Therese Vineyards Dos Anos Carignane

Carignane grapes originally were grown in the small village of Carinena in the community of Aragon, Spain. Today, this beautiful red-skinned grape is the most widely-planted grape in France. Up until the late 1970's, Carignane grapes were one of the most heavily planted grapes in the Central Valley of California. Many of these older Central Valley vineyards have been replaced with different variatials, and Carignane has made a comeback as a delicious, aromatic and velvety wine.

The Martin Ranch produces a fantastic Carignane under the Therese Vineyards label. This Carignane is called Dos Anos (a blend of two vintages) 2007/2008 and is 100% Carignane. The fruit is grown by the Blake Family vineyards in Corralitos and comes from ancestral vines that are over 100 years old. The nose begins with bright fruit, and on the first sip you experience raspberry and bramble-berry. The middle shows a hint of white pepper and this smooth drinking wine finishes with subtle oak tannins. This wine is perfect with all Italian dishes. Enjoy this video that shows Dan & Therese Martin sharing their tasting notes in the Winemakers Tasting Table video series. 

Denim to Diamonds Gala Benefit

What is Viscosity in Wine?

Viscosity in wine, sometimes called "legs," is a common term that people use when describing the feel or consistency of wine. Typically, a wine drinker will swirl the glass of wine, and watch the stripes of liquid flowing down the inside of the glass. The appearance of the wine can be either thin and watery or thick and syrupy. Is one type of viscosity better than the other?

Viscosity is determined by the sugar content and percentage of alcohol in the wine. The more sugars and higher alcohol in the wine, the higher the viscosity. You will see this in sweet dessert wines, swirl some Port in a glass and see how strong the "legs" are. The amount of viscosity is not an indicator of the quality of the wine, just a reflection of the sugar and alcohol content.

The wines from the Martin Ranch Winery all have moderate and mid-ranged sugar and alcohol contents and you will find that the viscosity is present, but not over done. Drinking wine is a very sensory experience; observing and feeling the viscosity is part of that experience. 

The Garden is Growing!

Harvest has begun in the Martin Ranch winter garden. The consistent rains have kept the plants well-watered and juicy. The broccoli is out of this world delicious. From broccoli quiche to pasta with broccoli and garlic, everyone is enjoying the fruits from our bountiful organic winter garden. We are not too far away from thinking of planting the spring garden and flowers. 

Come out to the Martin Ranch Winery on the 3rd weekend of the Month, when the Winery is open to the public and wine club members. We always look forward to seeing you!

Sangiovese

In the early 1890s in California  Sangiovese was known more affectionately as Chianti and was a blend of at least 70% Sangiovese with the remainder being lesser known red grape varietals.  Today, we see many wines that are 100% Sangiovese using elite, historic clones from the Brunello vineyards of Montalcino, Italy in the Tuscan region of Italy. In 1870,  Ferruccio Biondi-Santi, winemaker and vintner from the famed Brunello vineyards of Maontlcino, grew the first clone of the Sangiovese grape and called it the Brunello clone. In order to state that a Sangiovese is made using Brunello clones, those clones must have DNA from the Brunello vineyard clones. 

Sangiovese wines generally have have aromas of raspberry, strawberry and spice. The wine tends to be less tannic than other red wines, and is considered a very food friendly wine. The Martin Ranch Therese Vineyards 2006 Sangiovese is 100% Sangiovese from grapes grown on the eastern foothills of the Santa cruz Mountains and come from Fladoboe Vineyards and Dos Ninas Vineyards. These Sangiovese grapes are harvested from certified Brunello clones and aged in 100% Hungarian 500 liter casks. The color of the Therese Vineyards Sangiovese is a beautiful ruby red and on the nose you will experience hints of bright fruit, cinnamon and clove. Tasting the wine, you will find a perfectly balanced acid wine with a lush mouth feel. This wine has flavors of blueberry and vanilla and is medium bodied with a perfect acid balance. Watch the video to see more of Therese and Dan's tasting notes on their Sangiovese wine.

Come out to the Martin Ranch Winery on the 3rd weekend of the Month, when the Winery is open to the public and wine club members. We always look forward to seeing you!

Bottling fun!

The team at the Martin Ranch Winery wants to thank everyone who came out and had a wonderful time bottling their own wine. We had a full house and everyone had a great time. The weather was picture perfect and friends brought picnic's along to enjoy in the vineyard after their hard work, bottling, corking an labeling their very own wine to bring home. We look forward to the next Bottle Your Own Wine Event and sharing the fun with our friends!

 Wine Talk - Explanation of TA in Wine

Last week we talked about the meaning of pH in wine, which measures acid strength. this week we will talk about the measurement of acid in wine--TA. The literal translation of TA is Titratable Acidity or Total Acidity. Total acidity (TA) measures the actual amount of acid present int he wine.

As a wine drinker, when you taste the wine, you will notice a certain "acid" quality to the wine. Less ripe grapes have less TA in them and create a more tart wine. As the grapes ripen further, the TA levels drop and it is up to the wine maker to decide when to pick the grapes according to the proper pH and TA levels; otherwise adjustments must be made in the winemaking process, which is a bit more tricky.

TA is measured in g/100ml (grams per 100 milliliters) and the values range form 0.4 to 0.9 g/100ml. The Martin Ranch Wines TA levels average about 0.6-0.72, giving the wine the full, soft levels of acidity that you find in all of their wines. 

Come out to the Martin Ranch Winery on the 3rd weekend of the Month, when the Winery is open to the public and wine club members. We always look forward to seeing you!

Bottle Your Own 

The Martin Ranch Winery invites all of our friends and new friends to come join us on February 13th & 14th to the Bottle Your Own Weekend Event! This is a fun event, where you have the opportunity to experience bottling and labeling your own wine.

The Winery provides all the wine, bottles, corks, capsules and labels. You get to fill the bottles with the wine, which is a delicious Martin Ranch Cabernet blend, then cork the bottle. After that process, you put on the foil capsule and then label your bottle of wine.

Bring a picnic and some friends and spend the day enjoying the Martin Ranch Winery. The video shows how much fun everyone has.

For more details please call the Winery at 408.842.9197.

Wine Talk - What does pH mean?

One of the terms that you will see in the wine industry is pH. What does pH mean and why is it important? pH translates to "Potential Hydrogen." Hydrogen ions are present in substances that determine acidity.

Acids are a very important structural component of wine. If the acid is too low, the wine may taste flat, if too high, the wine may taste a bit tart.

As winemakers, it is essential to keep the pH balanced for just the right amount of acid. A pH meter is used to read the acid levels. In general, most of the Martin Ranch wines measure a pH of 3.4 to 3.6. Theses pH levels are in the range of acid balance that give the Martin Ranch wines their wonderful balanced flavors and mouth sensations.

Next week we will talk about the importance of T/A in wines. 

Come out to the Martin Ranch Winery on the 3rd weekend of the Month, when the Winery is open to the public and wine club members. We always look forward to seeing you!