lgsjr – Power Tasting – The Wine Tasting Experience

Avoiding Excess

We love wine. We love tasting it, drinking it with meals, talking about it, reading about it and writing about it. But we can’t overlook the fact that wine is a product that contains alcohol. So when people go wine tasting, they need to be aware of the effect that the alcohol is having and will have on them.

Photo courtesy of Metro Parent.

Here are some tips that can help wine tasters to avoid excess when they are visiting wineries.

Know your capacity and limit the number of wineries you visit in a day accordingly.. Before the era of seated tastings, visitors could step up to a tasting room bar and sample only one or two wines that they were interested in. Now, especially with the higher cost of wine tasting, each winery tends to serve more. Take that into account in choosing your destinations and keeping the number within a reasonable range.
Sip, don’t drink. There is probably no more important advice to wine tasters than this. If you are wine tasting, you only need a sip or two to know what a wine is like and if it’s for you. Oh, there’s still wine in the glass? Pour it out. That’s what those buckets are for. Professional wine people don’t even swallow; they put some in their mouths, taste it and spit it out. They have to, because they taste so many in a single session. Learn from the pros: You’re there to taste, not drink.
Share a tasting. A good way to limit your intake without cutting into your tasting pleasure is to share the wine. The server will not mind you asking just for one glass even if you are two people, saying that you will share the tasting. After all, you are going wine tasting not wine drinking. Believe us, no one will care that you are being prudent and you will appreciate your time in Wine Country all the more.
Consider in-town tasting. There are excellent locales for wine tasting (such as Santa Barbara, Montepulciano or Los Olivos) where you can visit a tasting room, walk to the next and all the nexts after that, finally walking back to your hotel. You can slacken your inhibitions a bit because you won’t be driving. Of course, a day in town followed by a drive back home doesn’t work.
Let someone else drive. If, in an honest analysis, you realize that almost any amount of wine is going to impact you too adversely to drive, plan in advance not to get behind the wheel. Maybe there’s someone in your party who won’t taste and can be the chauffeur. Or you could take a tour. In lots of places, you can call for an Uber or you can hire a car and a driver for the day. Just don’t be a risk to yourself and others around you.

Vienna

As noted in a previous issue, Vienna was built as the capital of a vast empire across central Europe. Although Austria today is a small country that has far less impact on world affairs, the architectural glory of that empire is still on display. Moreover, Vienna was a major cultural capital and it remains so today. There are actually vineyards within the city limits and others in the nearby suburbs, so wine tasting and touring can be accomplished in one visit.

A visitor to Vienna is struck by the architecture before anything else. It seems that in the center of the city every building is decorated like a wedding cake, with statues, pillars and Baroque curlicues. Many of the buildings are as they were in the 19^th century or earlier, but a significant number of them were damaged in World War II. They have been repaired so seamlessly that it’s nearly impossible to tell that there was ever any harm done.

St. Stephen’s cathedral.

Two churches exemplify Vienna’s architectural glory. St. Stephen’s cathedral is a gothic wonder of spires, turrets and arched windows. It was mostly constructed in the 14^th century and has survived many wars since then. As the German army withdrew from Vienna in 1945, it was spared destruction but was quite damaged as the Soviet army entered the city. Not far from the cathedral is the less ancient St. Peter’s church, built in the 17^th century. It’s not a cathedral, but it is a marvel of Baroque and Rococo architecture, especially the interior.

The interior of St, Peter’s Church in Vienna.

Vienna is justly renowned for its cuisine, but surprisingly most of the city’s most famous dishes were imported from other countries in the Austrian empire. Wiener schnitzel is probably the best known dish, but it’s a take on veal cutlet Milanese. Goulash is from Hungary and the sausages eaten everywhere are very much like frankfurters. The original Viennese dish is called tafelspitz, which was popularized by the long-lived emperor Franz Josef. It’s a slice of rump roast that’s been boiled and simmered in broth until it’s very tender. It’s served in a copper pot and in its broth, along with potatoes, stewed apples and sour cream mixed with chives.

