Wine Trends - The Good and the Bad

It's a new year, so we should talk about trends. Rather than just reviewing what happened in 2021 or making a wild ass guess at what might happen in '22 we'll look at the good and bad trends without any specific timeline. 

Alcohol Level on a Bottle's Label

You've no doubt noticed the ABV (alcohol by volume) number on a wine label. Some of us use this number to help select a wine to purchase. Unfortunately, that number can be misleading. There has to be flexibility in the ABV as labels are often printed before the actual percentage of alcohol is known. That allowable range is quite wide. Luckily, most winemakers are honest and usually the number on the label is very close to the actual number.

Statements About Wine That Aren't Necessarily True

 There are misconceptions  about wine. Here are a few statements that are wrong, at least sometimes.

What Kind of Wine Club Should You Join?

Wine clubs are popular because (a) you get recurring shipments showing up at your door and (b) the people running the club get a revenue stream. Let's look at what kinds of clubs are available to you.

The Battle of the Cults, Napa Style

Or When Rich Guys Get Mad.

The word cult and expensive Napa Cabernets have gone together at least since the 1980s when Napa Valley got trendy. In fact, I recall being in a St. Helena (Napa Vly) wine shop back then when a couple asked the proprietor about pre-cult wines. I guess he wanted to get in on The Next Big Thing before anyone else. 

Salvestrin Winery and the Appellation Trading Company are going to court to battle it out over the use of the word cult on their wine labels. Who used it first, who trade-marked it, blah, blah. Cult is like Reserve on a wine label. It's just marketing. It's kind of funny, but mostly dumb. But it sure is Napa!  

Article on the lawsuit from Food & Wine.

Buy some Cult wine!

The Upward Trend in Alcohol Levels in Wine

Premium wines have seen an increase in alcohol levels in the past couple decades compared to previous years. The biggest jump seems to be in California where the average for red wines in the 1990s was about 13.7% and the 2000s 14.6% alcohol. The 2010s actually dropped a bit.

Wine Styles

Where do different wines fall in their styles? The picture below is an easy visualization of this. It's helpful when there are certain styles you like, and can help you pick out a dinner wine. 

Basic Wine Info

Several statements about wine that may help with your enjoyment. Or, at least, make you look smarter.  :)

A Brief Guide to the Three-Tier System

In the U.S. we have what's called a three-tier system of alcohol distribution. It's turned into a process where the middle-men exert far too much control over what you find on your store shelves. Following is an interesting article from Australia letting local wineries there know the battle they are in for if they want to export to the U.S. It ain't pretty.

A Brief Guide to the Three-Tier System from Wine Australia.

 

100 Amazing Sonoma County Wines

This list of wines was published in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and was written by a freelance wine writer and wine judge based in Sonoma County. She considers the wines even more remarkable because many came from tough years of wildfires.

Some are a bit expensive, but only one touches the hundred dollar threshold. Still, 34 are over fifty bucks and that's no small change for most of us.

It's a list from all types of wines so there's probably something here that will interest you.

The 100 most amazing wines in Sonoma County

Good Wine Trends

The previous entry here was about the not-so-good trends. Here are the better ones.

Not So Good Wine Trends

Yeah, there have always been trends in wine. And a lot of really dumb trends in craft beer. Hard seltzer? LOL Here's a look at what seems to be the worst in wine trends.

Thinking About Getting Into the Wine Industry?

As the Pandemic (hopefully) winds down, there are many jobs going unfilled. The wine industry is no exception. People want to go into the wine industry because the product you are making or selling is fun. Others want the opportunity to live in wine country and enjoy the lifestyle. 

How to Ruin Your Wine

Wine is fragile. It can be screwed up in the vineyard (rare), in wine making (not very often), or once it leaves the winery (too often).

Wine Components

There are main elements to every wine. This is where all the different smells and flavors start. This is also a good place to begin if you're just learning how to describe wines. This knowledge is useful in describing what sort of wine you're looking for when in a store or restaurant.

The Tale of Napa's Burgess Cellars

Burgess Cellars was founded in 1972 by the Burgess brothers, then passed down to the son of one of the brothers. In September 2020 Burgess Cellars was sold to Gaylon Lawrence Jr. Lawrence is a billionaire real estate mogul and had recently begun buying property in Napa Valley, including Heitz Cellars. Nowadays, you pretty much have to be a billionaire to play in Napa real estate.

