines.
Barbe-Nicole was also one of the first winemakers to use labels on bottles, realizing the use of her name was her best marketing tool. Her famous yellow label, the “color of the egg yolks of the famous corn-fed hens of Bresse” (Mazzeo 2008, 177) has been recognizable to champagne lovers all over the world for generations.
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin turned a small family business into a vast enterprise that evolved through changing times of war, industrialization and mass production. Although she is most famous for her business success, it would be incorrect to think of her only as an entrepreneur. She was a true visionary who paved the way for future generations of businesswomen. She was a mother and a great-grandmother. She built and decorated homes, gave parties, and was involved in charitable causes. Toward the end of her life at the age of 89, Barbe-Nicole wrote to a great-grandchild, “The world is in perpetual motion, and we must invent the things of tomorrow. One must go before others, be determined and exacting, and let your intelligence direct your life. Act with audacity. Perhaps you too will be famous.”
VEUVE CLICQUOT
CHAMPAGNE
AND THE WOMAN
WHO BROUGHT IT TO THE WORLD
Oscar Wilde once said, “Only the unimaginative can fail to find a reason for drinking champagne.” (Kladstrup 2005, 5). While most champagne drinkers do not understand the physical science behind the bubbles – bursting at the surface…making a crackling sound…radiating a fragrant cloud of tiny droplets over the tip of the nose… causing a heightened sensual experience for the taster (Liger-Belair 2004, 103) – they know champagne is synonymous with celebration and the good life. Champagne is also a wine associated with women. This is the story of one woman whose pioneering passion for winemaking changed her own destiny, and that of champagne – Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who lived through the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars to become the first great female entrepreneur of her time and build the famous champagne house that still today bears her name: Veuve (“Widow”) Clicquot.
Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin was born in Reims, France in 1777. Her father, Count Nicolas Ponsardin, was a prominent, well-connected textile merchant and an ambitious politician who, as Mayor of Reims, hob-knobbed with the likes of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. His dreams of nobility were shattered in 1789 when a bread riot-turned-grassroots political movement hailed the start of the French Revolution. Nicolas was wise enough to know how dangerous it would be to side with his aristocrat friends, so in a decidedly practical move, he joined the revolution as an activist. Embracing the “cause of the common man,” he saved his family fortune, and even prospered.
At 21, Barbe-Nicole wed Francois Clicquot in an arranged marriage – an economic decision made by her father to connect two wealthy merchant families. In addition to their textile business, Clicquot et Fils, Francois’ family dabbled in wine. They also owned a great deal of property in the Reims countryside which was regarded as prime grape-growing land. (It is notable that by the 18th century, the concept of terroir was already recognized; even then, it was widely known that soil and microclimate play as much of a role in shaping the character of wine as the winemaking style itself.) Although Francois’ father regarded wine as a sideline, Francois dreamed of reinventing the family business to focus exclusively on wine, and he dedicated himself to developing a small wine trade. Fortuitously, Barbe-Nicole shared the same dream. They received a large farm and cash as a wedding gift and, united by their passion for wine, they proceeded to develop expertise in growing, making and marketing the best local wines. “They had the resources to dream, and it was a dream of wine from the beginning” (Mazzeo 2008, 21).
