FAVE 5 with JACKIE VENSON Kathy Valentine

FAVE5with

By Kathy Valentine

JACKIE VENSON

Singer-songwriter Jackie Venson attributes the fi ercely loyal fan base she has built to a mindset guided by a cosmic reckoning: “From the beginning, I refused to accept limitations. The universe is boundless. No fi nite human is going to tell me what I am capable of.”

It’s an ethos that has served her well, second only to her talent and creative spirit. In 2011, the Austin, Texas native graduated from the esteemed Berklee College of Music majoring in piano and music theory, only to decide she wanted to focus on playing guitar. Eight years later she was voted “Best Guitarist in Austin”—a city teeming with ace guitar slingers. No limits, indeed! Jackie takes the same unrestrained approach to her music, having released dozens of singles, EPs, live and studio albums across genres ranging from rock and soul to synth pop and DJ remixes. As a reigning DIY Queen who has booked tours all over the US and Europe, she wasn’t about to let the restrictions of a global pandemic stop her. Instead of being confi ned by the coronavirus, Venson actually grew her followers and fans by performing in daily live streams on every digital platform available. Any place a browser or device could connect her music to listeners, Jackie was there with a big smile, down-to-earth charm, smoldering voice, and guitar shredding mastery. In 2021, Jackie made her fi rst straight-up blues album, Love Transcends; her newest, Unplug the Machine, comes out in the Spring of 2022. It features piano and acoustic renditions of songs from her acclaimed Vintage Machine EP. Jackie says that despite her prolifi c output she’s in no rush to continually produce new records. “Music needs time. Time to sink in, to form impressions, to be internalized.” We spoke with the Austin native about fi ve of her favourite places to play music and eat at home and abroad.

Scan the QR code to watch videos of Jackie Venson

Photo credit: Ismael Quintanilla III

ANTONE’S HOME OF THE BLUES

This is my favorite place to play. Not just because of the people who run the club— they are great—but I love being a part of the tradition, helping to carry on what has made Antone’s so unique and special to Austin. The club has always strived for diversity in the bookings and shows, ever since opening their doors over 40 years ago.

DAN’S BURGERS

I’m a burger girl, a cheeseburger girl, but it needs to be a very specifi c kind of burger—the old-fashioned, classic, drive-in burger. Dan’s, an Austin landmark since 1973, is my go-to for a non-fast-food made-to-order burger in a great retro burger joint atmosphere.

CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS

When I announced I’d be playing here, my Minneapolis fans let me know right away they loved this place. It’s in the best part of the city, in the midst of places and people representing cultures from all over the world. It’s a non-profi t and the people who run it are so nice, the stage and the sound are incredible—and the green room!!—it’s wacky and amazing, it’s huge and comfortable. You can just chill out in there and they’ll bring in food from one of the restaurants nearby.

DOWNTOWN BLUES CLUB, HAMBURG GERMANY

This place is so fun to play. It’s the ultimate German experience, everything in one place. There’s a beer garden right outside with local beers on tap—it’s a great area to walk around exploring, come back, eat, drink, play for the happy, drinking, schnitzel-eating Germans!

JV’S MEXICAN FOOD, SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA

San Diego is my favorite city on Earth! It’s right on the beach, it’s by the border, the weather…what more could you want? I don’t even remember how I found JV’s. I said I want some real Mexican food, and someone brought me to this nondescript little corner of shops on the corner of a street—you can barely see it. This tiny place with this huge menu—choose anything, it will be great.

Photo credit: supplied The Importance of Plant Material

By Michelle Bouffard

Bérillon Wine Nursery

Lilian Bérillon is passionate, a man without compromise.

Early in his career he was distraught at the declining age of vineyards in France and elsewhere in Europe, noting that vines that used to have a life expectancy of 80 to 100 years now averaged 20 to 25 years. Bérillon’s observations led him to start his own nursery in the Southern Rhône more than fi fteen years ago with the goal of preserving existing genetic plant material, selling healthy vines, and off ering solutions to producers. Bérillon believes that by adopting best practices in the nursery and in the vineyard, vines will not only live longer, but they will be able to adapt to climate change.

So - what does Bérillon do diff erently than other nurseries? Many things, and every step is important. A visit to his nursery in Villeneuve is enlightening. First, all his 2.5 million vines are grafted by hand, and he favours the old-style whip grafting method over the machine omega grafting. Bérillon claims a better welding occurs between the rootstock (American rootstock) and the scion (vitis vinifera) with this technique.

