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COVER STORY Improving by Degrees By Paul Franson I f you���re already making good wine, how can you make it better? Winemakers have many ideas about how to create better wine��� both in the vineyard and in the cellar���but they don���t always agree about what is ���better.��� One measure of quality is being able to command a higher price. Another might be to get a higher rating from a top critic. Both of these indicators are regarded rather cynically by top winemakers, however. Dave Paige (page 45) of Adelsheim in Newberg, Ore., points out that it���s easier to improve a mediocre wine than make a great one better, and few winemakers believe that following some simple steps will make a dramatically better wine. As director of winemaking and viticulture at Long Shadows Vintners, Gilles Nicault runs a winery whose partners include some of the most famed wine consultants in the world. He says, ���I believe that each winemaker should have a go-to consultant to revaluate the techniques used, the new vintage coming up, the blending of the wines being made in order to always be on the cutting edge.��� Michael Richmond (page 46) of Bouchaine Vineyards has 42 harvests under his belt. He summarizes the quest for quality: ���Quality is an attitude and a perspective. There is no magic bullet or secret ingredient. There may be new tools available to help fix problems. There are also many winemakers who are regressing back to basics, eschewing new technology. It is up to us to stay current and critical. I hasten to add, not all innovations, new devices and techniques prove useful to us.��� All winemakers we spoke to agreed that what you do in the vineyard is vital. But it���s not the whole story. In the following mini-interviews, veteran winemakers will give specific tips for vineyard management as well as recommendations for the crush pad and cellar. Chris Dearden Napa, Calif. Position: Owner/winemaker/general manager/consultant Wineries: Dearden Wines, Costa Del Sol Consulting, Robert Biale Vineyards, Chanticleer Estate Wines, V Madrone Manages: 25,000 cases Education: Bachelor���s degree, University of California, Berkeley; bachelor���s degree in winery operations and management, University of California, Davis; MBA, Haas School of Business Career harvests: 27 Winemaking mentors: Larry Brooks, Acacia Vineyard; Greg Fowler, Schramsberg Vineyards; Andre Tchelistcheff, Beaulieu Vineyard C onsulting winemaker Chris Dearden, who also grows grapes, acknowledges the importance of high-quality fruit���but other factors such as yeast types, tank types and closure quality control are important, too. ���Ralph Kunkee proved that statistically there is little influence from yeast. That being said, yeast do perform at different rates and conversions, and I have my favorites for certain varieties.����� Dearden has used native yeast inoculums on his Chardonnays for a decade with excellent results but points out that they are really ���low-inoculum��� and not true ���native-only��� yeast. ���I wouldn���t use native yeast on a suspect vineyard, or one I did not know well or had doubts about the vineyard maintenance.��� He uses concrete tanks at the Napa Wine Co. in Oakville, Calif. ���Concrete provides points of nucleation for polysaccharide 44 W in e s & V i ne s JANUARY 20 13 formation, which adds mouthfeel���and to that extent it adds dimension.��I���ve used open-topped French oak tanks for the same reason, and they rob a little of the fruit but add a definite mouthfeel that you don���t get with stainless. I like using both stainless and wood for complexity.���