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By Keith B. Hoffman •
alongIf the
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wine.

A
s I gazed over a rolling vista of
manicured grape vines, I could hear
a very content group of field workers
singing and laughing as they toiled immediately
below my perch. They were stripping off low
shoots and non-fruit-bearing vines, in order
to conserve valuable soil and water resources.
A process entertainingly termed ‘suckering’.
These sounds and sights formed my amiable
introduction to the Stag’s Leap District
of Napa Valley, California, one of the world’s most
dynamic and important wine producing zones.
I was fortunate to be a rare guest at a young,
and decidedly promising, vineyard in the Stag’s
Leap appellation—Malk Family Vineyards,
previously known as Griffin Vineyards. Graciously
hosted by Brian Malk and Nancy Heitel, I had
complete access to two fantastic wine makers,
Robbie Meyer and Alan Peirson. Robbie is young,
passionate, dedicated, and quite gifted beyond his
years. Alan has an accomplished past and total
familiarity with the details of his intimidating
profession. Their skills combine for that brand
of natural mastery that inspires total confidence.
The two make a great team. From his early
days serving as the wine steward on a transformed
plantation in Georgia, to biological degrees,
pharmaceutical experience and multifaceted
wine training at the University of California at
Davis, Robbie is a well-rounded maestro. He is the
conductor to an exceptionally intricate interplay
of climates, soils, vines, pests, elevations,
infra-red planting maps, watering schemes,
turgidity detectors, grape selections, cold-
soakings, fermentations, acid-converting bacteria
incubations, rackings, decantings, blendings,
barrel selections, machinery and vineyard owners.
Robbie and Alan make stunning vintages by the
use of an elegant production formula. They merge
admiration for the history and art of wine making
with the scientific skills and vigilance necessary
to direct the myriad biological and chemical
cascades that define viniculture.
There is a long list of steps in quality wine
production, and for each one up to a dozen
variations are available to the wine maker. This
wide canvas is what bestows wine making with
both good and bad mystique. As examples of the
of your own research, as the knowledge you
gain will certainly enhance your drinking
enjoyment. I guarantee it.
• If you’re at a restaurant that employs a
sommelier—use him! If your guests can wait
to eat, ask the sommelier for a pre-food wine,
as well as suggestions for the meal pairing. Ask
for a few ideas, and, if needed, don’t be afraid
to limit your request parameters by price. Any
sommelier worth their vintage should be able
to handle price limits. Finally, don’t think you
have to be trained in ‘wine speak’ to approach
a sommelier, and unless they have a raging
inferiority complex, it should be apparent to
them that their basic job description is to help
anyone, and everyone, in the restaurant with
wine selection.
• Finally, when you hear someone saying that
they taste ‘grapefruit’, ‘currant’, etc. flavours,
that might not just be in their mind. Chemical
analysis reveals that the winemaking process
creates some of the exact same compounds
that characterise a wide range of plant species.

78 GAMBLINGONLINEMAG.CO.UK

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intricacies of winemaking, the next two sections
will explain how elevation changes of just a few
metres can affect grape growth, and the typical
steps along the way from dirt to bottle.
FROM THE GROUND UP
As I walked along the rows of Sage Vineyard, from
one side of a plot to another, the elevation changed
a few metres or so. In other words, the plot had
a shallow U-shape with a center section about
three metres lower than the outside sections. As
a relative novice to viticulture, I failed to notice
something fascinating, until Alan pointed it out
to me. The outer rows on both sides, being a bit
higher, were significantly more flush with fruit
and growth. The middle section was struggling
to produce. As a result, when harvest time comes,
the characteristics of the grapes within the same
exact plot will be quite different. A few metres
make all the difference.
The vines across the plot had the same
sunlight, soil, water, same everything. What then
caused these large differences in productivity?
Alan explained that the centre section of the
plot trapped cold air in the mornings, and this
was enough to suppress the growth in that area.
Astoundingly fickle grapes!
In general, for Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon grapes, alcohol is generated in
the grape juice by the action of yeast fermentation,
which is then followed by barrel aging, and a
secondary, bacteria-fueled fermentation that
converts harsh malic acid into a nice tasting
lactic acid. Through a process know as racking,
the spent bacteria and any other precipitates are
decanted out of the barrel numerous times over
12 to 24 months to ensure a microbe-free and
pure end product. The resulting wine is then
blended with other barrels, sulfites are introduced
to retain freshness and to stop additional
fermentation, and bottle aged for a year
or so before sending to market.
Now, the above sounds fairly straightforward,
until one discovers the choices every winemaker
has to contend with at all steps of the process.
For the fermentation step: Is sulfur dioxide added
to kill off wild yeasts found naturally on the grapes?
Does one do a ‘cold soak’ with the grapes for a few
days (designed to coax out water-soluble flavors
in advance of alcohol reactions)? How many days
should fermentation last? Are nutrients added?
Should there be a crushing step or should the
grapes be fermented ‘whole berry’ style? For
the barrels: What type of wood from what exact
forest will age the juice best? What flavour profiles
will come out of the wood? Fresh or used barrels?
Should the barrels be ‘toasted’ via fire to not
only protect the juice from some of the harsher
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WINE AND FOOD
PAIRINGS
A while back I told a stunning and
knowledgeable waitress that the whole food-
pairing wine thing was way overdone, and
that I’d go ahead drinking my favorites with
whatever I wanted to eat—and love them all
the same. I now, publicly, admit fault on that.
It does indeed matter. I can’t wait to open my
1985, 1986 and 1994 Lafite-Rothschilds, but
I will enjoy their sublime curves and velvet
ropes without cuisine. Makes little sense
to treasure a wine’s potential for years, and
then kill it with food. For an objective, user-
friendly review of the matter see “Guidelines
for Successful Food and Wine Pairings” by
Randy Kemner (thewinecountry.com). The
piece highlights some things we all accept in
the food world, and need to apply to wines.
For example, why do you pair cranberry
sauce with turkey, and why mint sauce with
lamb? The tastes compliment one another.
The acid, fruit and fats feed off one another
and produce a taste experience far superior
than the components accomplish on their
own. The same rules that govern such food
combinations naturally apply in the wine
world. Indeed, many wines that you might not
like alone animate and amaze when paired
with the right eats. Some of Randy’s sage
words of advice include: salty food bringing
out the fruit in wine, keying off the sauce not
the underlying meat, to avoid pairing wine
with high alcohol and oaky flavours with
food, and avoiding the potential disaster of
matching sweet desserts with a sweet wine.
elements of the wood, but also to add caramel
and other flavour influences? How long should
the bacteria be given to work? What duration
should the juice be in each barrel? How does one
best blend differ from barrels and lots? How is the
wine going to stand up to years in a bottle?
The choices go on and on, with each decision
point setting in motion significant consequences
along the winding chemical and biological
odyssey that is wine.
GAMBLINGONLINEMAG.CO.UK 79