TRAVESSIA Winery Blog

Cleaning up - good for your soul and sometimes... your wallet

There’s a small room in the basement of my house which began as a music studio.  Over the last couple of years it became a storage room for all sorts of objects.  From magazines like Bass Player, Wine Business Monthly, Revista dos Vinhos, to Isabelle Grace Jewelry shipping boxes, to some of my kids toys (overflow).  Tonight I decided to “take over” the room once again and bring the studio back to life.  Success!  There is actually some open space, enough for me to strap my Pedulla Rapture J4 bass around my neck and jam along a couple of tunes once in a while (very unlikely to happen any time soon).

As I cleaned up the room, I had a semi-broken boom box playing Antena 1 via WJFD.  The cool thing about Portuguese radio stations is that you’ll hear Coldplay followed by Pedro Abrunhosa followed by Foo Figthers followed by Da Weasel.  And I love it… I love the feeling of not knowing what comes next.  Life is just so much more exciting when unpredictable.

During the clean up I came across a box of unplayed Portuguese music CDs. The remainders of an old project of mine… LUZO BEAT - a small business that I setup around the turn of the century.  I promoted Portuguese modern music mostly to a young generation of Portuguese immigrant descendents by selling CDs via a website called www.luzobeat.com  A couple of years into it I realized that passion is not enough to make a business succeed.  You’ve got to sell.  Not enough people really cared.  Besides, I saw the "digital writing" on the wall (a.k.a. napster) and put an end to it before taking any serious losses.  Since then someone took over the name and URL promoting some other sort of music related activity.

But back to the box of unplayed CDs… about 50 of them, from straight Pop/Rock to Jazz, to Dance.  There are even a few from bands whose lyrics are in English like Wonderland, Primitive Reason, and The Gift.  Tucked away in one of the corners of the small box was an envelope.  Inside it was a Luzo Beat catalog, a list of all the CDs I sold at the time.  Memories....  But inside the envelope there were also $90 cash!  How about that?!

Now I’m happy I found the cash and could use it in many ways.  But I also feel sort of sad that almost 10 years later I still have these CDs in a box.  So… I decided to give them away and use the cash to pay for the shipping expenses.  So, please help me find a home for these CDs.  Send me an email with your address and a CD will arrive at your door.  It’s 100% free to you so you have nothing to loose – there is no catch whatsoever. You’ll have no idea as to what it may be.  Who knows maybe you’ll even dig it.

*P.S. Of course I will not share your address with anyone!... Not even with that Travessia dude… :-)

100% Massachusetts Grapes - A clarification

I’ve been writing this blog for almost two years.  I’ve laid it all out, asked for feedback, received valuable input, had great fun and actually met very interesting people through this form of communication.  As some of you may have experienced in your own life, sometimes written words be it via an email or a blog post can be taken the wrong way because, well, you are not face-to-face to explain what you mean in a way that’s clear as it can be.  Worst is that sometimes you don’t write exactly what you mean.  Regardless, I love blogging and it’s something that I will continue to do even if it occasionally gets me in trouble.  Which is exactly what happened with my post from June 5th, 2009 titled “100% Massachusetts Grapes”.  Several people are not happy with the following statement I made:

<<My personal opinion is that blending grapes from considerably different growing regions (like California with Mass., Finger Lakes with Mass., etc.) should be prohibited by law.  I've expressed my reasons here before so I will leave it at that.>>

I made the mistake of leaving out a key component of what I really feel.  What I believe in and should have written is the following:

My personal opinion is that blending grapes from considerably different growing regions (like California with Mass., Finger Lakes with Mass., etc.) should be prohibited by law when the consumer is not clearly informed of the source of the grapes that went into making such wine.

That’s not me back-tracking, just admitting that I made a mistake by omitting an important aspect which may alter the reader’s understanding quite significantly.  It was a mistake and I apologize for that.

With that said…

Yes, blending grapes from different regions does not excite me.  Discovering what can be done well here in our own state does. For me, wine is a regional product.  Others can think differently, that’s perfectly fine and I don’t think less of anyone who disagrees with me on this.  Blending grapes from different regions may actually produce what may be considered a technically better wine. That’s just not what interests me personally.

It has been pointed out to me via three emails which I received in the last few days that some winemakers in Massachusetts don’t just disagree with me, but believe that as a newcomer and someone who does not even own his own vineyard, I should “tone it down”.  Below is a response that I sent to one of winemakers who reached out to me directly.  This is my attempt to clarify my position on this topic.

Dear XXX (he asked to keep his identity private which is fine with me),

Thank you for your message.  You expressed your view on my blog post in a very kind way.  I truly appreciate your choice of words.

Just because I'm a newcomer it doesn't mean that I should not speak my mind when I see practices that in my opinion are a detriment to the development and sustainability of our local wine industry.

For the most part, the Massachusetts winemakers that I have met have been helpful and welcoming.  Likewise, I have never turned anyone down, be it for a wine making matter, be it for a business perspective.  I hope that it continues to be this way, despite the fact that we may disagree on this topic.

I agree that I'm not entitled to legislate on anything.  It is not right for me to suggest that the practice of blending local grapes with grapes from other states should be prohibited by law - as a blank statement.  I did not explain myself further because I've touched on this subject before on my blog, other people's blogs and personal conversations.  It's a reminder for me that when someone reads a post of mine for the first time, as a stand alone piece of writing, it does not mean that this person read my previous posts or has ever spoken to me in person. 

Let me get to what has really disturbed me over the few years that I've been paying attention to what is happening in our small/local wine industry.  You state <<If the grapes come from out-of-state, it should be on the label, simple as that.>>  Yes, I absolutely agree.  In fact I have a project in the works which is a non-Massachusetts wine and if it comes to fruition, be assured that I will label it accordingly.  Not just label it, but market it clearly as wine I made but with grapes which are not grown here. However, I have found several instances in which Massachusetts wines made with grapes from other states are "passed" (for lack of a better word) to the public as local wines.  Sure, the label states "American Table Wine" as required by law, but somehow the public who tastes and buys it, walks away thinking that these wines are made with grapes grown in Massachusetts.

Early this year I attended an event where a local winery was pouring their wines.  Someone I had just met tasted the wine and then came over and told me how amazed she was at this red wine.  She was skeptical that Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon could fully ripen here, but the wine was quite good with very ripe flavors.  Quote from her own words to me "I never tasted a Massachusetts red wine this good."  Now, I understand that some winemakers would have communicated the origin of the grapes to her in a very clear way, but this was not my observation this time.  Let's not dismiss it as an isolated situation because I can tell you of other similar experiences I've had myself.  So, I have to ask... is this what we want people to believe in?  How fair is it to those who have been for years now taking risks and investing into growing 100% Massachusetts grown wines?  I'm certainly not included in this group of risk takers since I don't yet own any vineyards (getting closer each day), but even so, I find this frustrating.

I know that we must not penalize those who are clear about the origin of their grapes, but my observation is that simply labeling "American Table Wine" is not enough.  That's my personal opinion, not saying that we should change the current labeling law (plenty of that already going on).  The reality is that existing practices lead the wine drinker to develop the wrong impression and incorrect expectation for what Massachusetts grown wine tastes like.  I find this damaging to the Massachusetts wine industry, not helpful.  So, despite the fact that using grapes from other states does not excite me, I honestly don’t have a problem with a Massachusetts winery who does so, or blends of local and non-local grapes.  I have a problem with the way that the wine is often presented to the consumer.

I understand that there are much bigger issues in the world to be worried about.  Ultimately, wine is simply supposed to be fun.  When you are passionate about something though, you can't help but to express your feelings.

All the best,
Marco

So, I hope this helps clarify the reason why I made the statement to begin with.  Now, while I’m at it, here some other random thoughts, i.e. let me dig a bigger hole for myself… :-)

-    There’s some locally grown wine that quite frankly is awful.  Wine that should have never made it to the shelf.  So I understand that local does not equal quality.  (I’ve also written about this on my blog in the past.)
-    There’s locally grown wine that has a low quality to price ratio.  In other words, there are some wines selling for $25+ just because they are locally grown.  It may work for a barrel or 2, but in the long run there’s no chance to compete in a larger scale, unless all you are doing is selling wine to tourists.
-    If it can’t be grown here, why make it here?… Personal opinion of course not telling anyone what to do.  What’s the issue with leaving Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel to be made in regions where it can actually be grown to maturity?  Experiment, take risks, try new growing techniques, etc.  But why not concentrate efforts in what we already know can be grown well and with consistency here?
-    There’s plenty of farm land out there waiting to be used… why not invest in it if it’s suitable for quality grape growing?

You read this far?  I really appreciate that.  As always, THANK YOU for reading my blog.  Please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts, ideas, etc.

100% Massachusetts Grapes

I know that the vast majority of Americans who drink wine don't care much for the notion of "terroir" or origin of the grapes.  They just want the wine to taste good and be fun.  I'm all for that.  But I'm all for keeping it real as well.

My personal opinion is that blending grapes from considerably different growing regions (like California with Mass., Finger Lakes with Mass., etc.) should be prohibited by law.  I've expressed my reasons here before so I will leave it at that.

This week I received approval for the following statement and logo trademark request:

 

All Travessia wines will now include this statement and logo in their back label, starting with the soon to be released Travessia Rosé wine.

I didn't register this trademark to block others from using it.  I would love to share this with other Massachusetts wineries who may be interested in applying it to their labels - just contact me.  My only requirement is that the wine is made with 100% Massachusetts grown grapes.

Thoughts? Like it?  Don't like it?  Let me know what you think of it.

Three kick-ass events in one week

Three upcoming events that I want to tell you about:

Baggins End Guest House Grand Opening
Sunday, May 31st, 2009 ~ 1P.M. - 5P.M.
2 West Street, Fairhaven, MA 02719
Join Travessia Winery for a fabulous afternoon of wine, appetizers and music as we celebrate the grand opening of the Baggins End Guest House, located on the harbor and point of Oxford Village in Historic Fairhaven, Massachusetts.  Private Event - RSVP Only!  Please call Travessia at 774-929-6534 or email info@travessiawine.com to RSVP
Important:  There is no parking at the Baggins End Guest House, so you must either park and walk there OR take the water taxi from Niemiec Marine Boat Yard (Pope’s Island Entrance before Foxy Lady).

Why you should go… complimentary wine, food, music, even the short boat ride is included! AND it looks like we “nailed” the date weather wise… it’s going to be a gorgeous day.

Travessia Retail Premiere/Launch at Bin Ends
Tuesday, June 2th, 2009 ~ 6:30PM - 8:00PM
Bin Ends, 236 Wood Road, Braintree, MA
From Bin Ends press release:  "On June 2, Travessia founder and Portugese-born winemaker Marco Montez will join Bin Ends in-store to celebrate a special tasting event. Bin Ends' John Hafferty and Montez will lead the tasting of the four new Travessia wines, two Vidal Blancs and two Chardonnays."

Why you should go… Bin Ends is one of the top wine stores in the country.  Period

Coastal Wine Trail Kick-Off
Sunday, June 7th, 2009 ~ 1P.M. - 3P.M.
Sakonnet Vineyards, Little Comption, Rhode Island
Sakonnet Vineyards will host this year’s Southeastern New England Coastal Wine Trail Kick-off event under one tent at their winery in Little Compton, RI.  Travessia Winery will be joining the other 7 wineries of the Coastal Wine Trail in promoting the beginning of this year’s Passport season.  Price $40.00 per person with advance ticket purchase.  Call Sakonnet Vineyards at 401-635-8486, ext:116 to purchase or reserve your ticket.

