Fall Seminar Series: Hand-Made Wines

What really is the difference between wine made from a small, artisanal winery as opposed to a wine made by a corporate giant? Smaller wineries are able to handcraft their wines in ways that a large-scale, industrial winery cannot. And the difference can be tasted in every single sip. A small winery is usually family owned by a group of people who for generations have been totally devoted to the health and development of their vines.  Their production is tiny, sometimes limited to a few hundred cases. Sustainable practices such as organic and biodynamic growing, native yeast fermentation and dry farming or selective irrigation are frequently employed. Vineyards are meticulously tended, small lots are vinified separately to bring out their unique character, and if needed, oak barrels are carefully selected to match the specific characteristics of the wines.

Finally, these wineries possess vineyard land that has something special about them—such as a little foggy plot in the Langhe hills, or a small patch of limestone on the escarpment of the Côte de Nuits, or a high slope of Howell Mountain. No matter the point of origin, handcrafted wines always deliver something extra special in the glass, so in this class we’re going to explore the art of handcrafted wines, and see if we can taste the difference human hands can make.

• Veyder-Malberg, Riesling Viesslinger Bruck, 2015
• Willi Schaefer, Riesling Spätlese Graacher Domprobst #10, 2015
• Garage Wine Co., Pais ‘215 BC Ferment’, 2017
• Dolores Cabrera, Tinto ‘La Araucaria’, 2016
• Bedrock, Red Wine Sonoma Valley ‘The Bedrock Heritage’, 2016

The Seminar begins promptly at 3pm, please arrive a few minutes before.
Includes an appropriately paired snack
Seating is limited to 50 people.
Reservations are required, by email or phone 505.983.2100
$10 Seminar Fee, credited with a $50 order of these wines.