We spent last weekend in harvest mode. My sister-in-law and her younger daughter visited us.

Saturday found us on a hayride and picking pumpkins out in the patch, while we spent Sunday trying to figure our way out of a corn maze.

But, this time of year also means it’s time for the grape harvest.

The Long Island wine region is one where vintage matters. Unlike California, which has much consistent weather from year to year, our maritime climate is frought with many perils. This year was particularly full, with frost, hail, rain and temperatures which widely swung from very hot to very cool. Not surprisingly, yields are down throughout the region.

For most wineries, the white grapes have been picked and fermentation has begun. However, Wolffer Estate in the Hamptons is letting its Chardonnay gather a little more hang time before being picked. The red grapes have completely turned color and are awaiting their turn, with some people picking this week and others continuing to wait, despite the risks.

Reports also indicate increased costs associated with vineyard management as well as wine production, so it is possible that we will see an increase in wine prices. Land values are extremely expensive in this area, further compounding the problem and limiting expansion efforts for all, but the wealthy few.

All in all, the 2008 vintage will be a challenging one.

We had the pleasure of dining at Olana to celebrate our wedding anniversary this week. Partner/Owner Patrick Resk (who shares the responsibility with brother William) graciously welcomed us to his new’ish restaurant, which opened in February 2008.

The restaurant’s menu features both ala carte dining and several set menus. The three-course, prix fixe menu is a bargain at $48.00/person and offers three selections from which to choose for each course.

However, we opted for the Early Fall Chef’s Tasting Menu, which began with an amuse bouche of pork shoulder, followed by the first course of a local haricot vert and beet salad. Patrick suggested an Oregon (Columbia Valley) Viognier to match with the sweetness of the beets. The roasted octopus was joined by a white Rueda, blended from Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc. The wine had crisp acidity and vibrant citrus flavors, but was elegantly clean on the palate in the way that it paired with the octopus, which was also accompanied by fennel and quinoa.

The next course, a trio of pastas, featured a risotto with roasted cauliflower; squash tortelli with rabbit ragout; and tacconi with lamb sausage. Beautifully plated side by side, it was a pleasure to enjoy each pasta interpretation, all of which matched nicely with a Nebbiolo from Italy’s Piedmont region. The Nebbiolo also carried us through the monkfish osso buco. The final savory was a spice glazed duck, which was paired with a Spanish red from Toro, produced from Tempranillo.

Our triple chocolate sundae included a bittersweet chocolate torte, cocoa nib ice cream and guanduja hot chocolate and was served with a tawny port. By this time, we were quite full, but enjoyed the last few bites we could manage of this decadent dessert.

This is definitely a restaurant worth returning to.

The Society of Wine Educators’ Certified Wine Educator (CWE) exam is fast upon me. I am retaking the varietal blind tasting portion again after failing to succeed last year.

With the exam taking place on October 16 in D.C., I am ramping up my studies and trying to hone my blind tasting skills. It is a challenge. I have some great moments and then others when I identify wines so completely inaccurate that I am embarrassed. The good news is that my husband has noted that some of these wines (likely due to the inexpensive nature of them) are atypical for their variety or origin, further complicating my task.

Of course, no one likes to fail. But, I feel the pressure even more keenly given the expense of the re-take fee plus the roundtrip train fare on Amtrak. The bright spot is that I am having lunch with my friend and fellow wine educator, Heather, who lives in the Metro D.C. area.

I did correctly identify all four white wine samples yesterday, so perhaps I am getting better. Only two more study days to go.

In my June 2008 Grand Cru Grapevine newsletter [Fore Score at the Top of their (Wine) Game], I wrote about famed golfers who had ventured into wine. My brief profiles included Arnold Palmer, Mike Weir, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, David Frost and Greg Norman.

