“Any romance about making wine disappears as bees and snakes lurk in picking bins in a cellar that reeks of smelly yeast and fermenting grapes. But trust me — I can’t think of any place I’d rather be.”

Three weeks ago, Chuck Hayward of JJ Buckley wrote those words in announcing the decision of three staffers to work harvest this fall.

While I’ve never been fond of bees or snakes, I’ve long looked forward to one day working harvest. So when Elizabeth Vianna of Chimney Rock Winery reached out to see if I’d be interested in doing a one-week harvest immersion with the Stags Leap District Winegrowers this year, I jumped at the opportunity.

Will I reach the same conclusion as Chuck Hayward — and take pleasure in the work, knowing that I’m playing an extremely small role in in bringing the joy and pleasure of wine to people? Or will the backbreaking, arduous labor of harvest break such notions?

Today, my immersion begins. The folks at SLDW sure plan on keeping me busy. Over the next week, I’ll be working 12-hour days at 13 area wineries:

Chimney Rock Winery
Clos Du Val
Shafer Vineyards
Silverado Vineyards
Regusci Winery
Cliff Lede Vineyards
Baldacci Family Vineyards
Taylor Family Vineyards
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
Malk Family Vineyards
Stags’ Leap Winery
Odette Estate Winery
Terlato Family Vineyards

Be sure to keep an eye on the blog (and follow us on Facebook) for regular updates this week!

Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end to summer — a last time to head to beach, fire up the grill, and enjoy the outdoors without a jacket.

Before heading back to work tomorrow, be sure to read these three must-read pieces on drinking and labor:

In Slate, A Prole’s Guide to Drinking.
In Esquire, How to Drink at Work.
In The Modern Drunkard, Juicing on the Job.

As you prepare the grill out this afternoon, remember that the Wine Curmudgeon has sanctioned the consumption of wine on Labor Day.

What did you open up this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

Sebastian Zuccardi.

When you think about Argentine wine, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Chances are, it’s Malbec. But you should be thinking “free tickets.”

Argentine Malbec traces its roots to 1853, when the nation recruited Michel Aimé Pouget, a French agriculture scientist, to bring over vines. Although he brought many grapes, Malbec benefited the most from Mendoza’s hot, dry climate.

For most of the next 150 years, Argentine growers were more interested in quantity than quality. And during Argentina’s economic nightmare of the 1980s, the industry almost collapsed.

Fortunately, ambitious producers recognized the importance of exports in the 1990s, so started focusing on quality. Today, America has an unquenching thirst for Argentinian wine. Between 2007 and 2011, shipments more than doubled, from 3.3 to 7.1 million cases. And demand shows little sign of slowing. From 2010 to 2011, Malbec sales in the United States increased by a whopping 49 percent!

Believe it or not, though, there’s more to Argentine wine than Malbec. Next Saturday at 7:00 PM, you can learn about the other wines of Argentina with the Washington Wine Academy.

The Academy is hosting a tasting with Sebastian Zuccardi, a rising star in the country and the winemaker for his family’s well-known winery, Zuccardi. Attendees will taste a number of Zuccardi’s wines, including a sparkling brut Rosé, Torrontes, Tempranillo, Bondara, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and a late-harvest Torrontes.

The tasting is just $32.00, and Terroirist is giving away two tickets! If you’re interested, leave a comment below and make your case in two sentences or less! We’ll pick a winner next Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the finalists in the 2012 Wine Blog Awards were announced — and Terroirist made the list for Best Overall Wine Blog!

The final winner will be determined via a 50/50 weighting of the public vote and that of the judges, so please consider voting for Terroirist! Voting ends on Friday. Winners will be announced this year’s Wine Bloggers’ Conference in Portland. Vote here.

