tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42669533444213587902024-03-16T17:38:20.954-07:00Bob on SonomaViews of a local who has been in the hospitality side of the wine biz full- or part-time for about three decades. Maybe more importantly, an avid consumer of the local wines for over 40 years. Mostly general comments on the California wine business because that's what I know.
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960975709764589897noreply@blogger.comBlogger1801125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-16619289070782281102024-03-14T11:00:00.000-07:002024-03-14T11:00:14.891-07:00A Look at Cabernet Sauvignon<p>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.<br /></p><p>For years, people have loved to dissect and offer opinions on Napa Valley Cabernet, and for much longer on Bordeaux wines.<br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFpvJxE6j10HIcZRzGA_YABwJBYzlsAJ6LOgCPUHQwoDpNZRm3LJW-AZt-p-Bo2nDKISzvFNaEJrPUitpG8_1F-j4MxlWMALJOo4aOTslmzPQ3wFEYc7iJM0J1mGjQ1ICl5tfiwPptkDVp09HXy7GQ619SZXWv27KFA_NOcyySC4u90ees3xM9m9vG5E/s651/Stag'sLeap73.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="651" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFpvJxE6j10HIcZRzGA_YABwJBYzlsAJ6LOgCPUHQwoDpNZRm3LJW-AZt-p-Bo2nDKISzvFNaEJrPUitpG8_1F-j4MxlWMALJOo4aOTslmzPQ3wFEYc7iJM0J1mGjQ1ICl5tfiwPptkDVp09HXy7GQ619SZXWv27KFA_NOcyySC4u90ees3xM9m9vG5E/s320/Stag'sLeap73.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wine that won the 1976 Judgement of Paris<br />against the best from Bordeaux<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><b style="color: #4c1130;">Where did Cabernet Sauvignon come from?</b></p><p>Through DNA testing, the parents of Cab Sauv are known to be Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It was probably a happy accident that the two crossed sometime in the 17th century. The first written reference of Cabernet Sauvignon was at Chateau Mouton in Bordeaux, France in the 18th century. <br /></p><p> </p><p><b style="color: #4c1130;">Where is Cabernet Sauvignon grown? </b><br /></p><p>Its home is Bordeaux, France, but because of its popularity and ability to grow in many climates, Cab Sauv is grown literally all over the world. The main countries for Cab are France, U.S., Chile, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Spain, and China. Yes, China wants to be the new Bordeaux. They're still working on that.<br /></p><p>The most revered places for Cab in the U.S. are Napa Valley in California and Red Mountain in Washington. There are plenty of other great growing areas for Cab in these two states. In Sonoma County the primary areas are Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Valley, and Rockpile. A couple of lesser known areas are Knights Valley and Moon Mountain.<br /></p><p> </p><p><b style="color: #4c1130;">What are the typical smells and flavors of Cabernet?</b></p><p>Aromas and tastes vary by region, often a factor of the climate. They also change as a wine ages. <br /></p><p>Smells are of dark fruit (plum, blackberry), licorice, black pepper, and herbal.<br /></p><p>Younger Cabs have flavors of dark fruit (cherry, blackberry, currant/cassis) along with leather, cedar, vanilla, tobacco, graphite/pencil shavings, and earthy. Not all of these are in every Cab and some may lean towards fruit, others earthy, especially as they age.</p><p><i>Note: </i>Black currant or cassis refers to a fruit not found in North America. It's described as a tart, sweet red fruit smell or flavor.<br /></p><p> </p><p><b style="color: #4c1130;">What is the profile of a Cabernet wine? </b></p><p>Cabs from different regions and different producers will have varying characteristics. But some of the typical words used to describe the wine are bold, complex, elegant, rich, strong, full-bodied, robust, or powerful.<br /></p><p>It is considered a full-bodied wine of moderate acidity with noticeable tannins and oak.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #4c1130;">Cabernet styles</span></b> <br /></p><p>Depending on where the wine is from and the producer's style of Cab can range from soft and fruity (usually denoted by a higher alcohol content) to savory, dry, and earthy. </p><p>Alcohol contents generally range from 13% to 15%. Too low and the wine may be more about herbs and greenness rather than fruit. Too high and it's all about simple, soft, fruity flavors, sometimes plummy. That latter style is popular with some consumers of California Cabernet. Neither end of the scale is very pleasing IMO. I try to stick with upper 13s to mid-14s percentage of alcohol for American Cabs.<br /></p><p>I have my favorite growing areas for Cabernet and if you have enough experience with the wine you will too. Something to aspire to. :)<br /></p><p></p><p> <br /></p><p><b style="color: #4c1130;">How do you serve a Cabernet and with what foods?</b></p><p>A young Cab will need some age. You can do this by exposing to air, as with a wine decanter. Many Cabs can require a few hours decanting before they reach a good place for consuming.<br /></p><p>When the wine is somewhat youthful and still has noticeable tannins, a
heavy, meaty dish works well. Fat from meats will neutralize the
tannins. So steaks, lamb, and wild meats like venison and
boar.</p><p>After about a decade, the primary fruit flavors, flavors from the oak barrels, and tannins dissipate. The wine takes on secondary characteristics and goes better with different food. Less fatty meats such as veal or pork, perhaps with mushrooms.</p><p><i>Note:</i> If you Google "what food with cabernet sauvignon" you will find hundreds of ideas, though almost all are geared towards younger Cab.<br /></p><p> </p><p><b style="color: #4c1130;">Should you age Cabernet Sauvignon before drinking?</b></p><p>Generally, as you age a Cab the fruit flavors become more subtle and earthy notes more noticeable. Those mouth-drying tannins soften. The wine might go from what you'd describe as powerful to delicate. Anytime you think about aging wine, it will depend on your storage and your preference. Will you like old Cabs as much as young ones? And how old. I'd suggest start with Cabernet that's about 7 to 10 years old and see what you think. <br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2SA1XKhDCEbX2ubQk7ggC3K1a38JiG4AblnyGevCeGpJtimUP9h5zwrLuc2rQ0Ne0fLORkl9tlEeho73IeQsqYArzxzriP_zy-Kew2X9Sq94BZ6-dowdeSX7qRRiisEOJlYC5ntQ8uA77QjoiUw4ErvR7XKTpjgzOz3ih8h5j7Z-xz32TLNnzTycjZE/s500/decanting-cabernet.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2SA1XKhDCEbX2ubQk7ggC3K1a38JiG4AblnyGevCeGpJtimUP9h5zwrLuc2rQ0Ne0fLORkl9tlEeho73IeQsqYArzxzriP_zy-Kew2X9Sq94BZ6-dowdeSX7qRRiisEOJlYC5ntQ8uA77QjoiUw4ErvR7XKTpjgzOz3ih8h5j7Z-xz32TLNnzTycjZE/s320/decanting-cabernet.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting patiently ..<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666;">image from Hafner Vineyard</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-19386847198835214992024-03-12T11:12:00.000-07:002024-03-12T11:12:52.113-07:00International Riesling Day<p>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.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRazHkAVHi0K2crmVvDs4GDmEv8XBtRpyBcD3JtgGusDMRCYGv3iLzrFE8cbcVJGfsK15E7QCa9zsq3OV9xIL20pDHetqjMJWqtvIw4nunHHY_QuZb_ihtCFFlgmIz8aESeQtzhn2NhjGpfBqU2j6fqmOdW9BFhnTM-MNTP9pBAQ1JVg7HHfgmCWFrKGo/s434/NavarroRiesling.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="288" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRazHkAVHi0K2crmVvDs4GDmEv8XBtRpyBcD3JtgGusDMRCYGv3iLzrFE8cbcVJGfsK15E7QCa9zsq3OV9xIL20pDHetqjMJWqtvIw4nunHHY_QuZb_ihtCFFlgmIz8aESeQtzhn2NhjGpfBqU2j6fqmOdW9BFhnTM-MNTP9pBAQ1JVg7HHfgmCWFrKGo/w133-h200/NavarroRiesling.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Navarro Anderson Valley Riesling<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666;">image from Navarro Vineyards</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>I don't talk about Riesling because there isn't much of it made around me. Sonoma County just doesn't have the climate or the economics to support it. Economics? Suppose you have a plot of cool climate land that would be great for growing Riesling -- or Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. Guess which one won't pay the grower as much for his hard work.</p><p>The best known local Riesling is probably Chateau St. Jean's late harvest (dessert) wine. Just north of Sonoma is the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County known mostly for Pinot Noir now, but has a history of growing excellent Riesling. The only other nearby Riesling I'm familiar with is from Smith-Madrone in the hills above the Napa Valley floor. They have been using their own vineyard for decades. There are a few other wineries in Sonoma and Napa that make Riesling, at least occasionally.<br /></p><p>Washington state grows the most American Riesling. Other great spots for the grape, and maybe the best locations, are the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, the Finger Lakes in New York, and the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan. Note that these last three are in northern climates near bodies of water.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1nR5gYSG4Gq84Ntoghl5cGGLq_G9RLahXmPVi5JWljRKdsqd61owrB3L0C0mK7kE9Gok1WhzPBeGBDReF50i40aLggcJaT-msc8rDXOPF6cZxdDl7paOYGzlP0StA4gy5ufnuThAdi5ibQuyQXHBlCpDPlUrdfEs8I4InmfcYyMuCGroiPHvzpEtJm4/s746/ChStJeanRiesling1980.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="223" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1nR5gYSG4Gq84Ntoghl5cGGLq_G9RLahXmPVi5JWljRKdsqd61owrB3L0C0mK7kE9Gok1WhzPBeGBDReF50i40aLggcJaT-msc8rDXOPF6cZxdDl7paOYGzlP0StA4gy5ufnuThAdi5ibQuyQXHBlCpDPlUrdfEs8I4InmfcYyMuCGroiPHvzpEtJm4/w96-h320/ChStJeanRiesling1980.png" width="96" /></a></div>Internationally, apart from its home in Germany other regions known for great Riesling are Alsace in France, Austria, and Australia. New Zealand is also getting some recognition. <br /><p></p><p>Riesling can be dry to off-dry (slightly sweet) to a very sweet dessert wine. And that's part of the problem with the wine in this country, it's not always easy to know what you are getting.</p><p>This 375ml bottle to the right is a Chateau St. Jean 1980 late harvest, currently listed at an online retail site for $800! </p><p>On this label they call it Johannisberg Riesling, a common name used in the U.S. until an agreement with Germany to use its proper name, just Riesling, or sometimes you'll see White Riesling. Johannisberg is a famous historic vineyard and wine region in Germany, not the proper name of the grape. When German immigrants brought Riesling vines to the U.S. they named them Johannisberg Riesling to denote the plants' origin.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-6484973205855220362024-03-07T09:43:00.000-08:002024-03-07T12:22:44.463-08:00Old, Historic Wineries of Sonoma County<p>A couple of days ago was <i>Old historic wineries of Napa Valley</i>. Today it's Sonoma's turn.<br /><br /></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0jiUr6csyR1X0DS4F1arxn_RTSWSze7KH8r5ytQX0F2LVyGCoYGPBMw3tyCrQnI_BQxO8QEEyUU9EkwQui6wgIY99wqX616berbCdLJEEV7pKT5OuEgrUlBEHfU8gdB3hYBlUen-q8hbsk-P-cnizdvNin_OXqQj-OJlMyJSrMa1Bgn-IWqu3Q6LQvg/s648/BuenaVistaOld.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="648" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0jiUr6csyR1X0DS4F1arxn_RTSWSze7KH8r5ytQX0F2LVyGCoYGPBMw3tyCrQnI_BQxO8QEEyUU9EkwQui6wgIY99wqX616berbCdLJEEV7pKT5OuEgrUlBEHfU8gdB3hYBlUen-q8hbsk-P-cnizdvNin_OXqQj-OJlMyJSrMa1Bgn-IWqu3Q6LQvg/s320/BuenaVistaOld.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buena Vista in the 1870s<br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">image from Sonoma County Library</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130;"><b>Buena Vista</b>, Sonoma, founded 1857</span><br /></p><p>The county's first premium winery, started by <span>Agoston Haraszthy, an immigrant from Hungary. He is considered the father of California wine in that he promoted modern European grape growing and winemaking techniques throughout the state. Up until this time California wine was about the plantings at the Spanish missions up and down the state. Coincidently, the last of the missions is in Sonoma, a short distance from Buena Vista Winery.</span></p><p><span>The winery was a private home for a while after Haraszthy sold it off under bankruptcy. Buena Vista became a winery again after WWII, went through a few owners, then was purchased by a French immigrant, Boisset, in 2011, who now owns several wineries in the area. He has restored BV, while paying homage to its history. <br /></span></p><p>Tastings are held in an 1862 stone building that once housed wine production.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKG4FqhA6pXqlkZimoAQD8FL2oeGUfhgtqp4MEr0UUPLDnjdeQrboaLzwomtO3_Uu3MObhnynVejSsiMHq2oX2wQ5JiudNiXFVzu8RQ15KiSELasLuxb3y00AJk823MvGGWRT8G5VMYg0EcgiL1d3YXZCGEWJvVnGGkVLZ5XCalNA7xEfP3KURfe5ArEI/s700/GundlachBundschuOldSF.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="700" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKG4FqhA6pXqlkZimoAQD8FL2oeGUfhgtqp4MEr0UUPLDnjdeQrboaLzwomtO3_Uu3MObhnynVejSsiMHq2oX2wQ5JiudNiXFVzu8RQ15KiSELasLuxb3y00AJk823MvGGWRT8G5VMYg0EcgiL1d3YXZCGEWJvVnGGkVLZ5XCalNA7xEfP3KURfe5ArEI/s320/GundlachBundschuOldSF.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gundlach's operation in San Francisco before 1906<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666;">image from Gundlach Bundschu Winery</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130;"><b>Gundlach Bundschu</b>, Sonoma, founded 1858</span></p><p><span>Bonded Winery #64, Gundlach Bundschu was founded a few months after Buena Vista, and it has been in the same family the whole time. Jacob Gundlach, born in Bavaria, started the winery and planted grapes on his Rhinefarm Vineyard in 1858 not too far from Buena Vista Winery. A few years later his daughter married Charles Bundschu from Mannheim, Germany and the Gundlach Bundschu Winery name was born. The winery prospered until the 1906 earthquake as they stored their wines in San Francisco and all was lost. They never quite recovered from the quake, then later Prohibition and quit making wine. The Bundschus did plant more grapes and sold them over the years. </span></p><p><span>In 1969 fifth generation family member Jim Bundschu began planning to restart the winery and has his first vintage in 1973. His son runs the winery now. </span></p><p><span>The first time I visited, about 1980, tastings were held on a wood slab supported by a couple of barrels in the old stone cellar that housed barrel aging and the lab. Today they've modernized and expanded quite a bit.<br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPCIxl2vjzxOwfsZUQwcENZR3a-6SLMy2-hHI5TR2XjaXy5ypH1v-Ck2lAcki22zb4u706OSMezr604_-Rjy9jQ7tuIwz8gULgqbBF2ZsFGm0ICzplbouylWKIHzY7lYQlgs9Jnu2kGl4_5L3hsocG6VXx5QbcoRlq8KSv4B4SaiDS8Rj7CEkkpvy9sM/s406/Louis-J.-Foppiano-1928.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="288" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPCIxl2vjzxOwfsZUQwcENZR3a-6SLMy2-hHI5TR2XjaXy5ypH1v-Ck2lAcki22zb4u706OSMezr604_-Rjy9jQ7tuIwz8gULgqbBF2ZsFGm0ICzplbouylWKIHzY7lYQlgs9Jnu2kGl4_5L3hsocG6VXx5QbcoRlq8KSv4B4SaiDS8Rj7CEkkpvy9sM/w156-h235/Louis-J.-Foppiano-1928.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis J. Foppiano, 1910-2012<br />Took over the winery at 13, <br />was still pruning grapes at 95<br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">image from Foppiano Winery</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="color: #4c1130;"><b>Foppiano</b>, Healdsburg, founded 1896</span></p><p><span>Italian immigrant </span><span>Gio Foppiano purchased the Riverside Farm vineyard and winery just south of Healdsburg in 1896, renaming it the Foppiano Wine Company and began supplying bulk wine throughout northern Calif. After Prohibition, his grandson began building up the winery. One of his first acts was to sell thousands of gallons of wine made in 1932, an illegal transaction as the wine was actually made while Prohibition was in force. They moved from jug blend wines to bottled varietals, releasing a Foppiano Petite Sirah in 1967. The family still runs the longest continuously operating family-owned winery in Sonoma County. (Gundlach Bundschu has been in the same family longer, but they weren't making wine the whole time).<br /></span></p><p><span> </span></p><p><span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLsB_M7O7gY-M0ZOZqfxJ9e67_gh-mkdyIjtDdJvel_SkdTHchOFNDm2YxHeBx9g4AtHDSLObIb236E6VpDeYmzul6iY5YE86I8AATlKX5CbNM9BJjhfxMOJYSSmXl7zoPJJibr5ACiG24HglDkZK0moG2HDLaEJAz7FbpnQ7BX23Xcj_3yJdLajF_W4/s789/WildwoodVyds.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="789" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLsB_M7O7gY-M0ZOZqfxJ9e67_gh-mkdyIjtDdJvel_SkdTHchOFNDm2YxHeBx9g4AtHDSLObIb236E6VpDeYmzul6iY5YE86I8AATlKX5CbNM9BJjhfxMOJYSSmXl7zoPJJibr5ACiG24HglDkZK0moG2HDLaEJAz7FbpnQ7BX23Xcj_3yJdLajF_W4/w400-h134/WildwoodVyds.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the Kunde's Wildwood Vineyards in Sonoma Valley<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666;">image from Dirt Farmer & Co.</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span> </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130;"><b>Kunde</b>, Kenwood, founded 1904</span></p><p><span>Now in the fifth generation of ownership, started by German immigrant Louis Kunde. The family sold the winery to local company, Vintage Wine Estates, a couple of years ago, but retained ownership of the nearly 2,000 acres of land in Sonoma Valley. Historical ruins on the mountainside behind the winery were used in movie Bottle Shock. </span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3XLOtqdobB4RNFhqTV5tr5l4p3lgYP10UAnkLXEcPDUpfr_mNpaLkCprtwsv0umLFonOM-juFWj5qrvzE-MuRzcb-XGu6UI6smd2uSw98ApsQTeLdU0zpfConpymU_MXnPY0-YsMcSqETCM1DLMR4Z-1QfYnXmdncWAY1kZ8er5Y3-7rC5s2JabXBqo/s676/SebastianiStoneBlding.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="676" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3XLOtqdobB4RNFhqTV5tr5l4p3lgYP10UAnkLXEcPDUpfr_mNpaLkCprtwsv0umLFonOM-juFWj5qrvzE-MuRzcb-XGu6UI6smd2uSw98ApsQTeLdU0zpfConpymU_MXnPY0-YsMcSqETCM1DLMR4Z-1QfYnXmdncWAY1kZ8er5Y3-7rC5s2JabXBqo/s320/SebastianiStoneBlding.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666;">Image from Sebastiani Vineyards</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130;"><b>Sebastiani</b>, Sonoma, 1904</span></p><p><span>Established by Samuele Sebastiani, a stonemason from Tuscany, again not far from Buena Vista Winery. You'll see a lot of buildings around town with the Sebastiani name because during the Depression he came up with projects to keep the locals employed. Several generations ran the winery, but cracks appeared with family squabbles going back into the 1980s. In a shock to the locals the Sebastiani family sold to billionaire winery owner Bill Foley in 2008. He has done upgrades to the buildings and property. </span></p><p><span>My first Sebastiani wines were the jugs of what they called Country Cabernet and Country Zinfandel. Wines that were definitely in the Italian tradition.