General Tip: Make Friends – No One Wants To Die Alone

First, everyone was way friendlier than I expected.  Stereotypes are often based on fact and I am sure we have all met The Snooty Sommelier.  As I looked over the sea of black suits I noticed some eye contact and nervous smiles among the wannabes.  One lady was shaking but pleasant.  One was trying not to wet her pants but was willing to share that.  I chalked it up to the collective boat some of us were thinking of diving from.

Even the Master Somms – perfect suits, red pins, boring day ahead – were making jokes to put people at ease.  We were each given our time and examiner name for the service portion and ushered into the room for theory and tasting. The MS’s lined up at the front of the room and were introduced.  My examiner may have dressed the part from the neck down, but his crazy beard and long hair were just waiting for the next bonfire beach party. I was pleased.

Tasting Tip: It Won’t Be A Kerner Or Xinomavro

Note the tasting and theory portions happen during the same session.  They advise you to complete the tasting portion first, but the choice is yours.  I noticed that people get fancy with their tasting answers.  Here is a clue:  They are not trying to trick you.  You will not get a hard to identify esoteric wine,  In fact I will bet you a good bottle you will get an unoaked French Chardonnay and an Australian Shiraz.  That is what I got.  That is what I have heard a lot of people get.  That is what you will probably get – unless the Court reads my blog.  If they do read this then I bet you will get a Riesling with enough petrol to fire a jet and a Cab Sauv with pyrazine and currant you can smell across the room. Regardless do not make this part harder than it is.

Theory Tip: Crazy People Can Create Online Flashcards Too

The theory is multiple choice and fill in the blank.  I was a little surprised at how many fill in the blank there were.  I have a Diploma from WSET and teach a college level course on wines of the world, so the theory was not hard for me.  Study for this but expect most of the questions will be basic knowledge.  You only have to get 60% right to pass.  That means you only have to get 24 questions right.  Some questions I got were: Name two of the Chianti DOCG satellites; Name a popular varietal from Switzerland; How many Grand Crus AOC’s are there in Chablis.  The 750 question set on quizlet.com will scare you to death and was created by a sadist.  Don’t look at it, you will turn into a pillar of salt.  Cram.com, on the other hand, has useful flashcards and games.

Service Tip: Keep Your Cool And Don’t Cause Injuries

Everyone, including me, dreads the service component.  I think this is a mistake.  A large percentage of the people who failed the exam actually passed service.  It is not that bad and I did not even do that well.  My sparkling wine made a noise.  My bearded MS’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.  I cannot tell you how many bottles of cheap Cava my husband and I had leading up to this exam just so I could expertly avoid the “pop”.  But you know what?  I did not spill any.  No one lost an eye.  The feedback form even has a preprinted checkbox, “Practice opening sparkling wine QUIETLY.”  This mistake is evidently so common they got tired of writing it.

General Tip: Surprises Are Your Enemy

The best advice I can offer is to learn all you can about the actual day of the exam.  I was surprised that so many people did not know the protocol of the day.  The Court website prepares you for the basics.  There are some good service demo videos online.  Several writers have shared their experiences.  Eliminate the unknowns so you won’t get flustered.  One person was thrown off because they did not know they would  pretend a cheap Prosecco was a grower produced Champagne during service.  No, the Court is not springing for 40+ bottles of Dom for examinees to open poorly.

Here is what to expect – at least until it changes. Forty five minutes for a combo tasting and theory, both of which must be passed with 60% each.  Tasting will be one white and one red.  You will be given a time for your service exam, which will last approximately 12 minutes.  The maitre d’ will give you instructions and you will go to a four top with one MS and 3 pretend people.  Each seat will have a large paper with “Lady” or “Gentleman” written on it.  You will open and serve sparkling.   Practice 3 oz pours.  The MS may tell you after one glass is poured that he wants to share his bottle with four more friends across the room.  Be prepared to carry a tray full of filled glasses. Be prepared to make wine pairing recommendations and answer basics about cocktails, aperitifs, and digestifs. You may wait a long time before this portion or get to go early.  Either way you won’t get your score until the end of the day.  This happens in a big circle standing around a room with a glass of sparkling waiting for your name to be called. If your name is not called, you did not pass.  The wine tastes better if you pass.

