Happy Anniversary to me. The first post on this wine blog was on December 27, 2008, and titled "Oh no, another wine blog!" Yeah, I'm still here. :)
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There are a couple big stories to the year. One is the well-known wineries that have sold. These happen to all be in Napa. There were smaller, less recognized ones that changed hands, also. The other story is the post-pandemic high prices.
You'll rarely find ten dollar stuff coming from expensive Sonoma County grapes. Those California wines come from the San Joaquin Valley grapes. Most of the wines listed below will be $20-$30. I consider this price to be a good deal for the quality you're getting. You'll often find them for less than the winery's suggested retail.
In Sonoma County, it's easy to find Sauvignon Blanc or Rosé for $20 or less; it's nearly impossible to find Pinot Noir for under $45.
About 90% of wine purchased retail is consumed within a couple of weeks. Usually it's consumed that same day.
The current wine culture says wine should be ready to drink on release. The trick with many premium wines is to also give it aging potential. Some wines will get better with age, others will get worse. The varietal makes the biggest difference, but winemaking and even the weather during the grapes' growing season make a difference.
This is part two of two. The previous post was part one on things you learn about buying wine. This one is about enjoying the wine.
This is part one of two parts on "things you learn about wine" as you get more experienced with the beverage. Part one here is concerned with buying wine; part two will be drinking wine.
According to a survey from Wine Intelligence, a wine consumer research company, about one in three adult Americans are regular drinkers of wine. That is, drink it at least once a month. Over 60% drink alcohol of some sort regularly. Why don't people drink more wine? The short answer is it's intimidating.
Lots of folks like to laugh at Natural Wines and similar programs. Sometimes the laughter might be justified. Sometimes, maybe not.
At the industry Wine Expo in Sonoma County on December 1st there was a side-by-side tasting of different "adjustments" made to a wine (see link below). There were also several vendors selling additives. I'm not saying any of these are bad or harmful or even can't be done to organic wines. It's just info to show some of the manipulations that might be performed in the cellar.
Here are some basic truths about premium wine sales coming from the point-of-view of a Boomer. There are some issues with wine marketing and sales expectations.
The Rockpile wine grape growing area in northern Sonoma County is one of the smallest AVAs in the country in total acres of grapes planted. There are 160 acres of vineyards sitting between 800 ft and 2,100 ft elevation in rocky, well-drained soil with maybe a foot of topsoil at the surface.
The wines from here are a rare treat with so little vineyards planted. It's mostly zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon, but there are several others. The cab franc and petite sirah from here are also excellent. It's almost entirely red wine grapes.
Everyone is aware of Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Napa wine prices. Lots of other regions qualify as expensive, like right here in Sonoma County. Good luck finding a Russian River Pinot for under $50 anymore. Heck, Willamette Oregon Pinot isn't exactly cheap.
Where can you look for good American wines at more reasonable prices?
Tablas Creek Vineyard of Paso Robles has a reputation of being a bit of an innovator in the wine biz. In the 1990s they introduced California to Rhone varieties and blends. Earlier this year they released quality wines in a three liter box, the equivalent of four bottles.
Zinfandel is related to grapes growing along the Adriatic Sea hundreds of years ago. More recently, it's been found to be genetically identical to Italy's Primitivo and Croatia's rare Crljenak Kaštelanski (good luck pronouncing that). The first Zinfandel in the New World showed up in New York 200 years ago and made its way to California in the 1850s. Zin was popular for a long time as part of jug red blends.
By the 1970s, it was falling out of favor to the likes of Cabernet and Merlot. A lot of Zin vineyards were pulled out and replanted, but many were saved by the popularity of White Zinfandel.
In wine terms, terroir has to do with the growing area for the grapes; the climate, soil, and topography. The whole natural environment that "raised" the grapes will affect the taste of the wine. Sonoma County is full of variations in all of these. The diversity is amazing.
November 7th was Merlot Day and I missed it! Maybe it's a sign of how far the grape has fallen since its heyday in the 1990s. There are good Merlots out there, and they tend to be reasonably priced compared to today's hot wine, Pinot Noir, or to some of the other Bordeaux grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Cab Franc.
Here are a few places in Sonoma County to get your Merlot fix.
Based on age, what type of alcoholic beverage will you bring to a party to share with other guests? The older you get, the more likely it will be wine.
