Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Visiting Charles Dressel and his Mount Pleasant Winery in Missouri

Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Charles Dressel, President, at Mount Pleasant Winery in Missouri

Mount Pleasant Winery, in Augusta, is one of the oldest wineries of Missouri. George Muench, who came to the area with his brother, Frederick, from Germany, founded Mount Pleasant Winery in 1859. Built from the wood and abundant limestone of the area, the winery and cellars were completed in 1881.

I visited Mount Pleasant Winery recently with fellow participants of the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri. DrinkLocalWine.com – which is about is about spotlighting wine made in the 47 States of the US that are not one of the big three: California, Washington State, and Oregon - held its third annual conference on April 1-3, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri. I have provided an overview about the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri here. One of the highlights of the conference was the DLW 2011 Missouri Twitter Taste-off; 20 wineries participated with 2 wines each. I have provided a general overview about the wine producing State of Missouri here. Missouri is relying heavily on French American hybrid grapes; I have written about it here. Interestingly, the first American AVA was the Augusta AVA in Missouri; see here. This is the first of the final three postings about 3 Missouri winemakers: Montelle Winery, Mount Pleasant Winery and Sugar Creek Vineyards and Winery.

Wine Producer Missouri

Missouri produces top-flight wine, although it does so with few European (vitis vinifera) grapes – such as Chardonnay or Merlot - in sight. Missouri’s more than 100 wineries specialize in French-American hybrid grapes and native American grapes like Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, and Norton - the latter one being the most prominent Missouri-grown variety. The State’s climate is harsh and humid and vinifera grapes have a hard time to thrive under these conditions, although recently there has been more interest in planting vinifera grape varieties.

Picture: Map of Missouri

Missouri’s wine history dates to the 1830s, when German immigrants established Hermann and the Missouri River as one of the main viticulture areas in the US, growing the American grapes that they found there when they arrived, including Norton. 50 years later, more wine was produced in Missouri than in any other State in the US. But then came Prohibition and brought Missouri’s wine industry to a halt. However, Missouri’s wine industry came back, starting in the 1960, in particular after French American hybrid grapes became available. Indeed, the Augusta AVA in Missouri is the first AVA (gaining the status on June 20, 1980, eight months before the Napa Valley AVA).

Today, Missouri has more than 1,400 acres planted in grapes and more than 100 wineries. Missouri is again a serious wine producer, relying heavily on French American Hybrids when it comes to quality wines. However, overall, Missouri has become a small player, accounting for less than 0.5% of total production in the US.

Mount Pleasant Winery

Mount Pleasant Winery was founded in 1859 by George Muench and his brother, Frederick, from Germany. The original cellars were completed in 1881 and were built from the wood and abundant limestone in the area. When Prohibition hit in 1920, the winery was forced to close and all of the vines were removed. In 1966, the winery was reopened; it was one of only two wineries in the State at that time. In 1980, the Augusta Appellation was created and became America’s first AVA.

Pictures: Mount Pleasant Winery in Missouri with Founder George Muench (top picture)

Today, Mount Pleasant is the largest grower of grapes in the Augusta AVA with over 60,000 vines on 85 acres with 16 diffferent gape varieties. These include Chardonnay and the Bordeaux varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, but these vinifera grapes account for just a fraction of the total, not exceeding 5,000 vines. Mount Pleasant Winery relies heavily on French American hybrid grapes, including Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Rayon d'Or, Vignoles, St. Vincent, Chambourcin, Couderc, Chardonnel and Cynthiana, as the other wineries in Missouri I visited.

Wine Portfolio

Mount Pleasant produces a variety of red and white table wines, with semi-dry, dry, and sweet styles. It also produces fortified wine (using the "port wine" designation) and sparkling wine.

Pictures: The Wines of Mount Pleasant Winery

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Visiting Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery in Missouri

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Visiting Tony Kooyumjian and his Montelle Winery in Missouri


Pictures: Christian G.E.Schiller with Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery

Montelle Winery is located atop Osage Ridge just one and a half miles east of Augusta, Missouri. It commands a magnificent view of the Missouri river, the village of Augusta and the surrounding farms and vineyards. The present owner, Tony Kooyumjian, acquired the winery in 1998.

I visited Montelle Winery recently with fellow participants of the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri. DrinkLocalWine.com – which is about is about spotlighting wine made in the 47 States of the US that are not one of the big three: California, Washington State, and Oregon - held its third annual conference on April 1-3, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri. I have provided an overview about the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri here. One of the highlights of the conference was the DLW 2011 Missouri Twitter Taste-off; 20 wineries participated with 2 wines each. I have provided a general overview about the wine producing State of Missouri here. Missouri is relying heavily on French American hybrid grapes; I have written about it here. Interestingly, the first American AVA was the Augusta AVA in Missouri; see here. This is the first of the final three postings about 3 Missouri winemakers: Montelle Winery, Mount Pleasant Winery and Sugar Creek Vineyards and Winery.

Wine Producer Missouri

Missouri produces top-flight wine, although it does so with few European (vitis vinifera) grapes – such as Chardonnay or Merlot - in sight. Missouri’s more than 100 wineries specialize in French-American hybrid grapes and native American grapes like Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, and Norton - the latter one being the most prominent Missouri-grown variety. The State’s climate is harsh and humid and vinifera grapes have a hard time to thrive under these conditions, although recently there has been more interest in planting vinifera grape varieties.

Missouri’s wine history dates to the 1830s, when German immigrants established Hermann and the Missouri River as one of the main viticulture areas in the US, growing the American grapes that they found there when they arrived, including Norton. 50 years later, more wine was produced in Missouri than in any other State in the US. But then came Prohibition and brought Missouri’s wine industry to a halt. However, Missouri’s wine industry came back, starting in the 1960, in particular after French American hybrid grapes became available. Indeed, the Augusta AVA in Missouri is the first federally approved AVA (gaining the status on June 20, 1980, eight months before the Napa Valley AVA).

Picture: Map of Missouri

Today, Missouri has more than 1,400 acres planted in grapes and more than 100 wineries. Missouri is again a serious wine producer, relying heavily on French American Hybrids when it comes to quality wines. However, overall, Missouri has become a small player, accounting for less than 0.5% of total production in the US.

Montelle Winery

Montelle Vineyards is a very scenic winery, apparently the most scenic in area. The view from the large patio is gorgeous, so the best is visiting on a beautiful spring or fall day when you can marvel at the rolling hills and beautiful colors of the rural land around you. “In the high season and with good weather, we have up to 1500 people coming through during a day” said Tony.