Why you should go… Taste the best each of the Coastal Wine Trail wineries have to offer in one location.

If you have any questions about these events, please don't hesitate to contact us.  If you can’t make it to at least one of these events… something is wrong with you :-)

So that heroin addicts can have a bed to sleep in?

Early this week the Massachusetts state senate approved the increase of the state sales tax from 5% to 6.25%.  That alone is upsetting given the level of taxation that the citizens of Massachusetts are already subjected to and the way some of the tax funds are spent.  But how about this… alcohol sales tax has now increased from 0% to 6.25%.  That’s because alcohol sales were until now exempt from sales tax at the register.  This exemption has now been removed.  Just like that, my $16 bottle of Chardonnay went up by 6.25% to $17, obviously decreasing my wine’s quality to price ratio besides other negative impacts to Travessia as a business.

Some may argue that it’s only fair that alcohol gets taxed like everything else.  But here is the problem...  Massachusetts lawmakers won't tell you this, but there is already a tax on alcohol!

Wineries for example pay a tax for producing wine to both the Federal and State government.  What do you think that we the wineries do with this tax?  We factor it into our pricing.  In the end, the consumer pays for it.  Now with another 6.25% added on top... I think we call this double taxation.

I understand and agree that we have social responsibilities and must pay taxes.  I've always paid my taxes as a citizen and as a business owner.  Not a single penny goes under the table.  But where do we stop?  Why 6.25% and not 8%?  10%?  15%

To finish, this is a quote from a Boston Globe article on May 20th (Find the entire article here)

<<The alcohol tax was approved with support from lawmakers who said it would raise $15 million to ameliorate what they described as a heroin epidemic in Massachusetts.  "When we have an addict, we'll have a bed for them," said Senator Steven A. Tolman, a Boston Democrat. "This money will help us put these beds on line.">>

Like many, my work day begins at 6AM and ends the following day... So that heroin addicts can have a bed to sleep in?

UPDATE on May 22nd - 1PM: Just found out about this... maybe I should just give it up right now: Proposed US alcohol tax increases

BYOB - Still confusing

My post on the BYOB topic from April 22, 2008 is the one which has brought most readers to this blog via search engine referral sites as google and yahoo.  This is interesting on its own and even more if you read some of the search phrases which lead people here:

BYOB policy in paris france
BYOB set up fee
Massachusetts BYOB legal
byo illegal in massachusetts
Illinois law on byob and cork fee
legality of byob in california
states that permit byob or corkage
byob bar insurance
nyc byob laws
byob only licenses new york state
corkage fees legal boston
byob illegal states
corkage illinois illegal

To this day, visitors are still landing on the Travessia Winery Blog after searching information on BYOB.  When I wrote my post a year ago, two things became apparent to me:

1.    The laws that govern BYOB across America vary from state to state, city to city, town to town AND are extremely confusing.
2.    There is an opportunity to fulfill people’s need for BYOB information.

I don’t expect states or cities within states to get on the same page about this topic and pass legislation that would make it easier for consumers and restaurants to clearly understand the legality of BYOB.  Cities have more important issues to deal with these days anyway.  (Though they could use BYOB as another form of tax revenue...)

But I still think that there is an opportunity for an entrepreneur with some spare time to address the need of so many people who continue to search and seek out information on BYOB.  Anyone?

What excites you about Massachusetts wine?

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to pour Travessia wines at the Boston Wine School as a small group gathered to meet Alan Kropf, one of the founders of Mutineer Magazine.  As always, it was a blast to meet new people and introduce them to my wines.  At the end, Alan asked me a few questions, interview style.  One of his questions was...

What excites you about Massachusetts wine?

I came way not feeling very good about myself for the way I answered.  It bugged me to the point that I could not stop thinking about it on the drive home.  I know what excites me about Travessia wines, downtown New Bedford, winemaking as a full time profession, etc., but I’ve never stopped to think as to what excites me about Massachusetts wine as a whole.  I know that with every day that passes, the “local” aspect of Travessia wines becomes more essential to everything I do.  But how can I explain my growing passion and excitement for wines made with 100% Massachusetts-grown grapes?

By the time I slipped into bed I had put into words what I should have told Alan.  Here’s what excites me...

The possibility that one day Massachusetts can consistently produce wines which are characteristic of our state.  Wines that people can remember as unique Massachusetts wine.  Wines that people can pick up whenever they are looking for that certain characteristic taste… take a sip and say, “yeah, this is it, this is Massachusetts wine”.

I say one day because, with all due respect for the people who have been doing this here in the Mass. for much longer than I have, I don’t think that we have solidified the Massachusetts wine character just yet.  It could take decades to determine what “it” is.

You the consumers have an important say in deciding the character of Massachusetts-grown wine because you play a critical role in the funding and sustaining of the exploratory work that is happening today.  With your hard earned dollars.  At the same time you will be the "judges" responsible for separating the good from the bad.  As importantly you'll sooner or later be able to separate the authentic Massachusetts wine from the fake wines being produced in Massachusetts.

How cool would it be if one day Massachusetts had its own page in the book of the world’s distinctive and unique wine growing regions?  I’m excited to be part of the discovery and exploration, who knows maybe even help shape it.  But above all, I’m excited about the “possibility”.

Don Burton Producer & Director of "Homeland"

This week I had the pleasure to sit down with Don Burton, Producer and Director of the movie "Homeland" which was filmed on location in downtown New Bedford.  The short-film premiered this past Sunday at New Bedford's Zeiterion Theater.

This is my third video blog post, the first with a guest.  We were having such a good conversation that the video ended up a bit longer than I wished.  I thought about breaking it into two posts, but after watching it myself I decided to just post it all at once.  For those who don't have the time for the entire video, here is a timeline to help you decide what you want to watch:

0:05 - Introduction
1:00 - Who is Don Burton
1:45 - "Homeland" the movie
4:45 - How Don ends up in Los Angeles
8:15 - Hollywood East - Plymouth Rock Studios
9:25 - BridgeThink.org
12:50 - How about some wine?
16:00 - The bottle in the brown bag...
21:20 - Storing open wine bottles in the fridge
24:18 - Final word

Links of Interest:
Homeland the movie     Bridgethink.org     Flickering Spaces     Plymouth Rock Studios

2008 wine notes

Over the last four months I’ve dedicated most of my time to Travessia’s marketing and sales.  It’s been fun but I was really itching to get back in the winery/lab.  So this past weekend I tasted the 2008 wines that we made at the end of last year.  Did I miss this stuff!  It was great to taste and try to envision the direction that these 2008 wines may take in the next few months.

My practice is to let wines “settle in” after fermentation is complete, taking advantage of the natural cooler winter temperatures in the winery. No pressure, no rush.  It’s like welcoming a guest into your house, showing them the guest room (or couch) and then leaving them alone for a few hours so that they can settle in on their one and make themselves comfortable.

2008 was a very different year from 2007.  Average heat but considerably more rainfall than in 2007.  As a result, grape sugar levels at harvest were lower than usual.  In some cases the degree of ripeness required for the fuller body wines like some of the ones we made in 2007 was not fully achieved.  Winemaking was certainly a lot more challenging in 2008.

Most of the Pinot Noir was lost to rot, with the exception of a single barrel which we harvested from what is practically a single row in the vineyard.  Imagine red raspberries…. Pour them into a barrel and let them have a party of their one.  That’s what this wine is tasting like right now.  Incredible for such a young wine.  Too bad there is only a single barrel of it, which is the same as saying 300 bottles.  This is the sort of wine which due to its very small quantity, may be available for purchase to Travessia wine club members only…. I’m just saying ;-)

All of the 2008 white wines seem very promising confirming what I already know… that we can consistently make quality white wines with grapes grown exclusively in Massachusetts.

* Pictured - a chromatography test result for a few different 2008 wines.  Four spots on the left indicate mallolactic fermentation (aka MLF) was completed.  Four spots on the right indicate that mallolactic is not yet completed.

Highs and Lows

OK, so I have to work on my camera positioning skills and on the "aahs"... but here is my second video blog post.  As always, I would love to read your comments.

Red Oak winery closes

Red Oak winery in Middleton, MA, is no longer in business.

I became aware that the winery was up for auction via Richard Auffrey’s “The Passionate Foodie” blog just a couple of weeks ago.  I spoke with the auctioneer this morning who told me that the winery was actually doing quite well business wise.  The closing is due to an unfortunate legal situation.

I visited this winery about a year ago, tasted several of its wines and bought a few bottles.  I didn’t really like their Chardonnay but thought that the reds were good.  In fact one of their Cabernet Sauvignon was quite good, BUT...

I feel sorry that this winery is closing and wish the best to the owner and everyone involved.  However, I have to be honest and say that I just don’t get excited about wineries like Red Oak.  Red Oak’s brand was built on “Bringing the best of the West to the East”.  West being California grapes, East being the Massachusetts winery that turned those grapes into wine.  The wine may even be great but what are you drinking?  A California wine or a Massachusetts wine?  If you believe, like I do, that what determines the origin of a wine is the place where the grapes are grown and not the hand of the winemaker in the winery, then you are drinking a California wine.  If I want a California wine, I buy it primarily at the local wine shop, not at a Massachusetts winery.  I don’t care what sort of spin you put on it… that California wine is not transported appropriately and that it’s better to transport the grapes in a refrigerated truck than to transport the finished wine, etc.… that’s just not going to fly for me.

One thing I will give to Red Oak… at least they were very clear about the origin of their grapes, unlike several Massachusetts wineries who blend California grapes with their own locally grown/sourced grapes and do not clearly disclose this to the public.  Wineries do this under a law which allows them to blend a percentage of "foreign" grapes with the grapes they grow themselves and not have to clearly state this on the label. Sure it’s legal, but this practice leads the wine drinker to develop the wrong impression and incorrect expectation for what Massachusetts wine tastes like. I find this “blending” practice damaging to the Massachusetts wine industry.  But I’m off topic now… this really deserves its own post.

Travessia UnOaked Chardonnay at the Rose Alley Ale House

Inner Bay Restaurant, owned by my good friends Tony and Judy Soares, has been selling all of my currently released wines by the glass and by the bottle since early February.  They were the first establishment to invest in my wines so they’ll forever hold a special place in my heart.

This past weekend, Travessia wine was picked up by a second restaurant.  The brand new Rose Alley Ale House decided to have Travessia’s 2007 UnOaked Chardonnay as one of their wines.

I am very thankful to the Rose Alley Ale House.  They came to me and showed interest even before I had opened the winery to the public.  Some of the Ale House’s five partners were Travessia customers early on and I’m very happy and thankful that they decided to carry my wine at their brand new establishment.

The Rose Alley Ale House opened to the public this March 4th after many months of work which included rebuilding the infrastructure of what may be one of New Bedford’s oldest buildings.  The bar is located at the bottom of Rose Alley facing route 18.  They serve a wide selection of local micro brews along with a menu which features salads, burgers and many different flavors of buffalo wings.

I spoke for several minutes with manager Bryon Giordano.  He told me that they would be selling Travessia’s UnOaked Chardoonay for $6 a glass which is comparable to most of the other white wines they carry.  Not sure I convinced Bryon to work the Fish & Chips into their menu.... After all, you can easily see the masts of America’s top commercial fishing fleet right across the street from the Rose Alley.

