Lowering the Drinking Age

I know what you're thinking. 1) We tried that once with lowering the drinking age to 18 in many states and it wasn't such a good idea. 2) This would increase drunk driving problems.

Interesting Trend in Wine Drinker Demographics

During the pandemic years, the gender and age of U.S. premium wine drinkers has changed significantly. It's more female and older. 

Premium wines for this study are those costing over $15.

Source: Wine Intelligence

You can click on the image to enlarge.

 

The Origin of Terroir

  Terroir (tehr-waar) is a fancy French word to do with the environment wine grapes are grown in -- the soil, climate, topography, and anything else about the site that might affect the characteristics of the wine. It's sometimes called the sense of place. This is a big deal in the serious wine world, as you can grow the same grapes managed by the same people in vineyards a short distance apart, and you'll get different wines.

  So where does terroir come from exactly? Glad you asked. Well, maybe you won't be glad you asked because it's dinosaur poop, at least in this particular vineyards that scientists studied. And the best stuff comes from where the dinosaurs had gas. I shit you not.

  Scientists discover the key to terroir

The Real Sonoma Coast Appellation is Here

It's called West Sonoma Coast. I'm not sure who all was behind laying out the Sonoma Coast growing area that came about over three decades ago, but if you buy wines based on that AVA there may or may not be any actual coastal influence on the grapes in the bottle. That's finally been fixed with the West Sonoma Coast AVA.

Best Summer Wines

Yep, this is article #257 you've come across on what wines to drink in the heat of summer. This one will be on types of wines, what characteristics you want, in a warm weather wine, rather than specific wines that you might have to hunt for. When in doubt shop where there are knowledgeable people you can ask.

Napa on a Budget

  The cost of a trip to Napa may shock you. There are ways to not get scalped, it just takes some planning. If you're on a budget similar to mine, you can do things to pay less. For wineries, there are 2-for-1 and maybe even free tasting deals out there. Ask about sharing a tasting with your SO. 

Has Napa Gotten Too Expensive?

  Napa Valley is a Mecca for many American wine drinkers. It's a must-visit. Napa tasting rooms were the first, as far as I know, to introduce tasting fees back in the 1980s. Once the Great Recession ended about a dozen years ago, there was a pretty good hike in bottle prices and tasting fees. With the Pandemic, there was another significant increase along with seated tastings by reservation.

  Trip Advisor named Napa as America's most expensive tourist destination. Recently the Wall Street Journal published an article Who Can Afford Napa Now? where the author said she can't help feeling that the valley's main crop is actually cash.

Sonoma County Airport Wine Club!

The Santa Rosa/Sonoma County Airport/STS, or officially the Charles M Schulz Airport (whew), is a small town airport. It has a restaurant on site serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There's a full bar that opens at 8 am. Also, a little to-go eatery run by the excellent Costeaux French Bakery.

The Other White Wines -- From the Rhone

The Rhone region of southern France is home to many grape varieties with Syrah, Grenache, and  Viognier the best known on this side of the pond. Several of the Rhone whites have found a home in California.

Sales of Obscure White Varietals

This post goes along with the two previous blog posts on Albariño and Vermentino. Per local wine writer, Peg Melnik, the popularity of lesser known white wine varietals is increasing. This includes Vermentino and Albarinño plus other unusual grapes like Cortese, Fiano, and Verdeho and slightly better known ones such as Grenache Blanc, French Colombard, and Chenin Blanc.

A local wine shop owner she talked with said their sales of these unusual whites is up 10 to 20 percent. She interviewed an employee from a local winery, Portalupi Wines. They said it's mostly the under 40 crowd looking for something besides Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

I found Peg's article, Uptick in Sales of Rare White Varietals, in print in last Sunday's Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Haven't found it online, so I can't link to it.

Vermentino

It turns out white wine isn't just Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc! Vermentino, originally from Italy, is a lighter-bodied, white wine similar to Sauvignon Blanc. I like it for the bright, crisp acidity and herbal, spicy flavors. Descriptors used are lime, green apple, grapefruit, and minerality.

Albariño

Albariño (al-bah-reen-yo) grows mostly in Spain and Portugal, with a few hundred acres planted in California and a bit in Australia and South America. It's a light, refreshing white wine good for summer sipping and summer's lighter meals.