Pictures: Montelle Winery

The Augusta region was nationally known for its wine during the 19th century, but Prohibition halted the state’s winemaking for decades. Then, in the late 1960s and early1970s, a few pioneering souls began to refurbish the old vineyards and winery buildings. One of these pioneers was Clayton Byers, who founded Montelle Vineyards in 1970; it was the third winery in Missouri to open up again. The winery was later purchased in 1998 by present owner and wine maker Tony Kooyumjian.

Montelle Vineyards is located in the Augusta AVA. “It is our mission to produce wines that exemplify the uniqueness of this eleven square mile area” said Tony Kooyumjian.

Winemaker and Owner Tony Kooyumjian

Tony Kooyumjian is a third generation vineyard owner and grape grower. His grandmother immigrated to California from (Turkish) Armenia in 1915 and established a vineyard in San Joaquin Valley, which she operated with her son until 1960. Tony initially decided to choose a career other than grape growing; he became a pilot.
While working as a pilot, Tony’s appreciation of wines, along with a statewide resurgence in interest to reestablish the Missouri wine industry, lead him to reopen the old Weprich Winery in St. Charles; his first vintage was 1980.


Pictures: Tony Kooyumjian at Montelle Winery

In 1988 Tony moved to Augusta and established the Augusta Winery in the center of the town. In 1998 he purchased the Montelle Winery. In 2001, Tony made the decision to retire early from the airlines and devote all of his energy to producing fine wines in Missouri. Although he never received a formal education in Enology, Tony attended numerous short courses at various Universities and read and researched the subject extensively.

The Wine Portfolio

Montelle Vineyards has achieved recognition for its dry and semi-dry table wines. These wines include Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles and red wines such as Chambourcin and Cynthiana (Norton). Montelle Vineyards are also noted for dessert (Port and Icewines) and fruit wines. The fruit wines include blackberry and raspberry fruit wines. In addition, Montelle is also the first winery in Missouri with a distillery. It produces four kinds of brandy: apple, peach, cherry and grape grappa).


Pictures: The Wines of Montelle Winery

Montelle Vineyards produces 40.000 cases annually. Half of it is sold on the premise, the remainder in Missouri and neighboring States.

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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

French American Hybrid Grapes - Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc and Others

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller at Sugar Creek Vineyards & Winery in Missouri with Winemaker Chris Lorch

Vitis Vinifera, Vitis Aestivalis, Vitis Labrusac and Other Grape Varieties

When I am in a wine store in Washington DC or Frankfurt am Main, I absolutely never see any Villard Blanc, Seyval Blanc or Chardonel in the shelves. It is always Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, to name a few. This should not come as a surprise because the latter are all vitis vinifera or so-called European grapes, indigenous in the Eurasian area and vitis vinifera grapes are without any doubt the best in the world for fine table wine. But there are other grape varities in the world, although the world wine market is dominated by European grapes, accounting for 90% of the market: Vitis aestivalis, native to eastern North America, Vitis rupestris, native to North America, Vitis riparia, native to northeastern North America, Vitis amurensis, the Asiatic grape variety, native to Siberia and China, Vitis rotundifolia, native to the southern half of the United States and Vitis labrusca, native to northeastern North America. Concord and Niagara are two prominent domesticated offshoots of this species.

Picture: Chardonel from Chaumette Vineyards and Winery

But Villard Blanc, Syval Blanc and Chardonel do not belong to the non-vinifera grape varities. What are they? They are French American hybrid grapes.

French American Hybrid Grapes and Missouri

Hybrid grapes are grape varieties that are the product of a crossing of two or more Vitis species. This is in contrast to intra vitis species crossings, typically between vVitis vinifera grapes. French American hybrid grapes are crossings with both European and American vitis species involved.

Picture: Vignoles, Chambourcin and Seyval Blanc from Montelle Winery

Importantly, the French American hybrid grapes have stronger winter hardiness and are more resistant to fungal diseases, which is a great advantage for a region like Missouri. Therefore, in Missouri – and in other States of the US – you find a lot of French American hybrid grapes. Indeed, the revival of the Missouri wine industry relies on French American hybrid grapes, – along with Norton, an all American hybrid grape.

When the German settlers arrived in Missouri in the 1800s and started to grow wine, they did this with the native American grapes varieties they found in Missouri. So, before prohibition, when Missouri was a dominant wine producer in the US, Missouri produced its wine with American grapes, like Concord and Norton. Then came the phylloxera crisis (grape root louse) to Europe in the 1860s and biologists fought to rescue European winemaking. One route they went was crossing the European grapes with American grapes. They developed what is now called French American hybrid grapes. These try to combine the elegance of the European grapes with the robustness of the American grapes. Eventually, Europe went the way of grafting European grape vines on American rootstocks, which solved its problem, but at the same time these French American hybrid grapes came into existence.

French Amereican Hybrid Grapes and Organic/Biodynamic/Natural Winemaking in Europe

French American hybrids have also become a renewed focus in the context of the organic/biodynamic/natural wine movement in Europe, as chemical plant protection treatments can be cut back considerably. The recently developed varieties Rondo and Regent are examples of newer hybrid grape varieties for European viticulturalists. Regent now accounts for 2 percent of Germany wine production. See more here.

Picture: Chambourcin from Sugar Creek Vineyards and Winery

French American Hybrid Grape Varieties in Missouri

Chambourcin - Its parentage is uncertain; it is one of the parents of the new disease resistant variety, Regent, which is increasing in popularity among German grape growers. See here. Andrew Meggitt, executive winemaker, St. James Winery said: “Chambourcin is much less fragile than Norton.”

Seyval Blanc – One of the first French American hybrid grapes; is popular in England and the Finger Lakes region. “When I started to grow Seyval Blanc, 80% of the wines were fermented in a sweet style at my winery; now it is the opposite” said winemaker/owner Tony Kooyumjian of Montelle Winery and Augusta Winery.

Chardonel - Is a late ripening white wine hybrid grape, developed in New York State as a crossing of Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay.

Traminette - Developed by Cornell University; Gewürztraminer is one of its parents; a rather new grape variety.

Vignoles – Popular in the Finger Lakes region and along the Missouri River; another very aromatic grape variety. "Lends itself well to a slightly sweet wine.” said Tony Kooyumjian.

Picture: Marechal Foch and Chardonel from The White Rose Winery

Marechal Foch – Developed by the Alsatian Eugene Kuhlmann in France.

