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kiratni.blogspot.com Sip, sip horray. Let’s take a trip on the wine trail. Photo via Ozan Winery & Vineyard’s Facebook
A lot of people may forget that parts of Birmingham run into Shelby County. Our neighbors across the Jefferson County border have a lot going on, including local vineyards. Grab some friends, your wine glasses and let’s take a trip down Shelby County’s local wine trail.
Wait! Alabama has vineyards?
I wish you could have seen my face when I first learned that Alabama had vineyards. I just always associated frolicking about grape vines with a little buzz with Napa Valley and Italy, but turns out you don’t have to go too far for the same effect.
Alabama currently has 15 vineyards that serve homegrown, distinctive wines. Many of them use Alabama’s native grape, the muscadine. Although you may not be a fan of Alabama heat, the state’s warm, humid climate makes the ideal conditions for delicious wine.
Our first stop—Bryant Vineyards
Here for the right riesling. Photos via Bryant Vineyard’s Facebook
We’re kicking things off with Alabama’s oldest continually operating winery. It’s a family affair over at Bryant Vineyards. Their award-winning muscadine wines have been planted on land that’s been in the family since the mid-1800’s.
The winery is conveniently located on Lake Logan Martin and is the state’s second licensed winery. They offer wine tastings and produce picking. The muscadines are ripe and ready in September so mark your calendar.
Address: 1454 Griffitt Bend Rd, Talladega, AL 35160
It’s wine o’clock somewhere. Photos via Morgan Creek Winery’s Facebook
Located in Harpersville, Morgan Creek Vineyards hits it right on the head with their semi-sweet and sweet wines. They specialize in regional wines and local fruit wines including Chilton Country Peaches, apples and blueberries.
Whether you’re new to the wine scene or a connoisseur, the winery’s tasting room is the perfect place to find a selection you enjoy. They offer free guided tours of the vineyard paired with free wine tastings at their state of the art facility.
Address: 181 Morgan Creek Ln, Harpersville, AL 35078
Another glass? Wine not?! Photos via Hidden Meadow Vineyard and Winery’s Facebook
Located in Jemison, Hidden Meadow Vineyard is a family-run farm and winery that sits on four acres of a dreamy valley. Their wine is made on-site from grapes and other locally sourced fruits.
As you pull onto the property, you’re greeted by a manicured vineyard and quaint little building hidden among the meadows—hence the name. With over a dozen varieties, from dry to dessert, their wines are ready for the tasting.
Hope you’re still along for the ride because we’re headed to Ozan Winery & Vineyard
Adding Ozan to my to-do list ASAP. Photos via Ozan Winery & Vineyard’s Facebook
Ozan Winery and Vineyard transports you to Tuscany and is just a short drive outside of metro Birmingham. I know a few people who’ve been here and they had nothing but good things to say about their experience. I guess it wasn’t once named the Alabama Winery of the Year for nothing.
They offer wine tastings, cheese plates and even train excursions on their private air-conditioned car. With socially distant umbrella seating, a full cafe menu and chilled wine, I’d happily make the trip out to Calera.
Whew! This is fun. Moving right along to Corbin Farms Winery.
Oh, sweet child of wine. Photos via Corbin Farms Winery’s Facebook
Last but certainly not least is the Southeast’s longest-standing wineries, Corbin Farms Winery. The Corbin family has been providing premium products and experiences since 2017 when they took ownership of what was originally Vizzini Farms Winery.
They offer a selection of local Alabama fruit wines including peach, pear and of course, muscadine. Let’s not forget their slushies though. It’s just what the warm weather calls for.
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kiratni.blogspot.comSip, sip horray. Let’s take a trip on the wine trail. Photo via Ozan Winery & Vineyard’s FacebookA lot of people may forget that...
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MIAMI, Aug. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Santa Margherita USA is proud to announce that Wine Enthusiast magazine has honored Marzotto's Fourth Generation Family Member and Senior Director of Fine Wines and Business Development at Santa Margherita USA, Vittorio Marzotto, as one of 2020's "Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers." Wine Enthusiast will be profiling Marzotto in its October 2020 print issue.
The "40 Under 40 Tastemakers" list takes a look at the next generation of innovators leading the world of wine, spirits, cider and beer forward. The list represents some of the best talent in the United States working to push the boundaries of what's possible in drinks culture.
"I am beyond honored to be included on this esteemed list, especially during a time where we have seen so many challenges impacting this industry," said Vittorio Marzotto. "Santa Margherita USA and my family remain as committed as ever to our business partners and the industry we love."
