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Champagne is judged by its clarity in a glass, how fine the bubbles are and how the bubbles rise.
“It should not bubble violently, but gradually and continuously from the bottom of the glass,’’ Dirgham said. “There should be bubbles until the last sip.”
Oasis wines have been winning medals in competitions since 1980. By the middle of last year, every Oasis wine had won at least one medal, bringing the total medal count for the vineyard to 36.
Research is one of the most important factors in the success of his and other American wineries.
“Americans use research to find innovative, new ways to make wine, unlike Europeans who don’t want to change anything,” Dirgham said. “The palatte and the nose are important, but research is important, too.”
In his lab, Dirgham checks the alcohol content of his wines and tests different blends.
Before bottling, Dirgham has another unusual practice. He invites 10 amateur wine makers to taste samples from his various wines. They are not allowed to discuss thenviews before they mark their opinions of each sample.
The group then holds a discussion and votes on the wines. Dirgham bottles according to the majority vote. “I figure that I’m not bottling according to my tastes, but according to a wider taste,” he said.
He that this year should be one of the best for Virginia wines because of the amount of sunshine and dry weather.
“There are 29 wineries in Virginia now, and all of us are pioneers because there is no one to tell us what to do like in Europe,” Dirgham said. “We’re lucky in Virginia, though, because when we have good weather, we have plenty of sugar, but we also have acidic soil. Nonacidic soil makes flat wines.”
Work at the winery is year-round as the wines are monitored and the
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