Where Does California Wine Come From?

To some, California wine and Napa wine are the same. That is, when they think of premium California wine, they are focused on Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This isn't the reality of California wine.

Choosing Sonoma County Wineries to Visit

This is the best list I've seen to help someone choose where to go for wine tasting in Sonoma County. A lot of work went into the article. While it's not absolutely all-inclusive, it has over 120 recommendations. Great job!

MacRostie Winery, Russian River Valley
image from sonomamag.com

The Ultimate Guide to Sonoma Tasting Rooms from Sonoma Magazine

Wine Trends By Decade

There have been many American wine trends over the years. It's not as though wine fashion was invented with that organic non-alcoholic natty orange wine you're drinking. 

The seminal event that kicked-started American wine was the 1976 Judgment of Paris. We'll start from there.

Spotted Lanternflies, Just What the West Coast Doesn't Need

The invasive plant-hopping Spotted Lanternfly, indigenous to Asia, has made its way to the eastern U.S., probably via a cargo ship from Asia in 2012 into Philadelphia. It has since migrated into 19 eastern states. It will eventually hop a train, or some other mode of transportation, to the rest of the country.

Its reproductive rate and ability to live off of many plants, makes it is unlikely that we can eradicate the Lanternfly. This is bad news.

Wine Industry: "The Sky is Falling"

Not quite. 

This has been seen before, and the wine industry recovered, usually to get even bigger than before. That doesn't mean it'll be a quick downturn. Will it be a year, will it be a decade (jeez, I hope not)?

Is the Alcohol % Listed on the Wine Bottle Correct?

Maybe it's correct. A legit winemaker/winery will be very close to the labeled percentage. Those that care more about market perception than honesty may take a different route.

Distinct Differences in Sonoma County AVAs

Definition: AVA = American Viticultural Area, aka an appellation. An AVA is an officially recognized grape-growing area in the U.S. Examples include Napa Valley and Willamette Valley.

When someone asks, What's the difference between Napa and Sonoma? I would say that Sonoma has a wider range of grapes grown and styles made. Napa is known for Cabernet Sauvignon, with Chardonnay a distant second. Sonoma County wine regions showcase the diverse climates and soils, resulting in an impressive variety of wines and styles.