Tasting Fees: Many Wineries Are Getting It

Tasting room fees have doubled since 2012. Tasting room traffic is way down. Coincidence?

Premium Canned Wine

Wine in cans started with a sweet, fruity, fizzy beverage in a can with a cute, colorful label on the outside. It's growing up and becoming a beverage for adults rather than for college kids at the beach or maybe sneaking them into movie theaters and concerts.

2026 Direct-To-Consumer Wine Report

Silicon Valley Bank's yearly report is a benchmark on the current state of the American wine industry. They put out two major annual reports, The State of the U.S. Wine Industry, and this one, the Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) Wine Report. Direct-to-consumer and wholesale are the channels for a winery to sell product. DTC means they get to keep all the profit, wholesale means it's shared with the wholesalers and retailers.

Is Overripe Over?

By overripe, I mean the soft, lush, blockbuster fruity wines of California. By questioning if they are finished as a style, I mean they aren't going away anytime soon, but are they losing popularity. We are seeing a return by some winemakers to what I consider more balanced and structured wines.

Coming to Sonoma County?

If you're flying into Northern California to visit Sonoma County or Napa Valley, rather than landing in San Francisco or Sacramento, consider flying directly into wine country. There are plenty of flights into the Sonoma County Airport (STS).

Here's the current list from the Petaluma Argus-Courier. This information is also at the airport's site.

Approximate drive times from STS: 

Healdsburg  13 minutes
Sonoma  50 minutes
Calistoga  32 minutes
Napa  65 minutes

The Wine Sub-Culture

Wine same customs have been around for many generations, and it seems almost impossible to change any of them. It's not all necessarily bad, but some things make you wonder.

If We Lose Wineries During the Downturn

California's wine industry experienced explosive growth in the 2010-2020 timeframe, adding roughly 1,500 wineries between 2010 and 2020 alone. Since the mid-1990s the number of wineries in America has been on a steep climb.

Zinfandel on the Rebound?

Premium Zinfandel appears to be bucking the broader trend of declining wine sales. Some white wines are also bucking the trend.

Pour Decisions (Wine Jokes)

 Friday funnies time. Might be some dad jokes in there.

Dining Out is not as Popular as it Once Was

About 20% of U.S. wine is sold to restaurants generating at least 40% of sales in dollar value, because of restaurant mark-ups. There's bad news on that front as inflation eats into people's eating out habits.

Sonoma/Napa Recent News

Recent winery-related happenings in Sonoma and Napa County.

Happy Hour at the Winery

image from sonomamag.com

 

More innovation is being used to attract more foot traffic. Several Sonoma and Napa wineries are hosting evening happy hours featuring wines by the glass, small bites, and even a food truck. Grab some friends, then head over, and grab a glass of wine.

Last year, a nearby Sonoma Valley winery did this. I went once, but their by-the-glass prices kept me from going back a second time. I'm going to check it out again this year. It's a great idea for the summer if done right.

Wineries Embrace Happy Hour from Sonoma Magazine.