<br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxjgvq_7pO__l6VUMbmVyJHjp8tZr-PavJL1wVjfkaznBpvoKaqOtWwA-xzdSdLkGs5ABe_zuZzBCBi58jB9vFaxREMNofRXXEcRBQahkWQzd7WoVK7lURkmtYhFNZKwjESJjo-wh4LfwjwPqAheJJKXmiMs-DReKt2dAWrBDpXqreAnJLbzzN_JbBsA/s800/FtRoss.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="800" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxjgvq_7pO__l6VUMbmVyJHjp8tZr-PavJL1wVjfkaznBpvoKaqOtWwA-xzdSdLkGs5ABe_zuZzBCBi58jB9vFaxREMNofRXXEcRBQahkWQzd7WoVK7lURkmtYhFNZKwjESJjo-wh4LfwjwPqAheJJKXmiMs-DReKt2dAWrBDpXqreAnJLbzzN_JbBsA/s320/FtRoss.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fort Ross State Park<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666;">image from Fort Ross Interpretive Assoc</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130;">The first grapes in Sonoma County</span></p><p><span>The Mission at Sonoma was established in 1823. It was the last and northernmost of the missions. It was the only mission built by Mexicans rather than Spanish as Mexico became independent in 1821. They planted what are commonly called mission grapes, the first European grapevines in California.</span></p><p><span>The first cultivated vineyard was actually planted at a Russian colony on the wild northern Sonoma Coast. Russians from Alaska established a settlement at what's now called Ft. Ross in 1812 that lasted 30 years. This remote outpost hunted, fished, raised livestock and crops for survival. Wine grapes brought in from Peru were planted by the settlers in 1817. </span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Info from the various winery websites and the Ft Ross website<br /></span></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-22221870044733179602024-03-05T11:32:00.000-08:002024-03-05T12:09:58.430-08:00Old, Historic Wineries of Napa Valley<p>What are some of the oldest wineries in Napa Valley? Here's a look at a few of them you can visit.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEF84Ra-IRU0Eq_ogJn5G9QG3t9bQtbYt0mZjbb5_8kkfmmwKNdijq5IChMjibUXr1h1hEy5THn91dIbdogXj0NmAs83rRlsYMICH7JfkS8fxnJwlWwR_cD8m289Iq4PaAExfTPjX-1KR280NrkrbMzjP8g9XpJPsNQNnjrURhQyuBsnKpZPddmlLDGo/s800/CharlesKrug.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="800" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEF84Ra-IRU0Eq_ogJn5G9QG3t9bQtbYt0mZjbb5_8kkfmmwKNdijq5IChMjibUXr1h1hEy5THn91dIbdogXj0NmAs83rRlsYMICH7JfkS8fxnJwlWwR_cD8m289Iq4PaAExfTPjX-1KR280NrkrbMzjP8g9XpJPsNQNnjrURhQyuBsnKpZPddmlLDGo/s320/CharlesKrug.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Image from Charles Krug Winery</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Charles Krug</b>, St. Helena, founded 1861</span></p><p>The oldest winery in Napa also opened the first public tasting room in California, in 1882. The founder Charles Krug, a Prussian immigrant, bought over 500 acres of land, planted grapes and started the first commerical winery in the Napa Valley. In 1943 the winery was purchased for $75,000 by Cesare and Rosa Mondavi, and their sons Peter and Robert (yes, that Robert Mondavi). Today the winery is run by the third and fourth generation Mondavis.</p><p>Wine tastings are held in the restored 1872 Redwood Cellar. <br /><br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZM1ZKlCc-yuaiXcukYZwC1PEwx2k30aEUfRGx0achIQzLz4E92cgKP6A5L07SGMulgSgbi89zrVmOWN0wwwVH-IZGZJ8qMUt_8_MqkZrRxLznOB4runreBfv2A6q2gtfmvkFmYcxljR4n-Me6FEIURL341h2ORkrKOajVNM0-AyL29w6BAo7W8N3cjd4/s800/SchramsbergCave.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="800" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZM1ZKlCc-yuaiXcukYZwC1PEwx2k30aEUfRGx0achIQzLz4E92cgKP6A5L07SGMulgSgbi89zrVmOWN0wwwVH-IZGZJ8qMUt_8_MqkZrRxLznOB4runreBfv2A6q2gtfmvkFmYcxljR4n-Me6FEIURL341h2ORkrKOajVNM0-AyL29w6BAo7W8N3cjd4/s320/SchramsbergCave.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666;">Image from Schramsberg Vineyards</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Schramsberg</b>, Calistoga, founded 1862</span><br /></p><p>Jacob Schram, a German immigrant, planted grapes in 1861 then put in hillside wine caves in
1862. The winery failed and fell into disrepair for many years following his death until the property was purchased by the Davies family in
1965 who shifted the focus to sparkling wines. Their youngest son, born
shortly after buying the winery, runs Schramsberg now. They produce
some of the country's finest sparkling wines.</p><p>The tasting and cave tour is a memorable experience.<br /></p><p> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGq3pFzFx4xUybbYrbru-tcee5PMREc_0ydI_jiLTrSbHMdxdnrheUAnmOigobKqeIRW07yhYR43oITpxU327ofq5AznbYRje-Qm3PLuKZtNo3i1G9x8Rxmq1HPmJyS8JLehSxcIZWpS3Gq2m1IncOYMl6oBR3tgZbXize3TaN6YbevteR4HOGQRiAK8/s800/BeringerHouse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGq3pFzFx4xUybbYrbru-tcee5PMREc_0ydI_jiLTrSbHMdxdnrheUAnmOigobKqeIRW07yhYR43oITpxU327ofq5AznbYRje-Qm3PLuKZtNo3i1G9x8Rxmq1HPmJyS8JLehSxcIZWpS3Gq2m1IncOYMl6oBR3tgZbXize3TaN6YbevteR4HOGQRiAK8/s320/BeringerHouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Beringer. Image from Napa Valley</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Beringer</b>, St. Helena, founded 1876</span><br /></p><p>The oldest continuously operating winery (they stayed open during Prohibition) was founded by German immigrants, the Beringer brothers. There have been just nine winemakers in the long history of Beringer, including a great-great-grandson of founder Jacob Beringer. The family sold the winery in 1971. Today it's owned by Treasury Wine Estates.</p><p>The winery is a state historic landmark. The Rhine House, the 19th century residence of one of the Beringer brothers, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of their wine tastings are done in this house.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqwnVUZmcFiCXuEgmBZypSgNKeeZE19Y5vUo5XioHA08gOd6WB6Hz9Mv9-okDyuDOLv_xaSfoC8icJ6JkI2BmAloWg3rh20fLYcQGcHVTnYbZ0G8YlG1DNusLxGMHrQY8aACjU7RBRD3NWK6nj11xlDnPKN_6FCokaT51mkZ6yMGJsXxEbK8EHeuQekU/s800/InglenookAerial.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqwnVUZmcFiCXuEgmBZypSgNKeeZE19Y5vUo5XioHA08gOd6WB6Hz9Mv9-okDyuDOLv_xaSfoC8icJ6JkI2BmAloWg3rh20fLYcQGcHVTnYbZ0G8YlG1DNusLxGMHrQY8aACjU7RBRD3NWK6nj11xlDnPKN_6FCokaT51mkZ6yMGJsXxEbK8EHeuQekU/s320/InglenookAerial.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Inglenook. Image from Wine Spectator</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Inglenook</b>, Rutherford, founded 1879</span></p><p>Started by Neibum, a Finnish sea captain, who planted some of the first Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley. He built the estate's chateau, completed in 1887. The winery stayed in the family after his death for a while, then floundered under corporate ownership. In 1975 part of the property was purchased by Francis Ford Coppola. He purchased the rest of the estate in 1995, restored the chateau in 1997, and bought back the Inglenook trademark and name in 2011.<br /></p><p></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWexOdiK3e_h1FdHtgiKBqD9il5Rara1UYKdhg3H36HiEmUA4dSb4DAKZeu291wNzGldUZUGeXqOLAWCiQ30X7oFUjFTgJuhx6HjZDAjMLhFudV5O5-D4hv3OlSvEX1JAqvxbTUUIl7q9tz__kQmnXKPd0yT-bkTinjbTHjIprAS4kp6YYtM_5rWpztiY/s800/ChateauMontelenaRainSunset.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="800" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWexOdiK3e_h1FdHtgiKBqD9il5Rara1UYKdhg3H36HiEmUA4dSb4DAKZeu291wNzGldUZUGeXqOLAWCiQ30X7oFUjFTgJuhx6HjZDAjMLhFudV5O5-D4hv3OlSvEX1JAqvxbTUUIl7q9tz__kQmnXKPd0yT-bkTinjbTHjIprAS4kp6YYtM_5rWpztiY/s320/ChateauMontelenaRainSunset.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Chateau Montelena. Image from Weimax Wines</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Chateau Montelena</b>, Calistoga, founded 1882</span></p><p>Established on 250 acres by a man named Tubbs from San Francisco, who had made his fortune during the Gold Rush. He built the iconic stone winery in 1886. In the 1950s the family sold the property and it became a private home for a while. But its fame came from the 1973 Chardonnay that won the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judgment_of_Paris_(wine)" target="_blank">Judgement of Paris</a> under Bo Barrett. The Barrett family still runs the winery.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Other Napa wineries that are still around since the 19th century are Stags' Leap, Nichelini, Trefethen, Freemark Abbey, and Far Niente.<br /><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-foz6gG0_EtyFCVC41UvmCdKnUVvIV1iBwrZdn3TyGgzZnXXY0uvCbzVRZ6JsHu3Xk1G0wIrpzmZfCRe80WISRItGpOH8BEF16d6KCz5lu8g-HhFuDGkamWdJI04t5JA16zRtjGaY2xsDxnKzonQRCmxg9xCUq0tXw2GT1RHa9AcemV9TUmO3ekndpag/s800/LaPerlaWinery1874.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="800" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-foz6gG0_EtyFCVC41UvmCdKnUVvIV1iBwrZdn3TyGgzZnXXY0uvCbzVRZ6JsHu3Xk1G0wIrpzmZfCRe80WISRItGpOH8BEF16d6KCz5lu8g-HhFuDGkamWdJI04t5JA16zRtjGaY2xsDxnKzonQRCmxg9xCUq0tXw2GT1RHa9AcemV9TUmO3ekndpag/s320/LaPerlaWinery1874.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Picking grapes for the long defunct La Perla Winery in 1874<br />The property now belongs to Spring Mountain Winery<br /><span style="color: #666666;">Image from St. Helena Historical Society</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-48444007657595518082024-02-15T09:52:00.000-08:002024-02-15T09:52:16.228-08:00Wine Industry Shipping Data<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Silicon Valley Bank released its annual <i>State of the US Wine Industr</i>y report. Following is some info on shipping from 2023. Other insights from the report are in the previous post, dated Feb 13th.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Overall, shipping wine to consumers is down. <b><span style="color: #444444;">Washington State</span></b>, 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.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>Napa Valley</b></span> 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.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">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.<br /></span><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-84476803013046560652024-02-13T10:10:00.000-08:002024-02-13T10:22:00.634-08:00State of the US Wine Industry <p>The annual <i>State of the US Wine Industry Report</i> 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.<br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><b style="color: #cc0000;"></b></p><p><b style="color: #cc0000;"></b></p><p><b style="color: #cc0000;"></b></p><p><b style="color: #cc0000;"></b></p><p><b style="color: #cc0000;"></b></p><p><b style="color: #cc0000;"></b></p><p><b style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOp1A6GRChd6qFUqQU-O7rJoPffe1QEOAgTIyL9srr_uJc1IM8bXVunNDPSTIbF4BoGPuHHS5agmo1ZHHHoVjYhkuRVYKeUhZ2LIsXd2zSrDzv1U8_nHAvj4pmLmrCjyrPSQ4_IAYyHaaAGmueo15vE3VgFFrZJk3QQx79zLdDlsGwH9HL0SCuAQ7X5r0/s654/WineConsumptionUS.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="654" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOp1A6GRChd6qFUqQU-O7rJoPffe1QEOAgTIyL9srr_uJc1IM8bXVunNDPSTIbF4BoGPuHHS5agmo1ZHHHoVjYhkuRVYKeUhZ2LIsXd2zSrDzv1U8_nHAvj4pmLmrCjyrPSQ4_IAYyHaaAGmueo15vE3VgFFrZJk3QQx79zLdDlsGwH9HL0SCuAQ7X5r0/s320/WineConsumptionUS.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">click on graph to enlarge for readability<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b style="color: #cc0000;"> <br /></b><p></p><p><b style="color: #cc0000;">Sales</b><br /></p><p>Preliminary <b><span style="color: #444444;">estimates for 2023 </span></b>show U.S. sales volume down 2% with a slight increase in dollars spent, largely because of higher prices.<b><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">Tasting Room visitation has been declining</span></b> for the past two years. The money spent per visitor is also down. Is this post-Covid adjustments or the start of a larger trend? When everything first reopened, visitation, wine club sign-ups, and sales skyrocketed as everyone was just happy to get out again. Then inflation hit.<br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">Most premium wineries rely on tasting room sales and their wine club</span></b> for over half of their revenue. Direct-to-consumer sales from visitors, wine club members, and shipping via internet sales are critical for smaller wineries because they aren't sharing profits with a distributor and retailer. <br /><br /></p><p><b style="color: #cc0000;">Oversupply</b><br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">While the overall wine market is down</span></b>, premium wines are doing okay. It's the lowest priced wines that are hurting. This is what you see when times are good. The reduced traffic to tasting rooms hurts. </p><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">There's a glut of wine</span></b> on the market now. I haven't seen data on the price breakdown on the oversupply. That is, how much of it is cheap wine vs. premium. This isn't just a U.S. problem as other big producers, like Spain, France, Italy, and Australia have the same issue.<br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">Oversupply is nothing new</span></b>. The American wine market is historically full of short-lived trends. Merlot, Muscat, and Syrah in the past. Maybe rosé and Pinot Noir in the future. Yeah, rosé is made from red grapes, but it seems there are increased plantings of Rhone reds with the plan to use them to make pink wine. </p><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">The biggest issue with these trends</span></b> is the expense and time lag, especially for red wines. You have to clear land, plant vines, give them at least three years to mature before picking grapes. The process of getting it to market can take months or years, depending on the wine. By that time, whatever trend you were following might be over. Oops.</p><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">The current oversupply for California</span></b> is primarily red wine, and mostly Cabernet Sauvignon. Per the <i>2022 California Grape Acreage Report</i>, half of the non-bearing red wine grapes planted, 3,671 acres, were Cab. That's 900,000 cases of Cabernet, though some of it is the replanting of existing vineyards which may or may not have originally been Cab fruit. Why was so much planted? There's a global forecast for an increase in Cab sales for the next several years. <br /><br /></p><p><b style="color: #cc0000;">Inflation</b><br /></p><p>Only 15% of the wineries said they were able to fully recover their increased costs due to inflation. The other 85% said they recovered part of or none of the increased costs.</p><p>The <b><span style="color: #444444;">2024 forecast</span></b> says wines over $70 will show the biggest price increases. Under $50 shows some price decreases, especially in the under $15 wines, so that could be good news for most of us.<br /></p><p>The <b><span style="color: #444444;">biggest price increases</span></b> in 2023 percentage-wise were in wines from Oregon and Washington. In dollars, it was wines from Napa, where a bottle that cost $53 in 2010 is now $84.<br /><br /></p><p><b style="color: #cc0000;">Consumer Changes</b><br /></p><p>For alcohol,<b><span style="color: #444444;"> the younger you are</span></b>, the more likely you are to drink something besides wine. Also, the younger you are, the more likely that you believe moderate drinking is bad for your health. <br /></p><p>Over the past two decades, the percentage of income spent on wine has dropped significantly for those <b><span style="color: #444444;">under 25</span></b>. <br /></p><p></p><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">Why are people buying less?</span></b> The top reasons are to cut back on drinking and the cost. For the people cutting back for their health, could low- and no-alcohol wines reverse this? Where cost is the issue, there's no easy answer for wineries facing inflationary cost increases. We might be seeing some consumer pushback on high tasting room fees, though you have to include the increased costs of lodging and eating out as part of the problem for those visiting wine regions for a few days. Also, there are more alternatives to wine -- craft beer, hard cider, cannabis, etc. though this has been an issue for several years.<br /></p><p>There will be <b><span style="color: #444444;">fewer people buying wine by generatio</span></b>n as the Boomers age out of the market. Other generations are smaller, though the total population of the country continues to grow.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Big Question</span></b></p><p>The economy went out of kilter during Covid and is still recovering. How much of this is related to that vs. long-term trends?<br /><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuH4dN1X1C4UdBs9R2_PUUilWwCUqRt4Ay1M0dU_2lprSFaD5MrOFzuKn7gxUquxc9CnTAuuJGIq-rbH4K7goPUHTsS4gwBCAurOgo2KDiuKgkGwd_ExparZC58dTxbKhhodcYGL-JiGrRBXypPB4ydNKJNUxx9yRUUq6i9cOX3UJ9cnsRWjiyqnV0Eg/s2172/Organic-Wine-Market-Size-2021to-2030.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1286" data-original-width="2172" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuH4dN1X1C4UdBs9R2_PUUilWwCUqRt4Ay1M0dU_2lprSFaD5MrOFzuKn7gxUquxc9CnTAuuJGIq-rbH4K7goPUHTsS4gwBCAurOgo2KDiuKgkGwd_ExparZC58dTxbKhhodcYGL-JiGrRBXypPB4ydNKJNUxx9yRUUq6i9cOX3UJ9cnsRWjiyqnV0Eg/s320/Organic-Wine-Market-Size-2021to-2030.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future growth of the organic wine market<br />according to Vision Research Reports<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-87596875007960810602024-02-09T09:24:00.000-08:002024-02-09T09:24:50.668-08:00Wine Tasting Funnies<p><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana;"> Time to joke it up</span></p><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span><p><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-ogzjqjZ_nl5N9ubO0JmIcpT2IHpunv0PNR925Rettd2eBAagg_mOjZAhFUK3YAU34OW8ZeZJzsnIQF0-4fW4y13HTlAKe4jvpzEzQbZdBlvLCBVgVU1yBmnJ2yxdsz9Zr46-v5GVFb37mo2DPjdPvM0MpKGtv1eY22ZmiyDuP96AGcZmxUlRKyB39k/s640/WineTour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-ogzjqjZ_nl5N9ubO0JmIcpT2IHpunv0PNR925Rettd2eBAagg_mOjZAhFUK3YAU34OW8ZeZJzsnIQF0-4fW4y13HTlAKe4jvpzEzQbZdBlvLCBVgVU1yBmnJ2yxdsz9Zr46-v5GVFb37mo2DPjdPvM0MpKGtv1eY22ZmiyDuP96AGcZmxUlRKyB39k/s320/WineTour.