AWS News Aug / Sept 2019

AWS News ISSN 1543-205X

Promoting Appreciation of Wine through Education

Volume 33, No. 4 www.americanwinesociety.org August-September 2019

In This Issue Almost Conference Time ...

Awards Nominations 5 Pick your favorite word/term from the following to describe our
2019 conference in St Pete Beach, Florida.
AWS Educational Foundation 15
WOW – Our members recognized a great value and all 550
Chapter Events 11 conference slots sold out in just over 72 hours after the open-
ing on June 17.
Editor’s Musings 2
UNIQUE – In keeping with our mission of “Promoting Wine
Financial Statements 10 Appreciation Through Education,” we are proud to offer our
three-year Wine Judge Certification Program, Super Tasting
Government Affairs 7 Series, and WSET Level 2 at conference.

“Magic in a Bottle” (book review) 5 EXTRAORDINARY – Our line-up of speakers offering 56 sem-
inars continues to improve each year with many new “rock
Member Service News 3 star” names of the wine world in 2019.

National Conference 3 INCREDIBLE – The Presidential Reception will be hosted by
first-time sponsor Garnacha/Grenache Wines to benefit our
National Tasting Project 4 Cru 100 program, for the advancement of w ine educa-
tion.
Tony Lawrence Tasting 8
SENSATIONAL – The AWS will present its Award of Merit to
Top Recent Winemakers (corrected)9 avant-garde winemaker Randall Graham of Bonny Doon Vine-
yards for his outstanding contributions to the wine industry.
Treasurer’s Repot 9
ON THE BEACH – Great wine! Great beach-
Wine Education 4 es! Warm weather! Gulf views! We’ll even
have some events on the sand (and maybe a
Yeast, Aromas and Nutrients 6 few in the water).

On behalf the Board of Directors, we look
forward to an exciting three days of wine in
Florida.

Joe Broski

[email protected]

Amateur Winemaking • Help with registration of wines (doesn’t require attendance
Competition in Full Swing
at the competition)
Winemakers
• Competition data entry
Registration remains open until October 19, 2019. Our Tampa-
based receiving location will be available between September • Running the Amateur Wine Experi-
1st and October 25th for your shipments. Registration and our
brochure are available at our competition site: ence

https://www.awscompetitions.com/on-line-entry • Learning the ropes to replace me

Vince Williams

[email protected]

Online registrations are preferred (less chance for copying
errors), but we can accept mail and fax registrations (thanks
Katie and David).

Competition Help

Who wants to be the next American Idol… I mean competition
chair? We’re always looking for folks to help out with the com-
petition. Here are a few of our needs:

AWS National Of ice Editor’s Musings

P. O. 889 It’s been hot here in Florida, so we’ve been enjoying lots of
Scranton, PA 18501 white and rosé wines. Have you tried Borsao Rosé, an inex-
pensive Grenache from Spain? It’s a good value … and a
Phone (888) AWS-9070 beautiful color.
Fax (888) 297-9070
Winemaking
(570) 344-4825
In the last issue of the AWS News we featured 2 winemaking
David Falchek Executive Director articles. We received a nice note from Bob Hale, Regional
[email protected] Vice President in Northeastern Pennsylvania, urging us to
include “more detailed wine making in the future, like the
Katie Kearney Member Services Manager 3Cs and Mickey’s article. This allows a springboard for Chap-
[email protected] ter Chairs to promote/discuss/mentor the winemaking pas-
sion.”
Website www.americanwinesociety.org
I made wine many, many years ago—from kits, juice and
2019 AWS National Of icers grapes. White, red, sparkling and even madeira. I think it
gave me a valuable perspective and appreciation of what is
President Joe Broski required to make a good wine.
JoAnn DeGaglia
Vice President Leanne Wheeler My husband Bill is now making his first wine. It’s from a kit—
Tom Wallman Lodi Zinfandel. The kit says it only takes 8 weeks, but we
Secretary know not to push it that much. I’ll keep you posted on his
Joe Dautlick effort.
Treasurer Aaron Mandel
Jay Bileti Correction
Directors at Large
Competitions Now for the sad news … when we published the Top 25 Re-
Education cent Amateur Winemakers in the April/May issue, I did not
Membership print the correct list. So … please see page 9 for the correct-
ed list. Thanks to John Koempel, who moved up to the #16
AWS News Staff position, for pointing out our error.

Pam Davey Editor—[email protected] Educational Opportunities

David Falchek Publisher On page 4, Aaron Mandel, Director of Education, describes
[email protected] some special opportunities for learning at our National Con-
ference. Of course, all the conference sessions are educa-
Adrienne Turner [email protected] tional (and FUN), but you can also earn prestigious creden-
tials through your AWS membership. The cost for the WSET
Tom Cobett [email protected] Level 2 Award program is significantly less than through oth-
er venues—sign up by August 20 if you want to enroll.
Sharyn Kervyn [email protected]
National Tasting Project
Kevin Kourofsky [email protected]
Has your local chapter conducted the NTP on Napa Valley
Bonnie Lance [email protected] Wines yet? It is a great opportunity to explore different vari-
etals and appellations within the second AVA recognized in
Diane Meyer [email protected] the U.S. (Did you know the first AVA was in Missouri?) I urge
you to take advantage of the NTP—Sharyn Kervyn and her
We welcome your comments, committee do a great job of choosing interesting topics and
suggestions and letters. wines for you to sample. It’s an easy tasting to host because
they have already developed the presentation materials for
Pam Davey, Editor you. And, later in the year, you can compare
[email protected] your chapter’s scores to the rest of the coun-
try.
AWS in Social Media
If you’re attending the National Conference,
Like us on Facebook americanwinesociety remember to make your session selections
Join us on LinkedIn American Wine Society August 4-9.
Follow us on Twitter @AmericanWineSoc
Follow us on Instagram americanwinesociety Pam Davey

AWS News August-September 2019 [email protected]

https://www.wineeducationweek.com/

Page 2

National Conference Member Service News

October 31- Nov 2, 2019 I hope you all are having a nice summer. After what felt like
TradeWinds Island Resort never ending rain in Scranton, PA, the sun is shining and it
is 90 degrees today. Conference registration went well this
St. Pete Beach, Florida year. We sold out in 4 days and we are looking forward to
having a great time in sunny Florida.
Conference registration opened in June and sold out within
four days…looks like it’s another packed event! If you haven’t registered yet, but want to participate, call
me—you may still be able to attend some of the activities.

#WinewithFriends

Session Selection—Aug. 4-9 We are launching #WinewithFriends on our
Social Media sites. What we are doing is
Conference session selection is just a few days away. It will randomly picking members and sending
open on Sunday, August 4 at 5pm EDT and conclude on them an email with a list of getting to know
Friday, August 9 at 5pm EDT. It is for pre-registered at- you questions like: What has been or is your
tendees. Once again, we have an incredible line-up of ses- dream wine related trip? With members in
sions for you to choose from. We have wine sessions from nearly all 50 states and several international
around the world, food and wine sessions for all you members, we think it will be fun to get to
“foodies” out there, and some winemaking sessions as well. know ---you! So stay tuned for our Friday
feature #WinewithFriends and if you don’t
The conference brochure has been distributed and includes want to wait for me to randomly pick your
instructions on how to select your top three session selec- name, send me an email and I’ll send you
tions in each time slot. Please look over these instructions to the questions.
make sure you are ready.
Katie Kearney
If you have questions on how this process will work, please
contact our Registration Coordinator Katie Kearney at mem- [email protected]
[email protected]. Please make sure
each individual person who plans on selecting their sessions Members by State 7/11/2019
on the AWS website has a username and password. If you
need assistance with your credentials for the website please
contact Katie Kearney and she will be happy to assist.

Welcome Reception AL 132 IN 56 ND 37 PR 7

We are excited to announce that the Thursday Welcome AR 10 KS 8 NE 26 RI 29

Reception is sponsored by the Rhone Rangers! The Rhone AZ 126 KY 95 NH 12 SC 202
Rangers is America's leading non-profit organization dedi-

cated to promoting American Rhone varietal wines. Ameri-

can Rhone-style wines are made from the same grapes that CA 386 MA 102 NJ 331 TN 85

have flourished for centuries in France’s Rhone River Valley.

Their growing popularity in the United States speaks to their CO 277 MD 194 NM 52 TX 134
versatility with food, wide range of rich flavors, and to the

skills of American winemakers. CT 203 MI 351 NV 93 UT 6

Showcase of Wine DC 14 MN 42 NY 497 VA 466

Friday’s Showcase of Wine will once again be title-sponsored DE 38 MO 37 OH 297 WA 60
by Wines of Lugana. Lugana is a tiny region in the north of FL 379 MS 22 ONT 10 WI 9
Italy, nestled between the better-known areas of Lombardia GA 107 MT 59 OR 106 23
and the Veneto, snug against the southern shores of Lake Other*
Garda, the largest lake in Italy.

