When you think of crushing grapes at a winery you picture people stomping grapes or a man cranking an old fashioned basket press. Both are correct and really happen. But neither is the main method used by modern wineries to crush grapes.

At Carlson Creek, we use a large piece of machinery called pneumatic bladder press. Other wineries use other heavy equipment like winemakers in France who use a hydraulic power press. There have been so many different ways to do it, that in Spain there is a museum with hundreds of wine presses spanning centuries and even millennia.

Press it or Crush it?

Crush is the action of breaking the grapes to get the juice out. We also call harvest time in the winery ‘Crush’, since it is an essential step and denotes the hectic nature of harvest season. Pressing is when pressure is applied to those crushed grapes to remove the juice. Think of the crush as the breaking of the grape, and pressing as the squeeze that juices it.

Feet first

Thanks to I Love Lucy, we all have an image in our minds of women stomping grapes. It looks really fun and we can tell you it is, at first. In a modern winery there is far less stomping than there once was. Today it is only used for special lots of wine making.

To do it correctly you start with cleaning by sanitizing your feet just like any other piece of equipment. Since modern wineries take sanitation seriously, we clean everything. The stainless steel tanks, the French oak barrels, and even our feet get the full treatment. Once sanitized you are like a surgeon scrubbed in for an operation you do not touch anything with your feet except for the grapes.

The first thing you will notice is how cold the grapes are on your feet. You will also be glad you have a friend helping you into the vats. Grapes are not a stable surface to stand on. A few minutes of stomping and you start to sweat. Your legs are pumping, your core is trying to maintain balance, and your heart is racing. The movies make it look relaxing. But it is like trying to break up quick sand. In the end it is really fun, but it is also tiring.

The Basket Case

This is the iconic basket press featured here in Napa Valley. Remember the distinction between crushing and pressing? Once crushed, the grapes can be put in the basket press. Each turn of the lever lowers a screw driven press plate onto the grapes.

Another human powered method. Once the press gets low it the cranking becomes more difficult. Every turn produces a little more juice, as well as tires the arms and backs. This was a standard piece of equipment for centuries. Now home winemakers still use these on a small scale, but they are rare in a modern winery.

Let the Machines do the Work

We crush our grapes with a cleverly named, crusher destemmer. This takes out all those stems that hold the grapes together in a bunch out and gently breaks the grapes. The grapes drop between two spinning drums through a small gap. The drums break the skins without pulverizing them. It is like gently pinching a grape between your finger tips till it opens up.

After all that stomping and cranking, pushing a button seems like a dream. The next button we push is on our pneumatic bladder press. It is about the size of a small school bus. Inside a large perforated drum is an inflatable bladder. The drum spins while the bladder gently forces the grapes against the perforated drum, pressing out the grape juice. The liquid then pours out into a tray and then is pumped into a tank.

This is a wonderful piece of equipment, but it is a lot of cleaning especially since grapes and seeds get caught in the holes. You actually have to get inside of it to clean it. When cleaning we always ensure the machine is off before anyone climbs in. Carlson Creek, like most wineries, have strict lockout and safety procedures to protect our team.

Other Tools of the Trade

The basket press has not been totally exiled from wineries. The descendant of this age-old device is the hydraulic basket press. It is used widely in Champagne. These massive heavy machines are for making high-quality juice without crushing first. Whole clusters of grapes are put into the machine and pressed. The machine gives less skin contact and thus a clearer juice to make into their world famous wine.

There is also the screw press. A big augur moves grapes forward through a narrowing cylinder, forcing the juice out. These machines are massive. They are used by industrial wineries to make huge amounts of wine. In the other methods you have to do your crushing and pressing in lots. This machine is continuous, so you can just keep putting grapes in it all day long. Though you would need to stop and clean it between red and white grapes.

The Difference Between Pressing Whites and Reds

When pressing white grapes and red grapes timing is the major difference.  Wineries generally press white grapes right after harvest before fermentation. Red grapes are pressed after fermentation. We do this because of skin contact. The color in wine comes from the skins, most grape juice is colorless.  

