Wines & Vines

8 WINES&VINES Collector's Edition THE U.S. WAS HEADED TO- WARD PROHIBITION 100 years ago and thank you Prohibition was lifted — that may be the big- gest game changer of all! But in my experience, the biggest chang- es that have occurred over the last 50 years relate to what varieties might be grown where. We've evolved quite a bit at Schramsberg over the last five decades with our sparkling wines, from pressing to filtration techniques, SO 2 manage- ment, dosage preparation and the like. But as we've tested vineyard sites closer to the bay and the ocean, I feel that we've really moved the needle. We're not the only ones, mind you. Our Char- donnay and Pinot Noir fruit from cooler coastal pockets (UCD Re- gion 1 zones) come with brighter natural acidity and fruit intensity. Meanwhile, on our home property (in Napa), we've come to realize that Cabernet and red Bordeaux varietals produce a fantastic result in the somewhat warmer inland hill country. So, perhaps it's the discovery of these new viticultural locations throughout the new world, and the match- ing of them with the best variety choice that is the most exciting change in the wine industry over the last 100 years. A member of Wine Communications Group Inc. ADVERTISING Vice President and Director of Sales Jacques Brix jbrix@winesandvines.com (707) 473-0244 West Lydia Hall lydia@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 103 Midwest Hooper Jones hooperhja@aol.com (847) 486-1021 East (except New York) Laura Lemos laura@boja.com (973) 822-9274 New York and International Dave Bayard dave@bayard.com (973) 822-9275 Advertising Production Manager April Kushner ads@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 114 DIGITAL EDITION All print subscribers now get digital access to Wines & Vines. You can: • DOWNLOAD pages or full issues • BROWSE current and archived issues • WATCH videos • ACCESS via desktop, tablet or smartphone • SEARCH by keyword or table of contents • NAVIGATE by topic or page thumbnail • QUESTIONS? Contact customer ser- vice at custserv@winesandvines.com or (866) 453-9701 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. PDT. 100 GAME CHANGERS W hat moved the North American wine industry forward during the last 100 years? Events as big as Prohibition and as seemingly small as a television news report on "60 Minutes." People as prominent as winery founder Robert Mondavi and as modest as cold-climate grape breeder Elmer Sw- enson. Innovations as complex as membrane filtration and as simple as a collection of plastic tubing called drip irrigation. As Wines & Vines enters its 100th year of publishing, we want to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by 100 Game Changers described in the following pages. They were critical in transforming the wine industry since 1919 from a depressed, practi- cally hopeless scattering of wineries and vineyards about to be outlawed by a U.S. consti- tutional amendment to a thriving, growing industry that now generates $47 billion in sales per year of U.S. wines and has a $9 billion economic impact in Canada. Our editorial team compiled the admittedly subjective list of Game Changers based on our own knowledge and judgments aided by several industry members. Our goal was to recognize people, events and innovations that significantly altered the course of wine production and grapegrowing. We hope you enjoy paging through the mini-articles that follow. They are not ranked in order of importance but are meant to provide a winding tour through the history of our industry. The articles were written by Andrew Adams, editor; Stacy Briscoe, staff writer; Linda Jones McKee, Wine East editor; Peter Mitham, Northwest correspondent; Laurie Daniel, contributing writer; and myself. — Jim Gordon QUESTION OF THE MONTH QUESTION FOR JANUARY : What has been the most impactful innovation in the wine industry within the last 100 years? STAINLESS STEEL GETS MY VOTE. No other material, idea or practice has had greater impact. It has literally revolutionized wine- making in the last century and in my view eclipses Louis Pasteur's dis- coveries of the previous era. Why? Today, there is hardly a commercial wine made that doesn't employ it at some moment in the winemak- ing process. Yes, cold, unfeeling, inert stainless steel. Readily cleaned and sanitized, durable, strong and malleable, it can be formed to serve almost any need one can imagine. Today it is used in virtually every type of winery equipment and even when it is not playing a lead role, it does all the heavy lifting in the supporting role. Concrete vessels, oak foudre and tanks, are all largely fitted and dressed out with stain- less steel fittings. According to the literature, it was the UC Depart- ment of Enology in the '50s that was the first to champion its use and the California wine industry embraced it. The world followed, and wine is far better for it. It makes it easier and safer to hold, move, cool and heat. Its application is seemingly limitless. Amen. AFTER REPEAL, as wineries re- covered from two World Wars, the Great Depression and Prohibition, research and innovation focused on learning and/or remembering how to make sound wines without major flaws. Then in the 1960s huge strides in wine quality began. It's hard to say one innovation is more important than the rest, but I vote for advances in canopy manage- ment because I can't make a wine any better than the grapes that come in through the door. Great grapes make great wine. Period. Before the mid-1970's, growers pruned in the winter and then sat back and waited to pick. Crops were bigger and harder to ripen. But important canopy research by Richard Smart in Australia and Mark Kleiwer at UC Davis connected the dots between the developing crop and the grapevine, discovering that the balance between crop load and vine growth were key and that regulating the way light and air interacts with the fruit has an enormous impact on flavors, color and balance in resulting wines. Their findings have changed grapegowing all over the world. Today my crew and I take at least nine passes through the vineyard each season, touching every vine. The result is fully ripe, delicious grapes, picked at lower sugars, to affect the power and elegance I'm looking for stylistically. Hugh Davies, Vintner Schramsberg Vineyards and Davies Vineyards Calistoga, Calif. Cathy Corison Owner/winemaker Corison Winery Saint Helena, Calif. Paul Hobbs Owner/winemaker Paul Hobbs Winery Sebastopol, Calif.

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