Data from a Heath and Retirement Study shows that couples who drank together live longer. This conclusion was based on moderate drinking, eight or fewer drinks a week. Couples where one drank and the other didn't, couples that drank heavily, and even couples that didn't drink at all did not live as long.
Shared drinking habits could be a key to a longer life!
Article from the Wine Spectator
What does the Napa and Sonoma real estate market for wineries and vineyards look like now, in mid-2024? Here's a little info from Vintroux, real estate agents for wineries and vineyards.
There have been major changes in the way wine tasting rooms operate in the past few years. You might already know this if you've been wine tasting in a major U.S. region post-Pandemic. Even if it's been just two or three years, you'll find things settling in to a new norm.
I've lived in Sonoma County since 1980 when the local wine country was just a baby. There weren't many wineries to visit back then and, yes, they were all free to taste. Even next door in Napa!
I've done lots of wine tasting, I've worked in tasting rooms, and I read posts in various wine groups about people looking for help in planning their trip.
Following are some pointers to setting up a successful trip. It's aimed at Northern California, but can be applied to other wine destinations.
News spreads quickly on social media. One such story that came out of the SF Chronicle is that the California wine industry is dying. They noted declining foot traffic in Napa Valley, vineyards being yanked out, and unsold bulk wine on the open market.
Climate whiplash, it's enough to drive a farmer crazy. Growing premium wine grapes is especially hard hit because a slight variation in the elements of climate (temperatures, wind, sunshine, precipitation, humidity) can have a noticeable impact on the final product.
Climate whiplash is a term used to define the crazy, variable weather we're seeing in California and other places. It means extreme drought, extreme precipitation, extreme temperatures. That is, extreme variability in the weather.
You could drink a glass of wine, with potential benefits to you, or a glass of water, with bacteria and chlorine. :)
There have been public family squabbles for several years, even lawsuits. I guess this was the easy way out for them. Too bad.
The winery was purchased by the owners of Martin Ray Winery through an umbrella company, CMB Wines. No ideas who CMB is, except they are local. Martin Ray wines are found in retail stores selling it what you'd call the lower end of the premium wine market.
Everybody loves a good comparison; Honda vs Toyota, California wine vs French, dogs vs cats. So let's take a look at Napa vs Sonoma. This isn't an opinion on which is best. It's statistical, so away we go number nerds!
With all the doom and gloom around wine sales, and it's been way overstated IMO, where are the bright spots in the wine market?
