Category: Education

In France, the National Institute of Origin and Quality, a public organization supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture, is in charge of granting, regulating, and administering the appellation d’origine contrôllée (AOC) for French wine. There are 363 AOCs.

In Italy, the denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) system to regulate wine has its policies set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, while having a consortium of wine producers, Consorzio del Vino, enforcing and managing the system. There are 330 DOCs.

In Spain, a Consejo Regulador, a regulatory council for each wine region enforces regulations and quality control for the denominacion de origin (DO) system. These councils are overseen by the Instituto Nacional de Denominaciónes de Origen located in Madrid. There are 69 DOs.

In the United States, the American Viticultural Area (AVA) system, the U.S.’s answer to the French AOC system, is regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) a part of the Department of Treasury. As of October 2024, there are 276 AVAs in 34 states with 154 AVAs in California alone.

While the French AOC system was started in 1935 with Chateauneuf-du-Pape being designated an AOC in 1936, the U.S. didn’t start it’s AVA system until June 1980 when it designated the first AVA in Augusta, Missouri. Napa, the second U.S. AVA, received its designation in January 1981.

But why and how are AVAs designated and what do they mean to wine drinkers?

The United States Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Chapter 1, Subchapter A, Part 9.12 establishes the regulations that govern the creation of an AVA. Under these regulations, a petition must be submitted to the TTB that specifies the name, boundaries, distinguishing features and maps and boundary descriptions of the AVA.

The name of the AVA must be verifiable through common use for the area to be so designated.

In the boundaries section of the petition, detail of the “commonalities or similarities within that boundary” must be specified with an explanation of why the features within the boundary are different from adjacent areas.

The distinguishing features part of the petition must give “a description of the common or similar features of the proposed AVA affecting viticulture that is distinctive.” Once again, these features must illustrate how they are different from adjacent areas outside of the AVA. The distinguishing information to be provided includes: climate (temperature, rain, fog, wind, etc.); geology (landforms, earthquakes, floods, etc.); soils (parent material, texture, slope, drainage, fertility, etc.); physical features (flat, hills, lakes, rivers, etc.) and elevation (maximum minimum). And finally, the maps and boundaries description section requires a U.S. Geological Survey map for the AVA with the proposed boundary clearly marked.

The above is an abbreviated description of the AVA’s petition requirements. But it illustrates the effort and time that is needed to establish an AVA.

And what is the advantage of having an AVA? The U.S. wine industry and consumers benefit from appellation of origin labeling. Valuable information about the wine, consumer education, local brand knowledge, and regional economic growth can all be gathered from knowing the appellation of origin.

Under federal regulations a wine can be labeled with an AVA so long as at least 85% of the grapes used to make the wine come from that AVA. Additionally, the wine must be fermented, bottled, and aged within the state or one of the states where the AVA is located. This appellation of origin on a label is in addition to the other federal regulations for wine labels that require brand name, kind of wine, alcohol content, net contents, health warning, producer or bottler name and address, sulfite declaration and others.

The federal rules have established the basics for wine labels in general and for appellation labeling in specific. State rules are often stricter as is the case in California. To be labeled a California wine it must be made from 100% California grown grapes. To list a specific AVA the rule is the same as the federal rule, 85% of the grapes from that AVA, but to be labeled as a varietal wine in California it must be made from at least 75% of that varietal grape and to be vintage dated at least 95% of the grapes must come from that harvest year. Note too that California also requires the California Redemption Value (CRV) to be on the label.

But wait, there’s more. More advantages to having an AVA, that is. An AVA is a geographical area so when you buy a vineyard, you also acquire the intrinsic value of the AVA in which the vineyard is located. This intangible AVA can further be described as a right to use the AVA designation on the wine label. This right to use can influence how grapes and wines are priced, and how growers and wineries can structure their finances, profits and taxes. This value is referred to as an “intangible” which is similar to a brand name or a trademark. Think Nike, Disney, Starbucks or Napa Valley. AVA’s can also be thought of as a federal license, grant or permit. Think liquor license or patent.