If you happen to be out and about in downtown New Bedford, please stop by the Rose Alley Ale House.  They are located at 94 Front Street.  They open Monday through Thursday at 4:30PM; Friday through Sunday at Noon. Close at last call.

The Culture of Wine Talks: White, Pink, Red - How wine is made

  

Come visit us at the winery this Thursday evening, March 12th, 2009, for our second AHA! Night.  AHA! celebrates art, history and architecture in downtown New Bedford. In March, AHA's theme is "Exploring how fundamental elements are used to create art."  What elements?... Air, fire, earth, water, wood and metal.

Travessia participates by hosting a series of talks on different wine related topics.  This month's topic is "White, Pink, Red - How wine is made".  20 minutes is barely enough to scratch the surface on some very basic aspects of winemaking, such us:

• What is the impact of vineyard growing practices on the quality of wine?
• Is Rose a blend of Red and White wines?
• Why are barrels used in the winemaking process?

Attendance is free and talks begin at every hour, i.e. 7PM, 8PM and 9PM.  For those who haven’t yet visited us, we are at 760 Purchase Street, New Bedford, MA 02740 (click through for Google Maps).

Where in the world is Travessia?

Inspired by one of my favorite wine blogs – Dr.Vino – who once in a while runs a post titled “Where in the wine world are we?” requesting readers to identify a vineyard site, this month I start a new feature here on the Travessia winery blog titled “Where in the World is Travessia?”

For this to actually work, I need your participation in two ways:

1. Send me a picture of a bottle of one of Travessia’s wines.  Besides the wine, the picture should also display a view of the town/city you live in or a place that you visited.  It's fine if the bottle has been emptied.

I will then post your picture here on the blog and that's when the second part of everyone's participation comes in.

2. Identify (guessing is fine) the location shown in the picture.  Just simply leave your answer in the comments.

The first reader to accurately and more precisely identify the location shown on the picture will be the winner of a bottle of wine or wine related gift.  I will give everyone 2 or 3 days to send in their “guess” before calling a winner.

I strongly encourage you to include your beautiful self in the picture along with the bottle and the view of the location.  Why?  Well, it’s much more interesting and believable.  Not required, but you'll make me happier :-)

First up…  my friend Ryan took a bottle of Travessia’s 2007 Vidal Blanc along with him on a weekend trip to a fairly distant place.  He sent me this picture:

So... Where in the World is Travessia?

I will give everyone a clue since this is the first time we do this… it’s somewhere in Europe.  Leave your guess in the comments section below.

UPDATE - 3/8/09
This wasn't really much of a contest since Robert Dwyer hit the target dead center right off the bat.  The picture was indeed taken in Zermatt, Switzerland.  Congrats to Robert and thank you to Richard and Bela for participating.  I'll need more pictures to do this again, so please send them in.  Thanks! Marco.

Travessia Winery joins Coastal Wine Trail of Southeastern New England

This week Travessia winery was accepted into the Coastal Wine Trail of Southeastern New England. This is very significant for us.  The Coastal wine trail encompasses a group of wineries within the Southeastern New England AVA.  The term AVA is short for American Viticultural Area and can only be used by a region that has been recognized by the federal government for a distinctive combination of soil, climate and topography.  The idea is that these characteristics contribute to identifiable regional wine character.  Some would call this terroir, though this French word is a beast of its own that I will tackle some other day.

Technicalities aside, I feel like we’ve just joined the big boys/girls.  If one is serious about becoming a well-known wine grower in this region, being associated with this group of wineries is an absolute must.  Some of the people who own and run these wineries are pioneers in the growing of wine grapes in New England.  I’m very thankful that they’ve allowed me into their group.

My entrance into the trail was not a given from the start because one of the requirements is that members must be engaged in the growing of vinifera grapes within this AVA.  As most of you know, I do not own my own vineyard.  However, I explained that as part of my work at Running Brook Vineyards, I follow and often provide input into the growing of the grapes that end up as wine in my bottles.  When buds break (God… can’t wait, when is this winter going to be over?!), I start walking the vineyard at Running Brook on a weekly basis to follow the growing cycle and monitor the vineyard’s progress.  My involvement is even more direct as we get closer to harvest and picking decisions are made, with almost daily tasting and testing of the grapes for ripeness, sugar content and pH levels.  So though I do not own a vineyard, I’m most certainly engaged in the growing of grapes here in Southeastern New England.

Soon I will explain how the trail works.  For now, what I want you to know is that sometime in the Spring there will be a kick-off party for the 2009 wine trail at Sakonnet Vineyards in Little Compton, Rhode Island.  The eight wineries in the trail will be at Sakonnet pouring their wines.  I will tell you the exact date once we have one and yes… I want to see you all there.

What did I drink in 2008?

This post is in the category of “why would anyone care?”  But I’m still writing it. Posts like this serve the purpose of letting you into my personal life's habits and decisions.  I also need to justify to myself that it was worth noting down each bottle of wine I consumed at home during 2008.  Yes I did.

At times I accumulated as much as a dozen empty bottles on the kitchen counter waiting to be added into the database. I was threaten multiple times by my wife that if I did not remove these empty bottles, that she…. blah blah blah :-)  I was able to sustain these threats and this past weekend, equipped with one of the best pieces of software ever created (MS Excel), I finally cleaned out the kitchen counter of all the empty bottles. 

I’ll save you from graphs and charts, here’s just some basic data on my wine consumption for 2008:

Bottles consumed: 94 (46 Whites, 42 Reds, 6 Rose)
Top countries: USA, Portugal and France
Top regions: Alentejo and Verde (Portugal), Burgundy (France), and Paso Robles (California)
Top varietals: Pinot Noir, Alvarinho, Chardonnay, Petite Sirah.  Many wines were blends.
Average bottle cost: $16
Most expensive: $36 (2006 Orin Swift’s Napa Valley The Prisoner)
Least expensive: $6 (Quinta do Cabriz Colheita Selecionada)
Closure type: 96% cork, 4% screwcap
Bottles corked: 2 bottles (2.1%)

My own wines are not included in this data, otherwise these numbers would be dramatically skewed. 

My goal for this year is to venture into new regions and varietals but do so while favoring wines which directly or indirectly compete with my own wines, i.e. wines from cool climate regions in the $13-$19 range.

*Picture:  My recycling bin taken with the incredible Motorola Razr phone.

The Culture of Wine Talks - Myth vs. Reality

Come visit us at the winery this Thursday evening, February 12th, 2009, for what will be our first official AHA! Night.  Every second Thursday of each month, AHA! Celebrates Art History and Architecture in downtown New Bedford.  We’ll be doing our part in the celebration with what we are calling the “Culture of Wine” talks.  What is this?  Basically for about 15-20 minutes I will be standing on my soapbox and tell you more than you probably want to know about different topics, all related to wine… wine making, wine drinking, wine history, wine politics, etc.  You’ll get to taste our wine and if you want even take advantage of a special 10% AHA! Night discount on all of our wines.

Attendance is free and talks begin at every hour, i.e. 6PM, 7PM, 8PM and 9PM.  For those who haven’t yet visited us, we are at 760 Purchase Street, New Bedford, MA 02740 (click through for Google Maps).

This month’s “Culture of Wine” talk is titled “Myth vs. Reality”.  Here is a quick preview of some of the myths (or not) that we’ll be talking about…

• Uncorking a bottle for a few hours before drinking to “let it breathe” will improve and soften the wine.  Myth or Reality?
• Aged wine is better than young wine.  Myth or Reality?
• Wines labeled as “Reserve” and “Old Vine” are of guaranteed or special quality.  Myth or Reality?
• Red Wine Should Never Be Chilled.  Myth or Reality?

Hope to see you this Thursday evening… it should be a lot of fun.

Travessia Winery in the press

This has been a very good week for Travessia.  An article published in the Standard Times of New Bedford and Cape Cod Times based in Hyannis resulted in major promotion.  Many people have contacted us and expressed their excitement for trying our wines.  Many joined our mailing list already.  If you haven’t read the article yet, you can find it here (Standard T.) and here (Cape Cod T.).  Hopefully all this promotion will lead to new and long-lasting customers.

The reaction to my previous post (the first in video format) was incredible.  Chances are that it won’t be long before my next video blog post and I will for sure use many of the suggestions and comments I received to make it even better.

I feel humbled by all of this.  It raises the bar for Travessia and I certainly will do all I can to produce wines that people can enjoy while staying true to my own believe of what a good wine should be.

The website is coming along even though you won’t see any changes for a few more weeks.  That’s because we won’t “lift the cover” of the site’s upgrade until it’s all completed.  Stay tuned.

I debated not sharing the following, but this has been on my mind pretty much all the time this week, so I can’t help it but to be honest and sincere…
Unfortunately, in the middle of all this excitement for me personally, I received very sad news early this week of the unexpected departure of a long time friend.  Though over the last few years I would see him only occasionally I feel a bit empty with his departure.  So easy to just take someone’s existence for granted.  Sometimes we fail to reach out and connect with those friends who aren’t physically in our presence every day or every week.  My thoughts are with Eddie and my heart with his family.

Live from my basement

My first shot at video blogging...  "Live" from the basement late Saturday night.

Like it?  Hate it?   Either way leave a comment.

AHA!

We finally have our “OPEN” flag up and we hope to have our sign installed by the end of January. The wines are selling well and we have had several people join our wine club even before they’ve had a chance to taste any or our red wines – we are grateful for this.  And by the way, our two red wines should be ready for release sometime in the Spring of 2009. So far the most commonly heard sentence at the winery is…

<<I don’t like Chardonnay, but I like this one.>>

Obviously we love to hear this.  Between our two Chardonnay wines, it’s interesting to see how everyone has a different preference.  Some like the unoaked better, others like the traditionally oak barrel aged better.  A proof that everyone has different tastes and that there really is no wrong or right when it comes to personal taste and wine preferences.

We’ve also joined several local organizations. One of the organizations that we’ve joined is AHA.  It stands for Art, History and Architecture and it’s a free cultural event which occurs in downtown New Bedford every second Thursday of each month.  We are very excited to be participants in AHA.  We have joined as a programming partner which means that during each of the monthly AHA events, not only we’ll close much later than usual (9PM instead of 6PM), we’ll actually be offering a free cultural event right at the winery. Patricia Daughton, who is the program coordinator for AHA, suggested that we do some type of educational talk for approximately 30 minutes covering a specific wine topic. She didn't have to twist our arm too much for us to accept the idea. So, every AHA night starting in February, I'll be having a free event at the winery called "The Culture of Wine".  We’ll probably not dive deep into any one single subject because time would not allow it, but the goal is to give those who are interested a chance to learn something new about wine in a fun and relaxed way. And again, this is free of charge.

I still have to work out the details, but one idea is to have multiple sessions starting at every hour… 6PM, 7PM, 8PM… so people can stop by the winery whenever it’s convenient to them.

I can come up with a dozen topics myself without much effort, but I really would like to give you the readers of my blog a chance to chime in. Please just leave a comment here or if you prefer send me an email with a question or questions about something that you would like to learn about wine. Don’t be afraid to ask anything. Maybe there’s something about wine that intrigues you and that you which you would understand better. And obviously you are all invited to come… the next AHA is on February 12th.

Here is a link to the AHA schedule for 2009.

My 10 Resolutions for 2009

• Let's get the obvious one out of the way... Loose 10 pounds.  Which goes along with the next two resolutions…


• Eat more fruit.  In season.  It’s pointless to have peaches in January.  They are expensive and they suck.


