Arroyo Seco is a little-known AVA outside of this area, but one that I think deserves some attention.  It sits between the Santa Lucia Highlands to the north and the San Bernabe AVA to the south, and extends west-southwest into the Arroyo Seco canyon. Most of the AVA is at about 300-400 foot elevations and will often see the sun before the Salinas Valley does below, but remains cool because of the almost constant breeze that blows down the canyon.  The soil in the lower part of the AVA is cobblestones, while in the canyon it changes into chalky rock.

This AVA supports an amazing variety of winegrapes. Sauvignon Blanc is grown in the cooler, lower parts of the AVA,   Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah are grown throughout, while in the upper reaches Cabernet and it’s relatives are grown quite successfully. 

I like this region for the diversity of the varietals grown there but also for the luciousness of the wines it produces.  Sauvignon Blanc often shows nice acidity and delicate aromas.  Chardonnay here tends to express tropical fruit and food-friendly acidity.  Merlot is immediately soft, round, and the greeness this varietal often shows is replaced by a chaparral or sage character which reflects the environment in which it is grown.  Merlot and Syrah both tend to show incredible color development and develop ripe, rich fruit flavors.  (Although a particular wine writer seems to think that Syrah “must have some pepper” flavors in order to be Syrah, I know for sure there is a great deal of wonderful Syrah planted in this area that is just lucious and brilliant and, no, doesn’t show much pepper — white, black, red or any other color — but is just as interesting and is just as much Syrah as any other, without it (….hmmmm  If a bird doesn’t fly, should we call it a bird? If coffee doesn’t have caffeine, is it still coffee?))  But, I digress…..

 There are a number of both large and small vineyards here, with new plantings coming into production every year, so I think in the years to come we will see more and more quality wines that will come specifically from the Arroyo Seco.  But, when here to taste the Syrahs from this region, be sure to bring your pepper grinder…..

 

Most folks who live in California, but who don’t live in Monterey County, have no idea what the word wind means.  I’ve lived in many parts of California and have visited a number of places around the world, and the only other places I’ve encountered wind like we have here was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, some parts of Africa, and in the southern part of the north island of New Zealand.  The wind blows here in the summer almost everyday, like clockwork, in the afternoon.  Here on the coast it can be gusty, cold and somewhat annoying, but in the middle of the Salinas valley — in the heart of wine country here — it picks up speed and dust and can be something with which to reckon.  The wind is such a force here that it plays a part in real estate values.  For instance, in Soledad, the direction in which one’s garage faces determines, in part, the value of one’s house.  If the garage opens into the prevailing wind, it makes the house less valuable than those with garages that face in different directions.

We are in our summertime weather pattern here once again:  fog in the morning that clears after awhile, and then the winds pick up around noon, and then the high fog blows in the evening.  This pattern is influenced by our proximity to the Pacific Ocean, mostly, and is the main reason why this is such a great place to grow winegrapes.  But the wind is a challenge to grapegrowing as well.  Grapevines simply do not grow well in an environment in which the wind howls every afternoon.  This kind of wind forces the vine to shut down by closing its stomata (the openings on the undersides of the leaves through which the leaves transpire carbon dioxide and water) because otherwise it would lose too much moisture.  The problem with this — especially on a daily basis — is that when the stomata are closed, the plant can no longer photosynthesize, so it’s growth is stunted and its carbohydrate stores are minimized.  Vines exposed to the daily wind tend to have smaller & tougher leaves, shoot length tends to be shorter and crop loads lighter as well.

So, what is one to do in order to grow grapes here?  Well, a grapegrower has two options:  1.  find a site that is protected, but not too protected.  These sites will be breezy or slightly windy, but aren’t subject to gale-force winds.  Having some breeze, afterall, is important to make sure there is enough air circulation within the vine to prevent molds and mildews from developing.  2.  if one has a site in the valley, then use windbreaks.  Windbreaks in other parts of the state are a no-no — there are a number of reasons for this:  eucalyptus, which is been traditionally used as a windbreak, tends to impart a menthol flavors to grapes grown near it; birds tend to nest in windbreak trees; trees tend to shade out the vinerows nearest them, making them minimally productive.  But here in Monterey, most folks use trees that aren’t eucalyptus and aren’t conducive to nesting birds.  The shading of vinerows or loss of productive area is looked upon as a small sacrifice for the overall health of the vineyard.  Afterall, as the wind blows here, windbreaks can help increase the health of vines and, in the end, the cropload and quality of the harvest.

 

Once in awhile, inspiration and resolution come along in unexpected moments.  I poured our Cima Collina Pinot at a benefit dinner for local public radio station KAZU on Wednesday night which was hosted by Lynne Rosetto Kasper of the Splendid Table radio show.  I was looking forward to this event because I have been a fan of the Splendid Table and especially of Lynne for many years now.  What I like about the radio show is not only the depth and broad range of her knowledge of food, cooking and culinary traditions, but also in the warmth of her radio presence, a characteristic that I associate with a hostess of great proportions rather than a radio personality.  Well, I was happy to find out that she is just as affable — and inspirational — in person.  She shared a number of her experiences of cooking with Julia Child, as well as her experiences traveling through Italy collecting material for her books and her experiences as a child with food.  She was very witty and insightful.