Meal Sponsors IL 106 NC 411 PA 1054 Total 6706

The Sparkling Wine Breakfast will be sponsored by WTSO *BC, HI, IA, LA, QC, UT, VT, WV, Great Britain, Hong Kong
(Wines ‘Til Sold Out). Founded in 2006 and headquar-
tered in Pennsauken, New Jersey, WTSO is the leader in We are excited to have Wente Wines back as our Saturday
Wine Flash Sale sites, with over 25 million bottles sold. With lunch sponsor. Wente Vineyards, founded in 1883, is the
access to an extensive wine network, they have been able country's oldest continuously-operated family-owned winery.
to connect members to thousands of wineries around the Blending traditional and innovative wine-
world. making practices, they draw from their
estate vineyards in the Livermore Valley
We are happy to announce that Friday’s lunch will be spon- and Arroyo Seco (Monterey, CA) appella-
sored by Garnacha/Grenache. A new generation of wine- tions to create an outstanding portfolio of
makers in Europe, and particularly in its birthplace of East- fine wines.
ern Spain and Roussillon, are crafting innovative wines in
which the Garnacha/Grenache grape plays the starring role. See you in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Cheers!
A sip of these new wines is enough to understand European
quality and Garnacha/Grenache’s ability to deliver complex, Diane Meyer
structured, well-balanced wines.
[email protected]

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 3

Wine Education National Tasting Project

August is already here and the conference is only a few While the 2019 National Tasting Project (NTP) is wrapping
months away. A few years back, the formal educational oppor- up, I’ve been faced with the
tunities available to conference attendees were limited to the challenge of finding shipping
Wine Judge Certification Program. Starting this year, we will solutions for the 2020 NTP
have three separate all-day educational programs offered on and beyond. With the ever-
Thursday, October 31. changing state legal re-
strictions, MarketView Liquor,
Wine Judge Certification Program our online shipper, is now
only allowed to ship to a
The Wine Judging Certification Program (WJCP) is a three-year handful of states. This is also
program. The WJCP is primarily self-taught through assigned the case with WineWorks, the
alternate shipper we added
reading, tastings, compo- this year.
nent and fault testing, and
attending competitions. I am currently searching for large retailers who have loca-
Once a year, students tions in multiple states to support NTP requirements. I am
attend a class at the an- also looking into third-party shippers, but this is less effec-
nual AWS conference tive, as they will not promise who can get what wines. Plus,
where there is additional their upcharge does not make this an affordable option. This
material presented and an is an ongoing process that I hope to resolve by early Fall. I
exam given. Those who will update you on the status in the next issue.
pass the exam move on to
the next year. There is a The biggest challenge for the NTP is to find an interesting
great deal of work to com- theme with wines less mainstream. We want to hold your
plete prior to the exams. Both the program and the exam in- interest, yet select wines that are fairly easy to obtain. I’m
clude judging and fault identification. working with some suppliers who may be able to meet these
needs—more updates on this soon!
This is NOT a beginner course. The WJCP requires that you
already have some tasting experience and knowledge of wines. The reporting forms we have received thusfar show the wines
The program sells out every year and the first-year class is have been well received. Please note that the Excel workbook
filling up fast. We anticipate the class selling out soon, so if has tabs on the bottom containing various files, including the
you are interested, there is no time to delay. Entry requires reporting form. You’ll need to “enable edit-
the passing of a pretest, so please contact me to express your ing” to populate the form. Please also re-
interest. The cost of the program is $200 for each year of the member the deadline to submit your scores
classes plus an additional $50 test fee in year three. This cost to us for inclusion in the final report has
does not include program material costs. been extended to October 10, 2019. Unfor-
tunately we are unable to accept any late
Super Tasting Series—Level 1 reports, thank you for understanding.

A few years ago, we added the Super Tasting Program. The Sharyn Kervyn
Super Tasting Program is a
beginning wine education [email protected]
class with instruction in wine
tasting, wine styles, how Thank you for your
those styles are achieved support!
and the primary wine varie-
ties around the world. The day hands-on program provided on Thursday, October 31.
class includes a tasting of This one-day course at the conference will be taught by Deb-
many grape varieties and a orah Parker Wong. At the end of the course day at confer-
discussion of why some of ence, the exam will be given. The exam is NOT offered
online. Those registering for the program will receive the
those varieties taste as they do. WSET materials and be enrolled to take the online class.

The Super Tasting program is a great deal of fun and a solid The last online session prior to the conference starts on Sep-
starting point for those who have little wine education and tember 2nd. Because the online class has to be completed
want to get started. The Super Tasting Level 1 class has a cost prior to the conference, we need registration for this WSET
of $150 and takes place Thursday, October 21. class NO LATER THAN AUGUST 20.

WSET Level 2 While rewarding, this class will take some serious work.
WSET recommends a total of 28 hours of work, including
This year, we are adding the Wine and Spirit Education Trust class time and the exam. This is not a
to the education mix. WSET is the largest wine education pro- class you can just show up and pass. The
exam is a fifty-question multiple choice
gram is the world and offers exam and must be completed in one hour.
an internationally recognized The cost of this class is $425.
certification. We are offering
the WSET Level 2 Award at We look forward to seeing everyone at the
the conference. This program conference. If there are any questions,
is a beginner to intermediate please contact me.
level course for those seek-
ing to deepen their under- Aaron Mandel
standing of wines. WSET 1 is NOT a prerequisite to taking level
2. Indeed, I have only taught WSET 1 once. Typically, I have [email protected]
students start at level 2.

The WSET program will take place in two parts: A five-week
online class taken through WSET’s online system and a one full

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 4

Awards Nominations “Magic in a Bottle”

AWS presents four awards each year to people who have Do you want to learn about the histo-
made significant contributions to the wine industry and to our ry of wine and vinifera-growing in
organization. Our group has a long tradition of recognizing Ohio? This is a great, little book
individuals who have helped shape our Society and American about Arnie Esterer, co-founder and
wine. The winners we select are truly special and worthy. winemaker at Markko Vineyard, a
They are recognized for posterity. Our Award of Merit was true wine pioneer in the east.
first given in 1971 to Konstantin Frank, our founder.
Arnie Esterer and Tim Hubbard were
But …the people who receive these awards must be nominat- taking a big gamble back in 1968
ed by YOU, our members. If you feel that a person deserves when they started their vineyard and
to be honored as Outstanding Member, Outstanding Chapter winery in Conneaut, Ohio. With guid-
Chair, Outstanding RVP or Award of Merit winner, please send ance from Dr. Konstantin Frank, Ar-
a brief note describing why they should be honored. nie and Tim built a winery that has
led the way for the next generation
Nominations of European-style vinifera growers
and winemakers in Ohio.
Nominations are accepted until October 1. The Executive Ad-
visory Board selects the Award of Merit and Outstanding Markko Vineyard was no overnight success. It took years of
Member winners. The Board of Trustees selects the Outstand- trials and errors, successes and failures and much collabora-
ing Chapter Chair and Outstanding RVP. tion and learning to make wonderful vinifera wine in Ohio.
This is the story of one remarkable man, Arnie Esterer, and
Write your nomination TODAY so you don’t forget about it. his passion to produce only the best vinifera wines in the
We cannot honor those who deserve these awards without Conneaut Creek region of the Lake Erie appellation, where
your help. the critics said it could not be done. Clifford Annis captures
the untold story of Arnie Esterer, the “father of vinifera in
Award of Merit Ohio” and Markko Vineyard.

The Award of Merit is given to a person, whether or not a Many AWS members will recognize some of the other people
member of AWS, who has made a signifi- in this book—Dr. Konstantin Frank, Freddie Frank, Doug
cant contribution that advances the produc- Moorhead, Leon Adams—all have been very active in our So-
tion, understanding or enjoyment of wine. ciety and received our prestigious Award of Merit.
The person can be involved in viticulture,
enology, education, journalism or merchan- You can read more about Cliff and this book on Facebook at
dising. Paul Wagner received this award in https://www.facebook.com/cliffswinebook.
2018. As a marketing professional, Paul has
influenced the way the public drinks wine The book is available for purchase on Amazon, in both paper-
and thinks about wine. back and Kindle formats, or you can contact the author di-
rectly:
Do you know of a wine educator, wine mak-
er, grape grower, wine writer or other wine [email protected]
professional who deserves this award? Email Pam Davey 215-588-0384
[email protected].
In addition to great stories, it in-
Outstanding Member cludes lots of pictures and some
funny stories. Happy reading!