• Exercise.  I mean walk 10 minutes during lunchtime 3 days a week.  Weather permitting, i.e. when it’s sunny, dry and between 62F-68F.


• Drink Italian wine.  I had a couple of bad experiences with Chianti a few years ago.  I had two different bottles which at the time I thought couldn’t have possibly been made for humans.  Probably just bad luck.  So in 2009 I will give it another shot and drink a bottle of Italian wine per month.


• Read the 4 magazines that I subscribe to.  At least look through them for interesting articles before throwing them into the “I’ll read it later” pile.


• Reduce number of blog subscriptions from 90 to 50 and stay up to date on reading them so that I don’t end up with 27 unread entries of Drinks Are On Me.


• Keep my garage clean so that I can use it for what it’s meant for… parking the car.


• Organize and back-up all my computer files, including and especially my kids pictures and movies.


• Spend more time with my #1 Queen on school related activities.


• Continue to ignore my 401K plan – it’s pointless to spend any time on it.

How about you?  Care to share?

Happy New Year to you all & Thank You for a great 2008. - Marco

It’s opening day… finally!

It has been a crazy few weeks ever since the Massachusetts ABCC approved Travessia’s winery permit.  The goal was to open before the Chirstmas holiday season.  The list of items to complete was huge and it seemed an almost impossible task.

But I’m happy to be writing here that if all goes according to the latest plan (the plan changes every day), Travessia will officially open the door this Sunday, December 14.  We won’t have a grand opening until sometime in the Spring after we’ve worked out all of the kinks, but we’ll certainly be open from this point on.  So you are all invited to come on by to say hello and more importantly finally taste our wine.  We are starting with four of our white wines… two Chardonnay and two Vidal Blanc - all 100% Massachusetts.  I know… white wine in the middle of what seems to be one of the harshest winters in the past few years!?  Well, when did people stop eating salad in the winter?  Nothing like a nicely chilled semi-sweet Vidal Blanc when it’s 25F outside… ;-)

Some things had to be left behind in a rush to get the winery open.  A major one was the website.  There was no chance that we could be opening at this time if I had dedicated any significant amount of time to the website.  So, the website will be a January project that I’m very much looking forward to.

I will hopefully get back to a regular blog posting schedule in early January and I have a lot to tell you about. I want to introduce you to some of the people who helped me create Travessia.  From my cousin Edson who is going to be running the Tasting Room and Winery Operations, to Patricia McRitchie who helped me with all of the legal paperwork at the Federal and State level (whom I’ve never met in person… got to love email and phone).  Many people had their hands in making Travessia a reality.

So… please come visit us.  The winery will be open from Noon to 6PM daily.  We are at 760 Purchase Street in downtown New Bedford.

P.S.  Please tell your family and friends about Travessia.  We can use a good word of mouth advertisement campaign.

Time flies when you are having fun

Another three weeks went by without a blog post.  Believe me that it’s not for lack of things to tell you all about.  So… here is an update of what’s been happening in my world.

Running Brook
Harvest began the last week of September and finished just a few days ago.  This was a challenging year due to massive rain just a few days prior to the grapes being ready for harvest.  Still I feel that we did well for the most part.  It’s too early to tell for sure but the young wines taste very promising.  This year we made a new wine… a white/rose wine of Pinot Noir.  I’m excited to see how this wine will turn out.

The Old Job
Two weeks ago I left my previous “real” job for a new company.  As a goodbye "treat", my boss took me to visit Jewell Towne Vineyards, a winery that falls in the New Hampshire/Massachusetts border… literally.  Also, the people that I worked with so closely for 5 ½ years gave me an expensive bottle of Burgundy wine as a gift.  They all signed the label which makes the content of the bottle irrelevant.  They could have done the same with a bottle of “cheapo” wine and it would have felt as special to me.  I will keep this bottle for a long time as a reminder of how lucky I was to work with such special people.  I will miss them.

The New Job
From telecommunications equipment to Audio Visual equipment.  Completely different product and technology but very interesting stuff nonetheless.  A considerable change for sure, including an all MAC computer environment.  Speaking of change… my new company’s slogan is “NOW YOU CAN”.  They've had this slogan for three years now.  Newly elected president Barack Obama’s campaign slogan was “YES WE CAN”.  What a coincidence.  Interestingly enough, tax break or not, 95% of Americans cannot afford the product that my new company designs and sells.  I’m not making any political statement here, I’m just saying…

Travessia
Last Tuesday was an historical day for me personally.  I received the winery permit approval from the Massachusetts Alcohol and Beverage Control Commission.  This was the last permit required in order for me to start producing and selling wine.  It was a long wait involving a lot of paperwork and a considerable investment.  Now the ball is in my court.  My to do list is very long and there are some major items to accomplish before I can actually open the winery for business and start selling wine.  I’m shooting for an opening day sometime prior to the holidays in December.  With only about 4 to 5 weeks left, I honestly don't know for sure if this will be possible.  I’ll keep you posted.

Massachusetts wine sucks!

Fact:  Every state in America has a winery.
Question:  How good is the wine being made in each state?

Joel Stein set out to find the answer by drinking and evaluating one wine from each state - 50 states, 50 wines.  He did it with help from his wife, his friends and Gary Vaynerchuck.  This sure seems like a fun exercise and the type of thing that I would love to participate in.  But this experiment was actually published in Time magazine and that’s what I have a problem with.  Readers, regular wine drinkers or not, could read the Time’s article and make purchasing decisions based on how each of the individual state was rated in the review.  Here's the problem…  No single wine can indicate the quality of ALL wine being produced in its native state.  However, reading the review for the Massachusetts wine that was chosen would lead most people to conclude that Massachusetts wine simply sucks.  Here is the review for the Nobska Red wine produced by Cape Cod Winery:

<<If an old lady were to make wine at her bed-and-breakfast and the only ingredients she had to work with were sugar and paint thinner, she'd make this wine. Everyone at the wine-tasting party was choking and running to shake off the taste that reaches down and drags up the darkest part of your soul. Have you ever had cheap grappa? Or Old Grand-Dad whiskey? Then you have some idea of the face this wine causes you to make. Why would you make a heavy, Bordeaux-style red blend (which is what the winery claims it's aiming for) in this cool climate when, even if you somehow succeeded, it would never go with Cape Cod food? A woman at our party has a parent who lives near a different winery in Cape Cod, and she said its wine is awful too.  Rating: Undrinkable — by Joel Stein>>

The review is right on point.  They nailed it for sure.  I tasted this wine early this year after I had heard that the winery was for sale at the time (I don’t believe it was sold).  I had about half a glass of it and dumped the rest.  Cape Cod Winery’s Nobska Red is quite simply one of the worst wines ever produced in the history of mankind.  This is not a subjective matter… the wine is technically faulty and should have never made it to the market.  How did Joel Stein select this wine for his review beats me.  But the Nobska Red is not an indication of the overall quality of the wine being produced in our state.  I’ve written before that there is room for improvement but to make this Nobska Red our state’s “example” wine is wrong.  It’s wrong and not fair to everyone else working hard to improve the quality of their wines, especially those dedicated to growing their own grapes right here in Massachusetts.

To get an accurate review of the quality of wine being produced in each state we would need to taste every single wine being made.  Just kidding :-)  I know this would be an impossible task since there would be tens of thousands of wines to be tasted.  So maybe we should taste a few from each state.  A criteria could be established to determine how wines are selected as representatives of their state.

I salute the experiment and think that it’s certainly a fun way to look at wine in America, maybe even raise more interest in American wine.  But I’m concerned for the inaccurate conclusions that readers may take away from this.  I want to ask the few of you who read my blog to please don’t give up on our local wines even if you come a across a bad one.  Unless the bad one is my own, in which case I expect you to bring it back to me and ask for your money back.

Note that it is not my intention to bash Cape Cod Winery and the people there who I’m sure have no intention to put out crappy wine.

When rain is the enemy of good wine

Early last week I walked through the vineyards in Westport and Dartmouth to evaluate the effect of a total of 5 inches of rain in the previous four days.  Yes, 5 inches... almost as much rain in four days as we got the entire 2007 growing season.  The crop isn't completely lost, and in fact some varietals are doing quite well (Merlot, Cabernet Franc), but it isn't pretty for some of the vineyard blocks.  What are the major impacts of rain during harvest?

Dilution of flavor and sugar in the berries
The vines absorb more water than we would like them to at this stage and the result is that the intensity of flavors is reduced.  Flavor intensity is one of the most important factors in producing good wines.  Sugar is also diluted but that’s not as critical as the loss of flavor since sugar can be added to the juice prior to or during fermentation - a process called Chaptalization.  This correction of the sugar amount in grape juice is usually allowed in cold climate regions like ours where sugar in the grapes may not naturally reach the desired level for good wines to be made.  The French, especially in Burgundy, have been adding sugar to their grape juice for centuries.

The development of rot... Rot = Evil
I could leave it at that, but let me take it a little further.  Wet grape clusters tend to rot especially on tightly closed clusters as in most Pinot varietals.   Rot, even of the noble kind, does not add pleasant flavor to dry wines.  Moreover, berries can burst if they swell beyond the skin's ability to retain all the water which is absorbed.  With the "meat" of the berry exposed to insects and bacteria... it's a disaster in the making.

So, what's a winemaker to do?
Option 1: Pick early.  Yes, sometimes a winemaker and vineyard manager will decide to just go ahead and harvest the grapes the day before the heavy rain.  The problem with this is that sometimes the grapes aren't ripe enough to make good wine.  It's a "play it safe" approach based on the idea that it is better to make some wine than no wine at all.
Option 2: If the decision is made to weather the storm and wait for full ripeness despite all the rain, then extra work has to be done at the winery.  If quality wine is the goal.... the winery has to be very selective when the grapes are finally harvested.  By this I mean that every berry that has developed rot should NOT be included in the making of the wine.  This requires hand picking and hand sorting, a time and money consuming procedure.  Even with the rotten berries removed, we still have to deal with the issue of lack of flavor intensity.  Techniques like draining some of the grape juice from being in contact with the skins (called saigneé) or extending juice to skin contact can be used to try to make the best of it.

That's the price to pay for quality wine to be made in years when mother nature throws at us a pool of water just before harvest.  This off course all comes with heavy financial implications tied to the loss of revenue from sales of either lesser quality wine, or in the worst case... no wine at all to be sold.

This my friends, is another reason why wine is such a special beverage unlike any other liquid we consume.  Next time you fill the glass, think about it... not only is the wine you are drinking a reflection of its natural growing conditions during each individual year, there is no guarantee that the wine made from this vineyard and its vines will be there next year.  This is why most wine labels include the year in which the grapes were grown - it's not just to make it fancy, the year (vintage) does really matter.

 

The Feds say Yay!

On Wednesday I received notification from the TTB that my application for a winery permit was approved.  If you follow me on twitter this is old news to you since I posted (or should I say twitted) the news within minutes.  But I know most of you don’t really know what twitter is all about and are maybe even scared of finding out (and I don’t blame you, I’ve been there).

Having my application approved by the federal government is a huge step.  Over the last few months I’ve seen the Travessia bank account get smaller and smaller.  From the purchase of equipment, to paying for legal services and application fees, to the rent I’ve been paying since August, it’s been a bit, how should I say it… uncomfortable.  All the money going out, no money coming in, and I did not even know if the government was going to let me do this.  It sure takes a little bit of money, but more than money, please say it with me… it takes BIG BALLS.

