The Feiring Line

Climate Change Conference: what stood out?

The �Climate Change in Spain,� was a rather emotional panel. Amongst the six scientists was a guy Santiago Minguez, who I likened to the bully Ming from Flash Gordon. Minguez, who directs the enology program at INCAVI and is president of the enology commission for the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) berated those who water their �little gardens� at their beach homes but who also cry out against grape irrigation. (If he had said watered their lawn I�d have had more sympathy for his point of view). He fumed at the EU�s stupidity for not allowing the Spanish wine industry to "adjust for global warming." Minguez was jonesing for alcohol removal from either spinning cone, electrodyalisis or reverse osmosis. Presently, high end wines are allowed alcohol removal from wine on an 'experimental basis." It�s amazing how many people are experimenting for years. He also railed, "Get over it, in a few years everything we eat will be genetically modified." It was as if he was yelling at the audience to take their cod liver oil and stop complaining. During the Q&A one question was posed; couldn�t biodynamics and organics help the grape situation? In conferences dominated by scientists, biodynamics in particular provokes sneers, but Jose Ramon Lissarague a professor of viticulture in Madrid said he agreed. His response drew applause. In that lion's den, his agreement seemed brave. In subsequent panels, I listened to scientist after scientist looking for answers to global warming solely in technology. During the days I remembered ancient history: when I was in school, like from 1st grade on, I wouldn't raise my hand with the answer, often correct, because I thought it was so obvious, I had to be wrong. I�m not saying I have the answers to the rising wine alcohols, or shriveled grapes, or the difficulty of growing grapes with out adequate water, but on the other hand, I really don�t think I�m so far out in left field. New World wisdom tries to defy nature. Plant any grape where you want and use technology to deal with the consequences. Irrigate, change rootstock and trellising.Grow grapes so ripe that you need technology to bring it down into something drinkable. This simply has no logic. In any relationship, man and grape or man and man (or woman) if you force a situation, more often than not viticultural or emotional disaster follows. Global warming might transform Burgundy into a hot climate from a cool one. La Romanee Conti might cease to become the spot for stunning Burgundy. But, consider also that LRC has been around since the Middle Ages when the globe went through another extreme warming stage and had a reputation for gorgeous grapes and wine. Change is about to happen. That seems obvious. But the very nature of the Global Warming message was diminished because scientists (except Ming) repeated that what is at danger is the kind of wines the market is demanding now: big, bold and to me not beautiful. So even though winemakers will be dealing with more challenges, I came to suspect that the vignerons who deal with vintage variations as a part of their chosen life are going to swing with the changing climate way more effectively than big business. To those running scared I bring this story: Gideon Bienenstock, an Israeli vintner in California told me two years ago that the most remarkable fruits he ever tasted were from non-irrigated, abandoned fruit trees in the Sinai, �Shriveled but amazing.� This is also what the legendary Japanese fruit farmer, Masanobu Fukuoka, found, he grew the best fruits, by doing nothing except observing and following nature. Grape vines are amongst the most adaptable fruit bearers. Santorini makes fresh lively white wines from a terroir that receives two inches of rain a year when the conventional wisdom says vines need at least 16 inches of rain a year. Why? Perhaps instead of trying to control grape vines, perhaps we could use a few scientists on board who observe nature and want to husband the grapes into wine instead of sculpting the wine into what the market thinks it wants. So, in the end, what did I take away? A more serious look at the fact that taste of certain wines are going to be changing and that is going to impact not so much small vignerons who are better equipped to adapt, but big business wineries. Michel Rolland's behavior was stunningly insulting. The New World is going to be more pressed to observe the rules of nature, meaning perhaps people won't continue to grow chardonnay in hot climates. Vermentino (the oh-so-lovely grape of Italy's southern islands and France's Corsica (also called Rolle in the south of France) because it does so well in heat is the new Chardonnay. Cabernet Franc will be the new Merlot. Syrah (in this conference calle a hot weather grape) will continue to be abused by the new world. England is going to be the next Champagne Belgium will be home to the next Burgundy. And, these committees could use a humanist to temper alll of those scientists.

Climate Change Conference: what stood out?