For white wine you want to get the juice off the skins fast to give it the clearest color possible. As for red wine, the skins are left in the juice as it ferments. The mixture of crushed grapes, skins, seeds and juice is called a must. It is like steeping tea. The longer the tea leaves are in the water the darker and stronger the tea.  Once the fermentation is done, and all that glorious color extract, the wine is pressed out of the must.

A World Without Crushing

You do not even need to crush the grapes to make wine. You can put grapes in a sealed tank excluding oxygen and the grapes will burst through a process called carbonic maceration. Carbonic Maceration is when a small amount of fermentation happens in the grape and causes it to pop. This is how Beaujolais Nouveau is made, and it gives a distinct bubble gum flavor.

There is no wrong way to crush grapes. A winemaker we know once used a trash can and a baseball bat to crush Cabernet Sauvignon. Experimentation has been going on in the wine industry for thousands of years. It is what gave us our modern equipment, and the ability to more closely control the process.

At Carlson Creek we like to experiment with different methods. We will produce small lots of wine to learn what new methods work for us. Not just crushing and pressing, but in every step of the process. We release the successes in small batches to our Wine Society. Should you want to try these experiments you can join our Wine Society online or at one of our tasting rooms.

Cheers,

The Carlson Creek Team

The post How Do Wineries Crush Grapes? appeared first on Carlson Creek Vineyard.

This is not a trick question. The answer depends on who you are with, why you are tasting, whether you expectorate, who is driving, and what your final stop will be. Wine countries around the world offer so much to experience, it is only natural to want to take in as much as possible. It is not just the wines, but the beauty of the vineyards, the feeling of being in the winery, and of course the people watching. 

If you want a quick cheat, here is the answer. Two is too few, you will feel like you missed out. Three makes for a fun day. Four is doable if you plan it right. Five or more and you will no longer be able to taste the wine due to palate fatigue.  To help figure out which is the right fit for you, here are the things you need to consider before ordering your first wine flight. 

1. What sort of trip is this?

There is a substantial difference between a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Champagne or a weekend in wine country with the girls. The question is, do you want to remember the wines or the trip? For birthdays, anniversaries, and other such occasions it is perfectly fine to flitter between wineries. If you do not like a wine or the winery, you are under no obligation to stay. Try as many as you like. On the other hand, if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, pace yourself. Go to fewer wineries and spend more time at each soaking it in. People try to go for quantity on such occasions, but quality is where it is at. A good guideline for it is how far you have traveled. If you crossed an ocean or a continent take your time, if you drove up for the weekend go wild.

2. Who are you tasting with?

The character of your group will shape how they will enjoy their time in wine country and inevitably how much fun you have. You can fill up the itinerary with wineries if any of the following apply. Add more wineries if you call the group a squad, if you are wearing matching t-shirts, or at some point someone will yell ‘wooo’ out a car window. At the opposite end of the spectrum are your connoisseurs, wine geeks, and anyone who regularly reads Jancis Robinson. Not sure if this is your group, here are some signs. Someone has researched the new releases of a winery, you have a wine club member in your group, or someone yells, “I am not drinking any f@*#ing Merlot” out of a car window. This group will need extra time to pore over tasting notes and discuss the true meaning of minerality at length.

3. Can you Expectorate?

Are you Gaston from Beauty and the Beast? Expectoration, in layperson’s terms, is spitting. It is the fancy way to say it and the wine world will always gravitate to the fanciest term possible. Just look at the number of French words used in winemaking when there are perfectly good English ones. Frugality is a good word for those who do not spit. Why waste good wine? Expectoration equals endurance in wine tasting. You will be able to physically taste more wines before you get palate fatigue. Those who do not spit, will experience the well-documented effects of ethyl alcohol. Meaning those who spit will stay on a bar stool for longer than those who do not. Plan accordingly.