Pam Davey

[email protected]
Arnie Esterer & Cliff Annis

The Outstanding Member Award is Tina Tusa was the 2018 Outstanding
given to an AWS member who has Chapter Chair—she started the Historic
dedicated substantial time and ener- Lewiston chapter, near Buffalo, NY, and
gy to the advancement of AWS for grew it to 82 members in less than a
all of its members. Long and valua- year—WOW!
ble service as a national officer or
committee chairman; contributions To nominate a Chapter Chair for this
to the AWS Journal or other publica- award, please email Jay Bileti at Direc-
tions; or combinations of these [email protected].
would merit consideration for this
award. The 2018 winner was John Outstanding RVP
Hames, who served as our Executive
Director, National Conference Chair and continues to volun- We have many amazing Regional Vice Presidents and in
teer extensively for our group. 2018 this award recog-
nized Jeff and Nancy Sta-
There are many people who have made huge contributions to bins in the Northern New
our organization—at the national, regional and local level, but York region. They support
they can’t be recognized without your help. I am sure you the largest region in the
know a person who deserves this prestigious award. Email country (11 chapters) and
[email protected] to nominate him/her. visit the chapters in their
motorhome. What dedica-
Outstanding Chapter Chair tion!

Many of us belong to a local chapter and there are so many To nominate your RVP for this award, please email Jay Bileti
chairpeople who do a wonderful job keeping our groups orga- at [email protected].
nized, fun and moving forward. Why not recognize your
group’s leader?

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 5

Yeast, Aromas & Nutrients: Control

Fermentation Advice from Paul Brock Monitor your fermentation once a day. Use your nose to de-
tect trouble! He does not recommend adding nutrients before
Nobody wants stinky wine! And one way to find yourself with 1/3 to 1/2 reduction in Brix, especially not diammonium phos-
one is to believe winemaking is like taking a ride in a self- phate (DAP), unless your nose tells you otherwise. If you start
driving car—assuming the car does all the work. That ap- smelling something funky, especially rotten eggs, you may
proach in winemaking can lead to disaster—a stuck fermenta- have a hydrogen sulfide problem and may need to add nutri-
tion or maybe stinky wine. Stinky, by the way, seems to be a ents earlier.
“term of art.” Paul Brock used that term a lot when I spoke
with him, usually preceded by the word ”avoid.” Paul ex- There is also a lot of discussion in the wine world about how
plained that to have good aromas in wine, you need to have a warm or how cold the fermentation should be, especially in
successful fermentation. A good winemaker doesn’t drive, but aromatic white wines. Shoot for a temperature of 18 degrees
“shepherds” the fermentation process. It’s an apt comparison, C (about 65 degrees F) and a 2-3 brix reduction ( a maximum
as yeasts are like sheep—they don’t take orders and they of 5 brix) per day as a guide. Adjust the temperature as need-
need to be watched! ed to keep a good fermentation.

Paul Brock II is the talented winemaker and co-owner of Silver When you have reached your 1/3 to 1/2 overall reduction in
Thread Vineyards on Seneca brix, assuming no prior fermentation issues, then add a yeast
Lake in the Finger Lakes of nutrient, such as Fermaid K or Fermaid O as directed. Fermaid
New York. He’s an Assistant K does contain DAP, Fermaid O does not. Paul uses Fermaid O
Professor of Viticulture/Wine (mostly) but feels Fermaid is a safe bet.
Technology at Finger Lakes
Community College. He start- Co-Inoculate
ed as a home winemaker and
was kind enough to allow me Co-inoculation is a controversial subject, like fermentation
to have a follow-up interview temperature, also with deeply divided partisans. Whether to
after he presented a seminar co-inoculate malolactic bacteria while the primary fermenta-
lecture at the 2019 Rochester tion is proceeding, or after primary fermentation has complet-
Area Home Winemakers Semi- ed is the issue. Paul is a strong believer in co-inoculation as
nar on this very subject. he feels the wines are more fruit forward (not sweeter) and
more approachable when young. It is a great advantage to be
So, what is a successful fermentation? Paul defines it as one able to stabilize the wine with sulfite earlier, because malolac-
that results in a complete fermentation, done reasonably tic bacteria cannot tolerate much sulfite. The wine is protected
quickly, which results in pleasant aromas. Yeast will ferment from spoilage at an earlier time.
regardless of nutrition, Paul explained. But without proper
nutrition, some yeast will die and others may ferment to dry- But he warns that if you wish to co-inoculate, you must do so
ness, but will not produce pleasant aromas in the wine. 24 to 48 hours after primary fermentation begins and not dur-
ing a rolling fermentation. If not added early, you must wait
Nutrition, for these purposes, means mostly nitrogen. Profes- until the primary fermentation is at 5 brix!
sional winemakers always measure the yeast-assimilable ni-
trogen (YAN) in the must and use that information to decide Conclusion
what yeast to use and what additions might be needed. That
information is rarely available to amateur winemakers. So, I What is the relationship between yeasts, aromas and nutri-
asked Paul for some advice for amateur winemakers on how ents? The formula for success is:
to achieve a successful fermentation. Here’s his guidance:
Yeast + Nutrients x Shepherding = Good Aromas

Record Write that down, everyone. Thanks Paul!

Kevin Kourofsky

Keep good notes on past fermentations. The pros replicate Kevin is a Rochester area amateur winemaker
results, and you can too, by keeping a detailed record of each and grape grower. He is a Certified Specialist
fermentation, including problems that arose and how you in Wine from the Society of Wine Educators.
solved, or failed to solve, the problem. Paul told me that he He also holds the Advanced Certification, with
often refers to his journals to help manage a current fermen- distinction, from the Wine and Spirits Educa-
tation. tion Trust. He can be reached through his
blog at Kourofskywine.com.

Research Please join our winemakers forum on
the AWS website, built for you to ask
Tap into the vast amount of information available to profes- questions and share. It’s for all levels
sional and amateur winemakers, such as available yeasts,
their characteristics and nutritional needs. What was your of expertise.
experience with that varietal, or that particular vineyard’s
fruit? Was the fermentation too fast or too sluggish? Research AWS Logowear
can help you choose a better yeast strain to meet your needs.

Rehydrate www.logosoftwear.com/shops/AWS

Paul’s number one suggestion for a successful fermentation is We have a broad selection of jack-
proper rehydration of the dry yeast. Use a rehydration agent, ets, polo shirts, caps, fleece,
such as Go Ferm or Go Ferm Protect. Yeast doesn’t like to sweats, warm-ups, sweaters and t
“hang out” so there is no need to create a sugar starter solu- -shirts from suppliers like Adidas,
tion. Always follow the maker’s instructions. Columbia, Hanes, Puma, Eddie
Bower and Champion.

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 6

Government Affairs dents recently approved the revised rules, but the vote was-
n’t unanimous. The changes are expected to “enhance”
Washington, DC: events and, oh yes, create a new revenue stream. The SEC’s
14 schools were previously prohibited from selling alcohol in
What the U.S. Supreme Court Decision Means for the public areas at venues. Each school will now decide whether
Wine Industry to sell alcohol and, if so, will designate the locations where
beer and wine will be sold. The new policy takes effect Aug.
On June 25, 2019, the Supreme Court, with Justice Alito writ- 1, 2019, and does not impact suites, clubs or privately leased
ing for a 7-2 majority, affirmed the decision of the Sixth Cir- areas in which the sale of alcoholic beverages was previously
cuit Court of Appeals. An existing Tennessee law required a permitted under existing SEC regulations. No alcohol will be
business or corporation officer to be a Tennessee resident for served after 75% of the athletic event’s regulation length has
at least two years in order to apply for a permit to sell alcohol, been completed, unless you are in a suite, club or privately
and another 10 years to renew it. The Court said, "Because leased area!
Tennessee’s residency requirement for retail license applicants
blatantly favors the State’s residents and has little relationship Washington State
to public health and safety, it is unconstitutional."
The major wineries in the state are being told to pay a fee
Go back to the 2005 Granholm decision, which gave out-of- (tax) because they may someday become polluters. The
state wine producers the right to ship wine into another state. state Department of Ecology says that while the wineries
Extend that right to Retailers and Wholesalers, and you have have not polluted groundwater, they could. The fees will be
the essence of this most recent SCOTUS decision. States can rolled out as a wastewater-discharge permit and will go into
no longer discriminate against out-of-state alcoholic beverage effect July 27, 2019. Without the fee increases, The Dept. of
economic interests, whether that means wineries, distillers, Ecology says it would have to cut staff, which might increase
breweries, retailers or wholesalers. the chances that businesses will damage the environment.
The fee for a winery permit will range from $296 to $33,196
The possibility remains that some states may now decide to per year, depending on production.
stop all direct shipment of wine from within or from outside
their state. At least 16 state legislatures will have to update The Dept. of Ecology's estimated that
their now unconstitutional liquor laws. While all of this is going they will create 17 public-sector jobs in
on, what will common carriers like FedEx and UPS do? Most the first year and possibly more later.
likely, they will gradually accept wine shipments into states Many wineries will now intentionally
where the laws are changed to be absolutely crystal clear. remain under the 17,835 gallons per
And, you can expect Amazon to ship wine into those same year threshold.
states. It’s a bold new world!
Tom Cobett
Florida and Connecticut, without federal urging, recently re-
moved barriers to out-of-state retailers. Neither of these laws [email protected]
matter anymore. In the states where laws will need to be re-
written, do not expect anything to happen very quickly. ONLY IN FRANCE

