Wine Enthusiast |
- Bartender Basics: Do You Really Need a Garnish?
- How to Make a 20,000-Year-Old-Beverage in Your Kitchen
- How We Rated Some of the Internet’s Top-Selling Wine Brands
- The New Generation of Vintners Reviving Los Angeles’ Wine Heritage
- The Best Bordeaux Vintages to Drink in 2021
- Your Growler Gets Gross. Here’s How to Clean It
| Bartender Basics: Do You Really Need a Garnish? Posted: 11 Jun 2021 04:30 AM PDT  Cocktail garnishes can be divisive. Arguments over when and how to garnish often reaches a fever pitch among bartenders and drinkers. The fervor may seem disproportionate to how small a part of the drink garnishes constitute. But a bit of fruit or twist of lemon can add a final flourish, something that sets the aromas and flavors apart and elevates base ingredients, or act as a symbol of excess, ego and obnoxious bartender peacocking. The official stance of Bartender Basics is that all garnishes should be functional. That means they must have a concrete impact on the drink's flavor, aroma or texture. This can be referred to as a "service element." Below, we break down three styles of garnish and the purpose behind each. Garnish that gives guests a sayThe same way condiments customize a meal, a garnish is a bartender's main tool to give the guest input on the taste of their drink. The most common examples are the ubiquitous lime/lemon wedges placed on the rim of most drinks. Far from pointless tradition, their purpose is to give the drinker the ability to regulate the level of acidity and sourness of the drink to taste, rather than being left completely to the bartender's whims. If you prefer your daiquiri on the sweeter side, discard the lime on the rim. If you favor a tart, sour drink, it's within your power to decide how much extra juice you'd like to squeeze in. (This is also why wedges are always preferable to wheels when it comes to lemon or lime garnish. Always.)   Olives, cocktail onions, cherries, berries and other "snackable" garnishes also fall in this service camp. They allow drinkers to refresh and reawaken their palates by alternating sips with different flavors that are still tailored to accentuate the cocktail's profile. This helps prevent flavor numbness, where the effect of alcohol and sipping the same drink over the span of 10 or 15 minutes can make the second half of the cocktail taste muted. Garnish that focuses on aromaSo, why bother with garnish rather than mixing flavors into the drink directly? If a standard martini is garnished with a lemon twist, couldn't we just skip the peel and mix in a few drops of lemon juice with the rest of the ingredients when stirring? The difference is often aroma. When you twist a lemon peel over the top of a cocktail, you express its essential oils, which the float on top of the drink. In short, you're adding an ingredient that's perceived primarily on the nose, rather than in the mouth. This opens a new dimension of combinations that allows you to experiment with the interplay between what a person smells versus what they taste. A good example is the classic Jungle Bird. This rum and Campari cocktail is garnished with a large bouquet of mint, but unlike a mojito contains no mint inside the drink. The garnish's purpose is to ensure that when you bring the glass to your mouth to sip, you're inhaling mint as the other ingredients hit your tongue. This opens up the nasal passages and creates a refreshing, tropical vibe in the back of the mouth. If the mint were mixed directly into the drink, it would combine with Campari's bitterness to create an undesirable, Robitussin-like flavor on the tongue. This interplay of smell and taste is something that should be familiar to wine lovers. Garnishing for aroma is basically a bartender's tool to create the same experience in a cocktail that winemakers create in a glass. Garnish for showThose who argue in favor of garnish purely for show often cite the adage that we drink with our eyes before we drink with our mouths. Throw a little extra flair into a non-functional garnish and you'll shape a person's opinion of how the drink will taste before they even get around to sipping it. Garnishes that usually fall under this umbrella are flower petals, pineapple leaves and, well, actual tiny umbrellas. It's up to you how much you're willing to invest in non-functional garnish. Overwrought garnishes can be an exercise in vanity, and contribute little more than food waste. However, for bar professionals, a little bit of showmanship can help set the scene and generate tips. An edible flower may create justification for a $12 "bespoke" drink that only contains $2.50 worth of ingredients. But our opinion, especially for home bartenders, is that most people prefer a drink that focuses on flavor, and one they can sip without risk of poking an eye out. The exception to this rule is the Bloody Mary, which we maintain is functionally a soup, and therefore fair game for anything you want to shove in it. |
