“I hear you’ll be taking part in the Winkler Dinner?”
Robert Mondavi was over ninety, yet his voice still carried strength. It was astonishing enough that he was still getting around so hale and hearty, but I also thought his undiminished passion for wine was something worth learning from.
“That’s right. I’ve been put in charge of one course.”
“I was wondering if you might pair it mainly with our Mondavi wines.”
“Pardon? No, why...?”
The proposal was so unexpected that, instead of giving a positive answer, I reflexively asked him back.
“Why? Is it strange for me to lobby you to pair it with Mondavi wines?”
I could feel Armando beside me growing even more flustered than I was, but my questions still hadn’t been answered.
“Even without me, Mondavi wines are doing well all over the world. I don’t see why you’d need to ask me for this.”
“If we were talking about wines that are already well regarded, there would be no reason.”
Only after hearing that did I realize what this old man was up to.
“Ah... don’t tell me, among Mondavi wines...?”
“That’s right. I’d like you to use the Private Selection line.”
Not every wine from the Robert Mondavi Winery was well received. In particular, the mid- to low-priced mass-market wines did not get especially good evaluations, and among them, Robert Mondavi Woodbridge was sold as restaurant house wine or in-flight wine on airplanes, ending up with an even cheaper image.
The Private Selection he mentioned was a little more expensive than Woodbridge, but it was still true that it wasn’t a line with a great reputation.
“Yes, well... there’s no reason I can’t.”
Since the department chair was beside me, that meant he had already agreed, so I had no reason to refuse. I wasn’t the chef or the restaurant owner, and using Mondavi wines for a one-day course pairing wouldn’t do any harm. Besides, the Winkler Dinner had originally built its courses around wines donated by wineries or alumni, so there was no procedural issue either.
Still, I couldn’t help wondering why he was asking me of all people. If he wanted to promote Private Selection, he could have used any number of other people or methods.
“Thank you. Next month, I’ll send over a chef and one person from our winery.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, and one more thing. How did you learn wine? I doubt there are places in the East that teach blending like that... and you’re young, so it would have been difficult for you to experience many wines.”
Robert’s sharp gaze flashed.
“Ah, my father loves wine, so I’ve tried quite a lot despite my age. In the East, if you drink with your parents, they tend to overlook it even if you’re a little young.”
“Is that so? Then what about grape cultivation?”
“I was interested, so I read a great deal about UC Davis’s viticulture studies. When others were reading comic books, I was in the library studying viticulture.”
“Amazing. A prodigy in both grape cultivation and wine... That’s a first. Better than I was when I was young.”
At that, Department Chair Thomas burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, you flatter me. You know there are side effects if you praise him too much, don’t you?”
“That’s why I’m only going this far.”
“In any case, Brian, thank you for preparing today’s showcase so well. I’ll look forward to seeing you do well at the Winkler Dinner too.”
That was Department Chair Thomas’s way of saying that business was done and I could go. I immediately rose to my feet.
“Yes, then I’ll be going.”
Armando also bowed at once and followed me out of the department chair’s office.
“This is insane! Insane! Robert Mondavi said you’re better than he was when he was young!”
“He was just saying that. Didn’t you hear him earlier? He asked me for a favor, so he complimented me so I wouldn’t feel slighted.”
“That’s what that was?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t make me laugh! Do you take me for an idiot?”
“...... Let’s hurry. If we leave now, we’ll arrive right at dinnertime.”
After somehow calming the excited Armando and getting home, I had to exhaust myself even more trying to settle down his endless chatter.
---
April was so busy that I couldn’t rest for even a moment. Dad could now manage the workers on his own well enough that there were no problems running the farm, but I had to check every part of the work to prepare the newly acquired Silver Oak farmland.
Laying drainage pipes, breaking up the hardpan, and reinforcing the gravel layer were key to creating To Kalon terroir, so I had to examine and adjust those parts carefully. Only by doing this could we secure paths for the grapevine roots to reach deep down.
Afterward, we adjusted the acidity, supplemented organic matter with compost and biochar, and used irrigation and gypsum to flush out salts as well, raising the quality of the soil.
By checking each of those things one by one, the soil finally began to enter a stable phase by May.
“Ta-da! What do you think of my skills?”
Chloe showed me developed photos she had brought to school of the grafting she had done herself.
