2010 Vietti Barbera d'Alba

We drank this 2010 Vietti Barbera d'Alba last night with a hearty spaghetti. Very dark purple in color, it was a great balance between a mouthfull of fruit with balanced acidity and a little spiciness at the finish.
We are huge fans of Vietti, having previously had their 2009 Roero Arneis and 2009 Barbera d'Asti. The barberas are a good value in the $20.00 neighborhood and therefore are wonderful pairings with comfort foods like pizza and spaghetti, without breaking the bank. We also like the whimsical artwork that identifies each wine.
Here is more information about the Currado family, who make the Vietti wines written by Elin McCoy.

A Pocket Guide for Grape IPM Scouting in the North Central and Eastern United States

One of the books that we purchased this past fall was A Pocket Guide for Grape IPM Scouting in the North Central and Eastern United States. It is a spiral bound, 131 page, 3.5 x 5 inch publication that we purchased from Michigan State University Extension AgBio Research code E2889 priced at $14.00. The book is compiled and edited by Rufus Isaacs, Annemiek Schilder, Tom Zabadal and Tim Weigle, updated in 2011. This book will find a home in my bibbie (overall) front pocket when spring comes. I think that it may be faster and handier than looking things up on a smart phone, it is about the same size and a little thicker. The book begins with an introduction to the how and why of scouting with topics that include, strategies for scouting, tools for scouting and where to monitor in the vineyard.
It contains color photos of the grapevine growth stages, 30 pages of grapevine pests, information on beneficial insects, downy mildew, powdery mildew, black rot, phomopsis, anthracnose, botrytis bunch rot, and many others. There are also photos of chemical injury to grapevines and nutrient deficiencies. The book ends with a vineyard scouting calender that summarizes the kinds of insects and diseases that occur at the various stages of vine growth.

Label Designs

The storm that was predicted to dump around 10-12 inches of snow in our area fortunately was not as bad as initially reported. We may have gotten around 6 inches of snow. Being home bound gave us a little time to appreciate the interest our friends have been taking in coming up with label designs for our brand. Here are some examples:

Actually, designing a label is a little more complicated than the creation of a good, eye catching logo. The label has to meet the requirements set by the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Information for at least 10 specific criteria must appear on the front label including brand name, varietal designation, alcohol content, etc.
In the January-February 2014 issue of Vineyard & Winery Management, there is an article written by Taylor N. Burras and Jordan R. Bernstein called Requiring 'Serving Facts' on Wine Labels Could Prove Costly that may have wineries including the nutritional information on alcoholic beverages. This can be traced back to April 2004, when the TTB issued ruling 2004-1 which allowed alcoholic beverage manufacturers to include calorie and carbohydrate content information on labels and in advertisements, as long as the nutrient statements were "truthful and do not mislead the consumer."

The TTB followed up with a proposed rule entitled "Labeling and Advertising of Wines, Distilled Spirits and Malt Beverages" otherwise known as Notice 73 in July 2007. If Notice 73 is adopted, this would require alcohol content, caloric and nutritional information to be displayed in a "Serving Facts" label such as shown on the right. On May 28, 2013, the TTB expanded on Ruling 2004-1. Ruling 2013-2 allows the voluntary labeling of serving facts and nutritional information on alcohol beverage labels. Here is a link to TTB Ruling 2013-2: Voluntary Nutrient Content Statements in the Labeling and Advertising of Wines, Distilled Spirits, and Malt Beverages.

Port Tasting at The Wine Store

For the first annual tasters gathering at the Wine Store in the New Year, James Morrison organized a port tasting. People on the email list brought nuts, dried fruits and chocolates and James provided blackberries, blue cheese and more chocolates for the port pairing. James was also joined by his friend Brett who is a connoisseur of port and would provide some necessary accoutrement when it came time to taste the vintage port.

James poured Taylor Fladgate Ruby Port, Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port and Taylor Fladgate 2005 Vintage Port. James explained how port, a fortified wine was made in Portugal mainly from Touriga Nacional grapes. All of the ports tasted mighty fine, who doesn't like port and chocolates, I say! When it came time to open the vintage port, Brett showed us how with a set of port tongs. It is essential that the port tongs be heated to a high enough temperature. In this case, Brett used a propane fire ring for outdoor cooking to heat the tongs. Standing by, he had a small container of ice water as well as a port filter. All of us watched and listened intently, as a "pop" sound signals a successful bottle opening. Here is a short video of the operation:

We ended the evening with a vote to determine whether the final port should be a 1995 vintage port or the 20 year old Taylor Fladgate. The vintage people won the vote so we tasted the 1995 vintage port which was already throwing a good degree of sediment. We enjoyed seeing familiar faces. It was another successful evening at the Wine Store and such a nice way to start the New Year!
Thanks, James!