Columnists: The Southwest Voice

Sports Shorts

Announcer: “With just seconds to go in the game and down by one point, coach Mike Shanahan has elected to go for two points and the win at home!”

Announcer: “With just seconds to go in the game and down by one point, coach Mike Crews has elected to go for two points and the win at home!”

Parallel scenarios to be sure. The Shanahan-Denver Broncos attempt was successful, but the coach Crews-Ridgeview Wolf Pack try was negated as the Foothill Trojans held on for the thrilling 35-34 victory. Kudos to the Pack for having the guts to go for the gusto in that situation. The coaching staff knew that overtime was not an option in the non-league tilt. Besides, who would have wanted to kiss their sister if a tie would have occurred?

New boys on the block

Stockdale High School’s exciting 34-29 victory over defending Division I Central Section Champion and perennial powerhouse BHS was a feather in the cap for new head coach Mike Snow as he trotted out his version of the Wing T offense to the delight of the Mustang faithful. Stockdale’s 2-0 start equals their victory total for all of last season and hopefully signals a reversal of fortune for the proud tradition of Mustang Football. Stephen Silva and Malik Henderson ran roughshod over the Driller defense as each eclipsed the century mark in rushing yards, garnering 116 and 113 respectively.

Quick hitters

Stockdale’s boys and girls cross country teams ran away with victories over their counterparts from Frontier High. BHS boys and girls cross country teams exacted the same versus Garces High. Stockdale High’s girls tennis team whitewashed both West and South by identical 12-0 scores to run their unblemished SWYL record to 5-0. CSUB’s women volleyballers recently brought home the 2008 Aggie Invitational first-place trophy from UC Davis behind the stellar play of tourney MVP Sarah Norman out of Stockdale High School.

Today’s quote: “Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, drive, perseverance, selflessness and respect for authority are the price each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” —Vince Lombardi

Ask a Wine-Know: Syrahs to savor

As promised, here is a continuation of my thoughts and comments about Syrah, a great new red wine to lots of you. If you like wine at all, you need to become familiar with this varietal because it has become very popular in the wine world. As a Bakersfield resident, you also need to learn as much as you can about it as Syrah has become the great wine of the Central Coast. Our dearly loved wineries on our route to the Central Coast beaches have become destinations to wine lovers world-wide. Move over, Napa!

The Syrah grape comes from an area in Southern France divided into Northern and Southern regions connected by the Rhone River. It is the predominant red grape in the Northern Rhone and seldom are other wines blended into it. Hermitage and Cote Rotie are the most famous wines. Grenache is the major red grape in the South, but most wines are blended with Syrah or Mourvedre. Chateauneuf du Pape is the most recognizable name.

Petite Sirah (not the same grape) was grown here in California by 1880, but no one paid any attention to Syrah until a group of winemakers in the 1980s started producing wines from the Rhone. People started paying attention to these Rhone Rangers, but only a few good Syrahs made it into the ’90s where 400 acres were being cultivated in the state in 1992. Then the explosion of this decade — now there are 19,000 acres planted to Syrah.

Why? The experts say it’s because we finally planted the grape in the right locations and we imported the right clones. That made it taste better and people like me started drinking more of it!

So, what does it taste like? It is a big, deep and rich mouthful, almost chocolatey in the warmer areas. It will smooth out and be truly elegant in the cooler regions. I also get deep blackberry and boysenberry fruit with a variety of levels of spice and pepper. Yes, pepper! You can taste sweetness from the oak and also get a wonderful impression of violets. The wine literally has something for everyone.

It’s being grown all up and down the state but our own Central Coast has the most acreage planted to the Rhone varietals. Very, very drinkable Syrahs will be in almost every tasting room on your next trip to the beach.

The greatest Syrahs I have tasted thus far have come from Ojai Vineyards, Sine Qua Non, and Tensley from Santa Barbara County, Alban and Saxum from San Luis Obispo County, and DuMOL, Lewis and Rosenblum (Kick Ranch Reserve) from Napa and Sonoma. These wines are next to impossible to find. The top price among them was over $100, but most are under $75. So why do I mention them? Because if you see one of them, grab it. You need to see for yourselves what really great wine tastes like so you can then compare it with the rest. You have to have a frame of reference.