Most of us know that land cannot be depreciated, however, if a person/entity buys a winery with a vineyard that exists in a designated AVA area, once that AVA is properly appraised that value can be allocated away from the land and amortized (intangibles are amortized and tangibles are depreciated) over 15 years thereby potentially reducing the person/entity’s tax liability each year for 15 years. The more valuable the AVA in which the vineyard is located, the greater the potential tax benefit. In 1993, the federal government created Internal Revenue Code section 197 which addresses intangible assets. In 2010 the IRS came out with a Chief

Counsel Memorandum stating that an AVA is an intangible IRC 197 asset subject to 15-year amortization. The challenge is, how much of the cost/purchase price can you allocate to the AVA (and not the land)? That is a question for appraisers, accountants, attorneys, and the IRS to argue. Yet if you are in the market for purchasing a vineyard or winery that is located in an AVA area, you will want to ensure that the AVA’s intangible value is appraised and documented as part of your purchase.

So, whether you get a bottle of wine that is labeled AOC, DOC, DO or preferably AVA no matter, just sit back and enjoy it!

CHEERS!

CL Keedy & Linda Flemins Wine Education Committee

You are watching Jeopardy and thinking about how easy it would be for you to win any wine category because not only do you love wine, but you drink a lot of it!  Well, have you ever thought about wine aroma and where it comes from? We are going to get you ready to win the wine aroma category:

A Short Background:

Aromas in wine come from the grape, winemaking and aging. There are three categories of aroma: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.

Primary aromas are derived from the grape and fermentation process and include fruit and floral aromas. Sometimes spices, herbs and other natural elements existing near the vineyard may have an impact on the aroma of the wine.

Secondary aromas are derived from winemaking techniques. Examples include malolactic conversion and lees stirring or aging. Also having an impact is maturation and the vessel used such as stainless steel, cement tank, neutral oak and new oak.

Tertiary aromas develop over time as the wine ages in the bottle. Tertiary aromas are indicative of more complex wines with notes of earthy, floral, and nutty notes. Examples of tertiary aromas include leather, dried fruits, petrol, honey and mushroom.

I recently attended an education seminar on Beaujolais Appellations d’Origine Controlee (AOC) and was immediately struck by their emphasis on SOIL. Their welcoming poster boards read: “To understand our terroir, we must go back 180 million years ago to the marine invasion of the Jurassic Period”; “It took 300 million years to form our terroir;” “The soil in our region originated 400 million years ago, with the eruption of underwater volcanoes.”

Then when the seminar began, they spoke of the two grapes, gamay noir à jus blanc and chardonnay, grown in the two regional appellations (Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages) and the 10 Beaujolais Crus and how over 300 different soils, the dominant rocks being the 180-million-year-old limestone, the 300-million-year-old pink granite and the 400-million-year-old blue stone have produced the amazing variations of Beaujolais wines.

The Gamay grape, a natural cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc (which interestingly are the same parents of Chardonnay), ripens early and makes a bright red and lively wine with aromas of raspberry, strawberry, blackberry and black cherry. But enough verbiage … how about a quiz?

There are sparkling wines and still wines. There are red, white and rose wines. There are wines made from North American native grapes, wines made from hybrid grapes and wines made from fruit other than grapes. And there are wines that are made in a style that addresses current-day trends and the subsequent market demand. What follows is by no means a comprehensive description of these wine styles. But if you are interested, you may want to try …

A NATURAL WINE.  A wine that is hard to define. In a wide sense it is wine that is made with low levels of intervention in both the vineyard and cellar.  The wine ferments naturally using native yeast with a minimal amount of sulfites for preservation (other than the natural sulfites that are in all wine). The winemaker avoids the use of pesticides and herbicides in the vineyard and chemical alteration in the cellar. The low-intervention winemaking method can also mean the skipping of fining and filtration, resulting in a hazy wine. And because there is no verification method for “low level intervention,” an exact definition of natural wine also is hazy. Inevitably the lack of a concrete definition of natural wine can account for the large number of natural wines on the market.

