Ewe not EW

photo credit: Ben

Sheep's Milk Cheeses are incredibly earthy, creamy and mouth-coatingly rich. They set the perfect stage for Syrah. Especially Santa Barbara Syrah, in all its bold, bright purple gem beauty.

TODAYS RECOMMENDATION: Torta del Casar is a cheese made from sheep's milk in the Extremadura region of Spain. It is named after Casar de Cáceres, its city of origin. The milk is curdled using a coagulant found in the pistils of the cardoon, a wild thistle. This ingredient lends a subtle bitterness to the otherwise rich and slightly salty tasting cheese. It is aged for at least sixty days. The fully ripe cheese has a creamy consistency in the center, and is traditionally eaten by slicing off the top and scooping out the inside.

In 1999, the cheese was given protected-origin status, regulations that stipulate not only where it can be produced, but also that it can only be made with the milk of Merino and Entrefina sheep. These breeds have a low yield of milk, and it takes the milk of 20 sheep to make a 2.2-pound wheel of Torta del Casar.

Torta del Casar is produced commercially today by eight family-run dairies. Only about 10 percent of the production is exported from Spain.

Fury Friends

Did You know that Koala's like Shiraz too????

Australian Shiraz Harvest time

We are getting right into the Shiraz harvest at Yangarra, the really hot January/February brought forward the physiological ripeness while slowing down the sugar maturity. This is a winemkaing dream, because you end up with all the ripe flavours and tannins, dense black colour at lower sugars resulting in wine with less alcohol and more finesse.

We are trialling some whole cluster (25%) fermentation to add complexity to the fruit profile as well as the tannin structure. I've seen some amazing wines done like this both new and old world, PAX is a big advocate of this fermentation technique, so i'm excited about the potential results, and being such an ideal Shiraz harvest the timing is perfect!

Coco Chanel:Paris as Andy Beckstoffer:Napa

"Andy Beckstoffer has changed the economics of high-end viticulture, but his true legacy will be as a steward of the land."

-- The Long View (Gourmet, February 2006)

Surely, at some point you've had a bottle of wine made with grapes from a Beckstoffer Vineyard. Whether it be a Carneros Pinot Noir or Chardonnay; Rutherford Cabernet; Oakville Cabernet or St. Helena Cab Franc.


Beckstoffer, more than anything else, is a farmer.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Andy attended Virginia Tech on a football scholarship and earned a degree in engineering. Service in the Army brought Beckstoffer to San Francisco, and 3,000 miles closer to winemaking in the nearby Napa Valley. While he returned to the East Coast to earn an M.B.A. from Dartmouth's Amos Tuck School of Business, California was not forgotten. Upon graduating in 1966, he was recruited by Heublein, Inc. as an analyst in production and finance.

At Heublein, the young analyst quickly made his mark by convincing them that the California wine business promised long-term growth. "All the studies we prepared clearly showed where the premium wine market was headed," recalled Beckstoffer. "Heublein was one of the first to discover the super-premium wine potential."

To get them in the wine game, Beckstoffer and his team helped Heublein negotiate the purchase of a majority interest in United Vintners--a wine producer that owned Inglenook, one of Napa Valley's oldest premium wineries. In December 1968, a few months after the sale, a Forbes magazine article reported table wine sales had tripled since 1950 and current wine sales were running 20 percent ahead of the previous year. "The potential for growth is thus breathtaking," observed the investment publication. Beckstoffer was just 28 years old.

Andy Beckstoffer and his family are firmly rooted in the soil of California wine country. After more than 30 years of cultivating Napa Valley grapes, they continue to play an integral role in the evolution of the industry-bringing their viticulture expertise and a passion for premium wine grapes to Mendocino and, more recently, Lake County.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Andy attended Virginia Tech on a football scholarship and earned a degree in engineering. Service in the Army brought Beckstoffer to San Francisco, and 3,000 miles closer to winemaking in the nearby Napa Valley. While he returned to the East Coast to earn an M.B.A. from Dartmouth's Amos Tuck School of Business, California was not forgotten. Upon graduating in 1966, he was recruited by Heublein, Inc. as an analyst in production and finance.

At Heublein, the young analyst quickly made his mark by convincing them that the California wine business promised long-term growth. "All the studies we prepared clearly showed where the premium wine market was headed," recalled Beckstoffer. "Heublein was one of the first to discover the super-premium wine potential."

To get them in the wine game, Beckstoffer and his team helped Heublein negotiate the purchase of a majority interest in United Vintners--a wine producer that owned Inglenook, one of Napa Valley's oldest premium wineries. In December 1968, a few months after the sale, a Forbes magazine article reported table wine sales had tripled since 1950 and current wine sales were running 20 percent ahead of the previous year. "The potential for growth is thus breathtaking," observed the investment publication. Beckstoffer was just 28 years old.