Very good Syrahs you can find here at home at a price we can all afford for anytime drinking are Beckman, Bogle, Cline, Four Vines, Gallo Family Reserve, JC Cellars, Kunde, Smoking Loon, and other Rosenblums. The highest is $26 and the lowest is $11. Enjoy!

Incidentally, do not forget to go on the Internet and look for a specific wine that you would like to either know more about or purchase. A lot of hard-to-find wines are just a few clicks away. Also, know that wineries are aware heat is the worst enemy of wine and will hold your order until the weather is more favorable. I do not take shipments from late May to early October.

I’ll close today by acknowledging that some of you are going to call me about the omission of Rhone wines/wineries that you know I love and my response is: they’re blends! That’s a whole other column for another day.

Attendance: It’s a student’s job!

Getting up and going to school is difficult for many students. Attendance is a major factor for every student, and for those who struggle with going to school, it can be a detriment to their success.

Often, absences start out as something minor and quickly become overwhelming. Over the years, I have seen many children give up because they have missed so many days of school the amount of work they need to make up feels insurmountable. This is where parents, school districts and states must be strong. Under California Compulsory Education Laws, children between the ages of 6 and 18 are required to attend school. According to current laws, children who miss more than three days of school or are tardy or absent for more than 30 minutes during a day of school three times in one year without a valid excuse are considered to be truant.

Children who attend school on a regular basis have a much better chance of graduating from high school. For parents, making children attend school is a daily battle and something they need help enforcing. With this in mind, parents are notified by schools when their child becomes truant. Schools offer counseling to parents and students regarding truancy and the importance of attendance. Parenting classes are available to teach parents how to communicate and work with their children. If truancy problems persist, students may be required to stand before a school attendance and review board. This board consists of representatives from education, law enforcement, and welfare agencies, who work together to understand why a student is truant and work with parents and children to get on track. If school and district level interventions fail, truancy reports are turned over to the district attorney’s office for prosecution.

Parents have a greater impact on their children — more than anyone else, including teachers. As teachers, we encourage attendance, but ultimately attendance falls in the hands of parents. So, on those mornings when debates about going to school take place, do your child a favor, playfully end the debate by reminding them that they have a job to do!

For more information on California’s compulsory education laws, refer to the State Department of Education.

— Amy Luther is a contributing columnist and a teacher at Warren Junior High in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District.

Ask a Wine-Know: Where to toast on the coast

I am repeatedly asked, especially at this time of year, for my recommendations of wineries to visit on trips to the Central Coast. I’m always happy to oblige because Bakersfield residents seem to be treated so well in this our big neighboring vineyard! We all seem to enjoy going west to the beach and stopping by the friendly tasting rooms at wineries along and off of highways 46 and 101.

I myself have just returned from one of the most delightful and rewarding tours I’ve ever experienced — including world-wide tours I’ve taken in famous wine areas. Our party was royally treated at 13 wineries over a three-day period and after many well spent hours with gracious and hospitable winemakers, owners, and tasting room personnel, I came away well satisfied and very eager to share my finds with you! What great finds they are — stick with me over the next several columns and I will tell you of important happenings in the wine world that are occurring right here in our own backyard.

First, where did we go? In order of visits: Minassian-Young, Villa Creek, Saxum, Booker Vineyards, Sinor-LaVallee, Lone Madrone, Halter Ranch, Tablas Creek, Linne Calodo, Four Vines, Jack Creek, Denner, and Tensley. All were friendly, enjoyable visits and, most importantly, all were making wine you need to know about if you’re serious about wine.

The last I visited, Tensley, is in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County and is the brainchild of Bakersfield’s own Joey Tensley, West High graduate ... drum roll please! I always wanted a kid in the wine business and Joey sure has made his old principal proud! I’ll loudly toot his horn later.

Sinor-LaVallee in the San Luis Obispo area is the winery of Mike Sinor, famed former winemaker at Domaine Alfred. We visited with him and tasted his wines through the courtesy of a new wineshop, 15degreesC Wine Shop in the new Trader Joe’s retail area just south of Paso Robles off of Highway 101 and Vineyard Drive. Try this place, you’ll like it and the two knowledgeable young ladies who run it.