Yelp Says These are the Best Restaurants in Sonoma County

Yelpers gave these county restaurants their top scores. You might wonder why some are on the list. I do, but then I learned not to always trust Yelp some years ago. The good news is most are fairly inexpensive.

From Sonoma Magazine here are the best according to Yelp.

Essential Sonoma County Restaurants

  Essential restaurants, theirs and mine though I'm not even sure what an "essential" restaurant is. Sonoma Magazine put out their 25 essential restaurants of Sonoma County. I've been to eight of those they selected. Some I haven't made it to because they're far away for a dinner out (Sonoma is a big county). A couple are a bit expensive for my taste; others because it's generally not a type of cuisine I'll spend money on.

Invest in Wine Stocks?

I'm not any sort of expert investor, if there is such a thing, so I won't tell you whether you should pick up a few wine stocks. Maybe it's something you might want to do just for fun with a few hundred bucks. Here are some options.

The Upward Trend in Alcohol Levels

Over the last few decades alcohol levels in wines have been going up. Yes, those red wines you see at 14.5%, 15%, or more, used to be 13.x%. There's a similar change with white wines. What happened? Two things.

Winery vs a Label

A winery, by definition, is an establishment that makes wine. Seems pretty straightforward. Much of the wine you see in grocery stores is what I'd call a wine label. I don't mean the physical paper label on the bottle, but it's a winery name that isn't really a single physical winery. You could call it a wine brand without its own winery and made in a wine "factory."

Premium Wine Vineyards on the Move

On the move? Over time, yes, as the land heats up. The average temperature in Napa Valley has gone up 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 125 years. That's a bit higher than the overall increase for the country. In France they have noticed an increase in temperature, just as the rest of the globe has, along with more heat waves, more precipitation in the autumn and winter with a drop in rain in the summer.

The 2021 Drought Vintage

They say less water in the vineyards gives you less tonnage (bad economically), but smaller fruit with more intense flavors producing excellent wines. Well, that adage is about to be tested in California.

Rain and the Grape Harvest

  The Northern Hemisphere is in the midst of the wine grape harvest. One of the things you hear wine people worry about is rain. Why is that?

Sonoma County Wineries with a European Feel

Winery buildings come in all shapes and sizes. Some look like a castle or château, some are in an old barn. These with a European identity are on the fancy side. (Not meaning fancy prices necessarily, just very nice architecture).

Wineries with a European feel from the Press Democrat.

Why it's Difficult to Get Wine Shipped to You

  About 15 years ago the Supreme Court said if you let local state alcohol companies ship to consumers, you have to let out-of-state do the same. This started a trend of more and more states allowing wine shipping, with some caveats.

Next Big Thing in Wine - Michigan. Huh?

The better wine regions in the country are growing in acres of vineyards planted, but none quicker than Michigan. Though that state produces less than one-half of one percent of all American wine now they have big plans. They expect to be at 10,000 acres of wine grapes in a short time (Sonoma County has 62,000 acres). 

Wine Tasting Fee Sticker Shock

With the pandemic rules, most wineries, in the Napa / Sonoma region anyway, have gone to seated tastings by reservation. This controls the size of the crowd and the spacing of groups. 

Since the end of the Great Recession wine prices and tasting fees have increased. Now with the added changes for the pandemic, it's officially sticker shock for anyone who hasn't been wine tasting in a while.

Sonoma County Harvest Fair 2021

Every year the Sonoma County Harvest Fair celebrates the best wines from Sonoma County grapes. This year, as last, there isn't a public celebration as the weekend wine tasting is again cancelled due to the pandemic. 

The list of winners is available for you to peruse and maybe purchase a few favorites (that's what I'll be doing).

Results by winery

Results by wine variety

Italian Style in Sonoma County

Sonoma County has a rich history with Italian immigrants in the local wine industry. Just look at many of the winery names like Fappiano, Martinelli, Pedroncelli, Rochioli, and Seghesio. You can find the Italian spirit at tasting rooms throughout the county, some pretty genuine, some a bit less authentic, but these are great places for Barbera, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and maybe some obscure Italian varietals.

Lower Alcohol Wines

If you remember the "old days" California wines usually had an alcohol content of 13.x%. That has crept up over the past two or three decades to averaging closer to 15% for many varieties. If you still prefer the more subtle approach to winemaking, there are a few places you can find this style. Or maybe you're just curious about a different method of making wine. 

