THE FRUITS OF LABOR

[HostDave]

A generation ago, if you asked a stranger where wine was produced, they would have identified France. And they would have been both right…and wrong. Almost as long as there has been wine, it has been produced not just in France but around the world. However, it was French wine that was always viewed as the gold standard. Today, if you ask someone where wine is produced, they’re much more likely to be familiar with California, Australian, and even Chilean wine in addition to the popular French production. Today, the casual wine drinker is aware that fantastic wine can come from many places, although is likely not fully aware of just how varied the wine producing regions have become.

Ask someone a generation from now where wine comes from and we’re certain that Washington and Oregon will be on the list. Washington’s Walla Walla area is becoming so well-known that people come from all over the world to travel along the Walla Walla Wine Trail, stopping at dozens of vineyards to sample a variety of delights. Becoming just as well known is Oregon’s Willamette Valley, which is one of the reasons that the American Queen Steamboat Company is offering an extensive wine program for the 9-day voyages of the elegant new American Empress on her cruises between Vancouver, Washington (across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon) and Clarkston, Washington. The wine program features over 40 vineyards from across the region with special tastings, visits to wineries and onboard winemaker lectures.

We partnered with Willamette Valley Vineyards, for example, and previewed their 2012 Bernau Block Pinot Noir at the naming ceremony dinner for the American Empress last month, almost a month before it was released to the public. The winery has been in operation since 1983 and in the past 31 years has been recognized as one of the finest producers of Pinot Noir in the United States. It might surprise you to learn that wine has been produced in the Willamette Valley for the past 30 years or so since the area is just now getting the recognition it so richly deserves.

Of course, the wine-making process is something that takes many years to perfect so it’s no wonder that a 30-year old winery can be considered a newcomer. As you might expect, the most important part of the equation is to start with the right grapes and that is easier said than done. Growing grapes properly, getting the acidity of the soil correct, and then pruning and progressively tailoring each generation of grapes to get closer and closer to perfection is a time-consuming labor of love that can take many years, even decades. Many wineries choose to purchase grape varieties from a number of vineyards, blending them together to create specific, unique wines.

Everyone knows that basic grape juice is fermented to become wine. But you might not know that grapes on the vine are covered in things like bacteria, bits of mold and yeast, a key ingredient in the fermentation process. If you simply put some grape juice into a sealed environment and toss in some sugar and wait long enough, you end up with fermented grape juice. Or, as we would refer to it, the worst wine on the planet.

If making wine were this simple, we’d all be doing it, wouldn’t we? Naturally, there’s much more to the process than meets the eye. Yeast is important not just for fermentation but also because it imparts flavor to wine. Not everything on a grape lends a favorable flavor, however, so grapes are usually cleaned by disinfecting the grapes with sulfur dioxide, leading to a certain number of sulfites in the wine at the end of the process.

While there might be some natural yeast on the outside of the grape, winemakers choose from a staggering variety of yeast varieties to create their specific brand of wine. Along with the quality of the grapes, yeast is one of the things that makes each wine unique. Fermentation is not a benign process. When you sip a cool glass of chardonnay or a perfect glass of merlot, you might not realize that the wine was at one time rather hot. Yeast works slowly but causes the grape juice to get hot and controlling the heat is essential or the flavor can be destroyed. At most wineries, the wine is cooled in large refrigerated vats to ensure an exact temperature range. Though still used today, this was once achieved by putting the grape juice and yeast in oak barrels in cool underground caverns, which helped control the temperature although not as precisely as today’s modern equipment. The science of winemaking was even more of an art back then than it is now. But to be clear: it is still very much an art.

During the process, the skins and pulp from the grape remains in the liquid and rise to the top of the vat, requiring that it be pushed back down so it doesn’t dry out and grow bacteria that will spoil the taste of the wine. When the fermentation process is complete, the resulting liquid is not drinkable wine; it still contains the grape skins and pulp along with dead yeast cells, plus other imperfections. Some winemakers like to ferment the product yet again, lending a smooth flavor to white wine as an example, while others are ready to remove the detritus from the wine and begin the bottling process. Clarification is the term for removing the bits and pieces that remain in the liquid. In the old days, cheesecloth was used while at modern wineries, high-tech equivalent filters are used. The more precise the filter, the clearer the wine yet wine can be filtered too heavily. The detritus in the wine lends flavor and knowing just how much to remove, and when, is part of the art of the winemaker. The more filtering, the less flavor.

Wine absorbs flavor like a sponge and even after it is “complete,” it can still change depending on how it is aged. Even though large stainless steel containers might be used for the fermentation and clarification processes, wine might still find its way into wooden barrels just as it has for centuries. The type of wood used impacts the flavor, so many wineries use oak which is a flavor many expect in good wines. How long wine stays in the barrel determines how much of the oak undertones the wine will offer.

As precise and pure as the process might seem, the final step in wine production levels the playing field a bit. To ensure a uniform flavor, the wine is often emptied and blended from many oak barrels. It’s also not at all unusual for different varieties of wine to be blended together to manipulate the taste. The bold bite of a Cabernet Sauvignon can be blunted with the addition of a hint of subtle Merlot. In the last step in the process, wine goes into colored bottles. The color in the bottles protects the wine from sunlight which can negatively impact the flavor. That’s one of the reasons that wine is best stored in a cool, dark, dry place at home.

No matter the exact details, the end result is why wine is one of mankind’s most revered, studied and enjoyable beverages. Guests on our American Empress Pacific Northwest cruises love the contrast between the rugged wilderness that Lewis and Clark explored and the refinement of sipping a glass of local wine on deck as their riverboat glides from one spectacular vista to another. The grandeur of the American Empress’ period décor and the superb wine selection create the perfect platform from which to discover the Columbia and Snake rivers.

We invite you to kick back in a deck chair on the American Empress and enjoy a glass of your favorite wine on one of our newest itineraries after taking advantage of one of our exceptional offers. For a limited time, you can save 50% on our June American Empress departures*. Just make your reservations and pay-in-full for your June 7, 14, 21 or 28 sailing by June 20 and receive 50% off our regular cruise fares*.

*Offer expires June 20, 2014 and is valid on new, paid-in-full bookings only. Space cannot be held – full payment is required at time of booking to redeem this offer. This offer is based on cabin availability and only while inventory lasts. Offer of 50% savings applies to regular cruise fare only, regardless of cabin category, and is only valid on these 2014 American Empress voyage dates: 6/07, 6/14, 6/21 and 6/28. Offer valid on U.S. and Canada resident bookings only. Offer is not valid on Group bookings or existing reservations and cannot be combined with other offers, promotions or discounts. Cruise fare does not include taxes, port charges, insurance, gratuities, or airfare. Additional terms and conditions may apply - call for details.