Update: Lawsuits have already been filed against four states The French government has recently given permission for
(Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey and Texas) that allow their the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur
own wine shops to ship to consumers, but not out-of-state appellations to use non-Bordeaux
shops. grapes in their 2021 vintage wines.
There will be up to 10 new white and
Ottawa, Canada 10 new red grape varieties chosen in
June 2019. These new “accessory
Canada has finally approved shipping alcoholic beverages be- grapes” can be used at up to 10% by
tween provinces. The restriction on shipping and transporting
alcoholic beverages between Canadian Provinces has been volume in the wine blend. The varieties are being chosen
around for 91 years. As of June 21, 2019, there is no longer because of their late ripening characteristics.
any federal prohibition on the movement of alcohol between
provinces. There are still some provincial laws that may re- The French are concerned that early ripening grapes, like
strict alcohol movement without a permit, or may restrict the Merlot, may become susceptible to over-ripening due to
amount of alcohol that you can bring in from another prov- global warming. Growing late ripening grapes may provide
ince. The end of the federal restrictions is a huge factor in the some insurance for maintaining high quality grapes going
elimination all the remaining restrictions that remain in some forward. These new varietals will not be shown on the labels
provinces. Pretty cool, eh? (at least not yet).

Napa Valley, CA Cruise from Monte Carlo to Venice
on the Crystal Serenity
Although growing cannabis in California was legalized in 2016, May 3-10, 2020
it remains illegal in Napa Valley. Grapes represent 99% of the
county’s agricultural revenue. Many grape growers fear that
cannabis would contaminate their vineyards, strain an already
-tight farm labor force and detract from wine sales. The pro
cannabis group gathered enough signatures in favor of an
initiative to get the proposal on the 2020 election ballot. The
proposal still has to be cleared by the county’s election office
and the Napa County Board of Supervisors.

Destin, FL Join host Paul Wagner and your AWS friends for a
week of fabulous wine, food and cruising. Visit the
The Southeastern Conference will soon allow the sale of beer
and wine at sporting events. Chancellors and school presi- AWS website for more information.

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 7

Tony Lawrence Tasting • Butterfat to Bubbles is a contrast: The sparkling wine cuts

By Jan Thomas through fat.

Ethel Drayton-Craig presented Tony Lawrence, The Global • Fried chicken to Bubbles is a contrast: Fried chicken has
Winechef, to the Lehigh Valley (PA) Chapter. His presentation,
“Tony’s Flavor & Aroma Classic Pairings: Aroma First, Flavor crunch and fat.
Second,” was held on Sunday, May 19, 2019 in the Lyric Room
of Miller Symphony Hall. • Goat cheese to Bubbles is a complement: Milk acid to ac-

This unique tasting stressed wine first and food second in the id—Sourdough has high milk acid. Therefore, pairing it
pairing of food with wine. With six courses plus the welcoming with Bubbles is a nice complement because of the yeast in
Italian sparkling La Furlan Prosecco DOC Cuvée Beatrice Extra the sourdough starter and the toastiness of the bread.
Dry, the attendees learned to focus on how the taste of
each item on the plate changed/or how the taste of the wine • Arugula is green and peppery. Sauvignon Blanc is herba-
changed with the pairing. Lengthy time was devoted to this
process as we paired, shared and listened to our expert. It was ceous, so they complement one another.
quite an educational experience…and a delicious one at that!
Here is the menu: • The Wagner wine from the Finger Lakes has a shorter

Menu growing season than the Mosel. Both are made in stainless
steel.
NV Roederer Brut Premier Champagne, France
Silky complexity, razor acidity, citrus, pear, hazelnut • Each wine has a steak weight as a pairing guideline:

Triple Crème Goat Cheese, Sourdough, Filet and Merlot are perfect
Green Grapes, Kiwi, Gooseberry Rack of Lamb pairs with Mountain fruits and rosemary
Rib Eye pairs with Syrah
2016 Ninety Plus Cellars Sancerre, Lot 126, France NY Strip pairs with hillside red wine (Cabernet)
2017 Joe Gott Sauvignon Blanc, N apa Lambrusco and Brachetto are low alcohol—they go
nicely with prosciutto, pastrami and corned beef
Crisp citrus, melon notes, grapefruit essences on bright flint
• Washington State Merlot pairs well with seafood because
Arugula, Grilled Pear, Mandarin Orange, Dried Figs, Feta Salad
with a Meyer Lemon Curd Vin of the terrior. The grapes have the high minerality from
fossils/bones in the soil.
2017 Dr. Loosen Dr. L Mosel Riesling, Germany
Classic-Pear, apple aromatics, rich, zesty, balanced sweetness • Spanish cuisine (saffron, pink grapefruit, roasted peppers)

2017 Wagner Riesling Semi Dry Finger Lakes N Y is good with Spanish reds like Grenache.
Stone fruits, aromas of peach and pear, crisp, firm acidity

Maryland Lump Crab Cake with Granny Smith Apple Cole Slaw

2015 Rocca di Castagnoli DOCG Chianti Classico Reserva
Fresh cherries, rustic acidity on vanilla notes, hints of elegance

2017 Tesora Della Regina Chianti Classico Reserva
Rustic charm, red fruit aromas, racy acidity, floral back notes
Linguine Pasta Tossed in a Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Basil

Sauce With Aged Pecorino Cheese Truffle Oil

2017 Stags’ Leap Merlot, N apa
Aromatic black cherry, dried thyme, roasted almonds, hints of
black truffle, full mid-palate carries though to the long finish

2018 Jean-Claude Debeaune Special Selection Merlot
Mignon Yukon Gold Parsnip Mash

French Asparagus, Caramelized Onions, Creamy Blue

Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port, P ortugal
Seductive, rich stone fruits, ripe aromatic cherries, complex

Stella Foire Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG, I taly
Aromatic red berries, lush, intense, soft and refreshing

Flourless Chocolate Torte, Raspberry Sauce

Take-Aways

• Today’s approach to warm weather and wines of higher alco-

hol suggests you cool/chill the red to bring out the fruit. This
gives the perception of holding back the oak and alcohol.
When you grill food, it mirrors the oak in wine.

• Wine acid with acid food cleanses fat; neutralizes and sof-

tens food. An acidic dish and wine acid cancel out each oth-
er. Contrast sweet to bold; sweet to salty.

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 8

2018 Treasurer’s Report Corrected

Recent (2014-2018) Top

I am pleased to report that the American Wine Society continues Amateur Winemakers
to operate on solid financial footing.
Several years ago, one of our members asked that we pub-
Membership dues revenue continues to show year-over-year lish a list of the “winningest” recent w inemakers. As
growth. This is critical as this single source of revenue largely newcomers to our annual competition know, it takes many
pays for the operating costs of the Society. The three-year mem- years to break into the Top 50 Amateur Winemakers list
bership option continues to be well accepted; in addition to help- that we publish in the February/March AWS News each
ing lower the rate of member attrition, it has also helped us re- year. Some of those people no longer participate in the
duce the annual renewal burden and build our cash reserves. competition, but were so good that they are still in our Top
50.
The National Conference and the Amateur and Commercial Wine
Competitions were both financial successes in 2018. The second This list recognizes the accomplishments of
AWS Wine Cruise, a leisurely meander through Bordeaux, gener- winemakers who have won medals at our Am-
ated an increased marketing commission over that for our initial ateur Winemaking Competition in the last 5
cruise on the Danube. This new source of revenue should contin- years. Our competitions are held right before
ue going forward. While the amount of the commission will vary the National Conference. Information on en-
from year to year, it is important to note that there is virtually tering is available at:
no cost to AWS to generate this revenue. https://www.awscompetitions.com/on-line-entry

In 2018, the Board of Directors launched a new fundraising initi- Mickey Krauss
ative called Cru 100. The initial goal of this initiative is to raise
$50,000 to be used solely for developing educational program- Rank Name State/
ming and materials for our local chapters. Along with the money Prov. Points Medals
raised from the President’s Reception at the National Conference, 1 Krauss, Marion
$11,500 has been raised to date. An independent committee has 2 Beers, Lamont PA 4,878 78
been created to monitor and direct the use of the designated NY 3,888 63
funds for their intended purpose.

