VinoWeek - Episode 50 - Farming Ain't Easy

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Dorthy Vasser has been growing wine grapes in Redwood Valley for 53 years. Dorthy and her husband John started grape growing in 1964. John passed away in 2008 and Dorthy continued to farm their 26 acre Mendocino ranch. Dorthy has decided to sell her land and Lewis Perdue goes into great detail as to how Constellation Brands may have had a hand in her decision to get out of farming. It’s a very sad story. If you’re interested in getting into grape farming in Northern California here’s the listing.

There are too many wine grapes in California or we all need to step up our game and consume more vino. Unfortunately all the data shows that we’re drinking better wine but less of it. Bill Swindell asks some local growers how they are handling the grape glut.

Cameron Hughes expresses concern about the current wine glut. He sites declining demand, climate change, negative health messaging and cannabis all as contributors to the wine industries woes.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is trying to add another layer of bureaucracy for those trying to own businesses or that want to work in a business that sells alcohol. W. Blake Gray breaks the story and a law firm for the alcoholic beverage, hospitality and cannabis industries provide some juicy details. We’re still scratching our heads trying to understand how this story has gotten next to no traction thus far.

If you’re a believer in climate change, after reading this article by Alison Hird you’ll agree that farmers in Southern France need to find a way to deal with the increasingly more severe and unpredictable weather patterns. This year the last week of June brought with it a disastrous heatwave that caused some growers to lose half of their grape crop for the year.

Bill and I discuss these items and more in this week's addition of VinoWeek. Thanks to everyone for listening. Cheers!

The wine of the week is the 2015 La Valentina Spelt Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. La Valentina was founded in 1990 in Spoltore a village in the hills of Pescara on the central Adriatic Coast. The estate consist of 99 acres and produces 30,000 cases. The winery is owned by Sabatino, Roberto and Andrea Di Properzio who pride themselves on their devotion to environmentally friendly agriculture. They have been farming organically for several years, but the wines are not certified organic. Spelt is a vegan wine.

The name Spelt is in reference to a species of wheat that has been cultivated in Europe since medieval times. Spelt was once grown where the winery and the village of Spoltore are located. Not that common anymore spelt products are more likely to be found in a heath food store or an artisan bakery.

The vineyard soils are medium clay at 500 to 1,100 foot elevation and are farmed in the traditional Pergola Abruzzese and the Guyot method. After fermentation the wine is aged in barriques and larger barrels (40%) and 60% is aged in 2,500 liter Slavonian oak casks. Spelt spends another year in the bottle before it is released.

Deep ruby color, the nose is shy, completely shut down at the moment. On the palate dark mulberry, and black plum flavors with nicely integrated oak. Medium bodied it has delicious fruit, firm tannins and impressive texture. Lovely freshness and tanginess on the finish. I believe this bottle needs more time in the bottle to develop to its full potential. It would be an excellent candidate for medium term cellaring (2-6 years). 13.5 abv $18 - $22 4,583 cases