Jul 26, 2007
Do you know who Randall Dunn is? For those of you who do, bear with me. Dunn is one of the most respected winemakers in America. He built Caymus Special Selection. He defined the meaning of mountain-grown Cabernet. He helped put Howell Mountain on the viticultural map. He consulted for the likes of La Jota and Pahlmeyer. His Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet was identified by Jim Laube as one of a very few produced at the time to be…
Jul 12, 2007
Take the leap….Click Here: TAKE "THE MEANING OF WINE BLOGS" SURVEY NOW! ________________________________________________________________________ When I see them I know what is implied by "wine.com", "sex.com", "travel.com" "sanfrancisco.com" or "zinfandel.com". Without even looking at what’s behind these URLs I can feel pretty confident I know what I’ll get if I do go look and so would the average person. But what would the average American expect upon being confronted with "Terroir.com"? I’m willing to bet that outside the hardcore wine community,…
Jul 11, 2007
TAKE "THE MEANING OF WINE BLOGS" SURVEY NOW!________________________________________________________________________ It appears that the European Union is on track to institute a variety of winemaking and wine marketing reforms, assuming the top winemaking countries don’t find a way to shoot them down. What I find fascinating is the rationale for the opposition to the reforms. Among the reforms: -The EU will remove 500,000 acres of the "least viable" vines. This is roughly the amount of all of the vines planted in California…
Jun 22, 2007
Anyone who isn’t dreaming about a better life or at least a lifestyle more suited to their disposition probably isn’t very imaginative. So, count me among the imaginative. Now and again I’ll peruse the various wine/vineyard real estate listings, usually just to see who is selling what, to discover what the going prices is for vineyards and wineries, etc. Yesterday I came across this Anderson Valley/Mendocino Ridge property that looks pretty tempting. and gets the imagination going: Anderson Valley/Mendocino Ridge…
May 14, 2007
The Sunday Santa Rosa Press Democrat had an interesting ad in it placed by the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. In it they identify Sonoma County restaurants where 75% of the wines on their lists. are from Sonoma County and restaurants where 50% of the wines on their lists are from Sonoma County. These restaurants are congratulated for supporting Sonoma County, its growers, etc. This is a nice way to both encourage more Sonoma County-centric wine lists and to let diners…