Commercial winery in a Baltimore basement

Erik Bandzak

• From The Baltimore Sun

BALTIMORE, MD -- In a Canton basement lit by fluorescent lights, a dozen glass jugs of fermenting grape juice share space with a washer, dryer and furnace.

Standing before them, Erik Bandzak surveys his wines: two deep reds made from a Rougeon grape and an Isabella blackberry blend, which every few minutes emit tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide through their glass air locks.

A glass hydrometer, an instrument that gauges a wine's sugar content, measures his Rougeon at about 0.99.

"That's what I want it at," Bandzak says. "You get it below one, it's a dry wine."

A traditional winery this is not. There are no lush vineyards anywhere near this dense residential neighborhood. Nor is there wine aging in 60-gallon oak barrels, or tourists lining up for weekend tastings.

Nonetheless, Bandzak, 30, has launched what amounts to Baltimore's first winery, according to records kept by state regulators. If all goes as planned, in two months the wines of Aliceanna Winery -- what Bandzak has christened his fledgling enterprise -- will be served to the happy-hour patrons of a nearby restaurant, the latest entry in Maryland's burgeoning wine scene.

After months of applications, rejections from city and federal authorities, and health and safety inspections, Bandzak now holds the licenses and permits necessary to sell his wine, making his business Maryland's 50th winery and one of just a handful in urban areas.

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Guest comment: Oh, those dumb farmers

• This column was written for The Suffolk Times on Long Island by a founder of the Long Island wine industry in 1973. She now is a freelance writer and consultant.


By Louisa Hargrave

In a current television ad for Ocean Spray cranberry juice, a young man standing in a cranberry bog in rubber waders plays out the stereotype of a hick farmer as he witlessly dumps a bag of sugar into the “sugarless” cranberries. Images like this of farmers as nitwits has rankled me since, in 1973, I began growing grapes and someone asked me, “Now that you’re a farmer, what will you do with your mind?”

Even as I took on the chores of planting, tending and harvesting a large vineyard, I myself worried that those hours of hoeing weeds and tying vines might limit me. Wasn’t I wasting all those years spent in college, learning chemistry, history and foreign languages, while I toiled through mud, sleet or broiling sun just to get a silent vine to push out a few clusters of recalcitrant grapes?

Over the next 27 years, as I trudged out into the field or down into the cellar (usually in the company of a bounding dog), I came to realize that farming is as challenging to the intellect as it is to the body.

Still, the stereotype of the dumb peasant farmer persists. It is not limited to the United States, as I learned on a recent jaunt to the Champagne region of France. There I stayed for three nights in the village of Aÿ, in a B&B called “Le Logis des Pressureurs” (lodging for press workers) owned by Philippe and Sophie Brun. Philippe is a burly, outspoken vigneron, easily mistaken for a village peasant, though his family owns several grand cru vineyards, and the wines he makes, Champagne Roger Brun, have won accolades including Best Sparkling Wine in Decanter Magazine. ...

Brun described playing the part of the local peasant for the British TV crews that come to film the beginning of harvest every year: “The crews who want an aristocrat find the manager from Taittinger, who has never had dust on his shoes, and stands next to the vineyard in his yellow tie with bubbles on it, talking about magic. For the crews who want the pirate -- that’s me. I go out in my beret, with four days’ growth of beard, spitting, and say the same thing.”

Here on Long Island, similar scenes play out as visitors seeking atmosphere prod the local vintners to go yokel. ...

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Maryland hikes taxes on all alcohol

• From The Washington Post

ANNAPOLIS, MD -- In a budget season filled with controversies over taxes, deficits and cuts across the country, Maryland just took a historic step: The General Assembly passed and Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the first increase in beer and wine taxes in 38 years, and the first increase in distilled spirits taxes in 55 years.