When Santa Margherita USA saw the global impact of COVID-19, the company reacted quickly to address the current climate and uphold its family values by taking care of the people affected and encouraging a sense of community during a difficult time. The company pivoted its digital campaign to highlight the extraordinary acts of kindness and human connections that were being demonstrated around the globe during the crisis in its "Uncork your Extraordinary" campaign. As part of the campaign, Santa Margherita donated $250K to those in need, including to organizations such as Meals on Wheels, the National Restaurant Association, and Direct Relief.
Since his childhood, Marzotto has been fascinated by the wine culture thanks to the passion and talent of his great-grandfather, Count Gaetano Marzotto, who in 1935 established the first Italian agribusiness group that included crop and animal production, glass container production and wine-making in the Eastern countryside of Venice, Italy.
Marzotto moved to the United States nine years ago to take on the role as National Brand Ambassador for Ca' del Bosco and carry on the family tradition. He played an essential role in opening the company's United States' import division, Santa Margherita USA, which represents over ten world-renowned wineries throughout the United States, which he now oversees as Senior Director of Fine Wines and Business Development.
This year's "40 Under 40 Tastemakers" list marks the seventh year of the franchise with the full list being announced in the October print issue and online at WineEnthusiast.com.
To learn more about Santa Margherita, visit santamargherita.com
About Santa Margherita
Founded in 1935, Santa Margherita is a world-renowned Italian winery. Headquartered in Veneto for the past 80 years, Santa Margherita has grown into one of the most sought-after wine brands in the world. Santa Margherita represents some of the most prestigious, family-owned properties within three established growing regions of Italy: The Adige Valley, The Hills of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene and the Chianti Classico Zone. With a focus on taste and versatility, each property features winemakers dedicated to producing the highest quality wines that stay true to classic Italian traditions. The full portfolio is available in 85 countries and is comprised of Pinot Grigio Alto Adige and Valdadige, Chianti Classico Riserva, Sparkling Rosé, and Prosecco Superiore, with its Pinot Grigio being one of the most requested imported wines in U.S.
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California seems to be experiencing the end of the world, or maybe it just feels that way.
After a freak weekend lightning storm – 10,849 lightning strikes were recorded – the state is dealing with 367 ongoing fires, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Some of the worst blazes are in Wine Country, with more than 10,000 people in Sonoma County ordered to evacuate their homes. Korbel, Gary Farrell and Fort Ross Vineyard are among the wineries in the Sonoma evacuation zone. Korbel was in the middle of harvest, but the winery closed and sent the crews home.
Napa County has three enormous wildfires that have merged into a wall of flames that is fortunately, for now, still east of most of the county's famous vineyards, though the top of Atlas Peak was evacuated Tuesday night. The fires in Napa and Sonoma Counties have so far covered more than 45,000 acres, a larger area than the city of Washington DC, with no containment at all by Wednesday afternoon. CalFire said Wednesday morning that 8 percent of Napa County had burned, and 24,000 people lost power because of the fire.
Monterey County is also dealing with a massive fire, and fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains was intense enough to cover cars with ash many miles away.
Fighting each individual fire is complicated because there are so many, so neighboring counties don't have firefighters and equipment to lend. The last time Sonoma County faced significant wildfires, fire crews poured in from all over the state to help out. This time, the CalFire incident commander for Sonoma County said during a Wednesday morning press conference that the same firefighters have been out working on the front lines for 72 hours, with no relief from other crews.
Drought, fire and plague
Not only is this happening during a pandemic; there's also a heat wave over most of the western US. Death Valley set a world record high temperature Sunday of 130 degrees Farenheit (54.4 Celsius). Temperatures near the fire zone in Napa Valley were approaching 100F. The heat complicates firefighting and encourages evacuees to congregate in air-conditioned evacuation centers, where they might contract Covid-19.
The heat is also rushing wine grapes to ripeness at an inopportune time. Some wineries and growers were trying to line up crews to pick grapes later this week, hoping to avoid both overripeness and potential smoke taint. In San Francisco, the air quality by Wednesday afternoon was listed as "unhealthy" because of the smoke, with residents advised to limit outdoor activities. (We left our windows open in San Francisco Tuesday night and woke up Wednesday morning with ash on our sofa.)
As if that's not enough, the heatwave has become a crisis for the state's utility companies, which imposed rolling blackouts on some residents over the weekend to save energy.
And just for good measure, California announced a case of bubonic plague over the weekend at Lake Tahoe.
