Apr 3, 2018 | Sonoma, Vineyard, Wine
Join me for a quick visit to the Sonoma International Film (and food and wine) Festival, as seen through the eyes of Hydeout Sonoma:
Our houseguests during the festival were the director and stars of the documentary film, Grand Cru. Focussed on the trials and tribulations of farming and winemaking in Burgundy, famed winemaker Pascal Marchand is followed by the camera during the 2016 vintage as he works through hail, frost, mildew, low yields, and bureaucratic logjams in one of the most difficult vintages in Burgundy’s history.
http://www.marchand-tawse.com/en
Pascal’s wife, Amandine Marchand, manages the brand’s front office.
Following the film, Grand Cru, director David Eng (left) and Pascal participated in a lively Q&A.
https://www.grandcrufilm.com
Pascal, and his business partner, Moray Tawse, bottle wines, including many Grand Cru’s, under the Domaine Tawse and Marchand-Tawse.
Famed local historian, radio and newspaper personality, art collector, and all around local Sonoma booster Kathleen Hill MC’d the Q&A session.
http://kathleenthompsonhill.com
After the screening of Grand Cru, as is the tradition in Sonoma, the film crew, festival staff, and VIP’s headed over to a tasting room for some wine and cheese, this time to “Abbot’s Passage,” a new project by sixth-generation vintner Katie Bundchu (of Gundlach Bundchu)
http://www.abbotspassage.com
Abbot’s Passage 2014 “The Crossing”, is a delicious blend of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cab Sauv., from fruit on Arrowhead Mountain, across the street from Hydeout Sonoma
That night, about 100 film festival guests enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime meal served up by some of the best chefs in the culinary world
https://devourfest.com
Joining me at our table was the always effervescent and unstoppable Rosemary McNeely, a woman of power in her own right, and also the wife of equally unstoppable film festival Executive Director Kevin McNeely
This was the dish served by Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn, of Atelier Crenn in SF. The photo does not do the dish justice. It was a truly mind-bending walk through a literal and figurative forest of flavors in every bite.
Dominque missed the chef photo op. Shown here are Michael Howell (Founder of the Devour Food Film Festival), John Toulze (Girl and the Fig), Evan Funke (Felix), John McReynolds (Stone Edge Farm), and Lia Rinaldo (Managing Director of Devour)
Dancing went on all night with a Frank (Sinatra) and Eva (Gardner) themed celebration
Jody Purdom (SIFF Development Director) and Cynthia Wornick (SIFF Board member) posed for a photo op in the big tent.
The wine documentary, “Andre”, the amazing life story of famed enologist Andre Tchelistcheff, thrilled local wine industry folks; many in the audience knew Andre personally and were often moved to tears.
http://themaestrofilm.com
Following the documentary film, “Jacques Pepin, the Art of Craft,” film sponsors Lori and Steve Bush (shown here) hosted us at Adastra Winery, with exquisite food from next door – from the Bush’s very popular Sonoma restaurant, OSO
http://ososonoma.com
Following the film, “Beyond the River,” film sponsors Gail and John Diserens hosted a fun party at Rancho Maria Winery, the newest tasting room on the Sonoma Square. Seen here is Sebastian Juarez, the owner-manager.
http://www.ranchomaria.com
Beth Schnitzer, co-founder of Spritz Marketing (the lead marketing agency for the Sonoma Film Festival), is always ready with a big smile and another fun idea!
http://spritzsf.com
See you in 2019 for another great Sonoma International Film Festival!
Next blog post: A winery on the equator? Yes! A pictorial tour by motorcycle of Colombia’s “Marques de Villa de Leyva.”
Mar 18, 2018 | Sonoma, Vineyard, Wine
Meet the winners of the Hydeout Sonoma blogpost contest. These 3 eagle-eyed readers spotted my-newt joke in the previous blog post….
For their efforts, they each received a bottle of 2016 “Dysfunctional Family” wine ( a new ‘second label’ project we introduced this vintage), a photo-op, and the incredible fame that comes with this post!
