Recently named one of the top 100 vineyards in the world, Australia’s Elderton Estate comprises about 72 acres of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in 14 blocks, with the majority of vines between 40 and 100 years old. This age, combined with mostly dry farming, is the basis for producing rich, concentrated fruit. Established in 1979, the Ashmead family (Neil & Lorraine Ashmead) purchased a large Barossa Estate for what was at the time, a song, “if they bought the house, they could have the vineyard for nothing.”
Join us as we hear from brothers, Allister and Cameron Ashmead, and winemaker Richard Langford about the wines from this well-known Barossa estate.
Download Seminar Powerpoint Presentation: Click Here (Large File 157 Megs)
Wines poured:
2004 Elderton “Friends” Shiraz - Barossa
1998 Elderton Shiraz - Barossa
2001 Elderton Shiraz - Barossa
2004 Elderton Shiraz - Barossa
1994 Elderton “Command” Shiraz - Barossa
2002 Elderton “Command” Shiraz - Barossa
2004 Elderton “Command” Shiraz - Barossa
2005 Elderton Fortified Vintage Shiraz - Barossa
Elderton Wines: www.eldertonwines.com.au
Sign up now for the 2007 Hospice du Rhone: www.hospicedurhone.org
Sponsor: Champagne, USA: www.champagne.us
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Factoid: Only a few small areas in Europe were unaffected by Phylloxera. Only tiny amounts in Champagne and Portugal (some Port making grapes and all Colares making grapes) were able to withstand the attack.
http://www.barossa-region.org/wine/Phylloxera.html
The reasoning behind roses at the end of each row of vines:
1) When animals would plow the field they would cut short and knock out the last vine at the end of the row. By placing a rose bush, the animal would get pricked and would not cut short.
2) The rose bush is more susceptable to disease, so if there were any disease on the vineyard, you would see it first in the rose bush.
Vitis vinifera L. (the grapevine) has an ~500Mb genome size consisting of 19 chromosomes.
Fact 2: the earliest evidence of wine production was found in Iran, at the Hajji firuz tepe site in the northern zagros mountains, dating 7400-7000 years ago.
An acre of vines produces roughly 800 gallons of wine on average. I got this information of a placemat at The Old Spaghetti Factory.
Most red lovers are familiar with the teeth staining properties of the beverage and have made the appropriate modifications to their dating lives. BUT, did you know that red wine is actually good for your teeth?
This wine fact is sourced from All Headline News.
“According to the research conducted by Scientists from Universite Laval in Quebec, Canada, compounds known as polyphenols in red wine have been found to stave off periodontal diseases which affect the gums and bone around the teeth, often leading to permanent tooth loss.
Laval researcher Fatiha Chandad says her study showed that polyphenols, which are derived from red grape seeds, can neutralize one of the key, tissue-destroying compounds associated with periodontitis.”
Brush. Floss. Sip.
From 1854 to 1905, the official city seal for the city of Los Angeles was a cluster of grapes and a leaf. The current seal, adopted in 1905, features a cluster of grapes. Look for it at the 12 o’clock position. Information courtesy of the Los Angeles City Archives.
In the 1960s, Robert Mondavi attempted to grow his own supply of cork by planting a grove of cork oaks near the winery. Despite geographic similarities, the domestic cork was not usuable for wine closures. Information courtesy of Lars Sorenson, featured on Winemaking Radio.
It takes approximately 600 grapes to produce a bottle of wine.
A typical bottle of dry red or white wine has 400-500 calories (kcal). A typical per-glass serving at a restaurant or bar is 4oz or about 100 calories. Drink half a bottle and you’ve consumed only 200-250 calories or less than a 2oz serving of peanuts or 1/2 cup of ice cream.
According to a spokesperson for the State of Washington Wine Commission, a new winery opens every 15 days in Washington. In the year 2000, Washignton state wineries grew from 155 to 470.
Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the liquid to determine the ideal temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, for adding yeast. From this we get the phrase “rule of thumb.
Wine fact:
the more I drink the prettier the girls get!
It takes between 600 to 800 grapes to fill one 750ml bottle of wine.
