MCV FARM NEWS - 9.11.09 - 2013: A Wine Odyssey

Morning Ya'll,

 

      It certainly is a windy and dreary morning on the North Fork.  Things are moving along nicely in the vineyard as the vines are all netted and the guys have been spending the past week cutting what I like to call "Greenies".  These are the clusters that are the late bloomers.  Okay, what do I mean?  Well, when the red wine grapes turn from green to red this is called veraison.  However, this process in not like a light switch being turned on.  Some clusters start veraison earlier than others, why?  This is a question that is still not fully clear to professionals in the wine industry.  The fact of the matter is that when we get to around 75-80% Veraison you can clearly see the clusters that are ahead and those that are behind.  The guys will go through the vineyard and cut the "late bloomers/greenies" from the vine.  In a week or so we would not be able to discern which was ahead or which was behind.  This small amount of effort can make huge differences in the quality of our wines.  Typically this decision is an easy one to make, but in a year like this in which yields are already so low it means that we are purposely reducing the crop again.  This is a quality minded decision, rather than a quantity minded decision.  Not all vineyards/wineries make this effort, but in the long run it is the best for wine .

      Marth Clara Wines will be on the move and headed South for the Winter.  We have been recently working with a new distributor in Florida called Tag Wine Group.  Should any "snow birds" come into the tasting room please let them know that we can get wines to Florida!  This is pretty exciting as Florida has such a large concentration of people from New York.  I like to call Florida... South New York.   Please send people to tagwinegroup.com. 

      Some of the 2007 Reds are starting to hit the shelves.  The three that are out are the Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Syrah.  I am very excited about these three and we will continue to see more of the 2007's released down the line.  These wines will be sure to turn heads in the wine industry both for wine quality and the fun new packaging that we have selected.  These wines will also have incredible longevity, and will certainly benefit from years of aging.  One of the wines that I am most excited about is the 2007 Malbec. It is stunning and it is for wine club members only!  We will NOT be making this in 2008 and 2009.  The next chance we have at this is 2010.  The next time this wine could be available for sale is 2013.  That is a long time, so this wine is truly special and limited.  In any event that is the news for now, stay dry!

 

                 Cheers,

 

                        - Juan.   

MCV FARM NEWS - 8.21.09 - It's All About the Seed...

Morning Ya'll,

 

        Well, things are moving right along in the vineyard.  The crew is busy applying nets to the vines and tying them at the bottom all in an effort to thwart off our avian (a.k.a. - birds) friends.  The vineyard looks awesome and the berries have begun the all important process of veraison(pronounced veh-ray-sohn).  Veraison is the point in time in which grapes change color.  All grapes start off as green and ultimately will change in color depending on the variety.  Most of the whites turn a golden color, with the exception of Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris.  Gewurz turns a subtle purple-ish color and the Pinot Gris turns a light grey.  Gris = Grey.  Okay, how many of you just had that, "Ah, I get it" moment? 

        The vine has its own agenda, which is quite different than ours.  The vines agenda is to see that it can pass on its genes via seeds.  When the berries first form in the early spring they lack seeds.  These seedless grapes to the eye are as green as the canopy (fancy way of saying the leaves) and are loaded with acidity (think lemons).  Once seed development occurs the grapes will now start to change color as to differentiate from the canopy.  This signals other species of animals to take notice of the berries because they are no longer camouflaged.

       In addition to changing color the tart acidity begins to decrease and in its place sugar is now found.  As the berries continues to mature the acidity continues to drop and sugar increases.  It's an inverse relationship for those of us that remember all of that junk!  This is a process that completely fascinates me. 

       In any event we have had some big news as it relates to two of our wines.  Our 2005 Five-O Red received DOUBLE GOLD in the Best-of-Appellation Program through Appellation America.  This wine is defined as one that demonstrates the potential of the North Fork.  So, it is a big honor to have this.  Additionally, we received BEST SAUVIGNON BLANC in New York State at the 2009 Wine and Food Classic for our 2008 SO VIN YON BLONK.  I just loved reading that spelled out in the email I received informing me of this accolade.  So, we have two more great selling points to offer our customers in addition to the many others! 

