Seattle: It’s About Damn Time

Finally the Terroirists have found the time to venture to what might be the most amazing city in the Northwest. Whether your into music, wine, movies, markets or tall skinny structures that resemble alien spacecraft. well then Seattle is the place for you.

As I sat in my hotel taking a bath in my whirlpool bathtub drinking some Baumard Coteaux Du Layon I wondered, How did my life go so right. Over the course of the next few days I will be presenting you with a tantalizing taste of some of what I saw, drank and maybe even listened to in this northwestern city of the gods. You shall sadly have to wait until then as this is just a teaser to wet your appetite. Also we haven’t had a post in a few days and that is just unacceptable.

A Walla of a Time

The 2010 North American Wine Bloggers’ Conference kicks off in Walla Walla tomorrow. Since I live in Walla Walla for another 4 days, I’ve decided to celebrate this momentous occasion with some wine from Michigan. As I type bloggers are descending upon this land that I have called home for the last two years. For everyone thinking about visiting Walla squared, I have prepared a sample itinerary for a weekend trip to the place so nice they named it twice.

Friday afternoon: after undoubtedly a long drive from the only large airports in the area, Seattle or Portland, stop by two of the oldest wineries in the valley; Woodward Canyon and L’Ecole No 41. Just pay the tasting fee, noting that you have a lot more stops to make and this is the first one, but come back on Sunday and buy realizing that these are two of the best wineries in the valley.

Friday evening: check into the Marcus Whitman, because it’s the only hotel in town. Take a nap because nights in Walla Walla have a strange way of transcending space and time, especially when the Red Monkey Downtown Lounge is involved. Eat dinner at Saffron or Brasserie Four, grab a glass of wine at Vintage Cellars, a cocktail at the Marcus Whitman Lounge, and then take a taxi to the Green Lantern. It’s recommended to avoid the beer pong table at all costs, as it has a tendency to result in unfriendly discussions. After a pitcher of beer, stumble back to the Marcus Whitman and wake up with the ensuing headache.

Saturday: wake up early and take Excedrin. Eat breakfast at Olive on Main St, and make sure to have at least two cups of coffee. This is the same state that Seattle occupies. After breakfast, head to the south side of town and visit Pepper Bridge, Waters, Va Piano, and Balboa. By now you’re likely feeling a buzz, and nothing is better than lunch at the Dora’s Deli on 3rd St. Still Nursing the hangover, head to the airport to check out the wines at Buty and Syzygy, and make sure to talk to Zach at Syzygy about Alanis Morissette.

Saturday night: make the 20 mile drive to Waitsburg and have a cocktail at jimgermanbar before eating dinner across the street at the Whoop ’em up Hollow Cafe. Get a taxi back to Walla Walla and figure out how to retrieve the car in the morning.

Sunday: make appointments at Tero Estates, Gramercy, and Long Shadows. Unfortunately the budget has already been blown on wine, but just cut back on dinners for the next two years. Make sure not to skip the Poet’s Leap at Long Shadows. Yes it’s a riesling, and no, it isn’t sweet.

Ah yes, the many wonders of Walla Walla. After Monday I too will be a lowly tourist on visits to Walla, but it will always hold a special place in my heart as the town that took my wine snob virginity.

Oh, and by the way, these Michigan wines are showing some oak (by some I mean a lot), but they would fit right in with a flight of California wines. Who would have guessed?

Nematology 101

As I write, I am watching a critical World Cup match between two incredible and distinct wine regions, Switzerland and Chile.   I can only blame the fact that it is 8:23 in the morning, as to why I am not quaffing a rich and fleshy Carmenere alongside an austere and gripping Blauburgunder.  It makes me think that perhaps we should have a World Cup of Wine.  Bottle a Bottle.  16 countries enter, 1 shall emerge victorious.  I guess if France and Italy don’t advance to the Round of 16, they can’t enter the World Cup of Wine either.

That’s not what I wanted to write about today, instead, I want to present an extremely nerdy topic, nematology.  The passion and focus of this topic can only be expressed in this following quote.  It is lengthy, but bear with me, because it is worth it.  You will be transformed.  The great pioneer of nematology, Nathan Cobb, wrote in 1914:

“If all the matter in the universe except the nematodes were swept away, our world would still be dimly recognizable, and if, as disembodied spirits, we could then investigate it, we should find its mountains, hills, vales, rivers, lakes and oceans represented by a thin film of nematodes. The location of towns would be decipherable, since for every massing of human beings there would be a corresponding massing of certain nematodes. Trees would still stand in ghostly rows representing our streets and highways. The location of the various plants and animals would still be decipherable, and, had we sufficient knowledge, in many cases even their species could be determined by an examination of their erstwhile nematode parasites. ”

Nematodes (Photo by Greg Tylka)

Nematodes are microscopic worms.  They are less evolved structurally than earthworms.  They are tiny, and they are everywhere.  Thousands in a handful of soil.  90,000 in a rotting apple.  Nematodes (NEE-ma-toads) are the most diverse family of animals on the planet.

