Wines Stories of 2020

  A look at the main stories covered in this blog for 2020. Yeah, guess what, the Covid pandemic tops the list as it related to the wine business. Second on the list were the wildfires.

Quirky Sonoma County

  There are a number of what you might call odd events that happen throughout the year in Sonoma County. You might not see anything quite like this back home.

The Father of Premium Wines

Unless you're a local to Sonoma County you've probably never heard of Agoston Haraszthy or even know how to pronounce his name. The Anglicized version is sort of ah-gas-ton hair-as-tee. He is the father of premium wine in California.

Wine Myths

There are a few things you hear or read about wine that just aren't true. Let's hit on a few.

The People Who Make the Wine You're Enjoying

  The people usually getting the credit are wine makers (deserved) or winery owners (not necessarily deserved). Like any successful company it's the people you hire that do the actual work.  In small wineries, as any small business, a person will wear multiple hats. What are their roles in the wine industry?

Plan to Visit Sonoma County During the Holidays?

  It won't be happening. Sonoma County announced a stay-at-home order effective December 12, 2020 through January 9, 2021. Tasting rooms are closed, restaurants are closed except for take-out, hotels are closed.

  How about Napa? As of the day I'm posting this Napa has not shut down, but they are near record levels for Covid cases so you have to expect it's coming.

  Stay safe. Sonoma County Stay At Home Order

 

12/16/20 Update: Napa County is about to close down also.

 

 

Drinking a Little Less

Yep, we've seen the studies about moderate consumption being healthy. We'd like to believe, but I think most of us have doubts about, the validity of these claims. This is why there's a trend to drinking less, drinking lower alcohol beverages, or not at all. Well, there's another way.

2020 California Wine Grape Harvest

You probably heard about the wildfire in Napa Valley during the 2020 grape harvest. Maybe you even thought, "OMG the wines are all ruined!"  Well, no. There were localized loses to California grapes, but there is plenty of wine being made and it sounds like it's been a pretty good to an outstanding year.

Following are some regional reports for the main premium wine grape areas. The info is from the 2020 Harvest Report from the Wine Institute.

Sonoma Zinfandel Producers to Look For

Chances are you aren't much of a zinfandel person if you live outside California because, unfortunately, most of the zins that make it into the distribution channels to your local stores are mediocre or, worse, pink.