So, getting this approval feels great, but it’s not a completely done deal just yet.  Now that I’ve got my federal permit, I have to apply for a winery permit with the state of Massachusetts.  Now, you would think that there aren’t that many wineries in Massachusetts so the process should be pretty straight forward and quick.  Think again.  I would not be surprised if I have to wait a couple more months before I clear this final hurdle.  But we all know that these "road blocks" exist for a good reason.  It's about determining how much do I really want this... at least that's what I keep telling myself when the doubts set in from time to time. :-)

We are one step closer to that opening day when we all get to celebrate a good glass of Travessia wine.

It's harvest time

Harvest is in full swing at Running Brook.  It started this past Monday with a very small quantity of Pinot Noir which will be made into a single barrel of red wine.  Tuesday and Wednesday we brought in close to three tons of another Pinot Noir (a different clone of Pinot which is well suited for a rosé style wine).  Thursday it was 4 tons of Pinot Gris.  Phenomenal Pinot Gris I should say.  Timing couldn’t have worked any better because now… here comes the rain, apparently lots of it.  Most of the other grapes still on the vine (Chardonnay, Merlot, Cab.Franc, Vidal, etc.) are 2 to 4 weeks away from being fully ripe.  Hopefully after the rain we’ll get a good amount of sun for the final stretch of this year's growing season.  It feels like this week we were hit with the first wave of harvest.  Now things will settle for a few days and then the second wave (a much bigger one) will be upon us.

Now it’s time for me to get to work and do my best to turn this New England juice into great wine.  It's not easy with many late-night hours at the winery after a good day's of work at my real job.  But I love it and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be doing this.

I’ll leave you with some fresh Pinot Gris pics…

In the vineyard, just picked...

 

Cool overnight temperature, very cold fruit... perfect for preserving flavor and aroma

 

At the crushpad ready to go into the press

Local is better… is it really?

This past weekend I met a few people who aren’t just into wine, they are into "local wine".  I did not pass on the opportunity to explain how I’m about to launch my own winery with wines made with grapes grown locally right here in Southeastern New England.  They were excited to hear this and I was happy to have acquired a couple of new followers who may eventually become good customers.

I later realized that I had broken one of my own rules while speaking with these locavores.  I over-hyped the "local product" aspect.  I do believe that it’s important to tell people that my product is local and I will surely do it often.  But while doing so, I don’t want to give people the impression that my wine tastes better and is better for the planet than any other wine which is not local.

I’ve studied the marketing approach of several small wineries which use the “local” mantra as their platform to greatness.  Unfortunately, in most cases, there is a heavy dose of bullshit involved in their speech...

Local wine just tastes better
Quality in wine is an extremely subjective matter to begin with.  It is up to you to decide the wine you enjoy independently of the hundreds of variables that exist in grape growing and winemaking.  However, there are some standards that cannot be denied and sometimes a wine is just simply bad no matter how subjective wine tasting may be.  And I’m not talking about technically faulty wine here.  Where am I going with this?...  There is a lot of local wine that nicely put, is just below standard of what a good wine is.  From Chardonnay which tastes like Riesling to Merlot table wine that has been artificially sweetened post fermentation, some local wines are like home winemaking experiments gone bad that people should never even pay a $1 for.  Just because the grapes are grown locally, it does not mean that the resulting wine is better than anything else.

Local wine is better for the environment
What is better for me as a Massachusetts resident… a California or Spanish wine made from organically grown grapes, OR… a wine made from grapes grown locally with the help of pesticides?  The California or Spanish wine comes with an expensive carbon foot-print for transporting the wine from thousands of miles away across the country or across the ocean.  But what about the potential cancer-causing pesticides that the local farmer had to use to grow an healthy vineyard? (note: the cancer aspect has never been scientifically proven)  If the local grower is capable of growing grapes without the use of pesticides then he or she has accomplished something phenomenal.  Unfortunately, growing consistently good quality grapes in New England without the use of pesticides is highly risky and close to impossible (as in most other wine growing regions of the world).  Bottom line… don’t be fooled by someone who tells you that you are helping the planet by buying a local wine.

If you have read this far you deserve to know what my own choices are…  In regards to quality, there are very few Southeastern New England wines that I’ve tasted (and I have tasted most of them) that in my opinion are of consistently good quality and better than most equally priced wines available from all over the world at the local retail stores.  The Winterwine from Sakonnet Vineyards is an example of one of the few really consistently outstanding local wines.  In regards to the “green” factor, the main pros and cons of organic and local cancel each other, at least for now.  I do enjoy being closer to the source of the product and for that I will keep trying local wines.  But don't ever let me fool you with the local B.S.

What's going on... permits and tanks and sketches and grapes

I’ve been away from the blog for a couple of weeks now so I wanted to give everyone an update.  
 
Permits – I’ve now had two telephone interviews with the TTB and I’m waiting for my Federal permit any day now.  I’m almost done preparing the permit documentation to be submitted to the state of Massachusetts.  But the TTB permit is a requirement before Massachusetts accepts the state application…  The key word in this entire process has been "patience".
 
Equipment – Last week I received most of the winery equipment that I had ordered… this included a press, a chiller and a pump.  Immediately run into problems because the chiller requires 3-phase electric power when the winery building only has 1-phase… at least that’s what my landlord had told me.  Luckily Mark was wrong and there is indeed 3-phase at the winery.  Dodged a bullet with this one… it would have been a nightmare to try to return the chiller for a single-phase version.  Early next week I should be receiving two 580 gallon stainless steel tanks that will be used for fermentation of both red and white grapes.  These tanks were custom ordered and manufactured in Germany and fully loaded with features including jackets for chilling/heating and manholes… yes I did say manholes :-)
(I think the official name is "manway")
 
Winery – The front door at the winery should be taken down this week in preparation for a wider door so that the tanks can get through the entrance and into the winery.  Having a wider door will also help move pallets in and out of the winery.  My friend Bela Fogarty started giving me ideas as to how I can best organize the incredibly small 1,069 square feet of space I have to play with inside the winery.  It would be nice to have a good sized area for the tasting/sales room but I need to leave enough space for the actual winemaking… really excited about the sketches Bela has sent me thus far.

  
 
Website – Have you seen the latest and greatest version of the website?  If not take a look and as always feel free to comment.  It’s been up for about three weeks now.  I’ll be adding a lot of new content to the site whenever time allows it.
 
At Running Brook – We've bottled several of the 2007 wines which will be resting in the bottle for a few months before release.  Started checking sugar levels, pH and flavors on this year’s crop.  The Pinot Gris and one of the Pinot Noir clones seem to be ahead of everything else.  I'm starting to get excited about this winemaking season.  A year ago my attitude was... "Marco, just don't screw it".  I think I succeeded for the most part though it really remains to be seen when we start opening the finished and bottled wine.  This year I'm going in with a little more confidence but we still need the weather to cooperate so that the grapes ripen while developing good flavors.  We are a mere two weeks away from madness 2008… I mean harvest 2008.

The inevitable Veraison blog post

Any winery or winemaker who has a blog always takes the opportunity to show off what is one of the most exciting times in the yearly cycle of grape growing.  I’m going to copy everyone else and do the same with this week’s post.
 
It’s called Veraison and it signifies the color change in the grape berries.  More importantly, it represents the change from berry growth to berry ripening.  At this point in the growing season berries begin to soften and change color from green to either red or yellow depending on the grape variety.
 
At the St.Jorge vineyard this past Saturday, August 16th, I walked the vineyard as I do often when I looked down row 48 and realized that the Pinot Noir had just started to turn color.  It happened fairly quickly since I had been there just 3 days before and there was no veraison to be seen. 
 
I had been waiting for this to happen for a few days now and the erratic weather we experienced the first two weeks of August had started to make me a bit concerned.  I have been reading about Varaison from everyone else in the world and it seemed as if the Veraison Gods had forgotten about us.  On July 28, Morgan at Bedrock Wine Co. declared Veraison at some of the vineyards he sources fruit from.  Kristy Charles followed the next day.  Jason at Tablas Creek on July 30.  The Benchland Blog on August 6.  Even if you don’t have the time to read through their blog posts, I highly recommend you click on through just for their pictures which are much prettier than mine.

 
I see this as a wake-up call to what’s coming in just a few weeks… harvest.  It tells us winemakers that it’s time to start ordering fresh laboratory supplies, yeasts and additives if necessary, clean the dust off the destemmer-crusher and the press.  In just about two months the “madness” that is harvest and crush will begin once again.

Update:  I forgot to mention that on August 15, Jeff from Twisted Oak winery in California's Calaveras County posted a message on his blog... the first fruit of this year's harvest was arriving at the winery.  Is that amazing or what?

Reflections of a Wine Merchant

This is not intended to be a review… just sharing my overall impression from a book I read last week.

Recently while waiting for a tire change I walked over to Barnes & Noble and searched through the wine book section.  Most books there are of the encyclopedia type with glossy pictures and pretty maps.  Then I picked up a book titled “Reflections of a Wine Merchant” written by Neal Rosenthal.  I read two pages right in the middle of the book and I was hooked.  Five days later, by the time I had left the jury duty waiting room at the Fall River court house I was done reading it.  This rarely happens to me… I’m not a fast book reader (actually I rarely read a book).

Neal Rosenthal entered the wine business in 1979 as a wine merchant based in New York city.  The book describes his experiences with the many producers that he developed relationships with mostly in France and Italy.  Rosenthal is also not shy about his views of the world of wine in general including vinification methods.  Not only is he passionate about terroir, he prefers the so called old world(European) wine production methods in detriment to new world ones(USA, Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, etc).  To the extreme that sometimes I find him a bit condescending to new world wine.

In my opinion, Mr.Rosenthal’s view of wine production in today’s age is a bit unrealistic.  Wine merchants and consumers in general do not tolerate bad vintages.  So while I would love to make wine just like a Burgundian traditionalist who can play the "terroir card" as need be, reality is that I live in a place that’s not even known for wine, never mind terroir.  Besides, I’m still looking for truth in the notion of terroir… I’m looking for it in every bottle of French wine I drink and so far I haven't found it.  I may not be dishing out enough dollars in my search for wines that express terroir, but if I have to pay $50+ per bottle to experience it, then guess what… I’ll pass.

Nevertheless, the book is written in a way that at times made me feel as if I was side-by-side with Rosenthal, walking up the hills in Piedmont or seating at the dinner table in a Burgundy village.  It gave me an inside view of what it’s like to deal with some of the world’s most intriguing wine producers, how they think and love their work, their success and misfortunate.  I recommend the book to any wine enthusiast out there regardless of new vs. old world wine preferences.

I’ll finish with an interesting quote from the book which to me serves as a reminder to never loose site of who I am, independently of how successful or not I may eventually be as a winemaker…

<<For me the dynamic of buying wine is not just about whether a wine is good or not.  There has to be a hook, a meeting of the minds between the author of the wine and the buyer.  I am not talking about friendship, although that may come to pass as well.  More important, there has to be a shared appreciation and a common aesthetic.  That is not as obvious as it may seem.  I have been in the presence of producers whose wines were perfectly fine but whose demeanor left me cold.  It’s simply not any fun to sell wine from someone about whom one doesn’t care.>>

My first real bottling day

This past Saturday at Running Brook winery in Dartmouth we bottled what is my first commercially-produced wine.  The 2007 Vidal Blanc is now in the bottle.  A total of 575 cases.  For those not familiar with the term, a full case of wine contains 12 bottles, so that makes it 6,900 bottles of this Vidal Blanc wine.
 