An ORGANIC WINE.  A wine that is made from grapes grown in certified organic vineyards and made in certified organic wineries. Organic wines may not be natural wines even though all natural wines are organic. Strict organic wine regulations govern from grape to bottle. The vineyards do not use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. The wine must be made with limited or minimal sulfites and is not supplemented with added sugar but fining the wine may be allowed. The regulations require that all ingredients used in the winemaking be certified organic. Organic certifiers are accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and organic certification requires an annual renewal.

A BIODYNAMIC WINE. A wine using biodynamic farming practices that are universally applied around the globe. In the 1920s, Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner developed an all-inclusive farming method based on the connection between humans, animals, plants and the environment. However, all biodynamic wine is neither organic nor natural even though the winemaker uses natural or organically developed products in the winemaking. The winemaker does focus his vineyard management on creating a balance between nature’s processes and the vineyard’s grapes. Winemakers practicing biodynamics often take celestial elements into consideration when harvesting and subsequent winemaking. It is felt that biodynamic farming provides an expression of terroir that is not found elsewhere. Demeter, a global federation of farmers, winemakers, gardeners, researchers and more, provides the certification for biodynamic wines and a Demeter logo can be found on the bottle.

A VEGAN WINE. A wine like all wine, made from yeast fermenting grape juice. Therefore, all wines could be assumed to be vegan wines. However, that is not the case. A vegan winemaker has not used animal products for fining, filtering or stabilizing their wine. A non-vegan winery could use animal products such as egg whites, a milk protein (casein) or isinglass, a fish collagen, to remove the smallest sediment particles that have not been removed by filtration. Vegan winemakers, by not using animal products for fining can let the sediment particles fall naturally to the bottom of a tank or barrel, or they can use a form of clay called bentonite or pea protein to produce a clear wine. As an additional caution, animal products can also be used in the manufacture of agglomerated corks (milk-based glues) or the sealing of bottles with beeswax. Since there are no requirements to list fining agents on labels, finding vegan wine requires asking your retailer or the winemaker.

A NO/LO WINE.  A wine that has no or low alcohol. It is also called alcohol-free wine, non-alcoholic wine and dealcoholized wine, while partially dealcoholized wine is called low-alcohol wine. What a no/lo wine is, is not only as different as its several names, but also as different as the many countries’ respective regulations and cultural norms where the wine is either made or consumed. Alcohol-free wine and non-alcoholic wine (terms often interchangeable) in many European countries and the U.S. is not necessarily alcohol free, it just has to have less than 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). However, in Great Britain the requirement is for no more than 0.05% ABV. In Canada the limit is 1.1% ABV; in Japan it is up to 1% ABV, while in Islamic counties non-alcoholic wine and alcohol-free wine must be 0.0% ABV.  The partially dealcoholized, low-alcohol wine in the E.U. can have an ABV that ranges from 5-6%, while a January 2025 Italian regulation set the limits at greater that 0.5% but less than 8.5-9%. Labeling should be the key to determining your desired selection.

These are all interesting wines to drink and learn about. So, no matter what kind of wine it is, how or why it is was made, just find a bottle, open it and enjoy. Cheers!

—CL Keedy, Wine Education Committee, clkeedy@OCWS.org

The Must is Orange!

The white grape juice or must, just pressed, with skins, stems and seeds included is “orange?’ What’s that all about? Someone is making orange wine? What is orange wine? Let’s find out.

“Sharing a glass of wine with others is like sharing a piece of your life with others.”

-Quote from film Rioja: The Land of a Thousand Wines-

Have you ever been to Rioja, Spain with the goal of tasting delicious wines? Whether you have or have not, you would definitely enjoy “Rioja: The Land of a Thousand Wines.”