It wasn’t long before Barbe-Nicole and Francois discovered ‘the bubbly.’ In the 1790’s, the French called this intensely sweet dessert wine vin mousseux, or sparkling wine – it was not until the 1860’s that the term “champagne” was used. In reality, it was nothing like the champagne we enjoy today. In addition to the fact it was served as a cold, icy slush, it was also ten times sweeter, often having as much as 200 grams of residual sugar, and it produced a foamy head not unlike that of beer, and large, gassy bubbles. The French aristocracy disliked the bubbles and considered it a sign of poor winemaking (Liger-Belair 2004, 11). In fact, bubbles in wine were an indication that something had gone wrong. This ‘problem’ first appeared in the Middle Ages, with a climate pattern change that brought much colder weather. During the fermentation process, winter temperatures dropped so low that the yeast did not have enough time to consume all the sugar. Then, when spring brought warmer temperatures, a second fermentation took place which resulted in bubbles being trapped in the wine. Although this methode champenoise, or champagne method, is how sparkling wine is made today, winemakers in the 17th century regarded this second fermentation as accidental. Dom Perignon, the famous winemaking monk, is largely credited with having discovered champagne, excitedly proclaiming he was drinking “stars” – as it turns out, this was just clever marketing because in reality, he had been given the task of trying to find a way to get rid of the bubbles that were thought to be ruining wines. What he did do, however, was pave the way for today’s sparkling wines by advocating gentle pressing – “because the color from the skins was largely eliminated from the juice, the resulting wines were no longer murky but instead were distinguished by their clarity.” (Kladstrup 2005, 27).
Fortunately, these “accidental” sparkling wines developed a sort of cult following. They became a status symbol for the trendsetters of the time, and a market for them developed throughout Europe – by 1808, sparkling wine was “all the rage in Russia” (Susie Lacey, “Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin”, December 29th, 2008, http://www.LadieswhoLaunch.com).
Even though Barbe-Nicole was living a privileged, comfortable life as the wife of a wealthy businessman, societal laws of the time dictated a “narrow world” for women; as historian Bonnie G. Smith put it, “A prejudice against women acting in the marketplace appeared in the Napoleonic Code (which) pointed women toward an exclusively reproductive life.” (Mazzeo 2008, 39). Happily for Barbe-Nicole, however, though her husband Francois made all of their financial and business decisions, he did not exclude her from the vineyards. As he evolved from grower to vigneron, she was by his side, and by the time he died of typhoid in 1805, leaving her a widow at the age of 27, she had already learned a lot about winemaking, and began to imagine a different future for herself. As a widow, she now had the ability to manage her own affairs, a unique situation in French culture at the time.
Just four months after her husband died, Barbe-Nicole was able to persuade her father-in-law to give her a chance to take over the family business. Without Francois, his only son, Phillippe Clicquot’s first inclination was to liquidate the company; instead, he partnered her with Alexandre Fourneaux, a wealthy textile merchant and winemaker. Barbe-Nicole and Alexandre each invested 80,000 francs (about $4 million in today’s equivalent) in capital to start their new company, Veuve Clicquot Fourneaux. In their first year in business they had some “beginner’s luck” – in the midst of a war with Great Britain and political tensions that were not especially conducive to the international wine trade, they were able to negotiate delivery of 50,000 bottles of champagne through a military blockade that was paralyzing commercial shipping routes. Ultimately, ongoing blockades, skyrocketing storage costs & port fees, and an inability to get insurance to cover transportation of wine during wartime, made the situation untenable. By the time their four-year contract expired, Alexandre gave up his interest and walked away.
It is ironic to note that the many wars following the French Revolution were both a hindrance and a help to Barbe-Nicole as she struggled to stay in business, and their importance can’t be overestimated. “Wherever French troops were to be found… (champagne) was never far behind. As soon as a battle was won, up they would move their supplies for the victory celebration…” (Forbes 1967, 143). Barbe-Nicole herself often opened up her cellars to “thirsty Russian troops, turning French defeat into a marketing coup” (Guy 2003, 15) and in the century that followed Russia became Clicquot champagne’s top market. Even Napoleon, before each of his campaigns, was known to stop at the cellars of his friend Jean-Remy Moet to pick up a supply of champagne. “In victory you deserve it, in defeat you need it,” he said (Kladstrup 2005, 65).)
