Lake County seeks to elevate high altitude wines

Wines & Vines, August, 2007

What are the characteristics of winegrapes grown at high elevations? What qualities do those grapes express in wines? Should wineries market these wines as originating from high altitudes?

These questions were discussed on June 14 at an altitude of 2,000 feet in Snows Lake Vineyard in Northern California's Lake County, at a symposium featuring speakers from as far away as Australia, Italy and Argentina.

Ernesto Bajda of Bodega Catena Zapata in Mendoza, Argentina, spoke of the positive effects of high elevation sites on his company's Malbec vineyards. He presented three Catena Zapata Malbecs for tasting, and showed the results of his research on the grapes that made them, grown at altitudes between 2,850 and 5,000 feet.

His research showed that:

* Harvest-time minimum and maximum daily temperatures were lower at the higher elevations.

* Total anthocyanins increased dramatically with higher elevations.

* Total tannins went steadily up with higher elevations, while bitter monomeric tannins decreased.

* Malic acid retention was 2-3 grams per liter higher in the 5,000 feet fruit than the 2,850 fruit.

* Sunlight is more intense at higher elevations, resulting in increased photosynthesis and production of resveratrol.

* Skins were five times thicker at 5,000 feet than at 2,850 feet.

These attributes generally produce high-quality wines, but sometimes they are too much of a good thing. Leo McCloskey, president of Enologix, discussed several California regions producing highly rated and high-priced wines, and demonstrated that Lake County wines, mostly grown at higher elevations than Napa and Sonoma, are more tannic, which hurts their acceptance in the marketplace.

Randle Johnson, director of winemaking at Bodega Colome, a high-elevation Hess Collection property in Argentina, said that not only is high-elevation grapegrowing complicated, it's also very expensive.

Developing a mountain vineyard presents challenges, including power supply, water rights, environmental impact reports, erosion, rootstock selection and varietal choices. Pressure from insects, birds, rodents, wild pigs and coyotes is often more intense.

In a session called Marketing, From Mountain to Table, moderator Paul Wagner of Balzac Communications asked if there is a category of high-elevation or mountain wines in wine shops and restaurants. Not at Beverages & More, said Wilfred Wong, BevMo's cellar master. Yes, said Ronn Wiegand, publisher of Restaurant Wine newsletter, adding that it's a small niche on some wine lists and overlaps cool-climate wines.

Do consumers ask for high-elevation wines? No, said Jeff Prather of San Francisco's Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant, but they do ask for categories that reflect details of the wine's upbringing, including organic wines, sustainable wines and biodynamic wines. Wiegand said that he recommends high-elevation wines for their food-friendliness, fragrance and a refreshing quality.

A second symposium will be held in two years. For more information, visit theelevationofwine.org.