Archive for the ‘Wine Education’ Category
Yes, it’s true. Napa Valley’s Screaming Eagle winery has been sold. It is, perhaps the most iconic of California’s Cult Wineries and likely the inspiration for a number of new Napa Winery owners who both wanted the kind of prestige that this operation brought its owner and who also eyed the kind of cash it generated. Think about it: 500 cases of wine annually. $300 per bottle. That’s $1.8 Million. That’s some inspiration. There was a time, however, when Screaming…
OK…Let’s see there’s 1. Cabernet Sauvignon 2. Merlot 3. Zinfandel 4. Pinot Noir 5. Viognier 6. Chenin Blanc 7. Chardonnay 8. Pinot Blanc 9. Alicante Bouschet 10. Petit Verdot 11. Cabernet Franc 12. Gewurztraminer 13. Sauvignon Blanc.. ….How many is that…..13? Hmmm… 87 to go to get into the Century Club:::::::::Sigh::::::::::: I was only made aware of the Century Club when its founder, Steve De Long of DeLong Wine e-mailed me to let me know that Jennifer Rosen, the wine…
Do the mailing list only wines skip by the competitive marketplace by setting an arbitrary price on the wines that are never exposed to the value conscious wholesalers and retailers and restaurant buyers who participate in the open market for wines? It’s an interesting question that is explored by Dave McIntyre over at "Dave McIntyre’s Wine Line". If the wine is never offered in the general market place then the buyers have no idea if the wine is worth what…
Rodney Strong Died. Many of you may know the wine brand that carries his name. But there was a real, and very impressive, person behind the brand. Rodney strong was a very important person in the Sonoma wine industry; a promoter of the industry and the region. He started in wine in the late 1950s after a career as a Broadway dancer. He and his wife Charlotte, also a dancer, were a ubiquitous couple around Sonoma County and within the…
Is there a good way to leave a tasting room without buying any wine so the person who spent all that time pouring and talking to you doesn’t feel insulted? Not really. However, this has worked for my wife and I: First, she tugs on my ear to let me know we are going to put the "Wallet Get-Away". Then, she says to me, "honey, I left my wallet in the car." She leaves. I wait five minutes. Then I…
