Pinot Noir Without Breaking the Bank

Specifically, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir from premium wine producers at low to moderate prices. Russian River is the primary region of Sonoma County for this wine, and a significant amount is produced. 

Avoiding Palate Fatigue

Palate Fatigue is when you've overindulged. It's not about becoming intoxicated; rather, it's physical and mental exhaustion. You've worn out your taste buds, and can no longer tell the difference between wines. The fatigue stems from physical from sensory saturation and the mental strain of concentrating on the various smells and tastes. Yes, wine tasting is hard work!

Winery Visitation is Down. What to Do?

There are a myriad of reasons and guesses as to why California wineries are seeing a downturn in visitors. These usually revolve around economic uncertainty including tariffs, a whiplash effect from the Covid lockdowns when online purchases shot up, higher prices for wine tastings, and younger consumers turning to other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. 

What are wineries doing, or could be doing, to counteract the loss of visitors? 

Good Value Wines From Sonoma County

These are a few picks of quality wines from Sonoma County that aren't too expensive and should be relatively easy to find in wine shops and big box retailers. There are more, these are a few I know about. 

What is Rosé Wine?

Whether it's Rosé All Day or Yes Way Rosé pink wine is the in wine. Some info about this wine phenomenon follows.

Retrenching in the Wine Biz

Some of the major players in the industry are reducing their footprint in the wine business. This is a sign of uncertainty in the future of the wine market. 

California Wine Industry in the 1920s

This is a snapshot of the wine industry 100 years ago. Why the1920s? Prohibition took effect in 1920 making it illegal to manufacture, transport, or sell alcoholic beverages. It wasn't against the law to drink if you acquired it legally. You could make your own hooch.

1920 was a big year for the country as Women's Suffrage was also ratified, giving women the right to vote. One small step...

Wine and Women

Women and their wine have a special relationship. Here's a sometimes humorous look at this culture.

Interesting Facts About Calfornia Chardonnay

A little bit about Chardonnay from California, the love it or hate it wine. It even has its own "club," the ABC or Anything But Chardonnay. 

What Wine Has Kept the American Wine Business Humming Along

It's the story of California Chardonnay. You've heard the bad news about the current problems in the wine industry. The younger consumers aren't drinking as much wine and there are the tariffs. The fact is, the American wine industry came from an afterthought to prominence a half-century ago and has been growing most of that time.

In 1975 there were over 300 wineries in California. Ten years later it had doubled. Currently, there are almost 5,000. That sounds like success. 

One grape has been Mr/Ms. Steady for all that time. Chardonnay.

Wines With Grilled Meat

Memorial Day weekend is upon us. It's the gateway to summer grilling. Let's take a look at some wine suggestions for grilled food. As always, the best wines are the ones you like, whether they're listed here or not.

Don't forget to take a moment or two on Monday to remember the soldiers and sailors that didn't get to come home.

Get Ready for Summer in Sonoma

Sonoma County in the summer means an almost endless list of things you can do. Some of them are: sit outside at a winery while sipping, swim, float, surf, or kayak on the cool water, hike a trail, go to the fair, and listen to music.

For other ideas, check out previous blog posts on Major Events for Summer and Alternatives to Wine.