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana;">Because Napa is just too damn expensive<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0D_1DISHSqmUlOUJCE63-w4zP4a09DG5sHFyDLG8WhMCc6ANDPqNAnp42LbG8U7ylXjd_5_wKOwELba4BCyohLaB4YWKurC4hPv3tRY9ZZ6ucx-Sb0rbtIFPEcrlydDCkOFOt_HdJGfOgCMBUVIOadEGEbA6WdJbnno5N4j4aNsQE8727K0zhk8r9Hs/s600/Charcuteriemeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="600" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0D_1DISHSqmUlOUJCE63-w4zP4a09DG5sHFyDLG8WhMCc6ANDPqNAnp42LbG8U7ylXjd_5_wKOwELba4BCyohLaB4YWKurC4hPv3tRY9ZZ6ucx-Sb0rbtIFPEcrlydDCkOFOt_HdJGfOgCMBUVIOadEGEbA6WdJbnno5N4j4aNsQE8727K0zhk8r9Hs/s320/Charcuteriemeds.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana;">Tasting Room charcuterie for seniors<br />Would it hurt to at least throw in a couple Ibuprofen?</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtPIalvNgPVg-RwkKslQJV8WTpj8qV3WBBbhWYw3N6RyU2TSWPz2X62Yj0vchWZTZ5GNpH0xB2_BPMQCXJq0g_hOqsoPHXfBu7N0Jiso06WvXeof2Wnf2XjXc4fdBg-4wClRpwH4W6zm2alnbKhs1f1KL1ZF1SVpWGccFP7jdJJsGSd5BIeb6HHReF5I/s470/Wineatchurch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="470" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtPIalvNgPVg-RwkKslQJV8WTpj8qV3WBBbhWYw3N6RyU2TSWPz2X62Yj0vchWZTZ5GNpH0xB2_BPMQCXJq0g_hOqsoPHXfBu7N0Jiso06WvXeof2Wnf2XjXc4fdBg-4wClRpwH4W6zm2alnbKhs1f1KL1ZF1SVpWGccFP7jdJJsGSd5BIeb6HHReF5I/s320/Wineatchurch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: verdana;">I'm getting a hint of eucalyptus and pencil shavings<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9VJDGv9oIYthckBrVu_gFf4i_U1tRWfQK-SoG6OISHNj0QNnEbX5lYYSANPLW-Z6DTGt7hZtUV_dx_zM3DzTdKi5hV-6y8_T424zpdffsQ-3bWeJmjxCXyJw0LvolS76FXpuICZfSoSw36anCfxHdTGye98PsZXu7XKTZnCzygiKPJzIlSy0NQiXAFM/s600/WineTastingNY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9VJDGv9oIYthckBrVu_gFf4i_U1tRWfQK-SoG6OISHNj0QNnEbX5lYYSANPLW-Z6DTGt7hZtUV_dx_zM3DzTdKi5hV-6y8_T424zpdffsQ-3bWeJmjxCXyJw0LvolS76FXpuICZfSoSw36anCfxHdTGye98PsZXu7XKTZnCzygiKPJzIlSy0NQiXAFM/s320/WineTastingNY.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana;">He says, "Don't you like the nose on that one?"<br />Thinks, "I wonder if she's more fun when she's wasted?"</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpJdfrXNthaWvuI4UiKxw6Q_100THQCRwVzCNNB8-PiYvghSt6gP-IQ3ir8weHo7NBaqXKwFFnx3slxPmKfZ5mxhTfEidaCDgEF6__0AKygr8DxW9e3wk3j94h1-mA1XUonUIAzW9mMtpb8oSwM3vQXTcf8iqvR3h1L5jhinrZ1lb51Hcpc9jHw30j2M/s549/WineEyes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="397" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpJdfrXNthaWvuI4UiKxw6Q_100THQCRwVzCNNB8-PiYvghSt6gP-IQ3ir8weHo7NBaqXKwFFnx3slxPmKfZ5mxhTfEidaCDgEF6__0AKygr8DxW9e3wk3j94h1-mA1XUonUIAzW9mMtpb8oSwM3vQXTcf8iqvR3h1L5jhinrZ1lb51Hcpc9jHw30j2M/s320/WineEyes.png" width="231" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Just before getting kicked out of<br />the Tasting Room ...</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNBvyaBmxjJjkHq68fDdUsmn0L4SC9eLhNTQI_I7SIJtgia-IRvmKEEEo4tg447m5JbWW60lNDiuwAVqjubBzfpIvszBUzG0IR870lgMrGYjrptFNrJ6xmCXZgFQpFlkFls19N4y50V8t73eOncGgJJALGBDADGf4gDTH5BzuQus8X9qs89iFfgq5Z8g/s600/WineOpenWide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNBvyaBmxjJjkHq68fDdUsmn0L4SC9eLhNTQI_I7SIJtgia-IRvmKEEEo4tg447m5JbWW60lNDiuwAVqjubBzfpIvszBUzG0IR870lgMrGYjrptFNrJ6xmCXZgFQpFlkFls19N4y50V8t73eOncGgJJALGBDADGf4gDTH5BzuQus8X9qs89iFfgq5Z8g/s320/WineOpenWide.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #741b47;">Just before getting kicked out of<br />the Tasting Room, part 2 </span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-73160166992608912752024-02-08T09:54:00.000-08:002024-02-08T09:54:07.744-08:00The Rise and Fall of Vintage Wine Estates<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Vintage Wine Estates (<a href="https://www.google.com/finance/quote/VWE:NASDAQ?window=1Y" target="_blank">VWE</a> 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.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXipTpGP9CaznXSUhyphenhyphenjvXLjU8bLgWDwXnvd2e-J0fVjmp_56Kh8pCUtH0-SXOxT7lKbL5bCZ_oIpfbj9BeRVT7fOhTX7Dxj4d3AOr2gpf2GSt7RmxoKSxHkZi3tJuAYB4VdZgvs9h4uuLOZWtL7EKHe2GfYajVCRTdlVRhLsReNJfjhtC_rR1wKSeO3Q/s682/VWE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="682" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXipTpGP9CaznXSUhyphenhyphenjvXLjU8bLgWDwXnvd2e-J0fVjmp_56Kh8pCUtH0-SXOxT7lKbL5bCZ_oIpfbj9BeRVT7fOhTX7Dxj4d3AOr2gpf2GSt7RmxoKSxHkZi3tJuAYB4VdZgvs9h4uuLOZWtL7EKHe2GfYajVCRTdlVRhLsReNJfjhtC_rR1wKSeO3Q/s320/VWE.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i></i></span></p><p><i style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;">Who is Vintage Wine Estates?</i><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Their website shows 34 brands of mostly wine, but also includes one of the largest hard cider producers, Ace Cider. They grew fast acquiring wineries throughout the West such as Clos Pegase, Cosentino, and Girard in Napa, BR Cohn, Patz & Hall, Sonoma Coast Vineyards, Viansa, and Windosr Vineyards in Sonoma, and Ste. Chapelle in Idaho. They also own some well-known wine brands like Cameron Hughs and Layer Cake.</span></p><p><i style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;">Bad business decisions</i><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Perhaps they grew too fast. By 2012 they had their first six holdings. By the end of 2018 they had 26, adding six of those in 2018 alone.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">They have been reporting money problems for over a year. The current status as of Feb '24 is they have trimmed a lot of staff (this wasn't the first time) and want to sell a couple of their main properties, Clos Pegase in Napa Valley and Viansa in Sonoma Valley. Ones they think can bring in a lot of cash. I expect this is only the start.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">VWE claims they want to keep Girard, BR Cohn, Layer Cake, and Ace Cider plus a few others. This sounds like there are still plenty that can go.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If VWE continues to exist it will look different, most definitely smaller, and this probably won't matter to most consumers. </span></p><p><i style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;">Stock </i><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you are looking for a cheap stock to take a chance on, they are currently traded for less than 50 cents. VWE hit $11.80 at the end of 2021. The Duckhorn Portfolio (<a href="https://www.google.com/finance/quote/NAPA:NYSE?window=1Y" target="_blank">NAPA</a>), which is kinda similar to Vintage Wine, but seems to be better off, but even their stock has taken a dump in the past year, losing almost half of its value.<br /></span></p><p><i style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;">Lack of focus</i><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">VWE seems all over the place in their portfolio with initial acquisitions like Girard, Cosentino, and Clos Pegase, all medium-sized premium wineries. They also have Layer Cake and Cameron Hughes, entirely different operations. There's a cidery, canned wine cocktails, gin, and something called Girl & Dragon making cheap, fearless wines (cheap was my adjective, fearless was theirs). There's a label, known as The Wine Sisterhood (really), and several other similar brands. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I can see where at one time some acquisition manager was on a "girl wine" kick. And that's okay if it's a smart business decision. Has anyone ever heard of these? It's a real hodgepodge. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Sounds like they should figure out what they are best at and stick to that. <br /><br /></span></p><i></i><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Info for this post from:<br />Northbay Business Journal<br />Santa Rosa Press Democrat<br />Vintage Wine Estates</span><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-30975889753236166412024-02-06T10:19:00.000-08:002024-02-06T10:19:42.897-08:00pH in Wine<p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: verdana;">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. :)</span></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="https://napavalleyfocus.substack.com/p/the-unseen-influence-of-ph-on-wine" target="_blank">The Unforeseen Influence of pH on Wine Quality</a> </i> </span><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-34448184548310273672024-02-01T10:33:00.000-08:002024-02-01T10:40:36.456-08:00Low Cost Wine Tastings in Napa<p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"> 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. </span></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"> 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.<br /></span></p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAg-z6cLkNJP8YoKff_yVVqk35oB4-40vU7JYuJZ9fSfkpSCZ6w7tN4WaDBCzf4ONXNNUC_vTlN_Osofv4w8xph_akmnUJW3DgVxmoIN6Fyk-Zm71dlkTJZKqReMILeOi-eGn85slBg44LPON9jie7pANned-q3VY2k3a_SwYOQmx3vPOE3SYJqc-aezo/s600/ElizabethSpencer_Reserve.jpg" style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="436" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAg-z6cLkNJP8YoKff_yVVqk35oB4-40vU7JYuJZ9fSfkpSCZ6w7tN4WaDBCzf4ONXNNUC_vTlN_Osofv4w8xph_akmnUJW3DgVxmoIN6Fyk-Zm71dlkTJZKqReMILeOi-eGn85slBg44LPON9jie7pANned-q3VY2k3a_SwYOQmx3vPOE3SYJqc-aezo/s320/ElizabethSpencer_Reserve.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;">A typical reserve tasting list in Napa<br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i><p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"> Napa is about twice as expensive as the other popular spots in the state, Sonoma County and Paso Robles. Other lesser known areas like Mendocino County, Amador County, and Lodi are even cheaper.</span></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"> There are "coupons" of sort to save money. Some wineries offer Groupons. Some are on what's called the <a href="https://prioritywinepass.com/" target="_blank">Priority Wine Pass</a>. Take a look and see who is there and what they offer. Some are free tastings, some 2 for 1, some offer "an extra splash of another wine" which I consider BS, but that's up to you to decide. Napa, Calistoga, and the St. Helena area sell passports during the off season that are good for several wineries.</span></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"> Googling "low cost napa wine tastings" will give you several hits of what others consider low cost. Some of the wineries may be of interest, but always check their website first to see if anything has changed. Check out the <a href="https://californiawineryadvisor.com/free-wine-tasting-napa-valley/" target="_blank">California Wine Advisor.</a> Also double-check what they claim.</span></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"> Every winery sets their own pricing and policies on waiving fees with a purchase, they are all over the place, and may change at any time. Many will have at least two tasting options, for instance there might be one at $40 and one for $80. If you're really into their high-end wines, you could have one cheaper tasting and your SO have the reserve. This way you can also sample more wines by sharing. Going to places that waive tasting fees with a purchase is great if you think you'll like their wine and will probably buy. </span></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"> Yes, it takes a lot of time to plan unless you're willing to splurge.</span></p><p><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: I have had a Priority Wine Pass in the past. I don't get any money from them for mentioning or supplying their link. Or from anyone else mentioned in this blog. </span></span><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-38087005240366441732024-01-30T09:38:00.000-08:002024-01-30T17:20:11.309-08:00Visiting Napa, but not for Cabernet or Chardonnay?<p>You mean there's something in Napa Valley besides Cab and Chard? I know, a wild thought, but there are alternatives! </p><p>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.<br /></p><p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuj7UR27uCqXt319iP3DNwwiuDe5o3boTxCVqQgJjx2R-IiPhDd69OfGH8Qv8inf3VO8orcEfzZalXRHpA_FejM6y-bePvfyyYspTNcKUSC_3FAIQDB0GF9h8fgDwQmDwsDtZYfqUOy8f0YDCVNcaaStbfhlI443L5yKQmEUR_eK9u6YdgXttPHODpXJs/s270/SuperySB.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="173" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuj7UR27uCqXt319iP3DNwwiuDe5o3boTxCVqQgJjx2R-IiPhDd69OfGH8Qv8inf3VO8orcEfzZalXRHpA_FejM6y-bePvfyyYspTNcKUSC_3FAIQDB0GF9h8fgDwQmDwsDtZYfqUOy8f0YDCVNcaaStbfhlI443L5yKQmEUR_eK9u6YdgXttPHODpXJs/s1600/SuperySB.png" width="173" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Other Varieties and Where You Are Most Likely to Find Them</i><br /><br /></p><p><b><i>Sauvignon Blanc</i></b></p><p>Napa is mostly about Cabernet Sauvignon, the most famous grape from Bordeaux, France. The main white Bordeaux is Sauv Blanc so it's reasonable to assume you'll find it at a number of wineries in Napa. If you are a big fan of Sauvingnon Blanc you might wonder why there isn't as much of it as Cab. It's the economics of grape prices. In Napa at harvest a ton of SB sells for about $3,000 on average, a ton of Cab for $9,000. </p><p>You'll find most places in Napa will have Sauv Blanc. The grapes used to make the wines will usually be from Napa Valley, but sometimes it comes from nearby Sonoma, Lake, or Solano Counties because the grapes are less expensive. A few of the best Suavignon Blancs are from Flora Springs, Frog's Leap, Honig, Mondavi, St. Supery, and Twomey. If you look hard enough you'll find several places making a $100+ Sauv Blanc. Why? Because somebody will buy them.<br /><br /></p><p><b><i>Riesling</i></b></p><p>There's not much of this grape in the county, as Riesling has never been that popular in the U.S. Drier ones can be found at Bouchaine, Smith-Madrone, and Trefethen. Riesling is rare here.<br /><br /></p><p><b><i>Sparkling Wines</i></b></p><p>Sparkling is the primary wine of several places in Napa: Chandon, Domaine Carneros, Mumm, and Schramsberg. Several other wineries will also have a sparkling wine or two available. Whatever your reason for coming to Napa, be sure to stop at a sparkling wine house.<br /><br /></p><p><b><i>Pinot Noir</i></b></p><p>Pinot is a bit difficult to find in Napa Valley. The very southern end of Napa County sits on cool bay waters and is great for Pinot Noir. The appellation is called Carneros, and it actually extends across southern Napa and Sonoma Counties. So you may find Pinot in Napa from either county in the Carneros area. I've also seen Russian River Valley Pinot in Napa wineries. Joseph Plelps Winery, known for their Cabernet and Cab blend Insignia, makes some great Pinot from their vineyards near the Sonoma Coast. Besides Carneros, there are Napa Pinots from Coombsville.<br /></p><p>A few wineries known for their Napa Pinot Noir are Artesa, Domaine Carneros, Laird, and Saintsbury. <br /><br /></p><p><b><i>Merlot</i></b></p><p>Merlot has really been a staple of Napa since the early days of its popularity in the 1970s. Plenty of places will have Merlot available. Some of the best known wineries are Duckhorn, Markham, Pahlmeyer, Pride, Rutherford Hill, and Trefethen.<br /><br /></p><p><b><i>Zinfandel</i></b></p><p>Zinfandel was very popular in the area a hundred years ago. Sonoma, Paso Robles, Lodi, and Amador are now the key areas for this grape though there is still quite a bit to be found in Napa. A great spot for Zin is from the Howell Mountain area. Zinfandel comes in distinct styles from softer and lighter (for zin) to the full-throttle fruit forward ones. Whatever your favorite style, some of the best ones in Napa come from Biale, Clif, and Storybook Mountain.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn5WKxQQg0m9DZ6FAptjulxJLlJKKGP-n_gyfwuw-9Z60MGd9OTd9w-TQRFUjQsOpkYH5QkTfQ75ldMZJ1qA5ZJ1MBUPMD8EaXCIbFOReflfED6Es9mCyVUnVMLKVOSi72aZDBYAD3eO4NbpSLbNFYFLky7wGIdBRed0Ik9VdfvjknPxF_AU0y_eztNA/s440/StorybookZin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="262" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn5WKxQQg0m9DZ6FAptjulxJLlJKKGP-n_gyfwuw-9Z60MGd9OTd9w-TQRFUjQsOpkYH5QkTfQ75ldMZJ1qA5ZJ1MBUPMD8EaXCIbFOReflfED6Es9mCyVUnVMLKVOSi72aZDBYAD3eO4NbpSLbNFYFLky7wGIdBRed0Ik9VdfvjknPxF_AU0y_eztNA/w119-h200/StorybookZin.jpg" width="119" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: visitnapavalley.com and various winery websites</span><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-52020276285145442462024-01-25T09:22:00.000-08:002024-01-25T10:33:17.586-08:00Has Wine Changed Over the Years? Oh Yeah<p>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.<br /></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJvmCBGof0PEC9kdtr9B8kDgdWumL1MiklTCMT3q1DD3EfdBVkivSayFitJw9gGc_M0NoW-_q8zePw_ylDlIkLvdl3rvE7sVuIL_dMrg-s49WnBHEViKAEu96Feg6zdUax7nmK6r4sh2ViSjK96orUypgYfxqTTAxSArtr8kITInxVCsmJMQWy6iB5ow/s1129/WineSugarTable.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="1129" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJvmCBGof0PEC9kdtr9B8kDgdWumL1MiklTCMT3q1DD3EfdBVkivSayFitJw9gGc_M0NoW-_q8zePw_ylDlIkLvdl3rvE7sVuIL_dMrg-s49WnBHEViKAEu96Feg6zdUax7nmK6r4sh2ViSjK96orUypgYfxqTTAxSArtr8kITInxVCsmJMQWy6iB5ow/s320/WineSugarTable.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on image to enlarge for readability<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Degrees Brix <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">(pronounced bricks)</span></span></h3><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">Brix measures the sugar content in fruit.</span></b> If you remember HS chemistry, assuming you were unlucky enough to take it, Brix measures soluble solids in a liquid. Soluble solids mean they're dissolved in water. As Brix on the harvested grapes goes up, so does the alcohol level of the wine. Multiplying the Brix by .55 will give you the approximate final alcohol level of a dry wine. <br /><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Grape harvest</h3><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">So why don't they just harvest the grapes earlier when there's less sugar content?</span></b> Brix is only one measurement used to determine perfect ripeness. In the old days it was based on grapes looking full and juicy, the color of the grape seed, and the taste of the grapes. Now there are technical measurements added to that looking at pH and acidity to get a proper balance.</p><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">If you harvest strictly on Brix </span></b>you might get the level of alcohol you want, but with an acid level that is too high, meaning you'll get an acidic, bitter wine. There's also phenolic ripeness which is about the development of flavors and aromas. So there are several things the winemaker wants to balance, and sometimes there's a trade-off.