The Wine and Tourism Industries Head for Amador

Amador County (pop. 41,000) in the Sierra Foothills is about 40 miles east of Sacramento, a metro area of 2.4 million people. The county is a mish mash of elevations and soil types, both things that make for interesting grape growing. 

Vineyards have been in Amador County since the mid-19th century, right when the nearby Gold Rush started. Zinfandel has been the star, but diversity has come to Amador in this century. Even with the history and great vineyards, not much attention was paid to the area. Economic reasons are now changing that. Old is meeting new in Amador County.

Hugh Reimers, What the Hell is Wrong With You, Man?

  Ol' Hugh is a wine executive. He's held upper-level corporate jobs with Constellation Brands, Kendall Jackson, and Foley Wines. Ten years ago he started Krasilsa Pacific Farms LLC, apparently out of his home near Windsor, CA and listing himself as the only employee. Then he repeated what other rich guy landowners have done. He raped the land.

U.S. Wine Sales are Down

After 27 years of gains, the wine market is in a multi-year decline in sales volume. Is it post-pandemic settling out or are we in a years-long trend?

As a wise man once said ...

Scenic Drives in Napa & Sonoma

Besides wine tasting, another activity you can do is travel some of the scenic roads. With several small mountain ranges, rivers, and an ocean, there are numerous spectacular car cruises in the area. These listed below are all two-lane roads, so you may have to be patient with the tourists.  :)

Cool Towns in Sonoma County

There are lots of interesting and even cutesy small towns in Sonoma County. Many people know about the two biggest tourist destinations, Healdsburg and Sonoma, but there's more. The biggest city and county seat, Santa Rosa (pop 185,000) will be skipped. Too big to be cute. :)

Silver Oak Cabernet and the American Wine Style

Silver Oak Cellars has been around for over 50 years, that's pretty long by California standards. It's not just that the winery has been here for a half century, but the effect they've had on California wine drinkers. They make a Napa Valley Cab and an Alexander Valley (Sonoma County) Cab and neither has changed much in those 50 years.

Sonoma County's Major Appellations

Below is a description of the major appellations / American Viticultural Areas / AVAs you are likely to see on a bottle of Sonoma County wine. You may not understand what these AVAs imply, so below is an overview and a generalization -- meaning just because I don't mention Sauvignon Blanc in a particular growing area doesn't mean it's not grown there. Small microclimate zones can spring up almost anywhere. Because of the soil and climate diversity, Sonoma County can grow pretty much any wine grape somewhere.

One of the Good Guys

Regenerative farming is the use of methods to conserve and rehab the soil using biodiversity, an improved water cycle to improve the ecosystem, and even help solve some of the climate change issues. This is fairly new to agriculture and is a step beyond organic or biodynamic.

The vineyards of Medlock Ames Winery in the Alexander Valley of Sonoma County has been sustainable and organically farmed for quite a while. They are now the first in the county to be certified as Regenerative Organic.

Read all about it in the Press Democrat

Diverse Ways Wineries Market Their Products

There are wine marketing channels that maybe aren't typical for other products. There are ways these channels are used that definitely aren't typical. Why is this? It's alcohol, so there are some restrictions. Wine is different from most consumer goods because many rely on points given by writers or medals by judges. A lot of wine is considered a luxury good because of the price. Unless you buy directly from a winery, the product is sold through a third party, the wholesale system that began life as the Mob.

Comparing Napa and Sonoma

Thinking about visiting?
   Many people can't decide between these two premier Wine Country locations. I've got a little help for you, and I'll try not to be biased. Too much.  :)

QPR

  Quality Price Ratio, a wine nerd term.   :)

With wine, this is the best bang for the buck. A quick definition follows on this sometimes misunderstood term, plus how to look for QPR wine.

A Career at a Winery?

If ever there was a job situation that looked great from afar, it's working in an idyllic setting of a winery surrounded by vineyards. Let's take a look at how you might get there.

Many of these jobs will be in wineries, though there are plenty of other wine sales, wine retail, and wine importers jobs that will be located somewhere else.

See winejobs.com for current job listings.