Zinfandel has been called America's grape for a long time; long before DNA testing took it to Primitivo in Italy and farther back to an obscure grape in Croatia. If you really want to know the Croatian name for American Zinfandel, it's usually called Crljenak Kaštelanski, but sometimes Tribidrag. Hey, you asked.
Let's say you are looking to buy a bottle of California Zin. How should you go about that? Some help follows.
Several Italian grape varietals are catching on in California, from Fiano to Barbera. The current hot one is Vermentino, as it's showing up in more wineries in Sonoma County, and around the state.
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.
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!
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?
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.
Whether it's Rosé All Day or Yes Way Rosé pink wine is the in wine. Some info about this wine phenomenon follows.
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.
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...
Women and their wine have a special relationship. Here's a sometimes humorous look at this culture.
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.
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.
