This wine grape’s Symphony of flavors a perfect blend of fruity and floral
Symphony is defined as something regarded, typically favorably, as a composition of different elements.
Many wines are a symphony, a favorable combination of different elements, but only one wine grape is called Symphony.
The late Dr. Harold Olmo created Symphony grapes while at University of California, Davis, by crossing Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache gris. The white grape was one of 30 new varieties Olmo developed for the California wine and table grape markets over his 50-year career. Olmo began developing Symphony in 1948, but it took more than 30 years to produce a viable cultivar. Symphony finally was introduced commercially in 1981 and planted in 1983.
In the glass, Symphony generally is off-dry (a trace of sweetness) and has pronounced floral and stone fruit aromas and flavors, such as lychee, peaches and apricots, with enough acid so as not to taste flabby (unbalanced, lacking structure). Symphony, a composition of different elements, is an aptly named wine grape.
Lodi winegrower and vintner Richard Ripken worked with Olmo and has farmed and made wine from Symphony.
“It’s very prolific,” said Ripken, a recent inductee into the San Joaquin Agricultural Hall of Fame and owner/winemaker of Ripken Winery in Lodi. “You have to have a good trellis and it makes what I call a peachy Muscat. It’s not a Muscat of Alexandria. It’s not heavy duty, but it has this wonderful peachy nose to it.”
If you’ve never heard of or never tried Symphony, you’re not alone. Only 36,000 tons were crushed statewide last year compared to 600,000 tons of Chardonnay. Symphony hasn’t exactly swept over the wine world, which is curious because vintners say people usually like it when they try it: entry-level wine drinkers appreciate Symphony’s approachability; those who like wines with a touch of sweetness over tannic red wines tend to be fans; and people who don’t prefer sweeter wines can enjoy Symphony because it isn’t cloying.
Symphony generally has 11 percent to 13 percent alcohol by volume and works as an aperitif or digestif and goes with melon wrapped in prosciutto, smoked salmon with dill and lemon, and spicy cuisine, such as Buffalo chicken wings, jerk chicken, Szechwan, Thai and Indian food.
Symphony is one of some 125 wine grape varieties grown in Lodi, and several Lodi vintners are crafting delicious wine with it.
Ironstone Vineyards named its Symphony “Obsession” based on consumers’ zealous reaction when the wine was released in the tasting room.
“It was supposed to be a tasting room-only item,” said Joan Kautz, Vice President, International Operations at Ironstone. “Then we took it to some consumer events and the style of it just created this demand and that’s where the name comes from because consumers get obsessed with it.”
The 2017 Obsession Symphony ($12) has the grape’s trademark aromas and flavors, plus tropical notes and hints of ginger with a clean and crisp finish.
Steve Millier, Vice President and Director of Winemaking at Ironstone and owner/winemaker at Milliaire Winery in Murphy’s, said there are two key factors in crafting Symphony.
“The two most important things for us are when do we pick it and when to arrest (the fermentation),” Millier said. “If we’re successful at both, we’re going to have a really nice wine.”
When picked at 22 to 23.5 brix (sugar), Symphony retains its acidity and charming floral character. Any riper, Millier said, and the grape loses its floral aromatics. Fermentation is stopped at about 20 grams of residual sugar per liter. Any drier, and the wine would be too austere.
In 1984, Lodi’s Michael David Winery was one of, if not, the first grower in California to plant Symphony as a commercial varietal and has released Symphony every vintage since. The 2018 should be released early in 2019 and likely will be priced between $15 and $20 per bottle. Jeff Farthing has made Symphony each of the 10 years he’s been a winemaker at Michael David and said the wine is quaffable when young but also has staying power.
“Aged Symphony is really fabulous,” Farthing said. “When you get a little bit of that maderization (a form of oxidation that gives white wine a brownish color and caramelized flavor like that of Madeira) in the bottle, it really works well with the sugar, and it can be wonderful, especially with super-oily foods, like foie gras. Aged Symphony is to die-for. It’s a wonderful combination.”
Other Lodi wineries that offer Symphony include D’art Wines ($22), Twisted Barrel ($14), Scotto Family Cellars ($16) and Durst Winery in its Amada Mia White Blend ($24).
“It crosses over into so many cuisines that work into what people like. It does well,” Kautz said. “It’s one of our best-selling wines.”