I didn’t sleep well the night before bottling.  I was worried about way too many things.  Though we had a bottling machine specialist on hand, it was my first hands-on experience with the automated “beast”.  I had been told that sometimes bottling doesn’t go as well as expected, especially when bottling wine that has to be sterile filtered on the way to the bottle like this off-dry white wine.
 
But what really had me sweating was the simple realization that this was it… once in the bottle, there is little a winemaker can do to alter the taste of the wine for the better or the worst.  It’s like saying goodbye to something you had under your watch for a long time.  Did I forget something?  Did I measure and adjust the free sulfite level correctly?  We’ll we succeed removing all of the remaining lactic bacteria from this wine?  Are the corks we selected the right size for the bottle we going to use?  Are we going to be able to maneuver in the tight space we have to work with in the winery?
 
The bottling went fine and I came home at the end of a 12-hour long day with a sense of accomplishment.  I could never imagine a year and half ago that I would even be involved in something which most winemakers would consider of small dimension but that feels quite big to me.
 
The wine will now enter what is commonly known as “bottle shock” and it won’t taste its best for a few weeks.  Hopefully within 3 months it will recover and be ready to show it’s true character.  Until then I keep my fingers crossed and move on to the next bottling session.

The back label

I don’t buy wine without reading the back label on the bottle, especially if it’s a wine that I’ve never had before.  The front label may entice me to pick up the bottle off the shelf but the back label is one of the most influential factors in my purchasing decision.  What can the producer tell me in about 10 seconds that convinces me THIS wine is worth a try? 

Sometimes though, for example in a restaurant, you don’t usually get the chance to read the back label until after you’ve ordered the wine.  So in this instance, reading the label on the bottle is a way to kill some time while waiting for your food to arrive or to pause during your meal.
 
A couple of weeks ago I was having lunch at the Portuguese American club in New Bedford.  On Friday they serve a Portuguese dish called “Bacalhau com Batata ao Murro” (It’s grilled salted cod with roasted potatoes… a traditional dish that is highly recommended).  I ordered a Portuguese red wine that is available in half-bottle.  While licking the olive oil off my fingertips on one hand, I turned the bottle around with the other hand and started reading the back label.  Can you see me choking on a potato when my eyes came across the word autochthonous?  Ok, I didn’t choke, but what the f**k!?  Why did this wine have to make me feel ignorant while I’m having the time of my life munching down the best lunch I’ve had all week?
 
I hope that I'm not the only one who had to look this one up.  In any case, I don’t understand how anyone could think that this is a good word to use in a label to describe a product… any product.  I do admit that eventually thinking that someone had actually come up with this word made me laugh.  As for the wine itself, it was pretty decent, in fact not bad at all for $7 and it paired perfectly with the salted cod.  And now I’ve added a new word to my vocabulary though I doubt I will ever use it.
 
Is what you read on a back label part of your purchasing decision when it comes to wine?  Do you even read or care for back labels?  In your experience, are back labels generally "bull" or do they accurately describe the wine's taste and origin?

10 to 15 new wineries per week

I called the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) yesterday to request an update on my bonded winery permit application.  The lady I spoke with could not help me much because the TTB’s database was down at the time.

While on the phone she mentioned that the division which handles winery applications is extremely busy these days.  How busy?  They are receiving <<on average 10 to 15 new winery applications per week>>.  That is a fairly large number of potential new wineries.  Indeed, the number of wineries in America has exploded over the last few years.  As of early 2008, there were more than 6,000 wineries in the country.  This number represents a growth of more than 25% since 2004.  If so many people think that opening a winery is a good idea, I must have picked the right business to get into.  Or have I?

First the good news… Given that still only one-third of Americans drink wine there is a considerable potential for growth in the wine business.  Over the last decade the wine industry in the USA has seen a steady increase in sales.  Bottles $12 and up have increased in sales of approximately 20% resulting in a higher average value spent by wine drinkers on a single bottle.

But we must not forget the thousands of foreign produced wines that are imported into and sold in the US, many of them bringing an excellent QPR.  When you put it all together, between the large number of new American wineries and already existing ones, the word that pops into my head is… competition.  Things like “local”, “distinctive terroir”, “hand-crafted”, “gold-medal winner”, etc. can only take wineries so far.  So in which new ways are wine brands going to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack?  More importantly to me, how is Travessia going to distinguish itself?  Obviously I put a lot of thought into this before I even decided to go for it, but if anyone has any ideas or comments don’t be afraid to share.

Business card help

Initially I had told mediumstudio that this was not a priority but soon after changed my mind when I realized that I needed something to hand to people who I speak with about my winery.  It's obvious that the business card would be a perfect way to introduce people to the "brand" and at the same time provide further contacts where I can be reached at.  With the card in hand, maybe people will even take a look at this blog, subscribe to the mailing list, or start following my friendfeed.

I originally had some "clever" ideas for the business card but after reading Chris Brogan's blog post regarding business cards I decided to stick to the basics.  Like Chris says in his post...

<<I think business cards need to be informative over clever. Clever is nice, and cheap is still icky, but if you’re not giving people enough queues about yourself, your business, your locale, and your contact particulars, it’s not going to get you to the dance. (...)>>

What you see below is the card at this point.  The back (image on the left) is pretty much set in stone.  On the right is the front of the card.  I'm floating two versions and very much undecided which one is better.  So... this is a call for help!  Which version do you prefer?  I know that most people will first focus on color but what I really need help with in making my decision is more with the way the content is displayed.  Specifically, should I include contact headings as in version 1, or no contact headings as in version 2?  The "T" alone, or the "T" and the designation "Travessia Urban Winery" under the "T"?

Some of you may be thinking that I'm being way too picky... but that's me.  I'm a strong believer that small details can make a huge difference.

We've got barrels

I'm still waiting to hear back from the TTB in regards to my license to produce wine.  Meanwhile, equipment I had ordered is starting to arrive... first was a bottle labeling machine.  A couple of days ago recooped French oak barrels arrived from California.  I paid about $250-$300 a piece for these barrels with shipping included.  Recooped means that they were previously used by another winery, then re-processed in a way that no residue of wine or wine trace such as ethanol remains in the barrel.  Basically 1/4" of the oak interior is removed and the barrels are re-toasted.  Brand new they would be near $1,000 each, which adds a considerable amount to the cost of the final bottle of wine.  In the future I hope to also buy a few brand new barrels to combine with these recooped ones.

From the outside they all look the same, but inside, it's a different story.  There is a lot that goes into matching barrels to wine.  Actually, there are some grape varietals that don't even "like" any contact with oak.  In other words, aging in oak barrels does not add any positive character to the wine made from some grapes (Riesling is a good example).  Some of the barrels you see in the picture were selected specifically for deep red wines such as the Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot that I hope to include in the first vintage.  Others were selected for lighter styled wines such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

If all goes according to plan, Travessia's first vintage will include a Chardonnay that is aged in oak barrels alongside the same vintage(year) Chardonnay that is produced without any oak aging or contact, i.e. all made in stainless-steel tank.  It will be up to you to decide which Chardonnay style you prefer when you visit Travessia's winery and tasting room in downtown New Bedford.

Blogging for people not for money

A friend asked me if the Madeira Wine Institute was paying me for blogging about Madeira wine last week.  Though that is an interesting thought, the answer was no.  So then my friend proceeded to question that if I was not getting paid, why was I writing about something from which I will earn nothing, basically promoting someone else's product for free.

Let me clarify…

I don’t receive any money for blogging about or mentioning other people’s wine.  In fact, I don’t make any money at all for blogging.  Most people out there in the blogosphere do not make any money from blogging either.  My goal with this blog is primarily to connect with people not to make money.  I write it because it's a good way to communicate with several people at once and because I want to know and stay in touch with those of you who are interested in what I’m building.

I think that it would be boring if every week I wrote about my winery and my wine, especially in this early stage while I’m going through the legal procedures.  Though the vast majority of my posts are related to my wine in some way, I hope that while writing about Madeira wine, Mariza, or the New England Patriots, I’m indicating to my readers that not only I love to drink wine that’s not my own, I’m also human just like everyone else… there is more to my universe than my own wine.  Though I'm sure you don't want me to blog about diaper changes, summertime backyard projects, a brand new de-humidifier that doesn’t work, etc.

The monetary rewards will hopefully come later.

Madeira Wine and Independence Day

The volcanic island of Madeira (wood in Portuguese) is one of the several places that I hope to visit before I die.  I’ve seen the images on RTPi and there’s no doubt that this archipelago is a very unique place on earth.  Though Madeira is closer to Africa from a geography stand point, politically and culturally it is part of Portugal.  The island has rich biodiversity, great weather and a very unique wine.

I was about 13 the first time that I encountered Madeira wine while reading the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, one of the few books I’ve ever read from beginning to end.  But I was not aware of the role of Madeira wine in American history until the US History course in my senior year at New Bedford High.  That’s when the bilingual teacher proudly pointed out to all of us in the class that Madeira wine was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson.  Now that’s how you connect with a “fresh off the boat” Portuguese kid and teach him a little about American history!  Historians have documented that when the founding fathers raised a glass to toast the signing of the United States declaration of independence, it was Madeira they drank.  Madeira might have been the very first cult wine in America.

What I find most fascination about the wine however, is not its historical references but the process used to make it.  Madeira is made mostly from grape varietals Boal, Malvasia, Verdelho and Sercial.  The wine is fortified similarly to Port wine which means that brandy is added to the grape juice at some point during the fermentation.  Depending on when the brandy is added, the result may be a more or less sweet wine.  So, just like with Port, Madeira wine doesn’t necessarily have to be sweet.  So far no surprises... but what happens next is what’s so amazing about this wine.

After the brandy fortification, the wine is heated either naturally by exposing the barrels to high temperatures caused by the sun (process known as the “canteiro”) or by heating it in stainless steel tanks.  In either case, the wine is basically put through a mild pasteurization.  The “canteiro” method takes much longer and develops better flavors.  The wine is then left to age in oak barrels for many years and often exposed to air causing the wine to become oxidized.  Eventually the wine is finally transferred to glass containers or bottles.  The wine is also high in alcohol content (20+ % volume) so it’s very robust and will last for decades.

So, why do I find this process fascinating?  Because two of the most basic "rules" of winemaking are broken.  First, the wine is exposed to high temperatures for a long time.  Second, the wine is deliberately exposed to air.  Try this on any other wine which is not fortified and you end up with vinegar at best.

For this July 4th weekend why not stop at your local wine shop and pick up a bottle of Madeira wine to celebrate Independence Day?  That’s what I plan on doing and you can’t say that it’s not patriotic.  I wouldn’t recommend it with a burger or barbecue ribs but it should go well at the end of the night on its own or with some dessert.

Related Links:
Madeira wine guide
Most recent top quality Madeira wine offerings by the "Rare Wine Company" (pdf) 

A first look at Travessia's logo

Below is the latest draft from mediumstudio.  Click on the image for a larger view.  This shows several variations that we may end up using depending on where the logo is being applied, i.e. the label on the bottle, the website, the cork, a T-shirt, etc.  So we don't necessarily need to pick only one of these.  Color schemes haven't yet been decided so don't take the black/white too seriously.

I would love to read what you think about the overall design and look.  Your comments aren't only welcomed... they are greatly appreciated.