"This is biblical," Jill Klein Matthiasson, co-owner of Matthiasson Wines in Napa, told Wine-Searcher. "One thing I can’t stop thinking about is earthquakes….ugh! It's horrible for the people who have been evacuated and have to go to a shelter during COVID. Luckily, we don’t have to evacuate." But she did lose power at the winery.
Matthiasson said that despite the proximity to the fire, the sky is clear over her winery.
"The heat has really advanced ripening, and we're worried about smoke damage, so we are harvesting our Phoenix Vineyard Cab tomorrow," Matthiasson said. "Coombsville has some haze so we are going to harvest there on Saturday or sooner, depending on the weather. We are plugging away on the Chardonnay and should have all of that picked by Friday. Then we'll move on to the rest of the reds, and hope that the winds stay in our favor. I wanted harvest to be done quickly because of Covid, and at this rate, we’ll have everything in by mid-September and all of our ferments finished by October 1. This is hands-down the most stressful year ever, even more than the 2014 earthquake harvest."
Watching the wind
In Sonoma County's Alexander Valley, Jordan Vineyard & Winery is also so far under blue skies, said Lisa Mattson, Jordan's director of marketing and communications.
"The smoke was drifting toward Healdsburg around 5 pm [Tuesday], but then it shifted due south," Mattson said. "The skies have stayed blue in Alexander Valley since the start of both fires, so we currently have no concerns about smoke for Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon. KSRO radio reported this morning that the wind may shift this afternoon, so we are watching the situation carefully. Because the fire has had no impact on air quality or travel in the Alexander Valley area, we are still planning to host guests with reservations."
Mattson said Jordan winemaker Maggie Kruse is planning to harvest Russian River Chardonnay next week, with Cabernet still some weeks behind.
Kashy Khaledi, proprietor of Ashes & Diamonds in Napa, said he hopes to pick estate Merlot on Friday.
"Napa Valley is holding steady for now, thankfully, though I have real concerns for our neighbors to the east in Vacaville as the wind is blowing in that direction," Khaledi told Wine-Searcher. "One thing I’ll say about Napa Valley as a whole is the county, Napa Valley Vintners and Visit Napa Valley have been proactive about the current situation. Behind the scenes, there has been a fluidity of information, vigilance and plans being developed."
Khaledi said that, in 2017, the winery rushed to harvest some vineyards as the brix (sugar level) went up during the heat wave, but then the brix dropped when the grapes arrived to the winery.
Khaledi took photos of the lightning storm from his vineyard, and one photo reminds him of his favorite Metallica album, "Ride the Lightning".
"This photo from our vineyard a couple days ago made me blast the album pretty loud," Khaledi said. "After three years of weather events, it's hard not to cherish the hashtag #napastrong as I listen to this classic. I guess all we can do is ride the lightning."
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Wildfires have joined the pandemic and the economy on the list of 2020 challenges for California winemakers. An unseasonal and unprecedented series of thunderstorms blew through Northern California late Sunday night and early Monday morning, bringing lightning strikes that ignited dozens of blazes. A significant heat wave coupled with persistent winds stoked the fires, five of which are within Napa County and have since grown to burn a combined 42,000 acres, with no containment so far.
Cal Fire has named this cluster and two fires in Sonoma County the Lake-Napa Unit (LNU) Lightning Complex. Each of the Napa fires are located in the rural eastern hills above St. Helena and Rutherford. Overnight, one of the fires, dubbed Hennessey, exploded in size and spread southeast into neighboring Solano County toward Vacaville (population 100,000), a city between San Francisco and Sacramento, prompting widespread evacuations.
The fires had mostly been consuming dry vegetation in the first 48 hours. Late Tuesday, just three structures had burned. But by Wednesday morning that number had grown to 50, with thousands threatened.
The Hennessey fire and nearby Gamble fire initially endangered wineries and vineyards near Pope and Chiles valleys, including Napa's oldest family-owned winery, Nichelini. Winemaker Aimée Sunseri, a fifth-generation Nichelini, told Wine Spectator that several small fires all started to come together around their property, but that the winery was unharmed. "We lost a cabin and barn, but the firefighters were able to keep it from crossing the highway. If it weren't for the firefighters, [the winery] might not be standing." Sunseri added that she has no idea how their nearby vineyards fared. "That's our next concern—whether or not we will even be able to harvest this year."
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Green and Red winery in Chiles Valley also had a close call. "The fire is to the east and south of our vineyards, with the winds in our favor," Green and Red winemaker Michael Penn said. He added that the fire came at the worst moment. The winery had its first pick of the year scheduled for yesterday. "We were just working on our cleaning and harvest preparations when the evacuation orders came through," said Penn. "Moving from a health crisis right into an environmental crisis is a lot to ask of a winemaker!"