The other 11 wineries that I mentioned are all in the area west of Highway 101 and the city of Paso Robles, and can all be reached off of Highway 46. Not all are open to the public, but you may be able to make an appointment by phoning ahead. Get yourself one of the very good and useful winery maps that are available at tasting rooms just as soon as you hit the first wineries on 46 after leaving Bakersfield. Phone numbers and winery information are in them.

Now you know which wineries I’m recommending, and where they are located, so let’s get to the why. There are some truly great, world-class wines now coming out of our beloved Central Coast.

Most of them are varietals from the southern Rhone area of France. Most of them are blends of Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache — red wines — and white wines such as Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, and an exciting new find for me, Grenache Blanc. You’ll want to try them all at each winery, but I’ll devote more space in coming columns to telling you which I liked best.

And speaking of best, good old Ann is not the only one telling you how great these wines are, especially compared to the Napa and Russian River Big Boy Cabs, Pinots, and Chards, but have you seen the ratings of world famous critics such as Robert Parker? He’s given our Joey Tensley 27 scores over 90 in the last few years! That has to be a record for any Bakersfield wine guy!

Questions or comments? Send Ann e-mail at: acierley@etcrier.net

Don’t tell a child, ‘You’re smart!’

I am not gifted. Face it, 90 percent of us aren’t. I have, however, experienced great fortune and success in my life. One of the reasons I may be successful is that as a child I was never told that I was smart. I experienced success as a child and my parents loved me dearly, but “You’re so smart” and “Brilliant!” never came out of my parents’ mouths. Instead, they said things like, “Good work,” “Try harder,” “More effort and you’ll get it.”

Psychologically there may be a reason for my success and the lack of someone urging me on with statements of my intelligence. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck does research on motivation, personality, development and, short of summarizing her studies, finds it just may be detrimental for children to be told they are smart. My understanding is that Dweck finds children who grow up believing they are inherently bright sometimes fear taking risks and trying new things because they might find they are not brilliant at them at first and quit the effort before going any further. Dweck calls this a fixed intelligence.

Contrarily, people with growth intelligence believe they can learn and eventually excel in things they take on. This is where the concept of work ethic and practice-makes-perfect comes in. A child told that success comes through effort just may find more of it.

The ironic angle of all this is, according to a survey conducted by Columbia University, 85 percent of American parents think it’s important to tell their kids that they’re smart. In essence, and I’m at fault here too, our kids are better off being encouraged to work than being encouraged that they are naturally bright.

I’m sure you readers have brilliant children, but you might just think about keeping that to yourself and encouraging them to try a bit harder and trust their luck. I am reminded of Thomas Jefferson’s statement, “I’m a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

— Peggy Dewane-Pope is an eighth-grade teacher at tonecreek Junior High School in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District. To learn more, read: “Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development (Essays in Social Psychology)” by Carol Dweck.

Burn off those buns — cinnamon buns, that is!

Food, family, friends, and fun — the great Kern County Fair! We are challenged daily to eat right and exercise, but some times are more challenging than others — like the fair. Who can resist corn dogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes, taffy, and, of course, the hot, soft, sticky, sweet, and incredibly tempting cinnamon roll?

Well I say why bother? Resistance is futile — go for it! Just choose your poison and enjoy it, after all, the fair only comes around once a year. You can indulge without the bulge, the trick is to balance the overindulgence out with an equally indulgent work out. If you plan to pack it in, then plan to burn it off. The cinnamon roll doesn’t have to cause a belly roll. You can have your funnel cake and eat it too if you plan ahead, and behind! Eat smarter the rest of the day and take an extra step class or a longer walk, run, bike ride, or swim. Strolling the exhibit halls and riding the Tilt-A-Whirl won’t burn those buns or reduce the rolls, and throwing darts or tossing coins can’t replace a tennis game or a little weight lifting.

Now, let’s be fair! If you eat it, you have to move it — you know, “Move it to lose it” — and 3,500 calories equals 1 pound. If you suck in calories, you will have to suck in your gut. Excessive calories will be stored as fat and will become that “muffin top” that hangs over your hipsters or the extra “junk in the trunk.” So if the cinnamon roll is 500 calories ,you will need to burn off 500 calories more than if you had just said no. Sixty minutes of vigorous exercise (it doesn’t have to be done all at once) will do the trick. Walking up the stairs to the giant slide counts, sliding down doesn’t!

