Update from the Vineyard

Take a good look at this photo.  Notice the leaves on the ground?  Have you ever wondered why they do this?

This activity in the vineyard is called "canopy management" and serves many purposes as explained in this quote: "The purpose of leaf removal is to open up the interior of the canopy to light and air to help promote fruit ripening, reduce disease pressure and increase spray coverage. If conducted correctly, the benefits to grape quality can be dramatic as exposure can enhance fruit and wine flavor, color and wine texture."

The point of all this is to produce the tastiest grapes from that vine.  When water is plentiful the vines make more leaves, but we don't want that.  If the vines are happily making leaves they are neglecting their fruit.  By pruning the extra canopy growth the vineyard manager is forcing the vines to get serious about the grapes which is all about improving the taste!

Why Wine Makes Us Happy

While a bit of alcohol can make us "happy",  the real mystery of wine is that it is in the aromas that wine gives off that the true experience of wine comes thru. 

Grape skins contain hundreds of compounds (phenols) that mimic many aromas found in Nature.  Wine then becomes a complex memory recall beverage.

For instance, many of us have a sensory memory of walking along a country road and eating black berries off the bush.  Yum!  So when I "get" black berries aromas in wine, I get a smile on my face.  I have made a connection between my own experiences in Nature and the wine I am tasting today.  Now if you add in some good friends and a beautiful setting (Say, on one of my wine tours!) you are making another great memory.

Finally, when you have a chance to taste that wine you just had at a latter date, you create a circle of happy memories.  Moral of the story is to listen to your past while in the present with your wine so you can find better times in the future.

Relax, it's only Wine

Really!  Lighten up!  Wine can just be fun.  The day you trust your own taste buds and not worry what the "experts" tell you what to drink, is the day Wine becomes a playful thing.

Thankfully wine tasting is a subjective activity.  You "get" blackberries in your taste and your friend "gets" cherries.  Guess what, you're both right!  Isn't that a relief?!

Many wineries these days advertise the various "scores" they get for their wines.  "95 points Pinot Noir."  I would warn against putting too much stock in these numbers.  First of all, these numbers are meant as advertising in that they want you to buy the wines with great numbers.  The problem is that these reviews are one person's take on that wine and not meant as gospel.  They have their opition and you have yours...you're both right.

I'd rather not know if a wine is a "95" and let me discover its worth to my own taste buds without the "suggestion" that this has to be a great wine.  Always start with an even playing field.