wine society news - cmaanorthwest wine and food workshop held from april 30-may 6. please look for...

CMAA International Wine Society

Wine Society News

Vol. 19 NO. 3 Summer 2006

Inside:Exploring the Pacific Northwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Hubert Trimbach Vists St. Louis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

North Willamette Valley Appellations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Napa Valley Wine Workshop is a Huge Success . . . . . . . . . . 12

Showcase Your Club’s Wine Program ... Participate in theInternational Wine Society Program Awards! . . . . . . . . . 13

Wine Committee Helps Raise Sales and Spirits! . . . . . . . . . . 14

Brush Up on Your Wine Knowledge from Your Desktop . . 14

Chapter Wine Representative of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Oregon Wine Workshop Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Exploring the Pacif icNorthwest — Part I

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Letter from the HostBy Dolly Ammann, CCM

Dear Wine Society Members:

We have all heard about the“French Paradox” and the healthbenefits of drinking red wines. Hereis some more good news for all of uswho love red wine. The March 2006edition of Scientific American has aninteresting article on the geneticbasis for extending life span. Thepoint of interest here is that resvera-tol, a molecule found in red winethat is an excellent anti-oxidant, is a potent activator ofthe Sirt 1 gene implicated in the slowing of aging. Checkout the article and enjoy a glass of your favorite redwine at the same time.

Just a reminder that the CMAA International WineSociety 2006 – 2007 Yearbook is now online as a PDF fileon the Web site. Download a copy if you have not doneso already. It contains a wealth of valuable information.

One of our most important Wine Society Board ini-tiatives was the establishment of a BMI program forwine education. This has now become a reality, with thefirst one being held this year at The Culinary Institute ofAmerica Greystone Campus from October 15 to 19. I

Dolly Ammann,2006 Host


By Dolly Ammann, CCMThe following is part I of II of a log that Dolly Ammann

kept about her experiences while on the 2006 PacificNorthwest Wine and Food Workshop held from April 30-May 6. Please look for Part II in the fall issue of WineSociety News.

Sunday, April 30th

The CMAA 2006 Pacific Northwest Wine & FoodWorkshop kicked-off with a reception and dinner at theWashington Athletic Club (WAC) in Seattle. The dinnerwas on the top floor of the club with a panoramic view ofthe Seattle waterfront. It began with hors d’oeuvres and anoyster bar with four types of Pacific oysters. The dinnerfeatured two wineries from the Puget Sound appellation –Lopez Island Vineyards and Andrew Will. The wine thatwas poured during the reception was a stylish white winecalled Madeleine Angevine from Lopez Island Vineyards, asmall family-owned winery. This wine is produced from anobscure white grape of the same name that is originallyfrom the Anjou region of the Loire Valley in northernFrance. A cool climate varietal, it does well in the cool mar-itime environment of the Puget Sound. This wine was 100percent barrel fermented and produced in a completely drystyle. The wine’s flavors of grapefruit and herbs were theperfect accompaniment to the oysters. Less than 2 percentof the wine grapes grown in Washington state are grown inthe Puget Sound area. Lopez Island Vineyards is one of thefew wineries that actually produces wines from grapesgrown in this appellation. It has six acres of estate vine-yards that are certified organic by the Washington StateDepartment of Agriculture. Besides Madeleine Angevine,the vineyard also grows Siegerrebe, a variety that is a crossbetween Madeleine Angevine and Gewürtztraminer.

David Oldham, the assistant winemaker and marketingmanager from the Andrew Will Winery, joined us for din-ner. Andrew Will Winery is a boutique winery producingaround 4,800 cases of hand-crafted ultra-premium wine.The winery is located on Vashon Island, only a short ferry


Exploring the Pacif icNorthwest — Part I

ride from Seattle. Established in 1989, the wines of AndrewWill have been highly praised favorites of wine guru RobertParker. In contrast to Lopez Island Vineyards, Andrew Willsources all of its grapes from eastern Washington’s greaterColumbia Valley. The winery also recently purchased 36acres of vineyards in eastern Washington. While it producesred wines almost exclusively, we had the opportunity to tryan Andrew Will 2005 Pinot Gris with an elegant salad of searedscallops, heirloom tomatoes, baby lettuces and lemon-sorrelvinaigrette. There were only 100 cases of this white wineproduced, and the winery put aside one case of this limitedproduction wine for the club managers’ dinner at the WAC.

The highlight of the dinner was the Andrew Will 2003 Cieldu Cheval that was served with a filet with morel mush-rooms. Fashioned in a “Right Bank” Bordeaux style, thewine is a blend of 42 percent Merlot, 36 percent CabernetFrank, 16 percent Cabernet and 5 percent Petit Verdot. TheCiel du Cheval Vineyard located on Red Mountain is one ofthe finest vineyards of Washington state. Robert Parkerrated the 2001 and 2002 vintages of this wine a 94. Thiswine, I am certain, will receive an equally stellar rating. It is abig, red-fruit-driven wine with ripe tannins and good acidity.

Monday, May 1st

The next morning, the group met for breakfast beforeheading out for DeLille Cellars in Woodinville, the firstwinery visit of the tour. DeLille Cellars is another favoriteof Robert Parker. In fact, he once referred to the winery asthe “Lafite Rothschild of Washington state.” The winerywas founded in 1992 by Charles Lill, Greg Lill, Jay Soloffand winemaker Chris Upchurch. The winery remains fami-

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Letter From The Host

would encourage everyone who is interested in attend-ing to submit your application as soon as possible toensure that you obtain a space.

The next International Wine and Food Workshop isto Chile and Argentina on October 21 to 28. As of thiswriting, there are only four spaces left. If you areinterested in attending, contact Marisa Reilly at CMAAto reserve your space. I would like to thank JohnHudson, CCM, for putting this workshop together.John has developed an outstanding program that Iguarantee with be a fabulous experience.

We have an exciting program for future wine toursthat include a Santa Barbara Wine Tour that will beheld as a Pre-Conference Workshop in 2007, anAustralian Wine and Food Workshop held the firstweek in October of 2007 and an Austria and HungaryWine and Food Workshop in the fall of 2008. If youhave never attended one of these workshops, I wouldencourage you to give it a try. You always learn a lotand at the same time make some wonderful new friends.

In Vino Veritas

Dolly Ammann, CCMHost, CMAA International Wine Society


Keith Gressel, CCM, and Chef Wayne Stoop, Blue Mound CC, lineup at the oyster bar.


Exploring the Pacif ic Northwest — Part I

ly and independently owned with the focus on Bordeaux-styled ultra-premium wines. The winery is located on thefamily farm owned by the Lill family. It is a beautiful 10-acre estate with lovely gardens that were bursting with gor-geous spring blossoms. The winery is fashioned after aFrench Chateau, and it employs typical French wine-mak-ing techniques. DeLille doesnot have a tasting room andis not open to the public.Visits are by private appoint-ment only. When we arrivedat the winery, we were wel-comed by Greg Lill.

It was an educationalmorning, as Greg providedus with a lot of informationon grape growing and winemaking in Washington state.An interesting point is thatthe Vinifera grapes grown inWashington are grown ontheir own roots rather thangrafted onto American root-stock. The Phylloxera rootlouse does not seem to likethe sandy soils and harsh cli-mate of eastern Washington.Greg feels that this gives thewines their true varietal char-acter. DeLille Cellars sourceits grapes from some of thefinest and oldest vineyards inWashington including Cieldu Cheval, Boushey, Klipsun,Harrison Hill and SagemoorFarms. DeLille has also pur-chased the Grand CielVineyard located on RedMountain next to Ciel duCheval. The vineyard isplanted at high-density with French clones.

