Did you know that Spain drink more gin per capital than even Britain?  No, it’s true!  Everywhere you look, there were gintonics.  Every restaurant and every bar, has a special touch, and there are gintonic bars popping up that specifically focus on these beverages.  In one bar, which we found ourselves taking over, had 2 pages of gintonics listed.

Spain, it appears is a gin nation.  Wine, although much loved and much consumed, is really secondary to the cocktail culture of the big cities.  Here, you will see craft gin of all sorts, sizes, and flavors.

One important factor in Spain is the use of craft tonics as mixers for this elixers.  Gin, distilled from the Juniper berry, has always been one of those beverages that I shied away from because it seemed like an old man’s drink.  It smelled odd, and it was oh so very British.  Tonic water, which has quinine dissolved in it, began an an anti malarial tincture.  Now, with the invention of synthetic quinine, and the lower amounts in the mixer, tonic is used for a distinctive bitter taste in mixed beverages.

Our second night in Villafranca (just outside of Barcelona, where our press trip started)  as we gathered in the bar, I saw pages of gintonics staring back at me from the menu.  The night before, having tasted someone else’s drink and stared wistfully a the tiers of gin on the wall in the small but elegant hotel bar, I knew I needed to explore this.  Next to them, there were several tonics.  These were not your generic Schweppes tonic mind you but they were special edition infusions:  pink peppercorn, orange blossom & lavender, ginger & cardamon.  What were these delicious fizzies behind the bar?

I promptly let myself get talked in to my first gin & tonic.  These botanical tonics intrigued me, and the art of making the beverage is as beautiful as the beverage itself.  Depending on the gin you order, you will get a different additon to your drink.  Most often, gintonic (in Spain, forget the “and”), you get will get lime wedges or slices.  However, if you order a Bombay Sapphire I found, you would get cucumbers.  These might be curled, or sliced, and each bartender had a specific art.

The botanical tonics added a complexity to the drink, which allowed the bartenders to be more creative.  One night, as I was now hooked on the gintonic idea, I had a Hendricks with pink peppercorn tonic.  With that, I had cucumber and dried juniper berries in my bowl of cold refreshment.

One other such craft tonic is Fever Tree, which fortunately is available here in the states.  Fever Tree is a delicious tonic, that sets Schweppes (the regular kind) on it’s head with it unique slightly citrus flavor or which counteracts the bitterness of the quinine.

After tasting a different gin every night, and in fact, more than one gin on some nights, I determined that my favorite is Hendricks.  I also enjoyed Bombay Sapphire, though not Bombay or Beefeater.  Here in San Francisco, our local brewery (which also houses a small distillery) makes two gins.  I suspect those will make an appearance in my bar shortly.   Much like scotch, there are hundreds of gins of all flavors.  Some are more intense, some are more mellow, but all are from the same mold.

I plan to continue experimenting!  A friend of mine makes tonic, and maybe I can talk her in to teaching me the secret to her art, and make some infusions of our own.  What flavors would you like to see in an infused tonic?

Happy drinking!

On our last day in Barcelona, we were fortunate enough to have a private tour of La Boqueria, the lively market on the town’s busy Las Ramblas boulevard, by Chef Isma Prados, one of Barcelona’s most noted celebuchefs.

Isma is something of a phenomenon in Catalonia, and is a mix of Jaime Oliver and Gordon Ramsey.  His focus is on the true expression of the food, and stresses that you should use only the best ingredients to create the best foods.  He also pays particular attention tot he relationship between food and wine, and as we were here to learn about Cava, on this day, we were cooking with and pairing food with the sparkling star.

After we tooted around thee busy market, we picked out fresh ingreidents for a wonderful show, a cooking class above the market a bit later on.  Yes kids, we were cooking for our lunch!

