New Vs. Old

Having spent many a happy year in the heart of CA wine country, I like many, had a bit of adjustment to the finesse of our local wines. Let me be clear, I think both styles of wine have a place on our "American Wine List". But to some who haven't spent the required time "practicing" the art of wine tasting, the disparity between the two expressions of wine making, can be a mystery.

Simply put, our American wine journey started in Europe. Our ancestors brought the vine with them into a new environment. Vines didn't do so well "back East", so it wasn't until the CA wine industry geared up that wine in America became a viable option. But CA is a lot different than Europe for the most part. Most all of Europe is above CA longitudinally, meaning shorter cooler Summers. Here, the vines went nuts. Lots of fruit and lots of sugar, ie. alcohol. AKA, fruit bombs.

Enter the Umpqua Valley. Same latitude as Tuscany in Italy and the Rjoha in Spain. Hence our growing season matches more closely to Europe than CA. Grape berries do not have as much sugar as CA. Match this with a generally more "hands off" approach to wine making and you end up with a more balanced wine. Instead of the fruit overpowering the wine, our wines bring out more of the subtle flavors in the grape.

It takes the "Three P's" to really understand each style. That's Practice, Practice,Practice!!