Massal selection is also preferred over clonal selection. This method preserves genetic diversity by propagating a multitude of isolated individuals in multiple vineyards according to their characteristics, rather than focusing on clones which reduce diversity. However, while massal selection is allowed for the scion, it is not at this time permitted for rootstock selection. This is a mistake, he thinks. “Science has weakened many rootstocks which were not declining before. 161-49 Couderc favoured in Burgundy is an example,” Bérillon points out.

Diseases are another important reason why vines die earlier. Therefore, he sends his plant material to a laboratory for testing. PCR and ELISA tests are expensive, Bérillon claims, but necessary. On average, 2% of the vines are eliminated because they have diseases. Furthermore, to alleviate the growing problems of fl avescence dorée, a phytoplasma disease threatening vineyards, he puts his plant material into hot water of 50 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes, thus killing the phytoplasma (bacteria). This is by no means a mandatory (or common) practice, but it is another tool he relies on to ensure he sells healthy plants to his clients.

Lilian Bérillon’s rigour is admirable and brave, but it comes with costly repercussions. While most nurseries keep and sell 78% of their grafted plants, Bérillon keeps on average 55%. “I reject any plants not well welded,” he says. “But this is not the case of every nursery.” Without a doubt this adds to the initial cost of the plants he sells, but in the long term a vine which lives longer has an economic benefi t.

The other important part of the equation is soil management. Bérillon prescribes many key practices to his clients to ensure the vine thrives once planted. First, the land needs to rest between plantings. He compares this practice with a runner who needs to rest after a marathon before doing another one. “After 80 years of having vines planted on them, soils are tired, compacted and they have diseases,” he states. “You need to let the soil rest so it can heal. Afterwards when you replant, you have much better results.” Seven to eight years is prescribed between planting, but he realizes that this can be an economic chal-

Photo credit: supplied

Photo credit: supplied

Bérillon Wine Nursery in September

lenge for many wine producers. For example, Jean-Marc Roulot in Burgundy waits three to four years and he has good results, Bérillon notes. At his own nursery, though, he lets the land rest for eight years.

Soil preparation is another important step towards success. After pulling out the vines, the remaining roots need to be removed. Otherwise, they provide food for nematodes which will continue to live and spread diseases. Bérillon also advises that the soil be worked in depth (50-60cm) with tools like ripper and chisel which protect the horizon while allowing the straight blade to aerate the soil. This prevents soil compaction and allows the roots of the rootstocks to go deep and establish themselves.

Bérillon deplores popular consultants who too often advise producers to work the soil in the surface (20-30cm). He also adds that during the resting period, the soil should always be planted with cover crops. This promotes microbial activities and biodiversity. Biodynamic preparations are advised during this resting period, something Bérillon practises at his nursery.

The timing of the planting is also key. He has done multiple experimentations comparing different planting periods and the differences between the results were staggering. For example, in the Rhône Valley, he recommends to producers he works with to plant in January or February. This allows the vine to grow roots during the wet period, and by the time the drier months of May and June arrive the roots have sufficient depth to have access to water and survive the drought period. Planting later, such as in the month of April is likely to lead to numerous plants dying.

Bérillon strongly believes that all of these techniques combined will allow vines to thrive despite the challenges associated with climate change. “If a human is healthy, he is more likely to combat diseases and live longer. It is the same thing for a vine,” he shares. Many producers are trying to combat the repercussions associated with climate change by turning to cépages résistants, the newly developed hybrids. Those were created to combat mildew and drought.

But Bérillon is not sold on this method. Firstly, in the long term the vines are likely to lose their resistance to diseases, he explains. Secondly, the resulting wines made from those cépages résistants are not nearly as good as those made with Vitis vinifera. Rather, he encourages producers to adopt best practices which lead to healthy and strong vines. Further investigation is also needed to the already existing options. “Diversity is key,” he insists. “We already have an incredible genetic material available within Vitis vinifera. We need to explore this diversity further. And we need to do more research about rootstocks and study further the role mycorrhizae can play.”

Visiting Lilian Bérillon’s nursery is like opening the door to a world of possibilities and solutions. But it also raises an important and disturbing question: considering that everything starts in a nursery, why do so few people in the wine industry, including producers, know little to nothing about those important practices? One can only hope that those who subscribe to his work such as Jean-Louis Chave, Christine Vernay and Lalou Bize-Leroy will spread the word. The clock is ticking and if we want to save European genetic material, the urgency to act is now.