 

Travessia's first media coverage

What's this?  Blog posts on consecutive days?  I know that I’m not supposed to "spam" my blog subscribers with too many posts, but I think I have a pretty good excuse for this one.

Today, Travessia Winery received its first coverage in the local media.  Here is the link to the article written by João Ferreira of the New Bedford Standard Times.  Read it through if you feel like it and have the time.

I’m a frequent reader of João’s weekly column and rarely see any reader leaving comments on the online version.  So I was excited to see a comment for the piece on Travessia.  Someone who goes by the name of “CrunchyQuahog” left the following comment:

I have no idea as to who is the CrunchyQuahog, but I’m not surprised by his/her comment.  In fact I bet that there are people out there who know me personally who have a similar negative feeling about what I’m doing as it’s implied in the comment.  I understand and accept that.  I take it as a challenge.  But more importantly, this gives me a great opportunity to briefly write about New Bedford, specifically the downtown area.

New Bedford is like several (most) American cities which were “rich” in the not too distant past, full of employment opportunities, great economic growth, reasonable crime rates, etc.  Today, the city faces many challenges and businesses of all kinds have a difficult time staying alive or growing.  From illegal immigration issues to crime related problems, New Bedford, the 7th largest city in Massachusetts, struggles to bring back the dynamics and thriving local economy it once sustained.

The comment left by the reader is not shocking.  I have seen businesses come and go in the downtown area of New Bedford.  Nobody knows for sure why this happens.  Some blame it on the local economy.  Personally I tend to think that most businesses fail for two main reasons… First, many people don’t do their homework and as a result they fail to realize that their idea might not be very feasible.  Secondly, they lack the necessary cash flow needed to establish the business and survive the difficult first few years.  As I have stated before, I’m taking a considerable risk.  Maybe TRAVESSIA Winery will become another failed downtown business.  But am I excited to take on this challenge?!  And from the comments and emails I’m getting on almost a daily basis, I can tell that I’m not alone.  People seem to be genuinely excited about this.  My hope is that these same people translate their excitement into actual business support with their hard-earned dollars when I deliver the promised goods sometime this coming Fall.

Let me also mention that there are already several small businesses downtown that are striving and contributing very positively to the rebirth of the downtown area.  The Green Bean, No Problemo, The White Bouquet, Café Arpeggio are just some examples right on Purchase Street.  Sure these are not huge businesses that generate many jobs but they are what they intend to be and offer services that are needed.  For a more in-depth retrospective of the past and present of New Bedford, Wikipedia is a good source. 

A final thought about the "CrunchyQuahog"

Here is one of the few problems I have with the internet… people like CrunchyQuahog can just lurk around and leave comments all over the place without identifying who they really are.  Not only is this a cowardly tactic, it leaves people guessing.  Who is this person?  A failed business owner?  The next door neighbor?  A world-class nay-sayer?  But indentity is just a small part of the problem.  More importantly, chances are that this person could actually teach me something that I don’t already know.  Instead the easiest path was taken:  point out the negative, offer no interesting or relevant commentary.  Whomever he/she is, I am 99% sure that this person will soon be drinking my wine.  Then they will obviously find a way to secretly write about how bad the wine is, but… they will go back again to drink some more.

Sparkling Matters

With the Celtics beating of the LA Lakers in the NBA finals, there is no doubt that Boston is the #1 sports city in the world right now.  Over the past few years all of its professional sports teams (all but the Boston Bruins) have reached the finals in their respective leagues and in most cases won it all.  So it's natural that plenty of “Champagne” is being poured not only in locker rooms but all over town.  The Boston Three Party was finally able to pop the Champagne last night, but I wonder how much the three amigos really know about the bubbly stuff.

Technically and legally, “Champagne” is NOT a type of wine, it's a region of France.  The wine itself is called “Sparkling” in English, “Espumante” in Portuguese, “Spumante” in Italian, etc.  So, when you buy a bottle of “Champagne” you are buying a sparkling wine specifically made from grapes grown in the “Champagne” region of France.

There are three main methods used in the production of sparkling wine. The first is simple injection of CO2 just like it is done for soft drinks, but this produces big bubbles that dissipate quickly in the glass.  The second is called the Charmat process in which the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in bulk tanks and is bottled under pressure. This method is used mostly for Italian sparkling wines and produces smaller, longer-lasting bubbles.  The third and most expensive method is the traditional method or Méthode Champenoise.  With this method the bubbles are produced by secondary fermentation in the bottle - very labor intensive and time consuming.  This third method usually results in a much more complex wine and also higher price.
 
Champagne is typically made from three grape varietals:  Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  Sparkling wines can be made from any grape varietals and in fact Australia has become known for making some interesting sparkling wines with the Syrah grape.  You can drink Champagne or Sparkling wine anytime, not just on New Year’s Eve or when your favorite team wins a title.  Don't just take my word for it.
 
I still don't know why is it that every champion must proclaim his or her status by quaffing this stuff.  Or for that matter... why is it that we celebrate a New Year and other special events with this type of wine?  Anyone out there know why?

The Heat Factor

In the United States the definition of a "heat wave" varies by region; however, a heat wave is generally defined as a period of at least three consecutive days above 90°F (32.2°C).  The historical average high temperature for the month of June in the Southeastern New England region is 77°F (25°C).  So, it appears the Northeast part of the country has just had its first heat wave of the year.  But this is a small one… nothing compared for example to the heat wave that claimed an estimated 35,000 lives in Europe during the summer of 2003.  That year, temperatures reached as high as 104 Fahrenheit and remained extreme for about two weeks.

Heat wave or not, it certainly has been very hot for early June here in the Northeast.  So what effect did this short period of unusually high temperatures have on our vines?

Though most people tend to think that high temperatures are a good thing for vines, this is not always the case.  It depends on several factors such as how hot and humid it really gets, the duration of the heat spell, the present growth stage of the vine and more importantly, what happened previously during the growing season.

Temperatures in our region had been a bit lower than usual throughout the spring so the vines were at best running on schedule and in some cases a little behind.  So, am I happy for the heat?  You bet.

Vines “took off” over the last week with shoots growing very rapidly.  Inflorescence are now mostly fully formed (here's a picture of a Pinot Noir inflorescence).  I’m glad to say that the majority of the vines have now “caught up” to schedule and will begin flowering any day now.  The vines have a deadline to meet in November (it's called harvest), so they love it when weather conditions help them stay on schedule.

Robert Mondavi

I debated for several days if I should write about the passing of Robert Mondavi on May 16, 2008.  After reading so many blog posts and news pieces from people who actually had physical contact with Mr.Mondavi I did not feel that I could add anything of value.  Even if Mr.Mondavi might have had a little influence in my own experiences and adventures in wine, I just didn’t feel qualified to write about him.
 
This week I was surprised to find out that several people in the local wine business were still not aware of Mr.Mondavi’s passing.  Moreover, I reminded myself that most of my blog readers do not “live” within the wine industry and that I should not expect them to know much about what’s happening within this industry.

I believe that anyone who loves this great country and its history might like to know a little something about Mr.Mondavi, the most relevant personality in American wine history to date.

So, I would like to point out a couple of excellent pieces for those of you interested in knowing a little more about Mr.Mondavi.  For those who might not realize the impact Mr.Mondavi had on wine in America and want just a quick summary I recommend Dale Cruse’s post on his blog “Drinks Are On Me” 
 
For a little more extensive overview, I recommend this MSNBC piece.

Travessia Image Design

This week I met with Keri and John from the New Bedford downtown-based design company mediumstudio.  They will be working with me to develop the image for the winery.  A good example of their work can be seen in the New Bedford Economic Development Council newbedford.is booklet.  Check it out.

I decided to go with mediumstudio for two main reasons.  First, they are local so I can actually sit down with them physically to discuss the work being developed.  Second, they seem to understand what TRAVESSIA is all about and are capable of carrying this over to the image design.

This is no small and trivial task.  Mediumstudio will play an important role in what TRAVESSIA will “look” like.  Logo, labels, website, these are all elements of branding that help define what a business represents.  Their first task is to come up with a logo that matches the winery’s vision.  I’ll keep you posted on any logo developments.

Meanwhile, I’ve registered the main internet domain name for the winery:  www.travessiawine.com.  I’ve already setup a simple (and very rudimentary) page to welcome visitors.  Please check it out, sign-up to the mailing list and please tell all your friends that they should sign up too.

I also reserved travessiawines.com, travessiawinery.com and travessiaurbanwinery.com.  I forwarded these addresses to the main domain name.  This is just good business practice.  I know that someone, someday, will type in travessiawinery.com and I wouldn't want that person to get a blank page or some other non-wine related website...

I plan on continuing this blog here and just have a link to it from the winery’s website.  The blog’s title will change soon...  “Mi Vino Tu Vino” will become something like “TRAVESSIA winery blog”, but all original links to the blog will continue to work seamlessly.  I will keep writing about whatever I feel like… hopefully interesting and relevant stuff.

Thank You... and Bud Break

First a quick note to thank everyone who left comments on my last post and also those who sent me emails directly.  I honestly did not expect to receive so many messages of encouragement and support.  ALL of your messages truly mean a lot to me.  THANK YOU!  I’ll keep everyone posted on what’s happening with TRAVESSIA as things develop.  Right now it’s mostly a lot of paperwork being filled so that I can apply for the winery permits.  Meanwhile, a new wine growing season is just beginning and I want to tell you a bit about it...

Most people are familiar with harvest but few really know much about a special time in the wine growing season that we call “bud break”.  After winter pruning and when the temperature increases, like most plants, grape vines wake-up from their winter-long deserved rest.  You know how you feel on January 1st?  I feel pretty much like January 1st when I see these buds swelling and expanding.

This signals the beginning of a new wine growing season.  The result will be the 2008 vintage wines which will not be ready for consumption until a year from now for most white wines, two or more years from now for most red wines.

So much happens between bud break and the time the wine is actually poured into a glass for someone to drink.  This journey is a major aspect of what makes wine so unique and special… it’s just a beverage if that is all you need or want from it, but it can also be so much more.  Often you just want to drink the stuff and not think much about it… if it’s good, it’s all that matters.  But once in a while if you choose to take the time to appreciate what you are drinking, I guarantee that you will be a richer person and live a better life.

Last year I shared the growth of the entire vineyard by taking pictures along the growing season and posting them here on the blog.  No sense in repeating the same again this year.  So instead I’m going to try to follow a couple of buds from bud break to harvest, the same buds every time.  Here is the first image of the Chardonnay bud that I’ve chosen:

Chardonnay bud swelling; doeskin stage with brownish wool clearly visible.

This is the first image in the new photo album I've created.  I'll contiue to add pictures to the album as the bud develops.

Day 1

I’ve done it.  Today I launched what will most likely end up as one of the biggest projects of my life and potentially the biggest risk I’ve taken to this day.  I’ve officially began the process of creating my winery.

The amount of thought and research that I’ve put into this over the last two years cannot be quantified.  Many things had to come together for me to have the chance to attempt to build my own winery.  Getting the part-time gig as winemaker for Running Brook was a critical step to get to this day.  Never before in my life have I felt how the luck of being in the right place at the right time could end up having such a dramatic influence in my future and the future of my family.

I’ll be honest and say that over the last few weeks while pondering this decision I felt very nervous.  However, once I made the decision to go for it, the nervousness immediately started to change into a sense of excitement.  Ideas are popping into my head… I can already visualize the next crush season, the labels on the bottles, people having fun and chatting while sipping my wine at the tasting room.  A couple of years from now I may look back at this day and say to myself… what in the world was I thinking?  I may end up as another victim in the cemetery of failed wineries.  But so be it.  I’ll take the risk instead of questioning myself for the rest of my life… what if I had done it?

