Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/402796
1 0 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | N o v - D e c 2 014 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m EDITOR'S DESK creative ways in which brewers are incorporating elements such as used wine barrels, wine grape juice and musts in their sudsy creations. In the restaurant realm, Market Watch columnist Tim Teichgraeber reports (page 25) that paradigm-shift- ing chefs are challenging sommeliers to radically rethink the concept of food and wine pairing. Rather than the traditional appetizer-entrée-dessert format, a new breed of restaurants is serving many small plates at once, often starring locally sourced produce rather than meat. And finally, there is our cover story: "The 20 Most Admired Winemakers in North America." While many of our winners are known for wielding power and influence in the industry – as mov- ers and shakers do – not all of them are big-name winemakers. Some are attracting the admiration of their peers for other reasons: raising the qual- ity standard in their regions; refusing to jump on wine–style bandwagons; being the first to try something previ- ously unthinkable; sharing their knowl- edge with others in the industry. I'm not going to give away any names here (you'll have to read the story on page 40), but we think you'll find that the winemakers on our 2014 list are well worth admiring. Salute! From the 6.0 magnitude earth- quake that rocked Napa to the wine- makers featured in our cover story, this issue is filled with movers and shakers. News in Focus (page 13) chronicles the aftermath of the temblor that shook Napa on Aug. 24, causing mil- lions of dollars in damage to wineries, homes and businesses. While many individual wineries suffered losses of inventory and damage to equipment, the truly remarkable thing about the disaster was the way in which the community came together to take care of those affected – well before state and federal aid arrived. In "Fermenting With Stems" on page 73, wine- maker Steve Leveque of WALT wines is shaking things up in the cellar in his own way. He's taking the practice of ferment- ing pinot noir grapes with stems intact – a common practice in Old World Burgundy – and giving it a modern twist. Before adding them to the fermentation, he separates some of the stems from bunches of pinot noir and gently roasts them in a chile roaster. This, Leveque says, removes some of the stems' "green" character. While that may sound a little extreme to some winemakers, con- sider the bold moves being made by some craft brewers. They have no fear of adding ingredients such as cherries or coffee to their beers, and now they're turning to the wine world for inspiration. In our story on page 82, beer writer Tom Wilmes highlights Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. TINA CAPUTO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Movers