LAKE COUNTY — The Lake County Winery Association held their annual “Barrels and Verticals” event Saturday. The event is normally held on the last Saturday in February every year however, with recent storms that impacted the area, it was postponed until March 18.
People from across the state and country, along with the local community, come together to enjoy wine tasting right out of the barrel before it’s bottled, learning the difference in vintages and blends while visiting multiple wineries across the lake and county. Winemakers across Lake County participate in the event sharing their wine, knowledge, passion and dedication to their craft. At each winery the winemaker is present ready to answer any questions in detail in a way that is educational for both experienced wine enthusiasts and people just getting their feet wet.
At each participating winery participants learn something unique about the entire wine making process, from picking which grape variety to plant, all the way through to how makers bottle their finished product. With 25 wineries participating, spread out over the county, the event is definitely worth attending multiple times and on an annual basis. There may not be enough time for visitors to stop by all of them during the all-day event, which exemplifies how big Lake County’s wine culture has grown.
Eric Fore, partner with Fore Family Vineyards, gave a detailed explanation the impact freezing temperatures can have on a harvest and what time of year it becomes a problem that can lead to the vine splitting and destroying the crop. Fore went into detail about how vintage years differ from each other caused by environmental factors that change from season to season, what time of day the grapes are picked, how they are treated and how age effects the flavor profile leading to a mild or strong flavor.
Scott Simkover, owner and winemaker at Smiling Dogs Ranch in Kelseyville, was generous in explaining the importance of picking the correct grape variety for planting in the environment you plan on growing. With the hot summers in Lake County, Simkover shared why he picked Barbera and Zin grapes for their heat tolerance, along with his love for the flavor the two create when blended together.
Boatique Winery makes their wine from 100 percent estate grown grapes fermenting and bottling in house with a minimalist approach as explained by J.J. Foster on the floor of the winery surrounded by beautiful antique wooden boats.
Foster’s explanation on what makes a good winemaker can be applied by using the minimalist approach. “A bad winemaker can make a good wine with a great vintage, a good wine maker is tested on whether they make a good wine with a bad season,” said Foster.
Boatique winery will be having a kid friendly Easter egg hunt, a wine club event with a launch party releasing their new labels in April. Juan Leal, manager of Olof’s winery in Lakeport, explained how the barrels the wine ferments affects flavor. He also talked about the type of oak used and why the inside of the barrels are charred. The porch railing at this tasting room is cleverly made of used wine barrels that displays this char. This small family owned and operated winery growing four varieties of grape keeps all aspects of the wine making process in house with polite knowledgeable staff. With every winery visited a visitor can gain information on the winemaking process so they can pick out wines with a better understanding of each label or vintage.
—Ariel Carmona Jr contributed to this report
