News & Releases from Philip Carter Winery

What Makes A Wine Last More Than Five Years?

When I do have the opportunity to speak with you all in person (I recommend Tuesday, July 12^th when we bottle next), one of the questions that invariably comes up is how long can I age my wine? This is not exclusive to just the fine wines that we produce at Philip Carter but addressed against all wines in one’s collection. Over 90 percent of all wines in the world are made to be consumed within one year, and less than 1 percent of the world’s wines are made to be aged for more than five years. Wines change with age, some get better, but most don’t. The good news is that the 1 percent represents over 350 million bottles of wine per vintage. I will here, do my best, to address the factors that play into that age-worthy equation.

What Makes A Wine Last More Than Five Years?

The color and the grape – Red wines, because of their tannin content, will generally age longer than whites. Certain red grapes, such as Tannat and Petit Verdot, tend to have more tannin, than, say, Pinot Noir.

The vintage – The better the weather conditions in one year, the more likely the wines from that vintage will have a better balance of fruits, acids, and tannins and therefore have the potential to age longer. In Virginia, recent strong vintage years were 2019, 2016, 2015, 2010, and 2007.

Where the wine comes from – Certain vineyards have optimum conditions for growing grapes, including soil, weather, drainage, and slope of the land. All of these factors contribute to producing a great wine that will taste better after aging. Our Strother Family Vineyard in Delaplane has many of these characteristics to include elevation (1,000’) , soil composition (granite and greenstone), and aspect (southeastward facing) among others.

How the wine was made (vinification) – The longer the wine remains in contact with its skins during fermentation (maceration), and if it is fermented and/or aged in oak, the more of the natural preservative tannin it will have, which can help it age longer. These are just two examples of how winemaking can affect the aging of wine. Our Cleve and Tannat wines are aged for over a year in a mixture of French and American oak, in conjunction with the factors above make these age worthy wines.

Storage conditions – Even the best-made wines in the world won’t age well if stored improperly. Best storage conditions: 55 Degrees Fahrenheit and 75% humidity.

If you’d like to discuss this topic or another at greater length both Alejandro, our Winemaker, and myself would welcome the opportunity. As mentioned above we’ll be bottling on Tuesday, July 12^th and we’ll be available for conversation for the better part of the day (outside of the work component). If you are interested in volunteering please email nora@pcwinery.com!

-Dale Clemence

Assistant Wine Maker

in Vintner's Blog

How to Become a 1 Minute Wine Expert

I’ve utilized the following tasting methodology in my wine training and education and I wanted to take this opportunity to share it with you. I would consider this to be the opening gambit in beginning to understand the process for evaluating wine. Once you get comfortable with the fundamentals and train yourself how to objectively taste a wine, the greater complexities of wine evaluation becomes easier to navigate. This process only takes 1 minute and can be built upon as your palette progresses. The minute is divided into four sections; 0 to 15 seconds, 15 to 30 seconds, 30 to 45 seconds, and 15 to 60 seconds. Here is the initial approach prior to evaluation:

1. Step One – Look at the color of the wine.

2. Step Two – Smell the wine three times.

3. Step Three – Put the wine in your mouth and leave it there for three to five seconds.

4. Step Four – Swallow the wine.

5. Step Five – Wait and concentrate on the wine for 60 seconds before discussing it.

The first taste of wine will shock your taste buds. This comes from alcohol content, acidity and sometimes the tannins. The higher the alcohol or acidity, the more of a shock. For the first wine in any tasting, take a sip and swirl it around in your mouth, but don’t evaluate it (Consider this to be the cleansing of your pallet prior to onset). Wait another 30 seconds, try it again, and then begin the 1 minute wine expert tasting process.

Time Usage

· 0 to 15 Seconds – If there is any residual sugar/sweetness in the wine, you’ll experience it now. If there is no sweetness in the wine, the acidity is usually at its strongest sensation in the first 15 seconds. Look for the fruit level of the wine and its balance with the acidity or sweetness.

· 15 to 30 Seconds – After the sweetness or acidity, look for great fruit sensations. By 30 seconds you want a balance of the components. By this time you can identify the weight of the wine. Is it light, medium, or full-bodied? Think about what kind of food to pair with this wine.

· 30 to 45 Seconds – Start formulating your opinion of the wine. Not all wines need 60 seconds of thought. Lighter-style wines, such as Rieslings, usually show their best at this point. The fruit, acid, and sweetness of a great German Riesling should be in perfect harmony from this point on. For quality red and white wines, acidity should now balance with the fruit of the wine.