| How to Make a 20,000-Year-Old-Beverage in Your Kitchen Posted: 11 Jun 2021 04:00 AM PDT  One of the world's oldest fermented alcoholic beverages, mead can be traced to China's Henan province a millennia ago. Historians speculate that rain fell into a pot of honey, which diluted it enough to be fermentable by airborne yeasts. Ken Schramm, cofounder and head meadmaker at Schramm's Mead, says that mead has been present in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas for thousands of years, although its popularity has ebbed and flowed. In 2011, there were 30 meaderies in the U.S., according to Upserve. But in 2020, the trade group American Mead Makers Association (AMMA) claims there were about 450 meaderies in the United States. The group also says that 50 additional wineries and breweries make at least one mead in their product lineup. "The craft beer revolution of the mid-2010's has given rise to consumers who are seeking out new and exciting beverages," says Bill Quirk, a New Jersey-based homebrewer who has a small mead label, Barrister Meadery. “Mead is gaining popularity as more people have the opportunity to sample new producers. This is no longer just the stuff you would see at your local Renaissance Faire once a year.” And, unlike some other ferments, a simple mead is easy to make at home. Styles of MeadMead, in its most basic form, is made from honey, water and cultured yeast, and is fermented over time. There are various styles and flavorings to consider based on personal preferences. "Mead is an extremely varied beverage," says Quirk. "It can be dry, like a white wine; sweet, like a dessert wine, or anything in between. Session meads (known as hydromels) can have alcohol by volumes (abv) in the 3–5% range. Standard meads are in the 8–12% range, and strong or sack meads can run all the way up towards 20% abv."
A mead's strength, sweetness or dryness is determined typically by the ratio of raw honey to water, and the yeast strain at work. Maturation methods can also be a factor. An average mead requires one part honey to four parts water. A lighter mead can be made with one part honey to five to six parts water. Some, like the ancestral Lacandon balché-style mead from Chiapas, Mexico, are diluted with as many as 17 parts water. The best honey to use is a separate topic, given the ingredient's terroir. "I am fond of orange blossom, alfalfa and many 'wildflower' blends," says Schramm. "Be careful with those, though. Any floral source can go into a wildflower honey." Even though cultured yeasts are added typically to kickstart fermentation, it's best to avoid pasteurized honey, as it doesn't have any native yeast content. Raw honey also brings a nuanced flavor to a mead. As for flavorings, the possibilities are endless. Enhanced meads are most commonly infused with botanicals, fruits and/or flowers. These create complex meads. But some ingredients can contribute acids, tannins, their own native yeasts, nitrogen and other factors that should be considered to ensure your product is what you intended. For those who champion sustainable beverages, using food scraps is also something to consider. "I love working with food waste and wild collected fruits," says Jori Jayne Emde, a fermentationist and alchemist with Lady Jayne's Alchemy. "So, I generally make mead with a mellow honey, like wildflower, so the fruits or food scraps are more pronounced in the end product." Mead making often takes some trial and error, but there are some best practices to keep in mind. The Essentials for Mead MakingTo make mead can be as simple as to add raw honey and water to a mason jar, cover it with cheesecloth (or cap it if you want to depend solely on the honey's yeast for fermentation) for a few days and let nature do its thing. Before you get started, Schramm and Quirk recommend having this equipment on hand.