Vidal Blanc - Cory Bomgaars, head winemaker, Les Bourgeois Vineyards said: “This is one of my favorites. It is such a workhorse. And I do not see the volume affecting the flavor.”

Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri

I learned all the above at the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri. DrinkLocalWine.com – which is about is about spotlighting wine made in the 47 States of the US that are not one of the big three: California, Washington State, and Oregon - held its third annual conference on April 1-3, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri, and I was very happy to be able to participate in it.

I have provided an overview about the Drink Local Wine Conference 2011 in Missouri here. One of the highlights of the conference was the DLW 2011 Missouri Twitter Taste-off; 20 wineries participated with 2 wines each. See here. I have provided a general overview about the wine producing State of Missouri here and have written about the Augusta AVA - the oldest American Viticultural Areas.

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Norton and Other Wines of Chrysalis Vinhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifyards in Virginia

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Monday, June 13, 2011

Decanter 2011 Wine Power List: I am – With my Fellow Amateur Wine Bloggers Around the World – # 16 on the List


Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Fellow Wine Bloggers Panos Kakaviatos (above) and Dirk Wuertz (below)

Decanter Wine Power List 2011

The British Wine Journal Decanter just released the Decanter Wine Power List 2011 – the 50 most influential people in the wine world 9althought I counted only 49) And I am on it!! With my fellow bloggers around the world, the Amateur Wine Blogger made its first appearance at number 16.

Here is the list.

1. Pierre Pringuet (France) - the 60-year-old executive presides over the world’s fourth biggest wine company, Pernod Ricard, owner of brands from Champagne Mumm and Perrier-Jouet to Jacob’s Creek and New Zealand’s Brancott Estate. Pernod Ricard spans both the mass-market and premium end of the global wine market.
2. Eric de Rothschild (France) – he has looked after the portfolio of Domaines Barons de Rothschild for 37 years. He has shot up from number 20 2 years ago on the basis of Chateau Lafite’s huge influence in China
3. Robert Parker (US)
4. Mel Dick (US) – Senior Vice President of Southern Wines and Spirits (Distributor)
5. Robert Sands (US) – President of Constellation Brands
6. Annette Alvarez-Peters (US) - Wine Buying Director, Costco
7. Don St Pierre Jr. (China) of ASC Fine Wines
8. Wu Fei (China) - Chairman and General Manager of Chinese giant Cofco
9. Eduardo Guilisasti (Chile) - CEO, Concha y Toro, largest wine producer in Latin America
10. Jancis Robinson (UK) – wine critic of the Financial Times
11. Bernard Arnault (France) - LVMH Chief, owner of Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau d'Yquem, controlling stakes in Dior Couture, Tag Heuer, De Beers, Louis Vuitton
12. Nobutada Saji of Suntory
13. Steven Spurrier
14. Dan Jago (UK) - head of Tesco's Wine, Beer and Spirits division
15. Gina Gallo (US, Winemaker)
16. The amateur wine blogger – first appearance on the list
17. Robert Shum of Aussino
18. Michel Rolland (France) - consulting winemaker
19. Pierre Castel (France) - owner of Groupe Castel
20. Tony Laithwaite (UK) - owner of the largest specialist home delivery wine business in the world
21. Marvin Shanken
22. Miguel Torres
23. Sylvie Cazes (France) - President of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux and MD of Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
24. Gary Vaynerchuk (US, Web 2.0 Leader)
25. Jean-Charles Boisset
26. Jeannie Cho Lee MW (Asia, Wine Critic)
27. Simon Berry (UK) - Chairman of Berry Bros. and Rudd
28. Hugh Johnson (UK)
29. Peter Gago (Australia, Penfolds Winemaker)
30. Aubert de Villaine
31. John Kapon (US) - CEO of Acker Merrall & Condit, the largest wine auction house in the world and America's oldest fine wine merchant
32. Ch’ng Poh Tiong (China) - Publisher of The Wine Review (South-East Asia’s oldest wine magazine, since 1991), and the world’s first annual Guide to Bordeaux in Chinese
33. Stéphane Derenoncourt
34. Piero Antinori
35. Ghislain de Montgolfier (France) - Head of Bollinger
36. Denis Dubourdieu
37. Eric Levine (US, Web 2.0 Leader)
38. Gary Boom (UK) - MD of fine wine merchant Bordeaux Index
39. Allen Meadows (US) - American wine critic (Bourgogne)
40. Mathieu Chadronnier
41. Michael Hill Smith MW (Australia_ - winemaker, judge and consultant
42. Serena Sutcliffe MW (UK) - head of Sotheby's international wine department
43. Pierre-Marie Guillaume
44. Nicolas Joly (France) - one of the leading biodynamic winegrowers (Loire)
45. Frédéric Rouzaud (France) - CEO of Champagne Louis Roederer
46. Nicolás Catena (Argentina) - winemaker
47. Yasuhisa Hirose (Japan) – owner of Enoteca, Japan's best-known chain of wine shops
48. Pedro Parra (Chile) - winemaking consultant
49. Lorenzo Bencistà-Falorni
50.

Who Will be on the Decanter Wine Power List 2013?

I am an economist by training and view things pretty much from an economic perspective, including the global wine market. In the world, there is a dramatic shift in purchasing power going on and will continue to go on, with implications for the global wine market. Within the past 40 years, the shares of the three main regions --- EU, USA and Asia/Oceania --- in world GDP have converged to around 27 percent, with the US going steady, the EU falling by roughly 10 percentage points and the Asia/Oceania region increasing by this amount. If you do a trend projection, than you end up, say in 40 years, with something like on the left-hand axe, with the only difference that the top line at above 35% is Asia/Oceania and the line in the middle at 15% is Europe.

Picture: Trends in World GDP Shares, from Greg Mankiw's Blog

This is in broad terms the economic set up for the global village in which people consume and produce wine. Often, one distinguishes two groups of wine countries, Old World wine countries and New World Wine countries, but I think one should add a third category, Emerging Wine countries.

Here is Decanter's list of names to look out for in 2013, when the next Wine Power List will appear, reflecting the trends seen in the main list, and expected to proliferate over the next two years. Editor Guy Woodward earmarked three major trends in this year's list: the rise of Asia, the empowerment of the consumer and the increasing diversity of the wine world.

