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.
