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Book Review: The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years by Thomas Pinney

Rebecca Yeamans — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:26:15 +0000

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted a book review. To be honest, I’ve been so busy that it’s taken me since the last book review until now to finish this most recent book. To date, I’ve reviewed 4 books on this site (not including today’s book) including:

Wine’s Hidden Beauty by Sondra Barrett;
Desert Island Wine by Miles Lambert;
Dying on the Vine: How Phylloxera Transformed Wine by George Gale; and
Authentic Wine: Toward Natural and Sustainable Winemaking by Jamie Goode and Sam Harrop.

To read any of these reviews, feel free to click on the book titles and you’ll be whisked away to the appropriate post.

For today’s book review, I present to you The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years by Thomas Pinney. Though at times I found myself skimming through paragraphs quickly due to my busy schedule, overall this is a wonderful summary of the history of winemaking in the United States, and brings to light some of the “fathers” of American wine that would have been otherwise forgotten.

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Since this book encompasses the historical figures in American wine for only the last two hundred years, the trials and tribulations of winemaking in the “New World” had mostly gone unmentioned. Save for about a sentence or two referencing Thomas Jeffersons’ attempts at growing grapes and making wine, that part of American winemaking history was largely uncovered. Of course, the scope of this book includes those figures only within the last 200 years, however, I was hoping for a little bit more of the very early history then what was described. I’m obviously being a little picky and bias, as I live in Charlottesville, VA, the home of Thomas Jefferson.

The aforementioned omission is one of the only qualms I had with this book, as in general it was quite a well-researched and well-written documentary of American winemaking history which captured my attention and educated me on many of the major players in the American wine industry that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about. For those that don’t realize the American wine industry did not start in California, you need to read this book.

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Chapters 1 through 5 cover winemaking history in America pre-1900. We first learn about John James Dufour in Chapter 1, as well as his many failures amidst a strong determination to succeed. Next in Chapter 2, we are introduced to Nicholas Longworth, who was quite the experimenter with different vines, and who built the Cincinnati wine industry up from the ground, only for it to come crashing down soon after his death. In Chapter 3, we meet George Husmann, who has been deemed the “father of the Missouri grape industry”, who popularized the Norton grape (among others) a very popular grape helped save the European wine industry from total destruction by the Phylloxera plight.

Chapters 4 and 5 introduce us to the first of many pioneers of the California wine industry: Charles Kohler, who according to the author “put California wines on the map”, and Andrea Sbarboro, the first of many Italians who made their name in the California wine industry. Chapter 6 introduces us to Percy T. Morgan, and describes the formation and plan of the California Wine Association, which brought “big business” to the American wine industry for the first time in history. Chapter 7 tells the tale of Paul Garrett, who was the “Dean of American Wine Growers” (according to Forbes magazine), and who managed to remain successful throughout the difficult Prohibition years, particularly with his “Virginia Dare” wines.

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Chapters 8 through 12 describe some of the names that many people believe are synonymous American wine history, as these names have and continue to resonate throughout the wine industry in the United States. Quickly, these chapters describe the life and influence of Ernest and Julio Gallo, Frank Schoonmaker, Maynard Amerine, Konstantin Frank, and Robert Mondavi, all of which are well known in more recent history of American wine, and who all played important roles in shaping what American wine is today.

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The final chapter introduces a relatively new “concept”, that is women becoming winemakers in America. Women entering the scene as winemakers in the United States are a recent phenomenon, with the first indication of change occurring when Mary Ann Graf received her bachelor’s degree in Fermentation Science (i.e. winemaking) from the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California at Davis in 1965. From then, women have been steadily gaining ground in the wine industry, with many women today enjoying the trials and tribulations of the illustrious career. According to the author, there is still much work to be done, as by simply referring to females in the position of winemaker as “women winemaker” instead of “winemaker” indicates that men and women are not yet truly equal in the field. This book elaborates on the story of Cathy Corison, one of which is one of the more inspiring stories I read throughout the entire book.