Wines You Could be Drinking

If you're a bit tired of Chardonnay, Malbec, Cabernet, or whatever you've binged on for a while, then I've got a few other choices for you! Maybe wines you don't see too often in the store, or just don't know much about. Actually, it could even be because you don't know how to pronounce them. These all make excellent food wines.

Mega Purple in Your Wine

 Wine, it's just grapes, right? Okay, some know water can be added along with things like tannins, acids, and sugar. And, of course, there's  the influence of oak barrels. Other additives are used, usually to fix a flaw, but not all of it is there to make your wine taste better.

Introducing a wine juice concentrate called Mega Purple.

U.S Wine Exports

American consumers have a nice selection of imported wines from around the world available. Other countries, to a varying degree, have some choices of American wines, What they probably don't have is a huge variety of what this country has to offer.

Diet Wine

Dry table wines contain about 125 calories per five ounce glass. That's not a lot if you only have one glass, but what fun is that? Lower alcohol or no alcohol wines will have fewer calories.

Napa (or Other Wine Region) Guide

  Lots of folks planning a trip to Napa Valley, or some other wine region, have similar questions: Where to drink, where to eat, where to stay, can we bring our kids? This is a great little Napa Wine Guide from the wine blogger, Wine Folly, that will help get you started.

Call it Climate Change, Call it Bad Luck

Whatever you want to call it, the weather for the past few years is causing major problems for some of your favorite wineries.

Scorched, Parched, and Uninsurable, from the NY Times 

And it's not just happening here. Fire rips through vineyards in France from Wine Spectator.

OMG they're not drinking wine!

The graph below is meant to worry people in the wine biz. The newest arbitrarily named generation (gen z) isn't buying wine! Similar charts come out periodically. It turns out kids in college or just out of school with lots of debt don't buy much wine. Also, I think wine, along with other beverages like whiskey, are acquired tastes. That is, most people having their first sip of a light, sweet hard seltzer or cider might say, "Ohhh, this is nice." whereas their first intro to cabernet or scotch might be more, "OMG this is terrible!"

The California Zinfandel Trail

It's about time somebody did this! From the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) comes your guide to exploring California's best wine. The Zinfandel Trail has maps, suggested routes, and a blog. The ZAP site has more info about zin and it's producers. 

Just in Sonoma County there are over 5,000 acres of zinfandel planted, some of it is over 100 years old. Sonoma is home to some legendary zin vineyards such as Maple Vyds, Monte Rosso, Bedrock, Pagani Ranch, Jackass Hill, Papera, and the list goes  on.

You owe it to yourself to hit the zin trail. 

Pagani Ranch, Sonoma Valley

Look Out Gallo, Here Come the Feds

  Gallo and its many brands own 22% of the U.S. wine market by volume. Considering there are 11,000 wineries in the country, that is huge! On the beer side, Anheuser-Busch InBev owns 40% of that market. It's not just product, it's also distribution and shelf space.

  Biden wants to rein in companies that have gotten too big and too monopolistic costing customers selection and money plus making it near impossible for the little guys to get a foothold. This isn't just about Google and Facebook as Biden is looking at Big Pharma and Big Agriculture. Booze is part of that.

The California Drought

You've probably read about it in the news, you've no doubt seen photos of the low water levels in some reservoir. In many communities people have been told to cut water usage, to forego things like watering their lawns or washing their cars. Let's take a quick look at where California's water goes.

Bud Wine

There's this new wine brand that is showing up on store shelves, 101 North, which implies the US 101 highway that runs from L.A. then through vineyards, coastal areas, over the Golden Gate, through more vineyards, redwoods then all that way up through Oregon and Washington. Their home page shows many vistas you might see along US 101. I'm not sure what the winery has to do with any of this.

Visiting? There are Covid Changes

With the Delta variant of Covid pushing through the country, locally in Sonoma/Napa, and the general Bay Area, there are some changes in place to stop the spread.

Some counties, including Sonoma and Mendocino, now require a mask for indoor public places. Napa is not yet on the list, but it's only a matter of time. Second, some bars, restaurants, and events are requiring proof of vaccination or a recent Covid test.

Beer vs. Wine, by Country

Some nations drink lots of beer, others lots of wine. Who has the biggest differential between the two adult beverages? This info is from a 2015 data gathering by the University of Adelaide. 