Greg led us through a tasting lineup of four exquisitewines. The first was the 2004 Chaleur Estate Blanc, a tradi-tional Bordeaux blend of 58 percent Sauvignon Blanc and42 percent Semillon. It was a bold white, showing plenty ofoak, along with buttery notes and herbaceous undertones. Ithad aromas and flavors of fresh figs, pears and butterscotch.The second wine was 2003 D2, a blend of 45 percent Merlot,37 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 9 percent Petit Verdot and8 percent Cabernet Franc. It was dark ruby-colored with



black fruit aromas. It had concentrated dark fruit flavorsand a long supple finish. The third wine was the 2003Chaleur Estate, the winery’s flagship wine. It is a blend of 65percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 percent Merlot, 8 percentCabernet Franc and 2 percent Petite Verdot from the Cieldu Cheval and Klipsun Vineyards on Red Mountain. It is a

giant of a wine on a par withthe grand crus of Bordeauxand the cult Cabernets ofNapa Valley. The wine isdensely concentrated witharomas of red berries, plums,blackberries and spices. Onthe palate, it is full of cassis,blackberries and spices. Thelast wine was the Doyennne2003 Syrah made from 98percent Syrah and 2 percentViognier. The grapes weresourced from Red Mountainand the Boushey Vineyard,which is well-known for pro-ducing outstanding Syrahgrapes. The color of the winewas deep purple. It had con-centrated flavors of raspber-ries, pomegranates and cof-fee with hints of pepper.

After we left DeLilleCellars, it was just a shortthree-minute drive to ournext stop – the ColumbiaWinery, where we werescheduled for a tour, tastingand lunch. Columbia Wineryis the second oldest wineryin the state and was the firstto produce premium wines.It was founded in 1962 by agroup of amateur winemak-

ers who believed that European Vinifera vines could surviveWashington’s harsh winters. The company was known asAssociated Vintners until 1983. It then hired David Lake asthe winery’s winemaker in 1979. David came from theBritish wine trade and was a Master of Wine. As an indus-try pioneer and innovator, he has been deemed “Dean ofWashington Winemakers” by both Wine Spectator andDecanter magazines. He is best known in the trade for intro-ducing new varietals to the state. It was David Lake who

DeLille Cellars, Woodinville, WA.

CMAA group at DeLille Cellars with Greg Lill.



first produced wines from Cabernet Frank, Syrah and PinotGris.

The Columbia Winery sources its grapes from threevineyards in the Yakima and Columbia Valley appellations.The grapes are mostly hand-picked and then transportedacross the Cascade Mountains in the cool of night to pre-serve their quality. Uponarrival at the winery, theyare crushed and de-stemmed.White wines are pumpedinto fermentation tanks orbarrels and left to ferment.White wines likeChardonnay and Semillonare fermented and aged surlie in oak barrels. The win-ery uses 5,500 American andFrench oak barrels. Redwines go directly from thecrusher into fermentationtanks to macerate on theskins to develop color. Thewinery has 40 temperature-controlled fermentation tanks in various sizes that are alsoused for storage and holding tanks during racking. The redsare aged in oak 10 to 18 months depending on the variety.Columbia Winery produces around 125,000 cases of wineannually.

Our lunch included four wines. A Columbia Winery 2003Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley was fresh and crisp with aromasof grapefruit and peach. A Columbia Winery 2002 CabernetFranc, Red Willow Vineyard was full-bodied with bright berryflavors with hints of green pepper and herbs. It was anexcellent choice with the smoked salmon luncheon entrée. Afull-bodied Columbia Winery 2003 Zinfandel, Alder RidgeVineyard was a deep ruby color. It was racy and spicy with along finish. Alder Ridge is a warm site overlooking theColumbia River with volcanic soils that are perfect forgrowing Zinfandel grapes. Another interesting wine was theColumbia Winery 2004 Barbera. It was a classic Barbera - softand silky with plenty of fruit and spice.

After lunch, it was a lengthy bus ride across the scenicCascade Mountains to the arid desert of easternWashington’s wine country. Arriving in the uppermost partof the Yakima Valley, we pulled off the highway to stop atSagelands Vineyard for a tasting with its winemaker,Frédérique Spencer. Frédérique is a charming youngFrench woman who is passionate about her craft. A nativeof Provence, she obtained her degree in agriculture atPerpignan Univeristy and then went on to study at

Toulouse University, graduating with distinction in enologyand viticulture. Her focus at Sagelands is producing tradi-tional Bordeaux-style blends from four different ColumbiaValley appellations. In the barrel room, we tasted winesfrom different vineyard sites in Horse Heaven Hills,Wahluke Slope, Rattlesnake Hills and Walla Walla Valley.

Each sample had distinctiveflavors. Frédérique describedthe terroir of each site andthe wine’s characteristics.The Cabernet Sauvignonfrom the Horse Heaven HillsMercer Ranch Vineyards hadlively raspberry and black-berry fruit with velvety tan-nins. The Wahluke Slope is awarm growing area. TheCabernet Sauvignon fromthis area had intense berryand black cherry fruit.Elephant Mountain Vineyardin the Rattlesnake Hillsappellation is 1,400 feet inelevation. Consistent warmth

throughout the growing season and long hang time result inintense fruit flavors from this site. The Springs CreekVineyard in the Rattlesnake Hills borders on RedMountain. The grapes coming from here are similar to RedMountain fruit with intense character. The famous PepperBridge Vineyard in Walla Walla produces big rich wineswith firm tannins. The wine from this vineyard was full-bodied with spicy blackberry flavors and silky mouth feel.After experiencing the different wines in the barrel room,we went into the tasting room to taste the finished wines.Frédérique blends the component wines so that they arewell-balanced and polished. In her more traditionalapproach, she attempts to keep the alcohol levels below 14percent, which is sometimes difficult with very ripe fruit.

After leaving Sagelands, we headed for the Hampton Innon the Columbia River in Richland where the group wouldbe staying for three nights. The hotel did a fabulous job ofgetting everyone registered in record time. Then, it was onto the Meadow Springs Country Club to have dinner withthe owners of five different wineries. These special guestswere Jeff and Vickie Gordon from Gordon Brothers EstateWinery, Dave and Debbie Hanson from Cougar CrestWinery, Jerry and Jean Bookwalter from J. BookwalterWinery, Ali Boyle from the Alexandria Nicole Winery andDr. Wade Wolfe and Becky Yeaman from the ThurstonWolfe Winery.



Columbia Winery, Woodinville, WA.



A J. Bookwalter 2005 Riesling was served with assortedhors d’oeuvres. The wine is a classic Riesling with crispacidity, a touch of residual sugar and excellent balance.

The first course was seared Hawaiian Uku in a capellininest with a saffron vanilla sauce served with an elegantAlexandria Nicole 2004 Sauvignon Blanc. The AlexandriaNicole Winery is named after Ali Boyle. Ali and her hus-band, Jarrod, are rising stars in the Washington wineindustry. Jarrod is a vitaculturalist with a degree in agricul-ture from Eastern Washington University. With the help ofthe Mercer family from Mercer Ranch, Jarrod planted theDestiny Ridge Vineyard on a southern slope in the HorseHeaven Hills appellation in 1998. The first wines were pro-duced from the 2001 vintage. Since their first release, theirwines have been winning medals and garnering accolades inthe wine press.