Lori Melancon, Lola Farms, Sonoma
Lori leads all gardening activities at Lola farm, and manages their organic certification program, and makes a truly farm-to-table lunch, less than 300 feet from the farm to the table; if you are lucky enough to be there at lunchtime. Lori, and husband Chris, also run a “Hog Share” program – It’s simple. You purchase a whole or portion of a live hog, called a share, and Lola Sonoma Farms handles the rest – from raising and harvesting the animal to coordinating with the butcher and ensuring you have a great experience throughout the process. Click on this link to visit, learn, shop…
http://www.lolasonoma.com
Sharon Knight, Tech Exec
Sharon’s new position at Hawthorne Effect brings her patient experience focus to the world of clinical trials where 10% – 50% of patients are lost to attrition and trials are riddled with missing data, weakening the assessment of drug and device efficacy and safety. Sharon’s linkedin page is:
Sharon Knight’s LinkedIn page
Sharon is headed to what she, and husband John Hornbaker, hope will be a life changing experience in Germany, in Uberlingen, above Lake Constance – which the Germans call Bodensee, a clinic for therapeutic fasting, integrative medicine and inspiration:
https://www.buchinger-wilhelmi.com/
Ken Stokes, Executive
Ken is busy with too many exciting things to count. Highlights include being the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Olin College Of Engineering outside Boston, Mass., serves on the Advisory Board of the Sonoma Valley Fund (which is part of the Community Foundation Sonoma County), and is a board member of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. When it comes to giving back, Ken is the very definition.
http://www.olin.edu
http://www.sonomacf.org
http://www.svma.org
Upcoming blog post: We visit a winery at the equator, by motorcycle…
Feb 18, 2018 | Wine
The Grape and Wine Symposium, in Sacramento every January, is THE largest grape and wine industry convention in North America. Here is a quick ‘beginner’s tour’ for those who are unfamiliar with our industry –
Quick questions –
- Reader poll – please let me know what you would enjoy reading about from Sonoma wine country? Growing grapes, making wine, new brands on the scene, groundwater depletion, awards and competition commentary, snarky insider information, etc?
- Were any of you at the Symposium? If yes, please let me know what you found most compelling?
Thank you!
Ken Wornick
Now, on to the show…
Drones are not new, but how about this man-sized tank-fitted drone helicopter with the ability to spray (organic or non-organic) from the air.
https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/motorsports/pages/precision-agriculture
The closest thing to a vineyard monster truck, this behemoth harvests grapes mechanically. It can harvest many tons per hour, far exceeding manual hand harvesting. A very popular topic these days due to labor supply issues, training, health and safety regulations, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBmFH7fNxnA
Jordan Kivelstadt’s company, Free Flow, provides over 150,000 beer-kegs from which wine is loaded and poured directly out of kegs at restaurants and bars across the country.
Homepage
Radoux, a respected oak barrel supplier.
Home
World Cooperage and their TW Boswell line of oak barrels.
http://www.worldcooperage.com
Barrels? Staves? Chips? Or how about spirals? Forego oak barrels and place these spirals into older barrels whose oak is already ‘used up’ (otherwise known as neutral barrels). This remains a legal yet controversial tool – some argue it makes more sense than buying new barrels every year, others argue that when you artificially put oak ‘flavoring’ into wine it will age out just as fast making the endeavor a waste of money. What do you think?
https://www.infusionspiral.com
Looking for a new glass wine bottle for your next brand release? This show has hundreds of choices…
Vitroval wine bottles.
http://www.vitrovalusa.com
Saxco wine bottles.
https://www.saxco.com
Same for corks and capsules, many vendors offer a deep bench of product options and technical info.
https://corksupply.com/us/
Steve Rosenblatt from Sonoma Cast Stone (previously featured in this blog)
Link to prior blog post: Sonoma Cast Stone – Hydeout blog post
Link to Sonoma Cast Stone: http://www.sonomastone.com
They are innovating many new ways to store, age, measure, and move wine around the winery. A company worth watching closely!
Steve’s groundbreaking modular concrete barrel-tanks, potentially saving millions in oak barrel costs every year…
Need to build a cave into your hillside? See Craig Nordby, famed wine country cave builder, with clients that include Roth, Justin, Inglenook, and many other noteworthy clients.