Typical Viennese desserts.

And of course, there are the desserts that Vienna is famous for. The best known are apple strudel and Sacher torte, a chocolate cake with apricot filling. There are some famous coffee shops that we wrote about in a previous issue, but you can get a cup of coffee (or even better, hot chocolate) almost anywhere. There are bakeries, chocolate stores, ice creameries and cafés all around the town. The Viennese sure love their sweets.

Vienna was for several centuries the center of classical music. Haydn, Mozart, Mahler and the Strausses (father and son) called Vienna home. The city boasts two great classical orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Symphony Orchestra. If they aren’t performing when you’re there, there are numerous groups performing in concert halls and churches every night.

The entry hall of the Vienna Kunsthistorische (Historical Art) Museum.

The Vienna Historical Art Museum displays great Austrian art as well as works from other places in Europe where Austria ruled. Visitors are as overwhelmed by the interior architecture as by the art works.

Finally, there are establishments called heurigers. Most of them are in the more rural sections in and around Vienna. Frequently associated with wineries, the heurigers serve lots of wine (beer too) and huge buffets of roasts, sausages and salads. This isn’t elegant Viennese cuisine but rather hearty buffets.

Editorial: Ten Years of Power Tasting…and Counting

This issue marks the tenth anniversary of Power Tasting. What has happened to wine tasting in that period of time mirrors what has gone on in the wider world. The pandemic changed everything. Prices have gone up…a lot. Tasting room workers have been harder to find. On a more positive note, there are more places to taste more quality wines. The need for reservations has limited crowds at the wineries. And the high cost of tasting in the more famous wine making sectors of Wine Country have pushed the attractiveness of lesser known areas.

Every month for the past ten years, we at Power Tasting have shared experiences, spotlighted wineries, explored interesting places in and near to Wine Country and gave tips on how to make wine tasting trips more rewarding. And we intend to keep doing the same things. For the rest of the year, Power Tasting will repeat what we did in the year of our fifth anniversary. We’ll reprise one article a month that we feel still holds the most interest for our readers.

We’d like our readers to celebrate with us. Power Tasting invites you to submit comments about our articles or about your experiences in wine tasting. We’ll quote you on an irregular basis. If you have stories about interesting wineries, events, adventures, sights, advice or just your love of wine tasting experiences, please share them with us and your fellow readers. We’re looking forward to hearing from you at lgsjr@powertasting.com.

And Happy New Year to all!

How Power Tasting Goes Wine Tasting

As we celebrate ten years of Power Tasting, we can’t help but look back at all the wineries we’ve been to all around Wine Country. Most of our experiences have been very positive, but there have been a few clunkers along the way. We’ve been across the United States and up into Canada. We’ve tasted wine in half a dozen European countries and have reported on our prior experiences around the globe. We thought it might be a good idea for this anniversary to share with our readers the way we go about reporting on wine tasting.

Photo courtesy of Mintel Store.

First of all, we are very deliberate about choosing where to go wine tasting. We realize that most Americans who enjoy wine tasting are more likely to visit California than anywhere else, and we travel there at least once a year. Yes, we visit Napa Valley and Sonoma County, more than a few times over ten years. But we’ve also been everywhere in the state from Temecula in the south to Lake County in the north and many places in-between. We have been as interested in tasting wine at some of the most famous vineyards, but have equally enjoyed discovering great wine in places we never expected to find it. And we’ve loved sharing these places with our readers. And we try to taste wherever we go in Europe as well.

We perform structured interviews at each winery. If possible, we talk with the tasting room manager, but if that person is not available, we talk with the people who serve us. It’s a plus if we get to meet the winery owner or the winemaker. We document everything we can that might possibly be of interest to our readers, although we know that a lot will never be in print.