The next course was a carpaccio of beef served with a J.Bookwalter Lot 19. This unique multi-vintage wine is a blendfrom the outstanding vintages of 2004 and 2003. The blendis 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 18 percent CabernetFranc, 18 percent Syrah, 16 percent Merlot and 8 percentPetit Verdot. It has subtle aromatics and flavors of bingcherry and blackberries witha long finish and firm tan-nins. Jerry Bookwalter isone of the pioneers of theWashington wine industry.Jerry came to Washingtonfrom California in 1976 tomanage some large vineyardproperties. He founded theJ. Bookwalter Winery in1983 focusing on whitewines. His wife, Jean, is thebusiness manager for thewinery operation. His son,John, joined the firm in 1997with the idea of producingultra-premium red wines.The winery has an outstanding portfolio of both white andred wines.

A foie gras soup with black truffles and crème fraîchewas accompanied by a rich plumy earthy Cougar Crest 2003Syrah. This wine has layers of flavors and nuances of toastyoak. All the wines of Cougar Crest are from estate vine-yards. Dave and Debbie Hanson purchased a farm with anapple orchard in Walla Walla. They cut down the orchardand planted wine grapes. Debbie is the winemaker and

Dave is the vineyard manager. Debbie and Dave are bothgraduates of Washington State University. The cougar isthe university’s mascot.

The entrée of Asian-glazed wild boar chop with kimcheeand Burgundy carrots was served with a Gordon BrothersFamily Vineyards 2000 Traditions. This is a wine of distinctionblended from the best lots of the 2000 vintage. Dark fruitflavors combined with toasty oak and black pepper. This isa wine that will cellar well. Jeff Gordon is the chairman ofthe Washington Wine Commission and another of the pio-neers of the Washington wine industry. In 1980, Jeff beganplanting wine grapes. At the time, the conventional wisdomwas to plant Riesling. But, Jeff had a different vision. Sincethe Columbia Valley is on the same latitude as Bordeaux,Jeff was convinced that red grapes were right for the area.Ignoring the advice of the local grower community, Jeffplanted red Vinifera grape varietals, Cabernet Sauvignonand Merlot, along with some Chardonnay. Being a maver-ick paid off. It wasn’t long before the demand for GordonBrothers grapes exceeded supply. The first GordonBrothers wine was a 138 case lot of Chardonnay in 1985.From that small beginning, the winery has grown to 25,000

cases.

While pairing red wineand chocolate might seemunorthodox to the uninitiat-ed, the Thurston Wolfe 2003Zinfandel, with its berry fla-vors and touches of chocolatewas an excellent pairing witha trio of dessert creations inwhite, milk and dark choco-late. The Thurston WolfeWinery is a boutique 3,000-case winery owned by anoth-er of Washington wine indus-try pioneer, Dr. Wade Wolfe,and his wife, Becky Yeaman.Wade has a Ph.D. in grape

genetics from U.C. Davis. He came to Washington in 1978and went to work for Chateau Ste. Michelle as director ofvineyards. In 1985, he left to start his own vineyard-consult-ing business and also to take over wine making at HyattVineyards. In 1991, Wade went to work for Hogue Cellarsas its general manager. He left Hogue in 2004 to devote fulltime to his own winery. Wade served as chairman of theWashington Wine Advisory Board and president of theWashington Association of Winegrowers.



Tasting in the barrel room at Sagelands with French winemakerFrédérque Spencer.



Tuesday, May 2nd

On Tuesday morning, we headed for the Walla WallaValley with the first stop at L’Ecole No. 41 Winery inLoden. Marty Clubb, the owner and winemaker, was onhand to tell us about the winery and present the wines thathe would be releasing the coming weekend. L’Ecole No. 41has been producing premiumhandcrafted varietal winessince 1983 in the cellars ofthis 1915 schoolhouse locatedin what is referred to as his-toric Frenchtown.Frenchtown derived its namefrom the French-Canadianswho settled the area duringthe early 1800s. L’ecole means“school” in French. Thename of the winery wasselected to honor these earlysettlers. Jean and BakerFerguson were the winery’sfounders. The winery owner-ship has passed to theirdaughter, Megan, and her husband, Marty Clubb. Three ofthe wines served at the 2006 CMAA International WineSociety dinner in Hawaii were from L’Ecole No. 41 Winery.

Woodward Canyon Winery is located next to L’EcoleNo. 41. The tasting room is in a quaint restored 1870’sfarmhouse. Winemaker Rick Small established the wineryin 1981. It was the second modern-day winery to open inthe Walla Walla Valley appellation. With Rick’s emphasison quality, the winery has consistently produced award-winning wines that have received high ratings in publica-tions such as Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. WoodwardCanyon limits its production to 17,000 cases a year in orderto maintain premium quality. Wines are made from estate-grown grapes and other grapes purchased from some of thefinest vineyards in the Columbia Valley. The winery’s sec-ond label is Nelms Road. These are high-quality wines inthe wine-by-the-glass price range.

At the Northstar Winery, owned by the Stimson LaneVineyards & Estates corporation1, we toured the productionfacilities with its on-premise winemaker. Jed Steele is theconsulting winemaker for Northstar. After that, we dranksome great wines and enjoyed a lovely buffet lunch featur-ing fire-roasted whole tenderloin of beef. Northstar wasfounded 15 years ago as a Merlot house to produce ultra-premium “Right Bank” Bordeaux-style wines. The Northstar2003 Columbia Valley Merlot is a rich and powerful wine withconcentrated black cherry, plum and currant flavors. The

Northstar 2003 Walla Walla Valley Merlot is produced in verysmall quantities. It had bright cherry flavors with a smoothlingering finish. Stella Maris is Northstar’s second label.The Stella Maris 2002 Columbia Valley Red Wine was well-bal-anced with cherry flavors and hints of clove and vanilla.Northstar also produces a Syrah. I enjoyed the Northstar

2003 Columbia Valley Syrahwith its powerful black fruitflavors and earthy character.

The next winery on ouritinerary was Pepper Bridge,where we met with NormMcKibben, the winery’smanaging partner. Normcould be considered a vision-ary in the Washington wineindustry. Retiring in 1985, hemoved to Walla Walla andbecame involved in growingcommercial high-densityplantings of apples. Soon, herecognized the potential ofthe area for growing high-

quality wine grapes. In 1991, he convinced his partners toplant Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot at their PepperBridge farm. Concentrating on quality, Norm now managesmore than 400 acres of the top vineyards in the Walla WallaValley appelation. These include Pepper Bridge, Northstar,Seven Hills and Les Collines. Some of the wineries heworks with are Leonetti Cellars, Woodward Canyon,L’Ecole No. 41 and Andrew Will. They all have contractsfor vineyard blocks. Grapes are sold by the acre and not bytonnage. The goal is to produce the highest quality grapesfor the production of ultra-premium wines. Under Norm’smanagement, state-of-the-art irrigation systems along withsoil temperature and moisture-monitoring equipment wereinstalled in the vineyards. Emphasis has been on improvedfarming and trellising procedures.

