Wine

September 6, 2024 -- What’s Come Over October?  It’s an idea that originated with Karen MacNeil, a highly respected wine author, educator, speaker and consultant, to bring people together over a glass of wine to celebrate friendship and community. Wine has been a part of civilization for at least 8,000...

August 1, 2024 -- Champagne is in the news with falling sales, a ship wreck discovery, and a new bottle that reduces carbon footprint coming on the market soon: Falling Sales According to the business networks, Champagne sales are down 15.2% over this time last year and the slump is...

July 15, 2024 – The Mediterranean Diet has been popular for several decades but the good news is that moderate wine consumption as a part of the diet, is critical to benefiting fully from its healthy effects. The diet is based on the foods consumed by the inhabitants of Southern...

June 16, 2024 --  We love it when wine and spirits companies seek to do good by supporting organizations that make life better for everyone.  St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery is using the occasion of the launch of the inaugural vintage of Sauvignon Blanc from its Rutherford Estate Vineyard...

April 17, 2024  -- You’d think Prohibitionists might have learned their lesson with the “Noble  Experiment” of the 18th Amendment also known as the Volstead Act in 1919, but no, they haven’t and they are now harnessing the World Health Organization (WHO) to restrict production and consumption of alcohol globally....

October 16, 2023 – Despite the on-going Russian invasion and warfare, as paradoxical as it sounds, Ukraine’s wineries that are still operational are doing well and business is growing.  Ukrainians are drinking more local wine rather than the preferred imports.  Importing wine has become difficult logistically, and the collapse of...

April 26, 2023 – What the heck is World Marselan Day?  Which brings us to what the heck is Marselan?  It’s a red wine grape but don’t feel bad if you have never heard of it.  Me neither! Marselan is a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache which was created...

Portland, OR March 26, 2023  -- Our Legacy Harvested (OLH), is a nonprofit founded in 2020 dedicated to educating, advancing and empowering the BIPOC community at any career level within the wine industry.  BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and People of Color including Latin and Asian.  The Internship, a four-month...

January 24, 2023 – Below is a link to a fascinating story.  It is the story of Charles Valentine Riley.  It’s the story of a root-devouring bug called phylloxera that was destroying vineyards from Australia to France in the 1860s.  It’s the story of the role played by the wine...

December 12, 2011 – We’ve just received an interesting update from Marilyn Wines. They are celebrating the Holiday Season with a fantastic offer: Choose from their select Vintages of Meritage and Cabernet Sauvignon. Buy one of each to drink, one to gift, and one to keep. Shipping is just $1. ...

December 5, 2022 – No need to stress over gift giving.  There’s something for everyone in the realm of wine and spirits.  Whether it’s a bottle of a well-known brand that they enjoy frequently or something new and different, it will be an appreciated gift.  Here are our suggestions: OCEAN...

November 18, 2022 --  A popular topic of discussion these days is about reducing our impact on the environment in every conceivable area, including the wine industry.  Does it start in the vineyard?  Happily, in most wine-growing regions of the world, wine growers big and small, are very conscious of...

August 17, 2022 – You may have heard or seen someone referred to as Master of Wine or MW and wondered what really qualifies someone to use this term after his or her name.  And as someone interested in wine, you may have wondered if you could qualify too.  Well,...

June 23, 2022 – We recently wrote about California’s success at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London.  Sending wines half way around the world involves some planning and expense but for US wineries it was a piece of cake compared with the extraordinary measures required of a Ukrainian winemaker....

June 13, 2022 -- Wines from the USA fared very well at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards held recently in London with an impressive total of 314 medals, including 1 Best in Show, 4 Platinum and 9 Gold.  California was the big winner for the USA taking all the...

What’s an AVA and why is it important? March 25, 2022 --  Thirty-two wineries that make up The SLO Wine Collective are celebrating the newest American Viticultural Area (AVA) along the San Luis Obispo coast.  The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau awarded the designation March 9, 2022....

February 28, 2022 -- A world-renowned scientist advising not to give up a glass of wine when trying to lose weight, as it may actually help weight loss, certainly caught our attention.  The scientist is Prof. Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós who has a Ph.D in Pharmacy and is the Director of...

December 18, 2021 – When it comes to partying, Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whisky doesn’t monkey around (couldn’t resist it!).  Fun and food are what it’s all about.  Take their spin on making 12 Old Fashioneds in one fell swoop created by Brand Ambassador Anna Mains.  It’s genius and a great...