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Wine, beer, and spirits consumption in the U.S. by year. Wine has lots of peaks and valleys. Beer has been on a slow decline that can't even be stopped by the craft beer movement. Spirits bottomed out in about 2000 and is coming back.
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This graph looks at different price points and shows the trend in sales. The cheap stuff is taking a hit. The sweet spot looks like $12 to $20. This is pretty typical in a good economy. The most current data is a year old.
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There is a vocal group of Napa aficionados who seem to be hooked on a couple dozen larger wineries in Napa Valley. I don't know how widespread this is, so I may be here with some earthshaking news.
Napa has nearly 500 wineries producing 1,700 wine brands. Yes, I said one thousand seven hundred different labels. Holy crap! There are 400 wineries with tasting rooms, plus dozens more "urban" tasting rooms, most of them in downtown Napa. This could be shocking news, too!
One of the decisions to make when taking a trip is what geographic area to stay. Going to Hawaii? First, pick an island, then where on that island. It's the same for Sonoma County, primarily because it's large and the wineries and other attractions are spread out. The county is bigger than our smallest state, Rhode Island.
The following are the most popular towns you might consider for your lodging and why you might or might not what to choose a particular location. Some towns will be closer to certain wine appellations and farther from others. So, for instance, if your primary goal is pinot noir, this can change where you'd stay for shorter driving distances.
Q: As Napa tasting fees and Cabernet Sauvignon prices climb higher, what will we "normal" people do?
A: Visit and/or buy Cab from other growing regions.
So where might that be? The big winner could be Sonoma County, largely because it's located right next door to Napa and is equally accessible to the area's biggest market, the Bay Area. For buyers at the local store, Sonoma is probably the second most recognizable U.S. name for Cab after Napa.
When you look around the vineyards and wineries of Sonoma County you see names like Foppiano, Seghesio, Sebastiani, Teldeschi, Balletto, Battaglini, and those written about in this article in the Press Democrat.
In the late 19th century, word got back to northern Italy from the first immigrants that Sonoma County's landscape and small towns looked a lot like their ancestral home and the climate for farming was about the same. They brought their love of wine and, just as important, their recipes because we still have many great Italian restaurants.
Italian Winegrowers in Sonoma County from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
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| Art Ibletto, the late great Pasta King as he was known locally His 90th birthday was a big bash at the county fairgrounds where everybody ate Art's spaghetti |
As someone who has worked in a tasting room, there are questions that have been asked multiple times. Most are "how many" type questions.
How about a glass of history?
An old vineyard would probably be considered something planted in the 1960s or earlier. Sometimes the descriptor ancient vineyards is used for pre-Prohibition vines. Note that there is no legal definition for what can be called an old or ancient vineyard. Here are a few of the oldies that I'm familiar with in Sonoma County.
You may be a wine snob and not know it. Here are some signs to help you realize what your friends already know.
Wine grapes are like the canary in the coal mine for climate change. Vitus vinifera, the common grape vine that produces the world's premium wines, have a fairly narrow band of climate area they do well in. Within these climate zones, particular regions will grow Cabernet while others grow Chardonnay and so on.
In Sonoma County, there are cooler regions for grapes such a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Cabernet, Zinfandel, and most other grapes would not ripen where Chard and Pinot do. Likewise, the best Cab regions are too hot to make quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
So as the climate changes and temperatures rise, wine grapes will be some of the first to suffer.
Your average American's view of wine etiquette:
The poll was conducted by OnePoll in the U.S. for Woodbridge (part of Mondavi which is owned by Constellation Brands). I'm not sure how the respondents were selected.
What is organic wine?
Organic wine covers the two main parts of producing wine. First, in the vineyard, it means the grapes were grown using certified organic farming practices. The key part of this is no chemical fertilizers, fungicides, etc. Organic compounds are allowed. Second, during the making of the wine certain things can be done or added to the wine for fermentation, quality, and preservation. This means things like yeast (to ferment) or egg whites (used in fining/clarifying).
So you're in the area for some wine, maybe even some beer, and want to do a couple of other activities. Here are some great things to do in Santa Rosa, the central hub of Sonoma County.
What does the current grape growing season for the Napa/Sonoma area look like so far? As of the first day of autumn, the harvest is well underway, as it started the first week of August. That's a bit early compared to other recent years, quite early when compared to a couple of decades age.
Two things are always on the minds of those in the wine business -- the ongoing drought and wildfires.