I will spare you the delicious details of the meal but we had:

• Spring Salad with winter strawberries.  These are meatier and firmer than the sweet summer berries and take the acid of a cava based dressing well.
• Halibut Cheeks with fresh peas, au jus
• Sofrito with pressed & stuffed black Guinea Hen
• fresh ice cream

There’s something of a revolution going on in the East Bay’s sleepy corners; a revolution of wine.  The urban winery is alive and well in Oakland, and Cerruti Cellars is brightening up a lonely Jack London Square.

Cerruti is part of the Tudal portfolio, which includes some well known Napa names as well as this fun loving Italian style house.  The family has been making wine and growing grapes for four generations, and while the Tudal Winery in St. Helena is going strong, in 2011 another branch of the family was born when Cerruti Cellars opened in a historic building at Jack London Square.

One of the most intriguing things about the winery itself is the historic property.  Build int he 20s as a cold storage facility, it has been many things for many years until the winery took over the space.  The family kept th historic touches, and walking in the tasting room is walking back in history.

While Tudal has unique signature wines that are appropriate for Napa, Cerutti focuses on fun, Italian style wines with a twist.  Tractor Shed Red for example, is named after an antique tractor that decorates the vineyard.  This blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Zinfandel is as unique and fun as that old tractor.

Beyond the tractor, I also enjoyed the 2010 Honker Blanc, named for the geese that migrate over the vineyard properties.  This Napa Sav Blanc is small production, with green apple, lime, and just a hint of hay.  This crisp white is fermented in 100% stainless, and is 45% Sauvignon Musket which gives a fuller body and complexity to the wine that could so easily be simple.

These are just two of the offerings at Cerutti, and are great for your summer BBQ or picnic needs.  They are priced ~$15 and are as much fun as the winery!

If you find yourself in Oakland, drop by.  I’ve heard tales that they have had the BBQ trucks in the back parking lot, and the wine flowing – you might get lucky!  you can’t beat the hospitality; John Tudal, 5th generation wine kid, was a gracious host and an avid entertainer.  The stories of growing up on a once rural Alameda island, and playing in the vineyards craft images of a time gone by and one that you are sure to think of sipping these wines!

I look forward to seeing them again and tasting the Tudal portfolio soon.

Go give him a wave in Oakland!

I can’t believe it!  It’s here!  Tomorrow afternoon, I kick off my 2012 Hospiece du Rhône experience with my good friends Amy & Joe Power of Another Wine Blog.

This year is a particularly special occassion, in that it is the 20th Anniversary of HdR, and Amy’s bday.  I won’t tell you which one, since I want to live through the weekend but it will be big.

This year, Hospice du Rhône, the world’s largest gathering of Rhône variety wines and producers, will celebrate 20 years of all things Rhône.  The events are sold out, which is hardly surprising given the amazing agenda we have lined up, and I’m so excited to be headed down to Paso Robles tomorrow to participate.

Fortunately for you latecomers, if you are in Paso Robles on Saturday, there will be 100 Golden Tickets sold at the door to the Grand Tasting.  It is a bit like Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, as yo8u enter the gates to the fairgrounds, and see the throngs of people lined up.

For our experience, we are starting with dinner at Artisan, a local restaurant known for it’s wine & food pairings with local ingredients.  Amy, Joe, myself, and our friends from Pithy LIttle Wine Co. will kick off the weekend wiht a dinner fit for Rhône-heads everywhere.

Thursday, I will be wandering around Paso with stops at Ranchero Cellars and whereever else the wind blows up.  Thursday evening, a special welcome reception to jump start the event.  A lucky few will be participating in a  Châteauneuf du Pape seminar and pairing dinner, who will have the privilege to taste Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines dating as far back as 1954.  Author of The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Book, Harry Karis along with Vigneron Philippe Cambie will lead the audience through an in-depth look at this historic region of France before delighting in dinner at Paso Robles’ premier French restaurant, Bistro Laurent. Chef Laurent Grangien has carefully prepared a five-course meal for this enchanting evening.