You don’t want to go to the fair hungry, so don’t starve yourself all day in order to have some cotton candy or taffy. Rather, earlier in the day, eat a lighter fare such as a salad with grilled or broiled chicken without cheese, croutons, or high-fat dressing.

No matter how dedicated we are to exercise and a healthy diet, we will all slip up from time to time. To err is human, to eat is divine! Realize that this will happen and take the necessary steps (pun intended) to prevent a little slip up from becoming a giant landslide.

A six-pack or a keg?

I am not referring to the kind of beer you drink, but rather to the type of belly you have. Many of us enjoy a beer now and then — well, maybe more than now and then! There is no reason that you cannot enjoy your beer without developing the dreaded beer belly.

While we often refer to the rounded belly that Santa Claus sports as a beer belly, it is really less about the beer and more about the lack of activity and diet in general. It is a fact that too many calories of any kind will be stored in the body as fat. Where we store our fat is largely genetically determined, but how much of it we store is not!

If you want to enjoy your beer and/or a few other indulgences, then your best bet is to add activity into your daily life. There is no real nutritional benefit (well, a few carbs!) to beer, so it is simply adding calories to your daily intake. You need to make up for that with a walk, run, game of baseball or tennis, maybe a fun aerobics class or bike ride. The alcohol in beer is metabolized in the stomach and is quickly and easily turned into fat. Use it for energy and no problem — 3,500 calories equals 1 pound no matter how you slice it. If you drink six beers at 150 calories each, you have consumed 900 additional calories! That done a couple times a week will add 1 pound every two weeks to your growing body. But if you exercised four times that week, burning 500 to 600 calories per session, you would burn an equal amount, keep your weight steady, and have six-pack abs instead of a keg.

Sometimes it is not actually the beer causing the beer belly, or the muffin top for that matter. It may be the freestyle eating that goes along with a little alcohol and a social environment. Those nuts that sit atop the bar may be healthy, but they are laden in calories (and seldom do you only eat an ounce, which is one serving!). The buffalo wings and ranch dip or the chips and guacamole may be as big a culprit to your waistline as the beer itself. Whatever you eat or drink needs to be balanced with an equal amount of exercise or activity.

Life should be enjoyed, but it is easier to enjoy it with a healthy body that allows freedom of movement and freedom from pain. So enjoy your beer, just balance it out with extra activities that you also enjoy. Driving should not be an activity enjoyed after beer! Be responsible and be healthy.

New school year, new possibilities

Reflecting on summer stories, sharing new ideas, and contemplating the possible successes that lie ahead are all part of a brand new school year. For teachers, summer is a time to rest, but it is also a time to research trends in education and consider how those trends can improve teaching in the classroom.

As with any job, there is always room for improvement. Education is the prime example in which new ways of thinking are a constant goal. Working with state content standards has sent education in a positive direction. With such a strong road map guiding curriculum, teachers can focus on choosing techniques that will best address what is being taught on a daily basis.

For me, the beginning of a new school year is fun because the room for possibilities is endless. Working with my peers on projects over the summer and questioning what worked and what did not work during prior years makes us all better teachers. Collaboration is a major key to success in the world of education. By challenging ideas and trying new things, we keep the curriculum exciting for us — which definitely impacts our students in a wonderful way.

Teaching is technically a nine-month position. But for many teachers all over, teaching is like any other job. There are breaks, but in those breaks we don’t completely stop working. Enjoying what we do drives us and always keeps us asking the same question: How can we better ourselves and our curriculum? With that said, let the year begin!

— Amy Luther is a frequent contributor to The Southwest Voice and a teacher at Warren Junior High in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District.

Sports Shorts

Local gearheads should be stoked after the announcement that Stockdale High School grad Casey Mears has landed a spot with the Richard Childress Racing team. Mears’ contract with Hendrick Racing will be terminated at the end of this racing season. The nephew of racing legend Rick Mears will be joining Bako boy Kevin Harvick on the Childress team, and the hopes here are that the “left-turn” circuit will witness an upturn in Casey’s performance as he drafts off of Kevin’s experience. This is exciting and speaks well of our city’s proud stock car history. Now, if we can just get that track at I-5 and Enos Lane to start burnin’ rubber!