The 2020 wines are hitting the shelves. This is a look at the grape crop from that harvest for the North Coast. This includes Napa and Sonoma counties. It was a year affected by fires and to a lesser extent by the pandemic.
One way to have some control over your health is by checking the ingredients in consumables. How much fat, sodium, sugar, etc. is in the product? Wine, and other alcoholic beverages, rarely do that. Why?
Many wineries offer tours of their production facility and/or vineyards. Here are a few of the best ones. Almost always an advance reservation will be required and there will be an extra charge. Pets and small children are often not allowed. Check the winery's website for info and reservations.
A survey of 32,000 people in 22 countries shows that, on average, Australians got drunk 27 times in 2020. Okay, 2020 was a hellacious year. Still, when you're number one, you're still on top -- or is that the bottom? Overall, the average was about 14-1/2 times during the year, or a bit more than once a month.
If you've been anywhere around Napa, Sonoma, or probably a lot of other wine regions, you've seen the inflation in wine tasting fees.
Sonoma County had a 44% increase post-pandemic. Per the 2022 Sonoma Wine Tasting Report, the average is now $37 with about a third of wineries in the semi-reasonable $25-30 range. Doesn't seem that long ago where $10-15 was the norm. In their defense, most tastings went from walking in and finding a spot to stand at the bar to reserved seated tastings. So some increase was warranted.
Every year the local paper, the Press Democrat, sponsors a best of Sonoma County businesses determined by readers' votes. This may not be a hundred percent accurate, in that some businesses take this more seriously and actively encourage votes; maybe even going with the vote early and often routine. Anyway, it's still a pretty good barometer on what the locals like. I'll hit the highlights, plus skip the best dentist and such to stay with things a visitor might be interested in. A link to the full list is at the bottom of the page.
Here we are in the 21st century with computers in our hands connecting us to the world, and we have pictures of galaxies from billions of years ago, but we're still trying to pull corks from wine bottles without breaking them. The wine industry is stuck in the past.
David Stare and the Sangiacomo family are marking anniversaries this week.
On August 24, 1972 (50 years ago) David Stare received his permits to build the first winery in Dry Creek Valley since Prohibition, Dry Creek Vineyards. He led the movement to make Dry Creek Valley an official appellation in '83. David planted the first Sauvignon Blanc in Dry Creek, an area known for Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and prune orchards. He was the first to label a wine as old vine. He's been making Chenin Blanc, a rare wine in California, for all 50 years. The winery is now run by his daughter.
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| David Stare, daughter Kim, and her husband Don Wallace five years ago at their 45th anniversary celebration |
On August 30, 1927 (95 years ago) Vittorio Sangiacomo signed the deed to a 55 acre ranch in southern Sonoma County, in what is now called the Carneros region. This ranch had been in operation since the mid-19th century, growing several varieties of fruit trees. In 1969 they planted their first vineyard. The family now owns 1,600 acres in the Carneros, Petaluma Gap, and Sonoma Coast appellations. A few years ago they started up their own namesake winery. The third generation now runs the operations.
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| 2009 |
On a less joyful note, Joe Rochioli Jr. passed this week at 88 years. He grew up on the family farm in the Russian River Valley, leaving only to attend college and serve in the army.
His father, Joe Sr., planted Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon in 1959. The Cab was later pulled out as it didn't do well in the cool Russian River microclimate. Joe Sr. passed in 1966.
Joe Jr. planted his first Pinot Noir in '68. The Rochioli family is credited with putting Russian River Valley on the map for Pinot Noir. They also grow Chardonnay and Syrah.
The family released their own Rochioli Winery estate Pinot Noir in '87 (an '85 vintage). Any Pinot from the Rochioli's vineyards, whether it's from Rochioli, Williams Selyem, Gary Farrell, or someone else, is in high demand and difficult to find. Joe Rochioli Jr.'s son Tom runs the family business, including winemaker for the family's label.
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| Joe Jr and son Tom Rochioli |
There are wineries and restaurants that keep showing up on the wine, food, and travel sites. "You've just got to eat at The Girl & The Fig!" While there's nothing wrong with The Girl & The Fig or any of the other couple dozen places getting all the write-ups, there are many other choices. Some lesser known spots that can be quite good and often less expensive. Some of these aren't so well known to travelers just because they are in locations that don't see as many visitors as towns like Healdsburg and Sonoma.
California's Napa and Sonoma wine regions are well-known. There are many other wine areas that are not so familiar, maybe you could call them underappreciated. Here are a few I know about and consider high quality. Maybe you want to give them a try, too.