4. Do you have a Driver?

Of course, all that spitting will not matter if you have thought ahead and hired a driver. If it is a prepackaged tour, congratulations you can stop reading, the number of wineries is preset. If you are utilizing a private car, Uber, or a friend who drew the short straw, the number of wineries is now unlimited. A responsible adult such as yourself knows that drinking and driving has no place in wine country. With their help you can visit as many wineries as your constitution will allow. Just remember to take a headcount before leaving each winery. If you have a large group, we recommend the buddy system.

5. What is the Last Winery on your List?

Finally, the biggest and most overlooked factor, where you will end up. The character of this winery is of paramount importance. Are you finishing up at sit-down dinner, perhaps even prix fixe? Then shave off a winery or two. If there is live music and a dance floor, add a few wineries so that you can arrive in the right mood. Is the winery the highlight of your trip, or just the one closest to your hotel? Is it a place that you can be uninhibited or is it a temple to wine where you must speak in hushed tones? Consider all this, then add and subtract as necessary. You picked this place for a reason, make sure you can enjoy it.

The last piece of advice is to think about how much wine there is in each tasting. Every pour is one to two ounces, and there are four to five pours. That is a glass or two at each tasting room to give you an idea of how much your group will be drinking if they do not spit. To review: visit one winery and you might feel cheated, two wineries are a half day, three wineries are a sweet spot, four wineries can be a rush, five or more wineries becomes a blur.

For your next trip remember to do the math ahead of time so everyone enjoys themselves. And if you are in our neck of the woods, end your day at Carlson Creek. Perhaps you will find your favorite wine and you will come back and join our Wine Society.

Cheers,

The Carlson Creek Team

The post How many wineries can you visit in a day? appeared first on Carlson Creek Vineyard.

The Future of Climate Change in Arizona

It is not an accident that the industry was remade at higher elevation. The cooling effects of elevation are well documented. The trick here is we did not watch the change because Prohibition caused a gap in the existence of the industry. It had to be rebuilt from the literal ground up. The conditions that the modern farmer faced were different than in the 1800s. When one steps back, the direction to this trend is apparent

A bottle of wine can be made from any fruit. It is true that regions of the country have wineries that do not use Vitis vinifera grapes or rely on hybrids. There is not a future where cactus wine will become popular as the next Arizona wine. Though the saguaro cactus is an extremely big canary in this coal mine. This is a plant famous for its adaptation to the dry heat of the lower elevations. But the rise in temperatures is killing them at an alarming rate. That alone should convince any remaining skeptics how serious the heat stress has become.

What We Farm: New Names on the Bottle

No cactus but there may be new grapes. In 2021 Bordeaux approved six new grape varieties for the wine region. Bordeaux, like all French growing areas, regulated most aspects of wine making, including what grapes can be grown. The new varieties are more heat resistant and deal better with the shorter growth cycles. We discuss these exact conditions here in Arizona in our article: Harvest Timing in Arizona.

The Bordelais spent decades researching these grapes. They are confident they will need it to flourish in the future. If Arizona wine continues to grow it will need to adapt in a similar fashion. One of the newly approved varieties, Touriga Nacional, is already grown in Arizona. Vineyards will have to rip out less suitable grape vines and plant either these grapes or grape vines that show similar potential for resilience. This will change the flavors and the names we are used to seeing.

Where We Farm: Winery Will Climb the Mountains

Arizona is not all desert. Years ago, Carlson Creek consulted on a new vineyard site that sat at over six thousand feet. The plot was a part of the massive pine forest that covers much of the northern part of the state. At the time we advised them not to move forward, since the winter temperatures were low enough to kill grape vines. The only solution was to bury the vines over the winter. In the future this vineyard site will be a viable option. There will be interesting new vineyard locations opened.