The highest vineyard in California is the Shadow Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard located at an elevation of 4,400 feet above sea level in the mountains of San Diego.
Courtesy of Wine Institute
http://www.wineinstitute.org/industry/consumer/wine_facts_and_figures.php
Today the Duchesse de Mouchy, granddaughter of Clarence Dillon, is chairperson of the public limited company of Domaine Clarence Dillon, making Haut-Brion the only first-growth to be American-owned.
I enjoy selling wine when there is some information about it available to me. People love to hear about where a wine is from and who makes it. Websites for wineries are a great source of information and often include the opt in Newsletters for updates. Winemakers themselves are a great source of information also and they always seem to have a good story or two to tell. It’s all good!
In ancient Babylon, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead (fermented honey beverage) he could drink for a month after the wedding. Because their calendar was lunar or moon-based, this period of free mead was called the “honey month,” or what we now call the “honeymoon.”
Among the world fruit crops, wine grapes rank #1 in terms of acreage planted.
The Angel’s Share is the phrase that describes the wine (or fortified liquor) that escapes through evaporation during the barrel aging process, usually at a rate of 2% per year. Breath deeply!
Untill the end of the 17th century, the Dutch used to ship wine from Bordeaux in large oak casks, or ‘Ton’ in Dutch, of 900 Liters that had a total weight of 1000 Kg, including the wood. From there the Metric Ton, but it is also the equivalent
of 100 cases of wine, or ‘un tonneau’, which is still used as the measure in which the Bordeaux wine trade deals.
FACT:
Turkey has a history of winemaking longer, probably, than any in the world, but since most of its population is Muslim it might not seem best placed to take advantage of it. Kemal Ataturk did his best to revive the wine industry in the 1920s, but even now, although Turkey has some 600,000ha (nearly 1.5 million acres) under vine, only about 2% of the grapes are turned into wine.
http://ewineplanet.com/country.asp?id=26
Bordeaux, a household name for red wine afficianados and cellar-class winer lovers, is has 8x more vineyard land than Napa Valley. Bordeaux produces half of all AOC-level wine in France.
Not all wines benefit from “old vines.” Specific types such as Zinfandel do get better with older and older vines, almost without limit apparently (some Livermore Valley vines are over 100 years old). But other types, such as Merlot and even Carbent Sauvignon, peak after a certain number of years — perhaps 30 or so — and then need to be ripped out and replaced.
Viognier is closest related to Nebbiolo.
SURPRISING FACT: Half of Bordeaux’s wine production was once white.
The most expensive wine ever sold is a bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite which sold at Christie’s London in December, 1985 for £105,00 (about US $160,000). The wine is reported to be from the cellar of Thomas Jefferson, the former US President, and this most expensive bottle of wine had the initials Th.J etched into the glass bottle. However new technology has brought to light that the bottles were engraved with electric power tools, not the implement of choice back in the 18th century!
China produces more wine than Australia (1.3M vs 1.27M tonnes in 2005).
Fun wine fact giveaway.
The world best knows South African wine as Pionotage.
Wine Fact for Giveaway: The custom of clinking glasses before tasting wine dates back to medieval times when wine was one of the only drinks considered safe because milk spoiled and water was often contaminated. To prove that the wine was good, the host would drink a glass first and then clink his glass with the guests’ glasses as a show of confidence that the wine was safe to drink.
Hate to break it to you but #18 about the origin of the word “Honeymoon” is inaccurate. Several educated guesses have been made as to how the phrase originated, but none have proven to hold water. Sorry!
What is the number of cases of wine in a standard 59 gal barrel?
Answer: 25
Not sure this is the right place to leave a wine fact - but the links kept sending me back to this page - so if there is another place to send the fact it is not very obvious.
Most white wines, including ice wines, benefit from being fermented at low temperatures, this helps avoid potential bitter and unpleasant flavors.
Many wine-makers actually keep the temperature of the fermentation containers or the rooms they are in to help get a more fruity aroma that results from a lower fermentation temperature.
NFL legend and former Chicago Bears Coach, Mike Ditka has released his own label of wines.