It’s a man’s game and it takes a man to play the game. And there is a man by the name of Manning riding the helm for Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants. But the toughest man of them all — now vying for a position as a backup quarterback to “the man” at the position — is former quarterback for both Stockdale High and Fresno State, and former No. 1 NFL draft pick David Carr. The unfortunate reason Carr is the toughest guy out there is that he was relentlessly pummeled as quarterback of the Houston Texans for five seasons and came out of it all relatively unscathed. David fought Goliath every Sunday and more times than not came out battered and beaten as he was sacked 262 times while with the Texans and the Carolina Panthers. He was collared a record 76 times during his rookie season (ouch!). Sporting a tremendous attitude and positive outlook his hopes are high to win a coveted backup position with the champs as they embark on the defense of their crown. He reminds one of a boxer who keeps getting up off of the mat. We’re in your corner for you David!

Prep football is right around the corner. Friday nights are a delight for all as the weekend has finally arrived. Kids are gathering with their friends, cheerleaders are dolling up and the boys are putting on the pads to do battle for their school’s honor. Start your weekend off by going out and supporting your alma mater. And if your alma mater is not in the vicinity, hop over to the nearest stadium where you see Friday night lights and support a team. It may be a welcomed journey into the past!

Let's Laugh: The Dreaded Doctor's Office Scales

Doctors do not intimidate me. Scales do.

I put off going to the doctor as long as I can because of the scales. I ran a fever for about two weeks and finally my daughter told me she was going to start making final arrangements if I didn’t haul myself over to the doctor and see what was going on. I insisted it was just a cold. A very bad cold.

“Mom! Do as I say, not as I do.” Hmm, haven’t I heard that somewhere in the past?

“Oh, rats, OK, I’ll go.” She even drove me over there. My nose was running, I was coughing and my eyes were watering so much that I couldn’t have seen to drive anyhow.

She’s not exactly a “hands on” daughter. She’s pretty busy. She runs a business, has two children and a husband. She had to drop me off. She assured me as soon as I called her she’d come and get me.

The minute I walked in, the nurse said, “Let’s step on the scales, shall we?”

“You go ahead,” I said. “I’ll just skip it this time.” I have asked myself over and over why I just blindly step on the scales when they tell me to. The older I get the more annoying it is. When I see my weight, I usually say, “Oh my God, how did that happen?” Stepping back into my shoes I tell her it must be all the watermelon I ate yesterday.

I mentioned scales phobia to my best friend the other day and she said, “Why would they need to weigh you every time you go to the doctor? I just don’t think it’s necessary and when they tell me to step on the scales, I say ‘No thank you’.”

Amazed and impressed, I said, “Wow! What do they say?”

“They say you don’t have to get on the scales if you don’t want to.”

Recently she was at Urgent Care because of an at home accident. Before stapling a bad gash together they asked her to step on the scales. She repeated her scales mantra, “No thank you.”

She had to get six staples in the back of her head and she got by without having to step on the dreaded scales. Seems fair to me!

I went to my doctor for an annual check a couple of weeks ago. When the nurse said, “Let’s step on the scales, shall we?” I answered, “No, I don’t think I will.”

She looked shocked, annoyed and confused!

The supervising nurse said patients have the right to refuse the dreaded scales. I acquiesced and let them get my weight but I felt positively giddy, knowing I didn’t have to if I didn’t want to!

Challenge of teaching proves enriching for many reasons

For some people, going to work every day is monotonous because their tasks never change. One of the many perks of teaching is that no two days are the same. Yes, we do paperwork and have meetings, but once the students enter the classroom, absolutely anything is possible. Once a lesson begins, so does the challenge of reaching every student and enabling each one to realize his or her potential.

On one particular day, as a second-year junior high teacher, I received one of the greatest challenges of my career. During a conversation in reading class, I asked a routine comprehension question of one of my students. This student, always happy and very willing to make the class laugh, responded by letting me know he was not good at reading, and since his mother was aware of this fact, it was OK if he failed reading class.

Knowing my personality, a calm fell over the class — they knew this student had just waved a red flag in front of a bull’s face. Thinking his smile would get him out of the situation, he just looked at me waiting to be passed by for a response from someone else. He quickly learned otherwise, and with help from his peers, was guided to the question’s answer — but he was in no way off the hook. Having set low expectations for himself, this student was challenging my expectations for him. Through this experience, I learned that students sometimes rely on teachers to build self confidence and ability.