Friday will begin with wines from four rock star winemakers hailing from the Priorat region of Spain. Eric Solomon of Eric Solomon Selections will bring to the stage Jose Maria Vicente of Casa Castillo, Daniel Jimenez-Landi of Jimenez-Landi, Bixente Ocafrain of Bodegas Mas Alta and Daphne Glorian-Solomon of Clos I Terrasses. Next, attendees will dive into the stones Walla Walla, Washington with a focused seminar by the ever spirited and knowledgeable Christophe Baron of Cayuse.  Having just hopped a plane home from Barcelona last month, I am especially looking forward to the Priorat seminar.

After we are full of Priorat, we head over to the Rosé Lunch, celebrating pink wine.  There will be a huge variety of pinks to choose from, and with the delicious nibbles from the girl & the fig, I might need a nap after!  I seem to recall the Great Pot du Creme caper of a couple of years ago when attendees could not eat enough of the three selections and may or may not have accidentally taken a pot back to their hotel room.

After lunch, and said nap, the Rhône Rendezvous has gone BIG!  This walk-around tasting for will feature 100 producers who will share their Rhône wines from large-format bottles.  Wowza!  Friday night I have a feeling we might be seen at Villa Creek or the brewery for dinner, if we can roll out of the parking lot.

After a good night’s sleep (or lackthere of knowing how things roll at the Black Oak) day two of the 2012 Seminar Series will begin with a look at the historic Northern Rhône with the wines of Les Vins de Vienne. These wines are crafted by three long-time friends of Hospice du Rhône, Francois Villard, Yves Cullieron and Pierre Gaillard. Closing out day two of the Seminar Series will be Chester Osborn of d’Arenberg, South Australia who will guide the audience through 13 wines showcasing the terroir of multiple vineyard sites and plots.

Lunch on Saturday is always a raucous and good time.  The Lunch and Live Auction gives us a glimpse in to the world of the Rhône Collector, as those with deeper pockets vie for the best lots as we eat the delicious food from Far Western Tavern.  Proceeds from this auction

As we roll out of lunch, the Rhône quest continues at the Saturday Grand Tasting with over 135 winemakers pouring tastes from around the globe for over 1000 Rhône freaks. It has been said that to duplicate this tasting, one would need a passport, many weeks off work and thousands of airline miles to taste the variety of wines showcased at the Grand Tasting. While strolling the Tasting Pavilion guests will savor bites from specialty food purveyors who will be stationed throughout the hall.

Finally, on Saturday evening, we bid a bittersweet farewell to HdR with casino themed Farewell BBQ.  The beer will flow, the bottles will be emptied, and weekend is topped off by some pretty serious silliness.

To follow all of the phone, the Third Edition of the app was launched.  This app is available for your iPhone & iPad, as well as Android.  Forget the paper!  Go iRhône!  This all inclusive app allows you to find, track, tweet and takes notes on your favorite wines from the event.  Those with the app will never be at a loss for Rhône wine information when at the annual event or at home. This is the digital guide to all things Rhône.

A special thanks to HdR for this unique opportunity to participate again this year.  I can’t wait!  Stay tuned to @luscious_lushes for all event updates!

It’s Earth Day again, that one day when we’re supposed to stop to smell the roses, and celebrate Gaia.  I try to be kind to my planet every day, by taking care of her and recycling, reducing and reusing – since it’s clear to me that she is one pissed off mama.

Today, I’m sipping on some green wines, in partnership with Sip Certified.  Sip Certified has spent the last 15 years working with growers and wineries rethink their strategy about sustainability.  Pretty cool stuff!

To become Sip Certified, you msut address the entire farm ecosystem, from soil to vine, from bottle to cork. you can learn more HERE.
But today, I’m sipping on Riverbench Pinot Noir from Santa Maria Valley.

Riverbench Vineyard began in 1973, when it was planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Now, over 30 years later, they are a leading fruit source for the Santa maria Valley.  In 2004 the property was purchased, and the new owners embarked on their own wine adventure, reserving some of the fruit for their own estate wines.

