You mean there's something in Napa Valley besides Cab and Chard? I know, a wild thought, but there are alternatives!
Yes, this is a Sonoma Wine Blog, but our next door neighbor is Napa. For folks that go to Napa Valley, but maybe tire of Chard and Cab after a while or have someone in their group that's not a big fan of either, there are ways to keep everyone happy.
The graph below, from the American Association of Wine Economists, has been making the rounds recently. It shows in "graphic" detail the biggest change in wine over that past few decades. That is, the amount of sugar in the harvested grapes, which translates into alcohol in the wine.
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat does weekly blind tastings of local wines. I know, work, work, work. They recently published an article of their favorites titled, "18 top-scoring Sonoma County Wines" written by their wine writer, Peg Melnik.
In case there's a paywall, and you can't get through, I've listed the wines below. All credit goes to the Press Dem.
Our custom is to use Champagne/sparkling wines as a celebratory beverage for a few occasions, like New Year's Eve and weddings. That's not nearly enough!
An interesting thing has been happening to wine sales post-Pandemic. I believe it's mostly a good thing. It has to do with what people seem willing to pay for a bottle of wine, as many are trading up even as inflation is raising prices.
What are the top-selling red wines? Following are descriptions and a few examples of the most popular reds in America. There are plenty of wines available besides the few I've mentioned below.
This post is about the reds. The previous post dated Jan 9, 2024 was about white wines.
If you want to be a smart shopper, you should have a basic understanding of the top wine varietals. There are plenty of other types of wines besides those listed below, and it's fun to experiment, but these are the biggest sellers.
This post is about the whites. The next one will be the red wines.
I'll mention some of the most popular of each wine, so hopefully you can find these locally. Also listed of some of my favorites from Sonoma County that I hope you can find. You are more likely to see them in larger areas, Chicago, Dallas, etc., but maybe not Bozeman or Terre Haute.
Thinking about visiting this winter? What are the pros and cons of traveling to Sonoma County at this time? This info applies to our next door neighbor, Napa, btw.
We'll start with the big one ...
In some areas, like Napa and Sonoma, kids aren't always welcome in the wineries. This might come as a bit of a shock to some parents. Others might see it as good news. Why did this happen? Should the rule stay now that we're past the Pandemic?