We do not expect all the new locations to be so extreme. But we will see more vineyards at higher elevations. Luckily, the major wine regions are near mountains. In Sonoita’s case, the borders of its American Viticultural Area are literal mountain peaks. In Willcox there are already vineyards in the Chiricahua foothills, near the Chiricahua National Monument. As a side note, this is a wonderful place to visit, with spectacular rock formations, great hiking, and no crowds.

How We Farm: Learning How to weave

Viticulture practices are not uniform across the world. Look at the image above. It is a picture from the Spanish island of Lanzarote. This is the pit method, or crater method. A single vine grows in a pit with a rock wall protecting it. The crater provides protection from the wind and a focal point for rain to drain down to the grapevine. The vines grow without irrigation.

Now consider the basket vines of Santorini. This Greek method weaves the vines into a protective wreath for the grapes to shelter until they are ready to be picked. The grapes are sheltered from the heat, and the moisture is trapped inside. Both techniques have been around for hundreds of years. There are regions of the world that have experienced the conditions Arizona is heading towards, and they have managed to make great wines.

Water into Wine

As we adopt new farming techniques, new locations and new varieties it is only natural to develop new winery practices. Wineries use a large amount of water. This water is for sanitation. Tanks, barrels, and equipment all need to be washed before and after every use. All that water goes down a drain.

Water recycling is gaining speed in the wine industry. It is expensive now. But as the high-water use industries invest in this problem, like data centers, technology will decrease in price and increase in efficiency. Wineries will need to adapt to this practice, even if they are not forced to by regulation. From a public relations standpoint, consumers who have their lawns removed due to water shortages would like to know that the winery they visit is doing its part.

At Carlson Creek we have an eye to all of this. We use high-efficiency drip systems to reduce water use. Our vineyard is a patchwork of different grape varieties, and we are constantly monitoring their performance. We may not be able to move but we are already experimenting with new trellising methods. We share our thought beyond this in: What is the Future for Arizona Wine?

The future of Arizona wine lies with you dear reader. You can help the Arizona wine industry keep adapting, experimenting and improving by ordering wine, visiting our tasting room, or joining our Wine Society.

Cheers,

The Carlson Creek Team

The post Can Arizona Wine Survive Climate Change? appeared first on Carlson Creek Vineyard.

Arizona Gets a Head Start

Under the bright Southwestern sun, Arizona vineyards get a jump on the competition. While Napa and Sonoma are just starting to see their grapes change color, Arizona is picking its first grapes. When we utilized consultants from California decades ago, they were always playing catch up when it came to our climate. Most people picture harvest in September or October, but not here. We are starting to pick in late July, for ourselves and our clients on our vineyard, and for our neighbors using our mechanical harvester. This is weeks or even months earlier than well-known wine regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Harvest is Not a Date on a Calendar

The answer lies in our wine region’s unique combination of abundant sunshine, high elevation, cool nights, and practiced vineyard management. We do not tell the vines when to harvest, they tell us. It is a bit of art and science and being present in the vineyard. It is not as simple as just deciding to pick grapes. Our Wine Society members experience this firsthand after attending harvest field days.

Harvest is the completion of years’ worth of work that started at the end of the prior year’s harvest. We often confuse people by referring to last year and next year around the harvest and not the calendar. In a way this is our new year. All the experiments and tweaks and changes in watering, pruning and fertilization give their results, and that data helps us plan next year.

For instance, at Carlson Creek we installed a new well almost two years ago. This allows us to have better control of watering in the off season building up the water profile in our soil. That in turn helped vegetative growth give our vine more of a platform to increase yield, and that is just what it did. Or when we acted as a test vineyard for new organic herbicides. Spoiler alert we did not end up using them again.

It is All About the Numbers

Previous year data also tells us how the vines ripen in given climatic conditions. This aids our team in the important decisions of setting a target for sugars and acids. Which is also based on what kind of wine we want to make. Fermentation turns the sugar into alcohol. The more sugar the grape gives us, the higher the alcohol percentage. Acids determine structure and how refreshing wine is when drunk. The skins are where all the color in wine resides. Should we want to make a Rosé, we will want a lower sugar content in the grape and a higher acid level. Also, we do not want the red grapes to have too much color. All the factors point to harvesting early in the season.

