Morovino Goes for Gold

Mrs. Vino got some very special news this week. Her first vintage as winemaker (2008 Morovino Pinot Grigio) received a gold medal in the prestigious Orange County Fair Wine Competition. When I saw the envelope in the mailbox, I immediately ripped it open. Several tourists with cameras caught the enthusiastic happy dance in the post office parking lot, accompanied by incredibly loud whoop-whooping. Let’s hope it the video never ends up on You-Tube. I believe the Post Office is getting a restraining order against Mrs. Vino. Let’s just say I was pretty happy.

Wine Awards are an interesting thing. I’m sure that no matter what the quality of a wine, you could probably find an award competition that would give it a medal. Winemakers believe that awards mean a great deal to consumers. That’s why we enter the competitions. But wine drinkers should be careful. Just because you see a bit of shiny gold in association with a bottle does not necessarily mean it is the bottle for you.

Most of the recognized, well-reputed, prestigious competitions award medals based on a familiar 100 point system. A wine will receive a bronze medal if it is in the 85-90ish point range. A Silver medal is in the 90-95ish point range, a gold is in the 95-100ish point range and double gold, platinum, titanium, best of show, etc., are the best of the best.

I think, in large part, the value of the medal equates to the number of wines entered in the competition. In the Orange County Fair Commercial Wine Competition, more than 3,000 California wines were entered. Last year’s California State Fair Wine Competition also had more than 3,000 entries. The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (another prestigious competition) received more than 4,700 entries in 2009. Wines awarded medals at these uber-contests are probably of a different quality than say the “Made-Up-CityName Wine Competition” which has 100 entries.

It’s a classic case of Caveat Emptor--let the buyer beware. Before you decide to buy a wine based on whether it won a medal or not, whip out your iPhone and check out that particular competition online. Better yet do a bit of research right now to find out which competitions are the most recognized within the industry. Armed with that knowledge, you will know that a Double Titanium Medal from the “Made-Up-CityName Wine Competition” may not necessarily mean a quality wine in the bottle.

Granted, medals must mean something! Even after two days, Mrs. Vino is still spontaneously bursting into laughter in the tasting room. Or sometimes, she is bursting into tears. I understand that the award means that a panel of 10ish people thought the wine was really good. I know that I think the wine is really good. I know that all the guests in our tasting room think the wine is really good. I know the opinion of 10ish people shouldn‘t matter that much. But some days, you just want to dance around the tasting room with a medal hanging around your neck.

Cheers! Mrs. Vino

Here are some competitions to get you started:
Orange County Fair Wine Competition (www.ocws.org)
Mid State Fair (www.midstatefair.com)
San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (www.winejudging.com)
California State Fair Wine Competition (www.thebestcaliforniawine.com)
Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition (www.fairplex.com/wine2009)
National Women's Wine Competition--1800 entries (www.nwwc.com)

Mrs. Vino Uncorked

Recently I visited my local wine shop to pick up one of my favorite bottles of wine. I was heartbroken to see that the winemaker had made the change from cork to screw top. As a wine professional, I have my preferred position in the cork-vs.-screw top debate. We won’t be re-examining that argument here. Instead, I have a very visceral reason to prefer wines with corks to wines with screw top closures.

I completely understand that a screw top wine is easier and more convenient. I recognize that 97% of wine is consumed within three days of purchase. But wine is more than just a beverage.

Wine is a celebration. Big: A birthday. A promotion. A special dinner out. Small: Friday. Wednesday. A new lipstick. A great pizza. All green lights on the ride home. In these challenging economic times, wine is a small luxury that helps us celebrate both large milestones and tiny daily victories.

For me, opening a bottle of wine involves a ritual that is a call to the senses. Take a bottle of white wine out of the cooler. Notice how the light reflects off the glass? The bottle is heavy and cool in your hand. It has substance. Weight. Importance. As the bottle reaches the kitchen counter, it begins to sweat. Each perfect droplet beads on the outside of the bottle. The bottle becomes jeweled by the little droplets.

Do you peel the capsule quickly or slowly. Some days, I prefer slowly. On these days, removing the foil is an unveiling. A tease. Somedays, I prefer quickly. I can almost taste the wine as I open the bottle and can’t wait for the first perfect sip. On these days, removing the foil is like kicking off your high heels the second you walk in your front door after a hard day at work.

Do you feel just the tiniest bit bad as the worm of the opener pierces the cork? The rhythm of the corkscrew against the cork is like music. As the opener begins to remove the cork from the bottle, the music builds. And, the crescendo? When the cork is freed from the bottle with that perfect POP, I can only smile. That is the signal for my taste buds to begin tingling in anticipation.

Try as I might, I cannot create a ritual that involves unscrewing a cap. That is the same process I use for my toothpaste every morning. So frequently in life we get mired in the day-to-day and forget to lift our heads and celebrate what we can. I think that now, this is more important than ever. So, for now, I remain uncorked.

Cheers!
Mrs. Vino

What wine pairs with whales?

Last night, Mr. Vino asked me: "What wine pairs with whale?" No, we haven't discovered a VERY unusual sushi. We spent an absolutely perfect Central Coast evening watching whales from our Pismo Beach balcony.

Memorial Day is typically the time the Humpback whales come back into San Luis Bay with their babies on their way to Alaska to feed. According to Cal Poly's Marine Biology department, an unusually strong wind event in April, combined with a short spell of very warm weather in May created an unusual upwelling along our coast. The result is that cold nutrient-rich water was brought to the surface, providing a fantastic buffet meal for marine plankton. When the plankton are happy, the anchovies are happy. When the anchovies are happy, the Humpbacks are happy. When the Humpbacks are happy, they dance and play in the bay waters, making Mr. & Mrs. Vino very happy!

OK, dance and play is a total anthropomorphism. When the Humpbacks breach, it's actually a feeding behavior. But watching these incredible giants of the ocean slap the water with their flippers and their flukes, and leap out of the ocean, getting 85% of their 40-ton bulk out of the water--well, I think we can be forgiven the "play" metaphor.

When the whales come to the surface, they exhale. Mr. Vino calls this a whale puff. It is, in every way, better than a crab puff (and Mrs. Vino LOVES crab puffs). And I just can't help the fact that watching a Humpback slap a 12 foot long flipper against the water looks an awful lot like a friendly wave and an invitation to come play!

It's a humbling experience to sit on your balcony at sunset watching a mother Humpback in a side-by-side breach with her baby. At sunset, the light turns the whales' bellies molten gold. The spray from the breach is like liquid light. Watching momma and baby is such an incredible reminder that we are stewards of this planet and this ocean, not owners.

Ultimately, we discovered that the best wine to pair with whales is . . . any wine. I enjoyed a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio. David sipped on Sangiovese. As the sun dipped beyond the horizon and the sky turned fuschia, then gray, then blue; the whales went back to the ocean bed to sleep. Mr. Vino and I were moved to a spontaneous standing ovation for an incredible performance.

Learn more about our incredible Humpback Whales at the Cetacean Society:
http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/humpback.htm