“It’s not bad... but is it really something worth taking pictures of and bringing all the way here...?”
When I tilted my head, Chloe’s gaze immediately narrowed.
“But you did do well. You practiced a lot.”
“Right? The success rate was over eighty-five percent. I had the highest success rate among the farmhands.”
“Ooh—”
That was actually a little surprising.
“It’s because I’m so dexterous and smart.”
“...... That’s true. So how much did you do?”
“Everything we aimed for this year. And since thirty percent of the farmland we were going to harvest was wiped out, I thought our sales would drop a lot, but looking at it now, I think the yield itself will be higher than last year. Just like you said, once we adjusted fertilization and moisture, even the quality of each berry changed. Dad has already been calling retailers over to show them the farm and negotiate prices, and he says we’ll probably get at least twenty percent more than last year. The sugar content went up by an average of two Brix compared to last year too.”
“Your father really does have incredible business acumen.”
“Of course. My dad has all the connections he’s built up until now. And the really funny thing is, you know that spiteful pig William?”
“Ah, the head of the cherry cooperative?”
“That’s right. Somehow that spiteful pig found out and came to our farm, asking how we managed to get the cherry prices raised so much. He kept stealing glances at our trees too. Hmph! As if he’d know anything just by looking.”
Seeing her primly shrug her shoulders, she really must have disliked that man.
“Did he mention the new variety too, by any chance?”
“No, I asked, but Dad said he didn’t ask any questions related to the variety. Apparently, he only asked how we got the prices raised so high.”
“Ah... did he just think it was mostly a stroke of luck?”
“That could be it, or he might think it’s better to ask the workers than my dad.”
Now that I thought about it, farm laborers weren’t full-time employees tied to one place, so if you wanted to find out the condition of another farm, it was better to ask a worker than to ask the farm owner.
Hadn’t it been exactly like that when Armando went to the Silver Oak farm and discovered they had used pesticides?
“That’s a relief. Once you finish this year’s harvest, you’ll have a little breathing room.”
“Yeah. Then I think I’ll have some time to study. Oh, and can I go there today?”
“What? Where?”
“You’re going to prepare for the Winkler Dinner today, right? Maybe you’re short on people to taste the course dishes?”
Her eyes were filled with subtle expectation, but I patted Chloe on the shoulder.
“Sorry, but this is not for outside exposure. You should have dinner later with Armando and Jacob when they get out of class.”
“Tch...”
“Well, good luck. I’ll be off to eat course cuisine I don’t particularly like. There are things a person has to do even if they hate them. Anyway, good luck~”
Teasing Chloe, whose lips were jutting out in a pout, I headed for the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. With a bottle of vinegar in my hand, that is. When I arrived at the appointed place, the first thing that caught my eye was a black catering box.
“Hello.”
“Welcome. You must be Brian?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Daniel Locane. I run a restaurant in San Francisco.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
A dignified-looking man stood there, tattoos of unknown designs inked on his arms, and beside him was a young woman neatly dressed in a navy suit.
The slender woman with brown hair offered her hand first.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Emily Mondavi. I came through my grandfather’s introduction, and today I’m here to test things with you.”
“I’m Brian.”
“My grandfather praised you quite a lot. I’ve never seen him praise a freshman like that before... It made me jealous.”
“Haha... I was just lucky.”
After we exchanged greetings, we opened the box on the table. Ice packs, a small induction burner, a gas burner, pots, pans, basic knives, tongs, sauce bottles. Everything was perfectly organized.
“Would you like to check the wine list first?”
“Yes, I will.”
Emily took out a sheet of paper and spread it on the table.
Private Selection Chardonnay
Private Selection Merlot
Private Selection Zinfandel
Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
Fumé Blanc
“As you’ve probably heard, for this year’s Winkler Dinner, we’d like you to design the course around this lineup.”
Since I had already heard that, I shrugged and spoke to the chef Mondavi had invited.
“I think it would be best if I tasted the food first. That way I’ll have a sense of how to pair it. Ah, and there’s just one thing I’d like to ask for while handling the Winkler Dinner. It’s this grape vinegar. We made it at our winery, so please...”
Emily shrugged, as if she had no objection. Compared to being asked to pair everything only with Mondavi wines, using a bit of vinegar was quite reasonable. He smelled it and looked very satisfied.
