加州葡萄酒酿造业踏上寻根之旅

    出于玩性与保守浪漫主义的个性，罗瑞克对一些不知名的葡萄品种情有独钟，这些葡萄可以说是继承和发扬了加利福尼亚的葡萄种植传统。“许多不知名的葡萄品种之所以会出现在加利福尼亚，是因为早期的移民千里迢迢地把它们从故乡带来，种植在自己的后院之中。作为一个移民国家，对不同的葡萄品种兼容并包难道不是加利福尼亚的传统之所在吗？”目前，罗瑞克也试图为这个传统增添浓墨重彩的一笔，他在一个新开辟的葡萄园中混种了灰特卢梭、白诗南（Chenin Blanc）、绿匈牙利葡萄（Green Hungarian）、Putzscheere以及夏瑟拉(Chasselas)等葡萄品种。

    2009年，哈迪•华莱士辞去了技术销售的职位。第二年，他便与妻子及好友一道，成立了Dirty和Rowdy家庭酿造公司（Dirty and Rowdy Family Winery）。华莱士在业内还是新人，他一边经营公司，一边还要学习葡萄酒酿制技术，同时还反复不断地试验新品。他的旗舰佳酿所选用的葡萄全部产自慕合怀特的两个古老的葡萄园，他与妻子凯特•格雷厄姆一起重新复原了这些葡萄园。华莱士将古老葡萄园中所种植的果实与高风险的酿造方式相结合，而这些葡萄酒所采用的酿造方法以前仅仅适用于法国博若莱（Beaujolais）的佳美葡萄（Gamay）。“我们以前从来没有听说过有人用这样的方法酿造慕合怀特葡萄酒，”华莱士说。“我们敢于冒这样的风险是因为我们根本就不知道这样做最终是否能够做成功。”在第一桶酒酿制成功后的三年内，他们生产的葡萄酒一直供不应求。Dirty和Rowdy公司于2011年所酿制的葡萄酒在短短的三周之内就销售一空。

    身处这样的草根运动之中，葡萄酒酿造商们宁可制定一个平易近人的售价，也不愿牟取暴利。他们所生产的大部分葡萄酒的售价都在20到30美元之间。“葡萄酒应该是摆在餐桌上的，应该成为人们日常生活的一部分，”Massican的酿造师丹•佩特罗斯基说。在这样全面的努力之下，“开发一款酒品带动销量是实现商业成功的唯一途径，”这些葡萄酒的目标就是让消费者也参与到酒品的创新与试验之中。“葡萄酒不应该被人们高高在上地供在神坛之上，”佩特罗斯基说。“葡萄酒应该走进普通人的生活。”（财富中文网）

    译者：唐昕昕 

    With equal parts playfulness and die-hard romanticism, Rorick has a soft spot for the lesser-known underdog grapes that pay homage to California's viticultural heritage. "Many obscure grapes exist in California because immigrants brought them over and planted them in their backyards. As an immigrant country, isn't having an eclectic selection of grapes what California is all about?" Rorick is currently leaving his own footprint by planting a new vineyard with a field blend of Trousseau Gris, Chenin Blanc, Green Hungarian, Putzscheere, and Chasselas.

    For newcomer Hardy Wallace [pictured], who began Dirty and Rowdy Family Winery with his wife and best friends in2010 after dropping a job in tech sales in 2009, relentless experimentation has gone hand in hand with his learn-as-you-go approach to winemaking. His flagship wines come from three old vineyards of Mourvèdre that he and his wife, Kate Graham have resuscitated. Combining ancient vines with a high-risk approach to winemaking, the wines are fermented using a technique that has traditionally only been used on Gamay grapes in the French region of Beaujolais. "We didn't know of anyone who had ever tried to ferment Mourvédre that way," says Wallace. "We took a risk because we were too ignorant to know whether or not it could be done." Three years after their first vintage, they can hardly keep up with demand. Dirty and Rowdy sold all of their 2011 production in three weeks.

    Within this grassroots movement, the winemakers would rather keep their wines accessible than rake in a bigger profit margin. Most of their wines ring in between $20-$30. "Wines should be on the table. They should be part of life," says Dan Petroski, winemaker at Massican. Withbootstrapped operations across the board, "having a model hinged on direct sales is the only way to keep business viable." The goal of these wines is to have consumers experiment with them. "Wine shouldn't be put on a pedestal," says Petroski. "Wine should be personal."