At the conclusion of the article, I lamented the lack of females among the list, but suggested that with her recent retirement, we may see a wine under Annika Sorenstam’s name. And, here we are…

Earlier this week, it was announced that Annika was partnering with Wente Vineyards in the Livermore Valley, CA to produce a new wine. She noted the Wente family’s golfing traditions among the reasons Wente was selected for her project. In fact, Wente Vineyards sports a championship golf course designed by Greg Norman.

Slated for a May 2009 debut, the ANNIKA Syrah was made as a collaboration between Ms. Sorenstam and winemaker Karl Wente. Its suggested retail price is $75.00.

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of dining with the Wine Diva. No, this was not a fellow diner who insisted that we order the Petrus. Rather, the Wine Diva, aka Christine Ansbacher, is a wine educator and entertainer.

Christine had presented a session at the Society of Wine Educators’ conference in New Orleans, LA. But, as I did not attend conference this year, I missed her presentation. She graciously consented to meet with me and share some of the advice she provided.

It was lovely to meet Christine. Despite her moniker, she is a true professional and does not come across in any way as a diva, although she does have a certain regal presence.  Christine earned her DWS a few years back and, since then, has been providing corporate clients with her unique approach to wine events with her "theatrical flair." She is a self-taught Champagne-saberer, which she urged me to learn. I admit that I find it quite intimidating and have yet to practice such skills in my yard.

Above all, Christine advises wine educators to bring humor to their craft. Additionally, she is a big believer in getting away from what she calls "vino babble" and thus keeps esoteric wine tasting terms out of her presentations. With a sense of humor and down-to-earth language, Christine provides her clients with an entertaining evening suitable for all.

NB: Divas who Dine is a social networking group for women primarily in the public relations and media industries. I attended one of their events in June, held at Kathlin Argiro’s studio.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Wine Media Guild’s luncheon, featuring the Chenin Blanc grape. Prior to sitting down to lunch, attendees were invited to taste through the multitude of Chenin Blanc wines, which ranged from sparkling to still and dry to sweet. Chenin Blanc truly is a versatile varietal.

Once the tasting was over, we sat down at the beautifully-appointed table and proceeded to enjoy a delicious meal paired with the wines we had just tasted. The luncheon was held at Felidia restaurant and we were treated to a visit from Lidia Bastianich herself, part-way through the meal. Three additional wines were brought out with the dessert — a Bonnezeaux, Quarts de Chaume and Vouvray demi-sec — which were medium-sweet and matched nicely with the meal’s concluding course.

A presentation at lunch was given by Roger Dagorn, MS, of Chanterelle Restaurant. Roger reminded us that Chenin Blanc needs the right climate, soil and winemaking to produce a great wine. Without these elements in the proper balance, the wines do not do justice to the grape.

Named for Mount Chenin, which is located in Anjou, within France’s Loire Valley, Chenin Blanc’s origins date back to the 7th century. Given this birthplace, the grape prefers a cool climate and soils with mineral and/or chalky/tuffeau characteristics. Differences in the soil can sometimes be detected distinctly in the different wines. Roger noted that more schistous soils produce wines with richer flavor/earthiness.

The wines are very aromatic and have a fatness on the palate. The winemaker must carefully balance the sugar and acidity to ensure that the wines are not flabby. The use of oak must be gentle, with older oak preferred, giving the wines a roundness and softness.

Great Chenin Blancs are extremely food friendly and can also be ageworthy. When young, the wines express tart fruit qualities with notes of citrus, earthiness and honey or honeysuckle. With age, the wines develop deep complexity with quince, more pronounced honey and a certain musty quality to them. The sweet wines, with their preservative combination of sugar, acidity and oak, can nearly age forever.

Within the Loire Valley, Chenin Blanc is primarily produced in Anjou, Saumur and Vouvray. These are classic Chenin Blanc wines, with the full range offered from bone dry to bottrytized, dessert wines. Worldwide, Chenin Blanc can be found in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne (New Zealand), cooler areas of California and the Okanagan Valley in Canada. It is also widely grown in South Africa, accounting for 31% of all plantings, serving as a surogate home for the grape.

