Did you ever wonder what global warming is doing to the regions of the wine growing world? "The Art of Balance: Cool Climate Maritime Wines in a Global Context", was the topic at the Stony Brook University Center for Wine, Food, and Culture August 5 and 6, 2008, a joint effort with the Long Island Wine Council and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.

Designed to highlight the balanced, nuanced, elegant wines made possible by the particular characteristics of cool/maritime climates, it marks the 20-year anniversary of the first groundbreaking conference of its kind on Long Island, “Maritime Climate Wine Growing: Bringing Bordeaux to Long Island.”

The day began on August 5, with passionate Italian Alessio Dorigo, owner/winemaker of Dorigo in Fruiuli Venezia-Giulia talking about his “Friulian Approach.” Alessio began by discussing the weather patterns in his area, which include humid air from the ocean and dry air from the desert. Soils are diverse, with much of it poor and stony (which is great for grapes because it makes them dig deep into the ground for nutrients). Yet because the grapes have to dig so deep for water, they pass the nutrients and hit the minerals, which make an appearance in the flavor and aroma of the wines. Dorigo’s vineyards have good sun exposure, and while mechanization is possible, the slopes are so steep workers hand pick the grapes.

One of the challenges Dorigo faces is deciding the best time to pick. Dorigo is very sensual in his approach to winemaking and vocalized that while there are many scientific methods one can employ (and he also employs these methods by sending grapes to the lab) his favorite way to test for ripeness is to pop a grape into his mouth.

First, he feels the skins and seeds on his tongue to “test” for sugar and acidity. Then he spits, and tastes the aftertaste of the grape that had been in his mouth, for that will represent the tannins that will be in the wine at that moment in time. He looks at the seeds he spit out. If they are green, the tannins in the wine would taste underripe. If they are dark brown, they will be ripe. The taste of the skins also tell him if the wine will be sweet or harsh. This also holds true for white wine, Dorigo told the audience.

Gunter Kunstler, owner/winemaker of Weingut Kuntsler in the Rheingau gave us a great demonstration about the varied soil on his land, the topography, and gave the audience samples of his great Riesling wine, both rich in minerals and with incredible structure. Thomas Laszlo, Vice President of Winemaking Operations at Heron Hill Winery in the Finger Lakes, also shared some of his excellent Riesling with its minerals and lime-rich palate, and told us about the topography and weather of his region. Day one finished up with Katia Alvarez, winemaker at Martin Codax in Rias Baixas Spain, discussing the Albarino grape, her region of Galicia, Spain, and how the cool, wet weather is responsible for this particular type of wine.

Before a tasting of the wines at a reception, Paul Grieco, co-owner and sommelier of Hearth, Insieme, and Terroir in New York, engaged all the winemakers in a discussion of how climate changes will affect their grapes — a lot of valuable information from winemakers across the globe in a single day.