2009 HARVEST
While Growing wine grapes is not easy, the 2009 seemed to fit into the string of outstanding vintages from both the Columbia and Walla Walla Valley. July was quite hot, but August and September seemed to settle down and Mother Nature offered perfect conditions for slow and even ripening for all wine grapes. Washington is blessed with an average of 17.4 hours of daily sunlight during the growing season. Warm days allow the grapes to ripen fully, while cool nights keep fruit acids high creating rich, flavorful, well balanced wines. Needless to say, in 2009 Five H was once again fortunate to benefit from these ideal conditions.
2008 Five H Seven Hills Syrah
Harvested in Milton Freewater, Oregon at sun-up on Sept. 21, the fruit for the 2008 Five H Seven Hills Syrah was crushed, stemmed and in fermenting tanks in Eugene, Oregon by the end of the day. As the first winery to bring syrah grapes off the Seven Hill Vineyard property, Five H is committed to making a syrah that has balanced acidity and does not exhibit the high alcohol levels common of high sugar grapes.
The 2008 vintage of the Five H Syrah is, currently, aging in oak puncheon in the cellars. While the wine will see some new oak, we do not want to “mask” the wonderful fruit this wine exhibits. The oak will merely season the wine with subtle hints of complexity that only oak aging can give. The new vintage of Five H Syrah will be interesting in comparison to our 2007 vintage, just another reason to celebrate Five H Syrah.
Five H 2008 Columbia Valley White Riesling
With warm autumn days bringing optimum ripeness to this noble variety, the fruit for the 2008 Five H Columbia Valley White Riesling was harvested on Oct. 30. White Riesling is one of the last grapes to harvest during the season, with vineyard managers paying close attention to acid levels. High acidity allows Five H to use the süssreserve process that created the distinct character and flavor of the 2007 Five H Columbia Valley White Riesling. Fermentation is just now beginning, and it will be early 2009 before we can make the final judgment. Given the quality of the harvest, Five H has good reason to be optimistic.
RIESLING RENDEZVOUS
At this year’s inaugural Riesling Rendezvous, wine producers and enthusiasts discussed consumer confusion surrounding Riesling, with many not knowing what to expect with each bottle. Hosted by Washington’s Chateau St. Michelle and Germany’s Dr. Loosen in Seattle, experts at the Riesling Rendezvous proposed a Riesling taste scale, which would offer a standardized method for depicting the relative dryness or sweetness level of the wine.
During the last three years, Riesling consumption in the United States has grown 54 percent, making it the fastest growing white wine in the country. This is a dramatic change from years past when most of the world didn’t know about this noble grape. With attention from the Riesling Rendezvous and a potential sweetness scale in the pipeline, Riesling will likely continue its growth in the coming years.
WINE TRENDS
The Rise of Riesling
With sales growth at 72 percent between 2003 and 2006, riesling growers and winemakers are having difficulty keeping pace with demand. Unlike in years past, Western winemakers are making rieslings drier than before, challenging those of Alsace, Germany and Austria. With good acidity and rich texture, bone-dry rieslings taste of delicate green apple, white peach and lime, while their barely off-dry counterparts resemble riper apricot, nectarine and mandarin orange. Arguably one of the most food-friendly wines in the world, rieslings pair well with shellfish, pork, ham, salads and vegetables, egg dishes, sausage and salami, barbecue, Asian dishes and southwestern foods.