Home
Or talk to Don Magorian, of Magorian Mine Services, out of Auburn Ca., who has built caves for famed wineries including Staglin, Ferrari Carano, Vineyard 29, and many other noteworthy clients.
http://www.magmineserv.com
How about protection from spring freeze during bud bud break? These fans, driven by a simple gas motor, and an auto-temperature sensor, really work. I have one in one of our client’s vineyards and it works like a charm.
http://www.shurfarms.com
Ready to go back to school? UC Davis, Fresno, and Cal Poly all offer great programs. UC is commonly known for an academic approach, Fresno is known for its hands-on program, and Cal Poly an even mix of both…
http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu
http://www.fresnostate.edu/jcast/ve/
https://wvit.calpoly.edu
Need grapevines, then Wonderful Nurseries is one good choice. Owned by the Reznick family, owners of Wonderful Pistachios, I Kunik Produce, Justin and Landmark Wineries, and many other fine companies.
http://www.wonderfulnurseries.com
How about testing for soil issues? There were at least 3 labs specializing in the vineyard space, including Dellavalle.
http://www.dellavallelab.com
Next post – meet the winners of our ‘first to reply’ contest – 3 winners replied within 5 minutes to the previous blog posting earning a free bottle of wine for each!
Jan 20, 2018 | Sonoma, Wine
In my final post on the 2017 Sonoma Firestorm, (Part 3) come along as we hike through Arrowhead Mountain, the southernmost flank of the Mayacamas Mountains that splits Napa and Sonoma Counties.
The hike started at the base of Arrowhead mountain and climbed up to +/-750 feet elevation near the Sonoma/Napa County line, just above local wineries Gundlach Bundschu, Scribe, and Nicholson Ranch. Along the way, we discovered proof of nature’s power as plants and animals of all varieties are making a comeback.
Above is the ‘normal’ view, pre-October 2017 firestorm, looking south into San Pablo Bay.
And this would be the typical view of native oaks, shrubs, grasses and deer trails.
And this is what we found on January 16th, 2018, at about 700 feet of elevation, also looking south to San Pablo Bay.
And close up view of burned oak and manzanita.
We were lead by the Sonoma Ecology Center ‘Restoration Program Manager’ Mark Newhouser
And Sonoma Ecology Center “Biologist and Research Program Director” Caitlin Cornwall
And Bilingual Educator and ‘master of gate locks’ Alana Fichman
It’s alive! This little fella was crossing the road. It is a California Newt (Taricha Torosa). Glands in the skin release a neurotoxin hundreds of times more potent than cyanide (by volume) which in the case of a newt is minute (mynewt, get it?) Free bottle of red wine to the first reader to alert me that you read this joke, reply to this post please…
Pieces of rock chunked away by the roaring heat of the firestorm.
…with bits exploded off the surface of the Rhyolitic outcroppings.
Now let’s explore the plants enjoying a recovery.
This is Chemise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) first burned in the fire, and then cut by firefighters along the roadway, now making a fast recovery.
And this is what Chemise should look like in a few short months.
Here is a young Madrone pushing new growth before the burned leaves have even fallen away, very unusual for January.
Same for this live oak, rapidly pushing new growth high up on the tree. This is why everyone is cautioned not to be too quick about cutting down seemingly dead trees. Many of our native species are built to absorb some fire and push new growth.
This is Fremont Lily (Zigadenus fremontii) making a fast comeback.
And what it will look like come April!
This is ‘bear grass’ (Xerophyllum tenax) coming back in a location that must have burned very hot given the absolute torching of the manzanita and rocks.
We should find it in this gorgeous flowering stage in just a few short months.
That fried manzanita from a different view.
And what to expect after recovery.
And last, the absolute dreaded and very invasive Broom – Scotch, Portuguese, and French (V. Cytisus), they quickly crowd out the natives, live only 7 to 8 years, and then present a huge hazard, burning very fast and hot.
And despite its ability to spread quickly drowning out all the natives, it is pretty on roadsides and hills, and are therefore presumed by some to be OK.
Want to learn more:
Link to Sonoma Ecology Center
Link to the next SEC hike
Link to topo map of Arrowhead Mountain, Sonoma
Link to Sonoma County Recovery web site
The author, Ken Wornick, of Hydeout Sonoma Consulting
Link to Hydeout Sonoma
Dec 24, 2017 | Sonoma, Vineyard, Wine
Congratulations to these three Hydeout Consulting clients – each of whom released their innaugural vintage this week. Each has a unique story to tell…
SOVARE 2016 Sonoma Valley red blend – This client spared no expense in the farming and winemaking to produce a unique ultra-premium inky red. It is a field blend of equal parts Sangiovese, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon from their rugged hillside vineyard on the flanks of Sonoma Mountain, just south of Kenwood. Aged in 50% new French oak and 50% one-year old American oak, it is a deep, dark, and spicy wine with evident body, offers superb balance between tannins and acidity, and will age to perfection over time. The name ‘Sovare’ deconstructed means ‘Sonoma Valley Red.’ This wine will be available only in the Bay Area and New York.