The case for the new alcohol tax -- a 3-percentage-point addition to the state’s 6 percent sales tax -- was strong. It will save lives, prevent crime and help to avert thousands of cases of alcohol abuse or dependence. It will also raise at least $85 million in revenue a year. In the first year, these funds will be used to restore much-needed services for people with developmental disabilities, shore up school budgets and support school maintenance and repairs. In future years, the funds can be used to support expanded access to health care; services for people with developmental disabilities or mental health needs; alcohol, tobacco and other drug-use prevention and treatment, and health-care worker training.

Every year, numerous states try to raise their alcohol taxes, and few succeed. Efforts were made in at least 23 states in 2010; none succeeded.

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Funeral for Long Island wine pioneer

Ralph Pugliese Sr.

CUTCHOGUE, Long Island, NY -- Funeral services were held this morning for Ralph Pugliese Sr., a pioneer in the Long Island wine industry who died Monday at the age of 73.

The Brooklyn-born Pugliese released his first wines in 1986. His early products were made in the basement of his home after he initially planted just two acres of vines. Over the years, acreage and plantings vastly increased and Pugliese Vineyards became one of the iconic Long Island operations.

Three of Pugliese's offspring are involved in the family-owned operation. Peter is the winemaker, Lawrence oversees the vineyards and daughter Domenica Penny runs the tasting room. Ralph Jr., a professional photographer, has his works hanging in the tasting room.

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Wine mentions in 1700s South Carolina

In the process of doing some genealogical research, my wife came across a letter written on November 12, 1737, by Jacob Gallmann, one of her distant ancestors. It details his experiences in the New World -- and his mention of the place wine had in the South Carolina community in which he and his family lived -- to friends and family back in Switzerland, from which he emigrated. The original is in the state archives in Zurich. (c.f., Special Collection, State Archive of Zurich, SIG.Mse.15 blatt 706-708.) Here is an edited version, with modern-day spellings placed in brackets.

We arrived at Carlistath [Charleston, SC] the 7th day of Hornung [February], the 1735th year. Thus our travel took 11 weeks from London to Carlinstath, but we took a rather round about way ...

We were given an exceedingly beautiful place only half an hour from town. The whole farm is garden-like ground. It is a good four-and-a-half hundred acres in one piece, all black-brown earth, nary a rock, all even land, wheels need no brakes. I have given five acres land to each of the children, but Heini has 150 acres in one piece: Heiri, too has 100 acres in one piece, doesn't know yet how much he will get; Hanss, too has 100 acres in one piece. ...

Carolina lies under the sun which makes it very warm. In summertime it is much warmer than in Switzerland wherefore it is called South Carolina, but in wintertime rather cold but there is no snow and summertime no hail. The land is real good and fertile with all kinds of grain. You fell the trees, then you begin to till and sow corn. The first year you got plenty and good, after that there is wheat, too, then corn again, everything you wish that you can plant. Round the corn you plant peas and beans, melons, watermelons, a great number of all sorts plants. ...

There are many strawberries, many blackberries, very many mulberry trees, peach trees in the woods, also many apple and pear trees, they do not have all of those trees here, some have to be brought in from far awav. Cherries there are too but we don't yet have the trees, also very many grape vines but all which have small berries like juniper berries, black, make a good wine but are not so easy to get, grow way up in the tall trees. ...

And, on the following November 12, Jacob Gallman wrote:

... I cannot fail to send you some good news that we, through God's loving grace are still hale and hearty, thanks be to God, but I also report to you our mourning for our dear late father, because he died on the 20th day of Wine Month [October] and was abed no more than one day, about which I am very sad, and we are deeply sorrowful, and he was much mourned by the Germans and the English, and he has led a praiseworthy life.

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Winemaking at the end of the world

Bodega NQN emblem/

• From the Baltimore Sun:

Patagonia, the huge swath of land at the southern tip of South America, is known for its rugged mountains and glaciers but an innovative group of winemakers are hoping to add wine to the list.

Santiago Bernasconi, a 38-year-old winemaker at Bodega NQN in Neuquen, Argentina, and his colleagues are making wine on the edge of the earth.