Also known as roundworms, they are involved in some of the most interesting life cycles on the planet.  They are pathogens of plants, whales, humans, insects, and my personal favorite, the fig wasp.

Agaonidae is the family of wasps responsible for pollinating fig trees.  It is hypothesized that fig trees’ reproductive survival depends upon a nematode, Parasitodiplogazter sp. (Diplogasteridae) to digest the female wasp so that she successfully dies within the fig flower…ok, this topic needs its own post.  I will come back to the fig-wasp nematode another time.  Just know that when you eat a fig…ok, maybe you don’t want to know.

The longest known nematode, Placentanema gigantissima lives in the placenta of a sperm whale, and grows up to 9 meters, thats almost 30 feet for our American readers.  Dracunculus medinensis, or Guinea Worm, has infected humans through contaminate drinking water since the beginning of history.  In this disease, the nematode  larvae emerge from tiny copepods and begin to eat and grow, eventually burrowing their way out through the our skin.  Gross.

Root-knot nematode in action

Ok, time for grapevines.  Sometimes when an old orchard is cut down, and a vineyard is planted in its place, it never seems to take off.  It just seems kind of sick.  Possible diagnosis?  Nematodes.  The root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita is one of the most economically damaging of nematodes.  These guys drill into the roots of plants to insert their eggs and make little galls, sucking the life forces out of vines and roots of all sorts.

And our final nematode for the day, the dagger nematode. Xiphinema index. This particular nematode strikes fear into the hearts and minds of viticulturalists.  This is because the piercing mouthpiece of this particular nematode is one of the only places on Earth where a particular virus can live, the Grapevine Fanleaf Virus.

Fanleaf virus afflicted Vitis vinifera

When carried into a grapevine, the Fanleaf Virus causes distortion of the leaves, stunting of growth, and the creation of tiny and useless, aborted berries.  The life-expectancy of a fanleaf vine is cut in half.

A fungus entrapping a nematode. Mother nature at her finest.

However, there is hope.  Understanding nematode ecology means understanding beneficial nematodes, plant-based nematode poisons, and even nematode devouring fungi.  With the incredible diversity of nematodes, there are indeed nematodes who prey upon the damaging parasitic nematodes.

Field of arugula and mustard, almost ready to be turned over

Recently, scientists have identified a fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora, that is seen at the right entrapping and ultimately digesting the squirming nematode.

Gardener’s have long known that marigolds offer beneficial protection along the borders of garden.  Scientifically we understand the process of certain plants that release a chemical upon tissue damage that transforms into a strong nematode poison.  Other plants capable of this are in the mustard and arugula families, and these plants can effectively be sowed inbetween the grapevine row.

Nematodes are part of our world, for good and for bad.  As we further our understanding, we come closer to the realization that our Earth is truly unique, and infinitely complex.  Agriculture is not just about killing everything except your desired crop, it is about understanding and nourishing the complex processes of nature.

Thank you to all of the fine researchers who have dedicated themselves to nematology.  I am merely a student standing upon your shoulders.  Please contact me if you do not approve of my use of your images, or if you simply would like some credit for them.

Cheers,

Michael the Microbiologist

The DRC of British Columbia?

Can’t act. Slightly bald. Also dances. Such is the slogan adorning the back label of all 10,000 bottles or so put out every year at Foxtrot Vineyards on the Naramata Bench in British Columbia. It’s fitting for winemaker and vineyard manager, Gustav Allander, a laid back guy who’s quietly crafting some of the best wines in Canada, if not the best.

Gustav was kind enough to meet us on short notice, but then again it appears he didn’t have far to go as he lives on site. A steep hillside property planted to three acres of pinot noir surrounds the house and the largely undergound winery. His crush pad doubles as a patio for 11 months of the year, but unfortunately the uniquely designed destemmer is unable to serve as a water slide. After a chat outside he opens the door to the cave where many wonders behold.

The vineyard and crush pad

After visiting three wineries which create upwards of 20 different bottlings, it was very refreshing to learn that Gustav makes two wines per year: a chardonnay and a pinot noir. Such is often the blight of ambitious young wine regions; and all too often it seems the focus is placed on quantity more than quality. This is not the case at Foxtrot, where quality is everything. Gustav didn’t hold back any secrets, he told us exactly how the wine is made, and it only whetted my appetite for the tasting to come.

The 2009 Foxtrot Vineyards Chardonnay Okanagan Valley was poured first, out of a freshly opened bottle which had only been sealed one week prior. If this wine was going through bottle shock I am dying to know what it will taste like when it’s back in its full form. Were it not for the brand new and technologically advanced winery, I could have felt as though I were tasting in Montrachet. The acid is still potent, the oak is noticeable but pleasant, and all aspects are in perfect harmony. This is easily one of the best three chardonnays I’ve ever tasted, and it certainly has potential to vie for the top spot.

