Archive for the ‘Rants’ Category

A Natural Wine Begins in the Vineyard

The quality of a wine has everything to do with the health of the vines from whence that wine comes. And the mileau within which the vines grow has everything to do with that health.

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What Makes a Vintage Fabulous?

Whenever a vintage like 2012 gives us beautiful fruit to vinify, discussion often revolves around “why?”. The truth lies in the vagaries of the weather. A tiny crop due to unusually warm spring weather resulted in wines of high intensity. Cool autumn nights preserved acidity while warm daytime temperatures resulted in grapes with perfect ripeness. While the intensity on these young wines makes them seem a bit “un-Pinot noir-like”, they will show their mettle as they age. Because the 2012 vintage is exceedingly small, don’t hesitate to invest in it now.

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Summer on the Tractor

It is 5 a.m. The eastern sky is showing that a new day will soon be upon us. The tractor is in place, sprayer attached, ready to roll. It is time to get up and continue my summer battle to prevent mildew in the vineyard..

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THE THING ABOUT RAIN

Wine, especially local wine, provides an embodiment of the relationship between man and the weather around him. 2011 was a cool summer with a wet autumn and very late harvest and the wines reflect that. 2012, remember that heat in August? That was followed by a little rain in early September to recover the vines and picture-perfect harvest and the wines reflect that. The wines are in essence a picture of the year that was, and how fun is that?!

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Think pink!

Given the present enthusiasm over pink wines, it is hard to believe that there was a time in the very recent past when my best bet at selling pink wine was to put a picture of Ché Guevera on the front label and call the wine “Vino Pinko”. Now, thankfully, that has all changed.

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Cameron Presents: the birds and the bees

It is said that healthy farms maintain a balance between plants and animals. Because of the birds and bees (and a few cloven hoofed species) our vineyard requires minimal input of nutrition from outside. This is in essence the definition of “sustainable.”

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Vintage 2012

Another vintage under my belt; I have lost track of how many, but in a world that lives on comparisons and analogies, I know that this is one is special.

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Véraison for the season

But of course the French have a noun for the time at which the grapes start to turn from green to red: verasion. It is a most significant point in the slow march from bud break to harvest.

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Cameron Wines are gluten free!

In our world of increasingly diverse dietary requirements, questions are inevitably proffered regarding wine and its compatibility with specific eating regimes. Right off the front I would like to declare that Cameron wine (and all wine to my knowledge) is gluten-free! But what about the vegetarians and vegans? At Cameron Winery we do occasionally use egg whites obtained from chickens grown on our estate to fine various batches of Pinot noir. If you are an ovo vegetarian, dietary vegan or environmental vegan, drink our Pinot noir with gusto. Ethical vegans beware!

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The Zen of Pruning

Pruning is the major endeavor occurring during winter in the vineyard.There are approximately 1500 vines per acre and 6 acres of vines at Clos Electrique. That’s 9000 vines that have to be properly groomed by the end of February.In the course of pruning, one enters a personal space of introspection and when it tacks toward seeking the truth, well, one has arrived at the Zen of pruning.

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