Earthy

Used to describe a wine, the AROMA or flavor of which is reminiscent of the earth. It usually refers to flavors that evoke soil or the forest—moss, dried leaves, bark, mushrooms, and the like. The term is sometimes extrapolated to include the pleasant, sensual aromas of the human body.

The exact genetic offspring of a mother vine is called a:

A. clone

B. scion

C. hybrid

D. shoot

The noun “clone” refers to plants of the same species that have identical physical characteristics. The DNA of a grapevine is not stagnant, so in Nature, clones emerge and evolve as the result of natural genetic mutations taking place over hundreds, if not thousands, of years. A grape variety may have many clones (like pinot noir), or relatively few (like sauvignon blanc). Two different clones of the same grape variety may taste remarkably different. Clone is also a verb. In viticulture, “to clone” means to propagate a group of vines from a “mother” vine that has desirable characteristics. These characteristics may include qualities such as resistance to certain diseases, berry size, and/or flavor attributes.

Smoke Taint

Smoke taint in wine was first identified in 2003. In California wine country, horrendous wildfires in 2008 and this year (in Carmel Valley and Lake County where wildfires still rage near vineyards) show just how… Continue reading

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