July 16, 2021 --  The halcyon days of 2013 when Wine Spectator pronounced Chateau Miraval the best rosé in world seem a very long time ago.  It got even more idyllic and romantic in 2014 when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married in the chapel of their estate, Chateau...

May 13, 2021 – Stags Leap District devotees, as well as wine enthusiasts in general, have an opportunity to listen in and watch winemakers chatting with each other “over the fence” in the region’s legendary Cabernet vineyards starting this month, and follow the progression of the 2021 vintage each month...

April 30, 2021 --- What could be a more amazing and memorable gift than a scenic tour of the Napa Valley in a vintage aircraft followed by a relaxing private wine tasting featuring Aileron Estates Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Aileron Estates is a new luxury Napa winery headed by...

March 5, 2021 --- The annual World of Pinot Noir (WOPN) event is being celebrated all month during March 2021.  Normally held on the first weekend of March at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, the 2021 event will be entirely virtual. This year, the largest annual gathering of Pinot...

February 27, 2021 – Thieves cleaned out the entire inventory of a Manhattan wine and spirits store and it seems nobody knows exactly when.  The store has been closed for several months, according to the owner, but when he was last there on January 8, so was the inventory. According...

Theft in Burgundy of Wine January 15, 2021 – Crime stories from France are often quite entertaining, or perhaps it is the way the British report them.  Here’s one from The Guardian.  On January 5 at 5:15 a.m. thieves broke into the cellar of Domaine de Rymska Saint-Jean-de-Trézy, a luxury...

December 4, 2020 – Tourism has been a catastrophe everywhere thanks to the wretched virus but for California wineries, there’s been the added disaster of the worst fire year in history.  The Glass Fire alone, which consumed almost 1,000 structures in the Napa Valley and beyond when it ignited near...

November 27, 2020 --  There’s a plethora of fabulous wines and amazing spirits that make wonderful and thoughtful gifts but we were searching for something really fresh, exciting and different.  Our two finds – one for cocktail enthusiasts and the other for wine lovers with an inclination for history and...

October 6, 2020 --  It’s like a little United Nations.  Australian wine company, Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) owns the historic and highly respected Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) in California’s Napa Valley.  The BV label will soon appear on a wine made in Bordeaux, France for the Chinese market.  OK, we’re clear...

May 22, 2020 --- Award winning actor, producer, designer and entrepreneur Sarah Jessica Parker is adding a new rosé wine to her collection of wines with New Zealand-based winery Invivo & Co and it will be available just in time for summer sipping. This premium rosé - Invivo X, Sarah Jessica Parker Rosé - comes from...

March 31, 2020 – Travelers who love to frequent wine country know the problem so well:  how to safely ship their precious purchases back home.  VinGardeValise offers a safe and practical solution. It’s a very well designed and manufactured suitcase with high-density foam inserts that snugly fit the average wine...

February 27, 2020 – Spiked Coffee is a trendy hot product right now and we think Cafe Agave Spiked Cold Brew Coffee is definitely the way coolest entry in this category.  What sets it apart from its competitors is the use of super-premium ingredients, including 100% Arabica Columbian Cold Brew...

October 15 , 2019 – Merlot has overcome the Sideways effect  and is back with a vengeance.  The main character in the 2004 hit movie, Miles, played by Paul Giamatti despised Merlot, vehemently threatening to leave a dinner date if anyone ordered Merlot.  His passion was Pinot Noir which immediately...

September 24, 2019 – The cult classic, Sideways, turns 15 on October 22 the date when it first hit the theaters in 2004.  And in the interest of never letting a reason to celebrate go to waste, the Santa Ynez Valley wine country is ready to welcome fans to Sideways...

August 22, 2019 -- Drinking pink comes to summer reading with the publication of Hip, Hip Rosé,  a delightfully illustrated parody of a well-known children's story portraying Alice, passionate patron of the pink drink who, after a particularly happy, happy hour, finds herself in for a rouge awakening: The next...

August 21, 2019 – If Meiomi Pinot Noir is on your favorites list, then you can rejoice at the news that its creator, Joseph Wagner, has launched a new line of wines, including Pinot Noir, under the name of Böen.  Back in 2015 the industry was abuzz when Meiomi was purchased...

July 15, 2019 --- An unparalleled collection of wines and spirits that date as far back as 1796 are now on permanent display at The Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University in Union, N.J. Livingston and Kean Families The wines and spirits in this exhibition were collected by the Livingston...