Overall, I found The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years by Thomas Pinney a fascinating glimpse into the history of the wine industry in the United States of which was well-written and at times very captivating. I enjoyed learning about many of the major players in the wine industry during this time, and certainly learned a thing or two about how and when the wine industry started in this country.

This book is perfect for those who love wine and love history and I certainly recommend it for those that enjoy historical literature and are seriously into learning about wine!

You may purchase the book on Amazon by click here: The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years

You may also purchase the book directly from the publisher by clicking here: University of California Press.

If you buy it, please report back and let us know what you think!

Enjoy!

Evidence for Damaging Effects of Heat Exposure on Wine During Transport and Storage and Recommendations for Protection

rebecca — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:30:00 +0000

It is well known that long term heat exposure is detrimental to the quality of wine, specifically its sensory characteristics and ability to age. Excessive heat can also alter a wine’s physical and chemical stability, such as showing a cloudy or brownish appearance and leaking bottles. To date, most of the evidence for the damaging effects of heat on wine storage is anecdotal, with very little concrete scientific evidence backing up the claims.

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A bottle of wine being transported from winery to consumer risks many abusive shipping processes along the way, including excessive heat exposure. This risk is exacerbated at times by high shipping costs, limited availability of refrigerated shipping containers, and general ignorance. Many winemakers have even adjusted their production techniques in order to protect their bottles of wine from heat exposure, including deliberately oxidized and fortified; red wines that underwent extended maceration; and distilled wines. Nearly all commercial white wines are heat stabilized during the winemaking process, so that heat exposure does not result in a visual change in the wine (haziness).

Even if heat exposure doesn’t damage the wine per se, the ageing characteristics will be changed following a certain time of elevated temperatures. Specifically, heat exposure can prematurely release glucose-bound flavor precursors, decrease the levels of protective free sulfur dioxide, and cause an increase in browning. The sensory character could be changed as well, though due to rapid heating and specific reactions of the many compounds in wine, it’s not certain that the “ageing” due to increased heat exposure would be the same as if that wine were aged for a comparable amount of time at a more traditional storage temperature. It is likely that at least the subtle differences attributable to terroir would be lost.

One potentially hazardous consequence of increased heat exposure to wine while in storage is the formation of ethyl carbamate (EC). Based on experiments with rodents, it has been shown that there is a probability of a carcinogenic effect of EC in humans when exposed to high concentrations of the compound. In wine, EC is formed from its precursor, Urea, which is naturally present in wine from 100μg/L to 100mg/L. Urea can be released by wine yeasts during or at the end of alcoholic fermentation, which then can spontaneously react with alcohol to produce EC. This reaction between Urea and alcohol to make EC has been shown to accelerate exponentially when excessive heat is applied. Therefore, excessive heat during storage of wine is a great concern.

The study presented today used EC levels as an indicator of wine quality in order to demonstrate the chemical changes that occur in wine during transport and storage. The goal of the study was to provide wine makers and producers with information on how to properly handle their wines in regards to transport and storage as they work with transport companies, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers in order to minimize the exposure of their wines to excessive temperatures during this transitional period.

Methods

The wine used for this experiment was a model wine, containing 10mg of urea, 5g of potassium bitartrate, 3g L-malic acid, 1.1g potassium monohydrogen phosphate, and 150mL ethanol, brought to volume by adding de-ionized water. The resulting pH was 3.5.

Temperatures were tracked and recorded using Dickson SP100 dual-channel temperature data loggers. An internal temperature sensor recorded the air temperature inside the test package, and an external thermistor was placed inside a wine bottle filled with de-ionized water. Temperatures were recorded every 15 minutes.

The test packages were created by loading a standard 12 bottle case with one bottle of model wine, one bottle of de-ionized water containing the thermistor, and the rest of the case fitting the data logger.