</p><p><b><span style="color: #444444;">One telling sign that something as changed</span></b> is the California grape harvest has gotten earlier and earlier, by several weeks. <br /><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Why has this increase in grape sugar happened?<br /></h3><p>There isn't an easy single answer. People look at things that have changed and theorize on why each one caused the change. I expect it's a combination of some or all of these. <br /></p><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Grape rootstock</b> - Grape vines are planted on various rootstocks and each has its reasons for use. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylloxera" target="_blank">Phylloxera</a>, a bug that damages the roots, wiped out most vines in the late 19th century. The savior was a North American rootstock called AXR1 that was resistant. All over the world vines were replanted on AXR1. This worked for almost a hundred years until Phylloxera mutated and again spread through vineyards. Once again, replanting was done and now many different rootstocks are used. So the theory is that AXR1 slowed down sugar development, whereas the new ones allow faster sugar progression.<br /><br /></li><li><b>Trellising </b>- There are various methods of growing grapes on wires or occasionally just as a round bush with no wires. Each method has pros and cons, and it seems that people have jumped on different methods as they get trendy. If you look at California vineyards you can guess the approximate age of a vine by how it's grown. Head pruned (no trellis wires) means it was planted by the mid 20th century. Various forms of what's called cordon pruning seemed popular in the 1970s and '80s. Cordon is sending main branches along a wire, usually one, two, or four branches from each vine. In the 1990s Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) became the standard. VSP exposes the clusters to plenty of sun, making the vines easy to prune and the clusters easy to harvest. That full exposure could be the problem with too much sun and heat.<br /><a href="https://wineinsonoma.blogspot.com/2023/11/grapes-trellising-and-climate-change.html?spref=fb&fbclid=IwAR05xbm94X_v94kjHiE7zy98XtL-NHwm3KBM1yQGp_blvZRqw6jm9m-K96A" target="_blank">A previous post</a> on grape trellising and climate change.<br /><br /></li><li><b>Climate change</b> - Most farmers are worried about warmer weather. Wine grapes are very susceptible to any change in the climate. This is why you see Cabernet growing in one microclimate and Pinot Noir in another, slightly cooler region. Increased heat means increased sugar content. Grape farmers and winemakers are trying to figure out what they can do to prepare for the coming decades of what might be some crazy weather.<br /><br /></li><li><b>Parker points</b> - Robert Parker was the most followed American wine writer at one time. If Parker gave a wine lots of points it sold out quickly. He loved the '97 vintage from Napa. It was an abnormally warm year, wines came out ripe, often described as plush. Even though some winemakers weren't sure about that vintage initially, once they hit the market they were all the rage. Hmm, we need more wines like that.<br /><br /></li></ul>Are there any theories I've missed?<br /><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TD9h0img7ZwTqlO1QEjuo_ATjoYBxOwZwAhtzw1kKE1Pw9x9QgAJPalOQcCf2T8yfScPpoAUVWYbZSSHQqBSuBC7tdMC5yzOLwLfTJSuV2lkVr4YwHYivUfkj9_Ob-Oh1eLRh1eSRfecQkmD5w9aTMjUnU9mFSgvsDjiJ_A1vBmC8WEQ7qHhjGvgcdg/s350/VSPgrapes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="350" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TD9h0img7ZwTqlO1QEjuo_ATjoYBxOwZwAhtzw1kKE1Pw9x9QgAJPalOQcCf2T8yfScPpoAUVWYbZSSHQqBSuBC7tdMC5yzOLwLfTJSuV2lkVr4YwHYivUfkj9_Ob-Oh1eLRh1eSRfecQkmD5w9aTMjUnU9mFSgvsDjiJ_A1vBmC8WEQ7qHhjGvgcdg/s320/VSPgrapes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VSP trellis with full sun exposure<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The difference in today's wine vs. yesterday's</h3><p><b style="color: #444444;">This is a personal perspective, a broad generalization, and related to alcohol levels.<br /></b></p><p>The old days saw leaner wines vs. today's full-bodied ones. Many reds had mouth-drying tannins when young and required a few years to become what they should be. Today most wines are at or near a good drinking stage. This works well as almost all wines are consumed within a few days of purchase. Today's wines are softer and fruit-forward. IMO many current wines are missing a lot of complexity and finesse found in wines from the old days. Today's wines are easier for the new wine consumer to enjoy -- that sense of sweetness instead of mouth-drying tannins.<br /><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: I don't have grape-growing or winemaking experience. I believe the technical detail here is correct. This post did get a little geeky, huh?</span><br /></p></div>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-7363524129021816722024-01-23T10:58:00.000-08:002024-01-23T10:58:23.310-08:00Some High-Scoring Wines from Sonoma County<p> The <i>Santa Rosa Press Democrat</i> does weekly blind tastings of local wines. I know, work, work, work. They recently published an article of their favorites titled, "<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4266953344421358790/736352412902181672" target="_blank">18 top-scoring Sonoma County Wines</a>" written by their wine writer, Peg Melnik.</p><p> 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.<br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9xwJGym6fwcedmyIgBE-lnZ0B-P7xyih-RRRm3xddKUS5CLWFhBuI6B1xPlci0PWAxD5ev5ke_foW3aR-CczIyappaMNt0B5NUsOwStsskNtGBLDS0aSF_q_emGMM-lnIJSizg131zph1G1SzmxP4DQIGw_W0bwhFHbNtSv3ppuHyR0WP8QQ3Mj8UQU/s255/PedroncelliRed.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="181" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9xwJGym6fwcedmyIgBE-lnZ0B-P7xyih-RRRm3xddKUS5CLWFhBuI6B1xPlci0PWAxD5ev5ke_foW3aR-CczIyappaMNt0B5NUsOwStsskNtGBLDS0aSF_q_emGMM-lnIJSizg131zph1G1SzmxP4DQIGw_W0bwhFHbNtSv3ppuHyR0WP8QQ3Mj8UQU/s1600/PedroncelliRed.png" width="181" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p> <br /> I can't vouch for distribution to local stores near you. Prices are winery retail and all are under $38. The wines can often be found for less in stores, depending on where you are. You can always order from the winery or various online wine shops, if you live in a state where it's legal.<br /><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"> <b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Whites</span></i></b></h3><p><b id="strong-256010e10c32840ec667f76aa84222a7">Bartholomew Estate, 2022 Sonoma Valley Sauvignon Blanc</b>, $30</p><p><b id="strong-a022aad941a61aa62a602ec175d609d1">Davis Bynum, 2022 Virginia’s Block, Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc</b>, $30</p><p><b id="strong-6a7bfcd7ae9beaa8eb536828c0b9e63e">Dutton Goldfield, 2022 Shop Block Dutton Ranch, Green Valley of Russian River Valley Pinot Blanc</b>, $33</p><p><b id="strong-8ca6913a14ab2e6dfbf79d4f46a1980c">Joseph Jewell, 2022 Raymond Burr Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley Vermentino</b>, $30 <br /></p><p><b id="strong-ded8ed42b07dfaa3fb9fd9b05e910c5e">Leo Steen, 2022 Saini Farms, Dry Creek Family Chenin Blanc</b>, $22</p><p><b id="strong-99af92fd02c7aa134277bea624e16b8c">Paul Mathew, 2022 Russian River Valley Viognier</b>, $30<br /> <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"> <b><i><span style="color: #e06666;">Pinks</span></i></b></h3><p><b id="strong-72675be7f9cbd69e19b6f472851e6903">Balletto, 2022 Russian River Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir</b>, $25</p><p><b id="strong-c77c94c5f09f9d3e0cb9bfd11e10d90b">Hamilton Family Wines, 2022 Sonoma Valley Rosé of Grenache</b>, $34 <br /></p><p><b id="strong-25e9af42605c6a729fce9bdc7716561f">J. Bucher, 2022, Bucher Vineyard, Russian River Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir</b>, $35</p><p><b id="strong-902918610e5b1b3fc8132e54604b455d">Keller Estate, 2022 Petaluma Gap Rosé of Pinot Noir</b>, $38</p><p><b id="strong-3f1ae527a2d761b47646aae0e65b2f7a">Morét Brealynn 2022 California Rosé of Pinot Noir</b>, $28 <br />Grapes are from Russian River Valley and Santa Lucia Highlands</p><p><b id="strong-54c16e7c4e93fcafbaac0c0f039f7a01">Vaughn Duffy Wines, 2022 Sonoma County Rosé of Pinot Noir</b>, $25<br /><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"> <b><i><span style="color: #274e13;">Sparkling</span></i></b></h3><p><b id="strong-56e7d1d030ee4714667b01b7fbec1f40">Korbel, 2019</b><b id="strong-56e7d1d030ee4714667b01b7fbec1f40"> Russian River Valley</b><b id="strong-56e7d1d030ee4714667b01b7fbec1f40"> Natural Champagne</b><span id="strong-56e7d1d030ee4714667b01b7fbec1f40">, </span>$18<br /> <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"> <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Reds</span></i></b></h3><p><b id="strong-f2443ca3dc72922326e4865003ed0faf">Eco Terreno, 2019 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon</b>, $32</p><p><b id="strong-56bda3a8be6c1b5baa5cc1d1825a3645">Pedroncelli, 2021 Sonoma Classico, Dry Creek Valley Red Blend</b>, $24 <br /></p><p><b id="strong-ebc97b3fb2281cd2cff197f018386fff">Rodney Strong, 2020 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon</b>, $25 <br /></p><p><b id="strong-daf5070936e0b04566c8a1526a13a170">Saini Vineyards, 2021 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel</b>, $35 <br /></p><p><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-57904533266034923682024-01-18T08:47:00.000-08:002024-01-18T08:58:43.528-08:00Americans Could Expand Their Consumption of Sparkling Wine<p><b><span style="color: #444444;">Our custom</span></b> 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!</p><span><a name='more'></a><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJLwojvcmpAfParUIBGf9ixjZ2pVPJjZZ_zbhVPK1McQoOKrlZDj-_vLD540e2upsJtVdEyjwShsIi6TdwoDT75tIP1IcwV9o1rUIusDiolI5RkYYvMDHWiX3RMydMKGHOjU0mYY4aKCBAa4rZTsvTpb1PkVEvHOt_fnC4CWskcfzH7NPt9oJljnKMsw/s481/KorbelBrut.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="259" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJLwojvcmpAfParUIBGf9ixjZ2pVPJjZZ_zbhVPK1McQoOKrlZDj-_vLD540e2upsJtVdEyjwShsIi6TdwoDT75tIP1IcwV9o1rUIusDiolI5RkYYvMDHWiX3RMydMKGHOjU0mYY4aKCBAa4rZTsvTpb1PkVEvHOt_fnC4CWskcfzH7NPt9oJljnKMsw/w108-h200/KorbelBrut.png" width="108" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Korbel Brut, it's everywhere!</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>Celebrate making it to Wednesday. Celebrate a child getting an A in math. Celebrate that 2% pay raise when inflation is 3%. Or don't celebrate, just have a bottle of sparkling wine because you want to. Open it to make up with your SO after having a fight over who's not doing enough around the house.</p><p><b style="color: #444444;">Reasons to drink sparkling wine:</b><br /></p><ul><li>Sparkling wine goes well with many foods, a lot more than you probably think.</li><li>Sparklers are a relative bargain. Proscecco has gained a big following because of its price for the quality you get. There are numerous good American ones priced in the $20s. </li><li>The alcohol level is lower, usually around 12%. <br /></li></ul><p><br /></p><p>There are over 300 California wineries selling sparkling wine. It's made in other states, of course, along with France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and almost anywhere that has a cool enough climate.</p><p><b style="color: #444444;">Basic facts about sparkling wine:</b></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Champagne is sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France. Other regions of that country make sparkling wine, but can't call it Champagne since it's not from there. Other countries have other names for it. In the U.S. it's simply sparkling wine. Yes, many people use the terms Champagne and sparkling wine interchangeably.</li><li>Sparkling wine is make from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir primarily. Different countries will allow other grapes. The U.S. allows any grapes. The Korbel Brut pictured above is Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, French Colombard, and Pinot Noir. </li></ul><p> </p><p><b style="color: #444444;">What's the best approach to drink more sparkling wine? Keep one in the fridge at all times.</b></p><p><b style="color: #444444;">Do it! </b><br /></p> <div class="tenor-gif-embed" data-aspect-ratio="2.04918" data-postid="3931521" data-share-method="host" data-width="100%"><a href="https://tenor.com/view/the-office-comedy-champagne-television-show-gif-3931521">Champagne Shower - The Office GIF</a>from <a href="https://tenor.com/search/the+office-gifs">The Office GIFs</a></div> <script async="" src="https://tenor.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-74336267987413054522024-01-16T10:30:00.000-08:002024-01-16T16:17:37.756-08:00The Popular Price Point for Premium Wine Buyers<p>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.<br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-x5TH-VPlkHrlN-2dXUSZKcQe0Hu3Er7ppao3zilYlMaIf7jJGLAiKh1Hvsbc7QGzqEyfD2-e93UnoLO5tEBIiKl-ZWRobwTve2ltJZXG4N5_XUqBm9ImWykk-LnNOGXZHWvXo5ryUb2VrMJ2mqjcTd9xd9DVkVhhti7o8_sV_hyPkCLX4nh0AaakWx8/s319/Apothic.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="207" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-x5TH-VPlkHrlN-2dXUSZKcQe0Hu3Er7ppao3zilYlMaIf7jJGLAiKh1Hvsbc7QGzqEyfD2-e93UnoLO5tEBIiKl-ZWRobwTve2ltJZXG4N5_XUqBm9ImWykk-LnNOGXZHWvXo5ryUb2VrMJ2mqjcTd9xd9DVkVhhti7o8_sV_hyPkCLX4nh0AaakWx8/s1600/Apothic.png" width="207" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gallo sells a LOT of this stuff.<br />If buyers were willing to spend a few<br />more bucks they'd get a LOT better wine<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Like almost any product, market trends are watched by price point. The <b><i><span style="color: #444444;">under $10 segment</span></i></b> is taking a dump. The <b><i><span style="color: #444444;">$15 to $25 range</span></i></b> is on the increase. This is great as it shows consumers are willing to step up to good wine instead of drinking mediocre wine (see photo above).</p><p>So there is good news and there is some bad news. The <b><i><span style="color: #444444;">$25 to $50 wines</span></i></b> have taken a slight drop. This is where most premium California wine sits. So why did I call this trend "mostly a good thing" in the opening paragraph? My thinking is once you get someone in the $20 premium wine bracket, they may want to try a $25 or $30 wine.<br /></p><p><b><i><span style="color: #444444;">Above $50</span></i></b> wines are considered the luxury segment. That market has not been hit by a sales drop caused by inflation. During a recession, it's the cheapest wines that do well, under about $15. The high-end wines aren't much affected by recession, any more than they seem to be by inflation.<br /></p><p>Through 2021 anything over $10 was increasing in sales, but overall wine sales are slowing now.</p><p>So who plays in the $15 to $25 range? A lot of it is from the likes of Kendall Jackson with the K-J label and La Crema, plus Gallo with their many, many brands including Clos du Bois, Franciscan, Frei Brothers, Mark West, and William Hill.</p><p>I'm familiar with a number of Sonoma County wines priced in the high $20s, but often discounted in stores. Some of these are Cabernet from Alexander Valley Vyds, Rodney Strong, and Simi. You can find good $20 Zinfandel from Pedroncelli, St. Francis and Seghesio plus several from the Lodi region. You can find quality inexpensive Chardonnay from Chalk Hill and Simi. The average price for Sauvignon Blanc is about $20 so you'll find plenty. Good local sparkling wines can be found in the $20s, my favorite being the non-vintage Brut from Roederer Estate up in Mendocino County.<br /></p><p>Pinot Noir is a tougher nut to crack at a reasonable price. Balletto Russian River Valley Pinot retails for $34, but I see it in stores priced in the mid-$20s. Cline and Decoy make a reasonably priced Pinot, but while I'm familiar with those wineries, I'm not with their Pinot. An out-of-state wine I can recommend is the Argyle Willamette Valley Pinot that's priced in the $20s in stores, and they make a lot of it, so it's in many stores.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8I56LKZSufK_0DK8NJpTS3jpsYtfUAZUL9j3EuKoq1btSrhSbqrPV66hGBlTEzb2NnFD51t5ryyIE4LS2VTRE-TPJ9OZIvei1mbtdCv6eEh3b2nkTG9uBAlrHNfiGXzn-s4iTRc66sHtqzmXK_A7WJSmD-LxdRX_Z2qrYmnROJX-KHIG2BqPfQJxkFys/s300/ballettoPNlabel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="292" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8I56LKZSufK_0DK8NJpTS3jpsYtfUAZUL9j3EuKoq1btSrhSbqrPV66hGBlTEzb2NnFD51t5ryyIE4LS2VTRE-TPJ9OZIvei1mbtdCv6eEh3b2nkTG9uBAlrHNfiGXzn-s4iTRc66sHtqzmXK_A7WJSmD-LxdRX_Z2qrYmnROJX-KHIG2BqPfQJxkFys/w194-h200/ballettoPNlabel.jpg" width="194" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quality Russian River Pinot for $22.99 <br />at a local Total Wine<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-30758748497758545982024-01-11T10:26:00.000-08:002024-01-11T10:40:26.005-08:00Red Wines You Should Try<p></p><p>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.<br /></p><p>This post is about the <b><i>reds</i></b>. The previous post dated Jan 9, 2024 was about <b><i>white </i></b>wines. <br /></p><a name='more'></a><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WaYjnCBqyxIC7iZPylAjvY1gWEI3ytcQ4mrZueks5w3JnvCEYRoxoTd2Fb7398sAEuPZPNtQa9ewjahGyspMST4tTbkLAfD-snIFtlR9FDFK82x-svtnQfV2tWR3LRhu8mkZBhSv69Yu_Dxc7ljzITb8nTCBRs6K9cpJnciuDGHghbvz4K0dhyphenhyphenpfaUE/s651/Stag'sLeap73.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="651" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WaYjnCBqyxIC7iZPylAjvY1gWEI3ytcQ4mrZueks5w3JnvCEYRoxoTd2Fb7398sAEuPZPNtQa9ewjahGyspMST4tTbkLAfD-snIFtlR9FDFK82x-svtnQfV2tWR3LRhu8mkZBhSv69Yu_Dxc7ljzITb8nTCBRs6K9cpJnciuDGHghbvz4K0dhyphenhyphenpfaUE/s320/Stag'sLeap73.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red wine winner from the Judgement of Paris in 1976<br />Putting France on notice that California was coming<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666;">image from stagsleapwinecellars.com</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /><p></p><p></p><p><b style="color: #741b47;"> Cabernet Sauvignon</b></p><p>The
king of red wines. Cab and Chardonnay are America's top sellers. Cabernet is from
Bordeaux, France. It's big and bold and most are made to age a few years to a few decades. Much is discussed about what the correct style should be, how many years a Cab
should age, and where the best ones come from. All you have to know is a
style you like at a price you can afford, as you can spend ten bucks on one or thousands.<br /></p><p>Common descriptors are blackberry, raspberry,
blueberry, tobacco, pepper, licorice, cedar, and black currant/cassis.