Ian Harris (UK) – Wine and Spirit Education Trust
Eric Asimov (US) – New York Times
Simon Tam (China) – Christie’s Manager in Hong Kong
Debra Meiburg MW
Ryan Anderson Opaz – European Wine Bloggers Conference
Bill Foley (US) – Foley Family Wines
Bruno Paillard (France) – Champagne producer

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

In the Glass: 3 Easy Drinking Wines from the Soave Region in Italy

Picture: 2010 Runaris, Soave Classico DOC, Societa Agricola Fattori (12,5% alc., cork);2009, Si Soave, Soave DOC, Invino (12,5% alc, screp cap, the wine is packaged in a very odd bottle); 2009 Re Midas, Soave DOC, Cantina di Soave (12% alc., screw cap)

When I used to live in Zagreb, Croatia, we basically had two options for going back to Germany to visit the family and friends: via Austria or via Italy. We would alternate and take advantage of getting to know different regions that lie between Zagreb in Croatia and Frankfurt am Main in Germany. On the Italian route, Venice was always a place high on the list for possible stops. And this was the region, where, among other wines, a Soave was often served, when you had lunch or dinner at a Trattoria, a Pizzeria or an Osteria. Soave wines tend to be easy drinking, fun wines for very day consumption. This is also the case for the three wines I am reviewing in this blog.

This posting is part of the WeinRallye, a monthly blog event in Germany. Participating wine bloggers - mainly in Germany - are all releasing postings today under the heading "Bread and Butter Wines”. Weinrallye is the brainchild of Thomas Lippert, a winemaker and wine blogger based in Heidelberg, Germany. The first wine rally took place in 2007. Thomas Lippert is the author of the wine blog Winzerblog. This month's wine rally is organized by the WeinReich-Blog.

Italian Wine

Italy is home of some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Etruscans and Greek settlers produced wine in the country long before the Romans started developing their own vineyards. Two thousand years later, Italy is – with France and Spain – one of the 3 leading wine producers in the world, accounting for about 20% of world wine production. Italians also lead the world in wine consumption by volume, 59 liters per capita, compared with 8 liters per capita in the US. Wine is grown in almost every region of the country.

There are several hundreds of indigenous grapes in Italy. Here are the most famous ones.

Red: Sangiovese is Italy's claim to fame, the pride of Tuscany. It produces Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. Nebbiolo is the most noble of Italy's varietals. Nebbiolo is difficult to master, but produces the renowned Barolo and Barbaresco. Montepulciano - The grape of this name is not to be confused with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano; it is most widely planted on the opposite coast in Abruzzo. Barbera is the most widely grown red wine grape of Piedmont and Southern Lombardy, most famously around the towns of Asti and Alba, and Pavia. Corvina - Along with the varietals Rondinella and Molinara, this is the principal grape which makes the famous red wines of the Veneto: Valpolicella and Amarone. Nero d'Avola - Nearly unheard of in the international market until recent years, this native varietal of Sicily is gaining attention for its plummy fruit and sweet tannins. Dolcetto - A grape that grows alongside Barbera and Nebbiolo in Piedmont; a wine for everyday drinking.

Picture: 2010 Runaris, Soave Classico DOC, Societa Agricola Fattori (12,5% alc., cork)

White: Trebbiano - Behind Cataratto (which is made for industrial jug wine), this is the most widely planted white varietal in Italy. It is grown throughout the country. Moscato is grown mainly in Piedmont and used in the slightly-sparkling (frizzante), semi-sweet Moscato d'Asti. Pinot Grigio - A hugely successful commercial grape, known as Pinot Gris in France and Grauburgunder in Germany. Produces crisp and clean wines. Typically mass-produced wine in Italy. Arneis - A crisp and floral varietal from Piedmont, which has been grown there since the 15th century. Garganega - The main grape varietal for wines labeled Soave, this is a crisp, dry white wine from the Veneto wine region.

The Soave Zone


Soave is a white wine produced in the surrounding area of the fascinating middle age village of Soave, between the picturesque cities of Venice and Verona in the eastern part of the province of Verona in Italy’s Veneto region.

The majority of the vineyards are in the hills. Beautiful centuries-old castles, churches, bell towers, and aristocratic villas are all part of the rich history and traditions of this area, and indicative of the region’s principal product, Soave wines. There are about 3000 growers and 120 wineries, ranging from boutique producers making wine from tiny plots to a few large cooperatives, which make credible wine at attractive prices.

Picture: 2009, Si Soave, Soave DOC, Invino (12,5% alc, screp cap, the wine is packaged in a very odd bottle)

Soave has developed a reputation of producing simple, crisp which pair very well with Italian but also other food. Soave wines tend to have low acid. It is one of the top selling wines in Italy, exported all over the world.

The prevailing grape is the Garganega, the fifth most planted white grape in Italy. Soave must contain at least 70 percent of Garganega, and the rest can be Trebbiano, but Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco are also allowed.

Classification of Soave Wines


All Soave wines – as all Italian wines – belong to one of the following 4 quality levels.

(1) Vino da Tavola (VDT): A very basic wine, made for local consumption; the bottle label does not indicate the region or grape variety. This is the wine you typically get served in a Pizzeria or Trattoria in Italy, when you ask for the “house wine”. Simple, cheap and decent. I can tell, sitting late in the evening at a Piazza in Soave and eating Pizza with a Vino da Tavola, served in a 1 liter jug, is just great.

(2) Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT): Wines that are considered to be of higher quality than simple table wines, but which do not conform to DOC and DOCG regulations. In the case of Soave, the label would only indicate the region, Veneto. So, you would not recognize it as a Soave. Sometimes, these are premium wines of winemakers who dropped the DOC designation and instead carry the broader Veneto IGT designation, allowing them to try to improve quality by using nontraditional grapes, blends, viticultural practices or vinification techniques that are not included in DOC and DOCG standards.

(3) Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC). Soave is currently the largest DOC appellation in Italy, with 15,500 acres of vines. All the 3 wines tasted are DOC wines.

The Runaris from Societa Agricola Fattori is a Soave Classico DOC. Classico indicates that the wine is from the “classical zone” around the villages of Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone, like the well-know Chinti Classico. Soave Colli Scaligeri DOC is wine made from grapes grown in the hills outside the classical zone. Wines made with grapes grown outside the classical zone and the Colli Scaligery are labeled as Soave DOC.

(4) Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). DOCG wines are a tick higher in terms of quality requirements than DOC wines (maximum yield for example), which is the highest category in Italy's wine-classification system. About 13,000 acres of vine of the 15,500 acres of the DOC appellation also qualify for DOCG.