The �Climate Change in Spain,� was a rather emotional panel. Amongst the six scientists was a guy Santiago Minguez, who I likened to the bully Ming from Flash Gordon. Minguez, who directs the enology program at INCAVI and is president of the enology commission for the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) berated those who water their �little gardens� at their beach homes but who also cry out against grape irrigation. (If he had said watered their lawn I�d have had more sympathy for his point of view). He fumed at the EU�s stupidity for not allowing the Spanish wine industry to "adjust for global warming." Minguez was jonesing for alcohol removal from either spinning cone, electrodyalisis or reverse osmosis. Presently, high end wines are allowed alcohol removal from wine on an 'experimental basis." It�s amazing how many people are experimenting for years. He also railed, "Get over it, in a few years everything we eat will be genetically modified." It was as if he was yelling at the audience to take their cod liver oil and stop complaining. During the Q&A one question was posed; couldn�t biodynamics and organics help the grape situation? In conferences dominated by scientists, biodynamics in particular provokes sneers, but Jose Ramon Lissarague a professor of viticulture in Madrid said he agreed. His response drew applause. In that lion's den, his agreement seemed brave. In subsequent panels, I listened to scientist after scientist looking for answers to global warming solely in technology. During the days I remembered ancient history: when I was in school, like from 1st grade on, I wouldn't raise my hand with the answer, often correct, because I thought it was so obvious, I had to be wrong. I�m not saying I have the answers to the rising wine alcohols, or shriveled grapes, or the difficulty of growing grapes with out adequate water, but on the other hand, I really don�t think I�m so far out in left field. New World wisdom tries to defy nature. Plant any grape where you want and use technology to deal with the consequences. Irrigate, change rootstock and trellising.Grow grapes so ripe that you need technology to bring it down into something drinkable. This simply has no logic. In any relationship, man and grape or man and man (or woman) if you force a situation, more often than not viticultural or emotional disaster follows. Global warming might transform Burgundy into a hot climate from a cool one. La Romanee Conti might cease to become the spot for stunning Burgundy. But, consider also that LRC has been around since the Middle Ages when the globe went through another extreme warming stage and had a reputation for gorgeous grapes and wine. Change is about to happen. That seems obvious. But the very nature of the Global Warming message was diminished because scientists (except Ming) repeated that what is at danger is the kind of wines the market is demanding now: big, bold and to me not beautiful. So even though winemakers will be dealing with more challenges, I came to suspect that the vignerons who deal with vintage variations as a part of their chosen life are going to swing with the changing climate way more effectively than big business. To those running scared I bring this story: Gideon Bienenstock, an Israeli vintner in California told me two years ago that the most remarkable fruits he ever tasted were from non-irrigated, abandoned fruit trees in the Sinai, �Shriveled but amazing.� This is also what the legendary Japanese fruit farmer, Masanobu Fukuoka, found, he grew the best fruits, by doing nothing except observing and following nature. Grape vines are amongst the most adaptable fruit bearers. Santorini makes fresh lively white wines from a terroir that receives two inches of rain a year when the conventional wisdom says vines need at least 16 inches of rain a year. Why? Perhaps instead of trying to control grape vines, perhaps we could use a few scientists on board who observe nature and want to husband the grapes into wine instead of sculpting the wine into what the market thinks it wants. So, in the end, what did I take away? A more serious look at the fact that taste of certain wines are going to be changing and that is going to impact not so much small vignerons who are better equipped to adapt, but big business wineries. Michel Rolland's behavior was stunningly insulting. The New World is going to be more pressed to observe the rules of nature, meaning perhaps people won't continue to grow chardonnay in hot climates. Vermentino (the oh-so-lovely grape of Italy's southern islands and France's Corsica (also called Rolle in the south of France) because it does so well in heat is the new Chardonnay. Cabernet Franc will be the new Merlot. Syrah (in this conference calle a hot weather grape) will continue to be abused by the new world. England is going to be the next Champagne Belgium will be home to the next Burgundy. And, these committees could use a humanist to temper alll of those scientists.