As the fruit ripens the sugar levels rise as the vines get the ever-present Arizona sun. This also deepens the color of the grape skins. Red grapes get darker, and white ones become yellow. But with the heat, the acids break down and their level decreases. We have a goal and the grapes will move right past it if we do not keep a vigilant watch.

In fact, many of our staff from Scottsdale move to Willcox during the summer to work on the harvest to do just that. We need them because we sample the grapes for lab testing every other day, and should a block be getting close, every day. Just gathering a representative sample can take half a day since the vineyard is so large.

If we miss the mark our Rosé will not be refreshing (too low of acid), be too dark (skins are too ripe), or unbalanced (too much sugar means too much alcohol). We can try and adjust these things in the winery. But it is always better to start with great fruit. There is a saying we hold to, “You can make bad wine from great grapes, but you cannot make great wine from bad grapes.”

Wake up to the Sunshine

Grapes love the sunshine. In fact, wine grapes as we know originated in the Middle East around 8,000 years ago. They have spent that time soaking up the sun, and the amount of sun they get determines how they grow. If you compare Willcox to Champagne, you will find a stark difference outside our lack of Chateaus. The Champagne region gets about one hundred sunny days during the growing season, which is almost half what Willcox gets. All that solar energy super charges the grapes.

Warm days are key. If it is too hot, the vines shut down. Over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, 32 degrees Celsius, the vine goes into preservation mode. It stops ripening the fruit and focuses on itself¹. Its photosynthesis reduces and slows sugar accumulation. The hotter it gets the slower the grapes ripen until they stop getting water from the vine because it is conserving it for itself. Then the grapes themselves begin to dehydrate which can spike the sugar levels

The aforementioned solar energy allows our vines to grow large canopies that protect the grapes from the sun. Which can drop the temperature under the leaves and can cool the grapes by several degrees². But it can also prevent airflow which is also beneficial for cooling. We take time to thin the leaves out for certain varieties such as Grenache to increase airflow. On top of all this has more surface area to take in sunshine and efficiently fuel grape growth.

It also gives them the ability to breathe better. Yes, plants breathe. The stomates are little openings underneath the leaves that tend to open at night when it is cool. They take in CO2 and expel O2. The trick is they do not open in the heat because it will cause water loss. This is where the high elevation comes in handy. Since our vineyards are so high up (4,300 feet) it is cooler. The nights are even cooler than you would expect. Who would have heard of wearing a jacket in Arizona in August?

This substantial change in temperature is called a diurnal swing. Warm to hot days turn into cool nights. This is the gift of high elevation. Cool nights help preserve acidity, and give the grapevines a rest. The elevation also helps give more color to grapes since we have higher UV radiation. The vines seek to protect the grapes by increasing the color. It is like how some people get a tan.

Grapes are not all picked at once

While all this is going on the grapes are accumulating sugar. For every percentage of sugar, you get half that in alcohol. Early in the season you would make low alcohol wines and at the end of the season you would have high alcohol wines.

Whites tend to ripen first on the vineyard, with Sauvignon Blanc leading the way. By harvesting it early we can preserve the acidity and the Sauvignon Blanc character. As the season warms up the Sauvignon Blanc grapes will lose the grassy herbaceous notes that make the grape so unique. New Zealand wines are the best example of these aromas and scents.

Towards the end of the season you get into your steak house wines. When making a big Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec the common refrain on the crush pad is, let it hang. Meaning do not pick it yet. We want more sugar and more color in the skin, to get a dark powerful wine. Incidentally you can try you can enjoy the result at our tasting rooms.

Arizona’s early start can be a difficulty and a benefit.Though it is hotter when we harvest, we do not have a problem ripening our fruit. There have been years in Champagne when there was not enough sunlight to produce sufficient sugar to make wine. The vintners needed to chaptalize, add sugar to the fermentation, to get enough alcohol. Those are not considered vintage years.