She said something, though, which resonated with me and a philosophical struggle I have been dealing with the last few years, and that is the idea that can a wine be made traditionally in modern times?  How could it truly be “traditional” when made with modern equipment, commercial yeast, in stainless steel or plastic bins, with modern manipulation, technological know-how, bottling lines, etc. etc.? A “traditional” wine, in my mind at least, would seem to have been made by folks who are more in touch with nature, the soil and the seasons, than most folks are today.  But, in spite of all of this, I truly believe I’m making a traditional product, but my problem was that I haven’t had a whole lot of evidence to back this idea up, even to myself.

Lynne saved me from my conundrum when she discussed modern, improvisational cooking.  When it works, she said, it is because that although it is improvisational, it is with knowledge of and respect for tradition first, and that the spirit of tradition is always the root of really good food, no matter if it is fusion, Italian, Chinese, etc. 

Although she was talking about food, this idea of the spirit of tradition opened a ray of realization that solved my dilemma.  There is a thread of tradition that ties all winemakers, new and old, in this thousands year old practice –the trials and tribulations, the discoveries, the waiting to find out how good it actually turned out, the experiments, the disappointments.  No, I’m not making wine in clay urns and storing it underground, nor am I fermenting red wine with it’s stems and pressing it in a wooden, hand-cranked press.  But, in the end, I am making wines in the spirit of tradition, something that I believe in and something that links what I do now with what has been done before. Now, that is inspiring and something I can sink my teeth into!  This will keep me going for awhile (philosophical fuel is underrated I think….).  Thanks, Lynne, for helping to settle this little personal debate and thanks for being an inspiration as well!

Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.

W. Somerset Maugham 

By the way…..

Everyone loved the Pinot at this dinner and we all had a really delightful time, and…….

I will pour Cima Collina wines at The Bountiful Basket next Saturday, May 27th, from 1-4. 

I am a Northern Californian born and raised and I was reminded the other day of how California used to be when I took a long hike into the hills recently and saw this:

 

I grew up in Sacramento when it was still a relatively strong and small agricultural community and when ranchland stretched for mile after mile of glorious, emply plains, hills, little valleys and vernal pools.  But things have changed drastically around Sacramento and in general in California.  Now, large, vast housing tracts and large, homogenous vineyards have established themselves in these same areas.  Yes, these are grapevines for the wine industry.  Thousands of acres planted mostly in the last 10 years to grow grapes that mostly are made into low-priced wine. 

I guess that my association in the wine industry obligates me to support vineyard establishment, and on the most part I do because I have come to know many dedicated viticulturists over the years.  These are folks who are forward-thinking, committed to giving back to the land, and who are conscious of the impact the monoculture a vineyard can have on a landscape and do their best to mitigate that impact.  I also tend to support the rights of landowners to do what they want with their land, as well.

But, as a Californian, a schooled economist and an environmentally-sensitive commoner, I have to question the path that California has chosen to take in it’s development, and more specifically, where the wine industry in this state is going.  Sure, part of this is pure sentimentality.  I wish the golden state is not as paved-over, built-up, or fast-paced as it is now.  But some of this is also pure common sense.  My mom always said “Too much of anything is bad,” and I really have to question when will we have enough vineyards and enough grapes? I question cutting down forests to plant vineyards or growing vineyards in places that are more appropriate for growing food.  I wonder about the impact these new plantings have on water supplies (both quality and quantity), environmental diversity (the kinds of fences required for vineyards disrupts animal migrations and movement across the land; the monoculture of a vineyard diminshes environmental diversity (plants, animals, insects)), and on wine oversupply, as well. Too much of a good thing?  I definitely think so. 

When local people find out we are located in Marina, ask “Why Marina?”  There are very, very good answers to this question, but let me give a little backround on Marina first so that everyone is up to speed.

 Marina lies at the mouth of the Salinas Valley on Highway 1 and is very close to the Monterey Bay.  This region is relatively flat and very exposed to the maritime influences of the Pacific Ocean.  Fog and mild temperatures predominant here.  It is almost always foggy in the summer, when the inner regions of California are baking in the heat.  Humidity tends to average around 70%.  Wind is almost always a factor, as well.  This photo was taken this morning –a typical Marina morning–on a beach that is about 1/2 mile away from the winery as the crow flies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, as it turns out, Marina is a great place to make wine.  The mild temperatures and high humidity make it a perfect environment in which to process grapes, barrel-ferment chardonnay, age wine in barrel and store casegoods.  We are also using resources in a frugal manner, as well. Our electricity bills are low because we don’t have to chill the cellar.  We are also on the route from Highway 1 to the wineries on River Road, and (an added bonus), we can go to the beach for lunch. 

But, as my husband likes to say, Marina is “Good for Wine, Bad for People”.  For instance, during harvest when others are basking in the wonderful California sun, we crush grapes many times dressed in wool sweaters, hats and parkas.  Our ranch manager, Tom, delivers our grapes during this time and he always gets a laugh when he sees us, usually because it contrasts with the sweating temperatures he’s just experienced out in the vineyards.  The winter is particularly cruel.  This type of damp cold tends to creep into one’s bones and it is difficult to get warm when working in the cellar.  Needless to say, we are happy it is now spring!