Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/235941
WINEMAKING he screens for it through lab analysis. One thing all these winemakers have in common is that ultimately they have to make the final call. "There is such a thing as too many opinions," Booth says. "Consensus winemaking never makes good wine," says Chattan—though if she is the only outlier in a group tasting, she will at least do a retest later. After the last spit bucket is dumped, winemakers get paid for the decisions their buds and bulbs tell them to make. mary hinckley own strengths and weaknesses falls on each winemaker. And as a result, everyone I talked with has some system or other, formal or informal, for soliciting other people's opinions about the wines they oversee. Most insist on blind tastings. Peterson-Nedry only feels comfortable having at least three other palates sit in on important tastings. Cathy Corison says that her staff is so small that there aren't always lots of tasters around, but she draws folks in as she can, and never makes a decision based on one sitting. Several winemakers acknowledged specific limitations of their own palates, shortcomings for which they took steps to compensate. Cappelli, a master at sweet winemaking, admits to having a low tolerance for high alcohol and tannin, especially oak tannin. Corison says she makes sure to have others taste for green flavors. Peterson-Nedry admits to being less than sensitive to Brett, and feels fortunate that his low-pH Oregon wines don't have much of it; nonetheless, he has designated people sniff for the stuff. On the other hand, Nedry says he has can smell the beginnings of oxidation a mile away. ParkerGarcia says tasting beer has helped immeasurably with his ability to spot Brett and volatile acidity. Steinschriber says that by the time he or anyone else can smell Bret, it's too late, so Factoring in consumer taste Every commercial winery has to sell its wine, lest it cease to be commercial. No one can simply ignore the market out there—at least not for long—and so any winemaker making decisions based on his or her palate had better have a bunch of like-palated customers waiting to get their hands on the product. No one has to be for everyone, but it does have to be for someone other than the winemaker. How strongly and in what form consumer tastes are taken into account varies, largely based on the size of the winery and the volume of wine it needs to move. In my sample, Chattan at Geyser Peak had the largest production—200,000 cases—and the clearest understanding of the need to make the wines "It took me a while to decide picking decisions had to be on sensory, not lab tools, by walking the vineyard." —Harry Peterson-Nedry that are widely accepted and consistent from year to year. "I might personally like our Sauvignon Blanc to be really punchy, New Zealand-style, but our customers want a California style. We get feedback from lots of places, and for our The original, BOTTLE-MATIC-II 3 YEAR WARRANTY INCLUDED Front and Back! MADE IN USA! 21 day trial $1800 for Wines & Vines Readers! Front & Back! Label any cylindrical container fast and accurately from ½" to 8" diameter, @ Speeds of 1200 Pcs. per hour. NOT A CHEAP, IMPORTED KNOCK-OFF! ISPENSA-MATIC DLabel Dispensers See us at Unified booth #1805 STOP Wasting Time Labeling by Hand! Price subject to change without notice. 28220 Playmor Beach Rd, Rocky Mount, MO 65072 Call Toll Free: 1 (800) 325-7303 or (573) 392-7684 FAX:(573) 392-1757; E-mail: info@dispensamatic.com Web: http://www.bottle-labeler.com 2/01/10 Win es & Vin es Ja n ua ry 20 14 39