Tag Archive for 'December'

Stages of Post-Harvest Production - Whites

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joanie
on December 18, 2008
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While we here in the Santa Barbara Winery tasting room are catching Christmas fever from all of the card writing, gift wrapping, label making, packing, and shipping we have been doing over the past week, the production staff is just basking in their post-harvest December glow.  The wines are in different stages of aging and fermentation. 

This year we are focusing on Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and a new player, the zestful and exotic dry Orange Muscat.  The Chardonnay is just finishing malolactic fermentation (ML).  It is during this secondary stage of fermentation that malic acid, which is the acid that you find in apples is converted into lactic acid, which is the acid in milk products.  This step of the Chardonnay winemaking process helps to round out the mouthfeel and make the wine a little bit softer.  

The Sauvignon Blanc is aging in stainless steel tanks.  2% of it is in barrel also going through ML to give it added depth. 

Orange Muscat is currently being filtered.

The wines are coming out of their adolescence and becoming real wines.  While the 2008 wines start their life, the winemakers are busy cleaning barrels to get them ready for oak aging. 

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

 

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Holiday Rhones

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joanie
on December 11, 2008
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Thanksgiving has passed, but the holidays are just now stepping into their full stride.  The rest of the holiday season gives us a little bit more flexibility in terms of menu planning and wine selection.  While traditional Thanksgiving dinner consists of roasted turkey, creamy potato mash, stuffing, and cranberry sauce year after year, December is full of opportunities to entertain in a variety of styles for a rotating audience.  It becomes more about seasonal cooking (think hearty warming dishes).  Techniques of braising, roasting, and slow cooking transform Farmer’s Market produce into much softer and more cooked versions of their summer selves.  Back in the days before heating systems people used to slow cook their meats throughout the entire day because the warmth from the oven would help push out the winter chill.  

While my family plays Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas carols on repeat we are typically in the kitchen chopping herbs, making salad dressings, and preparing for dinner.  Go to wines include sparklers and Rhone reds.  These structured wines go so well with December evenings, with nuances of herbs, smoke, meat, and richly baked fruits.  Syrah, Grenache, Mouvedre, Petite Sirah, and Counoise are among the varietals that come from France’s Rhone Valley - split up into Northern and Southern Rhone.  In the North, Syrah is king, while the South’s Chateauneuf du Pape blends are Grenache-based.  

Syrah grows very well in Santa Barbara County.  Cool climate styles from the Sta. Rita Hills lean towards a black spice character while the warmer Santa Ynez produces wines with a distinctly jammy fruit character.  We produce a few different Syrahs between the Santa Barbara Winery label and the Lafond label.  Current releases under the SBW label include 2005 Santa Barbara County Syrah, 2006 Santa Ynez Valley Syrah.  From Lafond, the 2006 SRH Syrah and the 2005 Lafond Vineyard Syrah are available as well as the 2006 Syrah Grenache blend.  SBW also produces a Grenache, a Grenache Syrah blend, and Petite Sirah.  

Check out this Wine Spectator article on “Holiday Entertaining - Rhone Style” - 

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Features/0,1197,4736,00.html

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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A Trip to Napa Valley

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joanie
on December 8, 2008
in Joanie Hudson and Pinot Noir
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I just returned from a long weekend spent up north in Napa Valley, and while I wish I was waking up for one more day up there, Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara Winery are not bad places to come home to.  Being my first trip to Napa, trying to choose my winery visits so as not to be overwhelmed in my two full days was like making a Christmas list when you just don’t know when to cross things off.  But, sometimes you just have to put your foot down and decide.  I have that same problem even down here in Santa Barbara, I want to hit up my favorite places, but always want to try new things.  I try to hit the balance of those two poles.