Staff at Stanley Cheng's Hestan Vineyards, situated in a remote corner of far southeastern Napa Valley, watched as the fire raced through a nearby canyon last night. "The fire went by, and it was a little frightening," said winemaker Jeff Gaffner. "It was a ridge and a half over, and stayed there. Everyone is nervous, but we're feeling fortunate."
Though the fire has mostly spread to the south and east outside of Napa County, there are still pockets burning in the eastern hills, including near the Pritchard Hill area, home to Chappellet, Continuum, Colgin and others, as well as Atlas Peak, one of the hardest-hit areas during the 2017 fires, and the eastern foothills above Yountville and Stags Leap District.
Lightning struck a tree at El Molino winery in Napa Monday morning, sparking a fire. The owners and neighbors were able to put it out.(Courtesy of El Molino)
"We are thankful to share the news that everyone is safe at Chappellet, and we're deeply grateful for the outpouring of concern and offers to help," Cyril Chappellet told Wine Spectator. "Naturally, we are monitoring the situation very closely. Because fire is always a possibility in California, Chappellet is very well prepared, and we have a thorough fire response plan in place, which includes things like an in-house fire chief, an on-site fire truck, pressurized water tanks, and strategic fire breaks that have been established around the vineyard."
Schatzi Throckmorton, proprietor of Relic, who endured fire danger and evacuations during the 2017 fires, said Soda Canyon Road, the main road to the winery, is now closed. An untimely closing, as they were slated to begin picking grapes this morning. Throckmorton teased that she still remembers all the back ways into the winery, if necessary. In 2017, Throckmorton's husband, winemaker Mike Hirby, hiked across the Napa River behind the barricade and up to the winery. The Relic team navigated perilous access roads to sneak in a generator and complete harvest.
A statewide crisis
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency Tuesday, as countless other fires of various sizes and severity are burning throughout the state. He also said residents can expect continued rolling blackouts while the heatwave puts stress on electrical utilities. In addition to the raging wildfires in Napa County, part of the LNU complex includes a 1,500-acre fire in the rural hills west of Healdsburg, and the 25-acre Meyers fire on the coast, near Jenner, both in Sonoma County.
Jasmine Hirsch of Hirsch Vineyards said the Meyers fire is the closest to their property, but they are safe for now. They had a scary moment on Monday, when lightning struck an old redwood on the Hellenthal property adjacent to theirs. "We mobilized our crew, and Gard Hellenthal cut a road down to the fire with his bulldozer and brought a water truck down and got it contained," she said, noting that a team from Cal Fire soon arrived to put out any remaining embers.
Hirsch said her bigger concern is how they're going to supply the clients that buy grapes from their vineyards with some surrounding roads inaccessible. "No one has called a pick yet, but harvest is earlier than we anticipated," she said, noting that they originally projected beginning Sept. 7, but the grapes quickly went through veraison even before the heat wave. "Up until Monday, it was shaping up to be an extraordinary vintage," she said. "Then a power outage fried our cooling system, and rain got us worried about botrytis, all while waiting on calls from Cal Fire to update us on the fires."
The banks around Lake Berryessa in Napa's hillsides smolder after the LNU Lightning Complex fire burned through the area Aug. 18.(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Farther south, a cluster of fires in Calaveras, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties has burned 85,000 acres so far, with just 5 percent containment. Cal Fire has dubbed it the SCU Lightning Complex. Another blaze, the River fire, has burned 10,000 acres east of Salinas in Monterey County.
Gary Franscioni of his family's Roar Vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands reported that the River fire had jumped a firebreak and crossed over the northern boundary of the appellation but that no wineries or vineyards were currently threatened. The fire was fast-moving, however, he added. "It's pretty scary here," he said, noting that he was moving equipment out of the winery's Sierra Mar vineyard as a precaution. Franscioni said the area hadn't burned in 30 to 40 years and was filled with dried fuels.
Temperatures are expected to remain near triple digits throughout the week. Firefighting resources are strained, and battling multiple fires while housing evacuees in shelters during a pandemic is further exacerbating problems. It is an ominous beginning to California's fire season, which typically lasts until the end of October, when hot, dry winds are most frequent.
—with reporting by Kim Marcus and MaryAnn Worobiec.
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© Getty Images | Growers in Sonoma are eyeing the sky carefully for any change in wind direction.
