Pushing You Up the Price Ladder

Americans, and others, love to treat themselves. Whether it's $80 jeans or an $80 wine, we deserve it. In case you weren't aware, you are being helped in the premiumization of your consumption by those that stand to gain from it.

Sauvignon Blanc is Hot

SALES of Sauvignon Blanc are hot, that is, you should always serve it cold.  :)

Sauv Blanc trails Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir in popularity in the U.S. But Sauvignon Blanc is the one gaining the most in sales (with Pinot Gris second). It seems some consumers are turning to reasonably priced crisp whites.

Does the Wine Industry Worry Too Much?

The vineyard folks worry about climate change, pests, water supplies and more. I figure that's okay because farmers are supposed to worry. When it comes to the future of wine sales, there's a lot of worry to go around and I'm not sure that it's all necessary.

Ken Wilson's Expanding Empire

  Maybe you've heard of Wilson, Mazzocco, or Soda Rock wineries. That's just three of the eleven in the Wilson Artisan Wine collection throughout Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. It's definitely a collection, as Ken collects wineries, B&Bs, and vineyards like others collect bottles of wine. Ken and winemaker Diane Wilson's wineries also collect lots of gold medals. 

 Ken has added a new winery to his bevy of businesses.

Napa Valley Cabernet is the New Merlot

That's crazy! 

Hear me out.

North Coast Wine Challenge 2024, the Big Winners

Yes, it's another wine judging! This one is local and allows wines from all over the region -- Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Lake, Mendocino, Solano Counties.

Marketing a Winery to a Younger Audience

For background, the wine industry foresees big trouble ahead. The generation that fueled the wine boom of the last few decades is aging out, and the younger ones don't seem as interested in wine.

One winery may have found a way to grab onto the future.

Why Pinot Noir is So Popular

Pinot Noir has been the darling of the American wine world for a couple of decades. Why is it so popular? The previous post, Why Pinot Noir Is So Expensive, touched on its popularity related to price increases over the past several years. This post will be about why everyone loves Pinot.

Why Pinot Noir Is So Expensive

Pinot Noir is the new darling. Actually, not that new anymore, as it's been on a 20 year run. It seemed to start about the time of the release of the movie Sideways that hailed Pinot Noir at the expense of Merlot. If you look at the numbers though, Pinot Noir was already gaining followers before the movie. 

Where there is rapidly increasing demand, there will be increased prices. And, boy, have we seen prices go up!

Wine Labels, Part 2, Producer Terms

Part one of understanding American wine labels was published a couple of days ago. That one covered the basics of government-mandated information on labels, except for producer info. Examples of this are "produced and bottled by" or "cellared by." These terms are confusing and are pretty important to your understanding of the quality of a bottle of wine. 

When I shop, I look at the appellation, the alcohol percentage, and this producer info to help me decide if I will like the wine.

Understanding Wine Labels

What does all the information on an American wine label mean? Let's take a look at the legally required part, what the government says has to be there. A little knowledge can help you pick out the right wine. This is better than choosing by the artwork or just picking up a celebrity wine. Yeah, we all like Snoop Dogg, but that doesn't mean 19 Crimes is always your best choice.  :)

The blog post coming later this week will focus just on the producer information because that one piece of information is a bit complicated, but can be very important.

A Look at Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon along with Chardonnay are the most popular wines in the world. Anyone who has ever had any wine at all probably has an opinion on Cab Sauv. Anyone who considers themselves a wine aficionado / snob / expert will have an appreciation for this wine. Some only drink Cabernet. Of the 1,300 or so grape varieties used to make wine Cabernet Sauvignon is king.

For years, people have loved to dissect and offer opinions on Napa Valley Cabernet, and for much longer on Bordeaux wines.

International Riesling Day

Wednesday, March 13th is World Riesling Day, sometimes called International Riesling Day. This was proclaimed by Germany, as this day marks the first known written mention of Riesling - March 13, 1435. It's been around longer than many popular grapes.

Old, Historic Wineries of Sonoma County

A couple of days ago was Old historic wineries of Napa Valley. Today it's Sonoma's turn.

Old, Historic Wineries of Napa Valley

What are some of the oldest wineries in Napa Valley? Here's a look at a few of them you can visit.

Wine Industry Shipping Data

The Silicon Valley Bank released its annual State of the US Wine Industry report. Following is some info on shipping from 2023. Other insights from the report are in the previous post, dated Feb 13th.

Overall, shipping wine to consumers is down. Washington State, however, went against the trend and increased their shipping by 5.5% in volume and 11% in dollars. Most of the growth was in Cabernet Sauvignon. Washington's volume is less than 20% of California's.

