April Recap: Furmint USA Tasting; Wine & Flavors Seminar

April was a busy month full of changes and new opportunities. One of the things I love doing is attending educational seminars and tastings so that I am constantly learning and honing my craft. In April I attended several tastings including Austrian, Provence Rose, and Hungarian wines. I also did an extensive two day seminar on sensory evaluation and identifying wine aromatic molecules with sensory master, Alexandre Schmitt. My two favorite events in April were the Furmint USA tasting hosted by the Napa Valley Wine Academy and the Wine & Flavors Seminar taught by Alexandre Schmitt.

Furmint USA, Hungarian Wine Tasting at Napa Valley Wine Academy- April 19, 2016

"FurmintUSA is a branded educational campaign founded in 2014. Its purpose is the promotion of dry furmint wines from Hungary's Tokaj Wine Region. FurmintUSA strongly believes that furmints are not only Hungary's flagship dry white wines but that furmint is the next true rising star on the international wine scene. FurmintUSA unites first-rate Hungarian wineries and markets their very best furmints in the United States."

Furmint is a Hungarian white grape variety indigenous to Hungary's Tokaj region. It is the major grape of Tokaj. It grows vigorously, ripens late, and produces wines with high acidity. Furmint is known as Mosler in Austria, Sipon in Slovenia and N. Croatia, Moslavac Bijeli in Croatia, Som in Transylvania, and Zapfner in Germany. Furmint is the most essential grape in the production of sweet Aszu wines. However, Furmint also produces some of the most prestigious dry white wines of Hungary. At this tasting we tried nine different Furmint wines from Csopak and Tokaj's top producers. A few of the winemakers from Hungary came and presented their wines and their winery's history. I am so glad I attended and was exposed to dry Furmint wines. I really hope to see more of these wines in the market and on wine lists across the country.

Wow! This seminar was life changing. Alexandre Schmitt is from Bourdeaux, France. He graduated in Chemistry at the University of Sciences in Bourdeaux, and in Perfumery at the ISIPCA at Versailles, France. He worked as a creator of perfumes in Paris and London and taught perfumery before transitioning into the wine industry. He now teaches olfaction at the Bourdeaux Oenology University and consults for many winemakers and top wineries around the world. His client list includes: Chateau Petrus, Chateau d'Yquem, Chateau Margaux, Opus One, Robert Mondavi Winery, Dominus Estate, Bodegas Miguel Torres, Joseph Phelps, Dalla Vale, Laffort Espana, Radoux, Taransaud, and so many more. He only offers his seminars in Napa once a year so I jumped on the opportunity as soon as it became available. He is crazy talented at what he does and is often referred to as "the nose" within the wine industry.

I took his Level 2: Aromatic Molecules seminar in St. Helena at ETS Laboratories. This was a two day seminar. We went through wine defects, barrel aromas, flowers, types of wood, fruits, spices, and balsamic notes. It was incredibly eye opening; other sensory classes I have taken before have never gotten into the nitty gritty details of each chemical compound like this seminar did. As wine professionals we breakdown a wine by identifying the aromas we are picking up but we usually do not break down the specific molecule and describe it further. That is exactly what we did during these two days. For example, to simply say vanilla or cedar is being lazy and elementary. We each had to share what that vanilla felt like. Was is warm? Was it oily? Was it sweet? Creamy? Artificial or Natural? Was it Vanilla or Vanillin? As there are many different types of vanilla and levels that can be perceived. Was the cedar cool? Was it resinous? Dry? Wet? And so on...

I can't wait for Alexandre to come back to Napa next year. You bet I will be taking all the other levels he offers. You cannot get training and teaching like this anywhere else. He is the best in his category and his classes are worth the investment! I implore those seeking to sharpen their sensory skills to take his seminars. The way you think about smelling will be changed forever. For more information check out his site https://www.wineandflavors.com/en/ and sign up for his newsletter to be the first to know of a course near you.