Test packages were shipped via truck or rail, in standard non-refrigerated containers with non-insulated walls. Wine cases were assembled onto pallets, with the top of the pallets covered with thermal blankets (fabric quilts or plastic/metal bubble wrap) for insulation.

Test packages were placed in the shipping container in three different positions per shipment: one above the thermal blanket, one in the front of the pallet below the blanket, and one in the back of the pallet below the blanket.

There were 26 individual shipments containing a total of 47 test packages monitored in the summer and fall of 2000 during 13 different shipments throughout the US. Wines were shipped via truck or rail from winery warehouses in California to wine distribution centers in Georgia, Texas, New York, California, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, and North Carolina. Upon arrival, test packages were removed from their pallets and returned to California via USPS Priority Mail for chemical analysis. Wines were in transport for a total of 1 to 3 weeks.

Upon return to California, wines were sent to ETS Laboratories for chemical analysis. EC was analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy.

Heat exposure of wines was calculated by integrating the temperature data for each 15 minute intervals and comparing them to ideal cellar storage conditions.

Results

Temperatures ranged from -13^oC to 44^oC in the top (unprotected) position.

o The freezing point of table wine is -5^oC.

o Volume expansion of table wine from 13^oC to 44^oC is 0.9% or 7mL per 750 mL bottle.

o Normal headspace volume at bottling is between 4 and 7mL.

There was a 2 to 4^oC temperature difference between the temperature of the air in the storage space and the temperature of the liquid inside the bottle.

o Therefore, the heat capacity of the glass protects the wine from short-term temperature spikes.

Temperature changes during 1 day in the unprotected top position ranged from 4^oC to 21^oC.

o This temperature fluctuation could result in significant volume expansion of the wine which could affect the structural integrity of the closure and glass.

There were significant temperature differences between test packages, depending upon where in the container the test package was located.

o All extreme temperatures occurred in the top location that was unprotected; indicating that wine shipped without additional protection (i.e. blankets) will be more prone to extreme heat exposure and variation between bottles in a single shipment.

EC formation in model wines was found to be between 2 and 94 μg/L during the shipping period tested.

o This resulted in a 10-fold increase in reaction rate every increase of 19^oC.

Heat exposure to the wines significantly increased the effective bottle age and wine shelf life.

o The true age of the wine jumped forward by 18 months (1.5 vintages).

o This accelerated aging will likely lead to different wines in terms of sensory characteristics than what they would be under normal aging conditions.

Conclusions

The results of this study showed that extreme heat exposure has potentially damaging effects on the stored wines. However, current commercial shipping technologies can be sufficient in protecting wines against heat damage, as long as certain rules and procedures are applied each time. For example, the use of insulation in shipping containers is critical in protecting wine against excessive heat. Since wine bottles are heavy, they are usually packed at the bottle of the shipping container, which leaves a good amount of headspace above it. As this study showed, the headspace is prone to excessive heat fluxes, so by insulating the shipping containers, this increase in temperature of the headspace can be hampered.

One concern about these protective measures is that the cost is too much to bear for wineries. According to the authors of this study, the additional cost for different transport options, including special refrigeration units or protective blankets, usually adds no more than 0.1% to the production cost of even the most inexpensive wines. Those red wines that are heavily extracted and considered to be very precious are actually the ones that are least apt to be damaged by heat exposure, due to their high abundance of protective phenolic compounds.

One part of the system that this study did not cover that could cause significant damage to the wines due to heat exposure is the time when wines are moved from small un-insulated delivery trucks to the consumers’ doorstep (or some other similar end of transport situation). There isn’t too much that can be done at this point, other than packaging the wines in protective/insulating case boxes and not shipping during the hottest months of the year. Overall, however, damage to wines caused by excessive heat exposure can be avoided mostly by ensuring proper protection in the shipping containers during transport and storage.