Lastly, our continuing focus on controlling expenses, when com- 3 Traxler, Tim PA 3,432 66
bined with the stability and growth of our revenue sources, has NH 2,892 54
allowed us to build a cash reserve sufficient to carry the Society 4 Gribble, Gordon W. CO 2,260 46
through an extended period of financial difficulty in the unlikely PA 2,122 43
event of an unforeseen reversal. We have 5 Gower, Chuck & PA 2,060 38
begun investing our reserve cash in safe, Cheryl DiPanfilo MD 2,040 39
insured, interest-bearing accounts to take RI 2,026 37
advantage of higher interest rates on short- 6 Oren, Rett
term time deposits. PA 1,872 36
7 Stopper, Edward PA 1,752 36
In summary, the Society’s financial position
remains string. 8 Fiola, Joe

Thomas Wallman 9 Capotosto, Luke &
Barbara Medeiros
[email protected]
10 Fisher, Jeffrey &
Donna Lombardo

11 Roccograndi, Francis Jr.

12 Piancone, Louis & NJ 1,608 27
Madeline

Are you going on the AWS cruise from Monte Carlo 13 St. Pierre, Barry & Sissy CT 1,562 29
to Venice in May 2020? Do you want to join others 14 Kampers, Stephen ONT 1,466 23
from our Society on a visit to Tuscany afterwards? 15 Spaziani, Gene CT 1,408 25

Dick Marsden is going to extend his stay and hop- 16 Koempel, John PA 1,342 28
ing to connect with other AWS members. 17 Diehl, Mark GA 1,308 21

If you are interested, contact Dick at 18 Westman, Michael B. PA 1,252 28

[email protected] 19 Schlachter, Mel IA 1,030 19

Be sure to Include your phone number so he can 20 Browning, Doug & Joanne NJ 962 20
give you a call.
21 Szaro, Robert MA 958 16

22 Sienknecht, Dave CA 902 17

23 Guber, Albert Jr. VA 842 17

24 Mulfinger, John PA 836 14

25 Carson, Frank MI 756 18

AWS News August-September 2019 Congratulations to our award-
winning amateur winemakers!

Enter your wines in this year’s competition at
https://www.awscompetitions.com/on-line-entry

Page 9

American Wine Society American Wine Society

Statement of Activity Statement of Financial Position

For the Period January - December As of December 31

2018 2017 2018 2017

REVENUE ASSETS
Membership Dues (Note 2)
Donations - Unrestricted $194,953 $183,836 CURRENT ASSETS
Donations - Restricted (Note 3)
Interest Income 134 83 Cash - Checking $178,176 $ 84,733
Journal Advertising
Commission Revenue 11,500 - Cash - Savings 238,892 247,683
Book & Resale Items
Other income 2,122 113 Total Cash 417,068 332,415

1,111 705

30,500 27,000

1,420 146 Paypal Deposits - 19,651
Inventory 4,829 1,623
543 65 Conference & Committee Advances 10,225 3,633
Prepaid Expenses 1,035
Program Revenue 43,383 36,572 - 358,357
Competition Fees 228,182 345,124 Total Current Assets 432,122
Conference Fees
Certification & Education Programs 11,580 4,526 FIXED ASSETS 16,615 16,615
283,145 386,222 Equipment (at cost)
Total Program Revenue 525,428 598,170 Accumulated Depreciation
TOTAL REVENUE Total Fixed Assets

TOTAL ASSETS (14,153) (14,153)

EXPENSES 2,463 2,463
Program Expenses
Conference Costs $434,585 $360,820
Competition Costs
Certification & Education Costs 217,904 311,494 LIABILITIES & FUND BALANCE
Journal and Newsletter Costs 25,713 18,441
4,166 20 CURRENT LIABILITIES
Total Program Expenses 38,021 47,483
Accrued Expenses $ 11,652 $ 3,385
Management and General Expenses 285,805 377,438
Compensation Expenses Accrued Payroll Taxes 2,509 7,314
53,880 52,844
Executive Director Salary 37,589 37,111 Deferred Revenue-Membership Dues 147,526 118,013
Member Services Manager Salary
Payroll Taxes 9,660 8,796 Donations Payable-AWS Fire Relief - 5,900
Total Compensation Expenses 101,129 98,751
Administrative Expense Total Current Liabilities 161,686 134,612
Charitable Contributions 500 -
Executive Directors Expense - 5,602 FUND BALANCE 218,355 171,665
Insurance 3,278 Unrestricted 54,543 54,543
Mail/Delivery 8,510 9,481 Restricted
Membership Certifications 6,831 4,198 Total Fund Balance 272,898 226,208
Bank Card Fees 6,178
Website & Database 219 12,683 TOTAL LIABILITIES & FUND BALANCE $434,585 $360,820
Office Supplies 13,795 3,373 Notes to Financial Statements
Office Expense 13,551 12,367 1. The Financial Statements are prepared on the accrual basis.
Other 4,087 2. The Society offers 1 and 3 year membership options, and
Printing 2,467 4,057
Promotional Expenses 12,943 3,189 membership dues are recognized on a pro-rata basis over
Telephone 3,990 the appropriate 1 or 3 calendar year period.
Travel Officers & Directors 840 25,065 3. Donations-Restricted are specifically reserved for developing
Professional Services 2,266 educational programming and materials for local chapters,
Video Production 2,248 - and cannot be used for normal operating expenses.
Total Administrative Expense 3,273 -
Total Management & General Expense 17,710 97,547 Did you know that AWS can receive a contribution
5,762 196,298 from Amazon every time you place an order? It
Fundraising Expenses - doesn’t cost you a thing … the prices are the same;
325 573,736 you have the same selection of merchandise; your
TOTAL EXPENSES 91,238 account history, shopping cart and wish lists remain
192,368 24,434 the same. All you have to do is sign up and then go to
Net Revenue smile.amazon.com when you shop. It’s easy and you
565 can help AWS with every purchase.
478,738
Page 10
46,690

Fund Balance - Beginning of Year 171,665 147,231

Fund Balance - End of Year $218,355 $171,665

AWS News August-September 2019

Chapter Events  On April 28, the Hammonton (NJ) Chapter hosted a tasting

organized by RVP Marshall Lipson at Casciano Café in Ham-

monton. The theme of the tasting was “Story Wine.” All of the

 The Bristow (VA) Chapter met on May 19 for a tasting of guests brought a bottle of wine with a story, sentimental or

funny, to share with the group. It was unique as it allowed

the wines of Southern Italy. The session was conducted by Al the guests to draw up a personal connections to wine with a

Guber. The twelve members who attended were asked to life story. They took time to score the wines based on the

match the wines to descriptors. Our chapter has moved its wines themselves with no influence from the story’s impact.

meeting place to the Effingham Manor Winery. The top wines were:

2017 Masciarelli Trebbiano D’Abruzzo $13 2010 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino $75 (1)

2017 Mastroberardino Lachrymal Christi Bianco 20 2015 Alto Moncayo Granacha 32 (2)

2017 Mastroberardino Falanghina Campania 20 Achaval Ferrer Late Harvest Malbec 85 (3)

2017 Mastroberardino Radici Fiano Campania 24

2017 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi Rosso 20

2015 Masciarelli Montepulciano Marina Cvet 25 (3)

Abruzzi

2008 Monti Montepulciano d’Reserva Pignotto 30

Abruzzi

2017 Livel Susumaniello Salentino IGT Apulia 20

2017 San Marzano Primitivo Manduria Talo Apulia18 (1)

2015 Livel Askos Malvasia Nera Apulia 20

2015 Bisceglia Gudarra Aglianico Basilicata 21

2014 Librandi Ciro Duca San Felice Ris. Calabria 17

2016 Tascante Ghiaia Nera Sicily 32

2016 Morgante Nero D’Avola Sicily 20 (2)

 Nancy and Ray Sykes opened their beautiful home for the  The Heritage Hunt (VA) Chapter has long wanted Barbours-
Emerald Coast (FL) Chapter’s May tasting of ABC
ville Vineyards to conduct a tasting at one of our monthly
(Anything But Chardon-
nay) Summer Whites. We meetings. In May, they
started the afternoon
with 3 aperitif wines - were fortunate enough
2018 Ruffino Orvieto
Classico, Casal Garcia to have Jason Tesauro,
Vinho Verde and Barefoot
Pinot Grigio. Although Chief Sommelier of Bar-
inexpensive, the Barefoot
is always a crowd-pleaser boursville Vineyards,
- it’s light, refreshing and
a nice sipper for summer conduct just such a tast-
casual parties and boat
rides. We had several presenters. First, Bill Davey gave us ing. Jason was an abso-
background information on how white wine is made, white
wine consumption and the most popular white grapes. Next, lutely outstanding
new member Scot Abel shared information about German
Rieslings and their classification system. Scot and Joanna speaker who held every-
spent several years in Germany and enjoyed exploring wine
regions. The Karl Joseph Piesporter was off-dry, but refreshing one’s attention as he
and juicy. It had a perfumy nose and a clean aftertaste. The
Vouvray, tied with the Riesling for first, had a great aroma, talked about wines in
good balance and reminded us of canned peaches.
general and Barbours-

ville wines in particular. The evening started with a Cuvee

1814 Brut, followed by two whites (Vermentino and Viognier

Reserves), a rosé, three reds (Cabernet Franc, Nebbiolo and

Octagon XVIII), and finished with a delicious dessert wine

(Paxxito). Again, the Virginian Dining Room staff did a superb

job of providing light snacks to accompany the tasting. After

the tastings, it was clear as to why Barboursville Vineyards

was the only Virginia wine producer to be listed among the

240 best wineries in the world by Wine Spectator magazine.