Picture: 2009 Re Midas, Soave DOC, Cantina di Soave (12% alc., screw cap)

In the Soave, there are 2 DOCG appellations: First, the Soave Superiore DOCG, which can come as Bianco (normale), Classico (from the classical zone) and Riserva (aged a minimum of two years). Second, there is Recioto di Soave DOCG, which can come as Bianco (normale), Classico (from the classical zone) and Spumante. These are sweet-style straw wines, where the grapes are dried indoors in open plastic containers for from four to six months, during which they lose over 50% of their moisture, followed by a long, slow fermentation, often in small barrels. Straw wines are typically sweet wines, capable of long life, but do not have to be sweet. For example, the straw wines from the blend of red wine grapes typical of Valpolicella can come as dry or sweet: If fermentation is complete, the result is a (dry) Amarone della Valpolicella; if fermentation is incomplete, the result is a (sweet) Recioto della Valpolicella. Fermentation may stop for several reasons including high alcohol.

Tasting Notes
All 3 Soave wines are very pleasant indeed, with crisp, dry, vibrant, somewhat intense tastes. They gave us what we like in an informal white wine: mouthwatering tastes with some complexity, a little bit of weight, some fruitiness but not too much and a finish with enough grounding that it tastes like wine, not water or lemon juice.

When it's time for a basic white wine, I'm usually happy with something from Italy. The price is generally affordable, they're not hard to find, and make a nice change of pace from the usual Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs.

The wines were provided by the Soave Consortium. The mission of the Soave Consortium is to promote Soave wines to the world and protect the quality of Soave wines through the development and administration of strict production guidelines. Currently, the Consortium oversees and administrates production for 90% of Soave producers cultivating over 16,000 acres of vineyards and producing 45 million liters of Soave wine per year. For more information, visit www.ilsoave.com.


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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

State Dinner at the White House: Chancellor Merkel Dined and Wined with President Obama - The Wines they Drank and the Wines they did not Drink

Picture: President Obama and the First Lady with Chancellor Merkel and Joachim Sauer, Angela Merkel's Husband (Source: White House Press)

When President Obama honors foreign guests with a State Dinner, he likes to serve American wines with some connection to the country where the guest comes from. When President Obama welcomed President Calderón of Mexico and Mrs. Margarita Zavala to the White House, the dinner had a Mexican soul, both the food and the wines. Two of the wines were made by Mexican-born American winemakers who worked their way up to become America’s best. Which wines did the President serve for Chancellor Merkel? And which wines did he not serve, but could have served?

Chancellor Merkel was in Washington DC for 28 hours. She arrived in the late afternoon of the June 6 and had a private dinner – alone - with the President at the Georgetown Restaurant 1789. Tuesday was filled with the official arrival ceremony, a bilateral meeting , a press conference with the two leaders and the state dinner in the evening. Immediately after the dinner, the delegation flew back to Germany after the dinner.

President Obama and Chancellor Merkel at Restaurant 1789 (Source: White House Press)

This was President Obama’s fourth State Dinner (China, India, Mexico) and third German guest of honor at a State Dinner at the White House. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush hosted President Richard von Weizsacker and in 1995, President Clinton hosted Chancellor Helmuth Kohl for a state dinner.

At the State Dinner, Merkel was presented with her 2010 Medal of Freedom, which was awarded to her and twelve others earlier this year in a White House ceremony Merkel was unable to attend. Chancellor Merkel was honored for her commitment to freedom and her contribution to German unity. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom alongside President George H. W. Bush, Congressman John Lewis, and twelve others who, according to President Obama, “have lived extraordinary lives that have inspired us, enriched our culture, and made our country and our world a better place.” The career of Angela Merkel, born and raised in communist east Germany to the head of Government of the united Germany remains highly fascinating for the Americans, who see in her a living proof that anybody can achieve anything.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the United States’ highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private

The Guests

The dinner was once again held outdoors, on the South Lawn in the Rose Garden. Angela Merkel was accompanied by Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich and Economics Minister and Vice Chancellor Philipp Rösler. On the German side, Thomas Gottschalk and Jürgen Klinsmann were among the guests, as well as 2 German artists with GDR background: the writer Freya Klier und the photographer Andreas Mühe, son of the late Ulrich Mühe.

Compared with other State Dinners, there was not much glamour – Dirk Nowitzki, Leonardo di Caprio, Bruce Willis, Sandra Bullock, to name a few of possible guests who were not invited or did not accept the invitation.

Picture: Welcome Ceremony at the White House (Source: White House Press)

During and after dinner, legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor who in March received one of the National Medal of Arts at a White House ceremony and his band performed as well as the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the German Christophe Eschenbach, with performances by Nurit Bar-Josef on violin and 15-year-old piano sensation George Li.

The Menu

Here’s the menu:

White House Garden Chopped Salad
Fine Herbs
White House Honey Gastrique

Tuna Tartare with Rye Crisps
Pickled Young Carrots and Mustard Oil
Spring Pea Salad
Shaved Ham and Ginger Snaps

Petit Filet
With Maryland Crab Ravioli
Wild Ramp Puree

Apple Strudel
Golden Raisins and Topfen

The menu was an All American meal, with artisanal and seasonal ingredients from six different States. The White House spotlighted some of the ingredients.

The Spiced Mammoth Pecans used in the White House Chopped Salad were from Georgia. The Blue Crab that accompanied the entree was from Maryland. Wild ramps from West Virginia accompanied the main course, too.

The White House Kitchen Garden Chopped Salad contained lettuces and fine herbs from the White House Kitchen Garden, tossed in a Honey vinaigrette made with White House Beehive Honey. The carrots and peas featured in the second course were from the Kitchen Garden, too.

The dessert was a faux pas. It was supposed to pay homage to one of the traditional sweets from Chancellor Merkel's homeland: Apple Strudel. But Apple Strudel is typical for Austria, not Germany. The Apple Strudel was made with apples from Maryland and topped with golden raisins from California and Topfen, a Farmer's Cheese sourced from Vermont.

The Wines

Unusually, the official White House Press Release said this time that "a selection of American wines will accompany each course" and did not identify these, when the menu was released. I have contacted the White House to find out what the President served. There were some rumors that among others he might have served Walter Schug wines, but he did not. Here are the wines that were served.

Woodward Canyon Chardonnay "Washington" 2009

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir "Koplen Vineyard" 2008

Schramsberg Cremant 2006

As for the two still wines, no link whatsoever to Germany! No wonder that the White House did not identify the wines, when the menu was released.

