Jul 30, 2018
By Alan Goldfarb (This is, I believe, the first time in the 14 years FERMENTATION has been published, that I have given over this blog to another writer. It’s done because Alan is a very good writer, he always has something interesting to say, and he is my friend….Enjoy) I have, over these many years, imposed on myself two rules: Never begin an article with “I”. Off the bat, I’ve violated my first edict. The second decree is that I…
Jun 1, 2018
Let’s get to the heart of the biggest lie told about Napa Valley and its wine industry: It is controlled and made up of a collection of corporate owned and multi-national conglomerates. This is the big lie told by Napa haters and in particular by Mike Hackett and Jim Wilson, the authors of Measure C, which will be voted on June 5th and, if passed, end vineyard development on any land located on the hills of Napa Valley. Hackett and…
Dec 19, 2017
The recent news is of a cannabis-infused, hangover-free wine. Someone should say it. It’s not really wine if it doesn’t have alcohol. Isn’t it just grape juice with cannabis? Of course, it’s hangover-free—as long as we are defining “hangover” as something one gets upon drinking a certain amount of alcohol. I guess you could also say it is typhoid-free as well a cereal-free. In any case, this is the beginning of a long string of cannabis-infused products set to be marketed…
Oct 29, 2017
A lot has been learned in a short time since the massive fires hit wine country. We learned just how completely a community can pull together. We’ve learned how generous neighbors can be. But I have to say, there was one lesson that was unexpected: It’s never too soon to exploit a tragedy for your own agenda. In a recent Napa Register article concerning a very controversial proposed “Oak Woodland Initiative”, one of the authors of the initiative thought it was…
Jul 28, 2017
The longer you live in the paradise known as Napa Valley, the more you appreciate the benefits and downside of being a resident of paradise and the more apparent the “Quality of Life Equation” becomes. And there is an equation. On The Positive Side: CLIMATE: There simply is no arguing this point: The climate in Napa Valley is a near perfect environment for humans. The air is dry, save for the quickly developing and dissipating fog, which is itself moderate and…