A few people have expressed interest in the Renato Fenocchio Barbera d’Alba "Super Elena" 2004 we poured at vinocamp last Saturday. It is 100% Barbera from the renowned Starderi Vineyard in Barbaresco. Each and every bottle has an individually hand-painted label. There were 113 Magnums made and 75 were imported to North America. They retail for around $200. There are 60 remaining. If you want one they are available at Firefly Fine Wines at 12th and Cambie. You can also email me directly, I and can help you track down a bottle wherever you live- anthony@farmsteadwines.com

(Thanks to Degan, http://vancouverethniceats.wordpress.com/, for the pic)

Video from Vinocamp 2008

 It is too bad that winemakers in North America rarely get to work in the vineyards too. I believe that it would vastly improve the quality of wines here in British Columbia and much of the New World. Unfortunately, this trend of separating the role of viticulturalist and winemaker is beginning to show up in Europe as well. Learning to farm and make wine is no longer passed from generation to generation- it is a process where if you are interested you head off to school for a proper piece of paper instead of learning at your grandfather’s knee. You don’t need a connection to the land, just a willingness to pay service to the idea of terroir. 

I know there are exceptions out there and would love to learn more about farming in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, and all of North America. If you have a favorite North American vinaroon, please tell me about him or her! 

The video clip is from our standard 3 hour interview with each farmer. Renato and his wife Milva spend a ridiculous amount of time in their vineyards. In fact, their grapes are so good that they often sell excess to Bruno Giacosa. In their vineyards, they perform over half a million (528,000) tasks by hand from January to October. That is amazingly hard work for two people. But you can taste the results in the quality of their wines.

No subtitles edited yet, but here’s the translation and then watch the video. 

Renato says, "You calculate…more or less from pruning to harvest, in a normal year, we have 11 to 13 manual operations per plant." I ask, "You have 11 hectares- how many plants is that?" After a brief consultation with Milva, Renato explains that they have approximately forty-four thousand (44,000) plants.

Join us at Vinocamp this Saturday at the UBC Botanical Gardens. Should be a fun day of sharing wine, stories and technology. I am on the schedule in the late afternoon, aroudn 4pm and am going to talk about the intersection of wine, farming and technology. I will, of course, have plenty to say about sustainability and what that means in the world of wine and food. That will be interesting and all but there are three reasons why you really want to be there:

1.Taste "Super Elena" 2004. We will pour at least two or three- and they only made 113 Magnums. 

2. Taste Martin Arndorfer’s Gruner Veltliner and feel the soil it grows in at the same time. Yep, contraband Austrian soil!

 3. I am making Barolo-Chocolate truffles.

See you there. If you are coming, let me know in the comments below and I will bring you a gift. 

Several times a month we are out and about pouring wine for top sommeliers to taste. At the end of the day we often have several more bottles of great wine open than we can drink ourselves. When we do, we will send a message on twitter telling you what city we have wine open in and you could find yourself with most of the fixings for  spontaneous in home wine tasting. Just tweet back saying you want the wines and we will coordinate pick-up or delivery with you. The last friend who took up the offer exclaimed, "This is better than Christmas!"

 So, start following our updates on twitter and you could be rewarded with a wine tasting normally reserved for top sommeliers and wine pros.