California Wine Rush

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend this amazing event last week, California Wine Rush.

It was the final step to the realization that I have not given California wines the attention nor the recognition that they so rightly deserve.

After spending 10 days vacationing in California this August, seeing the film Bottle Shock, and then attending this event I have finally seen the light. California wines are remarkable and outstanding in so many ways. I've added a new category to Mano a Vino - California - which I will be populating with pleasure.

California Wine Rush, produced and promoted by the Wine Institute of California and others including Cornerstone Communications, was brought to NY to showcase the product of many exciting wine making trends happening in California today.

It is coincident with California Wine Month, September 2008, as proclaimed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

September heralds "the arrival of fall which means that the long wait is over—harvest time is here! Days stay warm and golden with summertime temperatures, while nights may drop to around 40 and 50 degrees—great sleeping weather."

"It is one of the best times to visit any of California’s wine regions. The larger summer crowds have begun to dwindle, and you’ll find yourself sharing the wine roads with slower moving grape trucks, or gondolas, instead of cars. Wineries are eager to show off their production facilities and wine making skills to visitors." California Wine Institute

I ran into friend and fellow wino Zita Keeley at this event. Visit Zita's web site and look into her new wine school in Hoboken. We had a wonderful time sampling wines from 10 of the most important California wine regions including: Amador, Carneros, Livermore, Lodi, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara and Sonoma. There were so many wines, I could have spent a week getting to know them all.

Each region presented some of their best wines in the following categories, I note some of my favorites.

Pinnacle/Classic, like Wente Vineyard's Nth Degree Cabernet Sauvignon an amazing wine from the relatively unknown Livermore region or Justin Vineyards Isosceles 2005 a very polished Bordeaux style blend of great magnitude from Paso Robles.

Sustainable/Organic/Biodynamic, a very big movement in California that is delivering wines like the fabulous Domaine de la Terre Rouge High Slopes 2003 Syrah from Amador. Another surprisingly delicious wine in this category was a 2006 Grenache from Quivira.

Leading Family Wine, is the category where Sonoma showed the delicious Foppiano Vineyards 2005 Petit Sirah.

I sat with Louis Foppiano at lunch. He is a terrific and entertaining guy whose family has been producing wine in California since 1896. I also had the opportunity to taste his wonderful Pinot Noir which, along with a wine called Adelaida Version, was my favorite of the lunch tasting.

Other categories were Female Winemaker/Winery. My favorite there was Vino Noceto Normale, 2005 Sangiovese, by Suzy Gullett in Amador. I also really enjoyed tasting Mary Miner and Ashley Heisey's Oakville Ranch Chardonnay again.

In the Innovative Package or Label Design Category I got a big kick out of the labeling on Four Vines Heretic Petite Sirah a rendition of which I was told is tattooed on the wine-maker, Christian Tietje's, arm. The wine is as potent as its label. Francis Coppola's nod to Hollywood was much fun with a film strip like label on his dynamite 2006 Cabernet called Directors Cut.

Then there was the category of Unexpected, California wine makers deliver plenty of that. I found a Malbec by Kokomo Wines of Sonoma deliciously different, unlike any Malbec I have ever known. A Barbera from Eberle Wines in Paso Robles that was just outstanding equal or better to the best of Italy. Can they please bring these wines to New Jersey? Zaca Mesa Estate 2007 Viognier and DFV Wines 2005 Irony Pinot Noir both almost brought tears of joy to my eyes, and they are available here in NJ and at a very reasonable price.

There were many other delicious wines, I wish I had time to tell about them all. But be patient as Mano a Vino hunts the California wine aisles of local wine shops for more gems. We will present them yo you here.

Established in 1934, Wine Institute is the public policy advocacy group of over 1,100 California wineries and affiliated businesses that initiate and advocate state, federal and international public policy to enhance the environment for the responsible production, consumption and enjoyment of wine.