And You Thought a Toilet Paper Shortage Was Bad

 A year ago we were scrambling for TP and sanitizer. More recently, everything from computer chips to chicken wings to restaurant wait staff have been in short supply as the economy recovers and consumers ramp up their spending. Well, prepare for the Big One, especially in three states.

A Shift in Wine Regions

Wine grapes are the canary in the coal mine when it comes to growing crops on a warming planet. Wines, especially premium wine grapes, grow in narrow bands that are largely climate-based. It's not just heat, but cold, rainy seasons, wind, length of the growing season, and sunlight that play a factor in wine grape quality.

What do Consumers Look for When Buying Wine?

 This is my own non-scientific list of things people use to buy wine when in a retail store. It's in order of my guess for most to least important (but not insignificant) reason to pick a particular wine.

Consumer Trends During the Pandemic

What changed in people's minds when it came to making buying decisions in 2020 (besides trying to find toilet paper)? Not so much the mechanisms they used, like buying more online, but what drove them? Will these trends continue? How does it relate to wine?

Napa Valley in Transition

  It's not just Napa, but changes often show up in Napa first. Maybe that's just because more people are looking there. Things there seem to be in flux with rising costs, changes in retailing, fires, and the pandemic.

New Grapes in Bordeaux

The French government has tight control over wine grape growing in their country (other countries do the same). Bordeaux is only allowed to grow certain grapes with the best-known being Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petite Verdot for reds and Sauvignon Blanc for white (there are a few others).

Weather and Wine

  Premium wine grapes grow in a fairly narrow climate range. They are generally planted for a average amount of yearly rain, maybe some is expected during the growing season, maybe not. High and low temps matter at different times in the vineyard. Heating degree days, humidity, and wind are also factors.

Joining Wine Clubs -- a Personal Experience

  Wine Clubs, the way to automatically get too much wine shipped to your house if you do it wrong. For wineries, it's a known and constant income stream. There are reasons to join wine clubs. Here's my own experience.

Tasting Zinfandel in Dry Creek

Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County has a deserved reputation for Zinfandel. Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and others do well there, too, but Zin is king. 

So what are some wineries to check out? There are already lots of lists for the Ten Best Zinfandels in Dry Creek. This one is a little different because, honestly, there is so much great Zinfandel in DCV that any list is never definitive. 

The Beginnings of the New Tourism

 A former felon (for marijuana cultivation) now runs a cannabis farm with a license allowing tourists to visit and spend the night. Huckleberry Hill is in the redwoods of northern California's famous Emerald Triangle. A little bit of weed country tourism that is about a three hour drive north of the Napa/Sonoma wine country.

Article from sfgate.com

French Wine Disaster

Wine grapes are the canary in the coal mine for food crops. Premium wine requires a certain weather pattern to produce the best wines. With a little wine experience it's easy to taste the difference between a Napa cabernet from 2011 (cool, rainy) and 2012 (a typical sunny, warm year), for instance. Or the difference between a cab from south Napa County (cool) and upvalley (hot). 

Climate change is starting to cause problems for the people growing grapes. It's not always about more heat, but about more variability. 

Link: French wine disaster

Sonoma Wineries With Sculpture Gardens

Sometimes you might want something a little different from just a standard wine tasting. Maybe a little art. A couple wineries known for there sculpture gardens on their sprawling estates are Donum and Paradise Ridge.

Why the Lack of Low-Alcohol Wines?

There's a segment of the consumer base that wants low-sugar, low-carb, low- or non-alcohol adult beverages. You know, like hard seltzer. There are plenty of lite beers and a few zero alcohol ones. There is even low- and no-alcohol booze. I won't vouch for the taste of any of these when compared to their full strength offerings, but generally you can expect less flavor. But no- or low-alcohol wines? Few and far between.

Number of Wineries in the U.S.

  In the last ten years the U.S. has gone from about 7,400 wineries to over 11,000. That's about a 50% increase.

  California has 4,800 wineries followed by Oregon and Washington each with about 850. Texas and New York follow each with over 400. Sonoma and Napa Counties each have over 400. 

  For Sonoma, Napa, and really for California, wine growth started in the 1970s. In the early part of that decade Sonoma and Napa each had a couple dozen wineries. Later in the '70s the region returned to the same acreage of grapes as there was before Prohibition (Prohibition, the Depression, and the war years really set America back in wine production). Since the 1980s the growth in American wineries has been exponential. 