After many, many hours of work, this student earned passing grades in reading class and admitted he was capable of doing the work. He was a wonderful challenge. Unlike some jobs, teaching offers an element of unknown surprise every day. The challenges come in all shapes and sizes, and I look forward to every one of them.

— Amy Luther is a teacher at Warren Junior High School in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District.

Response to ‘Hey, Dad’ advice

Hey, Dad — I have to say I disagree a bit with your advice to “put up with the sagging pants” because it will go away when he enters the work force or college. I think it is more realistic to explain to him how this fad got started and let him know that most people know that. If he wants to appear as a sympathizer of gangs and/or inmates, he’s doing the right thing. If he wants to appear as a young person with ambition, individuality and high ethics, he will not conform to what “everyone else is doing,” but will be his own man and certainly not one who mimics those of questionable lifestyles. It really is his decision, and he really needs to think about what he is saying by his dress, his behavior and his friends. I told my children when they gave me the “everyone else is doing it” excuse that everyone else would not be in their life 20 years from now but, God willing, I would be. It worked with them, and it is so true. I still am, and they still remember it, and they are in their 40s.
— Caroline Reid

Well said there, Caroline. Thank you so much for joining in the discussion. Children, and even young adults, typically only see life one day at a time. They don’t understand or think about how their actions today can impact them tomorrow. But that is what young people have been doing since Day One. As parents and grandparents, we need to take an active role in their lives and try to help them understand the big picture. Fortunately, time is on their side, and most kids grow up to be great adults.

Thanks again,
Dad

— Questions? Send Dad your problem through the Web at: www.swvoice.com.

Five components of physical fitness

Many people talk about getting in shape or getting back into shape. What does that mean? There are five components to physical fitness: flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, body fat ratio and cardiovascular. Over the next five issues, we will talk about each of the five components and what is required to become physically fit.

Flexibility refers to range of joint mobility or range of motion (ROM) for which the joint is designed. Mobility is specific to each joint or a series as in the spine. Flexibility also refers to the muscles, tendons and ligament tissue that pertain to particular joints. The importance of retaining as much ROM in our joints cannot be stressed enough.

As we age, we tend to lose ROM due to inactivity. There is a saying in yoga, “Young as your spine is flexible.” As we grow older, most of us tend to move less so we begin to lose ROM. That reminds me of another great saying, “Use it or lose it!”

All structured exercise should have a component of flexibility training involved. It is recommended to never stretch a “cold” muscle. As an example, if you were to take a piece of rubber and try to bend it you would find that it is rigid and difficult to flex. If you take that same piece of rubber and place it in the sun (especially in Bakersfield sun!), it warms and becomes more pliable. The connective tissue around our joints work the same way. Warm your muscles first to prevent injury while stretching. This will allow you to achieve the most you can from the time that you spend stretching.

Three of my favorite stretches
1. Stand in front of your kitchen counter with your legs straight and your knees soft (do not lock your knees). Place your hands on the counter and do your best to keep your back flat as you lean forward. You should feel this stretch down your hamstrings (back of thighs). Lift your tailbone towards the ceiling to increase the stretch.

2. While you are still at the counter, grip onto the sink with your hands. Bend your knees and sit back with your weight into your heels. As you bend your knees, take the stretch from your hamstrings into your upper body. Specifically you begin stretching your upper back under your armpits.

3. Stand in a doorway with your upper arms at shoulder level and your palms/elbows on the door jam. Now lean forward and allow the stretch to open up the front of your shoulders and your chest.

Remember: never begin a fitness routine or stretching routine without consulting your physician first.

— Vernie has 16 years of fitness experience and is certified in many areas. His business, Personal Edge Fitness, is downtown, and a new location is opening soon in the Southwest.

Ask a Wine-Know: A big, hearty Syrah worth savoring

“I’ve enjoyed reading about Pinot Noir in your last columns, but what about Syrah? What can you tell us about it? We need to know something since it’s the wine of choice all over the Paso Robles area where most of us go for winery visits.”

Ahhh! A perfect question for all of us right now since this wine has indeed become the new big hit in California vino circles.

Syrah is the most prominent red grape in the area known as the Rhone in southern France. It is regarded as one of the “noble” wines or vines of the world, in the class with Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. It can often be identified by a hint of black or white pepper in a mouthful. It is one of the darkest red wines and should impart a big, hearty taste as you savor it.