Napa Valley is still on top, with almost half of the $4 billion US wine shipping market. The average price of a bottle of Napa Cab shipping was $132! It sounds like some Cabernet Sauvignon lovers are buying from Washington state now.

All direct-to-consumer sales are down as tasting room visitation dropped for the second straight year. This is probably due to the cost, as lodging and tasting room fees have increased significantly in the most popular wine country regions.

State of the US Wine Industry

The annual State of the US Wine Industry Report from Silicon Valley Bank is out. Shipping data will be  covered in the next post. Following are highlights on the rest. Their data is based on wineries responding to a survey.

Wine Tasting Funnies

 Time to joke it up

The Rise and Fall of Vintage Wine Estates

Vintage Wine Estates (VWE on Nasdaq) is a company that owns multiple brands. They are small compared to the likes of Constellation Brands or Gallo. The company was born about 20 years ago right here in Santa Rosa, CA, and they are apparently in trouble.

pH in Wine

Wine is chemistry-driven. Wine writer Dan Berger has written many great, no nonsense articles on the subject of wine over many years. This one is about the influence of pH on what makes a good dinner wine or what should age well. An important bit of information for the wine drinker, even if the subject is a little nerdy.   :)

The Unforeseen Influence of pH on Wine Quality 

Low Cost Wine Tastings in Napa

  The last I read, someone had figured out the average cost of a wine tasting in Napa was about $60, the Visit Napa Valley website says $40 is the average for basic tastings, an unscientific check I did of four random tastings rooms scattered throughout the valley shows $50-$75 for their cheapest tasting. The average cost of a bottle in Napa has been over $100 for a while. Before you say, "OMG!" remember these are averages, meaning there are plenty below this. 

  The trick is finding them without cruising through the websites for hundreds of wineries. The last winery I knew of that offered free tastings was Sutter Home, but they are now $10. So they are probably the cheapest.

Visiting Napa, but not for Cabernet or Chardonnay?

You mean there's something in Napa Valley besides Cab and Chard? I know, a wild thought, but there are alternatives!

Yes, this is a Sonoma Wine Blog, but our next door neighbor is Napa. For folks that go to Napa Valley, but maybe tire of Chard and Cab after a while or have someone in their group that's not a big fan of either, there are ways to keep everyone happy.

Has Wine Changed Over the Years? Oh Yeah

The graph below, from the American Association of Wine Economists, has been making the rounds recently. It shows in "graphic" detail the biggest change in wine over that past few decades. That is, the amount of sugar in the harvested grapes, which translates into alcohol in the wine.

Some High-Scoring Wines from Sonoma County

  The Santa Rosa Press Democrat does weekly blind tastings of local wines. I know, work, work, work. They recently published an article of their favorites titled, "18 top-scoring Sonoma County Wines" written by their wine writer, Peg Melnik.

  In case there's a paywall, and you can't get through, I've listed the wines below. All credit goes to the Press Dem.

Americans Could Expand Their Consumption of Sparkling Wine

Our custom is to use Champagne/sparkling wines as a celebratory beverage for a few occasions, like New Year's Eve and weddings. That's not nearly enough!

The Popular Price Point for Premium Wine Buyers

An interesting thing has been happening to wine sales post-Pandemic. I believe it's mostly a good thing. It has to do with what people seem willing to pay for a bottle of wine, as many are trading up even as inflation is raising prices.

Red Wines You Should Try

What are the top-selling red wines? Following are descriptions and a few examples of the most popular reds in America. There are plenty of wines available besides the few I've mentioned below.

This post is about the reds. The previous post dated Jan 9, 2024 was about white wines.

White Wines You Should Try

If you want to be a smart shopper, you should have a basic understanding of the top wine varietals. There are plenty of other types of wines besides those listed below, and it's fun to experiment, but these are the biggest sellers. 

This post is about the whites. The next one will be the red wines.

I'll mention some of the most popular of each wine, so hopefully you can find these locally. Also listed of some of my favorites from Sonoma County that I hope you can find. You are more likely to see them in larger areas, Chicago, Dallas, etc., but maybe not Bozeman or Terre Haute. 

Winter in Sonoma County

Thinking about visiting this winter? What are the pros and cons of traveling to Sonoma County at this time? This info applies to our next door neighbor, Napa, btw.

We'll start with the big one ...

Not Allowing Kids in the Tasting Room

In some areas, like Napa and Sonoma, kids aren't always welcome in the wineries. This might come as a bit of a shock to some parents. Others might see it as good news. Why did this happen? Should the rule stay now that we're past the Pandemic?