  It's been quite a ride! 

Growth in the number of American wineries
since the Great Recession.  Source: statistica.com
Click on image to enlarge

 

 

The Coming California Wine Shortage

The 2020 crush was down 14% in tonnage compared to 2019; red wine is down more than white. It's the lowest of the past decade. Why? Part of the reason is the warm growing season, but mostly it's the wildfires and resulting smoke.

Click on the graph to enlarge

Science Says No Two People Taste Wine the Same

  No wonder some people are put off by wine recommendations, gold medals, and tasting notes. It turns out everyone's brain reads tastes and smells differently. When you add that to different interpretations based on the tasting environment to your health to social pressure it's not surprising buying based on someone else's favorites often fails.

Who's Buying the Expensive Wine?

Wine sales by age group. Boomers are still the biggest buyers especially of the luxury stuff.

Click on graph to enlarge.

 

From Crljenak to Zinfandel

 The origins of zinfandel were a mystery until about 30 years ago. Through genetic research the grape has been traced to its home where there's now a resurgence in the original zin. Zinfandel is California's best wine (my opinion). Being summer, all I can say is, "zinfandel and barbecue!"

 The story from Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

What's Booming in the Booze Biz

What alcohol is hot and what's not? Some interesting trends.

2020 Wine Varietal Winners/Losers

2020 was a weird year for consumer products -- that's not news. People turned to buying online, cooking at home, and stocking up on toilet paper (raise your hand if you still have 50 rolls of Charmin in the house). Some wine varietals went up in sales, some down for no apparent reason other than it was 2020.  

The 2020 California Harvest -- The Good News

 So you've read all about the fires and smoke and tainted grapes that were thrown away or left to rot on the vines. My God, you're thinking, their 2020 wines aren't gonna be any good! Well, now that things have settled, wines are in the barrels, and some even bottled, we see a different story.

Sustainable Wine Production in California

At the end of 2020 the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance reported 80% of the state's wine production and 32% of the wine grape acreage are certified sustainable. Sustainability in agriculture means you can fulfill current needs while still allowing future generations to meet their needs. This is based on knowledge of the ecosystems. 

What Was Hot During the Pandemic?

With the lock downs and otherwise not much traveling or even dinners out what were people buying for that new pandemic lifestyle?

Is the Pandemic Online Buying Spree Ending?

This graph shows where alcohol was purchased in 2020. It's a percent change in 2020 vs the previous year. After a big bump during the spring lock down online purchases have shown a decline as bar/restaurant purchases increased.

Definitions:
Off-premise - Not to be consumed where purchased; as in a wine shop, liquor store, or grocery.
On-premise - Buying alcohol meant to be consumed on-site; like a bar or restaurant.
DTC Online - Direct-to-consumer online purchase; such as buying from a winery's website.

Click on graph to enlarge

A Look at Alcohol Revenue Trends

The past couple decades of beer, spirits and wine revenue numbers are shown on the graph. Beer is in a nosedive. If it hadn't been for craft beer it would have been worse.

Click on graph to enlarge. 

 

Why Such a Wide Range in Wine Prices?

You can find wine for five bucks. You can find wine for $100, $500 or more. Most of us that shop in the ten to twenty dollar range wonder what a $300 wine would taste like. What can you expect? Is more expensive wine worth it? Where are the diminishing returns? 

This isn't a scientific study. It's mostly opinion so I can't really answer those questions, but maybe help you figure it out for yourself.

Sonoma County's Economy

  Sonoma County is doing better than the rest of the state and is predicted to recover faster. The local economy is largely tourism-based and it's hoped this will recover this summer. There are numerous ads from businesses hiring for hospitality jobs.

Another Winery to Pass On

 An earlier post mentioned Christopher Creek Winery and sexual misconduct by one of the owners.

You also might want to skip on Skipstone Winery. It's owned by a rich guy who made is money in the tech business. Okay, he's not the only rich guy that gets into the wine biz as a hobby or maybe a tax write-off. Fahri Diner put in a vineyard while knowingly flouting environmental rules. He got caught. "His people" called the land protection rules unconstitutional. He paid the fine which is probably not much of a burden to him and made it known he's quite unhappy about it. Sorry buddy, but the rules apply even to you.