Subjects range from rather important matters about the tasting experience to trivia. Of course, we record the wines served and the ones we particularly would recommend. We also try to capture impressions of the architecture, the view and the interiors. We evaluate the knowledge and educational ability of the servers and their general attitude towards their customers. We even take a look at the merchandise they sell, the artwork, the parking facilities and whether they allow picnicking.

We rarely tell the wineries in advance of our visits that we are from Power Tasting and will be reporting on our tasting experience there. On the other hand, we always introduce ourselves to tasting room personnel as being from the e-magazine when we arrive. As much as possible, we want to be treated like all other wine tasters, while at the same time we don’t like to spring a surprise on the servers.

As much as possible, we try to gather information that we think other wine tasters might be interested in. For example, we always ask about wine clubs in American wineries and if they are accommodating to their members requests for changes and special orders. If so it shows how they care about their customers.

Longoria on State

It was around 4:00 pm. We’d been walking around the streets of Santa Barbara pretty much all day, tasting wine as we went. We weren’t driving and we could walk back to our hotel, so we could try one more tasting room if we wanted to. Still, at that time, did we really want to? Well, we did and we’re certainly glad about that.

The tasting room at Longoria on State in Santa Barbara.

We stepped into Longoria on State, which is the only tasting room actually on Santa Barbara’s main drag. We were quite surprised at what we saw. It didn’t look like a typical tasting room but more like an upscale cocktail lounge. There were long banquettes with plush pillows, comfortable chairs and trendy tables. It was a relatively dark room, with track lighting and a huge skylight to brighten it up. The bar was long, tiled and served only wine.

The wines all come from the Longoria winery. Frankly we hadn’t heard about Longoria before tasting there, but we learned that it was founded by Rick and Donna Longoria in Santa Barbara County in 1982. Being among the pioneers of Central Coast winemaking, the Longorias influenced many other winemakers in the area. They sold their winery in 2022 and the new owners, the Christian family, are responsible for the snazzy digs on State Street. (There is another tasting room in Lompoc that we have not visited.)

As is often the case in California, Longoria makes a wide variety of wines. There are several whites, a rosé, some Spanish-style reds and a few blends. But the core of Longoria’s list is Pinot Noir, which is what we enjoyed the most. All of them are from the Santa Rita Hills, which by itself is good indicator of the quality of the terroir. For the most part, all the Pinot Noirs seemed rather elegant to us, with a range of fruitiness and depth among them.

To be fair, the wines we tasted were bottled prior to the sale of the winery, so there may be some changes coming. We hope not, because we really liked what we tried.

The tasting room on State Street is relatively new, not there on our previous visits to Santa Barbara. As mentioned, we arrived at the end of the afternoon; we walked right in and were served. (The Longoria web site does ask for reservations, but as in much of California they’re not always needed.) We have a hunch that later in the day the room may be more crowded. Longoria on State is open until 8:00 most nights and until 9:00 on Saturdays, so that night club vibe might draw more patrons at later hours.

One of our greatest pleasures in wine tasting is discovering fine wines in unexpected places. In that regard, Longoria on State meets both criteria. We would certainly urge anyone who would like to explore Central Coast wines while in Santa Barbara to include Longoria on their itinerary.

Clos Montmartre

Someday, you should visit Paris. And if you’ve already been there, you should go again. It is a city of great beauty, centuries of history, incredible food and, when the Parisians are in the right mood, joie de vivre. Of course, you didn’t need Power Tasting to tell you this. And what does it have to do with wine tasting, anyway?

The answer to that question can be found near the peak of the butte Montmartre, the hill in the north of the city. The Montmartre sector of Paris is famous for many things: as the hangout for many of the greatest artists and poets of the 19^th and 20^th centuries; the home of the can-can at the Moulin Rouge; the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) that watches over Paris. We heartily recommend that you visit, have a meal and wander through the winding streets of the sector.

For those of us who love wine and wine tasting, there is a unique attraction there, known as the Clos Montmartre. It is a functioning vineyard within the borders of the city.