When the Pepper Bridge Winery was built in 2000,Norm McKibben hired winemaker Jean-Francois Pelletfrom Heitz Cellars where he was employed for four years.Jean-Francois is a third generation Swiss wine grower whoobtained his degree in viticulture and wine making inSwitzerland. Jean-Francois helped design and build thenew Pepper Bridge facility, incorporating the latest indesign and wine-making techniques.

Grapes for Pepper Bridge wines are all hand-picked andhand-sorted. Pepper Bridge produces only two wines, a



Marty Club, owner and winemaker at L’Ecole No. 41 Winery,welcomes CMAA.



Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon. The Pepper Bridge 2003Merlot was aged 18 months in oak, 65 percent new oak and98 percent French oak. The Merlot is from the PepperBridge and Seven Hills Vineyards. It is blended with 6 per-cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 3 percent Malbec. The wineis packed with black cherries, currents and wild berry fla-vors with touches of nutmeg and cinnamon. The PepperBridge 2002 Merlot was dense and concentrated with intenseflavors of black cherry and plumb, with nuances of coffeeand herbs. The Pepper Bridge 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon has 2.3percent Merlot and 2.2 percent Malbec in the blend. Thegrapes come from Seven Hills Vineyard and Pepper BridgeVineyards. The wine was rich and intense with black fruitand spice on the palate. The finish was long and silky. ThePepper Bridge 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon is a showstopper com-ing from one of the best vintages in recent years. The winehas multiple layers of flavors. Black cherry, Italian plums,licorice and spices come through on the palate.

That evening, we enjoyed an outstanding dinner at theWalla Walla Country Club featuring the wines of ForgeronCellars. Winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla was our special guestfor the evening. When we arrived, the club’s general manag-er Jeff Thomas gave us atour of the club. After that,we ventured out to the patioto enjoy the fresh air and aglass of Forgeron 2005Chardonnay with hors d’oeu-vres. At Forgeron Cellars,Marie makes one of the mostpolished and elegantBurgundian-styleChardonnays produced inWashington state. An elegantRiesling was served with anartichoke potage. This wasfollowed by a dish of Frenchgreen lentils, morel mush-rooms and fiddle head ferns.With this unusual dish, we enjoyed a Forgeron 2002 ColumbiaValley Merlot. The wine was full of black cherry, bittersweetchocolate and black pepper. The entrée was paired with aForgeron 2002 Vinfinity. This is a grand wine with lusciousflavors and well-integrated tannins. A Gewürztraminer wasserved with dessert. At dinner, Marie moved from table totable to have the opportunity to talk to everyone in an inti-mate setting about her wines and the winery. Marie is fromFrance and speaks with a heavy accent. She exudes bothcharm and energy. She is one of the most highly regardedwinemakers in the area.

Wednesday, May 3rd

In the morning, we were off to Terra Blanca Winery onRed Mountain for an appointment with Keith Pilgrim.Keith is the owner and winemaker at Terra Blanca. He hasjust opened a new $10 million facility that is as large andimpressive as anything in the Napa Valley. Keith greeted uswith a glass of Terra Blanca 2004 Sauvignon Blanc made in aracy New Zealand style with zesty grapefruit flavors andhints of tropical fruit. Next, he poured a Terra Blanca 2004Viognier, an elegant wine with good acidity dominated bywhite peach and apricot aromas and flavors. After ourmorning aperitif, we went to visit to the vineyards. Keithexplained how the vines are tended and told us about theunique terroir of the Red Mountain appellation that makesit one of the premier growing areas in Washington. Thevineyard at Terra Blanca is planted on a hillside that slopessouthwest. The slope has direct exposure to the heat of thelate day sun. The soil is made up of sandy silt loams withbeds of calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate impartschalkiness to the wines. The vines are irrigated with dripirrigation, employing a procedure called deficit irrigation thatprovides the vines with just enough water to survive.

Terra Blanca was the firstwinery in Washington to useunderground caves for agingwine. The caves provide con-stant 57° F temperatureyear-round and constanthigh humidity. The newfacility has undergroundcaves with the capacity tohold 3,000 oak barrels.Before releasing its wines,Terra Blanca holds its bot-tled wines about a yearlonger than most wineries.The winery currently makesaround 30,000 cases of wine.One of the fun things about

visiting Terra Blanca was blind tasting from barrels in thecaves. Keith first described the flavors associated with eachgrape variety and then the fun began trying to identify eachbarrel sample. Upstairs in the tasting room, we tried the fullrange of Terra Blanca’s current releases. My favorites werethe Terra Blanca 2002 Reserve Chardonnay Block 5, the TerraBlanca 2002 Reserve Block 8 Syrah and the Terra Blanca 2001Reserve ONYX, the winery’s flagship Bordeaux-style wine.



Pepper Bridge Winery, Walla Walla, WA.

Exploring the Pacif ic Northwest


We had a buffet lunch with Keith and his wife, ReNea,in their new banquet room. Lunch was a delightfulMoroccan chicken with cous cous.

After lunch, we went to the Hedges family estate.Hedges has the only French-style chateau in the ColumbiaValley. Tom and Anne-Marie Hedges started the winery in1987 as a spin-off from a wine brokerage business. In 1990,they purchased land on Red Mountain and establishedvineyards and a winery. The lovely chateau was completedin 1995. Anne-Marie was born in the Champagne region ofFrance. The chateau reflects her French heritage, and itsdécor, her exquisite taste.

The next stop was at Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards andWinery for a tasting. Goose Ridge is the largest single vine-yard in Washington. Dr. Walter Clore from WashingtonState University research station helped the Monson familydevelop this 1,500-acre vineyard.2 Goose Ridge sells most ofits grapes to Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest. Italso sells to some small prestige wineries like LeonettiCellars. Winemaker Charlie Hoppes hand selects the bestgrapes from the vineyard to make Goose Ridge’s limitedproduction wines.

Next was a seminar at Fidèlitas Wines on understandingthe terroirs of Washington state presented by winemakerCharlie Hoppes. Charlie is considered one of the mostskilled and dynamic winemakers in the Columbia Valley.Charlie gave up a career as a Boeing test engineer to earn adegree in viticulture and enology at the University ofCalifornia, Davis. After graduating, he went to work forSnoqualmie Winery. When the winery was purchased byStimson-Lane, Charlie went to work for Chateau Ste.Michelle where he was red winemaker for eight years.Charlie has been described as one of the unsung artists whohelped define the Washington style of red wine making dur-ing the 1990s. In 1999, Charlie left Stimson-Lane to becomehead winemaker at the new Three Rivers Winery in WallaWalla. Charlie’s award-winning wines established ThreeRivers’ reputation as a premium winery. Charlie left ThreeRivers Winery in 2002 to start his own label and consultingbusiness.

The seminar included tasting barrel samples from differ-ent vineyards in the Columbia Valley and Walla WallaValley appellations. After that, we tasted some finishedFidèlitas Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Columbia Valley,Walla Walla and Champoux Vineyard.

Charlie had a local treat for the group – the Taco Truck!Great wines, great food and great fun!

After returning to the hotel, most of the group headedfor the J. Bookwalter Winery for jazz night.

To be continued...

1 Stimson Lane Vineyards & Estates include Chateau Ste.Michelle, Columbia Crest, Spring Valley Vineyards,Snoqualmie, Red Diamond, Villa Mr. Eden and ConnCreek with total production exceeding 31 million cases ofwine.