It does have one perk that is not often spoken of. By harvesting early, our wines are finished and ready for aging sooner in the year. That means Arizona winemakers get to go on vacation sooner than the Californians. And who doesn’t like getting a head start?

You can get a head start on these wine by joining our Wine Society. Members get wine before the general public, invite only events, and member exclusive wines. Sign up online or at one of our tasting room in Willcox or Scottsdale.

Cheers,

The Carlson Creek Team

The post Wine Grape Harvest Timing in Arizona appeared first on Carlson Creek Vineyard.

Carlson Creek has been involved in the Arizona Wine Industry for two decades. We were the 17th winery license in the state. Carlson Creek has been founding members of many of the organizations that have helped form the industry and held leadership positions in those that predated us. We built the third largest vineyard in the state, survived a pandemic and won plenty of awards. Through all that we have witnessed a lot of change.

With that experience, we can to speculate on the question: Where Is Arizona Wine Headed in the Next Decade?

How will water affect Arizona Wine?

First and foremost the topic that determines everything in Arizona, water. Grapevines are low water use crops but not low enough for dry farming in Arizona. Dry farming relies on rainfall and we have been getting less and less of it. People are saying the term ‘nonsoon’ more frequently of late¹. It is what it sounds like, a monsoon season with little rain. These rains are deluges bringing the majority of the water for the year. It is the only true source for ground water replenishment.

The diminishing water source combined with over pumping has exacerbated the issue in Willcox. There is no help from canal projects as the majority of vineyards in the state do not rely on Colorado River water. Which, given the crisis it is currently undergoing, may be fortunate. 

An old timer once said, “in Arizona whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting.” He was not kidding. He had seen state water agents be shot at when trying to enforce new water regulations in 1980. Since that time little new water regulations have been put into place until just the last couple of years. 

Regulation: We are from the government and we are here to help

Willcox is now in an Active Management Area². This is the same regulatory framework that covers much of the population centers in Arizona, such as Phoenix and Tucson. Prior to this a farm could drill as deep as they wanted and pump as much water as they needed. The problem is that Willcox is a closed basin, no rivers in, no rivers out. It recharges by rain and snowmelt from the mountains that encircle it.  With unlimited pumping the drawdown has exceeded that water source³. 

The reaction has been to freeze agriculture expansion. Here is the rub, Willcox is the source of 80% of Arizona’s wine grapes⁴. Most vineyards, including Carlson Creek, own land that they had planned to expand in coming years. The regulation effectively stops growth for the majority of Arizona vineyards. Which in turn, slows the growth of the industry as a whole. Growth is essential, growth attracts new talent, new investment, and new consumers. Stagnation is death.

This is not a death knell though. There are people working very hard to create an exemption for low water use, high value crops, like wine grapes. A ton of pecans uses eight times the water of a ton of Cabernet Sauvignon⁵. Also, Willcox is not the only wine region. Land once ignored is coming into production in the Verde Valley, and is seeing excellent yields. Lesser known regions are beginning to attract attention. Any way you slice it, water is the major limiting factor to growth in the Arizona wine industry.

Is Climate Change affecting Arizona Wine?

Across all regions there has been a shift in climate beyond the water issue. The winter before our first harvest it snowed often and there was ice in the vine rows. Since then every winter has been milder. The summers are harsher. Willcox, Sonoita and the Verde valley are still respites from the heat of the cities. But the effects are there. Arizona wine growers are already having to rethink the grapes they grow, how they grow them and where they grow them. Explore this topic deeper in: Can Arizona Wine Survive Climate Change?

The warmer it gets the faster the harvest comes and the more difficult it can become logistically, horticulturally, and oenologically. We share labor for harvest across numerous vineyards. We ourselves harvest for several other vineyards. Fast harvest means resources are not as easily shared, and that can create difficulties hitting optimal ripeness. Some people will have to wait and that can damage their wines. It could mean that some grapes won’t get picked at all.

