Cougars Invade Amador County!

Rombauer Winery of Napa Valley is famous for their buttery Chardonnay. People are obsessed with this wine; a wine marketing-type once called it "liquid crack." The reputation is also that women of a certain group known as, um, cougars love is so much that Rombauer Chardonnay is sometimes called Cougar Juice. Now the unthinkable has happened.

Trouble in Craft Brewery Land?

Ballast Point Brewery was started in San Diego in 1996. It is now the 17th largest brewery in the country. Constellation Brands, owners of Modelo, Corona, and others, purchased Ballast Point in 2015.

In 2017 they opened a huge sour beer and barrel aging facility in San Diego that is closing. A brewpub in nearby Riverside County opened in 2016 is closing. It's just been announced that a large restaurant and brewery scheduled to be built in San Francisco near the new home of the Golden State Warriors basketball team will not be built after all.

Ballast Point appears to be retrenching as they say in corporate speak. It may also be that Constellation is changing priorities. One of those priorities is dumping lots of money into cannabis.

Wine Without a Winery

   Last Friday's post on the 2018 crush in Napa and Sonoma Counties said yields were way up yet prices for grapes went up too, seemingly counterintuitive to the supply-and-demand cycle. 

   The good news is with the bulk wine market. This is unsold grapes or juice that usually goes to larger wine labels that buy up this bulk wine at huge discounts. This means you might find grapes that went into a hundred dollar Napa cab selling under another label for forty bucks or a nice Sonoma pinot going for less than $20. Of course, you have to know what you're looking for so keep an eye on the wine reviews.

Sonoma/Napa 2018 Grape Crush

The data is out on the 2018 wine grape crush. What stands out is that quantity was way up while prices rose also. How does that happen? Plenty of demand -- and hoping that the market will still be there in three years when these wines become available.

California Wine Exports Take a Hit

In 2018 revenue from U.S. winery exports was almost $1.5 billion on 42 million cases of wine. California is 90% of the export market (and 90% of U.S. wine production). The export value is down nearly 5% mostly from the strong dollar and retaliatory tariffs. California premium wines are doing well in continental Europe and Canada despite the dollar's strength. After years of high growth exports to China took a big hit.

Read the details from the Wine Institute

Trends in Wine Buying

There are a couple consumer trends affecting the wine industry and if they hold will have major impacts. This is on top of the issue of climate change that's on the list for many in the wine business.

The Use of Oak on American Wines

Oak barrels, or sometimes oak in other forms on cheaper wines, is prevalent. Is the use of oak always a good thing? Below is a link to a story about a winery in Lodi, California not using oak at all. The most interesting part on what oak does and why it's used is in the section titled, "How and Why Oak Became Part of the American Palate." A fascinating read that includes theories on why so many wines taste the same and even how wines have lost their varietal character.

From Lodi Wines Blog

The State of Craft Beer

Recently the Brewers Association released its annual report of the U.S. beer market for 2018. While the growth numbers aren't as huge in some previous years it may at least be viable in the long term.

The Wine Library in Healdsburg

The next time you're in Healdsburg you might want to visit the library, the Sonoma County Wine Library, that is. It's a really cool idea that started 30 years ago and is a resource for wine lovers plus wine industry folks. 

Wine Library

Wine Library Celebrates 30 Years, from the Press Democrat

Town of Sonoma Limiting Tasting Rooms

If you've ever visited one of the wine country chic cutesy towns it's probably for the easy wine tasting opportunities. Along with wine there's usually restaurants and souvenir shopping. In Sonoma County the towns of Sonoma and Healdsburg fall in this category. Both get lots of visitors who like the convenience of walking around these small towns.

"I'm Allergic to Red Wine"

I hear that, or something similar, fairly often. Most folks will blame it on sulfites because they are mentioned in a warning on the wine label. What are the actual issues and causes of these unwelcome reactions drinking wine? Yes, it's often red wine that's the culprit. Disclaimer: I ain't no doctor. It's always good to consult a professional if you have a serious problem.

Latest Trends in the Alcohol Biz

Folks are always trying new things to get a bigger slice of the pie in the alcohol business. Here are the latest things you'll see coming your way. Pretty exciting stuff.