In Italy it is well know that the herb fennel makes even poor wine taste better, so opportunistic Italian wine makers would sometimes offer food with fennel (for example, the great Tuscan sausage finocchionato) to buyers of their wine to encourage the sale. Thus there is an expression among Italian wine merchants, who say, “buy with bread and sell with fennel.”
This practice is also the source of the verb infinocchiare in the Italian language–finocchio is fennel in Italian, which means to cheat or deceive.
Mexican wine fact:
Grapes were brought to Mexico by the spanish conquistadores and missionaries since 1521. The missionaries used the wine produced from the “mission” grape variety for the catholic mass celebration but other grape vines got used very fast to the excellent soil and climate of Mexico extending vineyards in Querétaro, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Parras Coahulia, Puebla, Baja California and Sonora. In the late 1500’s the Spanish Crown ordered to stop planting and destroy Mexican Vineyards fearing that the quality will compete against their own Spanish wines. Many vineyards were destroyed but few were protected by the missionaries.
WINE FACT: There is a Spanish dessert from the region of Spain where sherry is made, called “Tocino Del Cielo”. It’s hard to describe this dessert, as it’s literal translation equates to “Bacon of the Sky” or “Heavenly Lard”. Suffice it to say that this dessert is VERY rich, being made with 24 egg yolks.
And where do you get all of these yolks? Why, they’re left over once you extract all of the egg whites you need to fine the sherry that is made there!
Egg whites are used to remove proteins or particles in cooking and winemaking.
FACT: Cincinnati, Ohio was where Nicholas Longworth started the wine industry in the Ohio Valley during the 1820s. His grapes flourished on the slopes above the river. More vineyards appeared and wine fanciers praised Ohio Valley vintages.
By 1850 Cincinnati, shipping 120,000 gallons of wine annually, had become the center of a prosperous wine-growing region. Largely as a result of Longworth’s encouragement, the cultivation of the grape spread through the Midwest. Winemaking reached a peak during the following decade when the Ohio River became known as “the Rhine of North America.”
Wasn’t sure where to post my factoid and I’m posting it here and under the Giveaway section….
Fun Wine Fact:
Did you know that Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc are related to each other?
In 1997, researchers at UC Davis determined through DNA testing that Cabernet Sauvignon is the genetic child of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
Aren’t you glad Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc met each other!
Wine grapes subject to mold when there is too much moisture. Tight clustered Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir are most susceptible to mold. The loose clusters of Cabernet Sauvignon allow for faster drying of moist grapes and thus less suseptiple.
Wine Fact:
The Biltmore Estate Wine Company in Asheville, NC is the most visited winery in the United States receiving more than one million visitors annually.
During World War II France was occupied by Germany and cooperated with rules set by Germany for occupation which included that french wine could only be sold to Germany. Many of the top chateau’s and champagne houses built fake walls in their cellars to prevent the theft of their prized vintages by German officers as they left their path of destruction across France. It was well-known that many of the German officers high up in the Third Reich desired wine from the top french Chateau’s especially those in Bordeaux, namely Rothchild, ironic since he was a jewish winemaker. Hitler built a huge cellar atop his summer home called the Eagle’s Nest (if I recall correctly) where the officers would store their most valuable stolen or cheaply purchased french wines. The cellar was so high up that Hitler had a special elevator created by his engineers so it could be reached. Hitler did not even drink or appreciate wine.
German officers were not the only ones to enjoy the wines, Champagne was ordered for the ground troops to boost moral and celebrate victories, bought an an extremely low-balled price. Many of the Champagne houses cooperated with the French resistance and would report these orders to their contacts as it indicated where the german army was headed and how many of them there were.
Wine and War is a very interesting topic.
Wine Fact:
Moonshiner’s son’s can do well. Mac McDonald’s father was an Afircan-American corn moonshine maker in Texas. Mac became interested in wine after tasting his first, a 1952 Burgundy at age 12 in 1955. He vowed to one day make a wine as fine as that one. Afters years of travel including into Burgundy and tasting Pinot Noirs, he and his wifepurchased the best grapes they could find. He devloped Pinot Noirs based on his vision. He and his wife, Lil, founded Vision Cellars. The first bottling was 1997.
The Pinots have won multiple awards. The 2003 Pinot Noir Rosella was served at the White House.