· 45 to 60 Seconds – Very often wine writers use the term ‘length’ to describe how long the components, balance, and flavors continue in the mouth. Concentrate on the length of the wine in the last 15 seconds. In big, full-bodied red wines from Bordeaux and the Rhone Valley, Cabernets from California, and even some full-bodied Chardonnays, concentrate on the level of tannin in the wine. Just as the acidity and fruit balance are major concerns in the first 30 seconds, it’s now the tannin and fruit balance you want in the last 30 seconds. If the fruit, tannin and acid all balance at 60 seconds, then the wine is ready to drink. If the tannin overpowers the fruit at the 60 second mark, consider whether to drink the wine now, or put aside for further aging (this is why I always buy wine in multiples of 3, one for now, one for later and one to give to a friend/more for me).

It’s extremely important, if you want to learn the true taste of the wine, that you take at least one minute to concentrate on all of its components. But, 60 seconds is the minimum time to wait before making a decision about a wine. Many great wines continue to show balance well past 120 seconds. The best wine I ever tasted lasted more than three minutes (Penfold’s 2013 Grange, 100 Points from Robert Parker at Wine Advocate), that’s three minutes of perfect balance of all components following consumption of the wine! I encourage you to try this process out during your next wine tasting at Philip Carter to further evaluate our offerings (the 2020 Cleve will definitely impress).

Cheers!

-Dale Clemence

Assistant Winemaker

in Vintner's Blog

The Wines of Germany – Summer Cruise 2023 with Philip Carter

My journey through Europe continues as I explore another country slated for the Philip Carter led cruise down the Danube River from April 20-23^rd 2023 with a look at the wines of Germany. As you read through this article, you should be able to answer the following questions by the conclusion of your read:

1. What percentage of German Wines are white?

2. If a German wine has the name of a grape variety on a label, what’s the minimum percentage of that grape in the wine?

3. If a German wine lists a vintage on a label, what’s the minimum percentage of that year in the wine?

4. How many winemaking regions does Germany have?

5. Name the three basic styles of German wine.

6. What’s the average alcohol range for German wines?

7. What does ‘Spatlese’ mean in English?

8. What is Sussreserve?

Today Germany is a minor player on the world wine stage, but it features more than 1,400 wine villages and 2,600 plus vineyards. Seems like a lot, but if you had to study German wines before 1971, you would have had to memorize over 30,000 different names! A large number of people used to own very small parcels of land, leading to the exorbitant number of names. In an effort to reduce confusion, the West German government passed a law in 1971 mandating that a vineyard consist of at least twelve and half acres of land (Philip Carter qualifies!). The law decreased the number list of vineyards, but increased owners.

Germany produces only 2-3% of the world’s wine, and what it does produce is highly dependent upon weather. This is because Germany in the northernmost country in which vines can grow, and 80% of this done upon hilly slopes, so harvesting must be done by hand. 85% of the wines that Germany produces are white. The most important grape varieties are:

Riesling – this is the most widely planted and best grape variety produced in Germany. If you don’t see ‘Riesling’ on the label the wine probably has little in any Riesling grapes in it. If the label gives the grape variety, the wine must contain 85% of that grape by German law. If it shows a vintage, it must contain 85% of grapes from that year. Germany has been growing the Riesling grape since 1435.
Muller Thurgau – a cross between Riesling and Chasselas, it accounts for 13.5% of Germany’s wines.
Silvaner – this grape variety accounts for just 5% of Germany’s wines.

Germany produces red wines too, but that accounts for only 15% of their wines. Red grapes don’t grow well in Germany’s norther climate.

Germany has 13 official wine making regions, but four of them are recognized as producing the best German wines. They are:

Rheinhessen
Rheingau
Mosel (known as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer until 2007)
Pfalz (known as Rheinpfalz until 1992)

Rhein wines generally have more body than Mosels, which usually have higher acidity and lower alcohol levels than Rheins. Mosels show more autumn fruits like apples and pears, while Rhein wines show more summer fruits like apricots, peaches and nectarines. One quick way to tell the difference between a Rhein wine and a Mosel wine is to look at the bottle. Rhein wines come in a brown bottle, Mosel in a green bottle.

The three basic styles of German wines are:

Trocken – dry
Halbtrocken – medium dry
Fruity – semidry to sweet

German wines tend to contain 8% to 10% alcohol, compared to an average 12% to 14% for French wines. A common misconception about German wines is that after fermentation is halted, the remaining residual sugar gives the wine its sweetness. This is largely untrue, most German wines are fermented dry. German winemakers withhold a certain amount of unfermented grape juice from the same vineyard, varietal, and sweetness level. This Sussreserve contains all the natural sugar, which winemakers add back to the wine after fermentation. The finest German estates do not use the Sussreserve method, but do rely on stopping fermentation to achieve their specific wine style.