June 13, 2019 – Will the Napa Valley continue to flourish as the USA’s premier wine appellation or will the lure of big bucks from cannabis cultivation prove irresistible?  That is the question that promises heated debate between now and the March 2020 ballot. For A group known as the...

June 4, 2019 – The 39th Annual Auction Napa Valley raised nearly $12 million for nonprofit organizations that focus on health and children’s education.  Since 1981 when the first auction was held,  $185 million has been distributed to these good causes in the Napa Valley.  The wine industry, the hundreds...

May 23, 2019 – Things that happen It was a jolly good wine, old chap Hawksmoor, a steakhouse in Manchester, England is in the news for a very costly mistake. Seems a diner ordered a bottle of 2001 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, which the wine menu lists at ...

April 26, 2019 – For luxury brands, placement in a James Bond movie is worth buckets of money – Champagne buckets when the brand is Bollinger.  The UK Daily Mail reports that Bollinger Champagne is thought to have paid £10 million to be in the 25th Bond movie.  That’s $13,548,000...

April 17, 2019 – The debate over cork vs. other types of closures has been roiling the wine industry for about half a century.  And it still goes on.  A recent piece in Forbes by Thomas Pellechia described three separate tests in Europe and the U.S. illustrating that the jury...

February 22, 2019 -- Imagine owning an entire AVA (American Viticultural Area) in one of the most scenic parts of California.  For $3.3 million, it can happen. Viticultural Area Located in Mendocino County, the 150-acre Cole Ranch has just come on the market.  It isn’t just a vineyard.  It has...

February 16, 2019 – Aerating wine is a trending passion for wine lovers.  For an industry obsessive about blocking oxygen from wine packaging, it might seem odd to be finding ways and spending money to add it back in.   That’s because a little oxygen enhances the flavor.  Operative word being...

January 17, 2019 – The small country of Georgia, bounded on the north by Russia, on the south by Turkey and on the west by the Black Sea, is the cradle of wine.  Justifiably proud of their 8,000-year wine history, the country is now embarking on research to find a...

January 7, 2019 --- A Danish man was trying to open a bottle of Champagne on New Year’s Eve by holding the bottle between his legs when it exploded.  A shard of glass cut an artery causing serious blood loss.  He was rushed to a hospital in Copenhagen where doctors...

January 4, 2019 --- The annual Zinfandel celebration is scheduled January 17 through 19 in San Francisco.  If you are a Zinophile then join a couple of thousand like-minded tasters and indulge your passion at ZinEX in the beautiful setting of San Francisco Bay where the temperature is probably warmer...

November 20, 2018 – Delicato Family Vineyards is a California Winery that was named the USA Wine Producer of the Year at the 2018 International Wine & Spirit Competition Awards Banquet in London on November 14. Now in its 49th year, the prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition remains more...

November 13, 2018 --- You either volunteered in a weak moment or you have been dragooned into supplying a dessert for Thanksgiving, or a holiday gathering of friends, or Christmas dinner, or ….. whatever it is, you are now panicking. But you can be a hero with a Ruffino Prosecco...

September 20, 2018 – If you want to stay somewhere really cool in wine country, get ready for a different experience next summer at the Cass Winery in Paso Robles.  The new guest quarters will be made of shipping containers so it will be the sleek, “un-quaint” bed and breakfast...

August 23, 2018 – Treasury Wine Estates which enlivened the purchase and enjoyment of wine with augmented reality  labels on 19 Crimes and other brands, is launching emBRAZEN, a trio of California wines honoring trailblazing women on August 26 which is Women’s Equality Day.  In case you’ve never heard of...

August 8, 2018 – Red wine has an emoji.  Sparkling wine has an emoji.  Beer has two emojis.  Cocktails have a plethora of them.  But white wine has none.  How unfair is that? But we can change that and thanks to Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards, white wine is now on...

July 27, 2018 – A member of the family that owns the famous Australian wine brand, Yellow Tail, will be spending a couple of years in the Big House, according to the Brisbane Times.   Marcello Casella, described as a winemaker and businessman, changed his not guilty plea to guilty...

July 12, 2018 – New Wine Glass Design You Need to Know About - 1 Wine Glass Wine drinkers who fuss about the shape of the glass are not being pretentious.  They know that the shape of the glass affects the taste of the wine.  This is something you can...