Don't worry about that last one because it's apparently only known to
Europeans as that's where black currants grow.<br /></p><p>Cabernet
Sauvignon is the biggest of the Big Five Bordeaux grapes. The others are
Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. <br /></p><p>Besides
France, it's grown in sizeable quantities in Italy, Spain, South Africa,
Australia, China, Chile, and the U.S. (primarily California and
Washington). Bordeaux and Napa are the most famous regions for Cabernet,
and the most expensive. Some of the famous Napa Valley Cabs are from
Heitz, Mondavi, Opus One, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap. Prices for these
examples run from $50 to $350. </p><p>There are many Sonoma County wineries
making Cabernet. Some of the better-known ones that you may find on
your local store shelves or on a restaurant wine list are Alexander Valley Vineyards, Arrowood, Dry
Creek Vineyards, Francis Ford Coppola, Jordon, Rodney Strong, and Simi.
Another way to look for a good Sonoma County Cab is by growing region (appellation),
with many of the best ones coming from Alexander Valley, Dry Creek
Valley, Knights Valley, Moon Mountain, and Rockpile.<br /></p><p> </p><p> <b><span style="color: #741b47;">Malbec</span></b></p><p>From Bordeaux, but Malbec found its sweet spot in Argentina where 75% of it is grown. There's not much in Sonoma County or nearby. Sonoma has 400 acres, about two-thirds of a percent of the total crop. It mostly goes into Cabernet blends. I remember a winemaker in Napa growing a small amount for blending saying, "It's a pain in the ass" so maybe it doesn't do that well here. Anyway, it loves Argentina and wine drinkers love Argentinian Malbec. </p><p>The wine is full-bodied, black fruit flavors, smoky, earthy, peppery. It's a robust wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, but a bit lighter and fruitier; and it's probably more similar to Syrah than Cab. </p><p>A few of the bigger Sonoma County wineries making Malbec are Chateau St. Jean, Kunde, and Imagery.<br /></p><p></p><p> <br /></p><p> <b><span style="color: #741b47;">Merlot</span></b></p><p>Look at Merlot as a smoother, softer, more approachable version of Cabernet Sauvignon. Easy drinking and a wine that will please almost anybody at a
gathering. Flavors are about black. That is, plums, black cherries, and
chocolate. You often find Merlot blended with the big, burly Cab Sauv to
soften it up, making the wine more drinkable when young.</p><p>California
Merlot was a big seller from the '70s through the '90s, then fell out of favor. If
you find Cab Sauv just too tannic or too big for you or Pinot Noir too
expensive, then you may find Merlot as your best alternative.<br /></p><p>A few Sonoma County wineries known for Merlot are Benziger, Matanzas Creek, Mill Creek, Roth, and St. Francis. St. Francis Winery actually grew to fame in the '70s for its Merlot, though with the changing times they are more about Cabernet and Zinfandel now.<br /></p><p> </p><p> <b><span style="color: #741b47;">Pinot Noir</span></b></p><p>Funny story: Fifteen-ish years ago, our son was visiting grandparents in Pittsburgh. They took him out to a nice restaurant with a good wine list. He ordered a glass of Pinot. He got a white wine, a Pinot Gris. He was shocked and confused. In these parts Pinot means Noir.<br /></p><p>Pinot
Noir came almost out of nowhere 20–25 years ago to be the darling of
many consumers, and it's Sonoma's most famous wine. It's from Burgundy and is
also grown in the coastal California and Oregon, and is
fairly new to Germany and New Zealand. A notoriously difficult grape to
work with, but when you find the right climate and know how to make the
wine, it can be a fabulous display of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terroir" target="_blank">terroir</a>, or place.</p><p>Pinot can have varied aromatics of strawberry, cherry cola, earth, mushroom,
and dried herbs. Very approachable to drink young or with some age. All grapes have clones, or mutations. Pinot Noir seems to mutate easily, and many clones show quite a variation in flavors. So along with terroir, the different clones used are responsible for much of the fascination the wine consumer has with Pinot Noir.<br /></p><p>In
Sonoma County it's mostly grown in the Russian River Valley and the
adjacent Sonoma Coast area plus Carneros. There are many good
producers. A few of the best-known are Dutton-Goldfield, Gary Farrell, Flowers, Hanzell, Joseph
Swan, Lynmar, Merry Edwards, Rochioli, and Williams Selyem. Some of
these might be too small to distribute near you. If you should ever visit the Russian River area of Sonoma, you won't run out of great Pinot to sample.<br /></p><p> </p><p> <b><span style="color: #741b47;">Syrah / Shiraz</span></b></p><p>Syrah, from the Rhone of France, is very popular in Australia where they call it Shiraz. They did this to differentiate the Rhone's leaner, lighter style vs. the heavier, riper, richer style from the warmer climate of Australia. You will sometimes find these names being used by winemakers based on the style they made. That is, you will find wines labeled as Syrah in Australia or Shiraz in France to denote the style. In the U.S. both names are used, though most is called Syrah.</p><p>Paso Robles on the California Central Coast and Washington state are known for Syrah. In California, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, and Monterey Counties also grow quite a bit. Like Pinot Noir, Syrah is sensitive to the place it's grown. Syrah is fifth in red wine grape acreage in Sonoma County, so while it's not a huge deal it does very well in the cooler areas with coastal influence, such as the Russian River Valley, the same places where Pinot Noir does well.</p><p>I'm not sure which Sonoma County wineries are large enough to distribute their Syrah near you, but a few of the producers are Anthill Farms, Balletto, Cline, Kunde, Martinelli, Ramey, and Red Car.<br /></p><p> </p><p> <b><span style="color: #741b47;"> Zinfandel / Primitivo</span></b> </p><p>Grape varieties have multiple clones, or mutations, and it turns out Zinfandel is a clone of Italy's Primitivo. Italy's version will taste different from California's. With the many regions and growers of Zinfandel there are differing styles from more restrained, drier, and relatively less alcohol content to the big, jammy, higher booze content ones.</p><p>The ever-popular White Zinfandel is a style, not a grape variety. It is a rosé of Zinfandel. <br /></p><p>Zinfandel characteristics can be bold, fruit forward with raspberry and blackberry, they can be elegant, complex, and ageable, they can be made from 100+ year old vines. The wine is often wonderful and underappreciated. Sonoma County, especially Dry Creek Valley, plus Lodi and Amador County's Shenandoah Valley are great spots for Zin. Also in Sonoma County, Rockpile and Moon Mountain Zins are great, though the areas are small, so production is limited.<br /></p><p>Some of the best-known Sonoma County Zinfandel producers are Dry Creek Vineyards, Martinelli, Mauritson, Rafanelli (very small, good luck finding it), Ridge/Lytton Springs, St. Francis, Seghesio, and Wilson.<br /><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LPtEiqzGNHATaKkfQGDIdKqhtjkCKrtTevfik7j2b1Nep0V8mHcwzZhiMVg8e2YMZc7nKap53oge1JyTWTksrv3pEKtQJeBz3ocwdER0Ci4K7Da5TDpvkpuRZvQyQOZdRgw4zrTWiNZaS-y_p9Ybj7n9wp_OkG60GQQCdn93Tm3M4w7WPie4k6uHH8U/s450/LodiJessiesGroveZin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LPtEiqzGNHATaKkfQGDIdKqhtjkCKrtTevfik7j2b1Nep0V8mHcwzZhiMVg8e2YMZc7nKap53oge1JyTWTksrv3pEKtQJeBz3ocwdER0Ci4K7Da5TDpvkpuRZvQyQOZdRgw4zrTWiNZaS-y_p9Ybj7n9wp_OkG60GQQCdn93Tm3M4w7WPie4k6uHH8U/s320/LodiJessiesGroveZin.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very old Zinfandel vine in Lodi, CA<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p> <b><span style="color: #444444;">Others Red Wines to Discover</span></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Barbera - A lighter weight Italian, drinks young, great with many foods.</li><li>Cabernet Franc - A lighter weight Bordeaux, fruity with green undertones sometimes. </li><li>Gamay - A lighter weight, simpler, French grape. Good with lighter meats and even seafood.</li><li>Grenache - Intense fruit flavors, can be higher alcohol. Lots of it planted in southern France and Spain.</li><li>Nebbiolo - A full-bodied, hearty red from Piedmont, Italy. Usually requires aging.<br /></li><li>Sangiovese - The predominant grape in Chianti. An excellent food wine.</li><li>Tempranillo - From Spain. Usually cherries, earthy flavors. It's somewhere between a Cab Sauv and a Sangiovese.</li></ul><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwSPTm86kytDdSd-yMi3fuLzNLHx5W6M9T9ylMmDdTCHVDswuiTVRoougRD9VZveQlULhOGP6b8n8eWlaR-quYdd92oHNLSEt_QakKmEp5JMxXeOCtOt02VhEn2jfkF3inqZmA0EembbQHfYsmf-HjOWWdLSa_qam-P7wVEukEj0Rq2J0niO3ZCtnq1Y/s229/Scott-Harvey-2018-Barbera.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="180" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwSPTm86kytDdSd-yMi3fuLzNLHx5W6M9T9ylMmDdTCHVDswuiTVRoougRD9VZveQlULhOGP6b8n8eWlaR-quYdd92oHNLSEt_QakKmEp5JMxXeOCtOt02VhEn2jfkF3inqZmA0EembbQHfYsmf-HjOWWdLSa_qam-P7wVEukEj0Rq2J0niO3ZCtnq1Y/s1600/Scott-Harvey-2018-Barbera.gif" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amador County in California's<br />Sierra Foothills is becoming <br />a big region for Barbera<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-41353379956986459032024-01-09T11:45:00.000-08:002024-01-11T10:42:26.978-08:00White Wines You Should Try<p>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. </p><p>This post is about the <b><i>whites</i></b>. The next one will be the <b><i>red </i></b>wines. <br /></p><p>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. <br /></p><p><span></span></p><p><span></span></p><p><span></span></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9KKP-iO7zvaNtTjc2b-CCrwnxDtYpEQM1ICx8Uo8yikrjEyyr9HpaxcAm1zCDqBMBAosYufRXnFtXFmav48sWW8pyxNCooyRKNDz9R-WRJi_X2iWPwLjCjhUuG_7rnRUAvxDD0_U7kNr4QaDuPB-TmXHcSp0BLUNVHhFeN53eGxyxt8jZ_406AvoZqA/s252/Montelena73.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="224" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9KKP-iO7zvaNtTjc2b-CCrwnxDtYpEQM1ICx8Uo8yikrjEyyr9HpaxcAm1zCDqBMBAosYufRXnFtXFmav48sWW8pyxNCooyRKNDz9R-WRJi_X2iWPwLjCjhUuG_7rnRUAvxDD0_U7kNr4QaDuPB-TmXHcSp0BLUNVHhFeN53eGxyxt8jZ_406AvoZqA/s1600/Montelena73.png" width="224" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">California's most famous Chardonnay<br />I found one for sale on wine-searcher<br />for $58,000<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p> <b><span style="color: #38761d;">Chardonnay</span></b></p><p>The country's top-selling white wine is originally from the Burgundy region of France. This grape when made into wine without winemaker intervention is typically fairly bland. Winemaking gives it those, toasty, buttery, fruity notes everyone loves. This style of what you might call heavy-handed winemaking was invented in California. </p><p>The wines vary from those very buttery styles that are the most popular; to a leaner, crisper style known as a Burgundian style, as it more closely matches what is usually made in France. It might be labeled as unoaked. Chardonnay is also used in making sparkling wines.<br /></p><p>Popular American Chardonnay runs from about $10 to $60 though there are others on both sides of those numbers. For the buttery, oaky style look for Kendall-Jackson, Cakebread, La Crema (from Kendall-Jackson), Rombauer, and Sonoma-Cutrer. Mount Eden and Trefethen are a couple of wineries making the leaner style. From Sonoma County, Chateau St. Jean, Gary Farrell, Kistler, Lynmar, and Robert Young all make excellent Chards, but honestly there are many Chardonnays from the county that I'm not familiar with. Sonoma County produces more Chard than any other wine.<br /></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #38761d;"> <b><span>Sauvignon Blanc</span></b></span></p><p>Often called crisp, refreshing, or zippy, this lean dry wine is from originally from the Bordeaux region of France. It's a great warm weather white because it is light and refreshing, especially when compared to the typical Chardonnay. It can have flavors of citrus, tropical fruits, minerality, or grassy depending on where it is grown. New Zealand is famous for its grassy Sauv Blanc. Minerality is most often associated with French Sauv Blanc. The wine is sometimes labeled as Fumé Blanc, a term and style invented by Robert Mondavi.</p><p>Sauv Blanc is often blended, especially in France, with its "sister" grape, Sémillon. It can be made into a sometimes spectacular dessert wine, as with France's Chateau d'Yquem that is a Sémillon / Sauvignon Blanc blend. There are a number of late harvest Sauvigonon Blanc or Sauv Blanc / Sémillon desert wines made in California.<br /></p><p>Some of the most popular Sauvignon Blancs are from Chalk Hill, Decoy, Dry Creek Valley, J Lohr, Kim Crawford (NZ), and Oyster Bay (NZ). Sonoma County's best Sauvignon Blanc might be from Hanna, Merry Edwards, and Quivira. I say "might" because I've tasted only a small percentage of what's available locally. Hanna Winery does a nice job every year and at a decent price.<br /></p><p> </p><p> <b><span style="color: #38761d;">Riesling</span></b></p><p>A grape from Germany that has an interesting marriage of high acids balanced with sweetness, sometimes a little, sometimes enough to make a dessert wine. </p><p>When done well, Riesling can make some remarkable wines. It's also the most misunderstood wine in America because of its varying sweetness. When you pick up a bottle, how do you know if it's very dry, off dry, or maybe a dessert wine? </p><p>This is the same with Gewürztraminer, btw. Riesling is more popular than Gewürztraminer in the U.S. probably because it's easier to pronounce. Say Gah verts trah meener. <br /></p><p>There is little Riesling made in the U.S., most is in cooler climates that mimic Germany, mostly in Washington and New York with some in California, Michigan, and Oregon. Chateau St. Michelle is the best-known American Riesling, at least on the West Coast. Though once more popular, there are now only 55 acres of Riesling grown in Sonoma County. To the north, in Mendocino County's Anderson Valley, there is quite a bit, and it's good. The Central Coast of Calif is putting out some Riesling, too, though I haven't had any from there yet.<br /></p><p> </p><p> <b><span style="color: #38761d;">Pinot Gris/Grigio</span></b></p><p>It's from Burgundy and believed to be a clone of Pinot Noir, but with grayish grapes (gris = gray in French; grigio = gray in Italian). PG is a refreshing wine made in different ways depending on where it's grown and the climate. It can be crisp and clean (Italian/Grigio) to full-bodied and rich (French/Gris). American PG tends towards fruity, soft, a little sweet; a wine you drink with thinking about it.</p><p>If your only experience with this wine is the under $10 stuff, I'd suggest trying some from France and Italy. There is little of it grown in Sonoma or nearby; most of the state's PG is in the Central Valley where that $10 stuff comes from.<br /></p><br /><p> <b><span style="color: #444444;">Other White Wines to Discover</span></b></p><p>Albarino, Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Vermentino, Viognier</p><p>FWIW, I prefer Gewürztraminer to Riesling and have more recently become a fan of Albarino and Vermentino. <br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-68031816878517669022024-01-04T10:38:00.000-08:002024-01-04T10:38:36.787-08:00Winter in Sonoma County<p>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.<br /></p><p>We'll start with the big one ... <br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDt2llys3b5ht5x0LzTTudcCxamYNSP0CBwB8RJYCEyp22VS6Ehq4BJ9yQqrf-57PPxv2WlD4u0hm-IBqhc2MpHQzUpjlhYUqM07uDDceQg8vo1mMJB-b1XUoGhGUlsWPim6dstSjfB9ciJYKoGDSDiYki33WMPHeYULz5TpHOTuTlH9juKF3g8XyAIg/s565/VydFloodNearRR.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="565" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDt2llys3b5ht5x0LzTTudcCxamYNSP0CBwB8RJYCEyp22VS6Ehq4BJ9yQqrf-57PPxv2WlD4u0hm-IBqhc2MpHQzUpjlhYUqM07uDDceQg8vo1mMJB-b1XUoGhGUlsWPim6dstSjfB9ciJYKoGDSDiYki33WMPHeYULz5TpHOTuTlH9juKF3g8XyAIg/s320/VydFloodNearRR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A vineyard near the Russian River<br />after a heavy rainstorm<br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">image from orfila.com</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p><p><b><i>Weather</i></b></p><p>If you look at tourism sites, they will give this a quick glance with something like "cool and maybe some rain." And this is often the case, but it can at times rain like hell, making travel a bit tough. Some roads in low-lying areas can be flooded. Flooding in Sonoma County is usually in parts of the Russian River Valley near the river and south of the town of Sonoma. </p><p>This isn't meant to scare anybody, just realize it's possible. If you're coming from somewhere like Minnesota, you are probably laughing at the thought of rain instead of snow blowing sideways. Typically, you'll find a few days of sun and temps reaching the 60s, a couple cloudy days in the 50s, and a couple of days of on-and-off rain. So the weather is mild compared to most of the country.