Recently, several OCWS members purchased tickets and viewed the film at the Newport Beach 25^th Film Festival. This documentary, through captivating cinematography and photography, kept our attention by exploring not only the vibrant evolution of Rioja’s wine industry but its rich traditions, revered history and generational culture differences expressed with great passion. We hope we can share this film at our very own OCWS event. In the meantime, we will share some interesting information about Rioja.  

Wine is a bond – enjoy an encounter.

-“Rioja: The Land of a Thousand Wines”

Rioja is located in northeast Spain. The Ebro River and surrounding mountains define the region of Rioja. The film refers to Rioja as a sleeping lion, a mountain silhouette that looks like the majestic beast a slumber.

Rioja has three main zones: Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Oriental. The region has three primary soil types: clay mixed with limestone and sandstone, iron rich clay, and loamy soil with alluvial silt from the Ebro River. The altitudes range from 984 feet to nearly 3,000 feet above sea level.

In 1925 Rioja became one of just two Qualified Denomination of Origin (DOCa) regions in Spain, making it one of the most recognized premium wine producing areas. The region is highly regulated by a classification system. For example, regulations require aging in oak and bottle for certain periods of time before release and what information may or must be stated on the label. It is a well-known fact that many traditional wineries choose to exceed minimum aging regulations.

Rioja’s wine production is 90% red wines with styles ranging from young and fresh to complex and aged. Age designations from young to aged are Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. If the wine bottle does not state an age designation, then look at the black label or neck label which will carry a regulation council stamp with its designation. American Oak Barrels are still favored, but French Oak is used as well.

“The value of wine in an old vineyard is the value of time.”

-Quote from film Rioja: The Land of a Thousand Wines-

Rioja’s primary red grape varietals consist of Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo (Carinena) and Graciano. Viura (also known as Macabeo) is the primary white grape of the Rioja region. Rioja wines are typically blended to provide balance and structure. However, singular vineyard model classifications are excelling. Specific vineyards in Rioja are referred to as parcels, villages and regions. The same “parcel” each year is being harvested, compared, contrasted and placed on the label.

During France’s Phylloxera period, around 1983, Rioja took advantage of the opportunity for becoming a main source of wine in Europe. The good news, during this period, was the French started buying and planting vineyards in Rioja and through France’s profound influence, the sharing of valuable winemaking techniques took place.

Yet, at France’s expense, Rioja made a lot of money from the sales of wine. Yet eventually Phylloxera impacted Rioja vineyards and American root stock had to be purchased and used for grafting.

Even though Rioja is one of Spain’s most advanced wine regions using modern fermentation techniques, it is proud to still maintain a strong respect for history and reverence for tradition. It regularly practices the theme of “Respect the wisdom of old ways – and the flavors that result from them” and “Take your legacy from the past and combine it with a never stop learning attitude.”

FACT:

Traditional family-owned wineries in Rioja:  Marqu’es de Murrieta and Lopez de Heredia. Wines usually reflect notes of “echos of earth,” old saddle leather, dried leaves.

Modernists Wineries in Rioja:  Marques de Caceres, Martinez Bujanda, Palacio y Hermanos. Wines usually reflect vivid upfront fruit character, jamminess, and a small portion of oak.

FUN FACT: 

Have you ever seen Rioja wine wrapped in a thin wire red net or mesh? This practice dates to the 19^th century when wineries sought to protect their wines by preventing unscrupulous people from refilling premium Rioja wine bottles with inferior wine. Today this practice is solely decorative.

Whether you have or have not been to Rioja Spain with the goal of tasting delicious wines, we encourage you to find a bottle of Rioja wine, open it and enjoy!

—Linda Flemins, Wine Education Committee, linda@ocws.org

Hopefully, for most of us the 2024 Orange County Fair (OC Fair) is now another fun memory in our minds – or is it a “bubbly” memory? A “bubbly” memory of explosions of OC Fair food tastes; wine pouring energetic co-workers; and fun, fair fantasies, I mean memories! The 2024 OC Fair is over – time to celebrate! Below are some fun filled facts about the celebratory drink of Sparkling/Champagne: 

1. What was the first commercially produced American sparkling wine made from 100 percent chardonnay grapes?

A. Korbel

B. Gloria Ferrer

C. Schramsberg

D. Scharffenberger

Answer:

C. Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs from Schramsberg Winery in Calistoga, California was first made in 1965 and the first commercially produced American sparkling wine made from 100 percent chardonnay grapes.

