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GrapeCraft Wines

grapecraft

About Me


GrapeCraft Wines brings together a small band of winemakers throughout the world who share a philosophy of excellence through sustainable farming in living soil and a skilled hand in the cellar.The dominant school in winemaking since WWII has been Scientific Enology, a system which represents a complete break with traditional winemaking by embracing a suite of new tools -- petrochemical agriculture, electricity, stainless steel, inert gas, sterile filtration, and so on -- which have altered winemaking forever. But we believe that in contemporary quest to rationalize and dissect the winemaking process, we have lost sight of the soul of wine, what R.L.Stevenson called “bottled poetry,” and Benjamin Franklin termed “proof that God loves us and desires us to be happy.”In reality, winegrowing not as a science, but simply a type of cuisine. Winemakers are just cooks, and their job is to steward their vineyards and perfect their technique in order to bring forward the expression of a distinctive terroir within a refined structure which integrates its elements into a single voice.The heart of the GrapeCraft philosophy is that when grapes are grown in living soil, their distinctive flavor elements can touch the human soul if a skilled wine craftsman renders them into liquid music. GrapeCraft is an holistic system, a winemaking school of cuisine which trains winemakers in their selection of tools and methods necessary to guide a wine's development towards soulfulness and longevity.
Our WineSmith, Clark Smith

My Interests

THE WINES: Get your hands on 'em at www.grapecraft.com

WineSmith Crucible:The enormous dimensions of this pure Cabernet Sauvignon enabled 34 months in elevage to layer the structure and integrate its complex flavors. Rich blueberries typical to the cooler regions surrounding the town of Napa are supported by massive but refined tannins which should gain depth for several decades.
Currently Out of Stock -
'04 Vintage to be Released Summer '07


WineSmith Roman Syrah: “Roman sulfite-free winemaking practices on a big syrah grown on high altitude living soil at perfect ripeness results in incredibly intricate aromatics full of mystery and soul.”

WineSmith Faux Chablis: "One California winery is even trying to out-Chablis the Chablisoisie: WineSmith makes an incredibly steely Chardonnay under the name Faux Chablis. I don't know whether Ernst & Young would approve of that name, but the wine is extraordinary"--James Rodewald, Gourmet Magazine, April 2005

WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon:“This is “real wine” with incredibly rich color, generous aromas of blueberries, vanilla and hints of olive, with mouth-filling fine plush tannins and satisfying length.”

WineSmith Cabernet Franc: “Our signature wine since 1993, this is our best to date. Wonderful aromatic integration, sweet fruit well-framed by fine tannins, and spicey flavor depth which loves firelight, wild mushrooms and roasted fowl.”

WineSmith Albarino: Vintage Selections Wine of the Week: “A dramatic white wine that delivers classic spiced lemongrass and minerally aroma. Basically dry, but has a suculence that works with Japanese food as well as a wide variety of lighter foods.”

CheapSkate "Miser" Meritage: “Miser” is the fanciful name we chose for our traditional Bordeaux blend, a more serious and thoughtful cousin to our muscular 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. We’re proud to be the lowest priced member of the Meritage Society. This is CheapSkate’s answer to Opus One, and by gum, our bottle is worth more than their thimble-full!

CheapSkate "Surly" Chenin Blanc: “Pear and jasmine aromas with champagne-like “sur lies” nuances. Full bodied but fresh on the palate, with a lively mineral finish.”

PennyFarthing Chardonnay: “At last, Chardonnay permitted to express its true nature, resembling more a lush golden delicious apple than the oppressive toast and butter we see nowadays. A gentle kiss of French oak toast. Delicious!”

I'd like to meet:

You! Feel free to drop us a line two in our comments section or just send us a message. We would love to hear from you and share our handcrafted wines with you as well. Please visit our website at www.grapecraft.com and check out our web store. And tell your friends, we don't make much. MyGen Profile Generator

Music:

Drop by after 4:00 on any given Friday and we'll break out the guitars and play you a note!

My Blog

Check out our winemakers blog! www.grapecrafter.com

www.grapecrafter.com   I will add some archive blog topics to this page in time... For now, check it out! Be sure to check out our website www.grapecraft.com as well....
Posted by GrapeCraft Wines on Sat, 03 Feb 2007 05:18:00 PST

What is GrapeCraft you say?

Grapecrafting is an ongoing evolution and synthesis of the work of dozens of winemakers and researchers all over the world in the last few decades and can be categorized into three different interrela...
Posted by GrapeCraft Wines on Thu, 01 Feb 2007 11:12:00 PST