In 1826, in the small town of Pfeddersheim Germany, along the Rhine River, Jacob Schram was born. He came from a winemaking family. When he was sixteen, the young Schram immigrated to New York. He was educated in the trade of barbering, and in 1852 sailed across the Caribbean, crossed-over the Panama Isthmus, and continued up to San Francisco. He spent the next several years barbering, eventually moving his way north, to the Napa Valley.
 
In 1859 he married Annie Christine Weaver, also from Germany, and they started a family. For several years he continued to barber full time. Never far from his thoughts were his homeland and his roots in the vinelands of Germany. In 1862, Jacob purchased a large piece of land on the mountainsides of the Napa Valley. He was going to be a part of the emerging efforts by many fellow German countrymen in the Napa Valley to make wine; thus Schramsberg was born.

What President Obama could have served
Here is a listing of wines I would call American-German wines. All these wines were made from grapes grown in the US, but the winemaker had in some way or another links to Germany. They could have been served at the State Dinner in honor of Chancellor Merkel.

Ernst Loosen’s Eroica in Washington State and J. Christopher Pinot Noir in Oregon

Eroica is a collaboration between Chateau Ste. Michelle, the huge Washington State winemaker, and Dr. Ernst Loosen, the eminent Riesling producer from the Mosel region of Germany. The wine is made at Chateau Ste. Michelle north of Seattle from grapes grown in the Columbia Valley.

Picture: Christian G.E.Schiller and Ernst Loosen

Promoting the worldwide ascendancy of Riesling was a big reason why Ernst Loosen began a joint venture with Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington State a bit more than 10 years ago. He was convinced that it would take a seriously good New World Riesling to help bring the variety back to the forefront. Eroica was launched in 1999. Named for Beethoven’s Third Symphony, Eroica is supposed to reflect not only its variety and site, but also its heritage: bold and forward from its Washington roots, elegant and refined from German inspiration.

Chateau Ste. Michelle and Ernst Loosen make three kinds of the Eroica. The regular Eroica, an icewine and a single berry selection. The latter is made in the traditional German Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) style and is one of the few TBAs in North America. Literally, the word means a wine made from a selection (Auslese) of individually picked grapes (Beeren) which have been left on the vine until so ripe as to be practically dry (trocken) or raisened. They are raisened because of noble rot (Botrytis). This wine is made in very limited quantities, typically less than 75 cases a year.

Ernst Loosen’s second – and relatively new - project in the US is a joint venture with Jay Christopher Somers in Oregon. Located in Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley, J. Christopher Wines is a small winery that specializes in Pinot Noir made in the traditional style of Burgundy. The winery also produces Sauvignon Blanc modeled after the great wines of Sancerre. Owner Jay Somers has been making wine in Oregon for more than 15 years, including with Bill Holloran. Jay’s wines are hand-crafted in small lots and are sourced from some of the best vineyards in Oregon. The philosophy at J. Christopher is to produce wines in an Old World style that emphasizes focus, length and balance.

Jay Somers and Ernst Loosen met years ago, and quickly realized that they shared a similar taste and passion for Pinot Noir. Their friendship led to a partnership, and in 2010, they began building a winery and vineyard in Newberg, Oregon. The new venture, Loosen Christopher Wines LLC, produces wines under the already-established “J. Christopher” brand. As winemaker for the joint venture, Jay is in charge of all winery operations. Ernst sees his role as that of an investor who both supports the growth of the brand and broadens the winery’s exposure to Old World ideas and techniques.

The new venture, Loosen Christopher Wines LLC, will produce wines under the already-established J. Christopher brand. The venture has purchased a 40-acre property for a new vineyard and J. Christopher Winery on Hillside Drive in Newberg, Oregon. Planting of the first block of Pinot Noir will begin this spring. Barrel cellar construction is planned to occur before the 2010 harvest.

As part of the J. Christopher Wines, the two winemakers have started to produce a boutique bottling of Oregon Pinot Noir called Appassionata after their passion for Pinot Noir. So far, they have produced four vintages of their boutique wine but released none giving Appassionata extra time to barrel- and bottle-age. Appassionata is a collector’s item which retails in the $70 –$80 range.

Armin Diel’s Poet’s Leap

Long Shadows has become, in a short time, one of the premier wineries in Washington State . Based in Walla Walla, it is an unusual set up. Former Stimson-Lane CEO Allen Shoup works with renowned winemakers from around the world for this venture. Each winemaker creates a single wine using Washington State fruit. Add resident winemaker Gilles Nicault to shepherd all of the wines along.

The Poet’s Leap Riesling is made by Armin Diel, one of Germany’s most highly regarded Riesling producers. His family has owned the celebrated estate of Schlossgut Diel in Burg Layen in the Nahe river valley since 1802. Schlossgut Diel is international renowned for its white wines, predominately Rieslings, across a wide range of styles. Armin Diel is also one of Germany’s leading wine writers. Armin and his wife Monika live in Burg Layen. Their daughter Caroline just completed her studies in enology in Geisenheim,Germany’s UC Davis equivalent, and is now co-managing the winery in the Nahe valley.

Koerbel Champagne

Sparkling wine production in California dates to the late 1800s, when two groups -- Almaden Vineyards and the Korbel brothers -- offered their first bottles of sparklers (“Champgane”) for sale. Korbel Champagne Cellars was founded by 3 brothers -- Francis, Anton, and Joseph-- from Bohemia, which has historically been home to both Czechs and Germans now is part of the Czech Republic. The first German University was founded in Bohemia. When the Korbel brothers were born, they were born in the Kingdom of Bohemia, which was, along with 39 other sovereign states, part of the German Confederation (Deutscher Bund).

It was the timber that first attracted the Korbel brothers to the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County in 1872. When the building boom subsided, they began to grow alfalfa, beets, corn, prunes, and wheat, and also began to plant vineyards on their Russian River property. In 1984, they brought a Prague winemaker named Frank Hasek to California. Hasek used the methode champenoise approach to making sparkling wine. By 1894, the Korbel brothers began to sell their sparklers and by the end of the 1800s, Korbel was an award-winning, internationally recognized label.

In the early 1950s, the Koerbel family sold the business to Adolf L. Heck, a third generation winemaker whose family had roots in the Alsace Loraine straddling France and Germany. In 1956, Adolf L. Heck reintroduced Korbel Brut, making it much lighter and drier than other American sparklers. He developed his own yeasts and introduced Korbel Natural, Korbel Blanc de Blancs, and Korbel Blanc de Noirs. Adolph Heck ran Korbel until his death in 1984. His son, Gary, took over as chairman of the board and Robert Stashak became Korbel's sparkling wine master.

