"To Tell the Truth" Norton Event

Excluded from Discounts
$150.00
  • Alcohol 0%
"To Tell the Truth" Norton event at Casanel Remember the TV show where there were three people professed to be the same person and the panelists had to figure out who was telling the truth? At Casanel, we have discovered that if we ask our vineyard “Will the real Norton grapevines please stand up?” they will not all stand up! Why? Because for almost 150 years, a Norton doppelganger, the mysterious Cynthiana merged into vineyards so furtively and effectively that the two merged into one in the world of wine to the point of (erroneously) being considered synonymous. DNA research to date has not been able to find the specific markers that differentiate these twin-like varieties. However, ongoing studies using the latest deep sequencing methodologies and biometrics will eventually get there. Our viticulturist, Lucie Morton, gets her queues as to a vine’s identity from the grapevines themselves. She is trained in grapevine botany otherwise known as ampelography and one of a handful of people in the world with this skill. Our vines came to us labelled Cynthiana (Norton) and Lucie has found we have both and that our next step is to mark each vine with pink or blue for differential harvesting or at least to inform us of the percentages of each that we have in our blends. Included in this unique opportunity • introduction to the world of ampelography • vineyard practicum with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cynthiana and Norton • help solve the Norton dual identity mystery by tagging vines • taste 5 Casanel "Nortons" guided by our winemaker Adam McTaggart with a personal charcuterie plate This special event is being held as a fund raiser for the film Odyssey of Forbidden Wines. Date: June 15, 2024 Time: 1:30 to 4:00 on Sat Capacity: 25 people. Cost: $150 Take homes: A Grape Sleuth 10x field loupe (to be used to check the leaf hairs as identity clues), a VOD code (video on demand) for Vitis Prohibita, a sponsor line credit at end of Odyssey Learn more about Lucie below: https://blog.virginiawine.org/pioneer-lucie-morton/ Lucie’s teacher and mentor Pierre Galet https://www.winebusiness.com/wbm/article/218536 Why Lucie’s American movie star grapes are in quarantine https://www.winebusiness.com/wbm/article/282438