May 26, 2009
I sat and had lunch today in the middle of a region of Sonoma that MUST obtain its own AVA status. The Petaluma Gap is, I think, everything and more that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) demands of an American Viticultural Area. For the record, the TTB demands that applicants for AVA status show that their region 1) locally known by the name specified, 2) that the boundaries of the proposed AVA have current or historical…
May 4, 2009
Here is why Steve Heimoff is a good reporter and a compelling commentator. Today Steve wades into the issue of the theory of American Viticultural Areas and the process by which the TTB approaches the creation of these appellations. In this case, Steve ponders the implications of the TTB rejecting a petition to create a new sub-appellation of the Paso Robles AVA that would have designated the Westside of Highway as "Paso Robles Westside". This is a critical subject because…
Apr 24, 2009
If anyone wants to know why I've always loved the Internet, all you have to do is look at these three quotes, all published in various places on the Internet yesterday. This medium is always source of great humor and fascination for me. “'The updated information paints a portrait of an effective system that operates in every corner of the country and contributes mightily to the American economy,'said WSWA President and CEO Craig Wolf."The head of the Wine & Spirit…
Apr 1, 2009
It's important for me to note that I endorse THIS in no way. THIS only minimizes the serious nature of wine and wine drinking. In fact, THIS purports to be humor, but in reality THIS is just another blow to the industry when the industry needs nothing like THIS. Is THIS really what people want to read? Only a few years ago THIS sort of thing would never fly. THIS would have been condemned. THIS really is harmful to a…
Mar 7, 2009
I admire those grapegrowers and winemakers who employ organic and biodynamic methods of grapegrowing with the goal of making better wines and being better stewards of the land. I admire them the same way I admire the bagger at the check out line who makes the extra effort to double bag my groceries if my purchases are hefty enough to cause an accident on the way back to my car under single-bagged conditions. And I admire them the way I…