Walter Schug’s Pinot Noirs

Walter Schug is one of California’s Pinot Noir pioneers. His home is Walter Schug Carneros Estate winery in Sonoma, California, but he was born and grew up in Assmannshausen in the Rheingau in Germany. He also received his formal training as winemaker in Germany. Walter Schug first made Pinot Noir in 1954, with his father in Assmannshausen in the Rheingau.

Walter Schug was the first winemaker at Joseph Phelps in 1973, where he initially built a reputation for Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon, but also made Pinot Noir. In 1989, Walter purchased 50 acres in the Sonoma portion of the Carneros Appellation for their new Carneros Estate.

Robert Stemmler’s Pinot Noirs

Robert Stemmler, a native from Germany, is another early and passionate producer of outstanding California Pinot Noir. He arrived in Napa Valley in 1961 after making wine for nearly a decade in Germany. In 1976, he founded his own winery in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley and in 1982, having found a cool-climate Russian River Valley fruit source, released his first Pinot Noir to great critical acclaim. Robert traveled tirelessly promoting his Pinot Noir at tastings dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay producers, and he steadily developed his own following.

Dr. Konstantin Frank and the Vitis Vinifera Revolution

Dr. Konstantin Frank (1897-1985) was a viticulturist and wine maker in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, USA. He was born in Europe, in Odessa, now Ukraine into a Russian-German family. Dr. Konstantin Frank ignited the so-called vitis vinifera revolution, which changed the course of wine growing in the Finger Lakes and the North-East of the US.

Well, was Dr. Konstantin Frank a German? He was born in the former Soviet Union into a family with German roots. The Germans came in waves from the West to Russia and settled there from the 16th century onwards. A big wave of German immigration occurred in the 18th century under Catherine the Great, who herself was a German from Anhalt. The Frank family belongs to the Black Sea Germans. At the time Konstantin Frank was born, Odessa belonged to the Russian Empire. When he left for the US, it was part of the Soviet Union. Now, after his death, it has become Ukraine. I met Dr. Konstantin Frank's grandson, Fred, who now owns and runs the estate this year; we communicated in German. Fred got his wine growing and wine making training at the wine college in Geisenheim in the Rheingau, Germany.

Dr. Konstantin Frank’s achievement is that he was the first to find a way to plant vitis vinifera varietals in the cool northern fringes of the north-eastern US. The struggle to do this goes back many centuries.

In the original charter of the 13 colonies was a royal commission to pursue three luxury items that England was unable to provide for itself: wine, silk, and olive oil. Every colony made attempts to satisfy the requirements of its charter, but made only limited progress. The problem was that on the one hand there were the native American grapes. All these native American grapes were cold tolerant and disease and pest resistant, but not that well suited for wine making, due to their coarseness, high tannins, and foxy flavors. On the other hand, the vitis vinifera which settlers brought from Europe, were well suited for wine making, but uniformly unable to survive long enough to produce a crop.

Despite many years of failure, the early Americans persisted in their efforts. And they had some success. A big step forward was made in 1740 when a natural cross pollination occurred between a native American grape and a European vitis vinifera. Other successful crossings followed.

So, only native American grapes and European American hybrids were grown in the Finger Lakes area, when Dr. Konstantin Frank arrived in the United States in 1951, finding work at a Cornell University experimental station in the Finger Lakes region. Having grown vitis vinifera back home in regions so cold that "spit would freeze before touching the ground" Dr. Frank believed that the lack of proper rootstock, not the cold climate, was the reason for the failure of vitis vinifera in the Finger Lakes region. He thought that European grapes could do well on the rolling, well-drained hills around the Finger Lakes provided they were grafted onto early maturing American rootstock.

With the help of the French champagne maker Charles Fournier, Dr. Frank put his ideas into practice. He developed the right root stock and grafted European vitis vinifera on them. He planted these vitis vinifera in the slate soil around Lake Keuka and he opened a winery, Vinifera Wine Cellars, in 1962. Despite his success, other winemakers still doubted him for many years and he had trouble getting New York distributors to handle his wine.

Today, Dr. Frank is recognized as having led the revolution in wine quality in New York State and the East Coast. With the help of his cousin Eric Volz as vineyard manager, Fred Frank, Konstantin's grandson took over the winery in 1993. Fred’s business degree from Cornell University and his study of viticulture and enology in Germany helped prepare him to take over the family business.

Hermann J. Wiemer and the Riesling Revolution

Hermann J. Wiemer is another pioneer of viticulture and winemaking in the Finger Lakes region with German links. He was born and raised in Germany, and arrived in the US in 1968. His first wine was released in 1980. In the 30 years since then, the winery has been lauded as one of the nation’s premier white wine producers, in particular of Riesling. Hermann J. Wiemer was born in Bernkastel into an influential family in the wine business. Hermann's father was the head of the Agricultural Experiment Station in Bernkastel and was responsible for restoring vines in the Mosel region after WWII. He came to the US in the early 1970s. When he arrived, wine making in the Finger Lakes area was dominated by native American grapes and American European hybrid grapes. Riesling, for which Hermann J. Wiemer has become famous, was not grown. Initially, he made hybrid and American wines for Walter Taylor at the Bully Hill winery on Keuka Lake.

In 1973 Hermann J. Wiemer bought 140 acres of land, the barn and a mid-19th-century house on the west side of Route 14, which runs along Seneca Lake and turned it into one of the premier vineyards and nurseries in the region. Starting with four acres, he developed the right root stock for grafting European vinifera on them. The first vintage, a 1979, was released in 1980. Hermann Wiemer quickly became known for his German-style vinifera wines. He claims that he made the first dry Riesling in the US and said that many scoffed at him for making Riesling even though today it's the flagship wine grape variety of the region. Wiemer has three estate vineyards within 10 miles of the winery on the west side of Seneca Lake: Magdalena, Josef, and HJW. The vineyards are farmed under strict sustainable agricultural practices.

Hermann J. Wiemer retired a few years ago. Today the winemaking process is managed by Hermann J Wiemer’s long-term winemaker Fred Merwarth who has worked closely with Hermann as one of his winemakers for the last 8 years. Hermann is still passionately and practically involved in the life of the winery, and Fred continues faithfully executing the Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard legacy and heritage.