Best Overall Wine Blog
Jamie Goode’s Wine Blog
1 Wine Dude
Terroirist
A Ridge Blog
Jameson Fink

Best Blog Post of the Year
Evan Dawson’s “Who do I write about wine?”
Alder Yarrow’s “2009 Burgundy Vintage According to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti”
Jim Bud’s “Pancho Campo resigns his MW”
Lily-Elaine Hawk’s “Thinking Frank Cornelissen”
Meg Houston Maker’s “You Just Opened a What? Cooking Tips to Make Food More Wine-Friendly”

Best Original Photography or Video on a Wine Blog
Brunellos Have More Fun
Wineoh.tv
Vinsanity
A Long Pour
Visiting Freixenet

Best Industry/Business Wine Blog
RJ on Wine
Vintank Blog
The Gray Report
Wilma’s Wine World
ShipCompliant Blog

Best Wine Reviews on a Wine Blog
Benito’s Wine Blog
Ken’s Wine Guide
Enobytes
1 Wine Dude
Vinography

Best Single Subject Wine Blog
ELLOINOS
Washington Wine Report
On the Wine Trail in Italy
Libation Law Blog
Paul Gregutt Unfined and Unfiltered

Best Winery Blog
A Ridge Blog
The Journey of Jordan
The Kendall-Jackson Blog
Wolf Blass Wines – Our Winemakers Blog
Blog Tablas Creek
King Estate Winery

Best Writing On a Wine Blog
Hosemaster of Wine
Intoxicology Report
Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman
Been Doon So Long
Bigger Than Your Head
Vinography

Best New Wine Blog
Intoxicology Report
Wine Julia
Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews
I Love Riesling
The Frugal Tasters

The Sixer from Matt's Racks.

Interested in a beautiful, handcrafted wine rack that sells for $100?

Matt Moore, the founder of Matt’s Rack’s, has generously offered to send one of his six-bottle racks to a lucky Terroirist.com reader!

Matt’s story begins just one year ago, while he was working for a TV production company and writing a documentary about wine.

Because Matt spent his days thinking about wine, he soon caught the wine bug — so decided to build himself a nice rack to store all the bottles he’d been buying. As soon as Matt finished building the rack, his friends began asking where they could buy it.

So Matt’s Racks was born.

Right now, Matt makes two products: The Sixer and The Niner.  Each rack is built by hand, one at a time.

To enter the contest, you must comment on this post AND “like” the Facebook page for Matt’s Racks. We’ll stop accepting entries on Sunday, June 17 at 11:59 pm PT. Shipping is free, and only those who live in the continental U.S. are eligible.

Good luck!

Uploaded to flickr by buggolo.

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start to summer — a time to head to beach, relax at the pool, finish up the spring yard work, and fire up the grill.

When it comes to wine, the holiday has always reminded me of Thanksgiving. If you’re having people over, your best bet is to open a variety of bottles — some reds (chill ’em!), some whites, some rosés — and let people enjoy whatever they want.

And don’t forget the beer!

Earlier this week, Eric Asimov urged us to throw away the traditional rules of summertime drinking. In 2010, the Wine Curmudgeon marked the holiday by writing about how much he enjoys rosé. Last year, James Laube wisely suggested opening up some off-dry Riesling, as it’s “a great go-to wine for those occasions where you have a smorgasbord of food.”

So what will you be having? Let us know in the comments!

Tomorrow, the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers commences at Meadowood Napa Valley.

Alder Yarrow has described the Symposium as “the best three days you could possibly spend if you are an aspiring, working, or even just dreaming writer about wine,” and I think he’s right.

I attended the 2011 Symposium as a fellowship recipient, and credit the event with helping give me the confidence I needed to become a real life wine writer.

This year’s fellowship winners were just announced, so to them, a huge congrats!

BOND: Patricia Thomson, Brooklyn, NY; contributing writer, Tastes of Italia and Wine Enthusiast.

Far Niente: Christina Kelly, Shoreline, WA; contributor, Sommelier Journal, Seattle Magazine.

Franciscan Estate: Andrew Adams, Napa, CA; staff writer, Wines & Vines.

Freemark Abbey: Ben Narasin, Atherton, CA; freelancer for San Francisco Chronicle, Tasting Panel.

Hourglass: Janice Kleinschmidt, Palm Springs, CA; writer, Palm Springs Life.