Barbe-Nicole carried on. Her father-in-law, still confident in her abilities, supplied another infusion of cash, and to keep the business going, she sold local red wine by the barrel. She took a temporary break from the luxury wine market, but continued to make champagne. Realizing its potential, she was determined to perfect the process to eliminate the big bubbles and unsightly foam and sediment. Her obsession with making crystal-clear wine with small, pretty bubbles, led her to the revolutionary technique of remuage (riddling), without a doubt her most important achievement, and the discovery that transformed the way champagne was forever made. Using her own kitchen table, she “riddled” it with slanted holes into which she inverted champagne bottles. She periodically removed the bottles and gave them a sharp twist which loosened the sediment and allowed it to settle on the corks. This accelerated the process of clearing the sediment. In just six weeks, one quick flick of the cork (degorgement) removed all of the unwanted debris. Then the bottles could be topped off with more wine and resealed with a new cork. (It was actually Veuve Clicquot’s chef de caves (chief cellarer) Antoine Muller who discovered that cutting the bottle holes at a 45-degree angle was the key to this technique (Stevenson 1986, 36).) Up until then, removing the sediment had been a labor-intensive, expensive, tedious and time-consuming task (often taking many months) done with a variety of methods. One such method was transvasage, which involved pouring the wine out of one bottle into another; the problem with this was that in addition to destroying some of the fizz, it also wasted a lot of good wine! Barbe-Nicole knew her discovery automatically gave her a huge advantage over her competitors – her biggest and most formidable rival was Jean-Remy Moet, and she “looked forward to devastating” him. (Mazzeo 2008, 127). Amazingly, she was able to keep this “secret” from her competitors for almost a decade before others, Jean-Remy included, began using it. But by that time, Veuve Clicquot champagne had already become one of the world’s most famous and sought-after wines.
Barbe-Nicole was also one of the first winemakers to use labels on bottles, realizing the use of her name was her best marketing tool. Her famous yellow label, the “color of the egg yolks of the famous corn-fed hens of Bresse” (Mazzeo 2008, 177) has been recognizable to champagne lovers all over the world for generations.
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin turned a small family business into a vast enterprise that evolved through changing times of war, industrialization and mass production. Although she is most famous for her business success, it would be incorrect to think of her only as an entrepreneur. She was a true visionary who paved the way for future generations of businesswomen. She was a mother and a great-grandmother. She built and decorated homes, gave parties, and was involved in charitable causes. Toward the end of her life at the age of 89, Barbe-Nicole wrote to a great-grandchild, “The world is in perpetual motion, and we must invent the things of tomorrow. One must go before others, be determined and exacting, and let your intelligence direct your life. Act with audacity. Perhaps you too will be famous.”
Wine Fall Practices - Semester End Potluck
"What though youth gave love and roses....age still leaves us friends and wine." - Thomas Moore
Pellenc Site Visit
On Dec 9 our Vineyard Management class took a field trip to Pellenc (pronounced peLANc) in Guerneville. Made me want to learn how to drive a tractor - cool stuff! Summary and pics follow...
Pellenc USA
SiteVisit Pellenc USA
On December 9, 2010, we visited Pellenc America, Inc. at 3171 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa. Our gracious host was Lance Vande Hoef, Sales Representative. Pellenc is a leading manufacturer of vineyard and winery equipment. Owner and founder Roger Pellenc started in France in 1973 with sickle bar trimmers for grape growers and launched his first harvesting machines in 1992. Today the company produces a wide range of viticulture machinery and equipment, including harvesting machines, sprayers, spreaders, pre-pruning machines, mechanical weeders, leaf removers, tying machines and electric trimmers and pruning shears. All of their main vineyard and winery equipment is manufactured in France and their hand tools are made in China. The Guerneville Road site is their hub for North America equipment sales, and their parent (head) office is located in Pertuis, France.
Lance began with a brief overview of his job function and history of the company, followed by an audio visual presentation of the different types of harvesting machines, interchangeable modules and optional equipment, and the exciting new technology in winery equipment. The different types of mechanical harvesting machines we saw included towed, traditional, and selective process, self-contained, over-the-row, multi-row and multi function. Lance also explained the various “attachments” or interchangeable modules that are available, which included the “sunflower” which does under-vine tilling; a multi-row weed sprayer; leaf puller; and pre-pruner. All of their products are amazing, and it’s easy to understand why they are so expensive; Lance indicated that an average cost for an over-the-row tractor with a picking head and sprayer attachment was $450-500,000. Most interesting for me was the presentation of Pellenc’s latest innovations in winery equipment – their Selectiv’Process Winery linear separator which separates and eliminates leaf and grape stalks (their replacement of the traditional destemmer), and Selectiv’ Process Vision sorter which selects grapes based on the winemaker’s objectives; they call it a “customized sorting process by artificial intelligence.” The incredible optical sorter can sort 2,000 grapes per second!