As a result of the West German 1971 legislation, German wines fall two main categories:

Tafelwein – table wine, the lowest designation given to a wine grown in Germany, it never carries the vineyard name and rarely is exported.
Qualitatswein – quality wine, which then falls into one of two categories:

Qualitatswein Bestimmter Anbaugiebiete – indicates a quality wine that comes from 1 of the 13 specified German regions.
Pradikatswein – quality wine with a distinction, these wines may not be chapitalized (adding sugar before fermentation to increase alcohol levels)

Pradikatswein Levels

In increasing order of quality, price, and ripeness at harvest, here are the six Pradikatswein levels:

Kabinett Light – semidry wines made from normally ripened grapes
Spatlese – late picking, meaning that the wine comes from grapes picked after the normal harvest.
Auslese – out picked, meaning that the grapes come from a particular ripe bunch, which yield a medium to fuller style wine.
Beernauslese – berry picking, signifying that individual grapes are selected to create a rich dessert wine. This wine is usually made 2-3 times a decade.
Trockenbeerenauslese – these grapes are dried (trocken), so they’re more like raisins. These raisininated grapes produce the richest, sweetest, and most expensive wines.
Eiswein – concentrated wine made from frozen grapes left on the vine and pressed while still frozen. According to law, this wine must be made from grapes at least ripe enough to make a Beerenauslese.

–Dale Clemence

Assistant Wine Maker at Philip Carter Winery

For more information on the Philip Carter led wine cruise that travels through Austria, Hungary and Germany please click on the link below, e-mail WineClub@ExpediaCruises.com or call 877-615-7447.

Wine Cruise Info

Question Answers:

1. 85%

2. At least 85%

3. 85 %

4. 13 regions

5. Trocken, Halbtrocken, and Fruity

6. Between 8% to 10%

7. Late Picking

8. When winemakers reserve grape juice and add it to the wine after fermentation

in Vintner's Blog

The Wines of Hungary- Summer Cruise 2023 with Philip Carter

This month I continue my exploration of the countries that will be visited on the Philip Carter led cruise down the Danube River from April 20-23^rd 2023 with a discussion upon the wines of Hungary. As you read through my blog, you should be able to answer the following questions by the end of the read:

1. Name the three major white grapes and three major red grapes native to Hungary.

2. Name three major wine regions of Hungary.

3. How is Tokaj Aszu made?

4. What are the four levels of Puttonyos wine?

5. What is the name of the sweetest of the Tokaji wines?

The wine industry of Hungary traces back as far as the Roman Empire and it has thrived culturally and economically for nearly 1,000 years. Tokay, its most famous wine, has been produced continuously since the sixteenth century, and Tokaj received the world’s first vineyard classification in 1700. The reputation of Hungarian wine suffered a major decline under Communist rule from 1949 to 1989. In that time, a state monopoly shifted production to bulk wine with little regard to maintaining or improving existing wine quality.

Since the fall of Communism, however, emphasis has returned to quality wines, with an influx of capital from Italian, French, and German winemakers. The introduction of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris grapes, new vineyard techniques, and modern equipment have helped rebuild Hungary’s wine industry. The famous vineyards of Tokaj received the first wave of attention, but investment has expanded throughout the country.

The main white varietals are:

Native to Hungary International

Furmint Chardonnay

Harslevelu Pinot Gris

Olaszrizling Sauvignon Blanc

The main red varietals are:

Native to Hungary International

Kadarka Cabernet Sauvignon

Kekfrankos (Blaufrankisch) Merlot

Portugieser Pinot Noir

The country has 22 wine regions, seven of which you should know along with their most important wines:

Badacsony: Olaszrizling

Eger Kekfrankos: Pinot Noir

Somolo: Furmint

Sopron: Kekfrankos

Szekszard: Kadarka, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

Tokaj: Furmint, Harslevelu

Villany-Siklos: Cabernet Sauvignon, Kekfrankos

Tokaji Aszu

This wine, on par with French Sauternes and German Trockenbeerenauslese comes from Tokaj, a village in Hungary’s northeastern corner and one of the oldest wine regions in the world. Aszu refers to the dried, shriveled, botrytized grapes used to make their wines. Tokaji Aszu usually blends four grapes native to Hungary, primarily Furmint. Throughout the fall harvest season, the grapes affected by the Botrytis Cinerea mold (or aszu) are picked, lightly crushed, and made into a paste. Unaffected grapes ferment into the base wine. Workers collect the aszu paste in baskets, called puttonyos, then blend those into the base wine according to the desired sweetness, measured in puttonyos on the label of all Tokaji Aszu. The more paste buckets that go into the base wine, the sweeter the outcome. Puttonyos wine has four levels:

3 Puttonyos: 60 grams of sugar per liter

4 Puttonyos: 90 grams of sugar per liter

5 Puttonyos: 120 grams of sugar per liter

6 Puttonyos: 150 grams of sugar per liter

· A French Sauterne has 90 grams of sugar per liter

· A German Trckenbeerenauslese has 150 grams of sugar per liter

The sweetest Tokaj wines, called Essencia or Eszencia, contains 180 grams of sugar per liter. Due to the high concentration of sugar, Essencia may take years to finish fermentation and then will have only an alcohol content of 2-5 percent. It is a very unique wine and specialty of Hungary.

Make sure to be on the look out for our next blog post about the other regions that will be explored on the wine cruise!

–Dale Clemence

Assistant Wine Maker at Philip Carter Winery

Question Answers:

1. White: Furmint, Harslevelu, and Olaszrizling; Red: Kardarka, Kekfrankos, and Portugieser

2. The major wine regions of Hungary include: Badacsony, Eger, Somolo, Sopron, Szekszard, Tokaj, and Villany-Siklos

3. Grapes affected by Botrytis Cinerea are made into a paste. Unaffected grapes ferment into the base wine, and workers blend in baskets of the noble rot paste according to the desired sweetness level.

4. 3 baskets, (60g sugar/liter), 4 baskets (90g), 5 baskets (120g) and 6 baskets (150g)

5. Essencia

For more information on the Philip Carter led wine cruise that travels through Austria, Hungary and Germany please click on the link below, or e-mail WineClub@Expedia Cruises.com or call 877-651-7447.

Wine Cruise Info

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’22 Virginia Governor’s Cup Wine Competition Results

The Virginia Governor’s Cup®, one of the most stringent competitions in the US and is hosted by the Virginia Wineries Association (in partnership with the Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Vineyards Association). In 2022, world-class judges sampled over 600 of the best Virginia wines from over 100 Virginia wineries.

This year Philip Carter Winery entered 2 of our best wines and both of our wines walked away with medals! We are thrilled at the recognition that our wines are receiving in our local community and from the people all over Virginia.

Congratulations to Philip, our winemaker Tony, and all of the Philip Carter staff!

2019 Cleve – Silver

2015 1762 – Silver

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’22 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Results

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is currently the largest wine competition in North America. All wineries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are eligible to enter the wine competition. Professional wine judges are sourced throughout the major wine regions in North America to offer a diversity of expertise to each judging panel. A major advantage to wineries entering the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the vast recognition and outreach of the award-winning wines including the published wine award special section of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.

This year Philip Carter Winery entered 4 of our unique Virginia wines and all of our wines walked away with medals! We are overjoyed at the recognition that our wines are receiving not only in our home state but even on the west coast.

Congratulations to Philip, our winemaker Tony, and all of the Philip Carter staff!

2019 Cleve – Gold

2020 Shirley Chardonnay – Silver

2020 Sabine Hall Viognier – Silver

2020 Nomini Hall Cabernet Franc – Bronze

in awards and releases

’21 American Wine Society Commercial Wine Competition Results

The American Wine Society is the largest consumer-based wine organization in the United States. They have conducted this prestigious Commercial wine competition annually for over 40 years. This commercial competition provides national recognition for wineries among both consumers and wine industry professionals.

Judges for the AWS Commercial Wine Competition include both AWS-trained and certified judges and professional experts from all aspects of the wine industry. AWS judges have completed a rigorous 3 level course over a minimum of 3 years. This intense curriculum includes a disciplined approach to wine fault identification, component analysis, winery operations, viticulture, wine history and appreciation, and extensive wine evaluation and rating.

This year Philip Carter Winery entered 6 of our unique Virginia wines and all of our wines walked away with medals! We are overjoyed at the recognition that our wines are receiving not only in our home state but all over the country.

Congratulations to Philip, our winemaker Tony, and all of the Philip Carter staff!

2020 Shirley Chardonnay – Silver

2020 Sabine Hall Viognier – Silver

2020 Gov. Fauquier – Silver

2019 Cleve – Silver

2020 Nomini Hall Cabernet Franc – Bronze

2019 Ten Vines Merlot – Bronze

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’21 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association Wine Competition Results

The Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association host an annual wine competition; the largest in the nation focused exclusively on the wines of the East Coast. The competition covers the 17 states from Maine to Florida that border the Atlantic including Vermont, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The event is held in late summer with professional competition judges hailing from all parts of the country and many facets of the wine trade.