Chenin Blanc may not be the grape on the tip of everyone’s tongue, but it certainly is worthy of grabbing the spotlight from time to time. And, with such versatility, it should be relatively easy to find a wine style you enjoy.

According to Heston Blumenthal (as reported on Decanter.com), chef at the Fat Luck in London, it is time to toss the outdated approach to taste sensations. Currently expressed as five basic tastes — sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami, Blumenthal proposes that there are many more than just these. He cites his discovery that Sherry contains a "taste booster" composed of a group of DKP compounds as initial evidence.

The discussion that follows this news piece includes a post from chef Michael Pataran, who notes that the older, Eastern culture has long believed that there are 17 taste sensations. Another poster, Peter Klosse, has written a disseration on the subject and agrees with Heston, as well.

Pataran does make the point that it is difficult to separate flavor from taste sensations as flavors are actually aromas that are sensed in the mouth through one’s retronasal passages. This is why wine (and food) doesn’t "taste" nearly as flavorful and good when we have a stuffy nose.

Klosse suggests that the new theory has been useful in understanding food and wine pairing, which echoes Blumenthal’s study into Sherry and it’s food versatility. However, what they don’t discuss is that each person’s taste buds are unique to them. Thus, while general food and wine pairing principles work, different combinations may appeal to one and not another, despite these principles.

It should be interesting to see how this research develops as we learn more about how we taste.

Those in attendance at Morrell & Company’s 2nd annual Western Australia Wine Tasting event last week were entreated to "Go West Young Man – Go West…all the way to Western Australia!"

I had the pleasure and privilage to attend this event, which was organized and hosted by Thomas Dare-Bryan, Australian wine buyer for the store. The event served as a great opportunity to show consumers that not all Australian wines are full of brawn. Rather, the cooler climate of Western Australia lends itself to producing wines of more elegance and finesse. As such, they can sit side by side the dinner plate with much more ease than many of their Southeastern Australia counterparts.

Encompassing roughly a third of the Australian continent, Western Australia is home to the famed Australian Outback. Perth (Australia’s fourth largest city) serves as its capital (Carmen Sandiego fans may recall that this is where she pick-pocketed Down Under).

However, despite its vast size, the wine regions are confined to the south-western part of the state. Among the more well-known wine regions are Great Southern (with its sub-regions: Frankland River and Mount Barker), Margaret River, Pemberton and the newer, Blackwood Valley, which is further inland than the other three.

While winemaking in the area dates back to the 1820s, it is only more recently that Western Australia has begun to really grow as a wine producing area, gaining initial momentum in the 1970s. As entrepreneurs heeded the call, the area developed more of a boutique winery culture as opposed to many of the large, commercial wineries found in Southeastern Australia.

Most of the wines featured at the event were very good, with a few that truly stood out, including the Ferngrove Cossack Riesling 2007 from Frankland River, with its precision acidity, bright fruit and exceptionally long finish. Ferngrove was established in 1999 by Murray Burton, who leveraged his 90-year, family-farming history to do so. Their Shiraz-Viognier blend (2006) and single-varietal Shiraz (2005) were also fabulous.

Producer Howling Wolves from Margaret River was showing its new releases from its new Small Batch line. True to its name, there were only 750 cases produced of its 2006 Cabernet/Merlot blend, which despite its rarity is reasonably priced at $29.95. From husband and wife team Jane and Peter Thompson, Thompson Estate’s 2004 Chardonnay showed a restrained use of oak, which provides subtle depth and flavor to the wine.

One of the founding wineries in Margaret River, Leeuwin Estate produces internationally acclaimed wines, which feature beautiful artwork commissioned from contemporary artists on its labels. The winery further demonstrates its commitment to art, both in the bottle and without, by maintaining an art gallery on its estate. All of Leeuwin wines shown that evening were wonderful: 2006 Riesling, 2005 Chardonnay and 2003 Prelude Cabernet/Merlot; all from the Leeuwin Estate Art Series.