The trellis system that best complements their mechanical harvesters is VSP, and they build machines that can fit into rows as narrow as 4-1/2 feet; even though their harvesters weigh 17,000 pounds, vine root compaction is not an issue because the design of the machines places wheels in the row center, not over the roots; their machines are “hillside capable,” with an anti-tipping feature and the ability to accommodate as much as a 30% slope without slipping. I was also impressed with the demonstration of their electric pruning shears, which are not only labor-saving but also “healthy” in that they eliminate hand strain and workers’ comp issues. My only disappointment was the $1,855 price tag!
Lance was a great representative for Pellenc. He was very patient with questions and I felt that he gave us an extraordinary amount of his time to host our group. The message I took away from our visit is that “big changes are coming in the way fruit is managed from the vineyard to the winery” and Pellenc is going to lead the way with their experience, their ideas and the advanced technology they are capable of.
On December 9, 2010, we visited Pellenc America, Inc. at 3171 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa. Our gracious host was Lance Vande Hoef, Sales Representative. Pellenc is a leading manufacturer of vineyard and winery equipment. Owner and founder Roger Pellenc started in France in 1973 with sickle bar trimmers for grape growers and launched his first harvesting machines in 1992. Today the company produces a wide range of viticulture machinery and equipment, including harvesting machines, sprayers, spreaders, pre-pruning machines, mechanical weeders, leaf removers, tying machines and electric trimmers and pruning shears. All of their main vineyard and winery equipment is manufactured in France and their hand tools are made in China. The Guerneville Road site is their hub for North America equipment sales, and their parent (head) office is located in Pertuis, France.
Lance began with a brief overview of his job function and history of the company, followed by an audio visual presentation of the different types of harvesting machines, interchangeable modules and optional equipment, and the exciting new technology in winery equipment. The different types of mechanical harvesting machines we saw included towed, traditional, and selective process, self-contained, over-the-row, multi-row and multi function. Lance also explained the various “attachments” or interchangeable modules that are available, which included the “sunflower” which does under-vine tilling; a multi-row weed sprayer; leaf puller; and pre-pruner. All of their products are amazing, and it’s easy to understand why they are so expensive; Lance indicated that an average cost for an over-the-row tractor with a picking head and sprayer attachment was $450-500,000. Most interesting for me was the presentation of Pellenc’s latest innovations in winery equipment – their Selectiv’Process Winery linear separator which separates and eliminates leaf and grape stalks (their replacement of the traditional destemmer), and Selectiv’ Process Vision sorter which selects grapes based on the winemaker’s objectives; they call it a “customized sorting process by artificial intelligence.” The incredible optical sorter can sort 2,000 grapes per second!
The trellis system that best complements their mechanical harvesters is VSP, and they build machines that can fit into rows as narrow as 4-1/2 feet; even though their harvesters weigh 17,000 pounds, vine root compaction is not an issue because the design of the machines places wheels in the row center, not over the roots; their machines are “hillside capable,” with an anti-tipping feature and the ability to accommodate as much as a 30% slope without slipping. I was also impressed with the demonstration of their electric pruning shears, which are not only labor-saving but also “healthy” in that they eliminate hand strain and workers’ comp issues. My only disappointment was the $1,855 price tag!
Lance was a great representative for Pellenc. He was very patient with questions and I felt that he gave us an extraordinary amount of his time to host our group. The message I took away from our visit is that “big changes are coming in the way fruit is managed from the vineyard to the winery” and Pellenc is going to lead the way with their experience, their ideas and the advanced technology they are capable of.