Life Tip: Pass Or Fail, Make The Most Of It

If you  receive an early time to complete your service exam you may wait all day for the results.  I waited 6 hours.  Some people spent this time trying to figure out if they passed by agonizing over every question and comparing notes with other examinees.  Some got online and booked a slot for the next examination  – they were that sure they failed.  Don’t waste the day.  You will be among interesting people who are taking this exam for different reasons.  Find someone to have lunch, and dare I say, a beer with.  You already have booze in common so you are off to a good start.  If you are not at home, go enjoy the city.

Even When Things Look Their Worst – Don’t Lose Hope

One fellow who took the test with me seemed doomed from the start.  He took the Intro Course and Certified Sommelier in the same week.  Some think this is a risky move.  He spilled his wine during the tasting exam and had to get new papers and fresh pours.  He was one of the last names called to receive his Certified Somm pin.  Another person with his first name was already called and he thought it was a bad sign.  He now has a great Somm job at a Seattle restaurant.  Oh and he was one of the friendliest people who spent his day making friends and building his network.

Good luck to all of the future Somm applicants.If you are interested in first hand feedback on Society of Wine Educators, Court, and or WSET, email me at tastingpour@gmail.com or find me on social media.  I am always happy help,  In addition to cram.com to brush up on theory, I also recommend these articles and videos.

He purchased his family’s second generation farm in 1983 – land once used partly for the largest turkey farm in Oregon.  Visiting with him in the vineyard he points across the property, “You see those silos over there.  Just beyond that is where I grew up.”  Maybe because of the family connection it is the vineyard that is closest to his heart.  “The soil has always felt closer than the chemistry.”

Bill recalls a summer when he was in the third grade.  He came home from Vacation Bible School and his father asked him to take the tractor and go harrow the lower field.  He had never pulled anything behind a tractor before and his dad offered no instruction.  “It was learning by doing and it really increased my confidence.”

He also remembers his uncle complaining about the rocks in the fields. “Maybe even at 15 or 16 I had an inkling this could be good vineyard soil.”

While visiting we got to taste the very first Stoller Chardonnay from 2001.  In the early years Stoller only sold fruit.  It was an amazing bottle that had developed beautifully demonstrating the fruit has always been stellar and the winemaking on track from the beginning.

Marking the 20 years is the addition of a second winemaking facility that will be ready in time for the 2015 vintage.  Stoller Family Estate has also begun keeping more of their fruit, a high demand commodity for other winemakers, for their own estate bottling.  Total production will increase to 32,000 cases.

Bill comments on the growth of the Oregon wine industry as a whole.  “The people in this business today, winemakers and oenologists, are so much smarter.  It is like Moore’s Law.  We have to double our speed every 2 years.”

Click here for a wine pairing and recipe with Stoller Family Estates 2013 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir.

But did you know the first wine Ken sold in Oregon was illegal?  After working as a winemaker in California, Ken and his family set off for McMinnville, Oregon to start their own label. He had 10 barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that he had made in California.  Well, “they loaded up the truck” and brought them along.  They would serve as the start of his Oregon wine business. He set up shop in a “funky warehouse” for $250 a month. “You could see through the floors,”  Ken recalls.

Photo courtesy of Chris Bidleman

The representative from BATF – they made house calls then – came and Ken was hoping for a green light.  Ken showed off all of this nice equipment and not so nice space and then proudly said, “Here is some awesome wine from Mt. Eden to start my label.”  Ruh- roh.  Ken had forgotten about state laws and had accidentally illegally transferred wine across state lines.  He would have been out of business before he was in business had the representative not taken pity on him and petitioned his supervisors to make a one time exception.