The grape was taken to Australia in the 1830s and became the backbone of their wine industry as Shiraz. You’ve probably heard of that wine. It is Syrah. But a wine we call “Petite Sirah” (notice the difference in the spelling) is not. It is an entirely different varietal.

Name droppers alert! The great French Syrahs bear names such as Hermitage, Cote Rotie, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and the greatest Shiraz is Penfold’s Grange.

Now let’s return to California. I first encountered Syrah in Napa in the ’70s. I think Joe Phelps was growing a bit of the Rhones, if I remember right. Randall Grahm, and his wines from Bonny Doon, was the most active early pioneer and in the ’80s, I tasted Bob Lindquist’s Qupe (which exists today) from the Santa Ynez area in Santa Barbara County. I was impressed. Then later, I visited a new grower, John Alban, in the Edna Valley East of San Luis Obispo, and I was very interested in his early plantings of Syrah and other Rhone varietals, especially Viognier. Today, Alban’s Reva is one of California’s great wines. Grab it if you see it anywhere!

Syrah is a warm-weather seeker. Just right for our Paso area. The Perrin Family from Rhone (Chateau de Beaucastel) established a base and cultivated Rhone varietals in the chalky hills west of the city. Their winery is Tablas Creek. I love their wine called Panoplie. Definitely put that winery down as a must-see on your Central Coast visits, along with L’Adventure, Linne Calodo, and Four Vines. Buy anything you encounter from a winery named Saxum! And tell me where you found it!

There was an explosion of Syrah plantings in the late ’90s that continues heavily today. And the other Rhone varietals came right along with it — red grapes such as Mourvedre, Grenache, Cournoise, and Cinsaut, and white grapes led by Viognier, Marsanne, and Rousanne.

Don’t shy away from the many offerings of Syrahs you will find. Try them all. You’ll be rewarded for your efforts! Twenty or so of my wine buddies sat down to dinner recently with 15 world class Syrahs — several hours of pleasure and great wines. Most of the wines I’ve mentioned above were there, along with a sumptuous 2002 Syrah named Ascent from a winery in the Sierra Foothills of Amador County (Domaine de la Terre Rouge).

— Comments? Questions? E-mail Ann at: acierley@etcrier.net

THIS AND THAT: ALMOST HUMAN

After owning probably 15 dogs over my many, I’m not telling you how many, years on this planet, my favorite was a blonde cocker spaniel named Buffy. What an adorable, loving dog. She was my daughter Kelly’s dog, but when she left for college, I inherited this cute cocker. She had the kind of facial expressions that you could almost read. You could tell if she was hungry, happy, sleepy, or even ticked at me for bothering her while she was napping.

She loved chasing balls, but would only go so long, then head into the house through her doggie door. I had a favorite recliner where I sat and watched TV in the evenings, and she would literally squeeze in beside me. Then of course at bedtime Buffy would get up on my bed and stay there the entire night. However, on cold nights she would keep scooting closer and closer until I would be hanging off the side.

Buffy never chewed up any shoes or any of my furniture, she never dug under the fence and even if she happened to sneak out the front door, she never strayed out of our yard.

She couldn’t sit up or shake hands, but my grandson, Jordan, taught her how to roll over and play dead, then he would give her a treat. So whenever he came over she would immediately do her trick for him and she knew she would get a doggie treat.

The only problem I ever had with her was the time she got DRUNK. I’d heard that if you set out beer, the slugs and snails would be attracted to it and it would kill them. I had tons of slugs at that time. So I bought some cheap beer and I filled 4 saucers with beer and put two in the front yard and two in the back yard.

Well, I guess you know what happened. Buffy went out and drank every single drop of beer that was in the backyard saucers. I wouldn’t have known it except when she came through the doggie door she had to make three tries to hit the right spot, then she bumped both sides trying to get through the small door. When Buffy finally got into the kitchen, she was staggering and could hardly keep her paws going in the right direction. I couldn’t scold her since I had put the beer outside. Poor little thing finally got to the living room and absolutely collapsed on the carpet. She never even made it to my bed that night. I don’t know if dogs have hangovers, but she did sleep a lot more than normal the next day. After that there was no more beer in the back yard. I must admit it really worked. I drowned around 50 slugs that night in two little saucers of cheap beer which I’d put in the front.