"It makes you feel like you are the last boundary in the winemaking world," Bernasconi, said during a visit to the U.S. to introduce the wines from the newest area in Patagonia to host wineries. "There are only like eight wineries in Patagonia and we all share our experience and work to improve the wines of the whole region."

NQN owns 1,100 hectares (2,718 acres) on a wind-swept plateau. Two hundred hectares are planted with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. With cutting-edge irrigation and fertilization equipment NQN produces wines that are fruit driven and light in style from 11-year-old vines.

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Madoff's vaunted wine collection a dud

Bernie Madoff, disgraced wino

UPDATE (5/19/11): Bernard Madoff's collection of wines and spirits sold for almost twice its estimated value. Proceeds of the sales will go to the disgraced financier's victims. The pre-sale estimate for the 59 lots was $15,000 to $21,000. The collection ended up going for $41,530 at Wednesday's online auction.

NEW YORK -- "He was clearly not a connoisseur, or a serious wine collector."

In that sentence, one expert in the field summed up the collection of disgraced financial schemer Bernie Madoff.

"He had some good Bordeaux," said Elin McCoy, who writes about wine and spirits for Bloomberg News, "but I am surprised that this is all there was. The guy was a gazillionaire."

Madoff, now serving prison time for his bilking of thousands of people of hundreds of millions of dollars, was particularly fond of Bordeaux. But he also had an apparent taste for liquor, as shown by the bottles of Jose Cuervo, Jack Daniels, and Johnnie Walker Black Label in his collection. It also included a batch of 2-ounce bottles of Smirnoff vodka, Bombay Gin and Grand Marnier liqueur, presumably from a hotel mini bar.

Morrell Company Fine Auctions of New York, which is handling the auction scheduled for Wednesday, says on its website:

"We have humbly accepted the opportunity to sell the seized cellar contents of two properties owned by Bernie Madoff on behalf of the United States Marshal's office. The proceeds from the sale of these items will go towards the general recovery effort.

"As artifacts of history they are unique, which is why we have chosen to offer all of the bottles seized, including those which normally wouldn't pass muster and make it into our auction. Some of the bottles are better viewed as conversation pieces rather than valued for their contents, but conversation pieces they are.

"With such an exciting sale it's hard to know where to begin! Take your time to download our catalogue to scroll through the items in traditional format, or use our search feature to locate some of your favorites. Either way we are confident that there will be something for every wine lover.

"This sale is 'internet only' which means you still have two ways to place bids: absentee, or live during the sale on May 18th. Absentee bids can be placed now or anytime before the lots begin being hammered down on the 18th. Search the catalogue and leave absentee bids now or log in on Wednesday May 18th at 10:00am EST to bid live."

Interested in participating in the auction? Just go here for step-by-step instruction.

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Connecticut Wine Festival set for July

Visitors to last year's tasting event.

FARMINGTON, CT -- The Nutmeg State bumps up against a wine powerhouse, New York State, but it isn't hiding its own wines despite the competition.

The 3rd annual  Connecticut Wine Festival is being put together by the Connecticut Vineyard and Winery Association (CVWA) for a July 30-31 run at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Litchfield County.

The event will feature local wines, specialty food vendors, artisanal craft from jewelry to wine racks, and live music.

This will be a good chance to learn about Connecticut wines, which range from Chardonnays to Merlots. As George Motel, owner of Sunset Meadows Vineyards and chairman of the festival, concedes, "Connecticut is not the first place one would think of for wines, yet, its moderate climate and sloping topography in fact is well-suited for growing grapes, and its wineries are attracting a growing legion of fans ... ."

Daily admission is $20 in advance, available at any participating CVWA winery, online or by phone; $25 at the door. Guests under 21 and designated drivers will be admitted for $10. Photo ID with proof of age is required for the wine tasting. Hours for the festival will be noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 30, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 31. More details and online access are available here. Phone: (860) 677-5467.

Proceeds from the festival will support promotion of the CVWA Wine Trail and the state's wine industry. The Trail is a state-approved winery and vineyard awareness program marked with blue signs that identify the location of all participating wineries that welcome visitors.