Another typical Wine Fall Practices class...
What's everyone drinking?! No wonder this is my 
favorite class :-)
favorite class :-)
Vineyard Pruning/Techniques Class
I discovered I like to prune! There's something to be said for taking a SHARP pair of pruning shears in hand and attacking a vine with conviction - total feeling of control (praying all the time, you don't get carried away and kill the thing!)...fortunately, grape vines are hardy enough to withstand almost anything. The two classes I took covered head, cane and cordon pruning as well as techniques for pruning to promote vine balance. I got so excited over my early success (got an A in the class) that I announced to my teacher I wanted to get good enough to enter Sonoma County's Pruning Championship. She brought me back down to earth by telling me that even my classmate Eduardo, who can prune at a speed that makes me dizzy, would be left in the dust by those who have been doing it for 20-30 years. Well, I guess I have all the time in the world...
Budget - Term Project for Vineyard Mgmt Class
All I need now is a winning lottery ticket to make it happen!
Rosa Pedone
Vit 60 Fall 2010 - Vineyard Development Budget
F&O Vineyard AVA: Russian River Valley
2 Pug Lane Sebastopol CA 95472
Assumptions: This will be an owner-farmed small vine Pinot Noir vineyard, planted in 4 X 4 spacing to a 5-acre flat, bare site with uniform soil. There is a well on the property with pumping capacity of 25 gallons per minute @ 60 psi. Planned vineyard site is on a 7-acre parcel; there is an existing house and transit road(s) on the property.
13,615 vines of Pinot Noir - 2 different clones on low-vigor rootstock 420A - will be planted in two 2-1/2 acre blocks in high density, Burgundian style – less pounds per vine to attain higher quality fruit, but keeping yields up per acre. A vertical trellis system will direct shoot growth in an upright pattern, exposing the fruit to increased sunlight and air circulation.
Soil will be planted in Fall with a soil-building ground cover crop of beans, peas and vetch. Planting will take place the following Spring. Initial irrigation of new vines will start in May and last through September.
Minimal irrigation will be used, with a goal of eventually achieving 100% dry farming. Intent is to use no insecticides and minimally use organic fungicides when necessary. A small, specially-designed Italian tractor will be used in vine rows, which will use less fuel and create less pollution than standard-sized machinery.
Goal is to produce very high-quality Pinot Noir grapes that will be sold locally to small artisan winemakers.
This budget focuses on the initial costs of planning and site preparation, through actual planting and the first season of watering vines.
I couldn't get my spreadsheet to copy as it was onto this blog, but the total cost for my "fantasy" vineyard was $207,854 (vineyard permit $436; soil analysis & nematode testing @ 10,000/acre=$50,000; site preparation phase 1, planting cover crop $1,475; site preparation phase 2, ripping and installation of drip irrigation system and trellising @ $20,000/acre=$100,000; 13,615 vines @ $3.09 ea=$42,070; virus testing of vines @ $1/vine=$13,615; water to irrigate for 1st 5 months $258).
Sources:
Daniel Roberts, Ph.D., Integrated Winegrowing, Sebastopol, CA
LeBallister’s Seed & Fertilizers, Santa Rosa, CA
Luciani Pump Company, Healdsburg, CA
Nova Vines Nursery, Santa Rosa, CA
Sanchietti Farming LLC, Santa Rosa, CA
Small Vines Wines, Sebastopol, CA
Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner, Santa Rosa, CA
Wyatt Irrigation, Santa Rosa, CA
Rosa Pedone
Vit 60 Fall 2010 - Vineyard Development Budget
F&O Vineyard AVA: Russian River Valley
2 Pug Lane Sebastopol CA 95472
Assumptions: This will be an owner-farmed small vine Pinot Noir vineyard, planted in 4 X 4 spacing to a 5-acre flat, bare site with uniform soil. There is a well on the property with pumping capacity of 25 gallons per minute @ 60 psi. Planned vineyard site is on a 7-acre parcel; there is an existing house and transit road(s) on the property.