Jayne Jackson explained the origin of Fumé Blanc and intro- Every wine was exceptional.

duced us to the sauvignon blancs. The Kim Crawford had an NV Cuvee 1814 Brut $23

“in your face” minerality and went particularly well with Don 2018 Vermentino Reserve 21

Hein’s homemade sushi. We wrapped up the afternoon with 2017 Viognier Reserve 20

Mojito Chicken accompanied by member-made salads, sides 2017 Allegrante Rose 18

and desserts. Thanks so much to Ray and Nancy for sharing 2016 Cabernet Franc Reserve 23

their home and hospitality with us and to all the presenters - 2015 Nebbiolo Reserve 45

what a great afternoon! 2015 Octagon XVIII Edition 50

NV Poema Cava Brut (Spain) $14 2014 Paxxito 29

2017 Karl Josef Piesporter Michelsberg Kab. 11 (1)  Thirty-two members from the King George Chapter, 1 guest
and guest speaker Walt Rachele gathered at the American
2015 Sauvion Vouvry (France) 16 (1) Legion July 12 for a presentation on White Ports. While con-
ducting chapter business, we were treated to a white starter
2017 Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc(Sonoma, CA) 17 (2)
wine (Cabriz white), followed by
2017 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (NZ) 14 a red from the Dao region
(Cabriz Colheita Selecionada)
2016 Marques de Caceres Verdejo (Spain) 11 and a red from the Alentejano
region (Monte Velho). People
2016 Samtp Samtpromo Assyrtiko (Greece) 18 began to answer questions on a
quiz Walt had prepared on
2017 Fetzer Shaly Loam Gewurz(Monterey, CA) 9 (2) ports. Walt was then more for-
mally introduced. Attendees
 The Greater Pittston (PA) Chapter's Amateur W ine- learned about his study of port
makers’ Competition was a great that started with accepting a
success. Thank you to all the wine- challenge to present ports over
makers that attended. Richard Wowk thirty years ago at his local AWS
was the big winner, taking medals for chapter. In addition to being a
Best Red, Best White, Best Dessert member of AWS, he is a Master Knight of the Brotherhood of
and First and Second place medals the Knights of the Vine, Treasurer of AWS Education Founda-
overall. John Casey Donahue took the
medal for Third place overall. Thanks
to Ray Bartolai of Bartolai Wines for
again sponsoring the medals for this
event.

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 11

tion and a certified wine judge. which is evidenced by wines with firm structure and incredible
varietal intensity. The top 3 scoring wines were from two such
There are about 20 grapes that can be used to make white mountainside vineyards of Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain.

port, the most notable being Malvasia Fina, compared to They concluded the evening with a dinner of Chicken Marbella

about 25 for red port. He addressed the institute that governs with rice and appetizers and side dishes brought by mem-

the quality of Port and also shared that it is really hard to ob- bers. After a heavy rainstorm they were able to enjoy the

tain vineyard specificity, although genuine port comes from night air and a few more sips of delicious Mountain wines!

grapes grown on the banks of the Upper and Middle Douro 2015 Keenan Chardonnay $39

River. Attendees were invited to try a piece of fresh mint and 2014 Catena Alta Chardonnay 34

an ice cube with the port and most agreed it tasted like Mint 2015 Nativ Blu Onice Aglianico 65

Juleps. Portuguese Spicy Shrimp, Custard Tarts, Blue Cheese, 2016 Alto Moncayo Garnacha 48

bread and strawberries were served, bringing out the flavors 2009 Pestoni Family Merlot 80

of the port. The pairings were outstanding. 2014 Prim Family Cab Sauv 80 (2)

Quinta da Romaneira $13 (2) 2013 G Wine Mts. Cab Sauv 85 (3)

Presidential 13 2014 Beringer Private Res. Cab Sauv 170 (1)

Offley 16 (2)

Calem 14  The Myrtle Beach (SC) Chapter met on June 6 for “D-DAY
Wines: Allies vs Axis.” Chairs Richard and Mary Berezinsky
Barros 16 (1) and 28 members/guests attended. Wines from Allied nations
were compared to similar wines from Axis nations. We
Maynard's 18 learned how the same grapes, due to terroir or winemaking
methods, could produce very different tasting wines. After the
 Donna and Craig Serio hosted the Lehigh Valley (PA) Chap- tasting the group concluded the Allies had won!
ter on April 28th to “Wines of Umbria” at Vivo Italian Kitch-
2017 Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling (US) $16
en Restaurant in Allen- 2017 Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Dry Riesling (G)16
town. A capacity crowd
of 30 members enjoyed 2017 Lucien Albrecht Tradition Pinot Gris (FR) 20
10 fantastic Umbrian 2018 Albino Armani Pinot Grigio (Italy) 12
wines. Craig and Donna
gave a very educational 2017 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel (US) 13
presentation on a topic 2017 Caleo Primitivo Salento (Italy) 10
they know well because
of their travel and con- 2017 Miles from Nowhere Shiraz (Australia) 13
tacts with vintners in the 2017 Cruz Alta Reserve Malbec (Argentina) 13
area. It was a great
tasting highlighted by  Loretta and Dan provided the Northampton (PA) Chapter
personal stories about
the vintners and the with an excellent sampling of the
vineyards.
variety of wines produced in PA.

They tasted two whites, six reds and

It should be no surprise that a red came in as the #1 wine, one sweet wine, all from the eastern
2012 Tabarrini Montefalco Sagrantino Colle Alle Macchie ($45)
at 17.9 points. Wine Spectator gives it 95 points and states, and central parts of the state. The
"This lovely red shows a stallion's marriage of power and
grace, layering flavors of crushed black raspberry, herbes de scores below show that all the wines
Provence, mocha and ground spice with dense, ripe tannins.
Full-bodied, this is long and creamy, echoing more spice and scored within the good to excellent
mineral accents on the lasting finish." Placing second was
2012 Falesco Marciliano Cabernet IGT ($32) at 17.6 points. It range per AWS scoring standards..
is rated 93 by James Suckling who says, "A red with dark-
chocolate, coffee and blueberry aromas and flavors. Full body, The wine that prompted the most
firm tannins and a soft, silky finish. Delicious. Love the walnut
and hazelnut undertones to this. Always a beautiful merlot. discussion was wine #8, Cedar from
Drink or hold. " In third place at 17.2 points was 2017 Tabar-
rini Montefalco Rosso Boccatone ($25). Wine Spectator gave it Va La Vineyards. This was clearly a
88 points and describes it as "A medium-bodied red, with
spice and fresh herb notes leaping from the glass, and accent- love it or hate it wine with individual
ing the tightly knit flavors of crushed cherry and mulberry
fruit, with hints of leather and smoke. Lively, showing fine scores ranging from 6 and 8 on the
tannins on the finish.”
low end to 18 and 19 on the high

end - very controversial scoring!

2017 Albarino Galer Estate Winery $35

NV Traminette Seven Mountains Winery 16 (3)

2016 Six Points Deerfoot Winery 20

2016 Runaway Red Nimble Hill Winery 12 (2)

NV 90 Black River Farms 19

2013 Cabernet Franc Grovedale Winery 18

2015 Veritas Pinnacle Ridge Winery 20 (1)

2015 Cedar Va La Winery 52

2017 Blueberry Patriots Deerfoot Winery 15

 The Lone Star (TX) Chapter met on Saturday, May 18, in  The Ocean Isle Beach (NC) Chapter met on June 23, at the

the home of Carolyn and Bob Carlisle with 28 members enjoy- Silver Coast Winery for a tasting featuring wines from Alsace,

ing a tasting of Mountain Vineyards. As we tasted these wines France. Forty-

from some of five members

the great wine and guests par-

regions of the ticipated in the

world, they event. Stan

became more Barwikowski,

aware of the Chapter Chair,

factors that presented an

influence the introduction to

qualities of the region its

these mountain wines and its

vineyards. terrior. He in-

While steep cluded an edu-

slopes and high cational video

altitude corre- from WSET,

lates with wine which the group found to be very informative. Silver Coast

price … the better drainage and lower yields in the higher Winery winemaker Dana Keeler offered the group some

slopes produce higher quality wines. As the mountain-based unique insights from his many years of experience. The wines

soils have fewer nutrients thus causing the vines to struggle, were paired with a variety of foods showing the versatility of

the slopes are steep and have great drainage. With this high- Alsatian wines. They demonstrated that you do not have to

er elevation the grapevines produce smaller individual berries break the bank to enjoy truly wonderful French wines.