A final standout was producer Barwick Estates, which sources fruit from Margaret River, Pemberton and the Blackwood Valley. Their wines are produced in three ranges — the White Label range with fruit blended from all three regions; Black Label Regional range; and the Collectables range, crafted from small parcels of estate grown fruit. I was particularly impressed with its White Label Semillion/Sauvignon 2007, but the real star was their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Collectables range.

Overall, it was wonderful to see this "softer" side of Australian wines and I would second the plea; when looking for great Australian wines, don’t be afraid to Go West!

While I wasn’t smart enough as a college freshman to think about majoring in wine (really, who knew you could do such a thing? :-), there are some high school students who heed the call to wine at that tender age.

For those that are lucky to know that they want to pursue a career in the wine industry so early, there are several world-renowned programs in which they might matriculate. These include the U.S.’s UC Davis (and as an alumna, I have to add, the newly launched program at Cornell), France’s Faculte d’Oenologie de Bordeaux and Germany’s Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute.

Joining the list of universities providing formal wine education, Central Washington University (CWU) has recently added a program in Global Wine Studies, with its first cohort of students graduating in Fall 2009, B.S. degree in hand. The program’s global emphasis makes it unique among any U.S. program and has an interdisciplinary nature combining business, marketing, economics, viticulture, winemaking and pricing. A certificate in wine trade is also offered.

Obviously, citizenship/location plays a big part of which institution a student chooses to attend. However, the location of these programs is not so accidental. Rather, they are located near or within great wine growing regions. As such, they serve as a valuable resource for the region and its wineries, providing research and a supply of well-qualified graduates.

While you may not have heard of Ellensburg, WA, it sits at the center of the Columbia Valley, making it easily accessible to all of Washington’s wine regions, with particular proximity to the Yakima Valley, Rattlesnake Hills and the Wahluke Slope. Please see the Washington Wine Commission’s site for an AVA map.

The establishment of the CWU program marks an important step for Washington’s wineries, signaling continued commitment and advancement in the state’s role as a wine producer. Moreover, as the U.S.’s second largest producer (California tops the list by far), the new program is definitely due.

With wine becoming more a part of the American culture, perhaps more students will begin to consider careers in wine when applying to colleges. But, of course, it is never too late to go back to school. Why not apply for next Fall?

Now that I am self-employed, I must wear multiple hats, including marketer, office manager and strategic planner, in addition to my role as wine educator. Of course, it is the former set of roles that will permit me to enjoy the latter one, even though teaching about wine is more fun.

In this regard, I have been attending seminars and lectures that will help me stay focused on building our business. The most recent of these was a program on self promotion held at the NYPL’s Business & Science library that I attended last night.

Among the concepts discussed, the facilitator noted that it is important for companies to use the language of your market when promoting your business as opposed to industry jargon or words that aren’t as intuitive for them. Along these lines, I have been noting that people (aka potential clients) seem to use the terms "wine tasting" or "tasting event," rather than "wine education" or "wine class." I understand why consumers would use these terms, but am concerned that the education will get lost somewhere unless it is expressly stated.

While I am committed to making my classes fun and entertaining, I am equally committed to making sure that the participants have an opportunity to increase their knowledge of wine. I want people to feel that I have helped them along in their wine journey. As I work to create a new website and to develop marketing materials to promote Grand Cru Classes, I find that it is difficult to convey this balance to my audience. I don’t want people to think that I am a wine snob or a boring, technical speaker, but as an educator, learning is important to me. I feel that I do a good job in presenting wine in a manner that is both enjoyable and informative. But, I wonder if "wine education" is such a dirty word. Are people so turned off by the thought of having to learn? Just something for me to ponder.

In any case, I will be working diligently on my marketing plan and hope that I can entice people to want to learn more about wine.