<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEE7aQl_9jfGs0GM1XS2GnrJF4CrhmpkuChqqfEPgFhuIOeimDAOZkLDSecO0CWT0R9NtKt9lRDq2Ne7LTNFn0dfOLDo-_A-9-k9y725wtgLior3jZnLWkd7qt4po6aqEAcgp-dB_Td9ro-ri_HOdS-W0S1s7ndFkt5ZsNw9GGJpkdghSdlqxrW4qPX8/s640/Mathesonpatio.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="640" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEE7aQl_9jfGs0GM1XS2GnrJF4CrhmpkuChqqfEPgFhuIOeimDAOZkLDSecO0CWT0R9NtKt9lRDq2Ne7LTNFn0dfOLDo-_A-9-k9y725wtgLior3jZnLWkd7qt4po6aqEAcgp-dB_Td9ro-ri_HOdS-W0S1s7ndFkt5ZsNw9GGJpkdghSdlqxrW4qPX8/s320/Mathesonpatio.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter outdoor dining is available in many places<br />This is Matheson in Healdsburg on the rooftop patio<br />Outdoor propane heaters are popular!<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">image from sonomamag.com</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><b><i>Lodging and Restaurants</i></b></p><p>With tourism low at this time of year, you'll find plenty of choices for sleeping and eating and better prices for lodging. A few restaurants might close for a week or two, typically in early January. Same for smaller wineries.</p><p>When going out for dinner, watch for the local Dungeness crab because this is when it's in season. There are also crab feeds put on by various organizations. Restaurants are more likely to have a daily special in the slower season.<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lylwGZmd0NkLTYnRQuSnGwKy4mGhaNmGSlmCvRR1gHhX6FJ1JKaTByA-tWRd4Ahjh4GxZxs__dXnIKH4Biho2GIpKw4uZo_-5qMEXXSjFHhxzDSdTXtFvgkATayfDAX5ivm3sAantXTdS6IumnI-fAcN5MNAWueVALsRhm81mvESbGSPc4UE8mOFns0/s400/WinterWineland.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lylwGZmd0NkLTYnRQuSnGwKy4mGhaNmGSlmCvRR1gHhX6FJ1JKaTByA-tWRd4Ahjh4GxZxs__dXnIKH4Biho2GIpKw4uZo_-5qMEXXSjFHhxzDSdTXtFvgkATayfDAX5ivm3sAantXTdS6IumnI-fAcN5MNAWueVALsRhm81mvESbGSPc4UE8mOFns0/s320/WinterWineland.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No snow here! Winter Wineland event in January<br /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">image from artandenterainme.blogspot.com</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Events</i></b></p><p>There are a few things going on at this time of year. <a href="https://www.wineroad.com/events/winter-wineland/" target="_blank">Winter Wineland</a>, the <a href="https://cloverdalecitrusfair.org/" target="_blank">Cloverdale Citrus Fair</a>, <a href="https://www.wineroad.com/events/barrel-tasting-weekends/" target="_blank">Barrel Tasting</a>, <a href="https://artisan.cacheeseguild.com/" target="_blank">California Artisan Cheese Festival</a>, and the <a href="https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/pliny-the-younger-release/" target="_blank">Pliny the Younger release</a> at Russian River Brewery. A brewery event? Yes, this two week event brings more people into the county than any of the others listed here.<br /><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yv0J9q4_Sx5kFhcVnAGl7lPepyFtJTTFYrGZk0g8Qdu0H5lkx4_twy018yUHQnwy9bJUyge4q6_avixp_qghudKQA1bMjuejU1nEDlUfq8zMwTiFAQv1JMQvm0eOVlMfQvghUbG-jQ7H5CNM-k2zFERm-15fOmmSxxkLxNyjywDpxMPZZKc-XJwsqqs/s958/IronHorseFromDrone.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="958" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yv0J9q4_Sx5kFhcVnAGl7lPepyFtJTTFYrGZk0g8Qdu0H5lkx4_twy018yUHQnwy9bJUyge4q6_avixp_qghudKQA1bMjuejU1nEDlUfq8zMwTiFAQv1JMQvm0eOVlMfQvghUbG-jQ7H5CNM-k2zFERm-15fOmmSxxkLxNyjywDpxMPZZKc-XJwsqqs/s320/IronHorseFromDrone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drone's eye view of Iron Horse Vineyards,<br />Russian River Valley, in winter<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">image from vintus.com</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><b><i>Wineries</i></b></p><p>With fewer people visiting, you'll get
better service and have more time to chat in a relaxed environment. It's
a slow time for winemakers, too, so they'll often be in the tasting
room of smaller wineries. Lots of tasting rooms in Sonoma County use a
reservation system, but most will be slow enough to be able to handle
drop-ins if you want to make a last-minute decision on a new place to
try wines. Someone may even have time for an impromptu cellar tour.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeVFwonH18hGnbsOXtt7OqtNU9znKCr8hCSjt_tRX-1xXAdowJu9YPC5yHqIpEUkaxa9DVGTXw5cLEiXuhOVT32EnbM6Xl3e-eL8w-0ar-rhmeHQL_bz63l7IU-keoql72fuMTbw6EQQK2-Uebjj_EtpEI_5FPW4zaHGHOBjiQFNu169HtxDLqJARECA/s1024/DCVpruning.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="1024" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeVFwonH18hGnbsOXtt7OqtNU9znKCr8hCSjt_tRX-1xXAdowJu9YPC5yHqIpEUkaxa9DVGTXw5cLEiXuhOVT32EnbM6Xl3e-eL8w-0ar-rhmeHQL_bz63l7IU-keoql72fuMTbw6EQQK2-Uebjj_EtpEI_5FPW4zaHGHOBjiQFNu169HtxDLqJARECA/s320/DCVpruning.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A single worker pruning old vines in Dry Creek Valley<br />January 2022<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">image from pressdemocrat.com</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-36800814167879587222024-01-02T10:08:00.000-08:002024-01-02T10:08:42.634-08:00Not Allowing Kids in the Tasting Room<p>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?</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzIWUuwr2H_TEDi_YFy185lrEyHmUEFnZW3caNZQsMzUpmQ1J_uhpVIPsWrEnI7XabmoQmUMG8ojaibSJi5FrJi17Myh5MsdFrDKlRbINIf3xLJ17yt97VUtR6kU6nKpO6e042bfCkJYnIYGA2OjVGe5k3-YVFFL_4GebKHv7sU2ip9SsWDBGct-JUVk/s300/NoKidsWinery.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="145" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzIWUuwr2H_TEDi_YFy185lrEyHmUEFnZW3caNZQsMzUpmQ1J_uhpVIPsWrEnI7XabmoQmUMG8ojaibSJi5FrJi17Myh5MsdFrDKlRbINIf3xLJ17yt97VUtR6kU6nKpO6e042bfCkJYnIYGA2OjVGe5k3-YVFFL_4GebKHv7sU2ip9SsWDBGct-JUVk/s1600/NoKidsWinery.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><p></p><p><b style="color: #800180;"><br />Pre-Pandemic</b></p><p>Most tastings rooms were drop-in, where you'd taste while standing at the bar. Kids and other minors were okay, or you might say tolerated, as smaller children could be a problem because they might be a disturbance or be roaming around on their own, something that can be potentially dangerous in a winery. </p><p>There were a minority of wineries that had seated tastings, usually smaller, high-end places requiring a reservation because of limited space. They usually only took people that were there to taste. No minors, no teetotaler grandmas, etc.<br /></p><p>So if you were bringing along the young 'uns or others that weren't interested in wine, there were still plenty of options for wine tasting.<br /><br /></p><p><b style="color: #800180;">How We Got to the No Kids Policy</b><br /></p><p>With the Pandemic and social distancing, tasting rooms reopened with seated tastings as the new normal. Unvaccinated, unmasked, runny nosed kids hanging out were verboten.</p><p>It stayed this way because most wineries would rather not have children running around or vying for the adults' attention when they might be thinking about buying some wine.<br /><br /></p><p><b style="color: #800180;">Is It the Right Thing to Do?</b></p><p>From the winery's perspective, it is absolutely better. No kids causing issues, distracting mom and dad, or worse, kids with no adult supervision while the parents were occupied with their wine tasting. No kids potentially getting into trouble or even putting themselves in danger.<br /></p><p>For mom and dad, it should be a better experience without children, but a hassle to have to park the kids with someone to go wine tasting. I'm sure it's cut down on their trips to the wine country.<br /></p><p><br /><b><span style="color: #800180;">Questions</span></b></p><p>Should wineries, where alcohol is served, be kid-friendly? Obviously, bars aren't, but restaurants serving alcohol are. So there's really precedent either way.<br /></p><p>There is the issue of should you be drinking at all if you are driving your kids around? That's an issue for the parents to decide.</p><p>Should the wineries be making it more difficult for a segment of potential buyers to visit? </p><p>How much of an issue are children for the wineries? You tend to remember the couple bad incidents and not the dozens of children that were just fine.<br /><br /></p><p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>For the Parent</b></span></p><p>It's only some of the many wineries that do not accept anyone under 21 years old. It is up to you to discover who will let you bring the little ones along, and to support those wineries that do.</p><p><a href="https://www.visitnapavalley.com/" target="_blank">Child-friendly</a> Napa wineries can be found here. Once at the website, go to Wineries or Tasting Rooms, then Amenities.<br />For Sonoma County, I couldn't find a definitive list. A Google search showed various websites with their own list of favorite family-friendly spots.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-23917551946865792082023-12-27T11:24:00.000-08:002023-12-27T11:24:48.152-08:00Diversifying in the Vineyard<p>When a wine drinker thinks of Sonoma County, they likely focus on Pinot Noir. The top grapes by acreage are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon, making up two-thirds of all the grapes grown in the county. There are smaller amounts of Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Syrah. The last ten percent is made up by over 50 other grape varieties. There's a move to diversify for several reasons.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><i><br />Selling Wine</i></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif429g6TNmagdqMTfgd5rhSDybV-zkzc1aVP52ZvgGaDbGaKsKGhKNcJVIVBp48O3ZD0H3HZPv2HKvgbthwOyD-6U8y-UQWkcZHCgfxVzI3hHNS-6eAQYLxvfm3AMjdNjA5OEG4ICkHYbW-OyN4YvmGuRppO9FoUYojfFnZZlMheNutItiWungJhFErG4/s434/ChStJeanRiesling.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="308" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif429g6TNmagdqMTfgd5rhSDybV-zkzc1aVP52ZvgGaDbGaKsKGhKNcJVIVBp48O3ZD0H3HZPv2HKvgbthwOyD-6U8y-UQWkcZHCgfxVzI3hHNS-6eAQYLxvfm3AMjdNjA5OEG4ICkHYbW-OyN4YvmGuRppO9FoUYojfFnZZlMheNutItiWungJhFErG4/w142-h200/ChStJeanRiesling.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">You don't see much Riesling <br />in Sonoma County anymore<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>A winery owner or winemaker might be asking themselves, "Does the world need another Chardonnay, and is there even a store shelf anywhere that wants another one?" Even if yours is great, how will it stand out in a crowded field? Maybe go with another white wine grape and try to gain fame there. Assuming you can find another suitable variety besides Chard or Sauv Blanc.<br /></p><p>Why is there so much Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Pinot planted instead of for instance more Pinot Gris or Merlot? As with most things, it's economics. At harvest, a ton of Pinot Noir grapes goes for an average of $3,800, the highest for any grape in Sonoma County. A ton of Merlot grapes sell for $2,100.</p><p>A few local wineries that specialize in non-traditional wines are <a href="https://acornwinery.com/" target="_blank">Acorn</a>, <a href="https://www.idlewildwines.com/" target="_blank">Idlewild</a>, <a href="https://orsifamilyvineyards.com/" target="_blank">Orsi</a>, <a href="http://portalupiwine.com/" target="_blank">Portalupi</a>, and <a href="https://twoshepherds.com/" target="_blank">Two Shepherds</a>. You'll find lesser-known French and Italian grapes. Per Acorn's website, they are currently sold out of their current release. The founders had been talking about retiring, so I don't know the status of future wines.<br /><br /></p><p><i>Climate Change</i></p><p>Most local winemakers will tell you there's more variability in the weather now. You can attribute it or not to climate change, but the heat and the full-on or full-off nature of the rain patterns are new. The extended years of drought are new. Or at least they're new since wine grapes became a major crop. Some grapes will do better with these changes than others.</p><p>There are people planting small experimental vineyards of different varieties. Some are planting different clones of the popular varieties with different rootstocks to see what works best as current vineyards heat up and have less water available.<br /><br /></p><p><i>Vineyard Health</i></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYx_VxYcBKf3_6KOFcZUVxAl0tYNXEagCfMKEaarlNYgGEiPWW2b3Vf9BwEgWl6qA11MSgB9J2OTwWqEritMXG_sAtYVSiDAiji-TC2eEFKJUnR9Bh_LXxWIwmvzZqZSQBMYM1_6Vftj9lcqxZMuAbSWAPBY521X4YZz-S5ZSOPhu-fanxk_NUYdKYiQ/s272/TwoShepherdsGris.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="150" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYx_VxYcBKf3_6KOFcZUVxAl0tYNXEagCfMKEaarlNYgGEiPWW2b3Vf9BwEgWl6qA11MSgB9J2OTwWqEritMXG_sAtYVSiDAiji-TC2eEFKJUnR9Bh_LXxWIwmvzZqZSQBMYM1_6Vftj9lcqxZMuAbSWAPBY521X4YZz-S5ZSOPhu-fanxk_NUYdKYiQ/s1600/TwoShepherdsGris.png" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Trousseau Gris is not <br />well-known. Also called<br />Bastardo, a name they<br />did not choose to use. :)</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Vineyards are monocropping. You look at the Napa Valley floor and all you see are acres and acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. As an example of what can happen is with phylloxera, the pest that wiped out most vineyards in the late 19th century then made another pass through a few decades ago after almost everyone replanted to one particular rootstock. Diversification is key to health.</p><p>Not every grape variety reacts the same way to vineyard temperature extremes, or to pests and mildew. Go with what's easy to grow in a certain location instead of having to fight problems with spraying, with extra work in the vineyard, or with water you may not have.</p><p>There is some experimentation with grapes that are a cross between the European varieties that we are used to and native American grapes that are naturally more disease resistant. We'll see if that leads to any wines we think consumers will appreciate.<br /></p><br /><br />Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-43463746107561255452023-12-20T11:32:00.000-08:002023-12-20T11:32:42.847-08:00Is it Time to Give Seltzer a Try?<p><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial;">No, not that White Claw stuff. Yuck. Cannabis-infused seltzer is on the market, but not <i>in</i> the market.</span></p><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIhij4b0-CTRY_L8XQW1JpWmPWxAUWibir-enT2XcPfMjTIt1l4dGXqRNitjKAaAPTounWDy-2Rd9INJY8p6imZZy1xilafMD_fG5VGu1MwWkVfDF4je4WZ-_gR3hUui48ECkXbWjrqG9VrhBfCvCvwiaTQUECFRVzQwd2nZia3rx2tEmH-AhvnkNGDo/s1000/Cheech__Chongs_seltzer.jpg" style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIhij4b0-CTRY_L8XQW1JpWmPWxAUWibir-enT2XcPfMjTIt1l4dGXqRNitjKAaAPTounWDy-2Rd9INJY8p6imZZy1xilafMD_fG5VGu1MwWkVfDF4je4WZ-_gR3hUui48ECkXbWjrqG9VrhBfCvCvwiaTQUECFRVzQwd2nZia3rx2tEmH-AhvnkNGDo/s320/Cheech__Chongs_seltzer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial;">Yes, in the quest for another option to get a buzz, you can find seltzer with THC and sometimes CBD. Much of it seems to be at low levels, like 2 mg of THC per drink. Low doses of THC is considered 5 mg or below, whereas 10mg and above is for those more experienced users (a nice name for stoners). Some of these drinks also include CBD, which is non-intoxicating and therapeutic, according to promoters. A quick search finds prices from the high, yes, I said high, teens to almost thirty dollars.<br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial;">Near me, where cannabis is legal and sold in dispensaries, the infused seltzers are only sold in these stores. Too bad, because I have a short walk to 7-Eleven where they also sell Doritos, taquitos, ice cream sandwiches, and other deliciousness. :) </span></p><p><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Some info for this article is from leafly.com </span></span><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-75403418017116195712023-12-18T09:37:00.000-08:002023-12-18T13:23:02.434-08:00About Petite Sirah<p> Last week was a look at the history of Petite Sirah in California, and specifically Sonoma County. Some of you don't know much, if anything, about PS so let's give enough info to make you want to go out and try one.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYn5Hlzh3BQVg97Yd7Lv6W5s507gRiBVH2qSLtjXp31WX9Xw2oDQDok2G6ViYT9zNO1JL_tBM-dbzqpXqZeXkd6eHLI-Q85QP_EK4zyUraVmDDF1ldBEItBrBbCJY8LuTIy8EUvXTTMbL8kwlUImWWNDy7okr7F1c8-IjpB8aOclnUTbwM9I3KOTUrA8/s1360/Petite-sirah-grapes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1360" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYn5Hlzh3BQVg97Yd7Lv6W5s507gRiBVH2qSLtjXp31WX9Xw2oDQDok2G6ViYT9zNO1JL_tBM-dbzqpXqZeXkd6eHLI-Q85QP_EK4zyUraVmDDF1ldBEItBrBbCJY8LuTIy8EUvXTTMbL8kwlUImWWNDy7okr7F1c8-IjpB8aOclnUTbwM9I3KOTUrA8/s320/Petite-sirah-grapes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petite Sirah in the wild<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><b style="color: #741b47;">What is Petite Sirah?</b></p><p> In the late 19th century, a French botanist named Durif crossed Syrah with an obscure grape to get what is called the Durif grape in France and some other parts of the world. In America, it got named <i>Petite </i>for the size of the grapes, definitely not for the flavor. And, yes, it's spelled <i>Sirah</i>, not Syrah.