A little history is in order here. For most of its existence, Montmartre was not a part of Paris itself. It was a rural suburb of the city, specializing in wine production. Keep in mind that winemaking and storage techniques were for centuries not up to our current standards. That meant that most wine didn’t age very well; in fact it was best to drink it while it was young. So having vineyards literally just over the hill was quite advantageous.

The Clos Montmartre was attached to an abbey since the 12^th century and was planted then by the Abbess, Adélaïde de Savoie. The abbey was destroyed in the Revolution but the vineyard kept going. This continued until 1860, when the French Emperor decided to modernize Paris. Montmartre was incorporated into Paris, along with other then rural villages. It became the 18^th Arrondissement of Paris. Workmen and artists replaced vignerons and the vineyards were ripped out. In 1933, the local council decided to replant the oldest of them, the Clos Montmartre. It’s only 0.15 hectares and produces 1,700 bottles a year, which are auctioned off to support community projects in the 18^th Arrondissement.

Getting to the Clos Montmartre is a bit of a trek. The nearest Metro stop is Abbesses. Take the stairs (or better, the funicular) to Sacré-Coeur and walk around to the left, then past the Place du Tertre to Rue des Saules. Keep walking and there you are!

As a tourist, you can get a chance to taste the wine from this vineyard in October, when they hold the harvest festival (Fête des Vendanges in French). It is worth just walking by to see a vineyard in an urban setting and to reflect on its connection to so much history: the Middle Ages, the French Revolution, the rebuilding of Paris up to the present day. It is a gentle reminder of the history of wine and its place in the diets and pleasures of Parisians and wine lovers around the world.

A Day in Champagne

We have gone to the Champagne region for wine tasting in the past. The drive from either of the Paris airports seemed a lot easier on the map than behind the wheel. Once you’re there, the countryside is wonderful and the two major cities, Épernay and Reims are fascinating. And, of course, there’s all that sparkling Champagne to try. But let’s say you don’t have the time for several days of wine tasting or you have other things you want to do in Paris. Luckily, there are ways to enjoy a day trip from Paris to Champagne.

Don’t even think of driving. It’s a minimum of 2 and a half hours trip, much of which is spent navigating the streets of Paris as you leave town. And don’t forget, you have to drive home after a day of imbibing.

Pol Roger on the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay.

A better idea is to take a train. There are several each day from Paris to Reims that get you there in only 45 minutes. It takes longer to go to Épernay, an hour and twenty minutes on the fastest trains. All these trains leave from the Gare de l’Est, which is about twenty minutes by taxi from Montparnasse and longer from the Right Bank. (A friendly tip: the croissants at the coffee shop at the Gare de l’Est are delicious and are served warm.)

Yes, it takes longer to go to Épernay, but it is an easy walk to the Avenue de Champagne with one Champagne house after the other, many of which can be visited without a reservation. If you want to tour the cellars at the bigger names, such as Moët and Chandon or Perrier-Jouet, you will need to book in advance.

The Chagall windows in the Cathedral of Reims.

On the other hand, Reims offers other attractions besides wine tasting and has many more spots for a quality lunch while you’re there. The cathedral at Reims is an architectural wonder and the windows painted by Marc Chagall shouldn’t be missed. There are a few Maisons in walking distance of the train station and Mumm is in the center of town. You’ll need a taxi or an Uber to get to most of the better known Champagne houses. Three of them are in close proximity to each other: Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot and Pommery. You can walk easily from one to the other. But you’d better get your reservations closely aligned, with at least an hour and half at each. Lunch is an issue as well in that part of town. There are places to eat, but they’re all rather elegant and pricy.

Unfortunately, the last return trips back to Paris don’t allow a lot of time for a nice dinner, with the last trains leaving at 7:30-ish. However, you do have the chance to keep on with Champagne tasting. La Banque in Épernay and Le Parvis in Reims offer you the chance to compare Champagnes side-by-side and still make your train. Be careful, though. If you’ve been tasting all day, either restrain yourself at the Maisons or take it easy at the Champagne bars. If nothing else, you don’t want to miss your train!