Bill's Basic Traditional MeadCourtesy of Bill Quirk, homebrewer, Barrister Meadery, Bergenfield, New Jersey
 In fermentation vessel, mix 12 cups water with all but 1 teaspoon of honey until honey dissolves into "must." Use a hydrometer to determine the original gravity (OG). Pour ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water into saucepan. Bring to 110°F (measure with thermometer). Add 6 grams Go-Ferm. Mix thoroughly. Add remaining teaspoon of honey and mix again. Remove saucepan from heat. When mixture's temperature drops to 104°F, sprinkle yeast packet over top and let rest 5 minutes for yeast to rehydrate. Bubbles should form on top of water.  When bubbles form, use sanitized spoon or baster to add some must from fermenter into yeast mixture to bring the temperature of both closer together. (Note: because yeast mixture is warmer than must, the contrast could kill yeast. This slow process helps it acclimate.) Add 1 tablespoon must to yeast mixture. Mix and let sit for 5 minutes. Repeat twice, waiting 5 minutes between each addition. The temperature of yeast mixture and must should be within 10°F. Once there, aerate must with whisk, or shake vessel for 1 minute. Add remaining yeast mixture into must and stir vigorously for 30–45 seconds. Place in cool (60–70°F) area free from sunlight. Fermentation should start within 8–24 hours. Stir after 12 hours, and again at 24 hours. During second stir, add 2 grams of Fermaid O dissolved in 50 grams spring water.  Repeat stirring schedule on the second day. Add 2 grams of Fermaid O dissolved in 50 grams spring water at the 48-hour mark. On third day, take gravity reading. Subtract current reading from original gravity of must. If the difference is at least one-third of original gravity minus 1.000, then ⅓ sugar break has been reached and must doesn't need to be fed anymore. (e.g. If the must started at 1.100, the ⅓ sugar break would be 1.100-1.000 and then divide that number by three.  Example:
If ⅓ sugar break hasn't been reached, add 1 gram Fermaid O dissolved in 25 grams spring water. Monitor fermenter. Take gravity readings every other day to ensure fermentation continues. When hydrometer shows 1.000 or less, it's ready to transfer to one-gallon carboy.  Rack mead to carboy using auto-siphon. Ensure that dead yeast and sludge on bottom of fermentation vessel doesn't enter carboy. Stabilize with potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate. Add honey to desired sweetness. Let rest at least few weeks before bottling. Mead may take up to two months to be completely clear. Makes 1 gallon. Basic Vanilla Mead by Ken SchrammCourtesy of Ken Schramm, cofounder/head meadmaker, Schramm's Mead, Ferndale, Michigan
Set aside ½ cup water. In a bucket, combine honey with 3½ gallons of water. Stir to mix. Add vanilla beans. A spoon will suffice but using an immersion blender or kitchen mixer to vigorously mix will add oxygen, which is needed by the yeast. Rehydrating the Yeast: Heat ½ cup water until it reaches 104°F. Pour heated water into sanitized bowl. Add Go Ferm and stir until dissolved. Sprinkle yeast on surface without stirring. Wait 20 minutes, and then gently stir for 5 to 10 minutes until yeast moistens. Add moistened yeast to honey mixture. Combine Diammonium Phosphate and Fermaid O and mix thoroughly. Divide into 5 equal portions. On first day, add first two portions of Diammonium Phosphate and Fermaid O. Close bucket, add airlock and fill the airlock with cheap vodka. On days 2–4, stir must, at first gently to avoid foaming over, then vigorously to de-gas liquid. Add another portion of Lalvin 71B-1122 after foaming diminishes. Stir well. This mead should ferment for 14–21 days. When bubbling of airlock has slowed, rack mead into sanitized carboy, and fit with a bung and airlock. Keep airlock topped with cheap vodka at all times. Check every 2–3 days. Allow mead to clear to your liking, and bottle. This mead should finish with about 13% alcohol and a pleasant but not cloying amount of residual sweetness. Makes 5 U.S. gallons. |
| How We Rated Some of the Internet’s Top-Selling Wine Brands Posted: 11 Jun 2021 03:46 AM PDT  The Wine Enthusiast team blind tastes and reviews around 25,000 wines every year. These range from small-production bottlings to major releases from global brands and everything in between. We were curious to see how our scores stacked up against real-world buying habits, so we looked at some of the top-selling bottles on online marketplace Vivino. In an effort to help you decide which to purchase, or just to see a ranking of the internet's most popular bottles in one place, here are our most recent ratings and reviews of current offerings from some of online retail's most in-demand brands. Top-selling wines and how they scoredHenri Bourgeois 2018 Petit Bourgeois Sauvignon Blanc (Vin de France); $13, 85 points. This