The Trail members are:

Bishop’s Orchards Winery and Farm Market
Chamard Vineyards
Connecticut Valley Winery
DiGrazia Vineyards
Gouveia Vineyards
Haight-Brown Vineyards
Holmberg Orchards & Winery
Hopkins Vineyard
Jerram Winery
Jonathan Edwards Winery
Jones Winery
Land of Nod Winery
Maugle Sierra Vineyards
McLaughlin Vineyards
Miranda Vineyard
Paradise Hills Vineyard
Priam Vineyards
Rosedale Farms & Vineyard
Saltwater Farm Vineyard
Sharpe Hill Vineyard
Stonington Vineyards
Sunset Meadow Vineyards
Taylor Brooke Winery
White Silo Winery

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Go here to browse all wine trails in the U.S.

---

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Crossing the broder for food and wine

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario -- Most Americans think only of the U.S. side of this natural wonder, but the Canadian side has its attractions as well.

The long weekend of May 27-29 will be in the spotlight at the Scotiabank Convention Centre where the Niagara Food & Wine Expo will unveil hundreds of examples of wine, beer and spirits from around the globe along with a wide range of complementary food products.

The Tutored Tastings program from Toronto has developed four educational classes to be held just outside the Expo in a classroom-style setting: "Learn to Taste Like a Pro," "A Taste of Niagara," "Vines Wine Camp" and a tasting of InterVin’s top medalists hosted by the Head Judge himself.

Details on the exhibitors, classes, tastings and other events are available online.

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VA to NY, Texas: Thanks for the cutbacks

Planting vines at the VA Executive Mansion.

Just as the New York State wine industry is buffeted by aid reductions and a lack of ongoing commitment to it by state government, the ever-growing Texas wine industry now is facing severe reductions in state governmental support.

In a story on that topic in today's San Antonio Express-News -- which itself ceased sponsoring its annual international wine competition when its revenues flattened three years ago, wine and spirits columnist Jennifer McInnis wrote:

"Not everyone is upset about the impending [Texas] budget cuts. Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore sees opportunity and openly mocked Texas and New York for cutting their budgets.


" 'It doesn't make any sense to us, but we're not arguing,' he says. 'If they want to take those steps backwards, that's all for the better of Virginia. We are committed to growing this industry'."

The attitude is typical of Virginia governmental attitude toward its well-regarded wine industry. One recent example:

Planting of 10 Chambourcin grapevines in the garden of the Executive Mansion in Richmond during Wine Week 2011 followed the path of the original "Charter of Jamestown’s Acte 12" in 1619 that required every male settler to plant at least 10 grape vines. The vines were planted with the intent that they will be flourishing for the Executive Mansion’s bicentennial in 2013.

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Consumer Reports' latest take on rosés

• From Consumer Reports.org

By Paul Reynolds

Pink wine is increasingly neither sweet nor still, necessarily. That's demonstrated by our new ratings of rosé and sparkling rosé (available to subscribers) and by the rosés I tasted at "Toast of the Town," a wine show I attended last week in New York.

Rosé has gone a long way toward shedding its association with blush, the sweet, generally simple pink wine that was once all the rage. All but one of the 10 still rosés in our ratings were deemed to be dry in style by our wine experts; the one exception was on the line between dry and off-dry and was a recommended bottle.

Our experts detected a wide range of flavors in the wines, including those of fruit salad and bell pepper. They also recommended foods to pair with them, including steamed mussels, chicken tacos, and prosciutto wrapped in melon.

Bottles from France, a rosé powerhouse, predominate in our ratings of still rosé, yet some intriguing rosés on the show floor hailed from some up-and-coming countries for the varietal.

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New round for cork vs. synthetic stoppers

NEW YORK -- The debate over the worthiness of cork vs. plastic or some other synthetic matter for wine bottle stoppers has taken a turn for the natural.

The Sommelier Society of America, the nation's oldest professional wine teaching institution, and 100% Cork, the campaign to educate the public about the environmental, economic and social benefits of natural cork, today jointly announced that the Society has endorsed natural cork as the preferred closure for wine.