One thing I’d like to see a similar experiment with actual wine instead of model wine. Since “real” wine contains many more compounds than the model wine in this study, do the chemical reactions therein change how the wine is affected by the heat? The authors alluded to the fact that a heavier wine with higher levels of phenolic compounds would suffer less than other wines, so it would be nice to see this backed up with some data. Also, were the EC fluctuations found in this study enough to be harmful to humans if consumed? Or did the levels remain below any sort of threshold level?

I’ve love to hear what you all think about this topic. Please feel free to comment below (no html tags, please).

Source: Butzke, C.E., Vogt, E.E., and Chacón-Rodríguez, L. 2012. Effects of heat exposure on wine quality during transport and storage. Journal of Wine Research 23(1): 15-25.

I am not a health professional, nor do I pretend to be. Please consult your doctor before altering your alcohol consumption habits. Do not consume alcohol if you are under the age of 21. Do not drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly!

Millennial Generation Preferences for Wine: Further Evidence for Developing Effective Marketing Strategies

rebecca — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:30:01 +0000

In the United States, Baby Boomers are still currently the generation that consumes the most wine. However, the younger generation (a.k.a. “Millennials”, “Generation Y”, “Echo Boomers”, or “Nexters”) is continually learning about wine and may one day surpass their parental generation in terms of wine consumption. Studies have found that there are significant differences in regards to wine consumption habits between the different age groups; therefore it’s important for wine marketers to get a better understanding of the behaviors for each in order to successfully advertise their wines to each group. Even though there are differences between age groups, it is important to note that these differences are not universal across the globe, and similar age groups in different countries will display different wine behavior and consumption patterns.

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To date, most of the studies looking at differences between generations and wine consumption have focused on behaviors and attitudes toward wine; with very few examining the preferences and factors that encourage Millennials to chose wine as their preferred beverage. A study that explores differences in wine preferences between generations (specifically, between the Millennials and their parent generation, the Baby Boomers) should provide very useful information to marketers in the wine industry and give them a better understanding of how to reach this younger generation.

The population of Millennials in the United States is roughly 76 million. Though there isn’t an exact date for classification into this age group, it is understood that those born after 1978 are part of this generation. Millennials tend to be very well educated, self-reliant, and very well connected to technology and the internet (almost 90% are connected to the web). As a result of this strong connection to media and technology, Millennials are more likely influenced by information they find while connected.

Millennials are also very important in terms of their purchasing power. They have their own money, and studies have also shown that they play an important role in their family’s decision making. In regards to brands, it has been shown that Millennials look for brands that provide quality at a fair price. They also prefer that advertisers tell the truth in their ads, and are less swayed by celebrities endorsing a product. Finally, Millennials are more environmentally aware than their older counterparts, and are more environmentally and socially responsible.

What about consumption patterns?

Studies have found that Millennials are more likely to drink wine in bars and restaurants, compared to the older generations who prefer to drink wine at home. Similarly, Millennials prefer drinking wine in social contexts and for relaxation, for example with friends and family in a bar or with a meal. Even though Millennials are self-reliant, they are also easily influenced by other people, so if their friends and family are drinking wine, they are more likely to also drink wine. As a result of this ease of influence, those in the Millennial generation consider recommendations made by retail clerks more important than their counterparts in older generations do.

In the US, Millennials tend to prefer domestic wines to imported wines, though they do show more interest in imported wines than their older counterparts. Studies have also shown that the Millennial generation is the first to start off drinking red wines instead of the usual white or sweeter wines that individually typically start off consuming. According to one study in particular, the Millennial generation prefers mostly red wines, and are also the highest consumers of sparkling wine in the US.

In terms of advertisements, Millennials are more influenced by ads focusing on social interactions rather than specific attributes about the product. Millennials are also more highly receptive to alternatives to the norm, including screw cap closures, more portable packaging such as boxes and bags, as well as smaller sized portions. In terms of labeling, Millennials prefer more creative labels. Finally, Millennials prefer wine advertisements to be different from advertisements for beer or liquor.