“This is good. For now, I’ve prepared four mini courses. Let’s decide which one would be best.”
I took out a notebook and pen.
Olive oil spread thinly over the heated pan, and when the pan was hot enough, Daniel placed scallops on it. A golden Maillard crust quickly formed on the surface. Just before he turned off the heat, a few drops of the grape vinegar I had given him fell with light taps. A line of herb oil containing parsley and mint, then plating, and a fine sprinkle of salt completed the appetizer.
“This is the appetizer I prepared first. Give it a taste.”
In truth, I had been thinking about something else the entire time he was cooking. I wasn’t actually interested in the cooking either. I was only thinking about why Robert Mondavi had attached his granddaughter to me.
“Would you like to taste it first?”
“No, you go first.”
Seeing her deliberately yield to me, I picked up a fork and tasted it.
“Hmm...”
The texture of the scallop was springy yet tender, and the roasted aroma from the crust rose subtly. The acidity was weaker than I expected, and the herb oil seemed to tie the whole thing together cleanly.
I frowned, then asked her as she watched my expression closely.
“Are you really planning to leave everything to me?”
“Of course.”
Seeing Emily Mondavi nod without the slightest hesitation, I understood why Robert Mondavi had attached her to me.
If everything was going to be left to me from the beginning, there was no reason for her to be here. As for explanations about Mondavi wines, I could ask the chef beside me, or in the worst case, simply taste a sip. Yet he had gone out of his way to assign her to me?
“Robert Mondavi was never interested in promoting his wines in the first place.”
Thinking about it, that made sense. Who was I, that a winery would rely on me to promote wines that were selling a little less well?
What Robert Mondavi wanted was me. It was clear that while I prepared the Winkler Dinner, he wanted his granddaughter to observe my thoughts on wine, my philosophy, my techniques, and evaluate what kind of fellow I was.
“What do you think would be good?”
She asked with a look of intense curiosity. I found myself unsure how to answer. Should I mess with these sly members of this family who were curious about what was in my head, or should I pretend not to notice and ignore it? But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t simply let them learn about me while pretending not to know.
“Ah! Right. You should taste the wines, shouldn’t you? Want to try them?”
“It’s fine. I know what kind of wines they are.”
A faint glimmer appeared in her eyes before she looked straight at me.
“You do? Then what do you think?”
“Let’s go with the Fumé Blanc. Lower the temperature to ten degrees Celsius. Narrow glass, no decanting.”
“Hm? Why?”
Robert Mondavi thought of me as some kind of wine prodigy, but he was mistaken. The reason I was well versed in grapes and wine was because I had done that many research projects.
It was not the result of my palate or instinctive senses, but of scientific thinking. Therefore, from a scientific perspective, the pairing for this dish had to be Fumé Blanc. The reason was that if you looked at the composition of the dish, the acidity was weak while sweetness and umami stood out.
When wine is served cold, the human tongue perceives the acidity more strongly, compensating for the lack of acidity in sensory terms. If you use a white wine glass with a narrow bowl, the aroma does not disperse and remains concentrated, allowing the herb aroma and wine aroma to stay in harmony. The reason not to decant was that this wine itself had a weak aroma.
“And I think I don’t need to taste any more of the dishes.”
“What did you say?”
As she looked flustered, I scanned the list Chef Daniel had prepared and said,
“This one should be paired with the Private Selection Cabernet at sixteen to seventeen degrees Celsius, decanted for about thirty minutes. This one is Private Selection Zinfandel. But lower it to twelve to thirteen degrees, and use a red glass with a bowl slightly smaller than medium. This one is Private Selection Merlot. Fifteen to sixteen degrees, wide-bowled red glass. No decant...”
Unable to keep watching, Emily Mondavi shouted.
“What are you doing? Do you think the Winkler Dinner is a joke?”
I looked at her as she grew agitated and spoke calmly.
“No. If you pair them with each dish, I think you’ll find they work quite well. It was a pleasure today. Chef, I’ll visit you separately and offer my greetings then.”
I bowed slightly to her, then politely thanked Chef Daniel for the meal before leaving the institute.
“What on earth, that...!”
Left behind, Emily stared down at the list Chef Daniel had prepared for a long while, then quickly began writing something down.