While I have heard stories of Napa becoming very corporate, huge, and overwhelming, I found that every visit was extremely engaging and intimate.  I took an Insignia blending seminar at Joseph Phelps (sign up with Michael Cawelti who was knowledgeable and very friendly), went on tours, and took a book full of scribbled notes.  I also have officially exceeded the storage capacity of my closet (anybody else have the problem where they just start sticking bottles wherever they may fit?).  I have the dangerous wine bug where buying wine has become just as exciting as actually opening and drinking the bottle.  I heard comparisons to baseball card collections as a kid.  There is just something about opening that case box at the end of the day, unloading, and admiring your purchases.  

I use a great online service to keep track of my wine called Cellar Tracker and the whole drive home all I could think about was how excited I was to lay everything out, decide what gets sent to the storage facility, and enter each bottle one by one into my online cellar.  This website is a nice way to not only easily access the bottles that you own, but also sets drinking windows for each wine.  So I can log into my account, open my cellar, and browse through to see not only everything that I have, but also which wines I should put priority on drinking.  Some wines should be drank right away, some need a couple of years, and some are built to be put away for a decade.  In other words this service helps me keep track of my wine’s lifespan.  

The drive from Santa Barbara took about 7 hours with one stop in Paso Robles to visit Turley Cellars (Assistant Winemaker Ryan’s Mom works here - ask for Joella).  I passed the massive Schied Vineyards up in Monterey County, where we source our juicy 2007  Color Label Pinot Noir from.  When I finally made it home last night, pulling off of the freeway I noticed fireworks over the Harbor, why the fireworks in December I thought.  Most importantly, why is my street (which is only a couple of blocks from the Harbor), filled with cars that will keep me from easily unloading my wine!?

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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Holiday Cheers in the Sta. Rita Hills

Published
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joanie
on December 1, 2008
in Joanie Hudson, Lafond Winery and Special Events
. 1 Comment

Why not leave the malls and congested parking lots behind this weekend and head out to the vineyards to do your shopping?  The first weekend of December is always packed full of activities, jovial tunes, and the first holiday parties of the year.  This special weekend (December 5-7) the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance has put together a lengthy list of open houses and tastings to entice visitors to spend the weekend in the beautiful energy and rolling hills of the appellation.  

Lafond Winery and Vineyard extends open arms to visitors looking to get in on the holiday cheer and can provide an assortment of gift ideas for your loved ones (all while tasting through a selection of our most recently released Chardonnays, Pinots and Syrahs).  Christmas shopping doesn’t have to stressful at the winery gift shop.  

This is a great weekend to come up to the Santa Ynez Valley and enjoy the crisp, clean air while touring your favorite vineyards as well as vineyards that only open their doors to the public a couple of days a year.  For example, Pali Wine Company and Flying Goat in Lompoc will hold open houses and join the Sta. Rita Hills in toasting the holiday season.  So make your list of vineyards to visit, check it twice, and get out there and enjoy.  

For more information on events and our appellation/growing region, please visit and join the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance website.  Sign up for the email list to receive updates on events and happenings (or just regularly check my blog!).

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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December Tasting at Pierre Lafond Bistro, Santa Barbara

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Pierre
on November 19, 2008
in Grenache, Pierre Lafond Bistro and Wine News
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Passport to the World of Wine will continue at the Bistro December 3, 2008 (the first Wednesday of the month).  November’s event featured Syrah, and now we will move on to another Rhone varietal, Grenache.  

While Syrah is the king of France’s Northern Rhone Valley, Grenache is a major player in the Southern Rhone where it is typically included in the Chateauneuf du Pape blends.  It is a medium bodied wine similar in structure to a Pinot, but with a different flavor profile.  Tannins are soft and flavor is huge. 

Zach Blair, Bistro Sommelier, has selected the wines that will be poured at the tasting.