13,615 vines of Pinot Noir - 2 different clones on low-vigor rootstock 420A - will be planted in two 2-1/2 acre blocks in high density, Burgundian style – less pounds per vine to attain higher quality fruit, but keeping yields up per acre. A vertical trellis system will direct shoot growth in an upright pattern, exposing the fruit to increased sunlight and air circulation.
Soil will be planted in Fall with a soil-building ground cover crop of beans, peas and vetch. Planting will take place the following Spring. Initial irrigation of new vines will start in May and last through September.
Minimal irrigation will be used, with a goal of eventually achieving 100% dry farming. Intent is to use no insecticides and minimally use organic fungicides when necessary. A small, specially-designed Italian tractor will be used in vine rows, which will use less fuel and create less pollution than standard-sized machinery.
Goal is to produce very high-quality Pinot Noir grapes that will be sold locally to small artisan winemakers.
This budget focuses on the initial costs of planning and site preparation, through actual planting and the first season of watering vines.
I couldn't get my spreadsheet to copy as it was onto this blog, but the total cost for my "fantasy" vineyard was $207,854 (vineyard permit $436; soil analysis & nematode testing @ 10,000/acre=$50,000; site preparation phase 1, planting cover crop $1,475; site preparation phase 2, ripping and installation of drip irrigation system and trellising @ $20,000/acre=$100,000; 13,615 vines @ $3.09 ea=$42,070; virus testing of vines @ $1/vine=$13,615; water to irrigate for 1st 5 months $258).
Sources:
Daniel Roberts, Ph.D., Integrated Winegrowing, Sebastopol, CA
LeBallister’s Seed & Fertilizers, Santa Rosa, CA
Luciani Pump Company, Healdsburg, CA
Nova Vines Nursery, Santa Rosa, CA
Sanchietti Farming LLC, Santa Rosa, CA
Small Vines Wines, Sebastopol, CA
Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner, Santa Rosa, CA
Wyatt Irrigation, Santa Rosa, CA
Lab Report - Term Project for Fall Practices Class
Rosa Pedone
Vit 51 Fall 2010
Fall Practices Lab Report
Background
Subject vineyard is Battaglini Winery, located at 2948 Piner Road, Santa Rosa, CA. This family-owned-and-operated vineyard and winery produces Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Chardonnay wines. Their old Zin vines are 125 years old. The vineyard was first planted in 1885 with Zinfandel and Petite Sirah grapes; the Battaglini family has owned it since 1988, and they added Chardonnay in 1996. Vigneron Giuseppe (“Joe”) Battaglini uses old world methods, including dry farming and no chemicals. He also allows all of his wines to go through natural fermentation with no added yeasts. They make 2,500 cases of wine each year.
Observations
The vineyard consists of 30.4 acres, of which 25 are planted to grapes. It includes seven blocks of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah and two blocks of Chardonnay grapes. For this report, observations were made in Block 1 – cultivar planted is Zinfandel, and the rootstock is Primitivo and/or St. George. Vines are planted in old world “bush” style with no trellising and 8 X 8 spacing. Yield is typically 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 tons/acre.
Fall Vineyard Practices
Fall practices are outlined on the timeline on page 3. In addition to regular monitoring for Brix and pH levels once veraison has begun, they are also observing stem color and tasting (seeds as well). Prior to veraison, from pre-bloom and through fruit set, canopy management (leaf removal) is done to minimize mildew problems – in addition, they spray with “Elevate” stylet oil to control botrytis.
The Zinfandel in Block 1 was harvested on November 1st. It had a Brix of 27 and a pH of 3.63.
Effectiveness of Performed Practices/Timing
In a better year and under more normal circumstances, the vineyard practices performed at Battaglini would have been effective for the style of wines they produce. As was the case, however, with a wet spring, cool summer, and unanticipated heat spikes in September that drove temperatures upwards of 100 degrees, Battaglini experienced some major problems – while their canopy management and spraying did minimize the mildew, overexposure of the fruit to unexpected high temperatures resulted in a considerable amount of sunburn and raisining. This scenario was further complicated by a lot of rain in late October which pushed their harvest to a later date than they would have liked. Mr. Battaglini reported that, as a result, their Zinfandel harvest was only about 60% of last year’s crop.