Pommery

Of all the Champagne houses we have visited – and that’s quite a few – Pommery feels the most Californian. There is no Napa palace here but the architecture is palatial and it has its roots in the 19^th century. The grounds are enormous and are dotted with artworks. Pommery has added a large pavilion that shows that the proprietors have recognized that wine tourism is a business that attracts visitors to their brand. (A word about those proprietors: You may see the estate referred to as Vranken-Pommery. That’s because a Belgian fellow named Paul Vranken bought it in 2002.) But the cellars are ancient and the Champagne is the real deal.

The grounds of the Pommery Champagne house, with its “art works”.

Pommery is located in Reims, in a sector where several other Champagne houses reside, so you can easily walk from one to the other. Be certain to line up your schedule, since all the houses offer tours combined with tastings. The working property includes a Tudor-style castle and a French château. The pavilion adjoining these buildings contains the entrance to the cellars, a chic restaurant, some exhibits concerning the history of the firm and a Champagne bar. The most notable exhibit is called the Émile Gallé tun. A tun is a massive wine barrel; this one holds 75,000 liters. It was built to be shown at the 1903 World Fair in St. Louis and illustrates the friendship between France and the United States.

The pavilion at Pommery, with the Émile Gallé tun at the left and the Champagne bar in the center.

As mentioned, there are numerous artworks on the grounds although we were not enamored of the particular pieces being shown on our most recent visit. The dedication to art, both 19^th century and contemporary, is carried through in the cellars. These are reached via a staircase of 116 steps. (There is an elevator for those who can’t handle the stairs.) There is a history to the cellars, which were adapted from Gallo-Roman chalk pits. As the guide explains how Champagne is made and what the various areas in the cellars are used for, much attention is paid to the art installed throughout. Some of it is contemporary and edgy; others were installed when the cellars were created.

116 steps into the cellars!

Once the tour is over, you are led back to the pavilion where you can drink some bubbly. A glass of Champagne is included in the cost of the tour, at various levels of quality and price. Since each visitor gets only one glass, it’s not really a tasting, but it is possible to buy more glasses at the bar. There are comfortable seating areas in the pavilion where you can enjoy your drinks.

There is a certain sameness to all tours of Champagne houses (or for those of domestic sparkling wineries, for that matter.) All of the other attractions give a visit to Pommery a certain spice not found elsewhere. So does the history of the Maison. It was founded in 1836 and, under the management of the founder’s widow, it became one of the world’s largest producers, producing up to a million cases annually today. In the 19^th century, all Champagne was intensely sweet, with up to 300 grams of sugar per liter. Madame Pommery invented brut, which today must have less than 12 grams per liter. It’s worth raising a glass to her at the winery that bears her name just for that achievement.

France Isn’t California

If you’re an American who enjoys going on wine tasting trips, there are many places to go in your own country, but unquestionably the premier destination is California. On the other hand, if you are looking to have a wine tasting adventure abroad, the first place that generally comes to mind is France. At a very elementary level, the experiences are the same. You visit a winery or a tasting room; they pour you some wine; and you taste it. The resemblances end there.

Map courtesy of About-France.com.

California’s wine regions extend from Temecula in the south, through the Central Coast, to Napa and Sonoma counties and up to Mendocino and beyond. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are king and queen, thought there are sections that specialize in Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Syrah. While there is some regional variation, each winery offers a range of wines from different grapes.

In France, almost every sector grows its own distinct grapes, by law. Whatever variation you’ll find in a given winery is different levels of quality of wines from the same grapes. So, if you’re used to wine tasting in California, here are some tips for tasting in France.