It was still uphill to become the Ken Wright we know today.  For five years he worked three jobs: winemaker,  consulting winemaker,  and of course waiter.  He recalls the first winemaker’s dinner for Panther Creek Cellars.  “We only had one wine so we served it for all six courses.”  He was eventually able to move out of the funky warehouse and bought an entire block of McMinnville.  Back then it cost $100K.

Humble beginnings can be inspiring.  I recently joined Ken to celebrate Panther Creek Cellars Past and Present.  It was exciting to see where this winery is headed.

A new consulting winemaker, Tony Rynders, has joined the Panther Creek team and plans to revive the single vineyard designates program.  Our group tasted three of the newest Panther Creek releases – 2013 Pinot Noir from single vineyards Carter, Kalita, and Schindler.

Carter was one of the original vineyards supplying grapes to Panther Creek but it has been years since the winery sourced this fruit.  As a special treat we tasted two library wines from this vineyard – 1993 Domaine Serene Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir and 1994 Ken Wright Cellars Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir.  The vibrancy and complexity of these wines made me want to cry and will stand out as one of my pinnacle tasting experiences in Oregon.

And in true Oregon fashion, Ken will buy Carter Vineyard this month.  Ken explains, “The Carters could have gotten more money on the open market but could not imagine selling to someone else.”  You can’t beat the camaraderie of the Oregon winemaking community.

I left with a bottle of the Panther Creek 2013 Carter Pinot Noir and the 2013 Columbia Valley  French Creek Vineyard Chardonnay.  There were no library wines left to swipe.  More on how we paired these wines later.

Simon is a Food Network regular, playing the role of critic on shows like The New Iron Chef and Cutthroat Kitchen.

He came to Oregon on tour promoting his latest book.  Fed, White and Blue, Finding America with my Fork is Simon’s account of eating his way across the United States to decide whether to apply for citizenship.  

Just as Simon did not fit my preconceived notions of a food celebrity, his book tour has not been as glamorous as one might expect. He and his wife Sybil have depended on the kindness of strangers. Strangers who have become what Simon calls his “extended American family.”

The couple have slept on floors and in pink rooms normally inhabited by little girls. Although they did get to stay at the Capitol Hotel in Little Rock – a place I know well.

It isn’t luxury they are seeking, but relationship. “We didn’t want to sit in bookstores. We wanted to get out and meet people.” They were eager to go to “book clubs, schools, church groups, libraries, farmers markets, local food festivals, farms, breweries, tailgate parties… with ten people or a hundred people.” So their journey has included visits to a hog farm in Mississippi, a pub in Georgia, and luckily Willamette Valley Vineyards in Oregon.

Simon was invited by Oregon based cooking contest queen Kim Banick, author of The Prize of Cooking. They had met only once at the World Food Championship but when Kim invited them to “the most beautiful place on the planet” they loaded up and made the drive. Yes, they drove. The tour “bus” is a rented SUV and a U Haul full of cooking equipment and books.

A cooking competition at Willamette Valley Vineyards among four local culinarians was arranged with Simon as judge. Simon and Sybil were generously offered a guest suite at Willamette Valley Vineyards. This winery has the sexiest tasting room I have ever visited so I can only imagine their suites. Simon and Sybil opted to stay with Kim instead stating, “We don’t want to be alone. We want to spend time with you and your family.” Kim explains that the very first thing they did upon arrival was go into her kitchen, groceries and knife set in hand, to prepare Indian food for their hosts.

Simon’s perspective on the important things in life is not skewed toward the material. His LA apartment is small. He drives a 5 year old car that “has seen better days.” When people visit he makes a simple roast chicken – because nothing in the world smells ‘homier’ than a roasting chicken. He and Sybil place value on spending time together, travelling, and meeting new friends..