McDonald strives to improve wine edcuaction in the Black community through the African-American Vintners Association.
WINE FACT - “Cat pee” is an aroma commonly associated with many Sauvignon Blancs, and is not considered a flaw with respect to the wines overall balance!
Doug, I am not sure everyone would agree with your cat pee comment. Some feel that the aroma is a result of grapes picked before they have fully ripened.
I was wondering how do people know what cat pee smells like?
So much more to wine than just it’s taste.
Many people can not identify a white wine from a red wine purely on taste.
If a white wine and red wine are served at the same temperature, from a container that delivers the wine directly into the taster’s mouth (a water bottle for example), and the taster is blindfolded, most people (even experienced wine consumers) will be unable to identify the color of the wine.
I can not understand why anyone would want to drink wine this way. But, try it for yourself.
….well, I guess that particular aroma may be familiar to those of us who own a cat and have had the glorious task of litter box duty! It’s funny, but I have smelled this (pungent) aroma come through in several Sauvignon Blancs I have tasted! Here are a couple of more fun facts for your consideration (I really love this column and this is the first time I have been compelled to submit a comment - thanks all!!!).
WINE FACT - A bottle of wine is roughly %86 water. (Zraly)
WINE FACT - It takes Chateau Petrús, the most expensive Merlot in the world, about 1 year to make as much wine as it takes Gallo to make in six minutes! (Zraly)
Wine Tip: Even a small country like Belgium produces excellent wines. Give ‘Kasteel Genoels-Elderen’ a try if you can find it. There Chardonnays and Bubble-wines are great. (http://www.wijnkasteel.com)
Wine Fact:
In the state of Washington, a variety of red and white grapes are grown and used in the making of wine. Which grape led the pack in 2006? Chardonnay. (in terms of crushed grapes per ton @ 28,600 tons)
Second, Riesling. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is the largest producer of Riesling in the world. (approx. 600,000 cases per year).
Third, Cabernet Sauv.; Fourth, Merlot; and finally, Syrah, rounds out the top 5. Including all grape varietals, the total crop was 120,000 tons. More than half of the production are white grapes.
While this still pales in comparison to California, the number is up 9% from 2005.
Go Northwest wines!
It takes exactly 6 1/2-turns (or 3 full turns) to completely open the wire cage from any bottle of Champagne.
Airen is the most widely planted wine grape in the world (Spain)
Prunes were the primary fruit crop in Napa Valley during the 1940’s.
When Magellan circumnavigated the globe he spent 60% of all his budget on Sherry. More on Sherry than food, men, or even arms. Now hows that for a great fact!
Hi
Did you guys know the first vineyard and Winery created in the Americas was created in 1597 in Mexico? It is now Called Casa Madero and it is one of the oldest winery in the world that is still working
Maybe in the future you guys could do a Show on wines from Mexico
I heard it is the first winery outside Europe but I am not sure about that.
Wine Fact #1: One must drink wine to taste wine.
Wine Fact #2: I do not drink wine, however I would like to start - with a good bottle and a good book.
Vinho Verde is grown on tall root stock.
The Vinho Verde region (known as the Minho region, after the river that forms the border with Spain) is damp and temperate, with no mountain ranges to shield it from the mild influence of the Atlantic. So damp is it, in fact, that vine growers are forced to train their vines high off the ground to avoid fungal infections aggravated by the wet weather. Although in recently-planted vineyards vines are trained along wires up to two meters above the ground or along double rows of wires with wooden cross-piece supports. This way of training can produce huge yields as the foliage rampages along overhanging supports or up into the highest branches.
Hence the strange sight of harvesters picking grapes up tall ladders at vintage-time, still a common spectacle in Vinho Verde region. This traditional way of cultivating vines was encouraged by legislation - still in force as recently as the 1974 revolution - which dated from the introduction of maize in Portugal during the sixteenth century.
Generally speaking, Americans serve their red wines too warm and their white wines too cold. Apply the 30 minute rule. Place your red wine in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so, and take out white wines 30 minutes before serving. If all else fails, drink your wine at YOUR favorite temp.
Keep up the great work.