Sonoma County has over 400 wineries. You're not surprised there are wineries here, but maybe you are surprised by the number of them. There are also over 25 breweries, many tap rooms, plus a handful of cideries and distilleries, too. Here are the breweries, big and small, the famous, and ones you've probably never heard of.
People are stereotyped by where they live (hello Texas and NYC) and Sonoma County is no different. Here's a look at the people of Sonoma County.
A short history of wine making in California brought to you by the University of California at Davis (America's wine school).
The highlights from the article:
Yes, some are from the Bible Belt, but you'll find oddball drinkin' laws from all over the world.
Silicon Valley Bank does an extensive survey and analysis of the wine industry, publishing a yearly report. One part of this year's report looks at what will be affecting costs in the coming year and longer term. Everyone wants to blame inflation, but there's more to it.
There's nothing like a package from one of your favorite wineries periodically showing up at your home or office on an otherwise dreary weekday to brighten the mood.
As many clubs seem to be getting stingier, some things that were taken for granted as benefits are no longer there. A few of these so-called clubs are really just mailing lists in that they don't offer any real benefits to you, the person buying the wine and helping keep their business profitable. Read up on the club, ask questions, choose wisely.
This is specifically looking at clubs from wineries, rather than the retail store clubs that send you wine from various wine producers.
As wineries tightened up financially with the lockdowns followed by the mad rush of people post-pandemic, a few things became obvious. Tasting fees increased along with offering a seated experience. This, I think, is for the better. The other thing I've noticed as the lack of benefits for wine club members at quite a few wineries. What were traditional benefits have gone away and the advantage of being in some clubs is not there.
A recent study shows moderate drinking by those over 70 can ward off cardio problems. So if you qualify as an old fart, have that glass of wine every day!
Sonoma County has many small family-owned wineries. In fact, most of the 425 or so wineries in the county fall in this category. It's just that you haven't heard of most of them.
Following is a sampling of small wineries having tasting available. If you're looking for a lavish environment to sample wines, this isn't it, as none of these are too fancy. They are operations that put their money back into the grapes and the winemaking rather than architecture, fountains, and landscaping.
These are all premium Sonoma County wineries, for sure, but none will break the bank.
The following are tips on how to not go into debt just to visit California's famed wine country. Sonoma County is definitely less expensive than Napa, but not cheap unless you're from NYC or Hawaii maybe. However, everything from lodging to wine tasting fees to wine purchases to eating out will be less expensive in Sonoma.
If you feel the need to spend time in Napa Valley, headquarter yourself next door in Sonoma County and spend a day of your trip in Napa. A few example drive times: Town of Sonoma to town of Napa, 25 minutes. Healdsburg to Calistoga in northern Napa Valley, 40 minutes. Santa Rosa to Calistoga, 30 minutes, to St. Helena in the heart of Napa, 45 minutes.
Sonoma County, though it's a premium wine region, has many wineries offering exceptional wines at reasonable prices. Sure, Sonoma still has plenty of expensive wines, and some wineries listed will also have some higher-priced bottles, but the ones listed below all have at least several good bang-for-the-buck wines.
You might not be surprised that it's Gallo. After its latest acquisitions of Ravenswood, Clos du Bois and others, they own over 30% of the American market. Where they really dominate is in the lower end of the retail business.
He cleared 40 acres of oak woodlands, damaging streams and wetlands. When ordered to restore the damage done, he ignored it.
Wine exec faces fines, from the Press Democrat
Or maybe he learned it from this guy
If you're all looking for specific red wines where should you go? Following are some ideas of Sonoma County wineries that do certain varietals really well. This is not an all-inclusive list. It's not the best bargains. They aren't all available in your local store, but all are places you can visit if you are in the area.
Where to go for red varietals.
These wineries advertise themselves as owned by U.S. military veterans. They donate to veteran-related causes.
First, let's address the word Champagne. This refers to sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France only. In other countries you might see it called Cava or Sekt or just sparkling wine.
American sparkling wine goes back to the late 19th century and the Korbel brothers in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley. I expect pretty much every non-teetotalling adult in North America has had Korbel Brut.
I know what you're thinking. 1) We tried that once with lowering the drinking age to 18 in many states and it wasn't such a good idea. 2) This would increase drunk driving problems.
During the pandemic years, the gender and age of U.S. premium wine drinkers has changed significantly. It's more female and older.
