The Tasting Panel magazine

October 2012

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SAN FRAN INSIDER A Glimpse of the T Peter Neptune, MS, Senior Vice President of Corporate Training and Wine Education for The Henry Wine Group, and third-generation winemaker Sebastian Zuccardi. story and photos by Deborah Parker Wong Future here's nothing a trend-watcher likes better than being party to work deemed ten years ahead of its time. When Sebastian Zuccardi of Argentina's Familia Zuccardi winery presented a master class on six Malbec terroirs at the Contemporary Jewish Museum last month, everyone in the room was seeing a glimpse of the future. Zuccardi, who is winemaker and vineyard manager for his family's estates, presented six Malbecs and two Bonardas that were produced as part of a control study of six different terroirs in the greater Mendoza region. The wines not only demonstrated the character of each soil type but also showcased Zuccardi's high- elevation winegrowing and his winemaking techniques—he's enthusiastic about concrete vats—to great advantage. Argentine Malbec clearly benefits from being planted on its own rootstock and Zuccardi, who is not a fan of restricting irrigation or stressing the vines, doesn't consider Argentina to be a New World winegrowing region. "We have a large domestic consumption, and our wine industry grew from wine being part of our lifestyle. You can also say the same thing about the United States." The Henry Wine Group's Peter Neptune, MS was on hand to discuss the flavor profiles and the characteristics identified with each terroir. "This is the first time we've seen a study like this from Mendoza, and it's the direction that the region is moving. This work is easily ten years ahead of its time." From Wine to Water Within three days of offering 300 magnums of Levy & McClellan 2008 Meritage to her clients, Montesquieu Winery's Fonda Hopkins, joined by winemakers Bob Levy and Martha McClellan and a gathering of industry supporters, presented a check for $122,000 to Wine to Water founder Doc Hendley. The former bartender fought back tears when he accepted the donation during a reception hosted by Ma(i)sonry in Yountville. Hendley gained notoriety for his outreach work with Wine to Water in several third-world countries when CNN named him one of their Top 10 Heroes in 2009. Hopkins and her team at Montesquieu saw an opportunity to make a difference and collaborated with Levy, winemaker at Harlan Estate and McCellan, who makes wine for Sloan to raise money for the construction of wells that will bring a limitless supply of water to 15,000 people in Southern Ethiopia. Montesquieu is now collaborating with consultant Michel Rolland, who has offered 10,000 bottles of the 2003 Bonne Nouvelle Cabernet Sauvignon from his family estate in South Africa. Twenty dollars of each $39 sale will benefit Wine to Water www.winetowaterstore.com 28 / the tasting panel / october 2012 Doc Hendley, Fonda Hopkins, Martha McClellan and Bob Levy's efforts raised $122,000 for Wine to Water. PHOTO: MATT BEARDSLEY

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