Kind of Wild - First of its Kind

 Kind of Wild is a direct-to-consumer only winery. The part that's unique is the wine is certified organic and vegan. It's not the only organic wine, vegan wine, globally sourced wines, or mail order only wine, but they claim they're the first to do it all. Okay, is the wine any good? I dunno. You should look for reviews.

 The startup was crowdfunded. Kind of Wild was started up by a couple guys that are in the wine sales business. They talk up sustainability and healthy life styles. Not sure why are they're using the traditional glass bottles, corks, and labels if they are big on sustainability.

 Read all about it on winebusiness.com.

Some Things Locals Do and Don't Do in Santa Rosa

If you visit Sonoma County you may be spending time in its biggest city. Santa Rosa is a good central location plus has lots of lodging and dining choices. Here are a few hints from the locals.

American Cabernet Sales in 2020

  There was this little thing in 2020 known as The Pandemic with one effect being a drastic drop of in-person sales, including wine sales, but a huge increase in online sales. The economy crashed, but people still bought wine. However, the most expensive wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, took a hit.

Christopher Creek Winery; Avoid it for Now

Brothers Joe and Dominic Foppoli own and manage Christopher Creek Winery in the Russian River Valley. They and the winery are in various trade groups and gov't positions. I should say were as they've been kicked out of the likes of the Russian River Valley Winegrowers organization. Dominic, also the mayor of the small town of Windsor, has been accused of sexual assault by several women. One, a married deputy district attorney, accused him of using a date rape drug.

Like any "innocent" man he slammed those calling on him to resign as mayor. He accused the victims of sexually assaulting him.

His brother Joe claims he knew of none of these alleged attacks, including some at their winery. I'm gonna call bullshit on this one for now. Joe says he's in the process of having his brother removed from the winery. Does this mean just no official title? Does it mean he will have no financial interest or will Dominic still be getting income to help pay for the coming criminal cases?

The California District Attorney's Office is investigating. We'll see what kind of dirt comes out.

Don't support sexual predators.

When Will We See the Budweiser of Cannabis?

  Yeah, this is a wine blog and sometimes a beer or vacation blog. Cannabis is as much a part of Sonoma County as wine and craft beer. Legalized marijuana is here to stay so we might as well get with the program. It'll eventually be nationwide.

Are California Wineries Looking to Sell?

  Silicon Valley Bank does a yearly state of the wine industry. One of the things they found this year is a high percentage of owners would consider selling. Over half of the Northern California wineries say they might be willing to sell while less than one-quarter in the southern part of the state. The north includes areas like Sonoma, Napa, Lodi, and the Sierra Foothills (includes Amador and El Dorado counties).

Your Wine Vacation -- Where to Go

Where to visit on your wine vacation? Some of these destinations well-known, a couple maybe not. These are reasonably easy to get to if you're flying in.

Where the Wine Drinkers Live

  According to Wine Intelligence 17% of regular wine drinkers in America live in three metropolitan areas. These areas are about 12% of the country's population, btw. 

  The big three metro areas for regular wine drinkers are NYC, L.A. and Dallas-Ft. Worth. Rounding out the top ten are Chicago, SF-Oakland-San Jose, Miami, Houston, Philly, Boston, and DC-Baltimore.

  See where you and your neighbors stand. Click on image to enlarge.

PS I Love You

A number of wine varieties that aren't in America's top ten favorites are called misunderstood. Petite Sirah has been around "forever" on the American wine scene, but never terribly popular. Why? It's a misunderstood wine.

The Petite Sirah name

Here's the first problem as there's nothing "petite" about the taste of Petite Sirah and, as you can see, Sirah isn't even spelled like Syrah. It is related to, but it is not the same as Syrah. The size of the grapes is quite small hence the petite.

Petite Sirah history

In the late 19th century a Frenchman named Durif crossed Syrah and the obscure Peloursin grape and named it after himself. When it was imported to America a few years later it got the Petite Sirah name. It became very popular in California, in places like Napa and Sonoma counties. At the turn of the 20th century it made it's way to Australia.

Petite Sirah as a blending grape

Tannins in wines come from the skins (and can also come from the seeds). Since Petite Sirah grapes are so small they have a higher skin to juice ratio leading to more tannins. It became very popular for its dark purple color and tannic backbone where it could add structure to lighter weight wines. It was often blended into Zinfandel to mellow out the overt fruitiness.