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 12

2016 Hugel Gentil $15  The Southport (NC) Chapter met on Friday, July 12 at St.

2016 Hugel Riesling 24 James Community Center. It was hosted by Dave and Vicki

2016 Pierre Sparr Gewurztraminer 20 Caruso (Co-Chairs). Special guest Alan Hess, CSW discussed

2015 Trimbach Gewurztraminer 26 the wines from the Canadian

2016 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Blanc 22 provinces. He reviewed the

2017 Alsace Wilm Riesling Reserve 14 terroir, regional temperatures,

2015 Schlumberger Les Princes Abbes Pinot Gris 22 the different types of grape

 On May 17, the San Luis Obispo (CA) Chapter tasted seven varietals (vitis vinifera, labrus-

“high-end” Pinot Noirs from ca and multiple hybrids) and

around the world. They tried winemaking methods (standard

wines from the Russian River, vs ice wine). The attendees

Santa Rita Hills, Burgundy, learned about the differences

Willamette Valley, and Central between the wines from the

Otago in New Zealand. The grapes grown on the eastern side of Canada versus those in

featured guest was one of the the British Columbia area. They conducted a “blind tasting” of

pioneers of Santa Barbara Canadian wines, and quizzed the attendees on appearance/

County winemaking: Ken aroma/taste/aftertaste of each of the wines. Our chefs pro-

Brown of Ken Brown Winery in vided Smoked Salmon, Green Salad w/ Goat Cheese, Chicken

Buellton, where he sources a la King, Swedish Meatballs, Pasta Bolognese, Roasted Chick-

fruit from the Santa Rita Hills AVA and produces some of the en, and Shrimp and Sausage with Skillet Corn to pair with the

top-rated Pinot Noirs in California. Ken pointed out that the wines. The membership enjoyed the blind tasting of the

Santa Rita Hills is the most significant transverse valley on the wines, the ensuing discussions and the food pairings.

west coast all the way from Alaska to Chile. This allows the 2010 Painted Rock Merlot $35 (1)

cooling northwesterly winds to come into the valley and mak- 2015 Cave Spring Cabernet Franc 20 (2)

ing it one of the coldest growing areas on the Pacific Coast. 2017 Henry of Pelham Chardonnay 17 (3)

It’s an ideal location to slowly develop complex flavors in Pinot 2016 Meyer, Reimer, Pinot Noir 40

Noir grapes. 2016 Quintessence Red 21

2015 Ken Brown “Le Encantada Vineyard,” CA $60 (3) 2018 Tidal Bay 19

2016 Joseph Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin, France 60 NV Meyer Family Sparkling 40

2015 R. Dubois-Nuits St. Georges 1st Cru “Les 60  The Triangle (NC) Chapter met on May 19th at the home of

Porêts St. Georges”, France Mark and Helen Spain for an interesting and surprising taste

2015 Ken Brown “Sanford & Benedict Vyd,” CA 60 (1) of the Wines of Slovenia. The

2015 Dom. Serene “Yamhill Cuvée,” OR 55 Spains had attended the ses-

2016 Landmark “Hop Kiln Estate,” CA 45 (2) sion held at the 2018 AWS

2015 Burn Cottage, Central Otago, NZ 60 Conference in Buffalo and

 The Saraveeno (FL) Chapter held a tasting on June 10th at wanted to share their Slove-

the home of Jill Woolf comparing wines from the left and right nia experience with our chap-

bank of Bordeaux. Jill prepared a main course of grilled lamb ter. Winemaking in Central

and several sides, brought by 18 guests, were shared. They Europe dates back over two

aso discussed the upcoming national conference and the many millennia. Winemaking in Slo-

happenings that take place there. venia can be traced to the Celts who dominated the Region in

NV Tissot Maire Cremant de Jura Rose $18 the 5th and 6th centuries B.C.! These wines garnered fame

2012 Ch. Vieux Chateau Palon St. Emilion 30 (1) and fortune under Roman rule and were nurtured during the

2015 Chateau de La Dauphine Fronsac 30 Middle Ages by monks and monasteries. By the end of WWII

2015 Chateau Garraud Lalande de Pomerol 30 Slovenia was part of communist Yugoslavia and its wine in-

2014 Les Hauts De Larrivet Haut Brion 30 dustry produced high volumes of unremarkable wines for the

2015 Chateau Lillan Ladouys St.Estephe 30 local populace. Private sector winemaking began to re-emerge

2014 Chateau de Ferriere Margaux 40 (2) in in the 1970s and sustained revival of the region's wine in-

dustry dawned with the country's independence in 1991, then

 On May 1, the Shallotte (NC) Chapter met at the home of picked up steam when it joined the EU in 2004. Today, Slove-

Barb and Steve Taylor with 12 members present. The theme nia has more than 28,000 wineries but only 6% of the wine is

was "Wines of Portu- marketed for export. These wines made from a combination

gal,” presented by of native and international grape varieties and are predomi-

Susan Shook, one of nantly white (but there are reds too). The world is beginning

our founding mem- to take notice of the quality of these unique wines.

bers. We sampled 7 NV Bedin Prosecco Spumante Brut $18

wines from various 2016 Ferdinand Rebula 20

regions of Portugal, 2013 Colliano Sauvignonasse 16

where wine has been 2017 Pullus Pinot Grigio 18 (3)

made since around 2016 Zajc Cvicek 15

2000 BC. In the 10th 2016 Kobal Blaufrankisch 23 (2)

century Phoenicians 2015 Colliano Cuvee Red 16 (1)

introduced new To be included in the AWS News, e-mail your tasting results

grape varietals and to [email protected]

winemaking tech- Please follow the format specified for Chapter Events.
Download it from the AWS website-Publications-AWS News.
niques. Up to this point most wine came from the southern
Include the cost of the wines you tasted,
coastal areas. Later the Greeks, Celts and Romans influenced plus scores or rankings. This information
lets other members know what you liked
moving north for viticulture and wine making. Today Portugal
ranks 11th in production with 230,000 tons. Production fluctu- and what wines were good values.

ates from year to year partly due to late frost in Terras de AND … Please send us sharp, interest-
ing pictures from your event. We
Beirs and Terrasde. The wines they tasted are shown in order would love to share them.

of preference. Adrienne Turner

2014 Confidential Reserva $11 (1) [email protected]

2014 Alcante Bouschet 11 (2)

2014 Bairrada Reserva 12 (3)

2016 Socalos do Bouro Vinho Verde 13

NV Noval Tawny Port 17

2014 Dao Tinto 16

NV White Port NV 10

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 13

AWS Educational SILENT AUCTION

Foundation News Christine Murphy is collecting donations for the AWSEF silent
auction to be held at this year’s AWS conference in Florida on
Friday, November 1, 2019. If you already know the items that
you would like to donate, please feel free to reach out to her

directly now and get it off your to-do list on vpcorpo-

[email protected]. Our ship-to point is the National Office, so

ELECTIONS you are welcome to ship it there or bring with you to personal-
ly deliver it to us at the conference. The donation form is post-

ed on our website: www.awsef.org.
The AWSEF needs you! P lease consider running in our

next election for a four-year term beginning January 1, 2020.

Applications are due ASAP! 2019 AWSEF SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

To apply, please prepare two short paragraphs of about 75
words each. The first paragraph should emphasize the candi- As promised in the last article, here are the research bios and
date’s qualifications (years of AWS membership, committee pictures of the eight 2019 AWSEF schol-
activities, wine-related or other nonprofit board activities, arship recipients. THANK YOU to all the
etc.). The second paragraph should stress goals the candidate donors who made these possible.

Bonnie Huberwould like to accomplish if elected.

All material, including name, address, phone number(s) and [email protected]
email address can be emailed to me. For more information on

the duties of Trustees, the application process or the election

procedures, please contact me.

Jaclyn Fiola Alex Fredrickson

PhD Candidate PhD Candidate
Virginia Tech University University of Missouri
AWSEF Endowment Fund Scholarship South Carolina (Tuller) Scholarship

My graduate research involves vine- In Memory of Hal Kohn
yard soil hydrology and fertility man- My PhD research focuses on improv-

agement for increasing the economic ing tannin content in low-tannin reds.

and environmental resilience of the Tannin is crucial in red wines because

North American wine industry. Many it leads to improved mouth feel and

East Coast soils provide excessive potassium to grapevines complexity of the wine. Most im-
due to historical fertilizing and/or the geology from which the portantly, tannins also associate with anthocyanins, called
soil formed, which can negatively impact wine quality. My re- copigmentation. Anthocyanins on their own are not very stable
search addresses soil potassium management and calibration and after about a year in wine conditions the red/purple color
of soil tests to indicate potassium uptake. I am also monitor- of wine turns brown, but with copigmentation that red color
ing and modeling vineyard hydrology to maximize fruit quality can last for 10+ years. Without much copigmentation occur-
and prevent the negative effects of excess rainfall and water ring, the color in low tannin wines is not as stable as the color
availability on the East Coast. I believe that vineyard site se- in wine with excess tannin. I am using HPLC-MS to identify
lection and soil management is essential to maintaining the proteins and other polymers that may be interacting with tan-
resilience of our industry. Thank you AWSEF! nins, thus causing them to either fall out of solution or become

Suzanne Fleishman inactive. The goal is to come up with new processing methods
or additives that could increase tannin content in red wines

PhD Candidate (hybrids and V. vinifera) which could then be shared with
Pennsylvania State University winemakers.

