We just returned from a two week voyage thru Burgundy and Rhone country, sampling some the region’s best wines.  Stepping away from the computer, while a necessity to refuel, always makes me feel a bit clumsy and rusty on reentry.  In addition, I’m still a little jet lagged so my apologies if this piece is, shall we say, a little foggy. 

On planning our itinerary, we had one of two choices in tasting strategy.   We could focus on quantity or upon quality.  Both have their advantages.  If the goal is to simply taste as many wines from as many vintners as possible, then the strategy would be to stop at every winery along the route, tasting from dawn to dusk.  For those of you who have frequented this region, you know that’s not a difficult task with wineries every few hundred feet, it seems.  The advantage here is that you get to compare the aromatic profile of scores of wines in a relatively short period of time.  If you’re focused, you can actually recall which best pleased your palate.  It’s a simple check the wine box strategy.
 
The alternative is to get underneath the wine profile itself, digging into the philosophy of the vintner and strategy that resulted in the end product.  In order to execute this, you must take the time speak with the vintner (or staff representative) and tour the vineyard(s) and wine making facility.  The advantage here is that when you’re offered samples of the wines, you can you really understand why they reveal a particular profile.  The down side for those focused upon quantity is that the sheer number of tastings is limited due to time constraints.  If you spend a few hours of time in the morning with a given vintner, grab some lunch and then do an instant replay in the afternoon, the day yields two visits.

In the end, we employed the latter strategy.  It’s important for me, both as a wine writer and inquiring consumer, to understand the process that starts in the vineyard soil and ends when the bottle is uncorked.  Only then, can I really appreciate why any given wine exhibits its characteristics.  In addition, I appreciate the dedication of each and every vintner and their staff to the very challenging process that yields their outstanding end product.  I’ve watched local vintners such as Kent Callaghan (www.callaghan.com)  battling the intense heat of June in the dusty vineyard soils and the humidity of August as they prune, irrigate and coax the vines to produce the richest grapes possible.  The work is intense and results never guaranteed, a summer hailstorm capable of crippling the vines and destroying the grapes.  Asking these people to share with me the details of their daily work is the least that I can do to show my appreciation and respect.  And in my experience, it usually does not go unnoticed, vintners and their staff bending over backwards to proudly share their pride.

Throughout our travels, the wineries and vintners were appreciative, kind and generous with their precious time, guiding us with patience and pride through their vineyards.  Always eager to share with us their extensive fund of knowledge in wine making, they took pains to delve into details that only a face to face could reveal.  When all this was complete, each and every vintner we visited escorted us into their tasting facility, offering samples of wines ranging from entry level to the collectibles.  A few even uncorked their top collectible just for us to sample.  I have to believe that this was their way of thanking us for our interest in the professional love of their life.

Let’s face it, individual vintner and broader tasting rooms that serve a consortium of wines from local wineries probably see hundreds of visitors on a weekly basis.  For most visitors, it’s simply a brief encounter with the wines.   But if you’re patient, you’ll have a unique opportunity to learn what lies behind these outstanding wines.   You’re sure to gain valued insight into a process that otherwise would remain hidden.  And who knows, you might even develop a long term personal or professional relationship that offers rewards for years to come. 

Over the next few months, we’ll share with you numerous videos with vintner and staff members in the vineyards and wine making facilities.  I think that you’ll find them all to be instructive and intriguing.  As well, we’ll synchronize the videos with related segments in wine education, wine and food pairing and others.  For now, however, I need to shake off the cobwebs and get back in the writers saddle.

Tags: Burgundy, Rhone