     The wine club is being prepared for shipment and in the fall wine club the all new 2008 Syrah Rose' will be included (96% Syrah, 4% Viognier).  This is a wine club exclusive and just this past week we bottled the 2007 Malbec another wine club exclusive that will be available in the Winter wine club shipment.  The Malbec promises to be a gem!   Talk with ya'll soon!

 

        Cheers,

 

              Juan. 

MCV FARM NEWS - 8.1.09 - Spoiler Alert...

Hey ya'll,

       Well, I apologize for my recent weeks of silence.  In any event lots of things have transpired since my last email.  The vineyard is in full swing.  Jim and the guys have been doing a great job of managing the canopy.  One thing is "for true"... the yields will be quite small this year.  One of the benefits of having a large vineyard is that we have lots of vines which yield fruit.  On a typical year we sell fruit to other local growers.  On a year such as this we either don't sell or reduce the quantity that we do sell.
      This year we will only be selling a small amount of fruit, so we will be able to meet our needs in the winery.  Quality is a question and concern of many people I speak with this year.  To be quite frank mother nature has been....hmm...how can I say this...a bit challenging is a nice way to describe her behavior.  However, as of late we have been quite sunny and warm.  Sure, we have been getting rain, but this has been occurring at night maximizing sun during the day.  
     Because the yields are so small the vine will have less fruit to ripen.  So, even though it has been a cooler year historically speaking the yields in the vineyard are quite low.  I am hopeful that this will balance out in the long run.  We have a lot of hang time left and I am hopeful that we will see this year turn around. 
     The winery has been busy churning out bottles of the 2007 reds.  These babies are going to be nice.  Spoiler alert...these wines are AwEsOmE!  The combination of sexxy new packaging and great wine will be sure to have people talking about Martha Clara.  I am quite excited to have these wines hit the market.  These will be the first red wines that I have created fully as a head winemaker!  These are the nicest wines that I have been involved with in all of my years in the industry.  I know there has been much abuzz about the 2007 and 2008 whites, well the 2007 reds will follow that trend when they are released!  I cannot wait!
     That's the news for now... Talk with ya'll later!

      Cheers,

         - Juan. 

Turn on the Switch!!!

Morning Ya'll,

        Well, I would like talk about the weather but quite frankly there really is nothing I can do about it!  In the industry vineyard manager's often talk about Long Island and its seasonal transitions as being quite abrutpt.  It is often typical for one to describe the change from Winter to Summer as if someone has turned on a light switch.  Well, if anybody out there knows somebody...that knows somebody...please have that person in charge of the switch, turn the damn thing on!  I wonder if there is anybody out there that truly enjoys this weather?  
        The primary question I get now is how will this affect the grapes?  Well, the truth is we really don't know?  I am optimistic that it will be minimal because we are taking many necessary precautions to combat the excessive moisture.  Canopy management is always crucial in any year, but it is especially crucial on years such as this.  We have been removing shoots to minimize crowding and also removing sterile shoots.  (Sterile shoots are those that do not bear clusters.)  Leaf removal from the fruit zone is going to be a crucial part of good canopy management.  So, this vintage is not over yet and I am still very hopeful that things will turn around!
       Finally, the U.S. Open finished this week and it was a memorable Open for many reasons.  Many spectators were able to watch World Class golf as well as enjoy World Class wines in the clubhouse.  We were pouring an assortment of wines in the clubhouse and the feedback was great!  We are on "Par" with the best wines in the world!  (pun intended)
      We filmed another episode of the JuanMaker.  Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDYdVVF6RyQ.  We have gotten a bit better with some of the editing, but keep in mind this is still being done on virtually no budget!  So, I hope that these continue to make people laugh a little as well as make people scratch their heads, mainly wondering, "What is he thinking?"  Yes, some may say I am a little crazy, but remember it takes one to know one!

           - Juan.

No "I" in Martha Clara.