Grenache  December 

07 Monte Oton, Garnacha, Campo de Borja, Spain 
07 Bodega Zabrin Garnacha de Fuego Calatayud, Spain
05 Telegramme, Chateau Neuf du Pape, Brunier, Rhone, France
05 Hewitson, Miss Harry, GSM, Barossa Valley, Australia
05 Santa Barbara Winery, Grenache, Santa Rita Hills

An opportunity to taste a selection of five wines from exceptional growing areas and different countries paired with a delicious culinary selection
Wine Selection by Zach Blair, Bistro Sommelier
Food Pairing by Nathan Heil, Bistro Chef
Call for reservations 805-962-1455

Hope to see you there!
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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The Last BBQs of Summer

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joanie
on September 1, 2008
in Joanie Hudson and Wine and Food Pairing
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Wine Spectator’s website is where I go for global updates on the wine world, and there was an article that caught my eye today that I will share.  Perhaps it is because it is a perfectly timed article to contemplate post Labor Day, while the weather is still warm.  While Labor Day marks the “official end of summer,” we are lucky here in Santa Barbara to be able to keep our flip flops out through December.  Unfortunately the shorter days definitely inhibit evening barbeques…  

The WS article was ‘White Wines and Seafood for Labor Day’ (say goodbye to summer).  It highlights California chardonnays and some delicious seafood recipes to pair with your wine.  Host your last summer barbeque with this article in mind.  Three recipes are featured: Herb-Grilled Wild Striped Bass, Grilled Shrimp and Clams, and Emeril Lagasse’s Spicy Butter Poached Shrimp.  Each recipe has wine tips, which are ever so helpful when trying to match flavors and create successful pairings.  

For the Bass, it is recommended to look for a chardonnay with some oak to “complement the smoky char on the vegetables.” For the Shrimp and Clams (which are served in an acidic lime butter sauce), “avoid oak and tannin, and stick to lighter bodied chardonnays with plenty of citrus character” (2006 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay).  Emeril’s butter dish calls for a “full-bodied chardonnay with enough fruit to stand up to the heat of the spicy sauce.”  

Pay attention to the weight of a particular chardonnay by doing your research and finding out the fermentation styles that were used to produce the wine.  This is very important for matching your food and drink.

See the full article and recipes this link:

Joanie Hudson

Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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On the First Day of December

Published
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joanie
on December 2, 2007
in Joanie Hudson and Wine and Food Pairing
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What did I do on the first day of December?

Saw a Christmas movie.

Started planning a Christmas party.

Listened to my “Best of Christmas” CD as loud as my speakers could go.

 Drank Rosé with a winter meal.

Rosé is not a wine you will see many people bringing out of their cellars in December, but maybe it should be.  Last night I had friends over for dinner.  We had an eclectic meal of roasted root vegetables with sage (parsnips, butternut squash, and sweet potatoe) and sauteed tofu with onion and a hint of garlic.  We opened two 06 dry Rosé’s - a Syrah, Grenache, Mouvedre, Cinsault blend from Curtis Winery and a straight Syrah from Santa Barbara Winery. 

The Curtis Rosé’s dry, smooth fruitiness was dominated by pink grapefruit and strawberry.  I normally would lean towards Rosé as a picnic wine for summer, but its delicate fruitiness is really a great pair for lighter fare (such as tofu) alongside heartier side dishes (such as roasted winter vegetables and sage). 

Sauteeing and roasting makes for earthy, substantially filling dishes that are perfect for winter.  Other wines that I would serve with a meal like this would be a Riesling, a high acid Viognier such as the one from Jaffurs Winery, or a Santa Barbara Winery ZCS (Zinfandel, Carignane, Sangiovese blend).

I learned something interesting last night from our assistant winemaker Ryan.  When I had some of the Santa Barbara Winery Rosé I noticed something in the nose and mid-palate that I could not put my finger on.  It was a familiar aroma, but one that I couldn’t quite grasp.  So I asked Ryan.  He swirled and sniffed, put the glass down and without hesitation said it was the rind of an orange.  He then asked me to get him another glass and some white sugar. 

We poured another taste of the wine into a new glass and added a pinch of sugar.  Swirl, sniff the first glass - orange rind.  Swirl, sniff the second glass - no orange rind.  The added sugar completely cancelled out the astringent citrus nose.  I looked at Ryan and said “you’re brilliant.”  His simple response was “I’m a wine maker.”

 Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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