Peju: Wink Lorch, London, UK; writer and educator, Wine Travel Guides

Plumpjack and CADE: Matt Andrejczak, San Francisco, CA; reporter, WSJ’s MarketWatch.

Robert Mondavi Winery: Michelle Locke, Berkeley, CA; freelance writer, Associated Press, Vineyard & Winery Management.

Saintsbury: Francis Percival, London, UK; World of Fine Wine.

Shafer Vineyards: Erica Szymanski, Pullman, WA; wine science writer, Palate Press.

Silverado Vineyards: Tim Teichgraeber, San Francisco, CA; freelance writer, San Francisco Chronicle, Decanter.com.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars: Talia Baiocchi, Brooklyn, NY; columnist, Eater.com.

Stags’ Leap Winery: Samantha Dugan, Signal Hill, CA; blogger, Samantha Sans Dosage.

Terlato Family Vineyards: Megan Headley, Charlottesville, VA; writer, C-Ville Weekly.

Tres Sabores: Katherine Cole, Portland, OR; wine columnist, The Oregonian, MIX.

—
Sadly, I won’t be attending this year – but I will be in Napa later this week for some Premiere Napa Valley events. I hope to see some of the writers out on the town!

In the latest issue of SPICE, a luxury magazine published by the India Today Group, I have an article on Failla’s 2005 Estate Syrah — the wine that launched my obsession with fermented grape juice.

SPICE reaches about 2 million people in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkat — so perhaps folks in India will start paying more attention to California cool-climate Syrah!

Check out my article on the SPICE website, or below.

That “A-ha” Moment

Baseball cards. Stamps. Barbie dolls. Coins. You name it, and you’ll find a dedicated group of obsessives. Those who love wine are no different – they’ll brag about their collections, trade old and rare bottles with each other, and forever pursue perfection. They’ll travel the world and spend untold sums in pursuit of that ideal wine experience.

Until four years ago, I assumed that wine fanatics were crazy. Sure, I enjoyed wine. But it was simply a drink — an alcoholic beverage that I enjoyed having with dinner from time to time.

And then I put my nose in a glass of Syrah from Failla, a winery in California’s Napa Valley that sources its grapes from the state’s west Sonoma Coast. Specifically, it was the 2005 Failla Estate Syrah. And at that moment, I became obsessed.

It was the fall of 2007, and I was out in Napa Valley with a few friends. We had already visited a number of the area’s top wineries – Heitz Cellars, Frank Family Vineyards, and Opus One, to name just a few – but when I sampled the Failla Syrah, something clicked.

How could such a simple beverage – fermented grape juice – have such a seductive bouquet? And how could it taste so good?

I knew nothing of tasting notes at the time, but when I learned that well-known wine critic Stephen Tanzer of International Wine Cellar described the wine as “Explosive and wild” and complimented its “aromas of raspberry, game, truffle, smoke and leather, with notes of pepper and beefsteak tomato,” it all made sense. Read the rest of this entry »

As regular readers know, my latest Wines.com column debunks the “Top Five Wine Myths.” On Monday, I appeared on NewsChannel 8 in Washington DC to discuss my column. Check out the clip below!

Want to taste wines from 175 wineries across the world — and chat with the winemakers behind the bottles?

If large tastings aren’t your thing, maybe you want an in-depth look at the wines of Portugal with the director of education at Wine Spectator. Or maybe you want to get an “insider’s view” of the Rhône Valley from Mark Oldman.

If all this sounds interesting, then you should check out the 5th Annual New York Wine Expo, taking place on March 2nd and 3rd at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.

Terroirist is pleased to offer our readers $15 off the Friday night show Wine Spectator Presents…Portugal — Discover a World of Difference. The event runs on Friday, March 2, from 8:30 – 9:30 p.m. and will be hosted by Wine Spectator‘s Director of Education, Gloria Maroti Frazee. Just plug in the promo code “TERROIRIST” at check out! The deal is good through March 1st.

For more information, check out www.NewYorkWineExpo.com or call 800-544-1660.