Moon Township Native, Penn State Alum And Award Winning California Winemaker Gary Eberle Presents A Specialized Wine Class at Dreadnought Wines On October 27, 2010.

Is the idea of appellations or ‘AVA’s in California a valid distinction to be made in the subtle tastes of wine, or government and marketing smoke and mirrors?  Gary Eberle of Eberly Winery says YES to the taste differences, and will present a discussion on the differences at a tasting class at Dreadnought Wines.

Thirty years ago, Moon Township native Gary Eberle had an epiphany. After achieving academic and athletic success at Penn State University in the 1960’s – and while pursuing his doctorate in zoology at Louisiana State University – Eberle met a professor who introduced him to the world of wine, which significantly changed his life. Shortly thereafter, Gary made the move to Northern California and in 1973 graduated from U.C. Davis’s winemaking doctoral program and headed straight to Paso Robles.

In 1973, Gary Eberle began his career in the wine industry by heading his family’s Estrella River Winery (currently Meridian Vineyards in Paso Robles) and produced 500,000 cases a year at its facility. Eberle’s pioneering spirit didn’t stop there. In 1980, he co-founded the Paso Robles Appellation and in 1983, Gary opened the doors to his own Eberle Winery with the premiere of Eberle’s 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon. Today, Eberle handcrafts 25,000 cases of wine each year from surrounding Estate vineyards. And, after more than 25 years since the release of the Eberle label, the winery consistently remains one of the highest award-winning wineries in the United States.

Instead of Appellations, the United States uses the term American Viticultural Areas or AVA for short.  AVAs are “official” grape growing regions that have been designated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF).

When you visit a set of wineries on tours, you will be in areas that have been designated official wine growing regions called American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). Here are some important ideas that will help you understand what the meaning is of these wine growing regions.

When an AVA is designated on the wine bottle’s label, 85% of that wine must come from the AVA.

AVAs are geographic locations that have the same climate, soil, and elevation and similar properties that give the wine a certain characteristic.  Gary Eberle in part “wrote “the rules of Paso Robles AVA.

There can be sub-AVAs which means there can be several AVA’s designated within a larger AVA area. Example: The Napa Valley is an AVA, but there are smaller areas located within the Napa Valley that have an AVA. The Rutherford AVA is a small geographic area located within the Napa AVA.

But Gary Eberle, who started Eberle winery on the east side of Paso Robles in 1979, has been a vocal opponent of a Westside appellation, insisting that area producers should promote the entire region. He's since somewhat softened that stance, but still feels that a Westside appellation makes no sense. "I really don't care [about it] … But within the [proposed] Westside appellation you've got the coldest vineyards and the hottest, the wettest and the driest, the highest and the lowest. So I don't know how you can take that viticultural area and say we're homogenous. It was done for marketing reasons," he said.

Eberle isn't alone in his reservations about the utility of a Westside AVA. Last year, 31 area estates formed the Paso Robles AVA Committee, which has delineated 10 or possibly 11 new subappellations for the region.

In this evening’s class, Gary will discuss AVAs and the wines from the different areas, and will demonstrate to attendees the difference in the subtle flavors they produce.  This class will be of great interest to wine novices and oenophiliacs alike, but it will be extremely helpful to restaurant wine stewards and severs.

Since 1980, Dreadnought Wines in Pittsburgh's Strip District has proudly represented Eberle Wines in Pennsylvania, and owner Mike Gonze is thrilled to have this opportunity to share an evening with Gary, and sharing his award winning knowledge with Dreadnought clientele.

Pittsburgh wine lovers can learn from Gary Eberle, the man whose name is on the label, at this very special wine class on Wednesday, October 27th, 2010, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Dreadnought Wines store at 2013 Penn Avenue in the Strip District. Admission is $40. Reservations are required. Those interested in attending may RSVP by calling (412) 391-1709 or clicking below.