Amuse Bouche Blog

We are pleased to announce our participation in the Third Annual Celebrity Texas Hold Em Tournament taking place Saturday, September 13th at Cafe Primo in Los Angeles.
Fotinos Brothers has donated a membership to our Wine Society as one of the grand prizes for players at the final table.
All event proceeds will directly benefit Children's Miracle Network and the Lives to Save Foundation.
Fotinos Brothers is committed to community involvement and philanthropic endeavors, and is proud to support these two great organizations.
For more information on the event; or to purchase Buy-In's in order to participate in the tournament, please visit http://www.primoltscelebritypoker.com/"

There are a variety of scoring systems which can be used for rating wines. These scores are often a cause for controversy because the point systems vary as much as who does the ranking and which system they use.
One of the most well known systems is the 100-point scale created by Robert Parker. This renowned wine critic is also the publisher of The Wine Advocate. Parker’s entire year is spent traveling to various vineyards, tasting, and writing. According to his system each wine starts with a base of 50 points. Up to 5 additional points are given for the wine’s general color and appearance, another 15 points for aroma and bouquet, flavor and finish can add another 20 points and, finally, the overall quality level or potential for further evolution and improvement-aging merits another 10 points.
The Wine Advocate's 100-Point Scale and what it indicates:
96-100 -- Extraordinary; a classic wine of its variety
90-95 -- Outstanding; exceptional complexity and character
80-89 -- Barely above average to very good; wine with various degrees of flavor
70-79 -- Average; little distinction beyond being soundly made
60-69 -- Below average; drinkable, but containing noticeable deficiencies
50-59 -- Unacceptable, not recommended
Organizations like The Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast, American Wine Competition, and Wine & Spirits use similar 100-point systems. Each publication has a number of different editors. These editors travel to various parts of the world and taste tens of thousands of different wines each year. The same types of wines are tasted against each other and the wineries names are not supposed to be revealed. This way, neither price nor the wineries’ reputation have an influence.
As of March 2008, The Wine Spectator switched to rolling four-point spreads for unfinished wines. For example, one wine may be scored 85-88, another 87-90, another 89-92. They believe this is a better reflection of the subtle differences between wines.
Wine Spectator's 100-Point Scale and what it indicates:
95-100 -- Classic; a great wine
90-94 -- Outstanding; a wine of superior character and style
85-89 -- Very Good; a wine with special qualities
80-84 -- Good; a solid, well-made wine
75-79 -- Mediocre; a drinkable wine that may have minor flaws
50-74 -- Not recommended
Another equally famous numerical scoring system is the 20-point University of California-Davis system devised by the famous Professor Amerine in 1959. This scorecard provides an analytical method for giving a wine a numerical rating relative to its quality. Points are given for the following categories:
Appearance (2) : Cloudy (0), Clear (1), Brilliant (2)
Color (2) : Way Off (0), Off (1), Correct (2)
Aroma & Bouquet (4) : Vinous (0), Not Varietal (1), Varietal (2)
Volatile Acidity (2) : Strong (0), Slight (1), None (2)
Total Acidity (2) : Extreme (0), Slight (1), Normal (2)
Sweetness (1) : Too High or Low (0), Normal (1)
Body (1) : Too High or Low (0), Normal (1)
Flavor (2) : Way Off (0), Off (1), Normal (2)
Bitter/Astringent (2) : Very High (0), High (1), Normal (2)
General Quality (2) : Low (0), Medium (1), High (2)
Total Ranking (20)
In the UC Davis system scores have the following meanings:
17 - 20 Wines of outstanding characteristics, no defects
13 - 16 Standard wines with neither outstanding character or defect
9 - 12 Wines of commercial acceptability but with noticeable defect
5 - 8 Wines below commercial acceptability
1 - 4 Complete spoiled wines
A significant problem with rating systems based on the UC Davis Scorecard is that a wine can be undrinkable and still get a passing overall grade.
Now that you are armed with this knowledge, why don’t you go ahead and create your own tasting criteria score card? Invite some friends over and hold a blind-tasting with wines of your choice. Don’t forget to reread the April 2008 Newsletter because it has good tips for using your senses when you wine taste.

Spring is not only a very busy time in the vineyards but also one of anticipation. Fotinos Brothers Winery is enjoying a beautiful bud break. This is the time of year when we see the first emergence of the flowering shoots that will be our grapes come September. However, we still have to keep a careful eye over our crops.

Frost is one of our biggest concerns right now so we watch the sky carefully. Frost after bud break is something nobody wants. A frost advisory means that affected areas can expect at least two hours of temperatures between 29 and 35 degrees F. This means possible damage to crops if everyone isn't prepared. Being prepared means having a frost prevention method in place before the frost arrives. Vineyards are usually equipped with, or use, either a wind machine, a heater, an over-vine sprinkler system or even a helicopter to warm up the vineyard if temperatures fall below freezing. The main goal is to keep warmer air circulating.
Another worry is rainfall. An average yearly rainfall in Napa is 23.88 inches. If the vineyards don't get enough rain there's not enough moisture in the soil. Without the moisture in the soil the vines may start to be stressed from heat earlier and we'll have to irrigate earlier. However, once you get into bud break and bloom you want the soil to start drying out. If you get too much rain, the plants go wild. You need the canopy early on but then you want the vine to stop growing and focus on the fruit. It's hard to get the vine to slow down.
Last month we focused on soil preparation. This meant cutting and mulching all the grass and vine cuttings, letting them dry, and then re-mulching them again. We also disked and sealed the ground to ensure maximum vine quality.
Our vineyards are doing very well this Spring and we are really excited about the new growth.