There is a reason. Simon once lived the high life in a London flat that could rival the iconic apartment from the television show Fraiser. His mom passed from leukemia, his book publishing company failed, and he stood on the balcony of that grand apartment ready to jump. Then he smelled the cooking from his Lebanese neighbors below and “got more hungry than suicidal.” He stumbled upon a list of things he wanted to accomplish before turning 40 and discovered he had completed each item. At the bottom of the list were four words, “Go Everywhere, Eat Everything.” And so he did.

He met Sybil at a party in Brazil. Simon tells the story of a dinner date early in the courtship.  “When I reached for the last piece of chicken she grabbed my hand and said ‘If you take that chicken I will cut you.’”  Simon decided then and there he would marry her.

This must be why a humorous yet snarky food critic with a reputation for being “villainous” on air has made friends all over the world. He told these stories to a room of at least 100 people, between courses and food critique, and at the end there was a connection. I felt like I knew him a little bit.

He jokes, “I don’t know why no one ever invites me for a home cooked meal.”  I think I would.

A full description of the night’s festivities, dishes, and wines appears in the Oregon Wine Press. Now for some completely gratuitous full frontal foodity. I am such a tease.

(Some pictures are now owned by the Oregon Wine Press.)

Who said something funny?  Probably Paul.

We went back in the fall for the Wine Tourism Conference and extended the trip to do some more tasting and visiting.  This time the list included Zenaida Cellars, Peachy Canyon, Still Waters, Jada, Oso Libre, Victor Hugo, Brecon and many more.  You will read more about these wines (and others)  plus info on where to stay and dine in upcoming articles here and at winetouristmagazine.

The winepairing weekend topic for January is New Year’s Resolutions – regions and wineries you want to explore.  Well, we were ready to go back to Paso time we got home because we still have not seen a concert at Vina Robles or toured Hearst Castle.

If you are also interested in Paso Robles, then check out our friend Xochitl Maiman’s articles at I’ll Drink to That.  She is a Paso fan and is always up to date on the coolest Paso wine news.

Before we left town we made a quick stop to Halter Ranch.  Earlier, the kind folks at Halter Ranch had sent a sample bottle that we had planned to pair but had not yet tasted.  We popped by the tasting room to check it out and got a tour from Cathy Lafayette.  They offer free winery and cave tours with reservations.

Details are  here.   The property is a mix of preserved historic buildings and state of the art winemaking.  On an idle day during the holidays, we watched a Christmas movie whose plot involved a vineyard estate. We recognized the beautiful covered bridge and realized it was filmed at Halter Ranch!

2014 was a turning point for me, but not only because of unused vintage stickers.  I received a sample of unfiltered Arbequina olive oil from the Oregon Olive Mill at Red Ridge Farms.  Unfiltered olive oil still contains teeny tiny bits of olive flesh.  Aficionados geek out over the extra texture and flavor. As with most products of limited availability, this olive oil is considered something quite special to be savored.  Just the sort of thing I would save for a special occasion and then wind up never using. Here is the clincher… It only has a shelf life of 3-6 months.  You HAVE to use it up!

So I bit the bullet, opened the bottle, and began pouring it  It has been drizzled on browned brussel sprouts, hummus, delicata squash risotto, roasted cauliflower, focaccia – just about everything really.  Weeknight dishes, even leftovers, have been deemed worthy.  This little bottle of peppery joy was passed around the table almost every night.  We opened it Thanksgiving.  It did not see Christmas.

Life is too short for generic, flavorless mass produced olive oil.  I learned from Libby Clow, Olive Oil Program Ambassador at Red Ridge Farms, that a fresh lively olive oil will have layers of flavor and character, just like wine, and will have a peppery finish. You don’t have to use unfiltered olive oil.  A quality extra virgin olive oil packs in flavor and lasts 2 years from the bottling date.  She taught me tons about olive oil actually.  Click here if you missed that post.  If your olive oil lacks zest it isn’t adding anything but oiliness to your food. Treat yourself to good olive oil, good wine and good food.  Share them with those you love and have a very Happy New Year!