Premium wines for this study are those costing over $15.
Source: Wine Intelligence
You can click on the image to enlarge.
Terroir (tehr-waar) is a fancy French word to do with the environment wine grapes are grown in -- the soil, climate, topography, and anything else about the site that might affect the characteristics of the wine. It's sometimes called the sense of place. This is a big deal in the serious wine world, as you can grow the same grapes managed by the same people in vineyards a short distance apart, and you'll get different wines.
So where does terroir come from exactly? Glad you asked. Well, maybe you won't be glad you asked because it's dinosaur poop, at least in this particular vineyards that scientists studied. And the best stuff comes from where the dinosaurs had gas. I shit you not.
It's called West Sonoma Coast. I'm not sure who all was behind laying out the Sonoma Coast growing area that came about over three decades ago, but if you buy wines based on that AVA there may or may not be any actual coastal influence on the grapes in the bottle. That's finally been fixed with the West Sonoma Coast AVA.
Yep, this is article #257 you've come across on what wines to drink in the heat of summer. This one will be on types of wines, what characteristics you want, in a warm weather wine, rather than specific wines that you might have to hunt for. When in doubt shop where there are knowledgeable people you can ask.
The cost of a trip to Napa may shock you. There are ways to not get scalped, it just takes some planning. If you're on a budget similar to mine, you can do things to pay less. For wineries, there are 2-for-1 and maybe even free tasting deals out there. Ask about sharing a tasting with your SO.
Napa Valley is a Mecca for many American wine drinkers. It's a must-visit. Napa tasting rooms were the first, as far as I know, to introduce tasting fees back in the 1980s. Once the Great Recession ended about a dozen years ago, there was a pretty good hike in bottle prices and tasting fees. With the Pandemic, there was another significant increase along with seated tastings by reservation.
Trip Advisor named Napa as America's most expensive tourist destination. Recently the Wall Street Journal published an article Who Can Afford Napa Now? where the author said she can't help feeling that the valley's main crop is actually cash.
The Santa Rosa/Sonoma County Airport/STS, or officially the Charles M Schulz Airport (whew), is a small town airport. It has a restaurant on site serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There's a full bar that opens at 8 am. Also, a little to-go eatery run by the excellent Costeaux French Bakery.
The Rhone region of southern France is home to many grape varieties with Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier the best known on this side of the pond. Several of the Rhone whites have found a home in California.
This post goes along with the two previous blog posts on Albariño and Vermentino. Per local wine writer, Peg Melnik, the popularity of lesser known white wine varietals is increasing. This includes Vermentino and Albarinño plus other unusual grapes like Cortese, Fiano, and Verdeho and slightly better known ones such as Grenache Blanc, French Colombard, and Chenin Blanc.
A local wine shop owner she talked with said their sales of these unusual whites is up 10 to 20 percent. She interviewed an employee from a local winery, Portalupi Wines. They said it's mostly the under 40 crowd looking for something besides Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
I found Peg's article, Uptick in Sales of Rare White Varietals, in print in last Sunday's Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Haven't found it online, so I can't link to it.
It turns out white wine isn't just Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc! Vermentino, originally from Italy, is a lighter-bodied, white wine similar to Sauvignon Blanc. I like it for the bright, crisp acidity and herbal, spicy flavors. Descriptors used are lime, green apple, grapefruit, and minerality.
Albariño (al-bah-reen-yo) grows mostly in Spain and Portugal, with a few hundred acres planted in California and a bit in Australia and South America. It's a light, refreshing white wine good for summer sipping and summer's lighter meals.
Just nope, but LOL It's for bachelorette parties. You can't look unless you are 21. Oh dear.
Herbacée is a fancy French sounding name for a California company making non-alcoholic sparkling wine. The buzz? That would come from the THC and CBD. Yup, a cannabis wine. It's made from wine grapes, but with no alcohol. All the fun of a sparkling wine with a different buzz!
A lot of retail businesses didn't survive, with restaurants getting most of the publicity. The area wineries mostly did okay using a combination of creativity, hard work, and learning from others.
Wineries differ from most other retail by already having channels to ship their products and by having wine clubs. Early on during the lockdowns, shipping was huge, with a number of wineries investing in online advertising and offering discounts and/or free shipping. There were email campaigns. Wineries offered curbside pick-up for locals.