soft, easy, Sauvignon Blanc emphasizes fruit and freshness. Acidity and bright crispness are smoothed by the rounded aftertaste. Drink now. Monsieur Touton Selection Ltd. –Roger Voss Barefoot NV Moscato (California); $7, 86 points. Very fruity, flavorful and semisweet, this light-bodied and low-alcohol wine gushes floral and lychee fruit aromas, sweet honey and honeydew melon flavors and soft texture. Best Buy. –Jim Gordon Beringer 2018 Founder’s Estate Pinot Noir (California); $9, 86 points. A strong vein of oak spices gives this full-bodied wine an almost sweet effect, as cinnamon and vanilla fill the aroma and flavors. It is broad and fairly soft in texture. Best Buy. –J.G. Lapis Luna 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Lodi); $13, 86 points. Rich, round and darkly fruity, this wine offers extra ripeness and soft tannins for a very mouthfilling, almost sweet effect.–J.G. Josh Cellars 2018 Bourbon Barrel Aged Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (California); $19, 88 points. This potent, full-bodied wine is moderately tannic, nicely concentrated and shows some good oak character in the cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg nuances that come out with time in the glass. –J.G. Château d’Arcins 2015 Haut-Médoc; $24, 89 points. This wine boasts dry, old-school tannins that bracket the black currant fruit on the palate. It will soften as it matures to deliver crisp fruit and cleaner tannins. Drink from 2023. Luneau USA Inc. –R.V. Decoy 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley); $25, 89 points. Well-integrated fruit and subtle oak flavors give this medium- to full-bodied wine a nice sense of balance and composure that’s enjoyable to sip. It brings out black cherry, cinnamon and a touch of vanilla that are tasty and lingering. –J.G. Abandon 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon (Lake County-Napa County); $30, 90 points. An element of roundness, almost sweetness, gives this wine a smooth drinkability despite a high tannin level. Deep indulgent blueberry and blackberry-jam flavors are accented by baking spices, cloves and cedar. Best through 2023. –J.G. Bogle 2018 Juggernaut Cabernet Sauvignon (California); $20, 90 points. Opulent black-fruit flavors are well matched by mint, chocolate and cedar accents in this full-bodied, velvet-textured wine. Layered and mouthfilling, it offers abundant soft tannins to keep it appetizing. –J.G. Duckhorn 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley); $78, 90 points. This is a soft, rounded and appealing red, juicy in blackberry and dark cherry. Ripe tannins add to the richness and lush palate, finishing on accents of clove and toasted oak. –Virginie Boone Gloria Ferrer NV Sonoma Brut Méthode Champenoise Sparkling (Carneros); $22, 90 points. A rich, exuberant nose of apple and sea spray leads to a steely palate built up by nervy, focused acidity. Accents of oyster shell and earth permeate the midpalate in this Pinot Noir-dominant sparkler. –V.B. Groth 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (Oakville); $65, 93 points. Blended with 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, this Cabernet opens with earthy aromas of tar, sage and cedar. It expands on the palate to show an elegant structure of finessed, supple tannins alongside layers of clove and cinnamon atop ripe red and black berries. Editors' Choice. –V.B. We Recommend: Austin Hope 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles); $56, 95 points. Quite dark in the glass, this reliable crowd-pleaser begins with hearty aromas of black currant, black plum, lush oak and caramel, accented by a hint of olive and loads of clove and nutmeg. The mouthfeel is hearty and rich, with just enough tannic weight to balance the creamy black-cherry, caramel and chocolate-ice-cream flavors, which lead to an oaky finish. –Matt Kettmann Emeritus 2017 Hallberg Ranch Estate Grown Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley); $45, 95 points. With Winemaker David Lattin now at the helm, this vintage packs a punch of grace and power. Rose, lavender and earth tones accent a juicy black-cherry core, with crisp acidity sitting alongside a hint of nutmeg. –V.B. |
