Grape Radio asks "Alcohol vs. Balance...is there a fight?"
Alcohol and Balance – could there be a more controversial issue for today’s wine geeks? Well, thankfully, the 2011 World of Pinot Noir held a seminar on this very contentious topic. Joining N.Y. Times columnist Eric Asimov as moderator, was an illustrious (and, we might add “balanced”) group of panel members: Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat), Adam Tolmach (The Ojai Vineyard), Josh Jensen (Calera), Rajat Parr (Sommelier and restaurateur), Adam Lee (Siduri), and Michael Browne (Kosta Browne).
So, how are picking decisions made? And, how do these, in turn, affect the final alcohol level of the wine? Is alcohol really just a number? Does the percent of alcohol affect the balance of the wine in the bottle? Yes, most of these questions will be answered during the seminar. And, no, boxing gloves weren’t handed out to the panelists. But, there were some strong feelings among colleagues on both sides of the issue. However, more importantly, everyone gave a good accounting of themselves. Was a final decision rendered? Well, you’ll just have to hear for yourself. Click here for the podcast.
The Prince of Pinot reported from WOPN 2011:
I returned
yesterday from the 2011 World of Pinot Noir in Shell
Beach, California,
flush
with
fond
memories
of the cornucopia of spectacular Pinot Noirs and a renewed
admiration for those that craft these marvelous grape
concoctions. Read
the complete article here.
Steve Heimoff gets an Early Wakeup, gets excited about
Burgundy (again) and thinks about Alcohol
Levels in Wine
Matt Kettman from the Santa Barbara Independent joined
us for the 2011 Friday Pinot Noir by the Sea Grand
Tasting and our Dine
Local, Drink Global dinner extravaganza that
evening: an enticing foray into WOPN for this neophyte. Read the complete article here.
Parlez-Vous Pinot?
Rusty Gaffney and Jay Selman have
a casual and intimate conversation with Alexandrine Roy
and Thomas
Bouley,
participants in the “Young Turks of Burgundy” tasting
at the 2011 World of Pinot Noir. We were impressed
by their charm and willingness to share their insights
into
the
role of young vignerons in Burgundy today and their impressions
of American Pinot Noir. (Please excuse our butchered
French). Click here to listen to the interview.
Vino Las Vegas Takes a Detailed Look at 2011 WOPN
The World of Pinot Noir. over the last 11 years
has earned the reputation as one of the foremost Wine
Focus
Events in the country with Growers, Winemakers and Master
Sommeliers from all over the world converging on the
Cliffs Resort in Shell Beach California every March. Click here to read the full article.
Alcohol and Balance Seminar creates a stir
Vinography.com: Pinot Noir has historically been
prized for lightness, finesse and grace. But our ideas
of what
Pinot is have changed in the last 10 years. We now see
wines that are riper and more extravagant than the French
style. A number of these have been critically acclaimed
by some prominent critics. Is this a stylistic evolution
or a fundamental aberration? Who gets to decide this? Full
article
Elin McCoy, Bloomberg: Participant Rajat Parr, wine
director of the Michael Mina restaurant group, caused
a big
stir
two years ago when he decided not to include any California
pinots with alcohol levels over 14 percent on San Francisco
restaurant RN74’s wine list. Ironically, without
knowing the alcohol levels of two Siduri wines poured
at the panel, Parr chose the 15.2 percent wine as one
to buy.Full
article
Eric Asimov, NY Times: Personally, I prefer less
alcohol in pinot noirs, but I have no hard and fast
line. I’ve
no doubt enjoyed many pinot noirs above 14 percent...Full
article
Jancis Robinson: I’d say that all of this
reflects extremely creditably on the California wine
scene. I
just wish we saw a few more top-quality California Pinot
Noirs outside the US.Full article
A Memorable Event
The Prince of Pinot, Rusty Gaffney,
visited WOPN 2009: "A dedicated herd of Pinot Geeks
made the pilgrimage" "the equivalent of Woodstock
for pinotphiles." Read
the full article here
More Great Pinots Than You Can Shake
a Stick At
Randy Caparoso attended and reported
on WOPN 2009, noting: "Pinot
lovers these days feel like kids in a candy shop at venues
like World of Pinot Noir." Read about
his favorites on his blog
See and hear GrapeRadio ask winemakers
at World of Pinot Noir 2010:
- Why is Pinot Noir a good wine
for Newbies?
- It is said that Pinot Noir
Wears many different clothes - how do you like it dressed?
- What type of music reminds
you of Pinot Noir?
- Why is it said that Pinot Noir is
a white wine masquerading as a red wine?
- What is a "Burgundian-Style" Pinot
Noir?
...and at WOPN 2009:
- If you weren't a winemaker, what
would you be?
- Do you have more North American Pinot
or Burgundy in your wine cellar?
- Can you make a Pinot Noir over 15%
alcohol and have it still be balanced?
Arthur Z. Przebinda from redwinebuzz.com reviewed
WOPN 2008: "fascinating offerings from Italy, Germany,
Chile, New Zealand and Oregon." "One of the
main distinguishing things about the World of Pinot Noir,
is the food: both quality and quantity. This makes for
a very rich experience - whether you are a gourmet or
a gourmand. It also keeps tasters' vision from blurring.
The World of Pinot Noir's food pairing selection is a
model for other festivals."
Rusty reviewed WOPN 2008: "Every
March, several hundred pinot geeks converge on the small
seaside community of Shell Beach, California and revel
in their beloved passion. Over 190 producers of Pinot
Noir and several importers provided samples to the seemingly
insatiable throng." Read
the full article here.
Grape Radio asks "Alcohol vs. Balance...is there a fight?"
The Prince of Pinot reported from WOPN 2011:
Steve Heimoff gets an Early Wakeup, gets excited about
Burgundy (again) and thinks about Alcohol
Levels in Wine
A Wide, Wild World of Pinot Noir
Vino Las Vegas Takes a Detailed Look at 2011 WOPN