20demayo Chapter 275 Chapter 1
Chapter 275 Chapter 1
Wen Qing looked at the colorful "D-JOE" wine label and said, "This wine label is very uniquely designed."
Joey said: "D stands for Davis University, JOE is me, haha!"
Seeing them chatting, the other two members of their group, Enzo and Dawson, also came over. They talked about their winemaking experiences. Enzo said, "Winemaking is so interesting. It's so interesting to watch the grapes gradually turn into beautiful liquid. After graduation, I will go to Napa to find a job. I will become the best winemaker in the future."
Dawson laughed and said, "Enzo, don't brag. The Sauvignon Blanc you brewed is too sour. It must be grape vinegar."
Enzo said embarrassedly: "I think the temperature was too high during fermentation. I will pay attention to it next time."
Wen Qing asked: "Dawson, Joey, what are you going to do after graduation?"
Joy replied, "I want to go home and help my dad run the winery." Her family ran a winery, and she wanted to join the family business.
Dawson: "I don't like country life very much. It's too boring. I've had enough of it. The work at the winery is too tiring. I want to go to the city."
Then he asked, "Wen, what are you going to do next?"
Wen Qing replied: "I am going back to China and may build a winery in China in the future. You are welcome to visit me in China if you have the chance. There are many interesting places and delicious food in our hometown."
Several people tasted the various wines on the table while chatting.
Suddenly, the microphone in front of us rang twice. Everyone stopped talking and looked towards the middle of the lawn. They saw several people standing together. Their teacher, Mr. Weiberg, said loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, the red wine we are tasting today is the work of this year's graduates. I believe everyone has tasted it. Finally, please let the judges tell everyone the final result."
Pointing to the people next to him, he introduced: "These are the judges we invited. They are from the school's wine academy, professional wine magazines, the California Wine Association, and wineries in Napa Valley." After introducing the backgrounds of the five judges, he continued: "This time the scoring adopts a 100-point system, and the wines are scored based on color, body, tannin balance, and flavor."
The teachers and students present were discussing quietly, and when everyone's voices died down, Mr. Weiberg said loudly: "Next, we would like to invite Mr. David Robinson, a wine evaluation expert from Wine Tasting Magazine, to announce the top six wines. Only the rankings will be announced, and the students' scores will not be discussed here." They have 32 students graduating this time, and it would be inappropriate to announce them one by one.
A white man in his forties with a short mustache stood in front of the microphone and said, "After the five judges' scoring, the top six wines are: No. 5, Cabernet Sauvignon made by Joan Hillman; No. 6, Merlot made by Jeffrey Doss; No. 5, Chardonnay made by Eddy Wilson; No. 4, Merlot made by Anders Johnson; No. 3, Syrah made by Daniel Lauer; and No. 2, Cabernet Sauvignon made by Qing Wen. Congratulations to them."
He also commented on the advantages and disadvantages of some red wines. Wen Qing's Cabernet Sauvignon dry red wine is generally full-bodied and has strong tannins. The soft sweetness of lactic acid eliminates some of the sour feeling. Unfortunately, the aging time in the oak barrels is too short and not enough oak aroma is extracted.
Regarding the only Chardonnay dry white wine that made it into the top six, he believed that this wine was full of citrus peach aromas, with a fresh and transparent feeling in the acidity. The disadvantage was that the wine body was relatively thin.
After hearing the final scoring results, the students flocked to the wines again and tasted them carefully.
A group of people gathered around Wen Qing, congratulating her and asking her about the process of grape planting and winemaking. They raised some questions, and Wen Qing answered them one by one with a smile.
Professor Weiberg joined their conversation with a glass of wine. He asked, "Wen, I went to see the grapevines you manage. They are growing better than other plants in the garden. Do you use any chemicals?"
Wen Qing replied, "Professor, chemical agents will affect the flavor of the wine, and long-term use will damage the soil. I won't use them. I use juice soaked from some plants and wood ash, which is completely natural."
Mr. Weiberg was very interested and said, "Wen, can you go to the vineyard with me?"
Wen Qing nodded and went with him to see the grape vines she planted. As they walked, Wen Qing introduced him to her experience in growing grapes, and Mr. Weiberg listened politely.
Walking into the small vineyard managed by Wen Qing, Weiberg could clearly see that it was different from other nearby grape vines. Now it was March, and the Cabernet Sauvignon had begun to sprout new branches again. These new branches were thicker than other Cabernet Sauvignon, and even the weeds underground were more lush than other places.
Wen Qing said: "Last year, California was quite dry. I mainly made the roots of the grape trees stronger and absorbed water from the ground instead of watering them."
Since she took over the vineyard last spring, she has attached great importance to the cultivation of the grape root system. After the grape vines recovered in spring, she used fertilizer water soaked with willow branches to irrigate the roots, and also trimmed the side roots of the grapes to make the main roots dig deeper into the soil. In summer, she properly shaded the grapes to prevent the leaves and fruits from being scorched. At the same time, she turned the grapes over at different times of the day to allow them to receive sunlight evenly.
Mr. Weiberg said, “Wen, your method is really too sophisticated. I don’t think all vineyards can learn from it.”
She was able to keep busy because the vineyard was small enough.
Back to the wine tasting, the college said that as long as students pay a small fee, they can take away the wine they brew, including those still aging in oak barrels.
Wen Qing paid the money and put all the wine into the space. There were more than 100 bottles and a 50-liter oak barrel in total.
Two weeks later, the school held a graduation ceremony for their class. Wen Qing attended with Joey and took many photos in their bachelor's gowns. She left contact information with Joey, Dawson, Enzo and others and invited them to China. Especially Joey and Enzo, their families both had wineries. Wen Qing said, "If your wineries want to enter the Chinese market, I can be your agent."
Three days later, Joey brought back the opinions of his elders and agreed to sign a distribution agreement with Wen Qing. Joey's winery is called Flying Eagle Winery, which has a history of more than 80 years. The quality of the red wine is pretty good. Wen Qing asked them to send 100 boxes of red wine to Pingjing first, and she planned to test the waters in her own store.