“You can find row to row variability in our vineyard blocks,” explains John.  Because of the different clones that are planted and the different soil types, the wines have broad, complex flavor profiles. In Burgundy wines are classified “Grand Cru” or “Premier Cru” according to the vineyard spot where the grapes were grown.  We do mean spot.  There can be a few rows of “Grand” adjacent to a few rows of “Premier.”  It seems a little over the top until you see for yourself.  The sites actually look different.  The sun hits at a different angle, the elevations are varied, and there are striking differences in the soil visible from the valleys below.

A trip with John to the quarry on his site afforded a similar visual.  John explains how the formations provide the parent material for the volcanic and sedimentary vineyard soils.  Riding around on the property John stops to show a particularly distinctive transition from Jory to Peavine.  He has an intimate knowledge of the transitions in soil and undulations and plants accordingly. When we emerged from the car midday it was obviously cooler than the valley. J Wrigley is very far west in the McMinnville AVA and has plantings at high elevations.  Coastal breezes coming through the Van Duzer Corridor plus vineyard land above the tree line create a cool microclimate.  Some people told John it was too cool to grow wine grapes up here.  John had walked every bit of the property.  He explains the poison oak and mint he found serve as “the canary in the cave” indicator that grapes will grow.  He knew this was where he wanted to be.  The cool breeze works with the warming sun to ultimately create wines with a balance of body and crisp acidity.

It is John’s job as vineyard manager and winemaker to combine plants, site location and soil in the vineyard – and juice in the lab – to produce the best wines possible.  His Mac Cuvee (a blend of McMinnville AVA Pinot Noir) is fruit forward and approachable – the perfect fireside bottle for visiting with friends.  The Estate Pinot Noir (exclusively J Wrigley vineyard fruit) is more complex and the 2011 and 2012 each reflect their vintages.  The 2011 was the first estate Pinot Noir bottling and is marked with floral flavors and red fruit.  The 2012 presents darker fruit and earthy, smoky aromas.

The 2013 Pinot Gris is one of our all time favorite renditions of this varietal.  It is a midway  point between the typical Pinot Gris that are super fruity and floral and the more austere Pinot Grigio of Northern Italy.  Shy on the nose, it opens to a dry medium bodied wine with hints of peach, a definite current of minerality, and a long fresh finish.

J Wrigley also produces a very inviting rose of Pinot Noir and will soon release Mae’s Riesling, named for John’s grandmother.  Chardonnay is in the works.  We predict there are some exciting, well made wines to come from this relatively young winery and their interesting mix of terroir. Click here for purchasing information.

Youngberg Hill is farmed using the principles of biodynamics.  Biodynamic viticulture is like organic on steroids (if steroids were chemical free).  “Organic only tells you what not to do,” Wayne explains.  Wayne uses the word “holistic” or “seriously organic” and explains these practices are designed to work with the balance of nature.  The key is “allowing” nature to be in balance, not “making sure” nature is in balance. “I watch what nature is trying to do and only interfere when it is struggling and I can help it go in the direction it wants to go.

We pointed out that some think biodynamics involves dancing naked in the vineyard by moonlight.  “What’s wrong with that?” Wayne answers with a chuckle.  He relates biodynamic farming to the old school practices of planting by the Farmer’s Almanac.

“Cow are the most holistic animal for the vineyard,” Wayne Bailey

 

 

 

Natasha Block Pinot Noir with soil sample. Taste the terroir.

 

Both the Natasha and Jordan blocks are planted with 25 year old ungrafted Pinot noir.  Jordan sits at a higher elevation above the treeline and gets the full coastal breeze.  Temperatures are 2-3 degrees lower and this block is picked last (Nov. 2nd in 2011).  The Jordan block is characterized by darker fruits, earthy flavors, higher acids and tannins  The Natasha block is grown in a marine sedimentary soil that holds more moisture.  Vines develop a larger canopy which results in spicy notes (white and black pepper) in the wine.

 

 

 

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