Not for the faint-hearted  

Growers and winemakers need to manage those tannins otherwise you come out with a wine that will suck the moisture right out of your mouth. Think black tea where you leave the tea bag in your cup all day then try to drink it (the dryness in black tea is from tannins). This is especially true of those making 100% Petite.

The Petite Sirah fan club

One of many great
Dry Creek Petite Sirahs

The Petite Sirah fan club, PS I Love You, came along well before the movie. You can learn more about the grape here and they have a long list of food recommendations. I usually think of Petite Sirah with hearty beefy meals, but they cover salads to seafood to vegetarian.

Areas in California to find PS

The best known areas for Petite Sirah are Sonoma County, especially Dry Creek Valley, and Lodi. Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, and Lodi have quite a lot of old vine Petite Sirah. By acreage most is in the Central Valley primarily used to blend in jug wines (Lodi & Clarksburg are exceptions). San Luis Obispo County on the central coast grows a lot of PS.

Wineries known for their PS

A few Sonoma County wineries for Petite Sirah are Carol Shelton, Foppiano, Francis Ford Coppola, and Trentadue, but there are dozens and dozens of others. In Napa there is Biale and Frank Family plus many others.
A good "starter" PS (based on a low price, good quality) would be Bogle from the Clarksburg area or Parducci from Mendocino County.

Do Tasting Notes Help?

You might see tasting notes on the back of a wine bottle, maybe on a little card on the shelf in the store, or full tasting write-ups in wine magazines or online. How much do these actually help?

Inexpensive Eats in Sonoma County

  While visiting you'll want to explore some of the top-notch food that Sonoma County is blessed with, but perhaps either your stomach or your wallet might want something simple once in awhile. Simple and less expensive can still mean good.

Things You Only See in Wine Country (humor)

The weird, the unusual, the what the hell were they thinking in commercial entities. Most are in Napa. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

The Changing American Wine Industry

Big changes may be happening with the American wine business.

Young People Buying Wine (humor)

What kind of wine with my Taco Bell take-out? Here's your answer!  (It's Merlot).

YouTube video

 

New Tasting Rooms in Sonoma County

Would you like to visit some newer places and maybe discover some new favorite wines? Heck, maybe you just wanna get out of the house and do anything! Here are some recent additions to Sonoma County wine tasting. I haven't visited any yet as I've been, you know, at home.

Is Aged Wine Better?

There a many fallacies surrounding wine and how it's presented to you. Things like wines with corks are better than ones with screw caps or a wine in a heavier glass bottle is somehow better than a lighter weight one.

One of the biggest surrounds aging wine. These are some blanket statements used with wine that are false.

Starting a Wine Collection

So you may be thinking you should actually plan for a selection of wines to drink at a later date rather than just have a few miscellaneous bottles laying around. Most people will start with a couple dozen bottles on a small rack or put away in wine cartons in a closet. Once the wine collection gets bigger than this a little more thought and planning are required.

Missing Barrel Tasting This Year?

  The Wine Road's Barrel Tasting event, usually the first two weekends of March, is another victim to the pandemic. Yes, it's such a popular event it takes two weekends! The barrel tasting is a chance to try wines right out of the barrel before they are ready for bottling.

  For 2021 several wineries are participating in a very unique event where they pull wines out of their libraries so rather than sampling a 2020 wine you might be tasting something from 2011.

  It's all done the first weekend of March, in their outdoor tasting areas, with regular tasting fees, and following the Covid safety protocols.

  The event from Sonomamag.com

Wine in Single Serving Cans

The Feds in the TTB agency control all things alcohol. They recently ruled to allow small single serving packaging of wine to be sold individually. This means you'll see single cans of wine being sold by wineries in sizes such as 250 ml (about 8 fl. oz.).

In the past you could buy small cans in 4-packs. Maybe now we'll see something other than, you know, pink Barefoot in cans. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris should be very popular next summer. Having some cans of red table wines or Pinot Noir around would be okay, too.

The caveat is a possible shortage of aluminum cans. With first the craft beer industry switching largely to cans and then hard seltzer's popularity there has been a big increase in demand.

This Might Change Alcohol Advertising

 A big shift in the American alcohol industry.

Will you soon see an ad with a group of women drinking Bud while watching TV? Probably not, but for seltzer, wine, and some spirits you may see more ads directed towards female consumers.