The name of the brand is Really Good Boxed Wine and it sells for $65. Who's going to pay sixty-five bucks for a box of wine? I guess that depends on the wine. Their Pinot Noir from Ketcham Vineyard in the Russian River Valley sold out quickly. There's also Cabernet Sauvignon, rosé, and a Sauvignon Blanc.
Each box is the equivalent of four bottles, so it comes to $16.25 a bottle. Great price for a decent Pinot or Cab, not so great for a rosé or Sauv Blanc. The sold out Pinot got good reviews; haven't heard much about the others.
Currently, you can find 2020 white wines on the store shelves and lots of 2019 reds. The problem is with the 2020 vintage, with wildfire smoke, drought, and pandemic issues cutting into the amount of wine grapes turned into wine.
The evolution of the wine palate. See where you fit in!
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| From the movie Bottle Shock |
If you are thinking about your first wine tasting trip to Sonoma County, it can be a daunting task with so many wineries spread out over a large area. Where to go? There are hundreds of wineries (not all have tasting). Also, the county is very large, so you should probably concentrate on one or two regions. It might come down to what kind of wines you like. Let's say you're also fairly new to wine tasting trips and are really exploring the possibilities.
Ten percent of Italy's wine grape crop is Sangiovese. A bottle of Chianti has to contain at least 80% Sangiovese. Brunello from Tuscany is made from a particular Sangiovese clone, is often highly rated, and can cost north of $100.
Sangiovese has great acid, making it ideal for foods with tomatoes. Spaghetti and meatballs, anyone? The wines are savory -- savory being the opposite of sweet -- so rather than pronounced red fruit flavors found in many New World wines they're more earthy, maybe mushrooms, peppers, or tobacco. You often get red cherries from California Sangi.
Sangiovese has never quite caught on big as a varietal in the U.S.
The most widely planted grapes in Italy are Sangiovese, Montepulciano, and Barbera so be glad I'm talking about the one that's easiest to pronounce. :)
Barbera is a dry red wine of low tannins (that mouth-drying sensation you might get from a young Cabernet). It also is a wine of high acid (that refreshing sensation you get from sparkling wine or Sauvignon Blanc). Barbera has a dark color like a Syrah, rich taste like a Zinfandel, but lighter bodied like a Pinot Noir.
Less than 30 years from now, growing grapes will be a lot more automated. This will save a significant amount of money now spent on vineyard management. There will be probes, sensors and drones checking on things like soil moisture and the vineyard canopy (managing the vines, shoots, and fruit).
Until the end of 2020 a chemical called chlorpyrifos was legal to use in agriculture. It's a very dangerous chemical related to chemical weapons developed by the Nazis during WWII. It's used to kill pests by acting on their nervous system. Another fine product from Dow Chemical put into production after their other fine product, DDT, was banned.
Note that some might say something like, "based in Napa Valley" which doesn't mean their grapes necessarily come from Napa. 19 Crimes wines, for instance, are labeled as California (meaning the grapes can come from anywhere in the state) or even Australia, as the 19 Crimes label is owned by Treasury Wine Estates, based in Australia.
The list is not completely up-to-date, as Andretti Winery is now permanently closed. Francis Ford Coppola recently sold his namesake winery, but still has a financial interest. Both men are 82 years old, so it was probably time to cut back!
Wine trends come and go. They can be certain varietals, like Merlot falling and Malbec rising. They can be wine styles like oaky, buttery Chardonnay or tannic Cabernet. The ones described here are much older. Maybe some will come back someday.
Often when shopping for a bottle, you don't recognize the name of the winery on the label. That's because there are about 4,700 wineries in California alone. Assuming you've figured out what varietal you are looking for, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, heck, maybe even Petit Verdot, one way to help you select is by appellation. Sonoma County has 18 at last count.
Following is a list of major wine types and where you might find them appellation-wise. They will grow other places in the county and outside of Sonoma, of course, but this is a way to help point you towards a bottle.
There are tons of stories from the old days when the California wine biz was much smaller and run by families, where many are now corporate owned. This one is from Dry Creek Vineyard. The founder, David Stare, is receiving lots of local attention on the 50th anniversary of the winery because of his influence on Sonoma County's wine business. His daughter now runs the winery.
Yes, here we are talking about the grape harvest in February. That's because the Southern Hemisphere is about to start picking and processing the fruit. There are still Covid restrictions in place, especially for internation travel. Many countries rely on young, foreign workers who want to spend a few months working long hours, piling up some cash, and seeing how wine is made elsewhere.