2 Dr. Walter Clore, Ph.D, is considered the father of theWashington state wine industry. A research horticulturist,Dr. Clore was the visionary who had the idea of growingwine grapes in the Columbia Valley. He began plantinggrapes for research in 1937. His publication “Ten Years ofGrape Variety Responses and Wine-making Trials inCentral Washington” convinced growers that varietal andsite selection joined with the best viticultural practices couldproduce premium wines. He spent 40 years at theWSU Prosser Experimental Station and died in 2003at the age of 91.


The Wine Society Would Like toWelcome its Newest Members:

Ms. Lynn ButlerBellerive Country Club

Mr. Erik EstradaRancho La Quinta Country Club

Ms. Judy Higgins, CCMTurnberry Country Club

Mr. Boyd HolkUniversity Club of Boston

Mr. Steve Reynolds, CCMSierra View Country Club

Mr. Daniel Somogyi, CCMSanta Barbara Polo & Racquet Club

Ms. Davina WeinsteinHarmony Club of NY


Cellar NotesHubert Trimbach Visits St. Louis

By Tom Bertani, CCMI recently had the good fortune to meet and have din-

ner with Hubert Trimbach who, with his brotherBernard, is the proprietor of the century-old F.E.Trimbach winery in Alsace. Hubert is a delightful,reserved and distinguished gentleman. While rightfullyproud of his family’s historic winery,the “Ambassador,” as he calls him-self, is modest – so much so, that Ihad to prod him to admit his title atthe winery was that of president ofoperations.

The history of F. E. Trimbachdates back to 1626 when the winerywas founded. While the wine hasworldwide appeal and is recognizedby collectors, it is a small winery,producing approximately 100,000cases of wine each year. The wineryhas 25 employees, which includeHubert, Bernard and his sons, Jeanand Pierre. In fact, Hubert’s brother was the winemakerfrom the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s, when his son, Peter(Pierre), took over the wine-making duties, which hecontinues to do today.

Though well-established in Alsace, F. E. Trimbachachieved worldwide acclaim in 1898 when FrederickEmile Trimbach presented his wines at the great interna-tional fair in Brussels, where he won the most covetedprizes for outstanding wine(s). Today, F. E. Trimbachexports 85 percent of the wine produced at the winery,quite an amazing percentage. The crown jewel of thevineyard holdings is the family’s Clos Sainte Hune vine-yard that produces the Clos Sainte Hune Riesling, theking of Alsace Rieslings. The house of Trimbach is basedin Ribeauville and the family tradition of supervisingevery single operation of the winery, from planting andvinification to selection and bottling, has proudly beenmaintained from father to son through 12 generations.

We tasted eight selections of Trimbach, each wine verygood to outstanding and perfectly suited for the Pan-Asian cuisine with a “French accent” as our waiterinformed us. The “heat” and exotic spices that are familiarto Pan-Asian food were offset nicely for the wine’s soft,fresh fruit flavors.

Pinot Blanc – Hubert commented that the Pinot Blancis a perfect wine to start off with and “is good as an aperi-tif, with lighter-style foods and when you are thirsty.”Hubert said he don’t drink beer or, interestingly,

Champagne. When I queried why he didn’t drinkChampagne, he replied, “The bubbles don’t do anythingfor me.” I asked if he drank Bordeaux to which hereplied, “We will give them just due for their reds.” ThePinot Blanc was fruity and quite dry with pronouncedmelon flavors and good balance that was very easy to sipand enjoy.

Riesling – The classic grape ofAlsace, this was a very delicate andfloral wine with hints of whitepeach, bone dry and very favorable.

Pinot Gris – Good acid balanceoffset by luscious fruit and a long,full aftertaste made for a very niceglass of wine.

Gewurztraminer – Another winevarietal synonymous with Alsace,there is nothing bashful about thisfull-flavored and full-bodied wine. Itdisplayed classic honeysuckle and

spicy flavors complimented by great aromatics.

Riesling, “Cuvee” Frederick Emile - One of the mostfamous Rieslings, it is highly sought-out by collectors andis one of the great wines of Alsace. The grapes are pickedfrom the choicest slopes of Ribeauville overlooking theTrimbach winery. The vineyards receive full south andsoutheast sun exposure, are older vines (an average of 40years old), produce low yields and high concentration, aregrown in clay and limestone soil, providing minerality,and are selectively picked by hand at harvest, ensuringthe greatness for which the wine is renowned. One sip,and it was easy to understand its legacy, at once it wasfinesse and beauty with wonderful and delicate aromas ofcitrus and peach.

Pinot Gris, Personnelle, 1999 – Still in its infancy,this wine, as Hubert stated, “is an outcast.” It is a bigwine that will continue to evolve. It has great mineralityand complexity with excellent acid balance. Hubertinformed us they were almost out of the 1999 but the2000 would follow. I asked why the Personelle is releasedlate. Hubert replied: “We like to mature our wines at thislevel in the bottle before shipping for three years. We areunique in that aspect because nobody in the wine tradedoes that.”

Pinot Gris, Personnelle, 2003 – “Young, fresh, cleanand full-bodied” is how Hubert described the wine. It hadscents of pineapple and was very good.


Photo courtesy of http://www.janras.dk

Cellar NotesHubert Trimbach Visits St. Louis


Personnelle is vinified only in the greatest vintages and only the choicest vineyard selections of grapes are used. Thewines are opulent and are age worthy and, in fact, improve with age. When asked what the differences in wine qualityare, Hubert was quick to comment. It is due to three essentials, soil is number one, vintage is number two and low yieldsnumber three.

Gewurztraminer, “Cuvee Des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre” – A remarkable wine that was rich, with great depth offlavors and complexity, aromas of roses, spice and lychee. It is a highly perfumed wine and immensely enjoyable. Thegrapes are grown on the ancestral vineyards owned by the lords of Ribeaupierre and are picked before they havereached maximum ripeness. Only in exceptional years is the wine made.

While we did not sample the following wines, these are considered be the best in the world:

Riesling, “Clos Sainte Hune” – Rated by many as the greatest Alsace Riesling. The origins of the wine are from ClosSainte Hune, a 13 hectare plot near Hunawihr. It purportedly is a succulent wine that has phenomenal complexity andintense, exotic flavors. Only 7,000 bottles are produced each year and takes a minimum of seven years to age.

Vendanges Tardive - Restricted to four noble grapes varieties, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat,these rare wines are subject to France’s most stringent wine laws. The grapes are the last to be picked from only themost outstanding vineyards and usually affected by “Noble Rot.” Unlike other Alsace wines which are dry, theVendanges are high in sugar and have a honey quality. The fresh fruit quality and high sugar levels are offset by a back-bone of acidity that prevents them from being cloying and in concert provides great richness and exceptional length.

Selection de Grains Nobles – These wines are even richer and rarer than Vendange Tardive and are only harvestedunder ideal climatic conditions with the botrytized grapes actually picked one by one. They possess an unrivaled aromat-ic intensity and will improve for decades.

Thanks to Hubert and his family for the outstanding wines they have produced for centuries, to Red Moon restaurantfor a wonderful culinary experience and to Janet Milone, wine representative extraordinaire, for Diageo Chateau &Estates Wine and our hostess for the evening she so generously invited me to attend.