The excitement had now fully built for the 2007 Foxtrot Vineyards Pinot Noir Okanagan Valley, and it didn’t let me down. Now, I won’t claim to be an expert on pinot noir — living in Walla Walla tends to limit exposure to the noble variety, but drinking this wine makes me fully understand the following this grape has. The soils of the Okanagan slopes become finer as one approaches lake level, and this particular estate has a range from windblown loess to a clay-based soil. Perhaps it’s this range of terroir within the three acres, or maybe it’s due to the use of 33% whole clusters, but it’s likely a combination of these and other factors which provide a stunning complexity to these wines. The wine is aged in 100% new French oak from a single cooper, but I would have never guessed that as the oak does not take center stage, but rather plays a supporting role.

I fully believe that if this wine were created in Oregon or on the Sonoma Coast it would sell for $100 per bottle. Luckily for anyone who makes the trip to British Columbia, the wine is only $55. This still isn’t cheap, but in the world of high end pinot things can get out of hand pretty quickly. We followed up the 2007 with a few barrel samples from the 2009 vintage which received the same treatment except for yeast strain. It’s amazing to see the differences this causes, although I wouldn’t discount the fact that these wines were also likely from different vineyard blocks or different clones.

The tasting finished with Gustav generously opening his first vintage of pinot from 2004. Until 2007 the wine was made at Lake Breeze, but this didn’t seem to hurt it. While showing some browning in color, the wine could give most Burgundies a run for their money. How long until the rest of the world realizes the potential for pinot noir in the Okanagan? Hopefully it’s still some ways off, as it just means more for all of us who have discovered it already. As for Gustav and Foxtrot Vineyards, I’d say the slogan is too modest, for he has a full head of hair and his wine doesn’t just dance; it gets jiggy.

Dazed and Canadian

Across the 49th parallel in British Columbia lies the Okanagan Valley; and while in proximity to Washington, in actuality it is worlds apart (separate ways). The Valley is tall and skinny, stretching from the relatively warm south to the cooler north on the banks of Okanagan Lake. Besides the natural beauty of the valley, there are over 120 wineries from which to chose. Unfortunately I only had two days in the area, so I fell a few short of the total.

The Naramata Bench

The normally sun-drenched Okanagan was wet for much of the trip, as most of the Pacific Northwest has been since seemingly eternity. Mudslides aside, I spent most of day one on the Naramata bench, a gradual west facing slope on the south east bank of the lake. The Naramata bench is it’s own subregion of the Okanagan Valley and there are certainly a lot of wineries to choose from.

The morning highlight was the stellar 2008 Lake Breeze Seven Poplars Chardonnay. This came as a relief after some underwhelming wines earlier in the day, and it was mostly uphill from there. The other two winos in my party had heard of a place called Foxtrot, which is as elusive as it sounds. Their dedication paid off, however, and we got an appointment after lunch. This was the highlight of the trip, and it deserves its own blog post, so I’m giving it such.

Tantalus

A drive up the west side of the lake brings one to the largest city in the valley, Kelowna. Probably most famous for the filming location of 2006 zombie movie Fido (not to be confused with its prog musician homonym, Phideaux), Kelowna is also home to its own group of wineries. Where there’s wine there’s food, and a dinner at RauDZ in downtown was worth the wait (it was quite a popular place). Besides the great food they had a high end selection of local wines available by the glass; but unfortunately no enslaved zombies to speak of.

The bar staff told tales of a stellar riesling being created by Tantalus Vineyards, and this seemed worth seeking out. A short drive from the city lies the estate with 40 planted acres. A very modern white building dominates the center, and it feels very much like something out of the movie Sleeper, only there is no orgasmatron inside.

New Zealand borne winemaker David Paterson (in a good mood after their football team managed a draw) was serving as the tasting room host, and this proved to be the other highlight of the trip. Besides his 2009 Tantalus Vineyards Dry Riesling, which can easily compete with the top Rieslings of Washington (if not smash them), he also had created a duo of pinot noirs worth noting. At $30 the 2008 Tantalus Vineyards Pinot Noir is one of the most fairly priced pinot noirs I’ve ever come across. Oh, oh, and it turns out there is an orgasmatron inside, only it’s disguised as a Canadian riesling.

Blue Mountain Vineyard

After Tantalus I was feeling some pain in the pocket book, but one more stop had to be made. About a 60 minute drive from Kelowna landed me in one of the most stunning settings I’ve ever seen. This is Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars, another appointment only stop but worth the effort just for the view. Their wines were impressive, too, and the pinot noir solidified my belief that this is the grape of the future for the Okanagan.

The region as a whole is still learning, and with time they will figure out their ideal grape varieties, much as Walla Walla is still doing. So far it seems pinot noir, chardonnay, and riesling have the lead. Unfortunately NAFTA doesn’t apply when it comes to wine, so it makes sense that the southern end of the valley is creating California style Bordeaux reds to satisfy that market.

The Okanagan Valley just may be the most beautiful wine region in North America, and the wines should not be overlooked either. Unfortunately the wines are basically impossible to find in the US, but knowing what can be done with pinot north of the border will surely bring me back in the future — or maybe I’ll just move to Canada as I so often threaten. I wouldn’t mind having a pet zombie, afterall.