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Wine Jones: Resounding Success | The Downtown Truckee Wine Walk andamp; Shop

Brutacao winery owners Steve and Tammy Brutacao pour tastes during the Downtown Truckee Wine, Walk andamp; Shop.
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Last weekends local fundraising event, Wine Walk andamp; Shop, proved to be a very enjoyable event for those who participated. Despite the rain, hundreds of people braved the streets of Truckee to sample delicious food and stellar wines.Everyone I met that day seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. Local restaurants were offering fantastic examples of their faire. There was everything from chil to samples of award-winning beers from Fifty-Fifty to delectable duck with fig confit sliders from Pacific Crest, seared Ahi sandwiches from River Ranch, shrimp ceviche from Tahoes Soy y Lago and a fantastic pulled pork sliders from Jakes on the Lake.Pianeta, Moodys and Dragonfly were also among the local restaurants that wowed the crowds. The food was fantastic, and every local restaurant that participated prepared an outstanding example of the style of food they offer in their establishments. We are truly fortunate to have these world-class restaurants in our community. Food aside, there were great wines to try. Some long-time participants, like Nevada City Winery, poured for the fifth year inside the White Buffalo. Sobon Estate was offering tastes inside Moodys, including their fantastic Old Vine zinfandel. First time participants, like Adobe Road, had crowds at their table inside Old Greenwoods office to try their award winning syrah and sauvignon blanc.We were also fortunate to have winemakers attending this year, considering harvest and crush has occupied their time the past few weeks. Winemaker Richard Alfaro joined this event for the first time pouring at High Country Design. Silver Mountain Vineyards winemaker Jerold OBrien presented his never-before-in this-area wines at the expanded Pour House, which were introducing their new cheese and salami selections paired with Silver Mountains wines.For those of you who missed this event, find the participants product at Florians Fine Wines and Specialty Foods and the Pour House. Both carry most of the wines that were presented at the Wine Walk andamp; Shop.Smoky Wines?The grape harvest in Northern California has been underway for weeks; harvests have been a little lower than normal, from diminished yields due the early spring frosts that destroyed vines in many areas. Another lingering question about this years harvest: Are there ill-affects to the grapes from the lingering smoke from the wildfires this summer?Winemakers in areas which experienced prolong smoky conditions are now ready to determine if it will add a perceivable taste or smell element. Smoke taint can be absorbed into the grapes skin and impart flavors into the juice during maceration.Some winemakers say they have found smokiness in their grapes after laboratory tests. Some smoke nuances in the red grape musts, with small traces showing up in some unfermented grape juice. The jury is out at present. Smoke taint has shown up in only a small amount of grapes, most vintners are reporting no signs of smokiness in their grapes. Its too early to tell what kind of effect the smoke taint may have on the finished wine.Many winemakers are taking steps to reduce any possible effect on their wines. They are decreasing the maceration time of grapes and using a shorter cold soak and a gentle punch down to limit the amount of contact the skins will have with the juice. We will have to wait until spring when the wines are bottled for the final decision.This month Sugar Bowl continues with their winemaker dinners, and will be hosting Raymond Vineyard on Oct. 18. Call Amanda at (530) 426-6740 for details. Janice Jones is a Truckee resident and wine consultant. You may reach her at sierrafinewines@yahoo.com.

The fifth annual Downtown Truckee Wine, Walk andamp; Shop was a resounding success on Saturday, Oct. 4. Despite rainy weather, more than 800 people flocked to the historic downtown area to sample wine, food and shop, all in the name of supporting the Special Friends program which provides extra support for kids in our local elementary schools.The event grows every year, and we were particularly pleased the damp weather didnt affect attendance, said event chair Brinn Wellise, owner and president of Switchback PR + Marketing, Inc.The Downtown Truckee Wine, Walk andamp; Shop steering committee could not have pulled the event off without the help from more than 50 volunteers. They will be announcing their donation to the event non-profit beneficiary, The Special Friends program, in the coming weeks.


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