Editor Rusty’s Rap:   Wine Making – A Perfect Fit for the Deaf?

After a number of years of wine making and wine tasting, I came to realize that I never need an ear in my hobby.  I merely use all of my senses in creating home-made wine as well as assessing wine, made or bought.  See, smell, taste and feel…that is all it takes to make a wine successfully.  Hear?  Never need it, period.  To confirm my hypothesis, I contacted the well-known wine maker at Benessere Vineyards in Napa Valley, Chris Dearden.  He agreed and confirmed what I suspected.  As he said, hearing is the least used or necessary, if at all, in wine making or wine tasting!  (To "feel" in wine making, you may wonder?  See the Wine Making section below)

So this is the caveat: wine making may be the only hobby in which you use ALL of your senses except hearing.  There are many hobbies you use some but not all four senses the Deaf have (or hearing people do sans hearing).  For instance, painting is visual you use your eyes and perhaps you feel, but not hear, taste or smell.

Breaking news!:  In the recent magazine, WineMaker March 2009 I spotted something of great interest.  The article, "How to Taste Wine Like a Professional", (pages 40 to 47), does state that "of all the five senses, only one sense, hearing, is not required in wine tasting to assess whether wine is good or very good"!  That has brought me a smug smile to my face; no one can tell me that I need a hearing aid as I enjoy spending hours wine tasting!

Do we use the sense of touch in wine tasting?  Yes!  How?  I can explain the technique in my wine appreciation workshop.  Or read the article mentioned above.

Wine Making:  To feel in wine making, according to Chris the Benessere's Wine Maker, we use the sense of touch to determine berry/grape maturity, i.e. when they are unripe they are very firm and as they mature, they become softer until they begin to dehydrate like a raisin.  It is very critical that vineyards are harvested at the right time.  Wine makers would walk through the vineyard, sampling the grapes by touch or squeeze.  As the fruit ripens, wine makers' trips through the vineyard increase in frequency until they are ready to pick.  If it is too early to harvest, it can be brutal as the fruit is all acid and little sugar or flavor; hence the finished wine would be too acidic and won't taste too great.  If it is too late, it becomes raisin-like and the finished wine won't taste balanced as it will taste like a syrup.

Fun fact:  More than 80 years after Prohibition crushed a thriving industry, American winemaking has fully regained its footing.  In April 2002, when the very last state finally entered the fold of winemaking, every state now has at least one federally bonded winery.  Guess which state is the last one to have its own winery (newest)?  One more guess: Which state has the oldest winery in the country?  See the answers at the bottom of this eNewsletter.

Question from Our Deaf Grapevine Fans:  : Is it okay for diabetic people to drink wine?  (this question was asked by a friend of a diabetic who is Deaf in Kansas)  It is common knowledge with scientific supports that wine reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, heart attack, and ischemic stroke by relaxing blood vessels and boosting levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.  Moderate consumption of wine (two glasses of wine per day) is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and can lower blood sugar in those with diabetes.  During fermenting, the yeast is added and it converts all sugar in grape juice into alcohol until all sugar is exhausted; hence wine is made.  So we can say that wine is sugar-free (except port and dessert wines, I am not sure about them).  Rusty's tip: if any of you drink, do so responsibly and moderately.  And if you have any illness, you must check with your doctor before consuming wine on a regular basis.

News in the Deaf Community:  The group from Olathe, KS has sent me an article with pictures to show what's happening in the Deaf community.  (Thank you, my old pal, Charles!)  I'd encourage any of you who know any wine tasting event that has happened in your community to send photos/articles to this editor.  Please click on this link to read the article at Wine and Cheese Party

Answers to the Fun facts:  Which state is the last one with a winery?  North Dakota The oldest winery in USA is in which state?  New York  (I have always thought it was California, Buena Vista Winery in 1857 and always bragged about it until I just learned this state's claim that Brotherhood Winery, Washingtonville, NY is the oldest continually operating winery in America since 1839.  I must concede this to my NY friends!)

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