If you have ever found yourself completely confused by the different shapes and sizes of wine glasses, you are not alone. Here are a few helpful hints on how to choose the correct vessel for your wine of choice, preferably a Fotinos Brothers wine.
Wine glasses generally consist of three parts, the bowl, the stem, and the foot. There are stemless wine glasses; however, the stem's purpose is to keep your hand from raising the temperature of the wine. You want the stem sturdy enough to swirl the wine without it snapping. The foot of the glass keeps it from tipping over. The foot needs to be wide enough to support the size of the bowl. Since Fotinos Brothers Winery is in the business of making fine red wines, like our 2006 Carneros Pinot Noir, let's start there.
Red Wine Glasses
Red wine glasses should be between ten and sixteen ounces. They should taper inward at the top to focus the aroma. This shape helps bring the wine to room temperature, breathe, and open up. However, if too much air gets to the wine it can loose some of its more complex aromas and nuances.
Glasses for Pinot Noirs have larger bowls and narrower openings than those for Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots. The size and shape of the opening affects where the wine hits your tongue first. You want to direct a Pinot Noir toward the tip of your tongue where the taste buds for sweetness are located. You want to direct a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot to the back of your mouth where the taste buds for bitterness are located. This allows you to experience their fuller flavors.
White Wine Glasses
White wine glasses should be eight to fourteen ounces in size. They are narrower and more tulip-shaped than red wine glasses. This shape helps retain the cooler temperature of the wine by reducing the surface space.
Sparkling Wines, and Champagnes
These bubbly liquids should be served in flutes that are tall (around 8 1/2 inches) and narrow. This shape allows the liquid to stay cooler and retain its carbonation better. You may have seen saucer-shaped, flat champagne glasses. These glasses were designed and made in England around 1663. Contrary to common folklore, they were not modeled on Marie Antoinette's breasts, as she was not even born until 1755. They were, however, replaced with the more common shape when it was discovered that the shallow-bowled glass let off the carbonic acid in the wine more quickly.
Just as taste and smell have an affect on your appreciation of the wine, so does sight. Transparent glass is preferred so you can fully observe and enjoy the color and clarity of the wine.
If you have neither the space in your cupboards nor the money for a variety of glasses go with one the size and shape of ISO‘s (the International Organization for Standardization). The standard wine tasting glass for all wine judging and competitions is also suitable for either red or white wine. It is made of transparent, colorless glass with a lead content of up to 9%. Its dimensions are just less than six inches (155 mm) tall, with a two inch (5 cm) tall stem and a four inch (100 mm) tall bowl. It is about two and a half inches (65 mm) at its widest diameter and two inches (46 mm) across the rim.
Cleaning
Regardless of which glasses you choose, don’t use dish detergent to clean them. You heard me. Dish detergent often leaves an invisible film. Wine mixed with this residual soap affects the taste and smell of the wine. You should wash your own glasses in the hottest water possible, rinse them in cold water, and then wipe them dry with a soft lintless cloth.

Napa is nearing the end of the rainy season, which is typically November until March. On days when it is not raining, it is habitually misty with a layer of tule fog. The rain replenishes the moisture load in the soil, which is necessary to help bring new buds and blossoms in the spring.

The vineyard looks rather barren right now, as the vines are naked of leaves and in a state of dormancy. We just finished dormant pruning. This is the annual winter removal of shoots. Pruning is necessary for the vines to produce fewer but larger bunches of grapes. It also helps "mold" the shape of the vines.
This process has to take place at just the right time because if water gets into fresh prune "wounds" the vines can become susceptible to moisture-induced infections such as eutypa.
Our crew is hand-selected and highly experienced. We removed all the "two-season" old canes that gave rise to last season's fruit bearing shoots. If you were in this area, you may have seen the heaps of canes piled in between the rows. These are disked into the ground or given to friends for basket and wreath making.
This is also the time of year for land preparation, weed control and for repairing or setting up new trellising systems.
Unlike most deciduous trees, the vine does not dash into growth in early spring. It stays dormant until the daily mean temperature reaches 50 degrees F. Shoot elongation, diameter increase of the older parts of the vine, and development of the flower parts are possible because of the reserves of food and water stored in the vine while it is dormant. Just because you do not see anything happening on the outside does not mean a lot is not going on inside. Life processes occur in the vine while it is dormant. The levels of substances like starch, sugars, and amino acids in the canes and other woody tissues are higher during dormancy. The higher level of sugar protects the vines against lower winter temperatures. After bud break in the spring, these levels decrease rapidly until August or September.