Spring is an interesting time at wineries. It is one of the few real down times. Just about all of the wine from the previous year’s harvest has been “barreled down,” and some unoaked whites and rosès may already be bottled. Vines have been pruned and cut back. So, save for bottling that may be done from time to time, it is a bit quieter for winemakers and growers alike. At the wineries, equipment maintenance is performed, and other chores are completed that are tough to get to at other times of year.

For retail wine folks like us, though, this quiet time in wine country creates a bunch more activity in the shop. Winemakers and winery sales people use this lull in their world to come out and visit all of us with their latest bottlings. It is a great opportunity to learn more about vintages and all that affects them.

This past week, we had a chance to taste the wines from Efeste and get to know their winemaker Peter Devison a bit. It was time well spent, learning more about the wines and the winery. We appreciate Peter’s non-interventionist approach to winemaking that shone through in his wines. The whole lineup was varietally correct, balanced, and tasty. His winemaking style also focuses heavily on vintage and varietal when deciding on the aspects of winemaking each year. We feel that all parts of winemaking need to be adjusted each year to the pluses and minuses that vintage offers, and that a “recipe” approach should be avoided.

The most fascinating part of the conversation was some of the details we learned about recent vintages. In broad terms, we know that 2010 and 2011 were challenging years and that 2012, 2013 and 2014 were better years, but like many things in life, the “devil is in the details.”

Peter described both 2010 and 2011 as “winemaker vintages,” with 2011 being even more so. We gained tremendous respect for Peter’s talents as a winemaker; both in listening to him discuss these tough years and in trying his wines. When years are cool and rains force an early harvest, winemakers have to get creative and pay even more attention to the details and decisions they put into each wine. Grapes from these years don’t react to oak barrel ageing the same. Shortening the time in barrel or using more used or even neutral “wood” becomes vital. Blending to boost the heft and character of some reds may be employed more aggressively, while whites may need more time in barrel and spend more time on the lees.

This is when winemakers really earn their wage, as all of these little adjustments allow the best to still make good wines in bad years. It makes the case for buying producer over vintage.

Just as compelling were Peter’s discussions of the 2012 and 2013 vintages. Both years were good with large crops, and allowed all in the wine business to breathe a sigh of relief. What we did not know about is how hail from mid-summer thunderstorms during both years caused serious crop damage. While these July storms were very localized, they caused fruit losses of 50 percent in the vineyards that were affected. These storms cut both ways, devastating yields but increasing the quality of the surviving fruit, as flavors were more concentrated in the remaining bunches.

These storms also caused a fair amount of work for growers, as they were forced to deploy crews to cut the damaged bunches from the vines quickly, before rot set in and spread to the remaining undamaged clusters.

In 2014, the challenge was different. Very warm temperatures in early and mid summer emphasized canopy and water management to prevent early- and over-ripening, and even rasining in some cases. All of these factors help both wine professionals and wine consumers understand why they taste what they taste, how good wines can come from challenging vintages, and why some favorites might not stack up in good years. As wine professionals we can always help you understand these differences and manage your expectations, since we fortunately get to spend this kind of time with winemakers and growers to really learn all of the nuances of each year.

If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have questions on wine, you can email george@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party, a wine and tabletop décor shop in Coeur d’Alene by Costco. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions; his articles are published around the country, and he is the wine editor for Coeur d’Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com).

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