The 2010 Estate Pinot  starts out with some bold red fruit on the nose, with ripe strawberries and raspberries on the palate.  Surprisingly, there is some great acidity in this wine; I am constantly looking for more acid in my pinots, and it’s nice to find a southern Central Coast example that has some bright cranberry and bright red fruit along with the rich ripe berry.  There is also a nice spice box hiding in there that gives the wine a kick on the finish.  I am enjoying the allspice and pepper kick.

One of the hallmarks of this wine is the silky mouth feel and smooth palate, due to the 96% neutral oak.  with only 4% new French Oak, the flavor of the fruit shine through wihtout being overpowered.

At a budget friendly !~$25, this is a Santa Maria wine I will keep my eye on!

Enjoy!

This wine was provided by Sip Certified, to celebrate Earth Day.

Wow!  My recent post on the need for CRM in the wine world has really sparked some inspired conversation.  This is an exciting time, as the more people are talking and thinking about CRM for the wine industry, the more educated they can become.

Today, Silicon Valley Bank presented their annual State of the Wine Business webinar, which reinforced the need for an integrated CRM solution at even the smallest wine business; the ability to capture, track, manipulate, and analyze data is capital if you are trying to grow a business in this ultra-competitive market.

And still, wrapping your heads around the concept of CRM as a communication methodology as well as a technology is a tricky proposition, and even as an experienced professional it is something that takes time and education to accomplish.  As the wine industry is notoriously slow to adopt new tools & technologies, they continue to struggle.  This however, appears to be the year of change.  As markets become younger, and boomers begin to age out of the fine wine market, the GenXers are a huge market force ready to take their place.  With the dot com mentality of the 34-49 year olds, we are better situated financially and more aware of the enabling technologies that can benefit the industry.

One of the most important topics of conversation has been why smaller wineries should adopt a CRM philosophy (and therefore a tool), and how it can benefit them.  In addition, the question of what tool to use is key.  To help wade through the milieu, here are some of my thoughts on that.

First, do you currently think in a CRM frame of mind?  Keeping in mind that CRM is a mindset as well as a tool, do you understand the full picture of your customer data?  Do you want to?  There are several CRM solutions you can choose from.  But before you even start thinking about what tool to use, you need to be prepared to shift your business practices and thinking in to a CRM frame of mind.

CRM need not be a 500 pound gorilla on your back, nor is it a four letter word.  The mere mention of the acronym can draw snark from even the most tech savvy people, and makes small to midsize wineries cringe with fear.  Remember that CRM is a business practice and philosophy first and foremost, and enabling technology second.  You may not be aware that your current solutions architecture (website, ecommerce, emarketing solution) may already have some inherent CRM functions within.  Investigate your existing systems to see what you can leverage.

The important thing is that you find a tool that allows you to view all aspects of your customer data in a single source and that you are not replicating databases across multiple systems.  The impact of having siloed databases can wreak havoc, result in multiple versions of the same customer, mass emailing snafus and general grumpiness from both the customer and your employees who are wrangling the data.

There are solutions for all budgets, from simple and low cost, to complex, customizable and more costly.  The question is, what do you want to do?  What is your business or marketing goal?  Can you get there with your current data and tools?  How much time and money are you willing to invest?  Do you have the visibility to the data you need at your fingertips?

Have questions?  Need help?  Drop me a line.

There is something unique to Catalonia, something

delicious.  It is the calçot and the tradition of a calçot

lunch to go with it!

A calçot (left) is member of the onion family, and resembles a cross between a green onion and a leek.  It’s a uniquely Catalan beast, and are
mild and sweet.

Every Spring, the Catalan celebrate with the tradition of the calçotada  – much like the American tradition of the summer BBQ, where c
alçots are grilled over an open flame (in our case over vine cuttings, yum!).  The

result is a charbroiled onion, but a sweet delicious delicacy underneath.

How does one eat a calçot?  Once they are grilled, you strip them of course!  After barbecuing,
It’s a delicate operation, as you grip the bottom of the calçot, and tug gently so the skin pulls off in one long piece.  Then, as Toni is demonstrating, you eat the calçotada in several bites – but in one fell swoop.  Delicious! a romesco sauce is served, and you strip off the charbroiled layer in a magical feat of action.