Lilian Bérillon

Michelle Bouffard is a sommelier, author, speaker, educator and consultant based in Montréal. Her first book Dis-moi qui tu es, je te dirai quoi boire was published in 2017 and for the past six years, she has been the sommelier on the popular Quebec cooking show Curieux Bégin. In 2017, Michelle founded Tasting Climate Change, an international symposium to explore the challenges and solutions in the wine industry. Ever the eternal perfectionist, she is continuing her studies at the prestigious Institute of Masters of Wine.

Regenerative Organic Pioneers By W. Blake Gray

Photo credit: supplied

The Haas and Perrin families

When the creators of a new farming regimen called “regenerative organic” went looking for a winery to be the first to join, naturally they approached Tablas Creek Vineyard.

Tablas Creek, organic from its inception, imported most of the high-quality clones of Rhone grapes now used in California. The vineyard built a nursery to grow them, and rather than hoard for competitive advantage they instead shared them widely so Rhonestyle wines would improve. For weed control and fertilizer, Tablas Creek uses a large herd of sheep and a flock of chickens.

Based in Paso Robles, one of the most drought-prone areas of California, the winery adjusted its planting density so that even young vines don’t need to be irrigated. In addition, it plants heirloom fruit trees every year for biodiversity and to give its employees fruit to take home. Why wouldn’t Tablas Creek be the first to go regenerative organic?

“When they came to us, our first thought was, we’re already doing organic and biodynamic certification,” says Tablas Creek general manager Jason Haas. “Another certification? Seriously? We were already doing so much paperwork. But the more we looked at it, we thought it would be the gold standard for farming.”

“Regenerative” is the new buzzword for farming. The base concept is that farmers can help slow climate change by growing plants that

Photo credit: supplied

Harvest sunset at Tablas Creek

move carbon dioxide into the soil. Thus the goal is different from other well-meaning agricultural practices. I like to sum it up this way: organic is consumer-focused, while biodynamic is process-focused. Sustainable is business-focused (which is why big businesses love it). Regenerative organic is, in its infancy, ecosystem-focused. For Haas, that was appealing.

“Regenerative organic separated the soil health pieces of biodynamic from the mystical pieces,” says Haas. “That’s one of the things I have really high hopes for about regenerative organic. It doesn’t have that baggage attached to it. Organic is a list of things you can’t do. If you don’t use certain chemicals you can be organic. Biodynamics is a process by which you create a healthy ecosystem that eliminates the need for chemical inputs, plus some pixies and fairy dust stuff. Regenerative organics is, how do you change your farm into an engine for positive change for you and your workers and the people who buy your wine? The soil health pieces of regenerative organics come directly from biodynamics. The difference is that if you are farming through regenerative organics, you have to measure the carbon content of your soil. It’s more results-based, whereas biodynamics is process-based.”

Haas and Tablas Creek winemaker and vineyard manager Neil Collins both made time for me over the winter holidays to chat about regenerative organic viticulture because, both said, it’s important that this story be written.

“It’s more interesting to me to speak to you in the hope that another farmer will read it and go down that road than that a consumer will read it and buy a bottle of wine,” Collins states.

Don’t discount the power of a pulpit. In December 2021, the much larger Fetzer Vineyards became the second winery to be certified regenerative organic; that makes it a movement.

Being the regenerative organic pioneer among wineries fits perfectly in the history of Tablas Creek. It was planned ambitiously from the start by its founders: Robert Haas, founder of the US wine import company Vineyard Brands, and the Perrin family, who own Château de Beaucastel in France’s Rhone Valley. Jacques Perrin started farming organically in the 1950s before the concept even really existed.

“The way that chemicals were being pushed just felt wrong to him,” Haas says. “He did a year without any of the chemicals and was just blown away by how much the wines tasted like Beaucastel compared to the previous decade. There was no certification then. I don’t even think there was a word for it in French.”

Haas says his father and the Perrin family agreed that they would plant organically. They looked all over California for shallow, rocky limestone soils like those of Beaucastel, as well as that winery’s hot-summer-days, cool-nights climate. The best match was found in 1989 in what is now the Adelaida District west of Paso Robles. They were unusually patient for a startup, even for an estate winery. Deciding not to work with the Rhône grape clones then available in California, they instead imported cuttings of nine varieties from Beaucastel and waited three years for them to clear quarantine. They couldn’t begin planting on their property until 1994.

“The clones that were in California, particularly Grenache and Mourvedre, at some point had been planted for productivity and not high quality,” Haas notes. “Grenache in the central valley was the main ingredient in Gallo Hearty Burgundy. We didn’t want to limit ourselves to the clones in California and wonder later if that’s why things were different.”

