By the time you read this, I hope we’re asking Mother Nature to stop raining rather than praying for it to come. Without the rain, we could be sitting on a very large cliff—ready to fall over. Obviously, frost protection is the first major concern, followed by replenishing the groundwater with irrigation.
More about this in a minute. First, a tip of the hat and a prayer for one of the true pioneers of the Sonoma County grape and vine scene, Leo Trentadue. Coming up from the Santa Clara Valley in the mid-1970s, he used old vine fruit to make his first wines and, bang, Trentadue Winery was established. He was a wonderful person, a very personal friend and a great supporter of my viticulture program at SRJC. Thank you, Leo! The sad part of this is the lack of industry people at the funeral. Don’t we want to send our old-time friends to a better place by bidding farewell in their last public appearance? In case you might remember, I said the same thing about Louis Foppiano when he died a couple years ago. I don’t think all of us “old-timers” are gone yet, but you’d never know it from the funeral attendance of one of our comrades. I do know that 90 percent of the current wine industry is newcomers who didn’t know Leo and his wig from a bale of hay, so maybe the few of us remaining don’t make a very big dent in a crowd. Anyway, thanks for everything, Leo, and God bless your family!
Back to the water issue. Without some significant rainfall, virtually all of the county vineyards will be in trouble. One might say (not me) "I dry farm."
Good luck, buddy, because without the rain, your soil, which is a reservoir for the vines, also will be dry. Releasing water from Lake Mendocino has been, and will remain, very minimal. We could probably rename it Lake Mud Bowl. The fish need the water and, with our current philosophies, they’ll get what small amount is available. This puts the damper on pumping from wells that are adjacent to the river, regardless of your water rights, riparian or appropriative. Were everyone to pump at the same time for frost protection, the river would be bone dry. Frost protection requires 55 gallons per minute, per acre, so multiply that by the number of acres along the river from Ukiah to the mouth of Dry Creek. It’s a big, mind-boggling number that spells disaster. Without much rain, we’ll need to drastically reduce the crop load and just have vine survival be the goal.
For those of you with a very good memory—and for those of you who are, unfortunately, not a former student—let me quote a line from a lecture and handout about water rights. “…in times of drought and limited supply, the most recent or junior right holder must be the first to discontinue use. Some riparian and pre-1914 water rights may also receive a notice to stop diverting water if their diversions are downstream of reservoirs that are releasing stored water and there’s no natural flow for diversion.” A nutshell version of that simply says that, if you’re on the river between Lake Mendocino and Dry Creek, you don’t have any water rights under these conditions. I’m not sure if prayers or a rain dance may help, but we better start now. A footnote about water and greed: What is your opinion of the greedy, unethical people who call themselves fisherman while standing in crystal clear, very low water snagging or “catching” fish that don’t have a chance? Fisherman they aren’t!
OK. On some brighter notes, how about the Hosemaster blog that says the wine world needs some humor in it. Even the great Robert Parker suggested that the Hosemaster (also known as Ron Washam) be awarded the Blogger of the Year. Parker also states, “And the wine world sure needs someone to poke fun at all the nonsense and phony/baloney unsufferable crap out there!” Couldn’t have said it better myself. Obviously those who have their nose in the air (or someplace else) take exception to these kinds of things, as you’d surely guess. Sean Piper of Wine Consumer magazine describes the Hosemaster as having a “humorous and vulgar opinion.” Humorous, yes, vulgar no, but correct, yes! Remember the battle of the “old” tasters wanting absolute quiet and the young folks wanting to have fun? How humorous can a mystifying, intimidating cork, a $50 special Cabernet Sauvignon wine glass and a $100 bottle of someone’s ego be? Humorous, yes, and downright ridiculous at the same time. How about my screwtop and a straw? Much more utilitarian and practical.
How funny and what does the following mean for our wine industry, which seems stuck with corks and fancy glasses (unless you read my column a couple of months ago about the big boys and their cash cows)? Spirits’ share of the alcohol market is up 22 percent since 1999. The younger generation is in love with Bulliet bourbon and Tito’s handmade vodka. These spirits now claim 34 percent of the alcohol market, and their share is rising, with a wealth of new products almost daily. How about Jack Daniel’s Tennessee honey whiskey and a new flavored vodka almost daily?
Meanwhile, even Bud and Miller just sit back and watch their market erode with a “beer is beer” attitude. (Miller is finally trying a new idea—Miller Fortune—an angular bottle for looks, and it’s meant to be consumed over ice in a bourbon glass! It’s surely hoping it’ll last longer than the Muscato fad did (about three weeks) for the wine industry. Acres and acres and tanks and tanks are available very cheap. Treasury alone has a few million gallons and several thousand tons that it has no idea what to do with. Aren’t fads wonderful?
Oh well. Off to the hospital tomorrow for a new hip. So someone please hold up my end for a few days. I ordered Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) before dinner and Zinfandel with dinner but I’ll probably end up with Strawberry Jell-O and morphine. Pray for rain as you tilt your glass toward the gods.
