What do winemaker’s dream about? This one dreams about tropical islands and a nice swim in a beautifully clear, warm ocean……but I also dream of Sauvignon Blanc. This time of year, that’s what I’m doing as I’m getting ready to blend our 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc! I love Sauvignon Blanc, especially on a warm summer’s day. Unlike other wines, I can honestly say I love all styles of Sauvignon Blanc (just had a nice Grgich S.B. tonight with dinner). Anyway, when it comes to this part of the winemaking process — blending, finishing, bottling — it just gets the gears turning in my head (and just when i worry they might be getting rusty) and gets me going. It’s exciting, envisioning how I think the wine will taste and then discover how it really turns out.

So, pictures to come in the next entry so you can see what’s goin’ on……but right now, it’s in my head, in my laboratory, and in my dreams…..

Thanks!

Thanks to all those who nominated this blog once again for the American Wine Blog Awards, vintage 2008, “Best Winery Blog” category. Much appreciated. It’s always a delight when I realize that folks read what I write here. To nominate other great wine blogs out there, or just to check out the action go to: www.fermentation.typepad.com.

People ask me all the time why I make wine. I want to tell them the truth because it might make a bit of difference in their understanding of our wine and where it comes from, but sometimes I don’t know quite what to say. I might have had one reason when I started, but why I continue to make wine after almost 14 years has certainly changed almost as much as I have.

Here’s my current, though long-winded answer: these days, I find myself increasingly consumed by the desire to absorb the wonder that is all around. Sounds kind of New Age, I know, but bear with me. Many years ago, wine opened up the realm of the senses for me that is ever unfolding, and it also opened the concept of what can be achieved working within the bounds of natural law but with seemingly boundless possibilities. For instance, have you ever wondered, truly wondered, how a mere grape, once it has fermented, can take on the aromas and flavors of other fruits, vegetables, herbs? Wines made from other fruits don’t do this — why do grapes? I know some people think that wine is a product of the laboratory and that what goes on behind a winery’s doors is adding a little of this flavor or that to create an appealing libation. There are some mass-marketed, concocted, wine-like products out there, but on the most part what you taste in your glass from most wineries is mostly due to the fruit. The fruit with a little help, of course, but the fruit nonetheless is where it is at. And the quality and character of the fruit and what, when and how it expresses its essence can vary considerably, even within one varietal. That’s one reason why I’m so captivated by Pinot Noir. Just when I think I’ve tasted all styles that can be made, a new vineyard or winery comes up with an entirely new Pinot that blows my paradigm to bits once again.

WHY?

Science can tell us a lot about the chemistry of grape juice or wine, and how this or that cycle or cascade of biochemical reactions produces certain aroma compounds or flavors. That’s great, and I’m looking forward to learning more, but I can’t help returning to the same question my 6-year-old asks me again and again: “Why?” I’ve been in the wine industry long enough to have suffered from little victories and defeats, but the sense of wonder — the unanswerable “Why?” — I have about wine has not suffered and only increased. I will never tire of watching the transformation of a sticky, brownish, foamy, cloudy juice into a beautiful, crystal clear, aromatic white wine. I will always savor the moment, usually after malo-lactic fermentation is finished and a Pinot Noir has “settled down” to witness the expression of its true character. This sense of wonder drives me to want to do better, to want to learn more, and to increase the level of my senses to notice even more.

So, wine is wonder in a glass, and that keeps me going. Think about it the next time you open a bottle. Take a moment to contemplate what you are really drinking. And I’ll let you in on another secret: yeah, my title is “Winemaker”, but really what I do should be called “Winewonderer”. I don’t really make it — it makes itself, and I just stand back and take it all in.

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” Albert Einstein