Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/101495
COVER STORY Eleven seasoned winemakers recommend ways to ratchet up quality in the coming year Dave Paige Newberg, Ore. Position: Winemaker Winery: Adelsheim Vineyard Manages: 45,000 cases Education: Bachelor���s degree in fermentation science, University of California, Davis Career harvests: 27 Winemaking mentors: Colleagues at Steamboat Pinot Noir Conference D ave Paige says, ���It wouldn���t seem fair to credit any one person as a mentor. The strongest influence on my development as a winemaker has been the Steamboat Pinot Noir Conference, which I have attended several times starting in 1994. The event consists of three days of rigorous blind tasting of samples brought by the participants, with each wine getting a thorough discussion from the 50 or 60 winemakers in the room. Problems are shared, as are possible ways to fix or avoid problems, success stories, examples of new clones or production methods, etc. In the evenings finished wines are shared, with more stories about their origins. It is a great learning experience and a very important part of the development of Pinot Noir in the new world.��� Paige is one of many winemakers who doubt that a few simple steps will make a dramatically better wine, but he takes them anyway. One step he finds necessary is to limit yield more in Oregon than he did when working in California, due to the unique conditions. He says that the most important consideration may be to make wine lot by lot. ���If you already think you know how you���ll make wine this year, you���re already screwing up. You need to evaluate every lot separately and decide how to treat it.��� Paige made 160 lots in 2011. Ashley Hepworth St. Helena, Calif. Position: Winemaker Winery: Joseph Phelps Vineyards Manages: 50,000 cases Career harvests: 14 Winemaking mentors: Chateau Angelus in Bordeaux, and the vineyard, cellar and winemaking team at Joseph Phelps P recision watering makes a difference in the approach of winemaker Ashley Hepworth from Joseph Phelps Vineyards. ���We irrigate carefully based on block his- tory, soil type, variety, stem water potential and how the vine looks. There is never a one-size-fits-all watering technique. ���With the diversity of the Napa Valley and our eight estate vineyards located from St. Helena to Carneros, we have many soil types, microclimates and varieties. What worked in the vineyard and/ or the winery last year might not work this year. We are always innovative and pushing the envelope to make the very best with what Mother Nature deals us. That is a philosophy that Joe Phelps has instilled in us all. My interpretation of it is: Never think that what you���re doing is good enough, because there is always room to improve.��� Win es & Vin es JA N UA RY 20 13 45