Oct 31, 2011
By this coming Wednesday, the vast majority of fruit still hanging on the vines here in Napa Valley (and in Sonoma County) will have been picked. There is a forecast for possible rain on Thursday and again on Sunday. Rather than risk more rot, growers are likely going to throw in the towel on the prospects of getting their grapes riper in 2011. All in all the past few weeks have been VERY good for North Coast growers who feared…
Oct 26, 2011
The Texas alcohol regulators happily report that they are successfully stopping Texas wine lovers from obtaining wines they can't find locally by ordering those wines from out of state wine stores. Meanwhile, over in New York, the local wine regulators in that state report that they generated $5 million in taxes and fees from $54 million in direct wine shipments from out of state wineries. What's interesting is that neither of these states collect taxes on, let alone legally allow,…
Oct 17, 2011
We are on the verge of a discussion that could turn out to be of some import. As the California grape harvest begins to move into its final phases, it appears that this could be a year when grape sugars come in significantly lower, particularly for late ripening grapes like Cabernet. This in turn means we may be in for 2011 Cabs with lower alcohols. If this does occur, look for an industry-wide discussion asking, "Is this harvest good for…
Oct 17, 2011
As reported by Dr. Vino, California’s Sea Smoke Cellars out of Santa Rita Hills has placed the following wording on six of their 2009 vintage labels and on one 2008 Sparkling Wine label: “CALIFORNIA GRAND CRU” This is, in my mind, the most audacious packaging move I’ve ever seen a California wine ever make. According to the good Dr., Sea Smoke explained its unique new labeling message by referencing a March 2008 blog post at the WineSpectator.com in which Jim…
Oct 13, 2011
I'M NOT SO SURE… 1…Millennials have much to offer ultra premium wineriesYes, they are adopting wine on a shorter timetable than past generations, but as Rob McMillan of Silicon Valley Bank has pointed out, these young'uns aren't buying much of the good stuff. They drinking wine with greater diversity and have a greater penchant for imported wines and enjoy really silly labels. But if I were selling $40+ bottles of wine, they would not be my target demographic. 2….It's smart…