2. Because they tend to have a bit more body, which wine style generally goes well with main courses:

A. Roses

B. Bruts

C. Blanc de Blancs

Answer:  A. Roses

3.  True or False: There is no such thing as vintage champagne.

Answer:

False. Vintage Champagne is made from grapes from a single year harvest. Non-vintage Champagne is a blend of grapes from harvests from different years. 

4.  Approximately how many bubbles does a normal glass of Champagne have?

1. 3 million
2. 900,000
3. 2 million
4. 1 million

Answer:

D. Approximately 1 million. The one million figure comes from Gérard Liger-Belair, PhD, in the department of physics at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, in France – he used special high-speed cameras!

5.  The wire cage that holds a sparkling wine cork into the neck of the bottle is called a:

A. Birdcage

B. Stall

C. Helmet

D. Muzzle

Answer: D. Known in French as a muselet or muzzle, the wire cage that holds a Champagne or sparkling wine cork in place is very important in opening a bottle of bubbly safely. The muzzle should not be removed before the cork is eased out. Rather, the muzzle should be loosened (about six turns will loosen it), and then the wire removed with the cork at the same time.

6.  Which of the below sparkling wines is usually NOT made in the traditional method of second fermentation in the bottle?

A. Spanish Cava

B. Italian Lambrusco

C. South African Cap Classique

D. French Crémant

Answer: 

B. Lambrusco is usually what the Italians call frizzante (fizzy), not quite sparkling enough to be considered spumante (sparkling). Most is made by the Charmat method also known as the “Tank Method,” in large pressurized tanks. That said, just a few top Lambruscos are made by the Traditional method.

7. Which sparkling wine is not made in the Traditional Method or Method Champenoise?

A. Crémant d’Alsace

B. Prosecco

C. Cava

D. Franciacorta

Answer: B.

Prosecco is made by the Martinotti, Charmat, or tank method. In this method, the second fermentation (which creates the bubbles) takes place in a large tank. By contrast, in the traditional (Champagne) method, the second fermentation takes place inside each individual bottle. This is one of the reasons Prosecco is relatively inexpensive, while Champagne is relatively expensive.

8.  Most of us know that the bubbles in a sparkling wine or champagne come from a second fermentation process. There are different methods to achieve this second fermentation process. In the Traditional/Classico/Method Champenoise methods a “Liqueur de Tirage” or dosage is inserted inside the bottle. This “Liqueur de Tirage” can be comprised of:

A.  A wine-base and sugar (cane) liquid

B.  A wine-base, sugar (cane), yeasts (indigenous or selected), and the addition of minerals.

C.  A wine-base, sugar (cane), yeasts (indigenous or selected),

D.  All of the above

Answer:  D

9. What are the three main grapes that French Champagne regulations require to be used in making Champagne?

1. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc
2. Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir
3. Chardonnay, Marsanne, Pinot Noir
4. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier

Answer: 

D. Chardonnay (white), Pinot Noir (red), Pinot Meunier (red)

10. French Champagne regulations require at least 15 months of aging for Non-Vintage Champagnes including 12 months of lees aging before release, but Italian regulations require how many months of lees aging for their Franciacorta?

1. 18
2. 22
3. 15

Answer:

A. Franciacorta must be aged 18 months, 24 months for Rose, 30 months for Millesimato (vintage) and 60 months for Riserva.