"As a sommelier, I know there is nothing that can replace the pleasure of hearing the iconic 'pop' when you extract a natural cork from a bottle of wine," said Robert Moody, the Society's chairman.  "Natural cork plays such a distinctive role in the preservation and presentation of wine. It is an integral part of the romance of wine, and it remains the gold standard for wine closures."

Moody said natural cork "allows just the right amount of oxygen to mix with the wine over time so that it ages properly, and it provides a durable and reliable seal. The environmental advantage that natural cork has over alternative closures, especially when it comes to sustainability, is the icing on the cake."

The 100% Cork campaign is funded by the Portuguese Cork Association and the Cork Quality Council, based in California. Both industry organizations obviously benefit from the use of cork.

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Shipwrecked champagne to be auctioned off

The moment of discovery. (Aland government photo)

• From Reuters

Two bottles of champagne, thought to be about 200 years old and part of a cache of 150 salvaged from a 19th Century shipwreck in the Baltic Sea, will be auctioned in Finland on June 3.

The cache, which belongs to the government of Aland, an archipelago in the Baltic, includes a bottle from the house of Veuve Clicquot and another from Juglar, which closed its doors in the early 19th Century. ...

When the first bottle was recovered from the sunken two-masted schooner dating from about 1780-1830, Swedish champagne writer Richard Juhlin estimated it would fetch about 500,000 Swedish krona.

"We didn't know if it was going to be anything drinkable," Ella Grussner Cromwell-Morgan, a sommelier who lives on Aland, said in a telephone interview about the first bottle.

Wine experts estimated from the corks and the hand-blown bottles that the wines were produced between 1811 and 1831.

"Most likely they're older than that, because in those days they kept wine stored for 10-12 years in barrels before they shipped it," said Christian Erikson, the diver who discovered the cache.

Erikson, a friend of Cromwell-Morgan, brought the first bottle to her.

"It tasted sweet, but it had that really crisp acidity that made it so balanced," she said about the bottle from Juglar. "And, of course, it had all those secondary flavours -- the leather, the tobacco, the dried fruits -- that are associated with older wines. And there was the definite impression of oak." ...

Wine experts suggest the Baltic's steady 40°F (4°C) temperature, the darkness and lying undisturbed 150 feet (50 meters) under water helped in the wines aging process. ...

The government intends to use the auction's proceeds to fund maritime archaeological work and benefit the Baltic Sea environment.

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Maryland wineries list hits 50

ROHRERSVILLE, MD -- The state's newest wine grape operation has opened near this Washington County town.

Co-owners Dave Collins and Randy and Jennifer Thompson on Tuesday announced that 13 varieties of grapes have been planted on 22 acres at Big Cork Vineyards.

Plans include construction of a winery within two years and a tasting room within three. Production targets include 5,000 cases of wine annually and a full- and part-time staff of more than 20.

Maryland now has 50 licensed wineries. The industry should be strengthened when Governor Martin O'Malley signs, as expected, a pending bill that would allow direct shipment of wine to and from Maryland.

“The addition of Big Cork Vineyards and Dave Collins to Maryland’s industry brings new recognition of Maryland’s wine and grape potential. Collins’ expertise will help chart a new course for Maryland,” said Kevin Atticks, executive director of the Maryland Wineries Association (MWA), an industry trade organization.

Collins was vineyard manager and winemaker at Breaux Vineyards in Virginia.

Joseph Fiola, viniculture and small fruit specialist at the University of Maryland, said, "The Pleasant Valley [of Washington County] is one of the top regions in the state to plant a vineyard. It has highly desirable soils and good elevation to promote warm days and cool nights. But the constant wind conditions and limited precipitation make it even more amenable to quality grape production."

Big Cork will cultivate seven red grape varieties -- Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Barbera and Syrah -- and six whites -- Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Orange, Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay and Vidal.

[Go here for information on wine trails in Maryland.]

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