Hitting a moving target

All this makes winemaking more difficult. Slow ripening is better. Imagine you are shooting at a moving target. The target crosses you left to right. The slower target is easy to hit. That pace makes it far easier to get near perfect numbers. But if it is fast then misses are far more likely. During a good monsoon the numbers do not just stop, they go backwards. They will stall for days at a time. Granted that creates its own challenges of muddy vineyards that can trap large tractors, diluted grape juice, and the potential for rot. But you have time to turn over tanks, finish other ferments, and plan for the next pick. To find out more about how climate changes the grape harvest window read our article: Wine Grape Harvest Timing in Arizona.

Are Americans drinking less wine?

Climate is not the only overarching change, wine consumers are undergoing huge shifts. Wine consumption in America has been growing consistently for 50 years. That has been in line with population growth. Birth rates are down and due to political concerns beyond the scope of this piece immigration is following birth rates. As population growth slows, so does the market’s base growth. We have basically had a free economic ride that is now slowing. This will change in the future of Arizona wine.

The makeup of the market has changed as well. The boomer generation, a cornerstone wine consumer, is aging out, and consuming less and cheaper wine as they downsize. Gen X being a smaller generation would have to drink far more to compensate. Millennials are far less wealthy than their parents at this stage of life and thus are not drinking premium wines at the rate expected years ago. Gen Z is not drinking alcohol in the numbers that other generations have.

This leads to a conundrum, we will have less wealthy and fewer consumers to sell to. Add to this the recognition that the French paradox that the boomers swore by was just a flight of fancy. GLP-1s are reducing that appetite for all things including alcohol.⁶ Plus an inflation landscape that makes all the inputs and thus the final product more expensive and the marketplace looks more like a battlefield.

What does the future hold for Arizona wine?

That is just what the future of Arizona wine is, a battle on multiple fronts. A fight for consumers against massive wine companies that are desperately trying to hoard market share, a fight to maintain our water rights, and the fight to continue to farm in an environment that is challenging our long standing agricultural traditions. This fight is not one against all, it is fought with the help of our friends and neighbors. 

Those who help us in this fight see the value in a local wine industry in their grocery aisles, their restaurants and on their tables. We have stalwart allies in the halls of our legislature. We have customers who have been involved with the industry since before most of our staff was born.  There is a generation of wine drinkers who care what goes into their wine, and how far it has to travel to get to them. The next ten years it will be this group of people who will shape the industry as much as the regulation, climate, and water.  They will vote with every visit, every online interaction, and ultimately with every purchase. The conversation is wide open, happening every day.  In a decade Arizona Wine will be stronger, if for no other reason than the fact that it is part of that conversation.

Cheers,

The Carlson Creek Team

The post What is the Future of Arizona Wine? appeared first on Carlson Creek Vineyard.

When we started the vineyard it was just my brother and I managing it. Our whole family had helped plant the original vines, an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life. During those early years we were the ones in the vine rows everyday, dealing with weeds, snakes, and the ill effects of weather. We were not interested in buying chemicals that might affect us. Anything we sprayed would be on our hands and in our lungs. We chose to use organic products for our own health years before we had to consider the consumer’s preferences. We continued this line of thought as we began to add employees. Their and our safety was and is a priority.

To this end we only use products that have a zero day pre-harvest interval. A pre-harvest interval is the amount of time a farmer has to wait to harvest the crop to be safe for human consumption. We use products that could have someone working out in the vines the same day. Though generally we still wait 24 hours to send anyone back into the vineyard. Our preference for organic products does increase our costs, but we feel they are worth the expense.