| The New Generation of Vintners Reviving Los Angeles’ Wine Heritage Posted: 10 Jun 2021 04:45 AM PDT  The Los Angeles basin was California's first wine country, with tens of thousands of vineyard acres and hundreds of wineries that quenched the state's thirst from the 1830s. But the post-World War II development boom made building houses more profitable than growing vines. The memories of vintages past were buried under asphalt and apartments. A new generation of winemakers wants to change that. As they craft and serve their wines amid the urban sprawl, they're discovering overlooked or forgotten vineyards in the region's hidden canyons and high deserts. Some source from the handful of remaining vineyards that were planted nearly a century ago in the Cucamonga Valley. A few take grapes from vines at Mission San Gabriel to connect with California's colonial roots.  Similar DreamsThe morning wind spins turbines and tosses tumbleweeds across solar farms in the Antelope Valley of northeastern Los Angeles County as Monty Swayze shows off his seven-acre vineyard, planted 17 years ago. Here, he grows Zinfandel, Grenache, Alicante Bouschet, Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc is used in California Crackler, a sparkling blend made by Angeleno Wine Company, which is owned by Amy Luftig Viste and Jasper Dickson. Luftig Viste and Dickson, along with Patrick Kelley of Cavaletti Vineyards and Mark Blatty of Byron Blatty Wines, remember how surprised they were to find these vines. "You wouldn't expect the vineyard to do as well as it does," says Kelley, in reference to its desert landscape, which hugs the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada mountain range but sits just 75 miles from the Hollywood sign. "Everyone was skeptical when we came out here."
The three wineries started independently with a similar vision to focus on Los Angeles County-grown grapes, only to find out about each other later. Rather than compete over limited fruit, they formed the Los Angeles Vintners Association in 2019. That's allowed them to tackle challenges together, from viticultural quirks to commercial resistance. "When you talk to people who make wines from the Central Coast or the North Coast, they seem to have different experiences than we do," says Blatty. These L.A. vines require different canopy management techniques due to the heat and sunshine, and harvest there tends to start early in the season and go very late. "What's been so great about becoming friends and getting all on the same page is that we're not alone," says Blatty. "We have our own little support group."  Sales were slow at first, but that's starting to change. "People would come in extremely skeptical, and maybe even nervous, about trying the wines," says Luftig Viste. "People thought they would taste like tires or smog." Once people try the wine, many are happily surprised. "The most common comment I hear is, 'Wow, these are actually good.' " says Kelley. Philosophy professor-turned-vintner Abe Schoener is also betting on the region. He's dreamed of starting an L.A. winery since 2005. Two years ago, he left rural Northern California, where he'd made The Scholium Project wines since 2000, to set up shop alongside the L.A. River with Winemaker Rajat Parr. "The connection to urban wineries and vineyards in cities goes back to Rome," says Schoener. Such involvement from established players will only help the momentum. "There was a time in the beginning where commercial buyers would not give you the time of day," says Blatty. "But if we can just get wine into someone's glass, we can open their mind and change their mind about L.A. wine."  Shared VinesAngeleno Wine Company operates in Mission Junction, a graffiti-decorated warehouse district just east of downtown Los Angeles, near where the Riboli family has run San Antonio Winery since 1917. Dickson works full-time in the winery, while Luftig Viste maintains a day job in the county's public health department. ("We're a little busy," she says, referring to her pandemic workload.) It took them three years to find a location. "Not only are there 15 wines coming out of this vineyard, but these wines all drink very differently from each other.”—Mark Blatty of Byron Blatty Wines "L.A. zoning still considers wineries to be heavy industrial manufacturing, like airplane engines and petrochemicals," says Luftig Viste. Unique Tinseltown issues continue, like having to shut down for the weekend so Michael Bay could shoot an action film on their block. Byron Blatty Wines shares a facility in Santa Clarita with brands like Pulchella and Hoi Polloi. Those wineries buy fruit from the Central Coast, but the facility recently welcomed a new Southern California-focused producer, Acri Wine Company. A former television producer who worked on Real Housewives of New York City for 10 years, Blatty owns his winery with his wife, Jenny Blatty, a television producer for Warner Bros.' Stage 13 Network. The couple just had their second child. Kelley's winery lies just west, in the Ventura County city of Moorpark. A pharmaceutical executive by day, Kelley named his brand Cavaletti after the smallest of horse-training jumps, a nod to both his equestrian-inclined daughter and wife, who works as an equine masseuse. He also grows grapes in his Santa Rosa Valley backyard and sources from across Ventura County.  