Cellar NotesNorth Willamette Valley Appellations

By Dolly Ammann, CCMToday, the North Willamette Valley is considered

Oregon’s premier wine region. This is a region wheresome of the world’s finest Pinot Noir wines are produced.Pinot Noir, being the finicky grape that it is, is well-suitedto the cool climate of the north Willamette. David Lettwas the first to recognize the area’s potential for growingthis grape variety. Lett graduated from UC Davis in 1964with a degree in viticulture and then traveled to Europeto study the climatic conditions necessary to grow PinotNoir. He arrived in Oregon in 1965 with 3,000 grape cut-tings and the belief that Oregon’s north Willamette Valleywas the best place in the United States to grow Pinotfamily varietals. David Lett planted the first Pinot Noir

vineyard in the north Willamette’s Dundee Hills despiteconventional wisdom of the day that Oregon was too coldand rainy to successfully grow this variety. The rest ishistory.

Since the first grapes were planted, the Oregon wineindustry has grown to more than 300 wineries with mostof them located in the north Willamette. Oregon nowranks fourth in total production in the United Statesbehind California, Washington and New York. Many ofthe wineries are boutique wineries producing less than5,000 cases a year.

Oregon’s first AVA, the Willamette Valley AVA, wasestablished in 1984. This area is 200 miles long and


Cellar NotesNorth Willamette Valley Appellations

stretches from the Columbia River in the north to Eugenein the south. This vast area, with many distinct growingregions, was never successfully divided into terroir-drivenAVAs until recently when a group of vintners bannedtogether to define six growing areas and make applica-tions for AVA recognition. This effort was spearheaded byAlex Sokol Blosser of the Sokol Blosser Winery in theDundee Hills. Vintners and growers in the northWillamette formed working groups to put forward six ter-roir-driven appellations defined by geography and eleva-tion: Dundee Hills, Yamhill-Carlton District,McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, Chehalam Mountains andEola-Amity Hills. All of the six AVA applications weresubmitted at the same time. Dundee Hills was approvedon January 31, 2005, Yamhill-Carlton District onFebruary 7, 2005, and McMinnville on March 21, 2005.Chehalem Mountains and Eola-Amity Hills are pendingapproval.

Dundee Hills AVA

Some of Oregon’s most famous wineries are located inthe Dundee Hills. These include Domaine Drouhin,Domaine Serene, Archery Summit, Erath Vineyards,Sokol Blosser and Eyrie Vineyards. The area is referredto as The Red Hills of Dundee. This name comes from thered volcanic soil called Jory, a type of fractured basalt.This soil gives the Pinot Noir wines their characteristicred fruit aromas and flavors. The AVA has 15 wineriesand 1,300 acres of prime vineyards.

Yamhill-Carlton District AVA

The Yamhill-Carlton District is a horseshoe - shaped,south-facing bowl that surrounds the towns of Yamhilland Carlton. The soils are predominately fine-grainedancient marine sedentary soils. The soil here contributesaromas and flavors of dark fruits, coffee, cocoa, anis,cedar and tobacco. The wines tend to be big wines. Asmall amount of Jory soil is also present which produceswines that are a little softer. Wineries include Belle Ponte,Carlo & Julian, Elk Cove, Ken Wright Cellars, Penner-Ash, Kramer and WillaKenzie.

McMinnville AVA

The McMinnville AVA comprises an area of hills westand southwest of the town of McMinnville. Vineyardscomprise about 600 acres of the 40,000 acre appellation.


The soils are a combination of mostly ancient marinesedentary with Jory volcanic soils mixed in. The climateis slightly cooler and more maritime in nature than theother appellations of the North Willamette because it islocated further west. Because of this, the wines tend tohave higher acidity and more tannins. Wines from thisappellation have good aging potential.

Ribbon Ridge AVA

Ribbon Ridge is the smallest AVA in Oregon, and thePacific Northwest as well, with only 3,350 acres. It sits onthe western side of the area proposed for the ChehalemMountains appellation. The soils are Willakenzie seriesocean sediments. Wineries include Beaux Frères, PatriciaGreen Cellars and Brick House. Chehalem’s RidgecrestVineyards is located on Ribbon Ridge. Adelsheim andArchery Summit also obtain grapes from this area.

Chehalem Mountains Proposed AVA

The Chehalem is the largest of the six appellations cov-ering 62,100 acres. It is a diverse area with many differenttypes of soils. This may prove problematic for the granti-ng of the AVA. Only time will tell.

Eola-Amity Hills Proposed AVA

The Eola-Amity Hills is located at the southern end ofthe North Willamette. The area tends to be coolerbecause of the influence of cool winds that come throughthe Van Duzer corridor from the Pacific. The designatedarea is 15 miles long and six miles wide stretching fromAmity in the north to Salem in the south. It comprises37,900 acres with 1,300 acres of vineyards planted. Thearea has a number of different soil types with the predom-inate ones being volcanic Jory or Nekia. Because of thecool climate, the wines have good acidity. Wineriesinclude four of the state’s most respected wineries: Amity,Bethel Heights, Criston and Witness Tree. The AVA isexpected to be granted this summer.


Society HappeningsNapa Valley Wine Workshop is a Huge Success

By Eric GregoryThe Southern California Chapter recently held a three-

day wine workshop in the Napa Valley designed to enableparticipants to visit a combination of established wineriesas well as some up-and-coming properties in several sub-regions of the valley. The trip began with a visit to theDiamond Mountain region where we visited Von StrasserWinery. Rudy Von Strasser was the pioneer among sever-al property owners in acknowledging Diamond Mountainas an official A.V.A. in 2001. John Schultz, marketingdirector for the winery, gave us a tour through barrelsamples of the very impressive 2004 vintage Cabernetblends including the Diamond Mountain District, RaninVineyard, Post Vineyard, Sori Bricco and Von StrasserReserve.

From Diamond Mountain, we headed down theSilverado Trail to Z.D. Winery. Our host for the after-noon was Bret DeLuze, who gave us an informative semi-nar on Cabernet blending, featuring five different singlevineyard Cabernets from the 2005 vintage, with Bretexplaining what each wine would add to the final blend ofthe Napa and Reserve bottlings. We finished our visit toZD with a taste of Abacus VI, which is a solera-styleblend of Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons from 1992-2003,giving the wine a unique combination of secondary aro-mas, softness, vibrant fruit and tannins.

A bit further down the Silverado Trail was DarioushWinery. This newly completed ultra-modern winery wasimpressive indeed, certainly a lavish setting to enjoy awine and cheese pairing seminar. A visit to the wineriescaves and barrel tasting of the 2004’s showed greatpromise of what this vintage is capable of. The wineryfocus is on traditional Bordeaux varietals, as well as limit-ed production of Shiraz, Chardonnay and Viognier, themost impressive of which was the 2002 Estate CabernetSauvignon.

For dinner, we were joined by a young winemaker nameDave Phinney, whose Orin Swift label has been creatingquite a buzz around the valley. Phinneypurchases fruit from growers that he has built relationshipswith by knocking on doors and driving past vineyard sites.Orin Swift has been able to create unique bottling for avery reasonable price. Orin Swift’s “The Prisoner,” a blendof Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah andCharbono, was awarded #28 on the Wine Spectator Top 100list. Our favorite was the 2003 Mercury Head CabernetSauvignon, displaying intense dark fruits with a fine bal-ance of oak and sweet tannins.