This year Philip Carter Winery entered 5 of our unique Virginia wines and 4 of our wines walked away with medals! We are overjoyed at the recognition that our wines are receiving not only in our home state but all over the east coast.

Congratulations to Philip, our winemaker Tony, and all of the Philip Carter staff!

2019 Cleve – Gold & Best Other Red Vinifera Blend

2019 Tannat – Silver

2020 Nomini Hall Cabernet Franc – Bronze

2020 Rosewell Rosé – Bronze

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Austria and Summer Cruise 2023 with Philip Carter

As you may be aware Philip Carter is leading a cruise down the Danube River from April 20-23^rd 2023. In preparation for this adventure, I’ve taken it upon myself to write about the wine regions that the cruise will be exploring. First on my list is a review of Austria as several days will be spent in this region. As you read through my blog, you should be able to answer the following questions by the end of the read:

What are Austria’s four main wine regions?
Name three major white grapes and three major red grapes that grow in Austria.
What are the three major quality levels of Austrian wine?
What is Austria’s great dessert wine?

Grape growing and winemaking in what is now Austria dates back to the fourth century B.C., but only in the past quarter century has the country earned a reputation for producing quality wines, specifically some of Europe’s most elegant and best-tasting white wines, both dry and sweet. Its Gruner Veltliners and Rieslings pair beautifully with food, which accounts in part for the recent success of Austrian wines in America. Both chefs and sommeliers agree that these wines work well with nearly any dish, from fish and poultry to most meats. Austria’s wines also hold their own when paired with Asian spices.

The country contains four wine regions: Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland, and Styria, all located along its eastern borders. The Danube River and the fertile valley that surrounds it define the northern wine regions, including Lower Austria – which produces 60 percent of the country’s wine – and Vienna, one of the world’s most beautiful cities and the only major city to be a wine region. The two most important of these regions, specialties, and their wine districts are:

Burgenland: (red and dessert wines) Neusiedlersee, Mittelburgenland, Neusiedlersee-Hugelland
Lower Austria (white wines) Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, Donauland

The main white varietals are:

Gruner Veltliner (accounts for more than 1/3^rd of Austrian grape plantings)
AutriSauvignon Blanc
Riesling
Chardonnay

The main red varietals are:

Blaufrankisch (Lemberger)
St. Laurent
Pinot Noir

Austria largely follows the same criteria used in other European countries, specifically Germany, with regard to wine labeling, although it maintains even stricter control. Grape ripeness and the sugar content of the fermenting must determines quality levels, the three broadest being:

Tafielwein
Qualitatswein
Pradikatswein

The Austrian wine board tastes and chemically analyzes Qualitatswein and higher levels of wine, giving consumers a guarantee of taste, style, and quality. If a label lists a specific grape, the wine must contain at least 85 percent of that grape (US in only 75%). If the label names a wine region, 100 percent of the wine must come from that region (US only 75%). As with German wines, most Austrian wines are white, but, unlike German wines, most of Austria’s wines are dry, with higher alcohol and more body, resembling the wines of Alsace. Graduation of ripeness indicates the amount of residual sugar left in the wine after fermentation. In Austrian wines, it ranges from the very dry Trocken to the very sweet Trockenbeerenauslese.

Graduations of Ripeness

Dry

Trocken

Halbtrocken

Lieblich

Sweet

Tafelwein

Landwein

Qualitatswein

Kabinett

Pradikatswein

Very Sweet

Auslese

Eiswein

Beerenauslese

Ausbruch

Trockenbeerenauslese

Ausbruch, one of the world’s great dessert wines, comes from the village of Rust in Burgenland and has a history that dates back as far as 1617. On par with French Sauternes, German Beerenauslese, and Hungarian Tokay, it’s made with botrytized grapes, primarily Furmint.

Make sure to be on the look out for our next blog post about the other regions that will be explored on the wine cruise!

–Dale Clemence

Assistant Wine Maker at Philip Carter Winery

For more information on the Philip Carter led cruise that travels through Austria among other countries please click on link below, e-mail WineClub@ExpediaCruises.com or call 877-651-7447.

Wine Cruise Info!

Question Answers:

Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland, and Styria
White: Gruner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay Red: Blaufrankisch, St. Laurent, Pinot Noir
Tafielwein, Qualitatswein, Pradikatswein
Ausbruch

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Winery Closure 1/29/22

Due to snowy road conditions, to ensure the safety of our guests and staff, we will remain closed today January 29th, 2022. We hope to see everyone tomorrow from 11 am – 5 pm to enjoy some wonderful quiches for brunch. Make sure to make a reservation!

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