All three wineries buy grapes from many of the same vineyards, from the Malibu Coast and Bel Air (where Moraga Vineyards has existed since 1989) to Mission San Gabriel, where they've harvested grapes from vines planted in the 1800s. They also source from Antelope Valley of the California High Desert, the official appellation name approved in 2011. Even just from Swayze's scant seven acres, the three brands make about 15 combined wines each vintage. "Not only are there 15 wines coming out of this vineyard, but these wines all drink very differently from each other," says Blatty, whose wines tend to be the richest. Angeleno tends to be leaner, and Cavaletti sits in the middle. In the same appellation, Lee Williams started to grow grapes in 2001, as an escape from his career in nursing. "Something about grape growing was calming, getting my hands dirty not in blood, but in the soil," says Williams, whose Golden Star Vineyards grows Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscat of Alexandria and Malbec. He's now president of the Antelope Valley Wine Growers Association, which includes about a dozen growers over the nearly 700-square-mile appellation. He also buys grapes from other vineyards, many of which were originally planted by Efren Chavez. A vineyard worker in Sonoma County since 1978, Chavez came to the Antelope Valley in 1999. His efforts launched the modern vineyard movement. Chavez died in June 2020 at age 61. Malbec also stars at the Smith Family Vineyard, which lies just east of a popular state poppy reserve. "We realized that Antelope Valley and Mendoza have quite similar climates," says Blatty of the Argentinian region. "It should come as no surprise that [varietal grapes] like Malbec do well."  Forgotten PlacesAs you drive south into the Sierra Pelona Mountains, the San Andreas Fault carves a dramatic landscape that features natural sag ponds called Lake Hughes and Elizabeth Lake. Last year, tipped off by tipsy customers on Valentine's Day, Kelley discovered hundreds of head-trained, unirrigated vines next to the community's elementary school. Records show that they were planted by pioneer John Munz around 1899. They were shown to be of the Mission variety, according to an analysis conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis. With the help of volunteers and fellow vintners, Kelley has chopped back the yucca stalks, red buckwheat and scraggly coyote bush that choked these vines, bringing many of them back to life.
"They were happy to have us farm it," he says of the school district. "They had no idea there was anything there. It was just a brushy hillside." Over splashes of Cavaletti rosé, Blatty looked at the vines that have been unearthed, treated with compost and given the chance to once again grow. "To me," he says, "this vineyard just parallels the whole Los Angeles wine revival." Leading away from the lakes, through the Leona Valley (approved as an appellation in 2010), and down into the Sierra Pelona Valley (approved in 2011), the highways pass a few dying vineyards. Water supply is an issue for these arid lands, but estate wineries like Agua Dulce and Reyes survive along the Old Sierra Highway. That's also where to find the green oasis overseen by Juan Alonso, a Spaniard from Galicia who was trained as a chef in France. He ventured first to the Canary Islands, and then to Los Angeles in 1973.  In 1980, he purchased a rundown biker bar and recast it as a French restaurant with an extensive cellar named La Chene. He started to plant in 1995, where he expanded acreage annually for many years. "This wasn't something that I wanted to do," says Alonso of becoming a restaurateur, vintner and motelier, his energized eyes glimmering from behind a thick beard and weathered skin. "It just happened." Today, the nearly seven-acre vineyard, whose fruit now goes almost entirely to Angeleno and Blatty, features Grenache, Tempranillo, Tannat, Treixadura, Godello, Loureiro, Albariño and three rows of possibly the oldest Mencía in California. "The wines naturally come out pretty mellow, even though it's a warm area," says Dickson. "You don't get big concentrated wines. They are more mellow and more elegant."  Cucamonga ConnectionFrom 1838 until the suburban explosion of the 1970s, the Cucamonga Valley, just east of Los Angeles County, thrived as a viticultural hub. That wasn't apparent by the time David Potter of Municipal Winemakers grew up there in the 1980s. "The city's logo is a bunch of grapes, and there's a harvest festival," says Potter of Rancho Cucamonga. "But it's all kind of lip service because the wine industry there is pretty much dead." Potter, who started his brand in Santa Barbara 14 years ago, began to make old-vine Zinfandel from Cucamonga's Lopez Ranch in 2009. That property is owned by the Galleano family, whose winery and estate vineyard from the 1930s lies next to the whizzing traffic of Interstate 15 in Mira Loma. (The city was named Wineville until the nationally publicized "chicken coop" murder spree forced a name change in the 1930s.)
