The 4th annual Kapalua Wine Symposium, a three-day collection of wine tastings, seminars and celebrations may well be the closest practical definition of hedonism.
The symposium, sponsored by the Kapalua Wine Society, addresses what society president and sommelier d`hotel Eric Hansen calls ”the cutting edge of what is happening in the industry,” but it also leaves plenty of time for sunning and floating in the warm Pacific waters.
This year`s program featured a host of topics fitting Hansen`s description. ”Women in Wine” offered distinctly female viewpoints on topics ranging from how women buy wine (they are the No. 1 consumers in America) to the increasing number of female winemakers. ”Wine Writers Meet Their Makers” pitted four wine columnists against four of California`s better known winemakers. The result was a lively discussion on the roles of wine columnists and how winemakers view the media`s coverage of wines.
The event causing the most interest was the afternoon devoted to sensory evaluation of wine via the ”aroma wheel.” Although it may sound like a television game show, the aroma wheel is actually a very useful tool for describing and categorizing various olfactory characteristics in wine. Developed by Professor Ann Noble at the University of California at Davis, the wheel is a three-tiered circle with 10 categories of aromas on the inside tier. Those categories are spicy, fruity, vegetative, earthy, chemical, oxidized, wood, caramelized, micro biological and floral. The second tier further specifies a total of 32 descriptor terms. The outside tier breaks down the terms to the minutiae with 95 different terms, ranging from cassis in the berry category of the fruity family to burnt match in the sulphur category of the chemical family.
”The purpose of the aroma wheel is to facilitate a commonality in wine language,” says seminar leader Dr. Maynard Amerine, the acknowledged dean of American enologists. ”The problem with wine is that there are few common words shared by many. Our thinking is that some vocabulary, even if faulted, is better than none.”
Amerine`s aroma wheel presentation was highlighted by a small box containing 18 different substances in individual cups represented on the wheel. If ”vegetative-fresh-eucalyptus” seemed difficult to conjure up in the aroma memory, it was in the box. So were ”vegatative-bell pepper,”
”wood-oak blend” and ”spicy-crushed black pepper.” The aroma refreshers were especially helpful in the final segment of the sensory exercise.
That segment was a blind tasting of seven different wines focusing on aromas. Amerine called on the audience and winemakers to describe the aromas using the aroma wheel language. The identity of the wines were then revealed with a discussion of the origin of the grapes and the method of vinification
–the two most important components in the origins of aromas. It was a fascinating introduction to a concept in sensory description that predictably will gain importance to wine aficionados in coming years.
In addition to sensory exploration of wine, the culinary arts received its fair share of attention. During the al fresco Chefs Festival, several well-known chefs, including Brad Ogden of San Francisco`s Campton Place and Alan Ong of Maui`s Ming Yuen Restaurant, gave cooking demonstrations.
The finale culminated in a celebration of sauvignon blanc. More than 50 sauvignon blancs were evaluated by guest winemakers and three wines won medals of excellence. Those wines were Guenoc 1983 Lake County Sauvignon Blanc, 1st place; Hogue Cellars 1984 Fume Blanc, 2d place; and Obester Mendocino Sauvignon Blanc, 3d place. Both the Guenoc and Hogue Cellars are available in Chicago.
The 1986 Kapalua Wine Symposium is slated for July 26-27. For more information, write Kapalua Wine Symposium, 500 Bay Dr., Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii 96761.
WINE NOTES
Congratulations to Chicago sommeliers Robert Bansberg of Ambria and Marcel Flori of the Ritz-Carlton Dining Room for placing as semifinalists in the Midwestern regional finals of the French Wine Sommelier Competition. Advancing to the finals in New York this fall are Robert Kabel of the St. Louis Club in St. Louis and Michel Pascel of the Summit Club in South Bend, Ind. Contestants were judged on a written quiz, bottle opening, matching wines with foods and blind tastings of wines and spirits.
The regional finals were held Sept. 5 at the Drake Hotel. The winner and two runners up of the finals will receive trips to France.
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Bon voyage to Schaefer`s Wines and Spirits first International Wine Tasting Cruise scheduled for Sept. 22 aboard the Star of Chicago. More than 20 different wines and champagnes will be available for tasting along with a selection of cheeses, pates, pastries and other delicacies. The cruise departs at 2 p.m. from Navy Pier, arrives back at 5 p.m. Boarding passes may be purchased for $30 at Schaefer`s, 9965 Gross Point Rd. in Skokie or by calling 673-5711.
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Special wines from the Northwestern states will be available during Burhop`s Alaska Seafood Festival through Sept. 14. Of special interest are the Sept. 13-14 tastings of a number of wines including Oak Knoll chardonnay and pinot noir, Knudsen pinot noir and riesling, Adelsheim pinot gris, Tualatin chardonnay and Amity gewurztraminer. The sessions will be from 1-6 p.m. at Burhop`s Crossroads store at 187 Skokie Valley Rd., Highland Park, and the Burhop`s at One Fish Plaza, 745 N. La Salle St.
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The City of Geneva will celebrate its Festival of the Vine Sept. 13-15 with five restaurants and retail shops holding complimentary wine tastings. The Sept. 13-14 tasting schedule is: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Gazebo at the Mill Race Inn; noon-6 p.m. at the Wine Seller, 227 S. 3d St.; noon-8 p.m. at Arlou`s, 775 E. State St.; 1-6 p.m. at Sav-Way, 515 W. State St. and 2-6 p.m. at Tavern on the Fox, Rt. 83 at the Fox River. On Sept. 15 all tastings begin at noon and end as follows: 4 p.m. at the Gazebo; 4 p.m. at the Wine Seller; 8 p.m. at Arlou`s; 6 p.m. at Sav-Way and 5 p.m. at Tavern on the Fox. A number of other activities will take place during the three-day festival. More information is available at the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, 232-6060.
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Geja`s Cafe, 340 W. Armitage Ave., kicks off its three-month French Wine Festival with a tasting Sept. 15 of white burgundies. The tasting will be conducted by Jean Marc Pusset, export director of Ropiteau Freres winery of Mersault, France. The tasting begins at 1 p.m. and costs $13 for Geja`s Wine Society members and $14 for non-members. Reservations can be made at 281-9101.