5 Rieslings from around the world – 3 from Germany, 1 from Alsace and 1 from the US – were on last year’s Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines List. The Riesling from the US was: Hermann J. Wiemer, - Riesling Finger Lakes, Dry Reserve, 2008, 91 Points, $23.

Johannes Reinhard from Anthony Road Wine Company and the Riesling Du Monde Competition

The Anthony Road Wine Company, a top winemaker in the Finger Lakes region, caught international attention recently with their 2006 Finger Lakes Riesling Trockenbeeren, when it was awarded one of the 7 Trophies of Excellence of the Riesling Du Monde Competition 2010 in France.

Ann and John Martini opened the winery in 1990. It is on the west shore of Seneca Lake in the town of Torrey, about 10 miles south of Geneva. The German connection? The winemaker, Johannes Reinhardt, is a German native, born in at little village of Franconia, 80 miles east of Frankfurt. Johannes grew up in a family that has been in the wine business since 1438. He has been in the vineyards and wine cellars all his life. He joined Anthony Road in 2000.

The award winning wine was released in the Martini-Rheinhardt Selection Series. These are special wines named after the Anthony Road’s vineyard manager, Peter Martini, and winemaker Johannes Reinhardt to honor the collaboration between the vineyard and the winery.

This is a lusciously sweet wine. How was it made? Mother Nature, under normal circumstances, produces dry wines in the vineyard - everywhere in the world. All the sugar in the grapes at harvest disappears during fermentation and no sweetness remains in the wine. There are, however, plenty of sweet wines made around the world. Different techniques exist to make a wine sweet. One of them is to let the noble rot – botrytis cinerea – suck the water out of the grape, so that the degree of sugar in the grapes is extra-ordinary high. Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that under the right conditions attacks already-ripe grapes, shrivelling them, concentrating the sweetness and acidity. The grapes end up looking disgusting but they make profound sweet white wines.

The 2008 Finger Lakes Riesling Trockenbeeren was produce with this method. 2008 was a good year for noble rot in the Finger Lakes region, with some rain, enough heat and fog or dew in the morning at harvest time.

Botrytis cinerea is the key to the success of many of the world’s most famous noble sweet wines. These include the Sauternes in France, the Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese in Germany and in Austria, the Austria Ausbruch and the Tokaji from Hungary. No doubt, the first noble rot wines were created by accident - both the Hungarians and the Germans have similar stories of how the harvest was delayed for some reason, but the over-ripe grapes were vinified anyway and then the resulting wine found to be delicious.

Christian Wuelfer and Roman Roth in the Hamptons on Long Island in New York State


The Woelffer Estate is located in the Hamptons on Long Island in New York State. The Woelffer Wine Estate, one of the top wine estates on Long Island, New York State, would not be what it is today without the two Germans Christian Woelffer, its founder, and Roman Roth, its wine maker.

Christian Wölffer was born in Hamburg, Germany. He made a successful career in investment banking, real estate, venture capital and agriculture in different countries, before moving into wine and establishing the critically acclaimed Woelffer Estate.

Wine making in Long Island began in the late 1970s. Since then, in little over a quarter of a century, the Long Island wine industry has grown to 3,000 acres of vines and over thirty wineries producing outstanding wines. Located in New York State, on the East Coast of the United States, Long Island extends some 120 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Its maritime climate, geography and soil characteristics provide ideal conditions for producing wines of exceptional quality.

Christian Wölffer purchased land on Long Island in 1978. He joined the wine movement in 1987, when he started to grow wine, and became a driving force of wine making in the Long Island in the following years until his untimely death in 2008. In 1997, Christian Wölffer completed work on his state-of-the-art winery, unquestionably the most stylish on Long Island.

The other driving force behind the Wölffer Estate is the German winemaker Roman Roth. Born in Rottweil, Germany, Roth was a choirboy in his youth. In 1982, at age 16, he began a three-year apprenticeship at the Kaiserstuhl Wine Cooperative in Oberrotweil. Turning 20, Roman Roth traveled to California, where he worked at the Saintsbury Estate and Australia, where he worked at the Rosemount Estate. Back in Germany, for further study, Roth worked at the Winzerkeller Wiesloch in Baden.

The year 1992 became a turning point for Roman Roth for two reasons: first, he earned his Master Winemaker and Cellar Master degree from the College for Oenology and Viticulture in Weinsberg. And second, he accepted Christian Wölffer’s invitation to join him in New York to be the winemaker at what was then the mere start-up of a winery, at that time known as Sagpond Vineyards in Sagaponack.

Arriving at Sagaponack, Roth found 28 acres of vineyards and rudimentary winemaking facilities. In quick order, he established a temporary winery and a tasting room and began the exacting task of bringing forth the Sagpond Vineyards’ first vintage, a Chardonnay.

Over the next several years, Roth managed the cultivation and expansion of the vineyards, which today number 50 acres, and the vinification, ultimately producing wines that embody the essence of the Hamptons appellation—ripe fruit and natural acidity born of a unique terroir, a lush combination of soil, sun, moisture and the ever-present maritime breezes from the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

The Beringer Brothers and the Rhine House


Beringer Vineyards is the oldest continuously operating winery in the Napa Valley. In 2001, the estate was placed on the National Register for Historic Places as a Historic District.

Jacob Beringer left his home in Mainz, Germany, in 1868 to start a new life in the U.S., enticed by his brother, Frederick, who had sailed to New York five years earlier and wrote home constantly of the grand opportunities to be found in the vast new world. New York did not appeal to Jacob, however. He had enjoyed working in wine cellars in Germany when he was younger and had heard that the warm, sunny climate of California was ideal for growing wine grapes. So in 1870 he traveled by train from the East Coast, first to San Francisco and then on to Napa Valley. To his delight, he discovered rocky, well-drained soils similar to those in his native Rhine Valley.
Jacob and Frederick together bought land in 1875 and set about making wines that compared to the best in Europe . In 1876, they founded the Beringer Winery. In 1883, Frederick permanently moved to the Napa Valley and began construction of a 17-room mansion – the Rhine House- that was to be his home—a re-creation of the Beringer family home located on the Rhine River in Germany.

Today, Beringer Winery is owned by the Beringer (Wolfgang) Blass Group from Australia. The Beringer Winery has 4200 hectares of land under vine, more than the whole Rheingau region. Incidentially, Wolfgang Blass is also a native of Germany and considered to be the “father” of the Australian wine industry.


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Celebrating the Rieslings of the Finger Lakes Region, New York State, US East Coast