Choose regions with the type of wine you like. This is as simple as choosing between red and white wine. Let’s say you’re starting in Paris. Go east for Champagne and further to drink Chardonnay in Chablis and even further for Riesling in Alsace. If you want reds, head to Burgundy in the east (where there’s plenty of Chardonnay as well) or south to Bordeaux or Provence.
Don’t just go to the most famous regions. There are so many high quality winemaking regions in France that if you bypass Chablis for white wines and go to the Loire Valley south of Paris, you’ll do quite well with Vouvray and Sancerre. If you go to the Southwest or Languedoc for red wines, you won’t taste a premier cru, but you won’t face the crowds and the costs either. Think of it as wine tasting in Santa Barbara instead of Napa Valley.
Most places don’t have seated tastings. At the same time, you will often need reservations to visit wineries in Bordeaux or Champagne. In much of France, you can just pull up to a vineyard and ask the person in the tasting room (often the owner) to taste their wines. If you can remember the olden days in California’s premier wine areas, much of France’s wineries are like what that was, but not anymore.
If you stick with a sub-region, wineries are fairly close to one another. In California, even if you stick to a specific AVA, say Russian River within Sonoma County, you’ll do a lot of driving. If you just do Pommard or Pauillac, you won’t need to go very far from one châteaux to another.
Oh, yeah, they speak French. If you do, too, then visiting is a breeze. These days, most French people can speak at least a little English so you can get by. A lot can be accomplished by pointing and smiling. Frequent use of the words s’il vous plait and merci is a good idea.

Weinbau Prinz

Before we introduce you to this particular winery, we’d like to say a few words about how we got there. We visited Vienna for the first time and fell in love with the city. Our purpose was not wine tasting, but as long as there was an opportunity to see some vineyards, we couldn’t resist (of course). Quite frankly, we don’t usually like to take a tour for wine tasting purposes, but in this instance, we thought it was the best choice. Not every winery we visited was worth reporting, but Weinbau Prinz (www.weinbauprinz.at) was a very pleasant experience so we’re pleased to share it with our readers.

Weinbau is a German word for viticulture or wine growing, what we would call a winery. This particular one is owned by Roswitha and Martin Prinz, who are from winemaking families stretching back for centuries. Their small (3.1 hectares) vineyard is located in the village of Stetten in the winemaking district known as the Weinviertel, the largest in Austria. The Weinviertel (“wine quarter” in German) abuts Vienna and this winery is only a 45 minute drive from the city center.

The village church in Stetten, Austria rising over the vines of Weinbau Prinz.

The wine tasting experience at Weinbau Prinz is highlighted by the setting. Your party is seated at a long table right in the vineyard, with the steeple of the village church looming over you. If, like us, you have seen scenes like this in the movies and were ever-so-eager to do it yourself, you’re hooked before you even take the first sip.

Tasting in the Weinbau Prinz vineyards.

The wines are poured by Roswitha Prinz herself. (Martin is the cellar guy.) Besides owning the winery, she is a lecturer at BOKU, which we gather is the Viennese university for viticulture. She seems unfazed at answering questions from those who know little about Austrian wine or wine in general, as well as from wine snobs. You get all kinds in the wine business, we guess.

Weinbau Prinz is proud to proclaim that they have been fully organic (or bio as they say in Europe) since 2018. For a small vineyard, they make quite a wide variety of wines, ranging from the inevitable Grüner Veltliner, through a white blend they call, simply enough, Cuvee Weiss to some sparkling wines known in Austria as sekt. Weinbau Prinz has a number of wines made from unusual (to us) white grapes, including Blütenmuskateller, Donauriesling, Cabernet Blanc, and Sauvignac. Although the Weinviertel is primarily known for white wines, they also offer a few Zweigelts, a red grape more frequently found in Western Austria.

We’ll leave it to others to discuss the subtleties of aroma and taste of the wines at Weinbau Prinz. Power Tasting is all about the wine tasting experience, not wine reviewing. If your objective is an enjoyable hour well spent, in scenery that seems to come from the winemaking Tourism Bureau, we recommend Weinbau Prinz without reservation. Oh, maybe a reservation would be a good idea, since they welcome tours.