Global Warming & Wine Conference: M. Rolland guided tasting

The tasting panel at the conference. From left to right, Jacques Lurton, Michel Rolland and the conference's leader, Pancho Campo. If I ever needed justification for Jonathan Nossiter's portrait of Michel Rolland, (other than when he spilled a glass of champagne all over my silk dress and didn't even offer me an apology or a napkin) I got it on the Friday evening wine tasting he co-ran with Lurton. The tasting was a blind one. Ten wines. Grape speculation was culled from the audience. The crowd was increasingly flummoxed. Lurton cajoled, "Come on, aren't there any MW's out there?" After the 4th wine and 4th strike out on the crowd's part, the audience grew reticent. Rolland said with (was that really a sneer?) that it was normal after making so many mistake that people remained silent. No one laughed. Frankly, I don't know how I got 5 correct out of 10. The most horrifying wine showed to us was the 2003 Domaine de la Perruche Saumur-Champigny, which because of the plastered on toasty oak, I took to be a new world Argentinian malbec. M. Rolland found it a happy result of Global Warming. I found it to be pre-fabbed for the 'important' wine critics. It was toasted and roasted and had none of the gorgeous natural textural velvet the grape can produce. I've had plenty of other Loire cabs from 2003, that were ripe but still true to themselves. When Rolland's own 2003 Bordeaux Fontanil from Fronsac was showed, so did his inner peacock. Rolland said, "For us, Bordeaux doesn't have any impact from Global Warming." The wine tasted like burnt meat painted with toast (I thought it was his merlot from Virginia). I had the feeling that his only use for something like gamay would be mouth wash. I did get my first sight of Belgium. This was the 2003 Genoels-Elderen, a chardonnay. It was minty but so leesy it was hard to tell anything about it except it was reaching for a style, and achieved it. That style would be an overoaked California chadonnay. However, if someone was working naturally there, I'd be curious to see more from the area. If they had taken questions or comments I would have said that it was no wonder the guesses was so off, except for the Zund Humbrecht gewurtz, the tasting was a grand one to show that the world was making wine without typicity. Beyond global warming, this was style choice. While the men on the panel (there were no women participating in the conference) were proud of their little tasting, the hour and a half left the audience scratching their heads.

Global Warming & Wine Conference: M. Rolland guided tasting

The tasting panel at the conference. From left to right, Jacques Lurton, Michel Rolland and the conference's leader, Pancho Campo. If I ever needed justification for Jonathan Nossiter's portrait of Michel Rolland, (other than when he spilled a glass of champagne all over my silk dress and didn't even offer me an apology or a napkin) I got it on the Friday evening wine tasting he co-ran with Lurton. The tasting was a blind one. Ten wines. Grape speculation was culled from the audience. The crowd was increasingly flummoxed. Lurton cajoled, "Come on, aren't there any MW's out there?" After the 4th wine and 4th strike out on the crowd's part, the audience grew reticent. Rolland said with (was that really a sneer?) that it was normal after making so many mistake that people remained silent. No one laughed. Frankly, I don't know how I got 5 correct out of 10. The most horrifying wine showed to us was the 2003 Domaine de la Perruche Saumur-Champigny, which because of the plastered on toasty oak, I took to be a new world Argentinian malbec. M. Rolland found it a happy result of Global Warming. I found it to be pre-fabbed for the 'important' wine critics. It was toasted and roasted and had none of the gorgeous natural textural velvet the grape can produce. I've had plenty of other Loire cabs from 2003, that were ripe but still true to themselves. When Rolland's own 2003 Bordeaux Fontanil from Fronsac was showed, so did his inner peacock. Rolland said, "For us, Bordeaux doesn't have any impact from Global Warming." The wine tasted like burnt meat painted with toast (I thought it was his merlot from Virginia). I had the feeling that his only use for something like gamay would be mouth wash. I did get my first sight of Belgium. This was the 2003 Genoels-Elderen, a chardonnay. It was minty but so leesy it was hard to tell anything about it except it was reaching for a style, and achieved it. That style would be an overoaked California chadonnay. However, if someone was working naturally there, I'd be curious to see more from the area. If they had taken questions or comments I would have said that it was no wonder the guesses was so off, except for the Zund Humbrecht gewurtz, the tasting was a grand one to show that the world was making wine without typicity. Beyond global warming, this was style choice. While the men on the panel (there were no women participating in the conference) were proud of their little tasting, the hour and a half left the audience scratching their heads.

