John Marshall Chapter
Whilst sipping a Johannesburg Riesling from the Columbia Valley, Washington,
one evening (I would never admit to sipping before 5pm) I read
the label which said that the Columbia Valley is one of the northern
most major growing areas in the world for wine grapes. It is between the
46th
and 49th parallels. Those are the same parallels coincidentally as
the Loire Valley, France and Burgundy. Well, that captured my imagination
for
the moment, begging for more information.
My search yielded the following; for grapes to ripen satisfactorily
they require a minimum of 1500 hours of sunlight. To fully ripen, red grapes
require more heat and sunbeams than white varietals. This is one reason
white grapes are more successful in northern climes than reds. As a side
note vinafera require a minimum of 700 mm of rain during the growing
season.
A generalization is that the global band of grape growing falls between
the 30th and 50th latitudes north or south of the equator. Of course altitude
and proximity to water (rivers, lakes, or an ocean) play significant
roles in vine global positioning. However, between these bands a balance
of
warmth and coolness, sunshine and rainfall are ideal for ripening the
fruit.
U.C. Davis originated a degree-day system for determining climate compatibility
for grape growing. It goes with out saying that wild vines
grow in all climates, we are talking vines that produce fruit suitable
for fermentation and eventual quaffing when vinified by knowledgeable hands.
This system multiplies the number of growing days in a season by the
daily average temperature. And naturally bodies of water affect the environment
as do mountains and forests. My conclusion is, Virginia produces some great
grapes so why look any further.
Of those who figured it out and planted successful vineyards and installed
wineries around the world have present us with a 'world' of difference
between the same varietal being grown and vinted into our preferred
beverage from cooler climates compared to warm climates. A Chardonnay for
example from Virginia, Australia, or Hungary will each be uniquely different
bringing to the long stemmed glass the signature of the terroir
and the winemakers' thumb print.
Our resident barrister, Mr. Bob Dierker is presenting a unique topic,
"Music and Wine Paring" Bob, did Robert Hutton have a hand in this?
Personally I wonder if Bob has incorporated any of Bonn Doons' philosophy
(see header in Aprils' newsletter) such as, "If anyone tells you Cloudy
Bays' Sauvignon Blanc doesn't go with Led Zeppelin, throw guitar picks
at them." So, come out to the meeting on the 7th and learn how to pair
wines with Mozart to Metallica, or Chopin to Clapton.
According to our munchies reporter, Mr. B.S. (Bruce Schaefer) "Us Kweens of Kwizine served up a dazzling array of cheeses, grapes, and French bread. But the Piece of Resistance was Jan's quiche again: light and fluffy as a soufflé with earthy basil notes and a long garlicky finish. It was a religious experience." Thanks, Jan for ingeniously catering to our nourishment and Bruce for his individual reporting style that is somewhere between Robert Parker and H.S. Thompson, "Uuuummm those look good, I'll take two."
Smile !
Fletcher