Latino Winemakers of Sonoma

Without Californian's Latin American population there wouldn't be much of a wine industry in the state (or farming of any kind). They are the backbone, but usually not the face of California wine. Here are a few of the exceptions in Sonoma County.

Latino Wineries/winemakers in Sonoma County

Which Countries Drink the Good Stuff?

Premium wine is generally considered anything costing over $20 a bottle. So which countries drink mostly premium wines? This isn't how much they drink in total, but how much of what they drink falls in the premium category. The top countries:

Ireland                 67%
Hong Kong         51%
New Zealand      47%
Canada               37%
Australia             37%
Singapore           37%

The U.S.?  23%

Data from International Spirit & Wine Record via The Wine Gourd blog.

Bad Ideas in Beer

Not everyone in the booze biz is a marketing genius. I think sometimes there's a meeting where in desperation someone says, "Oh, what the hell, lets try this."

Pinot Noir - The Bad News

The previous post was on The Rise of Pinot Noir as it's pretty much come from nowhere in the last twenty years in the U.S. to be the new darling. A couple things are spoiling the party.

The Rise of Pinot Noir

Anyone that's been around wine for a couple decades has seen a major trend; something not seen since the 1970s.

Buying Napa-Labeled Wine

Wine labels don't always tell the whole truth. For instance, you should know the difference between Napa Valley and Napa County. There are two things to be aware of.

That Wine May Not Be Exactly as Labeled

More precisely, the bottle may not contain exactly what the label says. It turns out there is wiggle room and some vintners may be taking advantage of this. Surprised? Should you be concerned? Let's look at some of the federal regulations.

How to Buy a Bottle of Wine

I've done this subject before and so have many other people, but this is a different look at buying a bottle of wine.

And the Next Napa Valley is ...

  Anyone who has been to Napa during the busy season would probably wonder why anyone would want to put up with that on a daily basis, but still, everyone in the wine business is pretty jealous of their success. This means there's a queue of places wanting to be, or writers declaring here is, the next Napa Valley.

Sonoma County - What's Not to Love

If I didn't live here in Sonoma County this spot would be at the top of my list of places to visit. Why? There are many reasons.

Let's start with the obvious one:

Next Spot for Premium Wines -- Michigan!?

From Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Michigan may be ready to break through (Mother Nature permitting) and become the next location for producing top cool weather grapes like Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.

Read all about it.

California Wines Sales in the U.S.

For 2018 domestic sales of California wines hit a new high surpassing $40B -- a 3% increase from the previous year. Volume sales aren't up as much as dollar sales meaning consumers are paying more for their wine.

By variety the top five wines are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Blends, Pinot Gris/Grigio, and Merlot. Chard and Cab make up one-third of the market. Everybody's darling, Rosé, is less than 3% of the market (trailing white zinfandel even), but grew by 46% from the previous year.