Chemical herbicides are a prime example of what we were trying to avoid. We tested several alternatives, even propane torches. One year we had weeds that were as tall as the vines. That did make harvest a bit difficult as you can imagine. But ultimately we went with an old age solution, a plow. A French plow to be specific. We mounted the plow to the side of our tractor on a swing arm so that we could plow under the vines and retract it to miss each vine. No chemicals, no spraying, no concerns on the health of our staff or the vines. Plus I do not have to pay for the chemicals each year. A win-win situation.

Some chemicals we took a hard stand on years ago. We do not poison the rodent population of our vineyard, a common practice. Our concern was the degradation of the food chain. That these poisons would work their way up into larger animals killing them as well. This ends up being counterproductive because killing the predators would ultimately increase the rodent population. Instead of endangering their natural predators we encouraged them by installing owl barns all around the vineyard. Our pest control team of 20 owls can eat up to 240 mice, gopher, voles, and prairie dogs a night. Each year we have a new hatch of owlets that need to be fed. We get a pest free vineyard and they get a home to raise their young. Another win-win.

Another way we reduce our need for chemicals in the vineyard is with electrostatic spraying. This is the same method used to paint your car in the factory. The spray is charged with 10,000 volts, at low amperage. The vine being grounded attracts the charged spray particles. The charged particles repulse from each other and search out the grounded portions of the unsprayed portions of the vine. You end up with a perfectly even coat that is extremely efficient. In fact, if you spray the front of a leaf the particles will leap around to the back and coat it the same as the front. The droplets in this method are only a few microns in size, helping create an even coat. This method allows us to use a fraction of the chemical and far less water.

All of this comes down to our ultimate goal which is sustainability. It is not a buzz word for us because we are a family vineyard. With three generations in the vines, we want the vineyard to be just as productive, healthy, and magical for the next three generations to come. A healthy vineyard makes healthy wines. The same vineyard-first thinking is part of the larger conversation about the future of Arizona wine.

I hope you enjoyed a little insight into our farming philosophy, and will read future posts. I invite you to come visit us in our tasting rooms, in Scottsdale and Willcox or, weather permitting, order bottles for your table from our online shop.

Cheers,

Robert C Carlson III
Winemaker

The post A Healthy Vineyard for Healthy Wines appeared first on Carlson Creek Vineyard.

But what every parent really wants to know is what wine goes best with these candies? We’ll tell you!

Reese’s PB Cups + Chardonnay or Cabernet

USA Today published a study from Monmouth University which shared America’s favorite Halloween candy. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were the most popular. The PB + chocolate combo of the #1 rated Reese’s will pair perfectly with a jammy, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. But for white wine drinkers, head for the Chardonnay aisle.

Snickers + Sangiovese or Grenache

Pair a medium-bodied red, like Sangiovese or Grenache, with the chocolate covered roasted nuts and nougat of a Snicker’s bar for a match made in Halloween heaven.

M & M’s + Port or Pinot Noir

There’s no wrong choice when it comes to pairing classic M & M’s with wine. A Port or Pinot Noir would be our go-to options.

Hershey Bars + Syrah

A classic pairing! You can’t go wrong with Hershey’s chocolate and a full-bodied red, like Syrah.

Candy Corn + Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc

By rule of thumb a dessert wine should be sweeter than the dish so in candy corn’s case a Riesling would be a nice pairing. For a contrast to cut down on the sweetness of the candy corn, opt for Sauvignon Blanc.

Skittles + Muscat

A sweet wine, like a Muscat, makes for a great pairing to contrast the sour side of Skittles candies.

Starburst + Rosé or Riesling

Take this fruit flavored candy and pair it with a dry Rosé to tone down the burst in Starburst.

Tootsie Pops + Chateauneuf-du-Papes or Pinot Noir

The easiest pairing to remember, Pops + Papes! The hard candy coating followed by Tootsie Roll center of this holiday treat go best with a more versatile light-medium bodied red wine. Try a Chateauneuf-du-Papes or Pinot Noir.

And if you don’t want to leave the house to get these wines, we now deliver to 40 states! Shop our wines here, and start indulging in those Halloween leftovers!

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