The Winners in Global Warming

Bruo Prats was up after the coffee break. In case you don't know him, he is the former owner of Cos Estournel. He said in the 70's the Chateau chaptalized all vintages. In the 80's, eight out of ten was chapped. In the 90's they just did reverse osmosis (which he said was more 'natural') In the past few years nothing. (I doubt that, possible they RO'ed in 2004). And so he is terribly excited about the technology fixes available to neutralize the effect of climate change on grapes, especially 'cause he's a flying winemaker in the Duoro, Chile and South Africa. Everyone looking for the new frontier is excited about wine, Denmark, Belgium and especially England. Right now Stephen Skelton--flashing is UK tee-shirt proudly under his sportscoat, is up and talking. He came back from Germany after the 1976 harvest. In 1975, there was nothing under Auslese. His first harvest, in 1979. In those days natural alcohol was 6% (like strong beer). The significant change is a great deal of hot days, it has made the yields more reliable and natural alcohol is up to 9%. So it now is possible to produce wines other than sparklers, now vinifera instead of hybrids are doing well. Let's see what the cute and charasmatic Jacques Lurton is up to. "In 2003 there was a problem. In 2004, I said let's try an irrigation trial. We selected 2 h in Pessac, cab and merlot. We had to declassify these to table wines." He's talking to fast and it's a little confusing but he is saying that he is a big fan of irrigation. "Finding solutions to reduce the carbon footprint fight against each other. If you plow, you burn fuel. Better to use herbicide?" he poses. I remember in the 80's putting massive amounts of sugar in white bordeaux and today we don't have to. At the same time we cannot lose the flavors of our sauvignon." (tasted his yesterday, they have no typicity. No one in the room could identify the wines as sauvignon they were so tropical.) But, he said, he doesn't believe in adding acidity. (Funny, everyone has their own way of keeping kosher.)

The Winners in Global Warming

Bruo Prats was up after the coffee break. In case you don't know him, he is the former owner of Cos Estournel. He said in the 70's the Chateau chaptalized all vintages. In the 80's, eight out of ten was chapped. In the 90's they just did reverse osmosis (which he said was more 'natural') In the past few years nothing. (I doubt that, possible they RO'ed in 2004). And so he is terribly excited about the technology fixes available to neutralize the effect of climate change on grapes, especially 'cause he's a flying winemaker in the Duoro, Chile and South Africa. Everyone looking for the new frontier is excited about wine, Denmark, Belgium and especially England. Right now Stephen Skelton--flashing is UK tee-shirt proudly under his sportscoat, is up and talking. He came back from Germany after the 1976 harvest. In 1975, there was nothing under Auslese. His first harvest, in 1979. In those days natural alcohol was 6% (like strong beer). The significant change is a great deal of hot days, it has made the yields more reliable and natural alcohol is up to 9%. So it now is possible to produce wines other than sparklers, now vinifera instead of hybrids are doing well. Let's see what the cute and charasmatic Jacques Lurton is up to. "In 2003 there was a problem. In 2004, I said let's try an irrigation trial. We selected 2 h in Pessac, cab and merlot. We had to declassify these to table wines." He's talking to fast and it's a little confusing but he is saying that he is a big fan of irrigation. "Finding solutions to reduce the carbon footprint fight against each other. If you plow, you burn fuel. Better to use herbicide?" he poses. I remember in the 80's putting massive amounts of sugar in white bordeaux and today we don't have to. At the same time we cannot lose the flavors of our sauvignon." (tasted his yesterday, they have no typicity. No one in the room could identify the wines as sauvignon they were so tropical.) But, he said, he doesn't believe in adding acidity. (Funny, everyone has their own way of keeping kosher.)