Recommendations for Practices/Timing Improvements
As Mr. Battaglini has been farming and making wine for over 50 years, I don’t feel I have enough expertise at this point to make any recommendations to him. I am sure that his vineyard management practices are based on his experience of what has or has not worked for him, and as I have tasted his wines, I cannot say that anything I can suggest to him would make them any better! Because he uses ‘old world’ methods with no chemicals or irrigation, his practices are simple and few. He does not have an insect problem of any consequence, due to the fact his vines don’t develop huge canopy systems, so there is no need for pest treatment.
There is only one suggestion I would make that would be an improvement, and that would be to plant some cover crops in the vineyard. At present, the only ground cover consists of weeds, and although they are mowed down to a certain level, they seem not to add anything. Cover crops would not only add some diversity to the soil, they would help with the dust (and resultant mud when it rains), reduce erosion, and be an aesthetic improvement. The drawback, of course, would be the expense of planting and the need to irrigate.
Vit 51 Fall 2010
Fall Practices Lab Report
Background
Subject vineyard is Battaglini Winery, located at 2948 Piner Road, Santa Rosa, CA. This family-owned-and-operated vineyard and winery produces Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Chardonnay wines. Their old Zin vines are 125 years old. The vineyard was first planted in 1885 with Zinfandel and Petite Sirah grapes; the Battaglini family has owned it since 1988, and they added Chardonnay in 1996. Vigneron Giuseppe (“Joe”) Battaglini uses old world methods, including dry farming and no chemicals. He also allows all of his wines to go through natural fermentation with no added yeasts. They make 2,500 cases of wine each year.
Observations
The vineyard consists of 30.4 acres, of which 25 are planted to grapes. It includes seven blocks of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah and two blocks of Chardonnay grapes. For this report, observations were made in Block 1 – cultivar planted is Zinfandel, and the rootstock is Primitivo and/or St. George. Vines are planted in old world “bush” style with no trellising and 8 X 8 spacing. Yield is typically 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 tons/acre.
Fall Vineyard Practices
Fall practices are outlined on the timeline on page 3. In addition to regular monitoring for Brix and pH levels once veraison has begun, they are also observing stem color and tasting (seeds as well). Prior to veraison, from pre-bloom and through fruit set, canopy management (leaf removal) is done to minimize mildew problems – in addition, they spray with “Elevate” stylet oil to control botrytis.
The Zinfandel in Block 1 was harvested on November 1st. It had a Brix of 27 and a pH of 3.63.
Effectiveness of Performed Practices/Timing
In a better year and under more normal circumstances, the vineyard practices performed at Battaglini would have been effective for the style of wines they produce. As was the case, however, with a wet spring, cool summer, and unanticipated heat spikes in September that drove temperatures upwards of 100 degrees, Battaglini experienced some major problems – while their canopy management and spraying did minimize the mildew, overexposure of the fruit to unexpected high temperatures resulted in a considerable amount of sunburn and raisining. This scenario was further complicated by a lot of rain in late October which pushed their harvest to a later date than they would have liked. Mr. Battaglini reported that, as a result, their Zinfandel harvest was only about 60% of last year’s crop.
Recommendations for Practices/Timing Improvements
As Mr. Battaglini has been farming and making wine for over 50 years, I don’t feel I have enough expertise at this point to make any recommendations to him. I am sure that his vineyard management practices are based on his experience of what has or has not worked for him, and as I have tasted his wines, I cannot say that anything I can suggest to him would make them any better! Because he uses ‘old world’ methods with no chemicals or irrigation, his practices are simple and few. He does not have an insect problem of any consequence, due to the fact his vines don’t develop huge canopy systems, so there is no need for pest treatment.
