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Deadline January 18, 2012
Another Year, Another Dollar, Working Your Life Away
As we start the new vintage year of 2012 we rise to the occasion with determination and optimism that this can and will be a good year for one and all. We hope for good weather, good market demand for wine grapes, good wine sales for our estate brands and new customers, both wholesale and retail. For our country we hope for an improved economy, lower unemployment and an absence of international crisis. That might be our wish letter to Santa but predictions for the economy suggests some sectors will improve while others will continue to struggle and who can predict foreign politics? For the wine industry I believe it will be another challenging year for wineries to maintain sales growth and increase customer base. This challenge is because of the large number of domestic and foreign wineries producing wine today which are competing for brand recognition, placement and the consumer dollar. For wine grape growers there appears to be good demand for grapes this year but at what price? Controlling production costs, whether it be a ton of grapes or case of wine, continue to rise. Wages, fuel, supplies and freight services knows no recession and margins will struggle to maintain profitable returns. The challenges will be there for all. Those that are up to the challenge will need to work hard, put in a lot of overtime, and have to be responsive to market conditions. Sounds like a tough challenge? You're right....no rest for the weary!
American Oak Is Good For Forchini Zinfandel
American Oak used for wine barrels sometimes stands in the shadow of French Oak. Possibility this resulted from the early use of American Oak barrels for wine were really whisky barrels and not suited for the aging of fine wine. Today American Oak for wine barrels can be sourced from many areas including MN, MO, OR, VA, CA and Appalachia. In general they are 1/3 the cost of a French Oak barrel and have an impact on bottle price of up to $2/bottle less than FO. That doesn't mean AO is of lesser quality. American Oak wine barrels made by reputable producers using quality standards for aging the wood, bending the staves, assembly, and toasting can offer outstanding structure and flavors in the wine. We justify the choice of FO for the domestic US production of the noble Bordeaux and Burgundy wines of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. A fair comparison in sensory qualities would not be possible if FO was not selected. We see however no reason to put Zinfandel in FO in that Zinfandel is California's heritage grape and is not grown nor produced in France. Zinfandel found its way from Croatia to Southern California in the early 1800's then flourished in the North Coast regions after the Gold Rush. To age Zinfandel in FO or in any other Eastern Europe oak undermines the heritage of this great Wine in California, adds extra bottle cost and doesn't improve quality.........only image and perception.
For our estate Zinfandel we combine the reputable French experience of crafting fine barrels with MN oak that has been air dried aged 24-30 months. Our Zin barrels are made by local USA based French tonnelleries to the same export production standards of their main facilities in France. We specify medium plus toast with toasted heads to give the aroma, spice and flavors we desire and have selected MN oak after years of evaluation because of the slow growth and tight grain that develops from the MN cold climate. Tight grain and the thicker export stave allows for slower oxidation and extraction of phenolics for wines stored over 12 months. This yields suppleness and balance in the wine and makes our Zin which is aged 20 months using 45% new oak ready to drink upon release. The awards won for our Zinfandels has validated our selection of American Oak.
Dry Cold Winter To Date
We have been stuck with a high pressure ridge over the North Coast that has blocked Pacific storms from normal precipitation. Only 5+ inches have been received to date with the majority of rain coming during harvest in October 2011. By contrast, during the record drought years of 1975 & 76 we had 7+ inches by January 1st of the New Year. Bright sunny days, cold frosty nights and dry ground have prevailed for 2 months. This has been good for getting work done in the vineyards but offset by worries of drought and water shortages. Let's hope this isn't indicative of another record setting drought year. What's a poor farmer to do if he runs out of water? Might have to irrigate with wine to save the vineyard! In San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake firefighters used wine to put out fires in that the water mains were broken. Come on Mother Nature, we're dependent on you to be good so ......... let it rain, rain, rain to charge our soils with adequate moisture content to produce a good 2012 vintage crop.
Past & Coming Events
Our Winter Wineland Special Event on January 7 & 8 was a success in spite of having to compete with the 49er/Saint playoff game in San Francisco. Many of our customers travel from the Bay Area for these trade events. Everyone was consumed by football and those wineries with live coverage of the game were crowded. We had to rely on radio coverage here tuned low. I confess to being guilty and ran back to the house for the 4th quarter TV as the game was getting too exciting for radio. I'm glad I did as it was a game for 49er historical archives. Had a good support staff at the winery so everything went well, the weather was glorious and the house chili w/ tortillas, salsa, and brownies hit the spot. Everyone was happy. Wine, food and 49er victory made for an exceptional day.
Wine Road's Barrel Tasting will soon be upon us. It is scheduled for the first two weekends in March. We will reserve the second weekend for Club Members only and past buyers of Futures. Special VIP purchases for the 2012 Dry Creek Passport ends on January 23 so hurry if you want to get in on advanced ticket purchase to guarantee a Passport. See our Special Event link for more information on these two upcoming events.
Happy New Year
Editor: Jim Forchini
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