Exclusive Interview with Josh Widaman: Winemaker of Lewis Cellars

Last harvest I had the privilege of working with an incredible team at Lewis Cellars led by Winemaker Josh Widaman. I learned a tremendous amount during my short time at Lewis thanks to Josh and Assistant Winemaker, Justin Kinkade. They both have incredible backgrounds in wine and have worked at some of the most esteemed wineries in Napa. I gained so much applicable knowledge from the winemaking team that I just had to share with my readers and viewers. This interview is a must see for anyone itching to get into winemaking. In this exclusive interview Josh reveals the “secret” to winemaking at a world class level, how he conquered Napa and rose to the top, and his advice for aspiring winemakers. Enjoy!

Word to the Wise: Preparing for the Certified Sommelier Exam

In my last post I mentioned that I recently passed the certified sommelier exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers; this post is intended to give you insight as to how I prepared as well as advice for those pursuing certification.

Preparing for this exam was an intense journey filled with ups and downs of self doubt, desire, self belief, and faith. Even though these past three months were ugly (as was my hair 99.9% of the time), I made it through and would do it all over again if I had to. The sleep deprivation, stress, and disgusting commitment to my goal was all worth it. I gained so much satisfaction and fulfillment from this and felt myself growing more confident each day. Passing was the definite goal but the process was even more satisfying. I discovered so much about myself and what I was capable of achieving. This exam is no small feat and it is not uncommon for candidates to test 1-2 times before actually passing. If you are unfamiliar with this exam and are intrigued by the madness you must watch SOMM to see what the Court of Master Sommeliers exams are all about at the highest level. The documentary can be found on netflix and itunes.

Theory

I started casually studying in November when I first signed up for the exam. I started off reading through The Certified Sommelier Prep Course only to realize that it wasn't detailed enough or up to date with the questions I'd be asked on the exam.
Thankfully I had a friend who recently passed that led me to the Guild Somm site which has tons of information that is directly used on the exam. I used the study guides as my main study source, took notes, and made flash cards based on that information. I also studied with my friends old flashcards as well as my own to fill in any missing pieces. I watched every video on the Guild Somm site, studied the maps provided, and listened to all theory focused podcasts from the Guild. After every section I completed the beginning and intermediate practice quizzes to see how well I understood what I just covered.

Although it is highly encouraged to draw your own maps instead of just staring at one hoping you memorize it I only made one map due to lack of time. If I were to do this again I would make map drawing a priority and do it early on and use it as a break from reading!

Service & Tasting

For the service portion of the exam I practiced the service routine with a group of friends at our weekly tasting meeting. They all asked me possible questions I might be asked and created different scenarios that could be tricky so I could practice problem solving and handling stress gracefully.

I opened sparkling wine bottles as often as possible; the goal was one bottle a day but in reality I did this every two days. I spent about $200 a month on sparkling wine just for the purpose of practicing opening the bottle silently. In addition I met with a tasting group once a week to do a blind tasting focused on the list of testable varietals and also attended blind tastings at a local wine shop.

One of the benefits of living in Napa is that I was surrounded by many people who have passed this exam and are willing to help. Fortunately I was able to practice with Master Sommelier and star of the SOMM film, DLynn Proctor. Training with him helped tremendously and made my service more polished and fluid.

For more specifics or any questions about the exam or how to prepare email me at ladysommelier@gmail.com

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Alex

I'm Back and Better Than Ever

I'm so excited to get back to blogging and bring you new, relevant, and unique content.

Since my last post I completed my harvest internship at Lewis Cellars, took on a position as a lab technician at one of the largest custom crush facilities in Napa, and passed my Level II: Certified Sommelier Exam. I have tons of details and tips to share for those planning on taking the certified exam that I will cover in my next post. My plan for this blog going forward is to share interesting winemaking/enology content, current industry trends, and subjects I cover while studying for my advanced sommelier exam.

Thank you for being patient and staying interested in my journey! I'm so motivated to make this your favorite wine blog!

Cheers,

Alex

Exploring the Russian River Valley

The Sonoma County appellation has approximately 60,000 acres of vineyards planted and is made up of fifteen different AVA's. This past weekend I spent a day in Northern Sonoma wine tasting with some friends. We started off at Iron Horse Vineyards in the Green Valley sub appellation within the Russian River Valley. Green Valley is one of the smallest appellations in Sonoma County. It lies in the southwestern part of the Russian River Valley. What makes Green Valley's special is its unique microclimate influenced by fog and its Goldridge soil type, which is highly sought after because of its great drainage properties and low soil fertility. 