After a bit of sleep and a jolt of caffeine, day twobegan appropriately with a barrel seminar with Ken Deis,winemaker for Flora Springs. The use of French,American and Hungarian oak were compared and con-trasted with both Chardonnay and the Trilogy Blend ofthe winery. Several different cooperages, barrel ages andtoast levels were also analyzed, giving us a true apprecia-tion for how important the use of oak plays in the wine-making process.

As the rain began to come down, we traveled south onHighway 29 to Turnbull Wine Cellars for tasting andlunch with winemaker Jon Engelskirger. Located next towineries such as Cakebread, Opus One and Nickel &Nickel, Turnbull has managed to produce wines of consis-tently high quality at prices which are considerably lessthan its neighbors. A beautiful three-course lunch wasprepared by chef Dana Robbers, pairing beautifully withthe 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, 2003 Weitz VineyardCabernet Sauvignon and the 2004 late harvest Viognier.

Heavy rain made the trip up to Mt. Veeder an adven-turous one, with steep hillsides to navigate combined withseveral unpaved roads. Mt. Veeder is Napa Valley’s small-est A.V.A. and produces intense fruits coming from well-drained soils and higher elevations. We visited withowner and winemaker, Larry Stricker from Godspeedwinery, in his tasting room (well, technically it was his liv-ing room), sampling his small production Chardonnayand Cabernet Sauvignons from his estate. These arewines of intense power, austere when young, but given afew extra years of aging in the bottle, were rewarding andcomplex. The 1999 and 1997 Cabernets still seemedyoung and tight, but the 1996 vintage seemed to just hitits stride.

Heading back to Rutherford, we made a quick visit toHonig Winery. Specializing in Sauvignon Blanc andCabernet Sauvignon, the winery’s focus is apparent upontasting the well-crafted wines. The Cabernets were typicalfor the Rutherford region, displaying rich fruits and awell-perfumed nose with a touch of dusty earth. TheNapa Sauvignon Blanc was the stand-out wine for us,providing a clean and well-balanced style at a great pricepoint.

For dinner, we headed to the Eastern Hillside of theValley to Hall’s Rutherford Winery. Built by Katherineand Craig Hall, the winery serves as the production siteof Hall’s small-production wines and features 14,000 feetof caves finished with Austrian brick and limestone and ahospitality room featuring a very impressive crystal chan-



Society HappeningsNapa Valley Wine Workshop isa Huge Success

delier, which served as the backdrop for our dinner. ChefJane Coxwell prepared a gourmet four-course dinner,featuring the Hall Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and CabernetSauvignon and finishing with the 2002 Katherine HallSarcache Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, which seemed tokeep evolving by the minute.

Our final day began at Rudd Winery in Oakville.Founded by Leslie Rudd of Dean & DeLuca fame, Ruddvineyards are surrounded by such notable vineyards asDalla Valle, Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle and PhelpsBackus. The picturesque winery at the foot of the VacaMountain Range has been producing some of Oakville’smost exciting wines since the 2000 vintage. The 2004Sauvignon Blanc displayed a classic Bordeaux style, withelegant citrus and crisp acidity, the best Sauvignon wetried the entire trip. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon is thefinal vintage for this wine, which will be blended into theProprietary Red in future vintages. The Cabernet was abit more approachable than the 2002 Proprietary Red,which is a blockbuster and a cellar-worthy selection forany fine wine list.

Our final trip was to David Arthur vineyards, which islocated high above the valley in the Vaca Range. OwnerDavid Long was certainly the most unique personality weencountered on our trip - seeming to know each memberof his mailing list personally. David entertained us withstories and anecdotes, which kept us at the winery hoursafter we had planned. The David Arthur Elevation 1147Cabernet is consistently garnering some of Napa Valley’shighest ratings and displayed fruit intensity unlike anyother wine that we had throughout the entire trip. Wewere taken to the unfinished caves to barrel sample the2004’s, which were even more impressive than the 2003’sthat were in the bottle. We also sampled some of the vari-etals, which the winery is experimenting with such asSyrah, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot. All were impressiveand could be seen as single varietal bottlings.

With so many great wineries and unique sub-appela-tions (14 in all and one pending), a three-day trip certain-ly does not do Napa Valley justice. We did, however get agood feel of some of the more exciting wineries the valleyhas to offer. The varietal which most winemakers seemedto be excited about is Petit Verdot, which is currently themost expensive grape found in the valley, and is beingseen as a larger part of the Cabernet-based blend thatmakes Napa famous.


The International Wine Society sponsors a pro-gram that gives CMAA members an opportunity toshowcase their clubs’ wine programs. The WineProgram Awards recognize the best club wine pro-grams on an annual basis and laud CMAA memberclubs that establish and maintain fine wine pro-grams for their membership. These awards aremeant to be a hallmark of quality and assurance ofan eminent wine program and should be used tomarket the club’s food and beverage program to itsmembership.

A club participates by submitting an official entryform along with a $25 entree fee, sending in a coverletter describing its wine program and responding tothe short questionnaire that is provided by theInternational Wine Society. A club then endorses itsauthentic a la carte wine menu by including a photo-copy of the menu and cover, by-the-glass menu andwine inventory.

There is a deadline of October 1, 2006, forparticipation in this year’s program. Awardrecipients will be recognized at the Wine Society’sAnnual Business Meeting at the 2007 WorldConference in Anaheim, CA. So, put the deadlineon your calendar and work on building a strongwine program throughout the year. If you have anyquestions in the meantime, you can accessadditional information at www.cmaa.org/winesoc orcall National Headquarters at (703) 739-9500.

We look forward to receiving your entry!

Society HappeningsShowcase Your Club’s WineProgram ... Participate in theInternational Wine SocietyProgram Awards!

1st


Society HappeningsWine Committee Helps Raise Sales and Spirits!

The 2006 Idea Fair, held at CMAA’s World Conferencein Honolulu this past February, was an extremely impres-sive event. Of particular note was the Paradise ValleyCountry Club (PVCC), which won in the “Wine Lists” cat-egory for its efforts in forming a wine committee that notonly has raised interest in wine at the club, but has alsomade an incredible impact on wine sales!

The wine committee at PVCC was formed in the sum-mer of 2004. The clubs’ board of directors wanted to cre-ate a committee that would formulate the club’s wine list,establish pricing policies and work with management inmarketing, serving and educating the members aboutwine.

The committee began wine tastings is the summer of2004, and the first version of its wine list was released inthe fall of 2004. The list is revised six to 10 times a year.

“The Wine Committee has set out to bring in winesfrom throughout the world,” said John Neill, assistantclubhouse manager at PVCC. “It focuses on majorregions and varietals but also looks for lesser-known wineregions and varietals. The current wine listings numbermore than 130 items and include producers in 13 differentcountries.”

The committee members attend tastings, which areheld approximately once a month. Each wine is scoredand described as to color, nose, palate and other aspectson a special form. The results are tabulated and stored inan online database for future reference.

The club’s wine list has evolved since the formation ofthe committee. At one point, wines were grouped byweight and style, which was less popular. Today, the listfeatures a summary section for quick browsing and isbacked by a detailed listing containing narrative descrip-tions of each wine. The wines are organized by color andvarietal or appellation. Details include colorful icons indi-cating which of eight styles each wine belongs to as a keyhelp with food paring and another icon indicating winesthe committee recommends be decanted.