They can get a little messy however, so as
Toni shows us, it helps to have a bib.  Or a cape.  After a full plate of calçot, and several glasses of cava, Toni became…Super Calcot!  The Catalon superhero!

Calçots are particularly delicious with brut cava, as the crisp acidity matches perfectly with the sweet greens and the tangy romesco  sauce.

Now, go out and make some calçots today!  when you can’t find the real thing, baby leeks, baby green onions or red onions can be substituted.  Broil or grill them until tender.  Enjoy with a glass of cava!

It’s time to get super!  Super Tuscan that is.  Traditionally, wines from Tuscany are Chianti, made from the Sangiovese grape.  These days however, more and more “Super Tuscans” are turning up, making use of the newer plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals.  Adding a big, round red to a Sangiovese will give the resulting blend, making a plusher, bigger, more New World style, which is really a crowd pleaser for the average wine drinking.

In this case, the Super Tuscan that I tasted was the La Sala Campo All Albero, which was 85% Cab and 15% Sangio, provided by Wine Passionate, a great new website dedicated to value oriented Italian wines.

This wine was dry and earthy, with flavors of tobacco and dried plum.  It was chewy and meaty and was great with food.

I was also able to taste the 2010 Pandiani Aglianico from Sicily, a great wine for a crazy price ($12).  Aglianico is not a grape I come across frequently, and I was really pleased by this valiue wine.

Though to be brought over by the Greeks, Aglianico is a black skinned grape that produces a dark, intense wine.  Fermented in stainless steel tanks instead of barrels, this gives the wine a freshness and bright quality with a lot of great acid.  It’s an easy wine to like, and goes great with any pasta dish.

I loved sipping on this and it really opened up over the evening.  Lots of dark red berries, chocolate, Chinese Five Spice, and pepper in here, with a strong anise undercurrent.

I love discovering new wines, and now I can add this to my Century Club list, and go out and see other Aglianicos!  The moral of this story, is, be adventurous.  DOn’t be afraid to try something you have never heard of, especially at these prices.  You might be delightfully surprised!

Thank you Wine Passionate for providing these wines for me to taste!

I work in technology, but my heart is in wine. Every day I see things in the wine business that frustrate me; every day I see how archaic some things can be. The wine industry is notoriously behind the times when it comes to technology, and is even slower to adapt to new methodologies.

What are the reasons behind this? Part of it is certainly economic; however part of it is exposure.  As an IT specialist who spends 8-10 hours a day working in CRM and another 12 thinking about CRM and how to integrate with back office systems,  I spend my days working in CRM systems and designing solutions for a wide variety of companies. And yet, while there are a few key players that are opening their eyes to the value of CRM, the wine biz in general is lacking focus in this area.

On a daily basis, I see siloed, independent systems for finance, customer service, marketing, and order entry that make up a company’s operations.  Each of these systems is independent from each other, with unique data sets that may or may not replicate to the rest of the systems in use.  In the world of wine, for example, you might have your retail POS, a wine club management tool, and an ecommerce or marketing tool.  Switching between the systems is time consuming and clunky, as you have to periodically update tech data set and ensure that each system has an accurate record of your customer.

The need in the rest of the world for an integrated solution to provide the full picture is great. Companies not only need to see the full picture of the customer, but they need to see the full picture of operations.  The methodology behind a CRM culture (and we’re not just talking tools here, but rather a way of doing business), is that you get a full, complete picture of your customer at a glance.  CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is the art of knowing your customer, and knowing how you can better service them.

Yet today, CRM is still a great mystery to many wineries.  Most understand that it would be helpful, but don’t understand exactly why, or how.  If you reframe what CRM is, you will begin to understand how powerful it is.  More than just software, it’s a lifecycle approach to marketing.  A winery that understands this, knows that CRM can help you develop targeted marketing messages to specific customer groups.  A CRM ecosystem can help your customer service reps receive and resolve issues quickly and effectively, maintaining an audit trail.  A CRM order entry system can track your customer likes and dislikes as well as past orders.