Live Blogging from Climate Change and Wine Conference

Barcelona, Spain I'm sitting in a large dining room in the Barbarellesque Hotel Hesperia, the site of the 2nd Climate Change and Wine Conference, hosted by the La Academia del Vino de Espana with extra money from big biz--such as Amorim, Contesllation, Banrock Station and the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) so you get the picture, yes this is about the effect of Global Warming on wine but also it is about big business running scared about losing their gamble with the wine industry. Global Warming not only means a warmer earth in parts but also wildly unpredictable climates, something business, as they don't have souls of farmers, can't deal with. FYI, while I like Ernie Loosen from the Mosel loads, he came the closest to a natural wine maker in the room and the panels. This is the second day and up til, now, 10:00 on Saturday morning, it's been been fascinating. Right now Greg Jones, a climatologist takes the podium after the way more contentious Hans Schultz from Germany at Geisenheim. Who said, "The EU doesn't allow for climate adjustment.' Meaning, reverse osmosis, irrigation and acidulation. He showed a bunch of pictures of shirveled, sunburnt grapes (non-irrigated) and irrigated-- nice plump ones, that help coax those "tropical" flavors. Schultz as well as so many other of the scientists focused their mission on, "What the market wants' and that means shaping the wines with technology---or as he said, "climate adjustment," gotta love spin. So I addressed a very Alice -like question. "Why is science focused on the markets desire for artificial flavors instead of working to produce the most natural wines possible?" Instead of Hans, Dr. Greg Jones a climatologist from the University of Southern Oregon, answered. He resonated with the question, and mentioned the sad fact that economics (big business) was a part of the equation. This was the only mention of this fact over the two days. After Jones got off the podium I had the chance to talk to him as well as Dr. Richard Smart, the famed Australian leader in canopy management and got these terrific quotes. Jones: "What Michel Rolland said yesterday, that he has not seen climate change in the areas he works in is utter bullshit." (Rolland is here, more on that later) He went on to express outrage on the big disconnect and short-sidedness of people like Rolland. "He wasn't making wine 40 years ago, so he doesn't remember." But also obviously, he doesn't want to know. After he walked on to get his coffee I got into it with Smart who had given a lively talk yesterday on the need to plant to the right soil (duh?), but also he believes in the essential role of irrigation. When I told him I wasn't a fan of watering as a paradigm he said, "If you can tell the difference between irrigated vines and non-irrigated vines that is, if you'll excuse me, uncategorical bullshit (the word, by the way, was the term of the morning). Having a conversation with you about irrigation is like having a conversation about Biodynamics, which I don't believe in." With that he excused himself and went to get coffee.

Live Blogging from Climate Change and Wine Conference

Barcelona, Spain I'm sitting in a large dining room in the Barbarellesque Hotel Hesperia, the site of the 2nd Climate Change and Wine Conference, hosted by the La Academia del Vino de Espana with extra money from big biz--such as Amorim, Contesllation, Banrock Station and the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) so you get the picture, yes this is about the effect of Global Warming on wine but also it is about big business running scared about losing their gamble with the wine industry. Global Warming not only means a warmer earth in parts but also wildly unpredictable climates, something business, as they don't have souls of farmers, can't deal with. FYI, while I like Ernie Loosen from the Mosel loads, he came the closest to a natural wine maker in the room and the panels. This is the second day and up til, now, 10:00 on Saturday morning, it's been been fascinating. Right now Greg Jones, a climatologist takes the podium after the way more contentious Hans Schultz from Germany at Geisenheim. Who said, "The EU doesn't allow for climate adjustment.' Meaning, reverse osmosis, irrigation and acidulation. He showed a bunch of pictures of shirveled, sunburnt grapes (non-irrigated) and irrigated-- nice plump ones, that help coax those "tropical" flavors. Schultz as well as so many other of the scientists focused their mission on, "What the market wants' and that means shaping the wines with technology---or as he said, "climate adjustment," gotta love spin. So I addressed a very Alice -like question. "Why is science focused on the markets desire for artificial flavors instead of working to produce the most natural wines possible?" Instead of Hans, Dr. Greg Jones a climatologist from the University of Southern Oregon, answered. He resonated with the question, and mentioned the sad fact that economics (big business) was a part of the equation. This was the only mention of this fact over the two days. After Jones got off the podium I had the chance to talk to him as well as Dr. Richard Smart, the famed Australian leader in canopy management and got these terrific quotes. Jones: "What Michel Rolland said yesterday, that he has not seen climate change in the areas he works in is utter bullshit." (Rolland is here, more on that later) He went on to express outrage on the big disconnect and short-sidedness of people like Rolland. "He wasn't making wine 40 years ago, so he doesn't remember." But also obviously, he doesn't want to know. After he walked on to get his coffee I got into it with Smart who had given a lively talk yesterday on the need to plant to the right soil (duh?), but also he believes in the essential role of irrigation. When I told him I wasn't a fan of watering as a paradigm he said, "If you can tell the difference between irrigated vines and non-irrigated vines that is, if you'll excuse me, uncategorical bullshit (the word, by the way, was the term of the morning). Having a conversation with you about irrigation is like having a conversation about Biodynamics, which I don't believe in." With that he excused himself and went to get coffee.