Since the formation of the wine committee, PVCC hasseen a dramatic increase in its wine sales. Wine sales infiscal 2004, for example, totaled $184,508. In fiscal 2005,the first full year of the Wine Committee’s administrationof the list, however, wine sales were $492,933, an increaseof 167 percent!

Neill truly believes that the formation of the committeehas made all the difference when it comes to wine at theclub. “Just by looking at the financial impact, you can seethat the interest in the wine program has taken off in thepast couple years,” he said.

The wine committee at PVCC also sponsors numerousevents including themed wine dinners, an auction and anoff-premise sales program, all of which enjoy strong mem-ber support.

Grape VineBrush Up on Your Wine Knowledge from Your Desktop

The CMAA Wine Society has partnered with the WineSpectatorSchool.com, an online wine school launched by WineSpectator in September 2002, to provide members with a flexible way to further their wine education. With the convenienceoffered by the Internet, restaurateurs, consumers and wine-trade members from more than 35 countries are now takingadvantage of these wine-appreciation courses backed by the Wine Spectator magazine’s more than 25 years of experience. TheWineSpectatorschool.com is operated as a separate entity from the Wine Spectator magazine.

The course includes video interviews with winemakers, sommeliers and restaurateurs; online quizzes and exams;worksheets and study guides; tutored tastings to train staff in the club; and an online professor to answer e-mail ques-tions. The total course can be taken in six to nine one-hour segments depending on the knowledge of the participants.Upon completion of the program, participants will receive a CMAA IWS certificate for scoring 80 percent or better onthe final online exam. In addition, particpants will receive educational credits from CMAA and those scoring 90 percentor better also receive a distinctive pin from the WineSpectatorSchool.com.

Currently, the main program the Wine Society is offering (with certification education credits) is “UnderstandingProfessional Wine Sales and Service.” This class explains how to build a thorough foundation in wine along with the



Grape VineBrush Up on Your Wine Knowledge from Your Desktop

sales and service skills that distinguish successful professionals. The Wine Society receives a special 15 percent discountthat is passed directly to Wine Society members. At a discounted cost of $245, it is an inexpensive way to increase youand your staff’s knowledge and gain education credits at the same time. This class is worth 10 Other Education credits.

Additional short, specialized classes including ones on California Cabernet, Bordeaux reds and wines from Tuscany arealso available at a substantial discount. These classes will allow for more specialized training, particularly helpful whenyour staff have to design and develop club wine dinners. As an example, the “Tuscany” course would be an excellent toolfor having an “Italian Night.” These classes are worth three Other Education credits each.

To sign up today and take advantage of this exciting new opportunity, please visit the Wine Spectator at http://www.winespectatorschool.com/wineschool/. Please note that the CMAA promotional code to sign up and get the Wine Society discount is“WCLUBS.”

For additional information including syllabus information, please visit http://www.cmaa.org/winesoc/onlineWineEdu.htm.

Society HappeningsChapter Wine Representative of the Year

This year, the Wine Society is introducing a new program for Chapter Wine Representatives to encourage more wineeducation within the chapters. An award will be given to the “Wine Representative of the Year” in the categories of small,medium and large chapters at the Wine Society Annual Business Meeting during the 2007 World Conference on ClubManagement in Anaheim, CA. The time frame for this awards program is November 1, 2005 – October 31, 2006.

Points will be awarded for the following activities:

• The number of members recruited;• The number of education sessions offered in the chapter;• Participation by the chapter in the Wine Society auctions;• Articles written for the Wine Society News;• Chapter participation in the Wine Program Awards; and• Overall performance by the chapter for wine education.

Additional information will be distributed to all Chapter Wine Representatives. For more information,please contact Melissa Low at (703) 739-9500 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Grape VineOregon Wine Workshop TestQuestions

Multiple Choice

1. Of white grape varieties, the largest tonnagerepresenting 15 percent of Oregon’s grape harvest is:

a) Pinot Gris c) Pinot Blancb) Sauvignon Blanc d) Semillon

2. Oregon’s largest and best-known growing area is:a) Columbia Valley c) Willamette Valleyb) Umpqua Valley d) Rogue Valley

3. Robert Drouhin, from the prominent Burgundian negociantfirm of Joseph Drouhin:

a) Purchased land in Oregon in 1988b) Is the father of Veronique Drouhin-Bossc) Was a friend of David Adelsheim of Adelsheim vineyardsd) All of the above




Grape VineOregon Wine Workshop TestQuestions

4. Which of the following vineyard problems poses the biggestconcern in Oregon at this time:

a) Phylloxera c) Pierce’s diseaseb) Mildew d) Cutworms

5. The Ice Age Missoula Floods, occurring 10,000 to 15,000years ago:

a) Deposited layers of sediment to a depth of 300 feet in the Willamette Valleyb) Deposited soils of varying combinations of loam, silt, loess and cobbles in the Walla Walla Valleyc) Had a major impact on soils in the greater

Columbia Valleyd) All of the above

6. The first $100 bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir was released by:a) Archery Summit c) Anne Amieb) Rex Hill d) Domaine Drouhin

7. Oregon is best known for the production of this red vari-etal:

a) Syrah c) Merlotb) Cabernet Sauvignon d) Pinot Noir

True & False

8. Seventy percent of Oregon’s vineyards are located in theWillamette Valley.

9. Today, there are more than 250 bonded wineries in Oregon.

10. Growing conditions in the Willamette Valley are best suit-ed to warm climate grapes.

11. The nation’s most stringent wine labeling laws were adopt-ed in Oregon in 1977.

12. David Lett, the founder of The Eyrie Vineyards, is affec-tionately known in Oregon as “Papa Pinot” because he wasthe first one to plant Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley.

13. Domaine Serene is an excellent example of astate-of-the-art gravity flow winery.

14. Rex Hill Vineyards was founded in 1982 by Paul Hart andhis wife, Jan Jacobsen.

15. Approximately two-thirds of Rex Hill’s production is PinotGris.

16. Oregon’s wine regulations permit the use of generic label-ing of wines with European terms such as Burgundy,Champagne and Chablis.

17. Rex Hill’s facilities are located in a building that oncehoused a nut drying plant.

18. Oregon produces more than 40 different vinifera grapevarieties.

Fill in the Blank19. Oregon and Washington state share the following three

AVAs: _____ , _____ and _____.

20. Oregon wine regulations require ____ percentage of thegrape variety for the wine to be called by the varietal namewith the exception of Cabernet Sauvigon.

21. Ken and Grace Evenstad are the owners of______________ winery.

22. Veronique Drouhin-Boss is the winemaker at_______________________.

23. In 1970, at the Olympiades of Wines of the World inParis, a Pinot Noir from The ________ Vineyards, was thefirst American Pinot Noir to compete successfully againstFrench Burgundies.

24. Domaine Drouhin produces Pinot Noir and ______ froman assortment of Dijon clones.

25. Anne Amie Vineyards were previously known as Chateau____________________.

Grape VineOregon Wine Workshop Test Answers

Multiple Choice1. a. Pinot Gris2. b. Willamette Valley3. d. All of the above4. a. Phylloxera5. d. All of the above6. a. Archery Summit7. d. Pinot Noir

True or False8. True9. True 14. True10. False 15. False11. True 16. False12. True 17. True13. True 18. True

Fill in the Blank19. Walla Walla Valley,

Columbia Valley and Columbia Gorge

20. 9021. Domaine Serene22. Domaine Drouhin23. Eyrie24. Chardonnay25. Benoit


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