The goal of the study presented today was to measure the importance given to US consumers to different attributes of wine when choosing to purchase a wine in an off-premise setting, and to compare the results between Millennials and their older generation counterparts. The results of this study could be important with assisting the wine industry in better reaching the Millennial generation and meeting their needs by developing better marketing strategies.

Methods

For this study, a web-based survey was conducted in April 2010. The survey was split into three sections: 1) questions included those referring to the participants’ wine consumption behavior (to screen out those who never purchased wine in an off-premise setting); 2) participants rated the importance of 13 attributes of wine; and 3) questions regarding sociodemographics of participants.

The 13 attributes chosen for the survey were:

Tasted the wine previously
Someone recommended it
Grape variety
I read about it
Brand name
Origin of the wine
Matches my food
Information on the shelf
An attractive front label
Information on the back label
Promotional display in the store
Medal or award
Alcohol level below 13%

The importance of each attribute was rated using the Best-Worst Scaling method. This method works by asking the participant to indicate the most (best) and least (worst) important attribute from a sub-set of all attributes. In this study, the “most” and “least” important attributes were related to how they influenced a participants’ choice of wine when purchasing in an off-premise location.

Results

Out of the 260 US consumers participating in this study, 58.8% were women, 84.2% had a higher education, 55.4% were married, and 56.2% had an income over $50,000.
Participants below the age of 32 were considered Millennials, and participants over the age of 32 were considered part of older generations.

o 45% of participants were Millennials, 55% were part of older generations.

The Millennial generation was predominantly women, mostly unmarried, had higher education, and made less than their older generation counterparts.
45% of participants bought wine less than once per month; 26.5% bought wine between 2 and 3 times per month; and 28.5% bought wine more than once per week.

o There were no significant differences found between Millennials and the older generations in regard to monthly purchasing frequency.

33% bought more than 7 bottles, 23.1% bought between 4 and 7 bottles, and 43.5% bought less than four bottles of wine during the last four weeks.

o The Millennials bought significantly fewer bottles of wine than older generations.

35.7% of purchases were in liquor stores, 21.8% were in grocery stores, 18.3% were in wine shops, 10.5% were in restaurants, and 9.8% were in wineries.

o The Millennials bought significantly more often from grocery stores, while the older generations bought more from liquor stores and wineries.

Wine Attributes

The most important attribute for the Millennials was “tasted the wine previously”, and the least important attribute was “alcohol level below 13%”.

o The same was true for the older generations.

“Someone recommended it” was significantly more important for Millennials than older generations.
“An attractive front label” was significantly more important for Millennials than older generations.
“I read about it” was significantly more important for older generations than for Millennials.
“Grape variety” was significantly more important for older generations than for Millennials.
“Promotional display in store” was significantly more important for Millennials than older generations.

Conclusions

The results of this study show that there are significant differences in preferences for wine between the Millennial generation and the older generations in the United States, which is confirmed by similar results of other studies. Though purchase frequency was similar for all generations examined, purchase volume was significantly different, with Millennials purchasing lower volumes of wine than their older counterparts. Also, Millennials preferred purchasing their wines in grocery stores, whereas their older counterparts preferred purchasing from liquor stores or wineries.

According to the authors, the differences noted in this study suggest that the Millennial generations’ preference for wine is influenced more by marketing techniques such as in-store displays/promotions and labeling, whereas the older generations are more influenced by information about the wine, since they are more knowledgeable in general about wine and understand more details that Millennials may not. As a result of the Millennial generations’ limited experience in wine, they are still developing a taste for it and are more easily influenced by certain marketing strategies that target their interests.

Since Millennials are a generation who in the near future will be of high value to the US wine industry, gaining a deeper understanding of their wine preferences and the factors that drive their preferences is crucial for the wine industry and wine marketers to alter their advertising strategies to better target this large group of buyers. Studies, including this one, have shown that in store promotion and labeling is most influential on the wine purchasing behavior of Millennials, therefore it is in the wine industry’s best interest to focus on these areas for advertising. Since Millennials wine preferences are still evolving, and they have been shown to be more open to new experiences and new types of wine, marketers should think about focusing their new product advertising directly on Millennials instead of older generations, who are already “set in their ways” in regards to wine preferences.