Iron Horse produces sparkling wines, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. The set up and grounds were beautiful. They have a bar set up outside on a hill over looking the vineyards. It was a very relaxed environment without too much traffic and the service was excellent. Our wine educator was calm, knowledgeable, and treated us great. We tasted through their sparkling flight and did a couple of their Native Yeast Chardonnays.

Of the six sparkling wines we tried, the 2010 Russian Cuvee and the 2011 Wedding Cuvee were my favorite. The Russian Cuvee is made of 69% Pinot Noir, 31% Chardonnay. It is the richest, most opulent of the Iron Horse bubblies with a lingering hint of sweetness balanced by solid acidity. The Russian Cuvee has an interesting story behind it. Iron Horse was comissioned by the White House to create a wine for the historic Reagan-Gorbachev summit meetings which ended the Cold War. This Cuvee is made in the same style of the one that was shared at the summit. This wine also received 90 points by the Wine Spectator. It retails for $42 and only 800 cases were made.

Iron Horse is also well known for its Wedding Cuvee which is made up of 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. It has a beautiful light pink color, fresh fruit aromas, and racy acid to back it up. This wine is very easy to enjoy which makes it versatile for many occasions. This wine retails for $44.

I enjoyed both the 2012 and 2013 Native Yeast Chardonnays but the 13 was my fav! On the ‘12 I got banana on the mid palate and the ’13 had aromas of pineapple and tasted like juicy fruit gum with some nice lingering acid. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking to taste some high quality wines in the Sonoma area.

The next winery we visited was Lynmar Estates. They produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We tasted two Chards and several Pinots. Of the Pinots we tried the Quail Hill was my first choice and the Monastery was my second pick. Although we did not have lunch here the tasting area has a great set up for lunch with picnic tables, umbrellas, and a gorgeous garden.

Winemaker Feature: Abe Schoener of Scholium Project

So I recently fell in love with Abe Schoener, winemaker and proprietor of Scholium Project...

I first discovered him while reading Jon Bonné's book, The New California Wine. His feature inspired me to research him some more and well one thing led to another and now he might just be one of the coolest winemakers on my list. His philosophy on winemaking is something I really connect with which is experimenting, creativity, and making wines that are interesting. The guy makes an orange colored Sauv Blanc and a cherry red Pinot Grigio! How awesome is that. He has never aimed to make wine for high scores or reviews but out of pure creative enjoyment and has gained a cult like following because of that.

Abe's background is very academic but his winemaking is nothing like that. He is a former Greek Philosophy professor and Assistant Dean at St. John’s College. He left his teaching career in pursuit of his love for wine and founded Scholium Project in 2000. Scholium Project is based in Napa, CA and produces about 2,000 cases annually. Abe was a one man show until very recently hiring two employees. He is extremely hands on and takes pride in teaching his interns as much as possible.

I was eager to try some of his wine so I made a trip to Domaine LA, a boutique wine shop in Los Angeles. I purchased the 2013 Naucratis Verdehlo (retails for $28). This wine was low in alcohol and showed nice minerality and fruit. I enjoyed this wine but what was even more pleasurable was knowing the story of the producer who made it. I am a huge fan of Abe's winemaking philosophy. He's like a mad scientist and true artist wrapped in one. I admire him greatly and aspire to have that same creative, fearless spirit as I pursue my own winemaking projects.

Here's what others are saying about Abe's wines...

"Like their maker, the wines are not shy. They’re more emotional than technical, more intellectual than hedonistic." -Wall Street Journal

"Schoener is selling the experience of extreme authenticity, of something pure and irreplicable. The arrangement is almost absurdly harmonious: the classics professor who has gone to the land (not just any land, but land that’s forgotten and seemingly irredeemable) and found virtue there, for himself and ultimately for his customers, who by buying his wines are buying into Schoener’s vision and thereby becoming something more than just elitist wine collectors." -The New York Times

To purchase his wines check out his site: http://www.scholiumwines.com/