Alice Makes Page Six

I'm in Spain and a friend sent the link, which unfortunately I cannot get to work on this site. At first I thought it was a joke! Read the text below or use your Google. +++ Critic Blamed for 'Raspy' Wine Posted Wed. Feb. 13, 2008 7:05am by Page Six Filed Under Fresh Ink AN award-winning food writer has declared war against influential wine critic Robert Parker, saying the power he wields in rating cabernets, chardonnays, merlots and other vintages has caused vineyards to dumb down their wines just to please him. In The Battle for Wine and Love � Or How I Saved the World from Parkerization, Alice Feiring, a James Beard Foundation Award-winning journalist, fumes that Parker's "tastes have become bigger than himself . . . the quest to make a wine that will attract Parker's attention has created wines that have such concentrated power that delicacy and minerality are overpowered." For years, Parker, 60, has defined American wine criticism with his "100-point scale" in The Wine Advocate magazine � reviews that can raise or lower prices and are relied upon by wine merchants around the world. That's led vineyards to create a "standardized wine" that could be made almost anywhere � one that often relies on "technology and additives to rack up Parker points," Feiring writes. "At stake is the soul of wine. This is the giant corporation vs. the independent winemaker . . . wine is being reduced to the common denominator, and this is sacrilegious." Feiring jets to vineyards around the world to speak with winemakers who admit they've tweaked their formulas in a bid to please Parker � using commercial yeasts instead of indigenous yeasts, and certain woods to produce harder-edged tannins "that feel raspy, as if steel bristles were brushing the back of my throat." She finally confronts Parker: "Come on Bob, you're bigger than yourself. You can't deny that you've become an icon!" But Parker � who did not respond to an e-mail from Page Six � fires back in the book: "Myths about me get embellished, exaggerated . . . No one in the history of wine has done more for the small artisanal producer � the kind of people you claim you like � than I have. You're trying to paint me [as] a big globalist, a tyrant, and a dictator . . . I hear that people make wine for me all of the time. It's like the Spanish Inquisition." The Harcourt title hits stores in April.

Alice Makes Page Six

I'm in Spain and a friend sent the link, which unfortunately I cannot get to work on this site. At first I thought it was a joke! Read the text below or use your Google.

+++ Critic Blamed for 'Raspy' Wine Posted Wed. Feb. 13, 2008 7:05am by Page Six Filed Under Fresh Ink

AN award-winning food writer has declared war against influential wine critic Robert Parker, saying the power he wields in rating cabernets, chardonnays, merlots and other vintages has caused vineyards to dumb down their wines just to please him. In The Battle for Wine and Love  Or How I Saved the World from Parkerization, Alice Feiring, a James Beard Foundation Award-winning journalist, fumes that Parker's "tastes have become bigger than himself . . . the quest to make a wine that will attract Parker's attention has created wines that have such concentrated power that delicacy and minerality are overpowered."

For years, Parker, 60, has defined American wine criticism with his "100-point scale" in The Wine Advocate magazine reviews that can raise or lower prices and are relied upon by wine merchants around the world. That's led vineyards to create a "standardized wine" that could be made almost anywhere  one that often relies on "technology and additives to rack up Parker points," Feiring writes. "At stake is the soul of wine. This is the giant corporation vs. the independent winemaker . . . wine is being reduced to the common denominator, and this is sacrilegious."

Feiring jets to vineyards around the world to speak with winemakers who admit they've tweaked their formulas in a bid to please Parker  using commercial yeasts instead of indigenous yeasts, and certain woods to produce harder-edged tannins "that feel raspy, as if steel bristles were brushing the back of my throat." She finally confronts Parker: "Come on Bob, you're bigger than yourself. You can't deny that you've become an icon!"

But Parker  who did not respond to an e-mail from Page Six  fires back in the book: "Myths about me get embellished, exaggerated . . . No one in the history of wine has done more for the small artisanal producer  the kind of people you claim you like  than I have. You're trying to paint me [as] a big globalist, a tyrant, and a dictator . . . I hear that people make wine for me all of the time. It's like the Spanish Inquisition." The Harcourt title hits stores in April.