Sonoma/Napa Winery News

 Current happenings, mostly related to the slowdown in wine visitation.

The Coming Weird Wine Grape Harvest

Mother Nature controls much of what happens in agriculture, and wine grapes are especially finicky. Harvest timelines and fruit quality vary based on weather and peoples' decisions. The 2026 spring weather was most unusual and that's going to have an impact.

Using AI to Select Wineries to Visit

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere on the Internet. Perhaps, you could say it's being shoved down our throats. Regardless, we all probably use it, more so with the youngest among us. Millennials and Gen Z of drinking age. Yes, some of the Gen Z (1997 to 2012) are of drinking age!

Following is some help in using AI to actually give you useful suggestions.

State Comparison for Wine

Statistically, how "winey" is each state?

Who Drinks Organic Wine?

Organic wines have received a lot of media attention. But who is drinking organic wine? The previous blog post defines what organic wine is.

What Is Organic Wine?

Part of the personal health trend means consuming healthy food and drink. For many this means it's organically grown or raised. Organic wines have gotten lots of media buzz, but what exactly is organic wine?

Tasting Fees: Many Wineries Are Getting It

Tasting room fees have doubled since 2012. Tasting room traffic is way down. Coincidence?

Premium Canned Wine

Wine in cans started with a sweet, fruity, fizzy beverage in a can with a cute, colorful label on the outside. It's growing up and becoming a beverage for adults rather than for college kids at the beach or maybe sneaking them into movie theaters and concerts.

2026 Direct-To-Consumer Wine Report

Silicon Valley Bank's yearly report is a benchmark on the current state of the American wine industry. They put out two major annual reports, The State of the U.S. Wine Industry, and this one, the Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) Wine Report. Direct-to-consumer and wholesale are the channels for a winery to sell product. DTC means they get to keep all the profit, wholesale means it's shared with the wholesalers and retailers.

Is Overripe Over?

By overripe, I mean the soft, lush, blockbuster fruity wines of California. By questioning if they are finished as a style, I mean they aren't going away anytime soon, but are they losing popularity. We are seeing a return by some winemakers to what I consider more balanced and structured wines.

Coming to Sonoma County?

If you're flying into Northern California to visit Sonoma County or Napa Valley, rather than landing in San Francisco or Sacramento, consider flying directly into wine country. There are plenty of flights into the Sonoma County Airport (STS).

Here's the current list from the Petaluma Argus-Courier. This information is also at the airport's site.

Approximate drive times from STS: 

Healdsburg  13 minutes
Sonoma  50 minutes
Calistoga  32 minutes
Napa  65 minutes

The Wine Sub-Culture

Wine same customs have been around for many generations, and it seems almost impossible to change any of them. It's not all necessarily bad, but some things make you wonder.