11. What region is the largest sparkling wine region in France?

A. The Loire Valley

B. The Rhône Valley

C. Champagne

D.  Provence

Answer:

C. Champagne

12. What region is the second largest sparkling wine region in France?

A. The Loire Valley

B. The Rhône Valley

C. Provence

D. Alsace

Answer: 

A. The Loire Valley. More sparkling wine is made in the Loire than in any other French region except Champagne.

13. This rustic method of making sparkling wine predates the Traditional Method and allows the wine to naturally re-ferment in the bottle causing wine to be carbonated but in more of a frizzante (fizzy) style. The wine is bottled before primary fermentation is finished, without the addition of secondary yeasts or sugars resulting in a cloudy, rustic bubbly that can sometimes smell pretty funky. This method is called:

1. Pet-Nat
2. Ancestral
3. Petillant Naturel
4. All of the above

Answer:

D. Pét-Nat is a contraction of the French term pétillant-naturel (natural sparkling). Pét-Nat sparklers can be white, rosé, or red and are usually stoppered with a crown cap (just like beer). Because of the way they are made, the sparklers have highly unpredictable flavors.

Next time you drink a glass of sparkling, think of it as what it really is, an explosion of bubbles – celebration bubbles! Cheers!

—Linda Flemins and CL Keedy, Wine Education Committee

“The Fault, Dear Brutus, is not in our stars…”

Although William Shakespeare is not known as an oenophile, he was more prophetic than he imagined in his somewhat famous line from Julius Caesar. Yes, the fault is not in our stars.

The fault can be in our wine as many learned last month during the excellent Fault Workshop put on by OCWS members Don and Mary Ann Mayer. However, the fault can also be in our terroir.

Two articles, one by Natasha Geiling in Smithsonian Magazine (August 2014) titled “Why Earthquakes Make Napa Wine Taste So Good,” and the other by Elin McCoy in Decanter China magazine (July 2017) titled “Seismic shifts: Wines on fault lines,” delve into the effects of our shifting California soils on the vineyards we visit and the wines we drink.

But shifting soils and quaking barrel rooms are not unique to our home state, and neither is planting vineyards and building wineries on fault lines. You can find this in Oregon, and farther afield the same is true in Eastern France, New Zealand, Australia and Italy.

Is there a perceived benefit that overrides the associated risks? Yes, it’s the soil’s diversity—soil composed of limestone, sedimentary rocks, volcanic rocks and pieces of ancient sea floor millions of years old that has resulted from the formation of fault zones and the faults’ subsequent activity.

This mixture of soils is believed to add to a wine’s aroma and taste complexity.  No scientific data corroborates this belief but some winemakers contend that some of the world’s best vineyards are planted near fault zones.

1. Which California wine region, shaped by two monumental geological events, 40 million and 30 million years ago, has soil diversity of over 100 variations (equal to one half of the world’s soil orders)? These soil variations enable the growth of a wide diversity of grape varietals.
   1. Napa
   2. Mendocino
   3. Sonoma
2. How many distinct American Viticultural Areas (AVA) each unique due to its soil and climate does Napa Valley have?
   1. 12
   2. 14
   3. 16
3. In which Rhone Valley region did the Nimes fault push up limestone slabs, which are rare in the Rhone Valley, to high elevations making terraces where the best Grenache wines come from?
   1. Rasteau
   2. Vacqueyras
   3. Gigondas
4. In which Southern Oregon AVA is the Abacela Winery’s The Fault Line Vineyard (named for the fault that runs through it)? This vineyard has rocks that are 20 million years old on one side of the fault and rocks that are over 200 million years old on the other side.
   1. Rogue Valley
   2. Umpqua Valley
   3. Applegate Valley
5. What eastern French wine region lays between two major parallel faults and is crisscrossed by many smaller faults providing a broad soil diversity in a compact area, which may be the reason for the region’s 51 Grand Crus including the well-know Rangen de Thann Grand Cru Vineyard?
   1. Alsace
   2. Jura
   3. Savoie

So don’t get the shakes peering at fault lines, it’s not a tragedy. And remember, it’s no fault of your own if you just find a wine you like and enjoy it. Cheers!

— CL Keedy, Wine Education Committee

Scroll down for answers:

Answers

1. a
2. c
3. c
4. b
5. a