Good afternoon ya'll,

        Well, we had a great write up in the NY Times on Sunday and I wanted to share with ya'll!  Please seehttp://events.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/nyregion/21vinesli.html for more information on this great article.  
       While, I am referenced in this article I just want to let everyone know that this is something that we have all earned.  Wine is not made by one man or woman alone.  It takes lots of hard work by many people and this is not limited to the winery and/or the vineyard.  It requires the assistance of everyone and this is something we all earned.  So, congratulations to all of us!  

          Cheers and Thanks,

                 - Juan. 

Pun Intended.

Morning Ya'll,

       Well, the weather continues to be rainy with intermittent rays of sunshine.  The forecast looks like things should start clearing up next week.  I have been getting many questions in regards to the vineyard and how this is affecting us.  While this weather is not ideal we are not at the end of Harvest yet and we still have an entire summer ahead of us and hopefully a beautiful Fall.  So needless to say I have not yet had any doubts that we can still have a great year!
       The weather does cause us to change strategies.  In many respects vineyard management is like a game of chess.  The reality of this business is when we win it is because Mother Nature let's us.  We cannot out-wit mother nature, but we have to adjust our strategy based on her moves.
      Our strategy in the vineyard has changed a bit.  Every year we remove leaves from the fruit zone (the area in which all of the grapes grow) to allow for sun exposure.   We will begin this process a bit earlier than usual to help counteract the overcast conditions we have had.  I guess you can say that this is a combination of being reactive and proactive.  We do this to encourage drying in the soon to be flowering clusters.  More drying equals better fruit set and less disease pressures for us.  
      On the event side of things the US Open at Bethpage Black is in full-swing (pun intended).  We are very pleased to be pouring at the NYS Hospitality tent. Unfortunately, the rain has put a bit of a damper (pun intended) on tournament play but play will resume today.  It is a great honor for us to be pouring at this tournament of great competitor's.  
       We will be the host of several great events this weekend including a Gala for the Peconic Bay Medical Center, Casino Night for East End Art's Council, Summer Time Grillin', and a Sports Memorabilia Show to name a few!  So, please let people know about all of the great things that we have going on farm.  
       That's the news for now, talk with ya'll soon!

       Cheers,

              Juan.

Let's Do the Twist

Morning ya'll,

      Well, I believe everyone would agree in wanting this rain to get out of here!  The weekend looks like it will be beautiful.  I am looking forward to seeing the sun.  The upcoming week will be warming up, but it looks like the chance of rain will still exist.  It is still early in the growing season but all vineyard manager's and winemaker's want sun!  
      The guys in the vineyard continue to remove suckers and put the first wire up on the trellis.  We put wire on the trellising to provide support for the vines and to minimize damage to the vine as various equipment travels down the vine rows.  In addition to support and minimizing damage the trellis allows the canopy to grow vertically maximizing the amount of sun each vine will capture.  The more sun exposure we have the greater amount of sugars and flavors are developed.  The vine does turn Sunlight into Wine.  An industry book has been written titled this and it is truly amazing what occurs in a grapevine.  
      At the winery we are pulling the 2007 reds out of barrel and prepping for bottle.  We have some new label designs for the reds and look forward to getting these on the bottle.  The labels promise to keep us on the cutting edge of packaging.  The new packaging is simply stated and elegant.  We hope that all will like it!
      I was quoted in the local paper regarding screw caps this past week.  There is a growing interest and understanding of screw caps in the industry as well as by the consumer.  It is unfortunate that many consumers were taught that "cheap" wines went under screw caps because this is no longer true.  There are the hold outs in the wine industry that may never convert, but there are always those people out there.  However, when it comes to consistency of wine quality for the consumer no comparison exists.  Many studies have been conducted involving the bottling of a particular wine under screw cap and cork.  The results time and time again are conclusive that screw caps help preserve freshness in a wine not to mention eliminate cork taint.  Hopefully more people will be doing the twist! 
      In any event I look forward to seeing some of you tonight.  As always feel free to send in your questions!  Talk with ya'll soon.