Robert Haas had a vision, and it extended to more than just the right clones.

“I tended to get sent to vineyards to work for the summer if I hadn’t found another job,” his son says. “There was a long game going on that I wasn’t aware of at the time. I spent two summers working at Beaucastel getting to know the next generation of Perrin kids. I thought the idea was for me to work on my French. My dad did a good job of holding the door open for me to come into the family business, but without me feeling forced into it.”

Jason Haas joined the family business in 2002. His father and the Perrins had overestimated how easy it would be for an unknown winery to sell blends of little-known grape varieties; they had a warehouse full of unsold wine. Jason took over the marketing at first and became general manager a few years later. During that time, the winery imported seven more grape variety clones: all the remaining Chateauneuf varieties for a total of 14, plus Viognier, Marsanne, Tannat, Vermentino and Petit Manseng.

Photo credit: supplied

Robert Haas, with Jean-Pierre and Francois Perrin at Beaucastel, circa 1985

If you visit Tablas Creek, don’t skip the opportunity to buy wines in the shop. Tablas Creek makes single-variety wines out of some of these rare French grapes, and in at least one case (Vaccarèse) is believed to make the only single-variety version in the world.

The winery was organic from inception, but going biodynamic happened after a visit to Grgich Hills in 2009. Grgich Hills winemaker Ivo Jeramaz was an early advocate for biodynamic viticulture in Napa Valley. It was a drought year, but Grgich Hills’ vines looked vibrant. Robert Haas announced on the way home that Tablas Creek would try it.

“Bob, Jason’s dad, is like that,” Collins says. “I was saying, let’s think about this or that and he said, let’s just do it.”

Part of biodynamic theory is to have a whole working farm, with animals.

“We started with about a dozen sheep that an employee happened to have,” Collins recalls. “We brought in a couple donkeys to guard them from predators. I didn’t want to have dogs because of dogs biting people. Donkeys are guarding animals. They can be pretty effective against coyotes; not so much about mountain lions. But maybe one donkey would have been better because we had two donkeys and they formed a donkey team and didn’t care so much about the sheep. We just lost too many sheep to mountain lions. We lost 26 sheep one year. We had to kill a mountain lion because it kept coming back. From my standpoint, having sheep to graze our vineyard isn’t sustainable if we have to kill the local wildlife. We investigated dogs and got two incredible Spanish mastiffs. We lost one sheep that year and haven’t lost a sheep since.”

The main purpose of the sheep is to eat grass and weeds, turning them into fertilizer, but Tablas Creek also has a side business selling biodynamically raised lambs to local restaurants. The regenerative organic conversion started with a biodynamic lamb and wine dinner Collins hosted in Ventura, an affluent suburb of Los Angeles. One of the guests was Yvon Chouinard, founder of the clothing company Patagonia.

“He didn’t want to talk about wine. He wanted to talk about farming,” Collins said. “He said the only way we’re going to reverse climate change is through farming. I wasn’t a Patagonia disciple. So many people I work with, all they wore was Patagonia. For me, it’s a bit expensive. But he was infectious and his dedication to farming was impressive to me. Talking to him got that ball rolling, and now here we are with the first regenerative organic vineyard in the world.”

Because the vineyard was already biodynamic, Collins said he hasn’t yet seen an impact on the vines per se.

“I can say that our wines have been constantly improving over the years since the biodynamic, and since the regnerative organic the wines have gotten better and better,” Collins said. “The original goal of Tablas Creek was to make wines that are of a given place. The wines keep improving. We like the wines more and more. Is it the effect of spraying quartz on the Syrah? I don’t know. But I know the Syrah tastes better than it did 10 years ago.”

Regenerative organic also has requirements for farm worker welfare, and Haas said he has already seen the benefit of that.

“You have to train your crew on their rights as farm workers,” Haas said. “You have to set up a system where they can provide feedback. You have to pay them 10% above the living wage for your area. We have seen our vineyard crew, many of whom have been here for decades, on weekends they bring their families out to see what they’ve been working on.”

Why not? They are pioneers.

W. Blake Gray is US editor for Wine-Searcher, the world’s most-visited wine website. He has written about wine for many publications including the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times. In 2013 he won the Roederer Award for best online wine writer in the world. During the pandemic, Blake rediscovered his childhood love of cheeseburgers, but his death-row meal is steamed crabs. His cocktail of choice is a Manhattan. Blake lives in San Francisco.