South Eastern PA Region Scholarship Andrew Harner
In Memory of Eileen Tobias

My research examines how to improve PhD Candidate

grapevine production by combining root- Pennsylvania State University

stock grafting practices with under-vine Columbus, OH Chapter Scholarship

cover crops. While rootstocks have long In Appreciation of the Strength & Vitali-
been used to improve pest tolerance or regulate growth, cover ty of the Columbus Chapter
cropping is an increasingly popular practice. Cover crops are

low-growing plants (e.g. grasses) planted alongside vines as

an alternative to removing weeds with herbicide. In addition to As a graduate student at Penn State
reducing herbicide in vineyards, cover crops can improve soil University, my research has and contin-
quality and help regulate vine growth. Competition between ues to be guided by a strong interest in
cover crops and vines can lead to desirable or undesirable the complex interplay between localized environmental condi-
reductions in grapevine growth. It remains unclear what con- tions and wine grape aroma compounds and the means by
ditions allow for desirable impacts on growth or what influence which viticultural practices can affect these interactions. My
cover crop roots have on bacteria and fungi associated with first project focused on analyzing climatic and viticultural influ-
grapevines. To improve adoption of rootstock and cover crop- ence on the production of rotundone—a compound responsible
ping practices, my research aims to improve understanding of for ‘black pepper’ aromas in wines—in New York and Pennsyl-
belowground competition. At the Penn State University re- vania-grown Noiret wine grapes. Ongoing projects are investi-
search vineyard, I am examining cover crop applications with gating Pennsylvania Grüner Veltliner grape and wine produc-
Noiret grapevines grafted to two different rootstocks. In par- tion, and include an analysis of differential early-season leaf
ticular, I am focusing on how the practice alters resource com- removal intensity and its effects on
petition and root microbiology.
crop load and wine grape aromatics. Cont. on Page 15

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 14

AWSEF Scholarship Winners total phenolics, specific phenolic content, glutathione concen-
tration, aroma profiling, redox status, antioxidative capacity,
and in bottle resistance to oxidation. It is our hope that these
investigations will help to elucidate mechanistic variables that
Continued from page 14 affect final wine quality and post-bottling stability in white-

fleshed hybrid grape varieties.

Additionally, another project seeks to analyze the regional

typicity of Pennsylvania-grown Grüner Veltliner grapes and

Joshua VanderWeidewines, in order to better understand the possible regional vari-

ation in important grape and wine characteristics. Overall, my PhD Candidate
research has been rooted in a close relationship with the local
industry, as these projects have involved collaborations with Michigan State University
numerous commercial growers and have sought to advance
viticultural knowledge within the context of Northeast wine Susan Luckan Scholarship - In Honor of
grape production. Lois & David Edwards, AWS Members
from Cooperstown, NY

The first objective of my PhD program

addresses two prominent issues faced

Sarah Mayfield by cool climate viticulture in the eastern
United States. First, fruit maturation in Vitis vinifera wine

PhD Candidate grape cultivars is limited by short seasons in the Great Lakes

University of Arkansas growing region. Secondly, precipitation occurring during ripen-
Banfi Scholarship ing leads to the proliferation of bunch rot disease, specifically
in tight clustered cultivars, which renders infected fruit inade-

I earned bachelor’s of science de- quate for winemaking. As a result, my research projects have
grees in Food Science and Biochem- focused on the viticulture practice of early leaf removal in

istry from the University of Arkansas (Vitis vinifera L.) Merlot and Pinot Grigio. This is a tool widely
and was then offered a position to used to decrease fruit set in grapevine clusters, which subse-

pursue a PhD in Food Science at the quently controls crop yield and lowers bunch rot damage; im-
University of Arkansas. The science of enology and viticulture proving fruit quality. However, early leaf removal is time con-

caught my attention, so I began working in the Grape and suming and expensive to implement manually, leading grow-
Wine Laboratory for my advisor, Dr. Renee Threlfall, Research ers to explore mechanization options. Previous reports calcu-

Scientist. My research dissertation, “Physicochemical Proper- lated that mechanization of leaf removal saved growers ap-
proximately $100 per acre in labor, and also significantly re-
ties of Wines Produced from Grapes Grown in the State of Ar- duced the time per acre to complete this practice. The primary
kansas,” focuses on improving the quality of wines produced
finding from our studies was that only the mechanical leaf re-
from grapes that grow well in Arkansas and the surrounding moval treatment performed at the pre-bloom stage increased
regions and identifying their unique attributes. This research
fruit sugar concentrations in both cultivars across two seasons.
involves analyses of physicochemical attributes of grapes and Additionally, anthocyanins and flavonol concentrations were
wine from Vitis hybrids and muscadine grapes. For a portion of
this work, I travelled to Graz Technical University (Graz, Aus- approximately 30% higher in this treatment compared to oth-
tria) and used a combination of analytical techniques, includ- ers. My current projects follow up on these results and look
more in depth into the mechanisms governing fruit ripening in
ing gas chromatography-olfactometry, to build comprehensive response to early leaf removal, which may allow researchers
aroma profiles of my research wines. Through this research, I
hope to provide information on how the quality of wines pro- and growers to fine-tune the timing and severity of this prac-
duced from non-vinifera grapes can be improved, whether this tice to reach desired viticultural goals.

is accomplished though wine grape breeding, winemaking

techniques, or vineyard treatments. In addition, I aim to con- Rachael White
tribute to a greater understanding of the qualities of non-

vinifera grape varieties, such as the characteristic muscadine Masters Candidate
aroma, which make them truly unique.
University of Georgia

Conor McCaney Grand Cru, SC Chapter Scholarship -
In Honor of Hal Kohn

Masters Candidate The Georgia wine industry is a vibrant

Pennsylvania State University and growing community of talented
growers and winemakers with over 60
Dayton/Springfield, OH Chapters vineyards producing everything from
Scholarship Muscadine to traditional V. vinifera cultivars. My research fo-
cuses on optimizing wine grape production for the humid
In Memory of David Pedrick

My research focuses on investigating southeastern US climate by retrofitting an established Vertical

the application of pre-fermentative Shoot Positioned (VSP) canopy with spur pruning. While main-

novel maceration techniques on white-fleshed interspecific taining vineyard row spacing, we divided the canopy with addi-
hybrid grapes (Vitis ssp.) and their effects on final wine quality
and oxidative stability pre- and post-bottling. Interspecific tional cross arms and doubled the fruit zone through quadrilat-
hybrid grapes are of particular interest to the Pennsylvania eral cane pruning. The goal was to increase sunlight intercep-
wine industry for their high productivity, disease resistance, tion in the canopy and increase yield in low cropping cultivars
and ability to produce high-quality wines in the harsh climate like Petit Manseng. By expanding sunlight interception with a

of the northeastern United States. While vinifera varieties divided canopy and doubling the fruit zone, we increased yield
have had extensive studies conducted on how processing pa- substantially without altering wine quality potential when com-
rameters affect their final wine quality and stability, hybrid pared to standard VSP with spur pruning. With the early suc-
varieties have not been subjected to a similarly thorough in- cess of this training system from our vineyard and their hy-

vestigation. These maceration techniques include variable brids to support the expanding industry and increase wine

duration extended skin contact, rapid and controlled rate cryo- output in the southeastern US.

genic macerations. Additionally, we are exploring the use of

different cryogens and cryogenic production methods and

evaluating the feasibility and scalability of adapting techniques THANK YOU to all the donors for
used in large-scale industrial food processing operations to supporting these students.
small scale wineries. Quality and stability are being accessed

on the basis of conventional juice and wine parameters, color,

AWS News August-September 2019 Page 15

AWS News
American Wine Society®
P. O. Box 889
Scranton, PA 18501

Address Service Requested

National Conference Showcase of Wine
Oct. 31– Nov. 2, 2019 Amateur and Commercial Winemaking Competitions
Grand banquet with dancing and more great wine
Meet others who share your love of wine
Learn from winemakers and wine experts
Optional pre-conference dinners and boat rides

Make your hotel reservations now at Tradew inds I sland
Resorts—room rates start at $159 per night.

https://www.tradewindsresort.com/aws 800-808-9833

Session Selection for registered attendees: August 4-9

Contact the National Office for more information

Thanks to our conference sponsors

Join us in St. Pete Beach for a wonderful
weekend of wine!

Beach—themed welcome reception
Champagne breakfast
Dozens of sessions on wine regions, grape varietals, wine

history, winemaking
Learn to evaluate and taste wine
2 Themed luncheons with wine