Does a daily glass of red wine help your heart? Is any amount of alcohol bad for you? It seems there are conflicting expert studies. Sure, there's wine o'clock, there's a day without wine is like a day without sunshine. There's the French Paradox. Are those pushing no alcohol just neo-Prohibitionists? Is the alcohol business secretly pushing their product using healthy heart claims?
As with most things, you need to make up your own mind. In most things it's about moderation and weighing the good and the bad. Drink smart.
The title of this article from Wine Enthusiast is "Why a Wine's Alcohol-by-Volume is Lying to You." It should actually say might be lying to you. It's a good read on the variance allowed in the ABV number by the government. Wineries can use it to their advantage if the actual number might look bad.
Statewide rules for Covid have changed effective Wednesday, February 16th.
Vaccinated people no longer have to wear a mask, with a few exceptions. Schools, public transportations and a few other places still requires masks for all. Counties may keep stricter policies (this will be rare). Businesses can still require a mask or ask for proof of vaccination. I don't except many will. If a business does this, it's probably because they have had or are having issues with their staff getting sick. Nobody wants to shut down because they don't have enough people to stay open.
This is all subject to change, of course. If things don't go smoothly things may tighten up again.
If you are traveling to the area bring a mask. If you are vaccinated bring proof.
Usually the high-priced stuff gets all the glory ($75 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, anyone)? Here are some really nice wines for under $30 that, I believe, get distributed widely enough so that you have a chance of finding them locally. Most all wines I'm familiar with; some are more based on "chatter" from others, but I'll at least be familiar with the winery. This is only a smattering of what's available, but a place to start your search.
You might have a problem if you see yourself in a couple of these 😁
If you will be visiting Sonoma County you will probably do your research and know about restaurants like Valette in Healdsburg and Girl and the Fig in Sonoma plus popular wineries like Buena Vista, Gloria Ferrer, and Coppola. These are all great places, but if you want to get off the tourist path and discover a few things only a long-time local might know, here's my list of semi-hidden gems.
Looking at the modern era, post-WWII, what wines were most important to the California wine industry? It's not the best, or most expensive, or even the most popular, but what wine most helped make the state's and the country's wine industry the giant it is today in the premium wine market.
The premium wine drinking population by age has changed over the past decade. During that time we came out of recession into good times, then were hit by the pandemic. These numbers are from Wine Intelligence, a wine consumer research company. Premium wine is generally considered wine costing over $20.
First, addressing the big question when anyone says "Merlot," did Sideways ruin Merlot? No, certainly not single-handedly, but the movie helped its fall. Merlot is the great mistake of the California wine business.
A researcher in England has looked at drinking habits during the Bubonic Plague. Though this was several hundred years ago, it's an interesting comparison to the current situation.
In the 17th century, the plague outbreak closed down the social outlets for people, meaning the taverns. Remember, they had no internet to fall back on for socializing! They couldn't order beer and wine online! This may have been the start of the drinking at home routine.
You wouldn't know it by some wine reviews you read, but not everyone wants to spend $125 on a bottle of Napa Cab or $75 on a Sonoma Pinot Noir. Here are wineries that offer reasonably priced quality wines in Sonoma County.
This is an interesting article on my favorite wine. It's an easy read on Zinfandel's history, how it looks now, and what its future might be. The future part is based on desires from a couple of producers quoted in the article. An intriguing observation is that Napa has turned Cabernet into Zinfandel by changing its style over the past few decades.
California Zinfandel: Past, Present, and Future from the Napa Valley Wine Academy
California wine sales were up in 2020 despite the lack of on-premise sales (bars, restaurants etc. selling for on-site consumption). Wine shipments were up one percent within the U.S. and two percent for overseas shipments compared to 2019.
Free or flat rate shipping is used as an incentive to get people to buy a full case of wine directly from a winery or retailer. It's gotten to where many consumers think they're entitled to free shipping. Problem is this isn't sustainable, especially for small businesses.
What's the true cost of shipping? I don't have an exact number, but can make an educated guess.
It's called ag-tech and investors are jumping in. Farming and robotics. Ag-tech has already been growing with things like GPS, aerial imaging, and temperature sensors. With the shortage of seasonal farm labor brought on by the pandemic (COVID: the gift that keeps on giving) we might see a lot of robots in the vineyards and in other farming.
John Deere has an autonomous tractor that will be for sale by 2023.
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| image from burro.ai, Augean Robotics |
