By Dan Perkins
It’s March in Napa and it’s my favorite time of year to visit. Generally this is due to less crowding but specifically it’s because of the Mustard Festival, which begins in February. “Huh?” you may be thinking… “I thought they grew grapes not mustard in Napa Valley?” True but you can experience the marvelous beauty of this region as they celebrate winter dormancy and the fluffy yellow stuff amid the vines.
So, what’s this all about?
At this time of year, the wine country turns from its languid landscapes of brown and gray to vibrant colors of green, pink and yellow. The mustard begins to flourish between rows of vines with cherry and plum trees in full blossom. A view above the valley floor below on a sunny day is something to behold. But this mustard growing isn’t necessarily a natural part of spring awakening. While most of it grows wild, some vineyard managers plant it between the rows because the mustard actually has purpose beyond its beauty. While one winemaker told me they like to plow the mustard into the ground between the rows because it adds nitrogen to the soil, studies are showing that mustard neutralizes nematodes which can cause root damage and other plant disease. There are other unusual practices that tradition new and old have created and I will point out some of these for a bit of trivia so the next time you get together with a few folks over a glass of wine you may wish to impress them with needless knowledge. For instance…
Did you know… that Cream of Tartar is a product of the wine industry? Yep, although its origins are debated as to who actually discovered it. Georges de Latour, a French immigrant trying to strike it rich in gold, found his fortune when he realized the crystalline crust on the inside of wine barrels was actually tartrites; a residue of tartaric acid which is formed in wine during the cellaring process. Ground down, these square shaped crystals become cream of tartar. Getting wineries, at the turn of the century, to give him the waste from “cleaning the barrels” gave him the fortune he needed and founded Beaulieu Vineyards one of Napa’s finest wineries through the years.
Did you know… the reason many wineries plant roses at the end of each row of vines is because roses are more susceptible to mildew and disease than grapes and are early indicators of a problem the vine dresser would need to address? This is predominantly a French practice that began well before plant engineering and pesticides. Today planting roses is mainly done strictly for tradition and looks.
Did you know… there is only one grape varietal that actually produces a red juice? That’s right all red wines come from clear juice except Alicante Bouschet. The color of a red wine comes from the skin of the grapes. Rosés are not from lighter colored red grapes. The length of contact to the skin determines color. Skin, along with seed and stem contact is also determines how tannic (or bitter, to put it simply) a wine will become.
Finally, did you know… organic wines still have sulfites? All wines have sulfites, which are a natural byproduct of fermentation through sulfur dioxide. Because of this the wine industry is required to put “Contains Sulfites” on all bottles. However, organic wines contain fewer sulfites, which are generally added to some wines as a preservative. One percent of the population is allergic to sulfites and cannot drink wine without reactions; which are generally headaches and not stuffy noses. Ironically, wine naturally contains histamines, which make you stuffy anyway.
So, there you have it… info you can use if you choose. But don’t try to impress anyone at the Mustard Festival. Those people are serious. I recommend asking them a thing or two.
For more information on the Napa Valley Mustard Festival visit their website.
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