Fourth-generation vintner Domenic Galleano makes mostly Port- and Sherry-style wines in massive redwood tanks and half-century old barrels. He's humdrum over the future of this historic piece of land. "Let's go try some Port," he says during a recent tour, snaking through a yard of sun-soaked barrels filled with such forgotten varieties as Rose of Peru. "We can talk about the sad stuff later—Southern California wine and its future." In 2017, Potter started to make Grenache from Hofer Ranch in nearby Ontario. Sandwiched between the rumbling runways of the Ontario Airport and massive UPS warehouses, Hofer's 30 acres of vines were planted in the 1930s, but they've been under threat of development almost ever since. Scar of the Sea's Mikey Giugni, another Cucamonga kid who has become a Central Coast winemaker, also buys this Grenache. Paul Hofer's family settled this property in 1882, but everything started going downhill in the 1950s, when grape prices plummeted. "The pressure of urbanization changed everything," says Hofer. "It's really hard for agriculture and urbanization to coexist. We're very blessed to be here.” |
| The Best Bordeaux Vintages to Drink in 2021 Posted: 10 Jun 2021 04:20 AM PDT  There is something about vintages ending in 8, 9 and 0 that appeal to the Bordeaux weather gods. It's happened three times in the last four decades, with exceptional vintages spanning 1988–1990, 2008–2010 and 2018–2020. Only one series didn't quite live up to the others: 1998–2000. Out of these standout triumvirates, those from 2008, 2009 and 2010 are now ready to drink. Bordeaux grapes in 2008 dealt with a cold spring, but then a summer that left the fruit ready for Médoc the two months of late-breaking autumn heat that yielded an easy harvest. Most of the vintage's finest wines are now being opened with great enjoyment. Only a few lesser estates, particularly in Saint-Émilion, have passed their peak window. The best wines now have ripe, generous fruit, balanced with a good shot of acidity and an enticing smoky aftertaste. Alcohol levels are still modest, traditional Bordeaux, at around 13% or 13.5% alcohol by volume (abv), compared with the much higher figures for many vintages since then. The following year, 2009, was very different. You can taste the textbook growing season—plenty of rain in the spring, warm summer and long, dry autumn—from the way the wines have always had a smiling face. This was the vintage that U.S. Bordeaux lovers drooled over, while Chinese buyers entered the market in a big way and pushed prices up. Big, bold and luscious from the get-go, the best Bordeaux wines of 2009 are from the Médoc subregions of Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estèphe, with some standouts farther south in Pessac-Léognan. In Bordeaux, some producers had mixed feelings about the softness of the tannins and many purists wanted more structure. But this vintage offers pleasure at so many levels, and is ready to open now. Out of the trio, 2010 is the least ready to drink. It's also the best. While the beginning of the growing season was problematic, summer and autumn brought just the right conditions to create grapes that were concentrated while still having enough acidity. Tannins came back with a vengeance in the powerful 2010 vintage, along with elevated alcohol levels and higher prices. But overall, the wines are uniformly great. What is so special about these wines is their balance, always an important element in the finest Bordeaux years. They have everything that great Bordeaux should have, which includes the potential for long-term aging.