</p><p> The tight grape clusters don't allow air to circulate, so mold is a problem. The grape thrives in warm, sunny, dry climates like California, Australia, Israel, Chile, Mexico. Only a small amount is grown in France because of the wetter climate.</p><p> In California, where the vast majority of Petite Sirah is grown, it has a history of use as a red blending grape, often with Zinfandel. Up until the 1970s, it was almost always found in jug wine blends. Petite Sirah gave the blend color and tannins. </p><p> While California crushes about 3.5 million tons of wine grapes a year, only 90,000 of those are Petite Sirah. Sonoma County has over 60,000 acres of wine grapes, just 650 acres are PS. Lake County, Mendocino County, and Lodi in the Central Valley are the other main areas for Petite Sirah in the state. However, the number of wineries making PS are grown significantly in the last couple of decades, though that number is estimated to be only a few hundred. So there seems to be a resurgence in interest, at least partly due to newer winemaking techniques that soften those tannins.<br /></p><p></p><p><b style="color: #741b47;">What does Petite Sirah taste like?</b></p><p> The color is dark, inky purple. Flavors are blue and black fruit (often plummy), pepper, and mocha. It's full-bodied with full flavors and tannins, meaning you should age or drink with the proper meal. Tannins can be bitter and astringent/mouth-drying. Many are made with softer tannins, so don't be afraid! <br /></p><p><b style="color: #741b47;">What to eat with Petite Sirah?</b></p><p> Rich, hearty, fatty dishes work well with PS. I always think of a hearty beef stew on a cold winter night. BBQ, most kinds of beef, and dishes that are peppery, including chili pepper. I mentioned fat because fat is the great equalizer of wine tannins.<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QdWsJbfPPt3CDhhndMQ2F6Jcx7OcnCucnpbb5TfBbtlYppBQmD8IpqkL5CjX2bkEWzTuZVuXbkY6tIAHpRFogZ6rO2TNMbLGQUvWCP4rm1wWLNjZ1_p2ePJbXQV8szTXjqVQdDMvmEj6xj8KfLCv7lOhF3j9PsT-wdnVchktXA_Xa_NplPNyQqv4b1c/s400/FoppianoPS.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QdWsJbfPPt3CDhhndMQ2F6Jcx7OcnCucnpbb5TfBbtlYppBQmD8IpqkL5CjX2bkEWzTuZVuXbkY6tIAHpRFogZ6rO2TNMbLGQUvWCP4rm1wWLNjZ1_p2ePJbXQV8szTXjqVQdDMvmEj6xj8KfLCv7lOhF3j9PsT-wdnVchktXA_Xa_NplPNyQqv4b1c/w175-h200/FoppianoPS.png" width="175" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the regulars<br /> for Sonoma County Petite Sirah<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p><b style="color: #741b47;">Some Petite Sirah Wines from California<br /></b></p><p> Most of these wineries, but not all, are from Sonoma County. This is just a small sampling of the state's wineries making Petite Sirah.<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Bogle </li><li>Carol Shelton</li><li>Concannon<br /></li><li>Foppiano</li><li>Fritz</li><li>Jeff Runquist</li><li>Parducci</li><li>Pestoni</li><li>Portalupi</li><li>Preston</li><li>Ridge/Lytton Springs</li><li>Trentadue</li></ul><br />Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-3865125445067746912023-12-14T09:16:00.000-08:002023-12-14T09:16:53.717-08:00Short History of Petite Sirah in Sonoma County<p>We've been through the history of Cab, Pinot, and Zinfandel in Sonoma County over the last few posts. Now we are onto a rare one, an oddball, an out-of-favor grape, or what ever you might want to call it. Just don't call it Syrah because they are not the same, though they are related.</p><p>Petite Sirah is a fun one, mostly because it's not trendy. You won't find people getting all snooty about PS like they do with Cabernet or the very trendy Pinot Noir. It's a grape used for blending until fairly recent times.<br /></p><p>Let's dive into the history of the very purple Petite Sirah in Sonoma County, in California, and in other parts of the world.<br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFj_EP4w7i6xr2zCnmag6X7wK4kNoytyNcJ15UCDnPpxGi7gc4k5ybEmbGaHdesYQTaGG-kNGqDZ8oDKC9-Dj0C0wFy8YEJwovHZ1DzaED-Mpn1ydqaA54hUn-iWd5VLMtXxO020nnU5ki5Bm9tnYqWAEZ9Fv9KRr3rSvGXcONlmQc2jDG0ZJfUPMa2D0/s500/PetiteSirahPedroncelli.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="500" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFj_EP4w7i6xr2zCnmag6X7wK4kNoytyNcJ15UCDnPpxGi7gc4k5ybEmbGaHdesYQTaGG-kNGqDZ8oDKC9-Dj0C0wFy8YEJwovHZ1DzaED-Mpn1ydqaA54hUn-iWd5VLMtXxO020nnU5ki5Bm9tnYqWAEZ9Fv9KRr3rSvGXcONlmQc2jDG0ZJfUPMa2D0/s320/PetiteSirahPedroncelli.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petite Sirah grapes at Sonoma County's Pedroncelli Winery<br />where they've been growing it for over a century<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">image from pedroncelli.com</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>1880 In southern France botanist Francois Durif creates a new variety by crossing Syrah and a rare grape, Peloursin. Then he names after himself. Durif creates a variety with very tight grape clusters, making it susceptible to rot in southern France's climate. It needs somewhere with a dry, warm growing season. Hmmm.<br /></p><p>1884 Charles McIver imports Durif to America under the name Petite Sirah. He planted his Linda Vista Vineyard in the San Jose area with several French varieties, including PS.<br /></p><p>1890 There is documentation of Concannon Vineyards in Livermore Valley shipping Petite Sirah. It sounds like James Concannon knew Charles McIver.<br /></p><p>1900 After <a href="https://www.calwineries.com/learn/grape-growing/pests-and-diseases/history-of-phylloxera" target="_blank">phylloxera</a> wipes out most vineyards, Petite Sirah is one of the most popular grapes replanted. Farmers were interplanting Petite Sirah with Syrah, Pinot Noir, and others making <a href="https://acornwinery.com/field-blend-tradition" target="_blank">field blends</a>. There were calling these vineyards Petite Sirah if it was the main grape, so exactly how much PS was planted isn't clear.</p><p>1908 The Durif wine grape is introduced to Australia. <br /></p><p>1964 Concannon Winery releases a '61 Petite Sirah, believed to be the first PS labeled by the varietal name. Note: The U.S. laws at that time said a wine has to only contain 51% of a single varietal for it to be labeled with that name; it's now 75%.<br /></p><p>1964 Chateau Souverain in Sonoma County releases a wine labeled as Petite Sirah a couple of weeks after Concannon.</p><p></p><p>1967 Foppiano Winery, established 1896 in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, releases its first wine labeled as a Petite Sirah.</p><p>1970 There are 1,400 acres of Petite Sirah in Sonoma County, trailing Zinfandel and Carignon. Napa County also has 1,400 acres where it's second to Cabernet Sauvignon.</p><p>1980 My first experience with PS is from Concannon, probably a '77. This is the first premium wine that I remember buying. </p><p>1981 (circa) I became a fan of Field Stone Winery in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley because of their '78 PS.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrudM8T5MDOQB6a_tE3Lyx9a2WA-aqcdFdtm6ZzDhXaQtvr7MS1-CEBHxsrayEvhzNwQSnMVtGTVeSOT1932YZw_dmG5FLi7QN5cURmUv9RZ_hVn_pEOhyphenhyphen0dk5ECwNGixr0kB0AlSeGpZD7OXz2f-d_kV-DP2Wjn6_pMKv6NrI3eDTYXidYcu1SjFjPk/s600/FoppianoPS1977.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="199" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrudM8T5MDOQB6a_tE3Lyx9a2WA-aqcdFdtm6ZzDhXaQtvr7MS1-CEBHxsrayEvhzNwQSnMVtGTVeSOT1932YZw_dmG5FLi7QN5cURmUv9RZ_hVn_pEOhyphenhyphen0dk5ECwNGixr0kB0AlSeGpZD7OXz2f-d_kV-DP2Wjn6_pMKv6NrI3eDTYXidYcu1SjFjPk/s320/FoppianoPS1977.jpg" width="106" /></a></div>1990 There are only about 350 acres of Petite Sirah in Sonoma County and 480 acres in Napa. These lower numbers might be partially due to more accurate tracking of field blended vineyards.<br /><p></p>2010 There are 560 acres of Petite Sirah in Sonoma County and 750 in Napa. Yes, both counties have added PS vines.<br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.psiloveyou.org/about/about-petite-sirah/" target="_blank">PSILoveYou</a><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.concannonvineyard.com/" target="_blank">Concannon Winery</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.countyofnapa.org/258/Crop-Reports" target="_blank">County of Napa.org</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/natural-resources/agricultural-weights-and-measures/crop-reports" target="_blank">SonomaCounty.ca.gov </a> </span><br /></p><p><br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-30767929432725085692023-12-12T09:33:00.000-08:002023-12-12T10:36:00.684-08:00Short History of Zinfandel in Sonoma County<p> Zinfandel has a unique history in America. People have written books about the grape so this is strictly a few of the highlights of Zinfandel's history worldwide and in Sonoma County.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> You'll hear Zinfandel called America's grape, America's heritage grape, America's own grape, or California's grape. These are all partially correct, as the history of Zin was a mystery before DNA testing a few years ago.<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="hgKElc"></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtl9aaH4wmxSpFjXGlNg_EtD4f97PJQYhyF0BVI0KZ8JRkP4oos2OEIu86VddLzbAHkejej3_AZHr7QND7MsD7N9JBHH9xZKTFE4_o_9LYwmo5sS4mcXIvY03TEzhl2RdlPNa5-VFSojV6yvlJJcSD6dX3MYhdq7e_lzOlh1tjiAX_HPJu7SIokXM0XI/s428/PaganiRanchZin.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtl9aaH4wmxSpFjXGlNg_EtD4f97PJQYhyF0BVI0KZ8JRkP4oos2OEIu86VddLzbAHkejej3_AZHr7QND7MsD7N9JBHH9xZKTFE4_o_9LYwmo5sS4mcXIvY03TEzhl2RdlPNa5-VFSojV6yvlJJcSD6dX3MYhdq7e_lzOlh1tjiAX_HPJu7SIokXM0XI/s320/PaganiRanchZin.png" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pagani Ranch Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley<br />First planted in the 1880s then expanded in the 1920s<br />Some vines were replanted in the past ten years<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><br /><span class="hgKElc"><br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><i>Confusion over the origin of Zinfandel<br /></i></span></span></span></span></p><p> Zinfandel is descended from a minor grape in Croatia,<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">Crljenak
Kaštelanski. Yeah, good luck pronouncing that! Also, Plavic Mali and
Tribidrag of that region may also be the same or closely related. It made its way
across the Adriatic Sea to Italy where it's called Primitivo, a very
close relative of American Zinfandel.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> In the U.S. it was first called Black St. Peters then eventually Zinfandel. Just another American immigrate with a fuzzy past. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">Some
credit <a href="https://www.iwfs.org/americas/wine-food---friends-1/agoston-haraszthy--american-entrepreneur---founder-of-california-s-ol" target="_blank">Agoston Haraszthy</a>, known as the father of California
viticulture, with first bringing it into the state. He did bring many wine grapes in, including Zinfandel, but whether he was the first to plant it in California is unclear.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> In some ways, Zinfandel is just another American immigrant with a fuzzy past.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNvjuIuPN9HV1bgmBLzdK_HuEWqoBTLkM5yTsA5I2pMcWoX3zIiMNNVQlLvO7PqV3FPBrziak_AgknR5AI_iFjhyUr0mUeiw6JVRb3NoHh8GSyMMOzbCqOcz-lAfWDZ85kVpL3GAczcioIqz5lK2fr9BVy5C74wSuaWFTp58E73xZOhQ15j4JJT-D75Q/s774/Ravenswood-Rosenblum-Ridge_Winemakers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="774" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNvjuIuPN9HV1bgmBLzdK_HuEWqoBTLkM5yTsA5I2pMcWoX3zIiMNNVQlLvO7PqV3FPBrziak_AgknR5AI_iFjhyUr0mUeiw6JVRb3NoHh8GSyMMOzbCqOcz-lAfWDZ85kVpL3GAczcioIqz5lK2fr9BVy5C74wSuaWFTp58E73xZOhQ15j4JJT-D75Q/s320/Ravenswood-Rosenblum-Ridge_Winemakers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you were old enough to be drinking Zinfandel 40 years ago<br />you knew your Rs: Ravenswood, Rosenblum, Ridge,<br /> and their winemakers, Joel Peterson, Kent Rosenblum, Paul Draper<br />Rosenblum's daughter is head winemaker for Ridge's<br /> Lytton Springs Winery in Sonoma County<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><i>Chronological history </i></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1829 Zinfandel probably made its way to the East Coast from Europe. There are records of a nursery in Boston having imported grape varieties from Europe, then in 1832 there is documentation of this nursery selling "Zenfendel" as a table grape.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1852 Some believe Agoston Haraszthy imported the first Zinfandel to California from Hungary. Others believe it got here earlier from the East Coast. During the 1850s the Gold Rush pioneers brought nursery items with them, possibly including Zinfandel.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1857 Joseph Osborne wins praise for his Oak Knoll Vineyard (Napa Valley) Zinfandel. This is probably the first California wine labeled as Zinfandel.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">1869 The Grandpere Vineyard in Amador County (Sierra Foothills) is first planted with Zin. Now called the Original Grandpere to separate it from any expansion or replanting, you can still find rare bottles from the Zinfandel vines planted in 1869. A national treasure.<br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1B16Rw28rzVWNk7KMDq4l0-b3wjmXuTg4ijgDAJTHI8J3ngOveqLP2XQrioAM7y3kSEr__tR5ADQ_ciovxuJbLA_cEgMkDQAxEutkBZzVOqYemw_IUSD8sAG5gZUj9aGOvtwmXy82_NPqtzB-bU9c7pO-T_0-voF9TR36x0zLaQlmn6DXtvbp5Gl66k/s900/GrandpereVydsOriginal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="900" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1B16Rw28rzVWNk7KMDq4l0-b3wjmXuTg4ijgDAJTHI8J3ngOveqLP2XQrioAM7y3kSEr__tR5ADQ_ciovxuJbLA_cEgMkDQAxEutkBZzVOqYemw_IUSD8sAG5gZUj9aGOvtwmXy82_NPqtzB-bU9c7pO-T_0-voF9TR36x0zLaQlmn6DXtvbp5Gl66k/s320/GrandpereVydsOriginal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Original Grandpere Vineyards, Amador, from 1869<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1870s First Zinfandel planted in Dry Creek Valley is credited to George Bloch. He was French, not Italian! :) By the next decade there are over 800 acres planted in DCV.<br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1884 Zinfandel is estimated to be half of the wine grape plantings in all of California. <br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1895 Seghesio Winery established.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1896 Foppiano Winery established.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1906 Sebastiani Winery established.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1929 UC Davis recommends the planting of Zinfandel for the North Coast region (includes Sonoma & Napa Counties). This is still during Prohibition, but by this time the public was turning in favor of making alcohol legal again. It was time to start replanting to be ready for future demand.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1936 California Grape Acreage Survey estimates there are 53,000 acres of Zinfandel in California, mostly in San Joaquin, Sonoma, and San Bernardino(!) Counties.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1960 There are 4,000 acres of Zinfandel planted in Sonoma County. The next most popular grapes are Carignan and Petite Sirah.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1967 A UC Davis professor visiting Italy realizes the local Primitivo looks a lot like Zinfandel. Primitivo was brought back for analysis and was shown to be the same.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">1972 Sutter Home Winery bleeds off some juice from one of their Zinfandels (a common practice to concentrate color and flavors). They bottle it making 220 cases of White Zinfandel. The rest, as they say, is history. Sutter Home makes about 10 million cases a year now.<br /><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3YB5k3HLw-ksDv91ZVX8Uj6l5B2IKw4RxIWK2grt8d24FWqb0b0nCt52VqrD8jEuwPDzjcu-xC-yNAzvHvOaDSxI6mjpPxLWFyJOvatJ58EjfzPrDXdphIACwKhcVcBU9pYG8RlBjSFAWkmB4NL1f9hykBKfH8eBNRh_k0OAJvqm_vy9S-aUwF9VpQ4/s400/SutterHomeWZin.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="400" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3YB5k3HLw-ksDv91ZVX8Uj6l5B2IKw4RxIWK2grt8d24FWqb0b0nCt52VqrD8jEuwPDzjcu-xC-yNAzvHvOaDSxI6mjpPxLWFyJOvatJ58EjfzPrDXdphIACwKhcVcBU9pYG8RlBjSFAWkmB4NL1f9hykBKfH8eBNRh_k0OAJvqm_vy9S-aUwF9VpQ4/s320/SutterHomeWZin.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wine that everybody's had at sometime in their life<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1976 Ravenswood Winery established by Joel Peterson.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1980 There are 4,500 acres of Zinfandel planted in Sonoma County. Cabernet and Zinfandel are tied for the most planted grape in the county.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">1990 There are 4,400 acres of Zinfandel planted. There is more Cabernet than Zin, and over twice as much Chardonnay planted. Chard's popularity is booming. <br />A lot of Zinfandel grapes were going into White Zin. Almost all of California's premium wine production was either White Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Cabernet Sauvignon. Zinfandel, as a dry red wine, was not very popular even though it was cheap when compared to other red wines. Some wondered if it would fade into obscurity.