June 23, 2018 – Should Wine Bottles be Stored on Their Side? A scientist says storing wine on its side is a myth.  The scientist is Dr. Miguel Cabral, Director of R&D at Amorim, a huge cork supplier in Portugal. In a recent interview with Patrick Schmitt of the UK publication,...

June 6, 2018 – Augmented Reality Sells Wine Are you one of the 1.3 million wine lovers who have downloaded the Living Wine Labels app from Treasury Wine Estates on your smartphone? If so, we can guess that you enjoy a glass of 19 Crimes Australian wine from time to...

May 21, 2018 – MANCAN Rosé Wine Made for Memorial Day. MANCAN has added a delightful rosé to its popular white, red and fizz wines in a can and it’s available for the start of summer celebrations this coming weekend. MANCAN launched in 2015 and was an immediate hit with...

April 20, 2018 – When is Prosecco really Prosecco? That’s the question that has Aussie winemakers and Italian winemakers shouting “Basta!“ at each other. Like so many things in the wine world, the prosecco question is complicated and it has become a major issue between the governments of Australia and...

April 6, 2018 – Treasury Wine Estates, owners of iconic brands such as Acacia, Beaulieu Vineyard (BV), Beringer Vineyards and Penfolds is at the forefront of disruptive marketing using a smartphone augmented reality app to reach consumers via the wine bottle label. In the sometimes staid world of wine, where...

February 21, 2018 – There’s quite a brawl going on between two western Canadian provinces involving wine.  Down in New Zealand, consumers are up in arms over Australian Sauvignon Blanc. Wine and Oil Don’t Mix The province of Alberta has banned the sale of wine from British Columbia.  The ban...

February 9, 2018 – Rock star Jon Bon Jovi wants to be a part of your summer sipping.  His new rosé from France will be rolling out across the country this month.  Called “Diving Into Hampton Water”, a mouthful of a name, the label features a woman in a gold...

February 8, 2018 – If bubbly is on your list as the way to make this Valentine’s Day special, then go with one that’s red and very delicious.  We’re referring to Rosa Regale an Italian sparkling wine from one of Banfi Vintner’s estates in the southern Piedmont region.   Made from...

January 8, 2018 – Joining the Fortune 500 companies that have announced $1,000 bonuses, Jordan Winery in Sonoma County is sharing the bounty of the new tax cut bill with its 85 eligible employees.  And its owner, John Jordan is challenging fellow business owners to do the same.  Bravo! Created...

January 5, 2018 – It’s always a celebratory moment when we hear a Champagne cork pop but exactly why it happens is probably something most of us have not spent a lot of time thinking about.  Leave it to physicist Helen Czerski, a specialist in the physics of bubbles, to...

December 18, 2017 – Gift Alert!  Wine Squirrel, the wine preserver that really works is now available on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XB9YVFL   Check out our review http://www.wineandspirits.com/2017/11/23/wine-squirrel-perfect-wine-preserver-perfect-gift/...

December 13, 2017 – Calling Zinfandel lovers across America!  Once again, January is Zinfandel celebration time in San Francisco.  Imagine finding tickets to this extravaganza under the tree!  Anything is possible so start planning.  January 18-20, 2018 are the dates to circle on the calendar. Zinfandel is very familiar now,...

November 24, 2017 – At last we’ve found the solution to saving leftover wine perfectly.  Over the years we’ve tried various gizmos, some that sort of worked, others that didn’t.  Then we saw Wine Squirrel on Kickstarter and chipped in a few bucks because it sounded really interesting and made...

November 17, 2017 – Thoroughly modern man has something in common with Neolithic man who lived in the Near East around 6,000 B.C.  Pottery shards found in Georgia bear the residue of Eurasian grapes, the grapes that we use today to make our favorite wines.  Known as vitis vinifera, there...

November 1, 2017 – Wine in a can has finally caught on and it is a trend that has gone mainstream. Backpack Wines hit the market a year ago with Snappy White and Cheeky Rosé.  Rowdy Red is the newest addition just in time for fall and winter tailgate parties...

October 9, 2017 - October 2017 marks the fifth year of international celebration of the noble grape, merlot.  Why?  What does “noble” mean?  Lots of questions. Merlot is one of the five “noble” grapes of Bordeaux, its royal cousins being Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.  The “noble”...