Since the sample sizes were relatively small, it’s tough to say if the results of this study are representative of the entire US Millennial population. Future studies should be performed using a larger number of participants from all corners of the country. Also, it would be interesting administer these questionnaires to Millennials all over the world, in order to get an idea of who Millennials’ wine purchasing behavior changes (or remains the same) in different cultures.

What do you all think of this study and its results? Please feel free to comment below (no html tags, please).

Source: Chrysochou, P., Krystallis, A., Mocanu, A., and Lewis, R.L. 2012. Generation Y preferences for wine: An exploratory study of the US market applying best-worst scaling. British Food Journal 114(4): 516-528.

DOI: 10.1108/00070701211219531

Book Review: Dying on the Vine: How Phylloxera Transformed Wine by George Gale

rebecca — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:30:01 +0000

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Dying on the Vine: How Phylloxera Transformed Wine, by George Gale, is a highly educational and well-written book covering the phylloxera crisis starting in the late 1800s and how the world continues to struggle with the pest even today. For over 150 years, this tiny little bug wreaked havoc on grape vines all over the world, the details of which this book describes the steps that were taken initially in France and the lessons learned (or not learned) by other grape growing regions around the world. This book will appeal to anyone in the wine industry, as well as ecologists, entomologists, historians, and generally anyone interested in human behavior in times of crises.

The first half of the book (Chapters 1 through 4) takes the reader on a journey through time starting from the very first discovery of what was to become known as the phylloxera crisis in France through the controversial attempts at eradicating the pest. Was the phylloxera bug the cause of the vine death? Or was there an unknown disease already weakening the vines that attracted the pest? Surprisingly, this debate went on for many years, with scientific research to back up such claims at times falling far behind.

Over time, several “solutions” to the phylloxera problem were employed in France, including planting in sand, vineyard submersion, and sulfiding. Though these methods worked some of the time, none of them were long-term strategies that would be effective against the phylloxera worldwide, nor were some of them particularly good for the environment (re: sulfiding). Over the next few decades, the best minds at the time eventually determined that they only way to effectively stop the phylloxera from spreading all over the country and destroying all of the vineyards (and ultimately the only source of income for many families at the time) was to graft the vines onto American rootstock.

Of course, since it was ultimately discovered that imported American vines were the cause of the initial phylloxera outbreak to begin with, acceptance of this grafting onto American rootstock method caused much contention and controversy throughout the French countryside. Over time, however, this proven method was eventually embraced by vineyards across the country, though there would always be some debate about whether or not a better method existed that would keep French vines “pure”.

Chapters 5 and 6 describe how the phylloxera spread throughout Europe, Australia, and South Africa, and details how each country took to solving the crisis. One would think that each country would simply look at what happened with the French vines and learn from their mistakes, however, the book describes how surprisingly many of the locales would put up a “it can’t happen here” front and completely ignore any of the work done previously in France. It was as if each location that was affected by the bug was starting from scratch, with no one wanting to believe that this disaster could happen to them. The book provides fascinating descriptions and insight into how each country handled the situation, and makes one think about human behavior in crises and the ability (or inability) to learn from past mistakes.

Chapter 7 takes us back to France and describes how French people during this time were taking to the new American rootstock and the American vines planted on French soil. Though many detested the “foxy” wine produced from these American vines, many people realized their choices were limited and gradually learned to enjoy the beverages.