So, what’s next...?

I’ve registered as a business at the local and state level but the biggest hurdle is yet to come… obtaining the necessary licenses from the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) and the Massachusetts ABCC (Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission).  It involves a lot of paperwork and a considerable amount of time (3 months or longer).  After submitting all of my applications, I will start thinking about other aspects such as the brand image.  I’ll be counting on you for opinions and feedback on some of the decisions that I will have to make.  But here is what I can already share with you today…

The name of the winery:  TRAVESSIA
The place:  Downtown New Bedford

TRAVESSIA is a Portuguese word for Journey or Passage.  There were other names but once I thought of this one, I quickly and easily realized that it would provide me with many opportunities to tie it with what I want the winery and the wines to be all about.  Besides I wanted to avoid naming the winery after a place or the family’s last name.

The winery will be in the downtown area of New Bedford.  A few months ago I failed to convince the owners of a small piece of land in Dartmouth that I was the right person to take over their property.  In retrospect, that was a good thing.  I’ve since realized that building an Urban Winery is more in line with my immediate objective.  The number one question on everyone’s minds… where do the grapes come from?  Well, certainly not from the roof tops :-)...   That’s a topic that deserves its own post but I can tell you that the vast majority of the wines made by TRAVESSIA will be from grapes grown right here in Southeast New England.

Feel free to comment here or send me emails of encouragement… or discouragement :-)

Cork vs. Screwcap

Disclaimer:  I lived in Portugal for 12 years and more than half my family is Portuguese.  I still eat, drink, read and watch much of what is Portuguese.  I grew up proud of the fact that Portugal was/is the number one cork producer in the world... one of the many things Portuguese are proud of, others being Fado, Port Wine, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the fact that we beat the English “futebol” national team all the time.  So, I naturally prefer bottles of wine that have been closed with a cork.

I've been trying to educate myself on this issue of cork vs. screw cap for a while.  I read and talk to a lot of people to try to understand the advantages and disadvantages of both closure types.  Screwcaps came about primarily as an attempt to "fix" an issue with natural corks named tricholoanisole (TCA, or the chemical that causes a wine to become "corked").  I've experienced a corked wine twice in the last year which is well below 1% of all the bottles closed with a cork that I've opened or that someone else has shared with me.  Some would say that I'm very lucky since corked bottle estimates are between 3% and 10%.  But I'll also admit that at times I've enjoyed the easiness of just twisting off a cap and pouring the wine.

I can't bottle any of my wines with screw caps because I do not have the appropriate equipment.  I believe that the true test is to bottle the same wine, in the same bottling conditions, but with the two different closures and then analyze the results over time.  I’ve read somewhere that Tablas Creek winery is doing exactly this experiment.  I hope they can share their findings and conclusions.

So far, it appears to me that some wines will be fine with screwcaps while others are better off with a cork.  By the way... not all corks are natural, there are many types of corks including synthetic ones.  I'll go over the different types of corks some other time.

I've been keeping score of my experiences with the two closure types based on the wines that I drink.  A couple of nights ago during dinner at home, another experience was observed…

Can a 1-year old use a screwcap to scoop mash potatoes?  I don't think so.  In fact screwcaps are dangerous devices in the hands of babies!

So, there you have it... cork scores another point.

BYOB – Legal or Not?

One of the best white wines I’ve ever tasted was an off-dry Riesling from Germany.  I don’t recall the producer’s name.  I do remember that I paid $17 for it and I had it for dinner with my wife at a small local restaurant in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, several years ago.

But the main reason why I still remember that wine, besides it being so good, is the fact that it was a BYOB.  We brought the wine with us because we knew the restaurant did not serve alcohol.  The corkage fee was $0.  We don’t go out much these days but I’ve thought about that dinner many times.  If you want to learn more about BYOB, here is a quick read on its somewhat unofficial etiquette and some good reasons for bringing your own wine into a restaurant whenever possible.

I don’t understand why people don’t BYOB more often.  I also don’t understand why restaurants don’t encourage it openly since they can cover any loss of revenue from wine sales with the corkage fee.  Well... I didn't understand it until I decided to look into this.

I called a few restaurants around the area I live in and asked about their BYOB policy and what their corkage fee was.  I tell you… I should have recorded some of these conversations.  I got everything you can possibly imagine for an answer.  <<Corkage?  What’s that?  Is it when you bring your own cake in?>>  I’m not kidding you!  My favorite Portuguese restaurant in the city of Fall River took the easiest approach for an answer... there was Fado playing in the background and then... “click”.  Just hung up on me.  The vast majority of those who knew what I was asking about said they don’t allow BYOB because <<we have our own wine list>>.  Still most sounded uncertain about it and even uncomfortable answering.

I decided to take this a step further and called the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) in Boston.  According to the ABCC person I spoke with, BYOB is NOT PERMITTED in restaurants that have an alcohol license in the state of Massachusetts.  Restaurants which do not have a license may or may not allow BYOB, that decision is made at a town/city level.  He then went on and gave me a 5 minute lecture on how and why he discourages BYOB.  I’ll save you the pain and spare you with the details.  Later I found further confirmation on the ABCC’s website:

Next I called up a few towns in my area.  Every town I called complies with the ABCC and does not allow BYOB in establishments that are licensed to sell alcoholic beverages.  As for establishment which do not have a license, the answer varies (quotes are from each town licensing commission person I spoke with):

New Bedford – BYOB is legal BUT the restaurant is <<not allowed to charge corkage>>.
Fairhaven – BYOB illegal.  <<But it is the state’s responsibility to supervise>>.
Dartmouth – BYOB is legal.  <<Not sure if charging corkage is legal>>.
Fall River – BYOB is legal.  <<Let me check with the state ABCC regarding corkage fees>>.
And just for fun…  Boston – BYOB outright illegal, license or no license.  <<Restaurants that permit BYOB in the city of Boston are breaking the law>>.

Now, I know that Massachusetts is one of the most strict states when it comes to regulations of alcohol trade.  A quick check with New York reveals that BYOB is allowed by the NY’s ABCC but only if the restaurant has an alcohol sales license – the complete opposite of Massachusetts!  Another quick call to Chicago and I found that the state of Illinois leaves it completely up to each town/city... how many towns/cities are there in Illinois?.. you get my point.

Three states, three different approaches.  Confusing?  I’m beginning to think that the Portuguese restaurant was right just hanging up on me.

So what did I learn from spending about an hour of my lifetime on this little project?

THAT THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS CONCERNING B.Y.O.B. ARE ALMOST AS COMPLEX AND ARCHAIC AS THE LAWS REGARDING THE TRADE OF ALCOHOL WITHIN THE 3-TIER SYSTEM.

There could be thousands of restaurants in America who allow BYOB and are breaking the law while doing so.  Can you tell how excited I am about this?  There is an opportunity here… Who wants to be the Tom Wark of BYOB?  Inertia people… any of you reading this?  How about a BYOB compliance tool?  A web-based tool that provides both BYOB compliance information services to food establishments along with listings of restaurants that permit it with corresponding corkage fees if applicable?  I’m serious.  If you think that it is better to leave this alone (don’t ask, don’t tell) then you are a fool.  It is just a matter of time before BYOB becomes more prevalent and restaurants will begin their own a la wine.com sting operation and rat on their competitors who are illegally allowing BYOB.

Next time your are BYOB'ing watch your back... the ABCC may be coming for you.

I usually don’t ask for feedback to my posts.  I know that most of you who read my blog are web-shy but this time I'm really intersted in getting some comments.  Do you BYOB?  How’s BYOB in your town/city?

Why are these wineries for sale?

In a continuation of last week's theme… there are currently two vineyard/winery properties for sale right here in the Southeastern New England region.  One of them is Cape Cod Winery in Falmouth.  The other is Chicama Vineyards on Martha’s Vineyard Island.

Cape Cod Winery
Vineyard:  Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Seyval and Vidal.
Annual production:  Approximately 2,500 cases
I read a recent article in the Cape Cod Times advertising the sale of this property.  Once I knew that the sale is definitely official, I contacted the owners and expressed my interest in acquiring some of the winery production equipment.  The owners really hope to sell the winery with all its equipment so they are not willing to part with any of it.  The winery is only open from May to December.  Here is the real estate listing.

Chicama Vineyards (website url expired)
Annual production:  Approximately 4,500 cases
I first heard out about the potential sale of Chicama via this post.  I’ve searched for a real estate listing but have not found anything to this point.  I also left a message with the winery but no response.

I don’t have any concrete reasons for why these two properties are for sale so I’m not going to speculate.  Whoever purchases them may or may not be interested in continuing the vineyard and winery operation.  If the properties are capable of producing quality wines from grapes with regional character it would be very sad to see them closed for good.  I know this blog post does not do justice to the work that I’m sure these two families have put into their business.  I would like to visit the wineries, speak with the winemakers, get a real feel for what they have accomplished since their creation and understand what obstacles they faced.  Unfortunately I've not been able to gather much information.

But while some wineries may be faced with their last days of existence, others are just getting started.  A new vineyard is under way right here in the South Coast of Mass.  Coastal Vineyards is located in South Dartmouth and therefore within the Southeastern New England AVA.  8 acres have been planted with traditional French vinifera such as Chardonnay and Merlot.  Winery production is expected to begin this Fall.

If I had 2 million Euros...

I would probably find a way to spend it really quickly.  First of all I would invest in myself and immediate family.  I would start by paying off my mortgage and deposit a good chunk of the money in the girl’s college fund.  I would buy my parents-in-law a new house with a bigger backyard where their tomato plants could get more sun in the summer.  I would probably charter a plane, fill every seat with friends and family and head on down to the Caribbean… all inclusive for two weeks on me.

But I would also increase the amount of money we donate to charity. I would for example give a fair amount to a good local cause here in Massachusetts. There are close to 100,000 homeless children in Massachusetts. It hurts just imagining what it would be like if someday, somehow, my two little girls could have no place to call home.  Second, I would donate to Roots of Peace efforts in dimining my birth country of Angola.  Angola is the third most heavily mined country in the world with an estimate of 9 to 15 million landmines. The war is over but the landmines didn’t leave.  I’m not going to get into the discussion on why there is even the need for a non-profit organization to be involved in the removal of these landmines...

All this would make me feel really good.

Then I could spend the rest of the money guilt-free on this property in the Douro region of Portugal.  I’ve exchanged an email with the owner of the property, the legendary California winemaker Jerry Luper, who told me that the price had recently been reduced to just under 1 million Euros (original tag was 1.5 million Euros). I saw a few properties which looked like this one during the Summer of 2006 when I last visited Portugal and took a boat trip down the Douro river (I highly recommend it by the way).  If you want to know more about Quinta da Carolina, read this article in the New York Times from June of 2007. Check out the pictures in the article's slide show... phenomenal.

Portuguese blogger Pingus Vinicus wrote about the 2003 Quinta da Carolina in this post of one of my favorite Portuguese wine blogs "Pingas No Copo".  Gary V. reviewed the wine in one of his very first video reviews, episode #10, where he called the Quinta da Carolina wine an instant classic.  I've looked for this wine locally but no luck thus far.  No surprise given that only 4,000 to 6,000 bottles are produced every year.

IF only I had a couple million Euros…