Wine from Newport? Glad I thought of it

“Great Wine Regions of the World”: Bordeaux, Napa, Tuscany,

Newport Beach.

Ridiculous, you say? Not if Richard Moriarty and Loren Blackwood

have their way.

Moriarty and Blackwood are the founders and proud parents of

Newport-Mesa’s one and only winery -- Newport Beach Vineyards and

Winery -- on Moriarty’s 3.5-acre Mesa Drive property on the Back Bay.

The idea of a commercial winery right in our own back yard caught

my eye for two reasons: One, it’s interesting. And two, it reminded

of one of my incredibly brilliant ideas, which -- like all my

incredibly brilliant ideas -- went nowhere. More on that later.

But what about Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery? Yes, yes, I can

see that doubtful look in your eye. (It’s a figure of speech. I can’t

really see you.) But this is no half-baked, tongue-in-cheek, “let’s

try making some wine” weekend fling thing.

Check out the eateries and wine merchants where you can find the

fermented fruits of Richard and Loren’s labor: Antonello’s, The

Arches, The Cannery, Pascal, Bistro Le Crillon, The Wine Merchant and

Hi-Time Wine Cellars. So there.

I must say, I like Moriarty’s approach to winemaking -- serious,

but not solemn. He doesn’t wax poetic about the perfect moment and

the ideal harvest.

“Once the grapes reach ripeness, the birds will let you know,”

Moriarty said. “My dog even eats them.”

That’s quite a contrast to serious wine people, who tend to be way

too serious, in my opinion -- like this description from the

Underground Wine Journal:

“The 1998 Cuvee Theo Riesling had a spicy, peachy nose and was

very dry and elegant on the palate with hints of peaches and a long,

steely, mineral finish.”

Good Lord. Can’t we just taste the stuff?

I didn’t know wines had noses, especially spicy, peachy ones. And

do you have anything without the steely, mineral finish?

What makes a great wine region great? I have no idea. Other than a

few Italian wines, what I know about wine couldn’t fill, well, a wine

glass.

But Moriarty said our climate, which he describes as a cross

between Baja and the Mediterranean, is ideal for the grape-biz. Other

wine experts, like Mike Heikka, and Blair Wallace, publisher of the

Underground Wine Journal, agree.

“The location is really intriguing, since it has similarities to

Bordeaux,” Wallace said.

Interesting. I have heard our little corner of the universe

compared to Bordeaux -- the famed coastal region in the south of

France -- more than a few times over the years.

You might (or might not) be interested to know that there was a

time when the grape, not the orange, was king in Southern California.

Long before Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino got all fruity and snooty, the

Southern California coast was teeming with vineyards and wineries.

Then, in the early 20th century, something called “Anaheim

disease” came along and wiped out 40,000 acres of vineyards in Orange

County alone. I don’t know if Mickey and Minnie had anything to do

with it, but it sounds suspicious to me.

Southern California wineries have mounted a comeback in recent

years, especially in the Temecula area, but for the most part, the

action is limited to smaller, exclusive boutique wineries. Moraga

Vineyards, on eight acres in Bel Air, is the estate of Tom Jones, the

former CEO of Northrup Corporation. Malibu Hills Vineyards, on 24

acres in the Malibu hills, is the pride and joy of L.A. real estate

mogul George Rosenthal.

If you’ve been keeping track of the acreage here -- 3.5 acres on

the Back Bay, eight acres in Bel Air and 24 acres in Malibu -- you’ve

learned something about boutique wineries in Southern California.

It’s not something you do to make a living.

Be that as it may, Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery appears to

be much more than a flash in the cask. They won a silver medal at the

2001 Orange County Fair for their Back Bay Cuvee and a gold medal at

this year’s fair for label design, which is Loren’s handiwork.

So the next time they hand you the wine list, tell them to hold

the stuff with the spicy, peachy nose, and bring out something from

Newport Beach Vineyards. Support your local winery. Today, Mesa

Drive. Tomorrow, the world.

Oh yeah, back to my incredibly brilliant idea:

When I served on the Toll Road Agency, we spent a lot of time

trying to think up other revenue sources.

I always thought the hillsides along the San Joaquin would be

ideal for vineyards. We could lease out the hillsides we controlled

to vintners, who would produce wine under our own label -- San

Joaquin Hills. We’d be the only transportation agency/winery in the

world.

Do you like it? Good. That makes two of us. I gotta go.

* PETER BUFFA is a former Costa Mesa mayor. His column runs

Sundays. He may be reached via e-mail at [email protected].