October 52, 2017 – The first ever wine in a chromed glass wine bottle has hit the market with the appropriate name of “Chrome Dreams”.  This extraordinary project comes from Tank Garage Winery in Calistoga. An ode to the golden era of American automobiles, Chrome Dreams features a mirrored surface...

September 19, 2017 – Let’s applaud the lonely entrepreneur taking recycling to the extreme.  Making flour out of wine pomace surely qualifies and that’s the mission of Finger Lakes Wine Flour of Hector, N.Y. Armed with an environmental science degree from SUNY ESF, Hilary Niver-Johnson founded Sustainable Viticulture Systems in...

September 9, 2017 – If not wearing white after Labor Day is lore (and semi-law) where you live, where does that leave drinking rosé?  After all rosé is summer’s sip and never more so than for the summer of 2017. According to Wine Market Council, Nielsen data show that sales...

July 20, 2017 – Wine drinkers in the U.S. like their wine bottle to sport a cork according to a recent poll of 1,549 wine consumers by the Portuguese Cork Association and the California-based Cork Quality Council. Unsurprisingly, nearly all respondents viewed cork as an indicator of wine quality and...

  June 14, 2017 – June is Marilyn Monroe’s birthday month.  She was born June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles as Norma Jeane Mortensen.  The name Marilyn Monroe was created by 20th Century Fox. Norma Jeane is a delicious Merlot just released by Marilyn Wines.  The grapes are from Paso...

June 2, 2017 – Summer drinks just got easier and a whole lot classier with the introduction of Moët & Chandon’s Mini Moët six-pack.  Each little bottle of classic Imperial Brut contains 6.3 ounces (187 ml), which is slightly more than the usual serve of Champagne.   OK, it’s a six-pack...

May 16, 2017 – Rosé has been roaring and is set to reach new records this summer but nipping at its heels is blue wine, acclaimed the next big thing by several popular publications in the U.S. The blue wine causing such excitement in the U.S. is Blumond made of...

April 13, 2017 -- A biophysicist at Brandeis University has finally figured out a way to stop wine bottles from dripping.  Daniel Perlman is an inventor of considerable renown with over 100 patents to his name.  He is also a wine-lover who was tired of red wine dripping down the...

March 27, 2017 – If your net worth is more than $30 million you qualify for a rarified group of approximately 211,000 people in the world who account for 19 percent of luxury market spending according to research firm Wealth-X.  In a recent article by Matthew Dalton in The Wall...

February 9, 2017 – Stories about puppies and little girls are always heartwarming, this one especially so. Honig Vineyard and Winery in the Napa Valley’s Rutherford has a new employee with four legs and a wagging tail.  Honey, a golden lab, is being trained for two important tasks.  She will...

December 22, 2016 – It isn’t meant to be a pun but it turned out that way!  We came across an article on JamesSuckling.com that is quite fascinating and since we have respected and admired James Suckling’s writing for years, we think you’ll like it too. Years ago we read...

November 4, 2016 – In the late 15th Century, the Duke of Milan was so pleased with Leonardo da Vinci’s fresco of The Last Supper in hall of the Dominican monastery adjacent to Santa Maria delle Grazie church, that he gave the artist a small vineyard nearby.  When Leonardo died,...

October 20, 2016 – If you are fortunate to have some bottles of the great wines of Penfolds that are at least 15 years old, you may want to check out the re-corking clinic offered by Penfolds in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Vancouver.  The New York clinic is...

August 26, 2016 – Variety, the authority on all things Tinsel Town, says that Star Trek’s John Cho has been lined up to play the lead character in a new series named “Connoisseur” for USA Network.  The hour-long drama is about a clever con man who dupes wealthy wine collectors...

August 5, 2016 — Researchers at the University of British Columbia/Okanagan Campus are one step closer to identifying the biological personalities of the world’s greatest wines. In a recent study, UBC researchers Dan Durall and Mansak (Ben) Tantikachornkiat developed a technique that combines a process to identify the full spectrum...

July 29, 2016 – Anyone serious about collecting wine is eventually faced with a major dilemma:  Where-To-Store-It.  Unless you maintain your home at a constant 55 degrees, a closet in your house or under the bed really isn’t going to cut it.  Nor will suggestions we’ve seen for shelving above...

July 15, 2016 — According to the Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG), veraison, an annual benchmark in the winegrape growing season, is officially underway. Known as the onset of ripening, veraison marks the colorful transition from grape growth to grape ripening, resulting in several changes in fruit development. They not only...