What does this mean for DTC sales?  Everything.  Imagine the power of a tool, and a mentality, that allows you to report at your fingertips.  What did Jane buy last month?  Are you trying to move more bottles of the 2009 Merlot?   Target your offer to those that have shown a consistent order history of merlot.  Conversely, target your offer to those that have never seen Merlot.  With the effective use of CRM based marketing, these efforts become dynamic, and your ROI can be tracked automatically.  The use of a  good CRM database can allow you to market in ways you never thought possible.  In truth, if you build it, and market it, they will buy.

Further expanding on the idea of ROI, there has been a lot of debate recently about whether you can measure social ROI.  According to Vintank’s Paul Mabray, ROI can be measured easily if you view it at a wide angel.  No longer is social ROI a one to one measurement.  If you are tracking the long tail of a marketing effort, the use of an effective CRM mentality will allow you to capture traffic on your website, and new lead management in one fell swoop.  Twitter and Facebook landing pages become information gathering tools that feed in to your CRM database.  Some more robust tools allow you to manage these campaigns and analyze the results from within the CRM system.  How many Facebook likes did you get this week?  This month?  Are you prepared to offer your twitter followers a special deal based on how many times they mentioned you?

Additionally, for any business to consumer company, it is imperative that you have an effective customer service system.  Email is no longer the tool of choice for issue resolution.  Do you have an escalation and resolution policy in your customer service department?  CRM tools that are customized to your internal policies will allow you to track, escalate and assist with resolution in a timely, pleasant manner.  Many tools come with knowledge bases and FAQ structures that you can populate for self service.  As a consumer, if I can answer my own question with a few clicks and suggested solutions, that makes me a happier customer, and gives valuable time back to your team.

But, at the heart of CRM, lies the contact manager.  The base of operations, the contact manager is the centralized database of customer information that allows you to manage customer information across platforms.  No longer do you have to update the customer information in multiple systems.  This is a huge win for a customer, as I have had personal experiences where my information is different for each of the different people I talk to at the same company.  This should never happen in this age.  A good CRM system has a customer portal that allows for self service; enter this portal, and you enter the world of the customer.  Can I update my own email address or subscription information?  What about shipping data?

But, CRM is not a panacea for all that is wrong in the wine industry technology wise.  Each system is only as smart as those that design it.  You need to choose the tool that is appropriate for your business, but you also need to instill a culture of CRM within your employee ranks.  Getting your data correct and maintaining it are constant battles in my world; the good news is, with technology, you can automate some of this.  Can’t ship to Virginia?  It’s easy to create a rule that states pick up only or customer not allowed.  Dummy proofing your system will allow you to give more power and confidence to your employees.

CRM offers a universal view of the customer, in as much detail as you want to go in to.  Do you have information signups in your tasting room?  Where does that information reside?  Can you automate that process of data gathering with a laptop or ipad instead a paper sign in sheet?  Having this information populate directly to your CRM database makes it instantly available across the company and therefore available for marketing purposes.  If you were a customer previously, that information will be available; this allows you to redirect your marketing efforts effectively.

The most important thing is that you have management buy in, and a good business analyst to determine what your true needs are.  There is nothing worse than walking in to a system that has been designed without forethought or intelligence, and trying to use that system.  Can you leverage your current tools to make CRM your operating philosophy?

So, to recap, why should the wine industry adopt a customer relationship management philosophy?  We all know it’s a tight market out there.  How do you plan to sell more wine this year?  How do you plan to segment your customer base?  Too many times do I get emails from wineries that don’t know my needs or wants.  Why aren’t you paying attention to me as your customer?  You know I bought 5 cases of pinot last year, so what are you doing with that data/ world of the custom?