Little Gidding 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon – 100% estate Cabernet, an incredible hillside vineyard also flanking Sonoma Mountain, just 2 very special acres wrapping around a steep hillside with exposures to the east, south, and west, the wine was aged in 100% new French oak, and is a direct hit for what Sonoma Cabernet can be – austere, bright, cherry red, with smooth elegant tannins right out of the gate. Available only through Little Gidding in Sonoma.
Dysfunctional Family Winery 2016 red blend – purposefully irreverent, and intended to make light of all the ‘perfect families’ so often featured in the wine press, this client has a contrarium approach and loves wines that are bravely blended from multiple varieties and sources from widely varying sites around Sonoma Valley. This wine is 35% Syrah (from the valley floor), 25% Cabernet (Sonoma Mountain), 20% Merlot (Carneros), and 20% Zin (Kenwood).
For more info, see these links:
click here for more Hydeout Sonoma blog entries
Sonoma Mountain make singular wines
or here for world’s oldest man drinks a glass of red wine every day!
Sonoma Magazine’s top wine of 2017
Happy holidays to all our wonderful subscribers. See you in 2018!
Nov 22, 2017 | Wine
With mother nature, life always follows death…
In my previous blog, you saw images of the terrible firestorm and resulting destruction in Sonoma.
In “Sonoma Firestorm – Part 2” we visit a fire-damaged vineyard near Kenwood springing back to life just one month later. And meet in the Sonoma town square to thank first responders.
But first, a reminder of where we came from just one month ago…
The continuing personal impact on some is hard to measure. These photos are from the Warm Springs Road area, close to many of my client vineyards…
Many vineyards were either spared from from the fire, or actually blocked the fires from advancing – by cutting off the fuel supply. However, some vineyards did burn, and here we see a vineyard a few days after being burned during the firestorm. Note that all of the ground cover and much of the leaf canopy is either burned or charred.
And the first few feet of vine trunk is quite scorched…
This fire also destroyed all of the drip irrigation system, including riser pipes, hoses, and drip emitters, leaving dripping plastic residue on the ground in its wake…
And destroyed every drip emitter…
And some very large trees burned and fell into the vineyard, including this epic California Bay Laurel…
We enlisted the help of the several agencies to help us assess the damage. The Sonoma Resource Conservation District helped us develop an erosion control recovery plan. Below, Project Manager Justin Bidell and Resource Planner Anya Starovoytov walk the damaged site collecting data, taking pictures, and advising on recovery plans and funding sources…
Justin and Anya point out that the fire even chased into plastic drainage culverts, burning underneath several access roads…
And looking at this close-up image of a charred grapevine trunk, you might think that this vineyard would be lost and need to be replanted…
But dig down to check the condition of the vine roots and we find in most cases no damage at all…
Amazingly, just one month later, we find everything is roaring back to life!…
And rain brings welcome moisture and renewed growth…
And the cover crop in between the vine rows explodes back to life, and the grapevines respond accordingly, soaking up moisture, swelling buds, and going into dormancy…
And the return of power at the winery allows us to get back to work. In this photo, wine that had been resting in stainless tanks has been moved into oak barrels where it will rest in the caves for the winter…
And one month later, although many friends are homeless, or know someone who lost a home, the vineyards and wineries and the town of Sonoma are bouncing back to life. And we can still find small things for which we can all be grateful…
The town of Sonoma celebrated on Saturday night, November 19th, with a Sonoma Town Hall holiday lighting ceremony, awards and standing ovations to the first responders, great music, and this wonderful tribute from Amy Miller, Artistic Director of Transcendence Theatre Company:
Video: Sonoma Square and Amy Miller from Transcendance Theatrer
Other links on this topic:
Ways to support those who need help
Did vineyards help save wine country?
A look at 22 wineries that sustained damage
Search and Rescue teams news
Tourists encouraged to come back!