Finally, Chapter 8 describes how phylloxera broke out not once, but twice, in California and how people in America struggled with finding a solution just as much as the Europeans, Australians, and South Africans did regarding how to handle the eradication of the bug. From reading the book, it amazed me how much different cultures ignored the mistakes and successes of other cultures regarding the phylloxera crisis and how foolishly proud each was.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book and was a great read from cover to cover. I even found myself reading each of the three appendices, which is something I wouldn’t normally do if I did not enjoy the subject matter or the author’s writing abilities. This book made me curious as to how this crisis affected the overall psychology and health of the people involved, which is a topic of interest of many scientific research studies, including one summarized here on this blog. Since the focus of this book was on the ecological/viticultural side of things, I knew not to expect answers to these questions; however after reading this book by George Gale, I want to know more!

If you’re at all interested in the history of wine, ecology, entomology, or just overall good writing, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book!

You may purchase is on Amazon by clicking on this link: Dying on the Vine: How Phylloxera Transformed Wine

...or you may buy it directly from the publisher by clicking here: Dying on the Vine: How Phylloxera Transformed Wine

Happy reading!

Who’s Your Daddy?: Petite Sirah

rebecca — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:30:04 +0000

For today’s “Who’s Your Daddy” post, we will be exploring the origins of Petite Sirah.

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Petite Sirah, also known as Durif or Petite Syrah, was originally developed in the late 1800s in France, though is probably most known for its wines produced from California grapes. Petite Syrah tends to be a relatively robust grape, with sturdy long-lived vines that thrive in many different types of soil. The grape clusters are relatively tight, so when located in humid environments, there is always the threat of rot. The berries are also relatively prone to sunburn, so farming methods aimed to reduce this (perhaps more leaf cover) should be considered in particularly hot and sunny environments.

Durif/Petite Sirah was actually developed in France in order to resist Powdery Mildew, to which one of its parents is susceptible. Even though the grape was ultimately resistant to this type of mildew, it was found to not be resistant to gray rot, due to its tight grape cluster as described earlier. In the Rhone region of France, where this grape was initially developed, the weather is relatively humid, thereby gray rot risk is relatively high. However, in the drier climate of California, gray rot doesn’t appear to be nearly as much of an issue, thereby Petite Sirah/Durif thrives there. The grape seems to be doing so much better outside of its native region of France, that it’s now extremely rare in these original areas.

In regards to wine, Petite Sirah grapes are often used in blending, due to their deep color and intense tannins. More specifically, this grape is often used to blend with Zinfandel, to add complexity, structure, and to ameliorate some of the characteristic “jamminess” of Zinfandel. The small berries of the grape give a high skin-to-juice ratio, which produce wines with high tannin levels, high acidity, and a great ability to cellar. Similar to its parent grape, Petite Sirah often displays strong hints of blackberry fruit and black pepper spice.

So, “Who’s Your Daddy”, Petite Sirah??

As we’ve already discussed, Petite Sirah was specifically created to be resistant to Powdery Mildew, unlike its parent. Who are these parents we’ve been referencing?

Petite Sirah (a.k.a. Durif, Petit Syrah, etc) is the intentional cross of…..

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Syrah……

…..and……

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……..Peloursin!!

Created in France, Durif was brought over to the United States by Charles McIver (then owner of Linda Vista Winery) in 1884. It is thought that he was the first to refer to Durif as “Petite Sirah”. Popular during Prohibition due to its tough skin hardiness and its ability to travel all across the country for home winemakers, its plantings reached up to 2/3 of all vineyard plantings in Napa Valley by 1933 after Prohibition was ended (together with the grape Alicante Bouschet).

Up through the 1960s, many plantings of Durif/Petite Sirah we done intermixed with other varieties, such as Alicante bouschet, Grenache, mourvédre, peloursin, and others. Since several of these varieties are so similar to one another, and since they were often planted in such close quarters to one another, there is some debate over Petite Sirah wines created from these vines are actually Petite Sirah, or some sort of a blend of many varieties.

Want to learn more about Petite Sirah? A great website for you to explore that educates all about this grape variety is P.S. I Love You, which can be found by clicking on this link.