Click on to enlarge

 

Tough Year for Many Wineries and Growers

The local vineyard owners are taking a hit now and the wineries will later as the 2020 harvest was about half what it should have been. Why? Pandemic and wildfires. Wine grapes were damaged by fire, left hanging on the vines because of smoke damage, or rejected by wineries because of suspected smoke taint.

Article from the Press Democrat

E-commerce Retail Sales

You can easily pick out the Great Recession and the Covid recession and see the difference in the two. This is all retail, not just wine.
Click on the graph to enlarge.

 

Sonoma County's Moon Mountain Distict

Moon Mountain became its own American Viticultural Area in 2013. It's a sub-appellation of Sonoma Valley and the grapes from there were labeled as Sonoma Valley up until then. That was weird in that the Moon Mountain vineyards sit a few hundred to a couple thousand feet above the valley floor. The elevation changes the weather and the soil -- two things that affect a wine's flavor.

Bucking the Alcohol Trend

 During Covid the consumption of alcohol has dropped 8% in the key world markets. In a couple countries, South Africa and India, the government even banned alcohol sales. Holy hell, and you thought you had it bad!

 Bucking the trend, Canada and the U.S. increased their consumption by 2%. Way to go!

Sonoma Valley Natural Wine

Natural winemaking is a low-intervention method of making wine. Generally, you ferment organic grapes with natural yeast and don't add chemicals. The wines are different so you have to try for yourself. There is no legal definition on what is a natural wine so buyer beware -- purchase from someone you know of someone you've read about making natural wines.

Sonoma Valley has a longer history of natural wine than more because of one winery, Coturri.

The new guard of natural winemakers from Sonoma Index-Tribune

An interview with Tony Coturri from Sprudge.com

The Bacigalupi Family of Sonoma County

One of the hard-working wine families of Sonoma County, the Bacigalupis, have a slightly different story in that the women of the family are running the business. 

An article from the Napa Valley Register talks about the generations of Bacigalupis and their part in the Judgement of Paris in 1976 that changed American and New World wine forever.

Bacigalupi Vineyards & Winery

 

Wineries Open for Business! (Again)

   The California governor recently allowed the counties to reopen. This was probably because of a combination of hospitals seeing fewer patients and lawsuits against the state's tight shutdown. Anyway, maybe things will stay open for good now, maybe not. Sonoma and Napa Counties are both reopening now.

The Demographic of Wine Reviewers

First of all let me say that I am an old white guy. That's the same demographic that gives points and gold medals to wines.

Gallo's Control of the Wine Market

Unless you're in the wine biz you probably missed the huge sale of wine brands between the two biggies in the U.S. wine market, Constellation Brands and Gallo. Gallo just bought 30 brands from Constellation including Clos du Bois, Mark West, and Ravenswood. Gallo now owns over 30% of the U.S. market. That's big, too big.

Give Your Sense of Taste and Smell A Workout

Maybe it's not just about giving your body a workout after the holidays. Something that might be a little more enjoyable is improving your sense of smell and taste with practice. Why? To help with your wine enjoyment, of course, but also with anything else you consume.

Wine Country Lodging & Dining During the Pandemic

   We've heard about wineries and the economic pain with lack of visitation. Some have been helped by more shipping via their websites. The other parts of the hospitality industry in the wine country are hotels and restaurants.

2021 in Wine

   Everybody likes predictions and the nice thing about them is readers forget what you predicted when it doesn't come to pass. Besides, I need a break from all the stupid crap going on now. Extrapolating from what is already going on is easier so this is more figuring out which trends stay, which ones go.

One Company That's Doing Well During the Pandemic

 Naked Wines is a 12 year old online wine retailer based in the UK. It's a different sort of wine club and you can read about how they run their business elsewhere if you wish. They've been quite successful, but nothing like "pandemic successful."

 With all the stay at home orders and people ordering everything online their fiscal half year that ran from last April through September saw an 80% growth in revenue over the previous year.

 Their UK offerings of Christmas specials during the December lock down brought in so much traffic that it temporarily crashed their website.

Possible BIG Wine Story of 2021

  This new year starts dark, but improves as the vaccines are rolled out. It's just that no one knew at the time how the new mRNA formulation would change everyone's sense of taste and smell. Suddenly chardonnay tasted like soap, cabernet like candy corn.