In 1994 Andy was a founding member of The Rutherford Dust Society and served as its initial President. He remains on the Society's Board of Directors and is the current President.

Beckstoffer was bringing basic business principles to agriculture. As a leader in modern viticulture practices, many of his ideas from irrigation to vine spacing were considered radical when introduced. Time has proven them beneficial from a farming and financial standpoint.

Andy Beckstoffer and Betty, his wife of 45 years, share more than their viticulture expertise with others. In 2000, they were jointly awarded "Citizens of the Year" by the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce for their dedication and active participation in the community.

In September of 2005 Andy was awarded the Grower of the Year award by COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts during its annual Jefferson Bacchus Gala & Auction.

In May of 2006, the Napa Grapegrowers Association awarded its first Grower of the Year Award to Andy.

In 2007 the Napa County Farm Bureau acknowledged Andy as Agriculturist of the Year, and that same year he also received the first ever U.S. Congressional Wine Caucus Commendation.

The Moral? Always keep exploring and always preach and practice what you believe!

Happy Saint Paddy's Day!

Nothing matches the salty, briny, greasy deliciousness of a corned beef sandwich quite like a glass of Kinton Syrah!

Wine Tip of the Day

Once you put a bottle of wine into the fridge and chilled it down (or ice chest or wine ice bucket) make sure you maintain its temperature. Once its cold it should never return to being warm.

Otherwise the wine's very texture, flavors and consistency will morph with the change in its temperature.




With all this sunshine we're enjoying on the West Coast, it made me think of outdoor grilling and picnics and I just thought I'd warn you all.

Luis E. Reyneri,
Majestic Fine Wines



Born in Havana, Cuba – Luis’ family emigrated in 1968 to NY and then in 1976 to Florida. Luis is a Boston University graduate and completed a semester abroad in Belgium where he caught the wine bug in Europe. During a 9-month sabbatical in 2004 with his wife, Jen (a photographer), and their 9 month old son, they jaunted through the vineyards of Europe recording their inspiration along the way. Luis worked harvest in Germany and in Burgundy (France). The Reyneri’s have two sons: Makani Kai 5, years old, and Luke Ezra, 1 year old.

He loved his experience working with the House of Blues – Las Vegas. “So much fun,” he said. In 2001 he heard about the Court of Master Sommeliers and began his journey towards the Master Sommelier diploma for which he is a candidate in 2009. Luis is the East Coast Prestige Account Manager for Jackson Family Wines.

1. What are your inspirations? Having been born in Cuba, I am very appreciative of the hospitality industry’s opportunities that exist. I enjoy traveling with my family when I can. The food and wine culture and community really are exciting– I try to teach my sons how to appreciate life.

2. How did you get started in the wine industry? During my semester abroad in Brussels, I worked at the Sheraton as a busser. We had a culinary class and tasted a ’45 Cheval Blanc. It was that epiphany moment. Later I had a candlelit dinner at the cellar at Mumm in Champagne and I knew this was the industry for me.

3. What expressions or words do you exclaim most often? Come on! (Said with a blended New York/Florida accent). All the Best!

4. How do you gauge happiness? For me, it’s very familial. My two boys – every day that I can see them and be with them is a lucky day.

5. How do you prepare yourself for tastings? Well preparing for blind exams – I ask the good lord to give me the sense of sight and taste.

6. If you could only pick one extravagance to take with you on the proverbial desert island what would you pick? An abundance of shrimp and champagne. I love shrimp. I’m a scuba diver.

7. What is your greatest love? In addition to My Wife, spending time with my boys on the water. I live near the beach in North Palm Beach, FL.

8. What is the most important issue that just doesn’t get the attention it deserves? Common Sense – if I could bottle common sense, I’d be a rich man. People have just lost track of politeness and traditional values. Please and thank you, hold the door open, let people in, in traffic. Hospitality teaches you to be graceful and respectful.

9. How has the world of wine changed since you started? The Internet, {gives} more accessible education means to empower the consumer that puts a greater emphasis on winemakers to create better and better wines.

10. How do you think you’ll know when you’ve achieved enough? The road to perfection is always under construction. I was brought up to continue to strive. Success is a journey not a destination. “There is no joy in smooth sailing”

11. What tickles your fancy? To one day own a place in Cuba, go fishing and diving with my family and enjoy a fine Cuban cigar.

12. Which celebrity, past or present, do you most identify with? Bono – he’s doing great things.

13. Last meal on earth would be…? A typical Cuban meal cooked by my mother. Every day is a celebration. Why deal with bad people, bad food, and bad wine.

14. What is the next stepping-stone for you? To achieve the Master Sommelier diploma, I’d like to be the first Cuban Master Sommelier and one day is able to help the Cuban people in our industry...

Luis Reyneri can be contacted at Luis.reyneri@mtnvyds.com
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