• Integrated database of customers and prospects
• Full service 360 degree view of your customer
• Develop more targeted marketing efforts
• Have the power of analytics at your fingertips
• Gain insider knowledge about your customers based on existing data patterns
• Integrated POS, eComm, Marketing, wine club management
• Customer service at your fingertips, including self service
• Measure ROI for marketing and social media marketing campaigns

What CRM tool you use can be as critical as if you use CRM at all.  There are dozens of choices out there, and reasons to choose many of them.  What is important to your business?  Do you need to know more about the existing customer database?  Do you need to integrate with your e-marketing tools already in place?  Do you want to analyze social ROI?  Ask yourself these questions and look to some solutions.

Many of the existing eCommerce and POS systems have some form of built in CRM functionality.  Will that suit your needs, or should you consider growing beyond those solutions?  What information do you need to gather to make informed marketing efforts?  Can you make those decisions now based on the information you have?

There are so many options when it comes to selecting the right tool; there are tools that integrate with Gmail.  There are cheap tools that stand alone.  There are full service tools that can be developed in to literally anything you desire, beyond CRM.  There are tools that integrate with POS and eComm solutions seamlessly.

The most important thing to remember is to view the future, and don’t box yourself in.  The biggest mistake that I see in my job is that a choice was made years ago without the foresight to the growth of the business.  Moving from an outdated system that is inflexible and locked down to a flexible, growth oriented system is a painful process that can cost thousands of dollars.  On the flip side, you can start with a cloud based CRM tool, using strictly basic functionality, and grow that in to a full service ERP, CRM, and marketing machine.

So, where do you want to go?

Have questions?  Want to know more about CRM for your business?  Drop me a line and let’s see how I can help rocket you to the next level.

Now that we have seen the grapes come in and the base wine made, it’s time to pull it all together.  It’s time for the assemblage!

Assemblage is the process of choosing which case wine will be blended to make each sparkling wine.  Each base wine can be classified in to different levels of wine, and the process involves several components, including multiple trials and blends.  But first, you need to taste the base wine from which the blended cava will be made.

Each primary still wine is made specifically for the purpose of creating cava.  Unlike the table wine, these wines are made with a lower sugar content and a higher overall acidity.

First up, the Macabeo cava base, showed lychee and a slightly tropical undertone, with bright acidity, green apple and grapefruit.  It’s easy to see how this can create an excellent cava.

Next, we compare the Macabeo cava base with the Macabeo wine base.  IN the wine base, you get a creamy undertone, it’s roudner and softer with more pear flavors followed by citrus.

Now on to the Xarel.lo cava base.  This uniquely Spanish wine has a very subtle nose and is bright, lean and tight.  A strong banana scent is followed by bitter lime.  This wine adds more weights and depth to the finished cava.

Finally we taste the Xarel.lo wine base.  This was a bit like unfiltered grapefruit juice, stll with that banana flavor and a heavier mouthfeel.  I would call this a pithy wine.

Now that we know who the players are, it’s time to play mad scientist with the assemblage!Now we get to the third traditionally cava base, Parellada.  The base wine had a slight spritz, and  was full bodied and had lemon custard flavors with heavy aromatics and floral notes.

Gabriel Suberviola, Master Winemaker at Segura Viudas, was on hand to help walk us through the process.  As we found out in the component tasting, each wine contributes its own unique notes, and bringing it all together takes patience and skill.  To maintain a consistent product, winemakers need to be able to replicate a flavor profile year after year, with minor changes to the blend.

Gabriel and his team taste up to 200 wines, and they are classified in to specific lines.  Each line will become a different wine.  For our small team of amateur wine blenders, we had to learn how to spot a premier cava in the making in the unusual base wines we tasted.  The winemaking team has years of practice and can tell in one sip, but we needed a bit more time.

We started our adventure with four bottles of base wine:

• Macabeo base wine
• Xarel.lo base wine
• Parellada base wine
• current candidate of test wine, for control purposes

The winner of this round was erstwhile wine director Mark, who proudly carried home an

Cin cin!