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">2000 There are 5,100 acres of Zinfandel planted in the county. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot have more acreage than Zin.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">2001 UC Davis DNA testing finally proves Zinfandel and Croatia's </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">Crljenak are the same grape variety. This means</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> Primitivo and Zinfandel are also the same variety. They are now considered different clones of the same grape. This leads to the question, how much of Sonoma County's old Zinfandel vineyards are actually Primitivo?<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">2022 Sonoma County has 4,700 acres of Zinfandel with 2,400 of that in Dry Creek Valley. There are 58,000 acres of wine grapes planted in the county. There are 45,000 acres planted in California, one-third of it is in San Joaquin County in the Central Valley. The predominant wine from these grapes is White Zinfandel.<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvlK4oATUXsZfMn_7zaz3OJuTApbvP1v_dx_6_K29BwK0CTa42x8EXTFvgnUHJheW_vPsu8tTveTlOyIACXYwXgGNUDaaOasA75K6xaAC8n0yk_Oi_v1DD6RAaNivmtHCC1pwISyZVRBQamp-hgvnBeLcugqEWJj4ImDIcCJh0HbaN7pdrDgWgAHbJpY/s642/ZinAlcLabels.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="642" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvlK4oATUXsZfMn_7zaz3OJuTApbvP1v_dx_6_K29BwK0CTa42x8EXTFvgnUHJheW_vPsu8tTveTlOyIACXYwXgGNUDaaOasA75K6xaAC8n0yk_Oi_v1DD6RAaNivmtHCC1pwISyZVRBQamp-hgvnBeLcugqEWJj4ImDIcCJh0HbaN7pdrDgWgAHbJpY/w400-h250/ZinAlcLabels.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13.6% vs. 15.5%<br />Alcohol levels in Zinfandel have changed a bit over the years<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><i>Old Vine Zinfandel </i></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> Zinfandel vines can live longer than most grape vines plus still produce some very interesting wines. There is no legal definition on what can be called an old vine. Many say the vines have to be at least 50 years old, some have a different opinion. I believe they should be the old style head pruned vines and be planted before 1970.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> Common vineyard practice "in the old days" was to interplant other black grapes, like Petite Sirah, Carignan, and Alicante Bouschet. It's called a field blend. So old vine Zinfandel, while mostly Zin grapes, can have one or two of five other grapes in small quantities. Some folks planting in more modern times followed this field blend practice. <br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> Old vine Zin should give you intense colors and flavors. There are many Zinfandel vineyards in Sonoma County over 100 years old. The Lodi area and Amador County also have a lot of old vines. These are special wines.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> <br /><i>Primitivo & Zinfandel</i></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"> Yes, this subject is a bit of a mess with consumers. UC Davis recognizes different clones of Zinfandel vs. clones of Primitivo. U.S. law says you can't call Zin as Primitivo or vice versa on the label, though European law is okay with that. I was looking at a Howell Mountain (Napa) winery's offerings, and they have a "Primitivo Clone Zinfandel." I'm confused.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"></span></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6J-b9foCAYcYaL8oeKNk53rBmi0963NH5FBh0QtY8wxV_0MQCF0gJCy3RPSvBcTx55v492_ovDdO8OR45yPI-KYhLz7aPepTu9ytTBCV05H9F6kXhBtXt00IY39TAsO7gbXaN6IfCp3IkBBRhms5FsPvnGU_KwNz_-LKk6fAO9q8ngfY9p-vc8HFQxAU/s400/Crj_Zinfandel.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6J-b9foCAYcYaL8oeKNk53rBmi0963NH5FBh0QtY8wxV_0MQCF0gJCy3RPSvBcTx55v492_ovDdO8OR45yPI-KYhLz7aPepTu9ytTBCV05H9F6kXhBtXt00IY39TAsO7gbXaN6IfCp3IkBBRhms5FsPvnGU_KwNz_-LKk6fAO9q8ngfY9p-vc8HFQxAU/s320/Crj_Zinfandel.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Croatian "Zinfandel"<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">Sources:</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/natural-resources/agricultural-weights-and-measures/crop-reports" target="_blank">Sonoma County Gov</a></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><a href="https://fps.ucdavis.edu/grapebook/winebook.cfm?chap=Zinfandel" target="_blank">UC Davis</a> <br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinfandel" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></span></span></span></span></p><br />Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266953344421358790.post-64565493310887924932023-12-07T09:44:00.000-08:002023-12-07T14:41:45.403-08:00A Short History of Pinot Noir in Sonoma County<p> Pinot Noir has a short history in Sonoma County, and the rest of the country for that matter, as it was only a minor player in American wine for a long time. Even in its native France, Burgundy was overshadowed by Bordeaux until into the last half of the 20th century.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_dclfAmmDruHvZpjEwdI4OADuwkiOWqiO1F3txcyZ6w6yer_DqcSYyXmJUeoAnUI5KWp7iGftHrnODBF-dz5BnAznowPU-vbO3e1DINbKGYRuwZS3xnKkeFYb0cCV8XxRBm1v6P2P8yPe6idzln1MAxAPknPAiVVGzMwW6OiwIIMewHkc19I36cxhxs/s900/PinotPunchDown.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_dclfAmmDruHvZpjEwdI4OADuwkiOWqiO1F3txcyZ6w6yer_DqcSYyXmJUeoAnUI5KWp7iGftHrnODBF-dz5BnAznowPU-vbO3e1DINbKGYRuwZS3xnKkeFYb0cCV8XxRBm1v6P2P8yPe6idzln1MAxAPknPAiVVGzMwW6OiwIIMewHkc19I36cxhxs/s320/PinotPunchDown.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The romance of the Wine Country!<br />Punching down Pinot Noir during fermentation<br />(stirring in the solids that work their way to the top)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p><p> A few wineries grew Pinot Noir in Sonoma in the late 19th century, but none likely understood where to grow it and how to make it. They called it finicky, or probably worse. The famous post-prohibition winemaker, André Tchelistcheff, is claimed to have said, "God made Cabernet Sauvignon, the devil made Pinot Noir."</p><p> Pinot requires a very cool climate, some will say the cooler, the better. In Sonoma County, Pinot does quite well in vineyards looking over the cold waters of the Pacific. In making the wine, the thin-skinned grapes are handled differently from others. Growing and making Pinot was largely misunderstood in California until late in the 20th century.<br /><br /></p><p><i>Some Highlights of Pinot Noir in Sonoma County:</i></p><p>1950 Per the <a href="https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/natural-resources/agricultural-weights-and-measures/crop-reports" target="_blank">Sonoma County Annual Crop Report</a>
there were about 15,000 acres of grapes planted and an equal number of
French Prunes. The wine grape crop was not yet broken down by variety,
though prunes were.<br /><br />1953 <b><span style="color: #444444;"> Hanzell Winery</span></b> established in Sonoma Valley. Zellerbach, the founder, inspired by his time in Burgundy, planted three acres each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These vines are claimed to be the oldest continuously producing Chard and Pinot in North America. Their first vintage was 1957.</p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBKM-gluINTYUqznktCE4nagTpHWixmXsEIP3ZU1qbkAo9rxoJPl46JicXTwAA4WNV7uLNknwBW_Y28YBRR1aRFAfR_5t-N5IBtZoCWldAryIROrK4TrOZNeaoCc7jAiAfgIwMoDW_0bQulxsY26CA0l66MHJM4U5_dWRN7211It08CR1Hz3iPHrX27k/s700/HanzellZellerbachVyd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="700" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBKM-gluINTYUqznktCE4nagTpHWixmXsEIP3ZU1qbkAo9rxoJPl46JicXTwAA4WNV7uLNknwBW_Y28YBRR1aRFAfR_5t-N5IBtZoCWldAryIROrK4TrOZNeaoCc7jAiAfgIwMoDW_0bQulxsY26CA0l66MHJM4U5_dWRN7211It08CR1Hz3iPHrX27k/s320/HanzellZellerbachVyd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanzell's vineyard, Sonoma<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p> </p><p>1957 (circa) The <b><span style="color: #444444;">Van der Kamp Vineyard</span></b> on Sonoma Mountain is planted to Pinot Noir. The original block from this vineyard are probably the second oldest producing Pinot vines in the county.<br /></p><p>1964 (circa) <b><span style="color: #444444;">Fred Bacigalupi</span></b>, a Healdsburg dentist turned grape farmer, plants six acres of Pinot Noir on his vineyard property after getting the vine cuttings from Wente Vineyards. These vines were originally brought over from Burgundy. This is probably the first Pinot planted in the Russian River Valley.<br /> C.H. Wente, the founder of Wente Vineyards, is responsible for most of California's Chardonnay. He imported vines from France over a hundred years ago, aka the Wente Clone Chardonnay. <br /></p><p>1968 <b><span style="color: #444444;">Joe Rochioli</span></b> Jr plants Pinot Noir in his vineyard because the Cabernet wasn't doing well in his cool climate Russian River location. Rochioli gets the credit for making the Russian River Valley and Sonoma County famous for Pinot.<br /></p><p>1968 <b><span style="color: #444444;">Joseph Swan</span></b> planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on his property a few miles south of Rochioli. He had recently purchased the land containing an old Zinfandel vineyard. </p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwX6hnXFNiajWO160e5K3ncda54cKLC3Y713NQhkz5ivOP2XMWqWxRrVImr3uSs9U6PGDWe5g0YLQToSSK5Se_1u_Wylq3yZtoNBSiBW-uOQnFMDTcX1RnQkTuyGDUNrrRHyUt_1-geyzW2ze0clsWjSTy7LP99Sfs0GO1gJlgZovH0vxVe-u8E6B6SU/s455/PetersonSwanTGchelistcheff.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="455" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwX6hnXFNiajWO160e5K3ncda54cKLC3Y713NQhkz5ivOP2XMWqWxRrVImr3uSs9U6PGDWe5g0YLQToSSK5Se_1u_Wylq3yZtoNBSiBW-uOQnFMDTcX1RnQkTuyGDUNrrRHyUt_1-geyzW2ze0clsWjSTy7LP99Sfs0GO1gJlgZovH0vxVe-u8E6B6SU/s320/PetersonSwanTGchelistcheff.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe Peterson (who later founded Ravenswood), Joe Swan,<br />André Tchelistcheff in Swan's vineyard<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p> </p><p>1968 <b><span style="color: #444444;">Rodney Strong</span></b> plants Pinot Noir next to his winery, a half mile from the Russian River.<br /></p><p>1970 There are <b><span style="color: #444444;">435 acres</span></b> of Pinot Noir in Sonoma County. The top grape is Zinfandel at 4,000 acres. Numbers two and three in acreage are Carignane and Petite Sirah. There are 14,000 acres of French Prunes planted in Sonoma County along with 4,400 acres of Gravenstein apples. <br /> Through much of the 20th century prunes were the top dollar crop in the county. Dairy was the overall top ag crop for many years until passed by wine grapes in 1987.<br /></p><p>1980 There are <b><span style="color: #444444;">2,700 acres</span></b> of Pinot Noir planted and only 4,000 acres of French Prunes left. <br /> Speculation, but the large growth between 1970 and 1980 might be partially explained by existing vineyards thought to be another grape, being identified as Pinot. There were wines produced at this time called Gamay Beaujolais, Napa Gamay, or just Gamay that may have been made from some Pinot Noir grapes. Another rationale for this reasoning is of the 2,700 acres of Pinot less than 80 were young, non-bearing vines.<br /></p><p>1984 After several years of making wine for themselves, <b><span style="color: #444444;">Burt Williams</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #444444;">Ed Selyem</span></b> release their first commercial wine, a Pinot, of course. <br /> Bacagalupi, Rochioli, Swan, Rodney Strong, and Williams-Selyem's wineries and estate vineyards are all within
a few miles of each other near the Russian River as it stretches
between Healdsburg and Forestville. This must be a sweet spot for Pinot Noir.</p><p>1990 There are <b><span style="color: #444444;">3,000 acres</span></b>
of Pinot Noir planted in Sonoma County along with over 10,00 acres of
Chardonnay, 6,000 of Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4,300 of Zinfandel. The
poor French Prunes are down to 1,200 acres. The Gravenstein apple crop
is down to 1,500. <br /></p><p>1990 (circa). My wife and I are working p/t for <b><span style="color: #444444;">Kenwood Vineyards</span></b>. They make a Pinot Noir from the well-respected Jack London Vineyards, planted on Jack's property in Sonoma Valley by his ancestors. To this day I remember it tasting stemmy and more like a Syrah than anything. This vineyard sits in a warm climate zone growing Cab, Zin, and Syrah, not a great place for Pinot. The Pinot grapes are long gone from the property. In 1990 there weren't many local winemakers that understood Pinot Noir.<br /></p><p>1997 <b><span style="color: #444444;">Merry Edwards</span></b>, after many years of working for others, opens her namesake winery specializing in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. She retired from winemaking in 2020 bearing the unofficial title as the Queen of Pinot.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Xz1vbIfFvL1a88U1-aHikehZQu2Fx07FcnlUPz0IOz1ntv6XSzR5fPB-_ucKwHLaBKVWTarFConb-ATADeqmZcTTVRI_NSUH_P7oy6IuaxgJX5NMVmO6vewEBygPHhKvTeYivZkqjXgvmkj-VsvBSsF6h5BxB6hw2iCb4bNUDLaMua6kZDDKn9L4B2E/s5830/MatanzasMerry.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4599" data-original-width="5830" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Xz1vbIfFvL1a88U1-aHikehZQu2Fx07FcnlUPz0IOz1ntv6XSzR5fPB-_ucKwHLaBKVWTarFConb-ATADeqmZcTTVRI_NSUH_P7oy6IuaxgJX5NMVmO6vewEBygPHhKvTeYivZkqjXgvmkj-VsvBSsF6h5BxB6hw2iCb4bNUDLaMua6kZDDKn9L4B2E/s320/MatanzasMerry.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merry Edwards, left, with the founders of Matanzas Creek Winery 1977<br />Her first release was a Sauvignon Blanc, something she specialized <br />in at her own winery, besides Pinot Noir<br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Image from matanzascreek.com<br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>2002 There are <b><span style="color: #444444;">6,500 acres</span></b> of Pinot Noir in the county bearing fruit and another <b><span style="color: #444444;">4,800 acres</span></b> of non-bearing young vines.<br /></p><p>2004 I take a wine class at the local junior college from <b><span style="color: #444444;">Richard Thomas</span></b>, a local wine guy known for his opinions that occasionally got him into trouble, but that's another story. He's got a chart of acreage of grapes grown in Sonoma County, both bearing and non-bearing (too young to support fruit). He gets to what he sees as a huge number of new, non-bearing Pinot Noir acres. He scratched his head and mutters something like, "What the eff are we going to do with all the Pinot Noir?" To his way of thinking we're in Zinfandel country and by god that's what we should be planting.</p><p>2004 <i><b><span style="color: #444444;">Sideways</span></b></i> movie released, dissing hard on Merlot and praising Pinot Noir.<br /></p><p>2023 There are <b><span style="color: #444444;">13,000 acres</span></b> of Pinot Noir planted in Sonoma County. Second in acreage behind Chardonnay. Within California, Sonoma has the most Pinot, Monterey County is second, with Santa Barbara a distant third. There are 47,000 total acres of Pinot in California.<br /> In Sonoma County, wine grapes are a $550m crop, dairy, which used to be number one, is $66m, Gravenstein apples $1.6m, and prunes aren't listed anymore. The land once containing apples went mostly to Pinot Noir as they prefer a similar climate. Prunes did well in warmer areas from Santa Rosa up to Cloverdale. Most of that crop's land has been replaced by housing or other wine grapes.<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUH7ZsgWSZQjtEFqSo1dh037WpgD0M68nIN9tYZ6ceu2w6OSI5SkWSJvOVS9U054PyckdSzIwbzS5LB83QV60gJF_9M7muoEaOP8S8k38H0hfMu7InRSlRbGBE7QgRXxGZHt1Q47srbC2_3OootWSNncXJ6RPb7ZCR_05CvtwACx1CjTCw7l6-myWKuc/s276/DehlingerGoldridge.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="151" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUH7ZsgWSZQjtEFqSo1dh037WpgD0M68nIN9tYZ6ceu2w6OSI5SkWSJvOVS9U054PyckdSzIwbzS5LB83QV60gJF_9M7muoEaOP8S8k38H0hfMu7InRSlRbGBE7QgRXxGZHt1Q47srbC2_3OootWSNncXJ6RPb7ZCR_05CvtwACx1CjTCw7l6-myWKuc/s1600/DehlingerGoldridge.png" width="151" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Dehlinger, another early pioneer <br />in Sonoma County Pinot Noir,<br />and my introduction to what Pinot can be <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://hanzell.com">hanzell.com</a> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://princeofpinot.com">princeofpinot.com</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://sonomacounty.ca.gov">sonomacounty.ca.gov</a> Agricultural Crop Reports <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://sonomacounty.com">sonomacounty.com</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://swanwinery.com">swanwinery.com</a> </span> <br /></p>Bob on Sonomahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14793996114215329105noreply@blogger.com0