Why Buy Wine from an Independent Retailer

Wine shopping has never been easier for most of us (except for you, Utah). It's simple to buy online in most states. This works best if you already know the wine, the winery, or you have a trusted out-of-the-area retailer. Online is also best for larger purchases, as shipping on a bottle or two is cost prohibitive.

2023 Grape Growing Season in Sonoma County

 A Santa Rosa Press Democrat article in the Sunday paper is a wrap-up of the local harvest season. As it seems with most harvests, there is no perfect season. Actually, ask any farmer if they've had a perfect year because it never happens. The paper interviewed a few local winemakers and vineyard managers. 

The article is here. In case of a paywall I will hit the highlights and throw in a few of my own notes below.

Are There Too Many Appellations?

Per the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB, there are 269 Appellations, American Viticultural Areas/AVAs, official wine growing regions, or whatever you want to call them. About half are in California, where close to 90% of the country's wine comes from. How many AVAs are too many? 300? 400? 150?

You have to wonder who all of these small, mostly unknown growing areas are for? Sometimes I think they're more for the grape growers and winemakers who probably believe they can charge more for something that seems exclusive.

Grapes Trellising and Climate Change

   Concern about climate change is a real thing with grape growers and winemakers. Wine grape varieties are very susceptible to year-to-year weather changes. This means they will have problems with warmer growing seasons.

   Growers and winemakers are looking at ways to lessen the impact of hotter weather. One way is with trellising of grape vines in the vineyards. Climate change problems can be mitigated with the grape clusters' sun exposure.

First time? In a winery, I mean

If you've never been to a winery for tasting, it might seem a little scary or intimidating, especially if you don't know much about wine. Relax. The winery's staff is used to seeing people with varying degrees of knowledge and experience.

Here are some helpful tips to make it go well, for your enjoyment and the enjoyment of others in the tasting room.

Disneyland comes to Napa, Maybe

Per the Napa Valley Register, a Margaritaville Resort is under consideration by the local county government. The location would be in the hills east of NV on Lake Berryessa. It's a "family camping resort" per the Camp Margaritaville Resorts people. Other similar resorts contain lodging like villas, hotel rooms, cottages, and RV sites plus groceries, restaurants, and, of course, bars. They want to push this as some kind of kid-friendly campground because everybody will want to take their kids to Margaritaville in Napa (said with sarcasm). Decide for yourself.




Current marina on Lake Berryessa




Current camping at Lake Berryessa





Margaritaville Resort Orlando. Yikes!




Margaritaville Resort Lanier Islands, Georgia



As you can see, the resorts come in different shapes and sizes. Either way there would be lots of traffic heading up the narrow, curvy two-lane to Lake Berryessa. Many of the guests in RVs.



The roads to the lake

Sparkling Wine from Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino

The holidays are coming, get ready!

Sparkling wine is the generic term for still wines with added carbonation via a second fermentation.  In France there is Champagne and Cremant, in Spain Cava, and in Italy Prosecco and Spumante, plus other regional names. There are wineries in California that specialize in sparkling wine and quite a few others that may make one or two. Often those that just "dabble" in bubbles use their own grapes, but the extra steps to make a sparkling wine are done by someone that specializes in this, such as Rack & Riddle in Sonoma County.

Roundup in Your Wine

Roundup (glyphosate) has been in the news for many years. The World Health Organization called it a probable carcinogen in 2015. How much is too much? Any? The 700 ppb the EPA says is fine? A quick Internet search shows various U.S. nonprofit and government groups saying the limit is anywhere from 160 ppb to 1,000 ppb. It seems nobody really understands the long-term effects, or maybe they don't want to disrupt farming by outlawing it.

Glyphosate has been found in your drinking water. Heck, it's been found in rainwater. 

Oh yeah, alcohol is also a known carcinogen.

Napa Valley's Unrealistic Assumptions

Visitation is down in the California wine regions. Napa being the "star" means the focus is on them and what happens in Napa often spills over to other wine regions, especially next door in Sonoma. Some still think the low visitor count is a temporary issue with the post-Pandemic economic reset. Others are making unrealistic assumptions of how they are going to pull out of the downturn.