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| Your Growler Gets Gross. Here’s How to Clean It Posted: 10 Jun 2021 04:00 AM PDT  Growlers are a great way to transport and drink beer straight from the tap. But, like anything that comes in contact with your alcohol, it's important that it stays clean. To ensure that you're ready for your next brewery excursion, beer experts around the country weigh in on how to keep your growler clean.  Signs your growler is grossOne telltale indicator that your growler could use a rinse is when "you open up the lid and it pops," says Jason Lavery, president and founder of Lavery Brewing Company in Erie, Pennsylvania. "You can tell that there was residual beer that may have pressurized the vessel a little bit." The Erie brewery got its liquor license in 2010, and its customers can fill growlers with Lavery's IPAs, ales and more. Since the onset of the novel coronavirus, the brewer will not only rinse a customer's growler, but they also sanitize it.  "Growlers are usually dark glass," says Lavery. "So, it’s hard to really see inside if they’re clean, [but] it’s pretty easy to tell by the exterior how clean the interior is." Joy Reichenbach, a Certified Cicerone and head of operations and interim tap room manager at Talea Beer Co. in Brooklyn, New York, also agrees hearing a "pop" isn't a great sign of a growler's cleanliness. She has also "always been taught it’s best practice to give a growler a sniff, which is probably something that’s not happening as much in Covid times."  "There can be a unique smell if it hasn’t been properly cleaned," says Alisa Bowens-Mercado, founder and owner of Rhythm Brewing Co. in New Haven, Connecticut, which makes unfiltered lagers. When you make beer at more than 7,000 feet above sea level, a "pop" doesn't necessarily indicate the growler is dirty. Instead, it might happen due to altitude or temperature changes according to Matt Heiser, founder and co-owner of Rock Cut Brewing in Estes Park, Colorado. But when customers fill up growlers with Rock Cut's IPAs, stouts or lagers, they can tell by smell and outward appearance whether it has been cleaned.  How to clean your growlerThere are different ways to clean your growler. But it's best to rinse out your growler with warm or hot water as soon as you're done using it. You can also fill it, let it soak for a few minutes and rinse it out a couple of times, according to Reichenbach. Once done rinsing, "you got to let that thing air dry," says Bowens-Mercado. "Preferably upside down." Heiser warns against the use of dish soap, as it can impart unwanted residue and odors. "So basically, the way that you can think about it is if your growler has any sort of scent inside, whether that be old beer or soap, that’s what the next beer is going to taste like that you put in there," says Reichenbach. Lavery and Bowens-Mercado say some soap is okay as long as you rinse out the growler immediately. Bowens-Mercado goes back to "what my grandmothers always taught me. Hot water and soap will do the trick all the time."  "Clean it after emptying it," says Lavery. "That's what I do when I drink beer out of growlers. As soon as they are empty, just rinse it and put a little drop of dish soap in there, hot water and shake it and then rinse it very, very thoroughly. Just make sure all the dish soap gets out because dish soap can kill the beer." Hazy beers may have more proteins in them, says Lavery, which can lead to residue buildup. If you aren't able to clean your growler right away, Heiser recommends filling it with hot water and let it soak for the night. The next day, pour out half of the water, give it another good shake and then empty it, he says. If you're concerned that's not enough, Heiser also says you can purchase PBW tablets, which can further help break up left-behind silt. You can also use a soft-bristle brush to scrub the inside as well.  How to store your growlerIt's important to make sure your growler is dry before you store it. "The most important thing after that is to not put the cap back on it," says Reichenbach. "So, what I like to do is kind of place the cap a little sideways on it so it covers it, so no dust or debris will get in, but it leaves it open so that the growler can dry out. Because that’s kind of what will keep the bacteria from growing in there." If you keep your growler in your car, Heiser recommends keeping it sealed, as it can pick up unwanted odors from exhaust. He says to rinse it every couple of weeks. |
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