There is only one suggestion I would make that would be an improvement, and that would be to plant some cover crops in the vineyard. At present, the only ground cover consists of weeds, and although they are mowed down to a certain level, they seem not to add anything. Cover crops would not only add some diversity to the soil, they would help with the dust (and resultant mud when it rains), reduce erosion, and be an aesthetic improvement. The drawback, of course, would be the expense of planting and the need to irrigate.
Monday, December 6, 2010
A lot to catch up on...
Wow, looks like I haven't posted in almost a month! Some of you were getting a bit restless out there....in my defense, in addition to attending class and a big ol' test on the wines of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, and Germany (yikes!) I have been very busy with THREE term projects, all due this week or next, and I have to admit that I procrastinated in getting started on them!
First project was a term paper, "The Story of Veuve Cliquot Champagne" - it's actually the story of the woman who built the famous French champage house, and is credited with perfecting the technique called remuage (riddling), which forever changed the way champagne was made - in short, it is the process of turning bottles to collect sediment on the cork, which can then be removed (degorgement) before the bottle is topped off and resealed with a new cork. I decided on this as my topic after reading the book "The Widow Cliquot", a gift from my friend Joyce.
My second project was a "lab report" done by making observations in a specific vineyard over a period of months, from veraison (when grapes are softening and turning in color) through ripening and harvest. My subject vineyard was an old vine Zinfandel vineyard belonging to Battaglini Estate Winery, and thanks go to vigneron Joe Battaglini for his permission to traipse around in his vineyard, as well as the background information he supplied.
My last project is still in the works, and I left it for last because it was the one I dreaded most doing - a budget for a hypothetical vineyard operation. I chose to use as my "fantasy" vineyard one based on the Burgundian concept of "small vines" - high density planting of low vigor rootstock of a Pinot Noir cultivar. I am getting some assistance from a local small vine vineyard, and boy do I need the help! Even the simple idea of creating a budget just to establish such a vineyard, and maybe take it through the first year of growth, has turned out to be so much more complicated that I imagined. Oh well, it's a learning process, that's really the whole point of it.
Other than the above, we did have an interesting field trip to the Clos du Bois winery in Geyserville, which I'll post some notes on with pictures I took. And two "weekend" classes on pruning grapevines, which I really liked. Have some pictures of that too, so I'll get those up shortly.
Two more weeks until the semester ends and then I have a month off before Spring classes begin in January.
First project was a term paper, "The Story of Veuve Cliquot Champagne" - it's actually the story of the woman who built the famous French champage house, and is credited with perfecting the technique called remuage (riddling), which forever changed the way champagne was made - in short, it is the process of turning bottles to collect sediment on the cork, which can then be removed (degorgement) before the bottle is topped off and resealed with a new cork. I decided on this as my topic after reading the book "The Widow Cliquot", a gift from my friend Joyce.
My second project was a "lab report" done by making observations in a specific vineyard over a period of months, from veraison (when grapes are softening and turning in color) through ripening and harvest. My subject vineyard was an old vine Zinfandel vineyard belonging to Battaglini Estate Winery, and thanks go to vigneron Joe Battaglini for his permission to traipse around in his vineyard, as well as the background information he supplied.
My last project is still in the works, and I left it for last because it was the one I dreaded most doing - a budget for a hypothetical vineyard operation. I chose to use as my "fantasy" vineyard one based on the Burgundian concept of "small vines" - high density planting of low vigor rootstock of a Pinot Noir cultivar. I am getting some assistance from a local small vine vineyard, and boy do I need the help! Even the simple idea of creating a budget just to establish such a vineyard, and maybe take it through the first year of growth, has turned out to be so much more complicated that I imagined. Oh well, it's a learning process, that's really the whole point of it.
Other than the above, we did have an interesting field trip to the Clos du Bois winery in Geyserville, which I'll post some notes on with pictures I took. And two "weekend" classes on pruning grapevines, which I really liked. Have some pictures of that too, so I'll get those up shortly.
Two more weeks until the semester ends and then I have a month off before Spring classes begin in January.
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