July 22, 2016 —  Gilbert Stoewsand, a Cornell food scientist, belongs in the hierarchy of great contributors to the wine industry in the United States.  He died in Geneva, N.Y. on July 4 at age 83. The story is nothing short of bizarre and extraordinary.  It involves deformed chickens, Adolf...

June 10, 2016 — At last Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfe has signed legislation loosening the grip of the state’s control over the sale of wine.   PA is now the 44th state to allow Direct Shipping to Consumers (DTC).  The state is the 12th largest wine market in the country so...

June 3, 2016 – All you wine geeks out there now have another avenue to find and buy wine.  At the end of April, eBay launched its wine platform in partnership with Drync, a successful mobile app for wine recommendations that has expanded into wine sales with retail partners and...

July 1, 2016 – Walk into any wine shop or grocery store with a wine section and you will almost certainly see a display of rosé wines.  At least that’s the story in California and we’re betting plenty of other places in the U.S. too, otherwise, sales would not be...

May 20, 2016 – Forty years ago a wine tasting was held in Paris that reverberated throughout the wine world and is still being talked about today.  It became the subject of a book and a movie.  It became known as “The Judgment of Paris”. Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant...

May 6, 2016 – Finding the solution to preserving an open bottle of wine has become a national pastime it seems.  A Kickstarter program started in April for the Wine Squirrel is already over-subscribed, suggesting there’s a booming business opportunity for anyone with the smarts to come up with a...

April 22, 2016 – In what seems to be a reprise of the Judgment of Paris in 1976 when California wines bested the greatest French wines in a blind tasting, sparkling wines from England were judged better than Champagne in a blind tasting attended by the elite of the restaurant...

January 29, 2016 – The good news is wine sales continued their 20 years of growth in the USA in 2015.  With the explosion of the cocktail culture, craft beers plus cider, there were gloomy mutterings about wine losing its market share, especially among millennials who are the future of...

April 12, 2016 – Spain just became the world’s biggest exporter of wine overtaking Italy and France.  Exports in 2014 came to 22.8 million hectoliters, about 602 million gallons but because most of it was bulk wine, their profits were down. Somewhat surprisingly, France is the biggest importer of Spanish...

April 8, 2016 – An exciting new online course covering virtually every facet of the wine industry in the US, from vineyard to sales, will be available starting April 27.  Master of Wine Tim Hanni created the new online Business of Wine course in collaboration with the Napa Valley Wine...

April 5, 2016 – A winery from England, Ridgeview Estate, took an impressive haul of Gold, Silver and three Bronze medals for their sparkling wines at TEXSOM 2016. Ridgeview Estate, founded in 1995 was the first UK winery to export sparkling wine to the United States and it is also...

March 11, 2016 – We all love to read about the health benefits of wine but here’s one you probably haven’t heard about. It comes from Australia where the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) is experimenting with feeding grape pomace to livestock to reduce methane emissions.  Pomace is what’s left...

February 19, 2016 — The wine industry has a habit of telling consumers what they should like and why, because there are rules and standards that everyone in the industry knows are correct because that’s the way it’s always been.  For example, it is a given that you should drink...

February 12, 2016 – Anyone over 38 knows Millennials rule.  Or at the very least, that they are very different from the generations that preceded them – Generation X, Boomers and everyone over 69 who we will label Seasoned Citizens. We reported on January 29 that the wine category was...

By Jonathan Newman The following article appears in the current issue of Beverage Dynamicswww.beveragedynamics.comand is reprinted with permission. January 8, 2015 — The 2015 vintage on California’s North Coast (which includes Napa and Sonoma Valleys) is quite beautiful, but extremely tiny. And what was so surprising about the crop is...

December 9, 2015 – Wine and vodka?  Together?  It sounds a little weird, doesn’t it, so we were interested and a tad apprehensive when samples of Maven Chardonnay Vodka Cocktail and Maven Pinot Noir and Vodka Cocktail turned up on our doorstop. For no particular reason, we decided to crack...

November 27, 2015 – Exactly 21 years ago, on November 24, the Carmenère (car-men-yair) wine grape was discovered in Chile.  Thought to be extinct, the grape had actually been growing in Chile for about 150 years but it was confused with Merlot and used in the production of Chilean Merlot...

November 19, 2015 – Want to have some fun at the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table?  Or deflate a pompous oenophile’s dissertation on wine?  Wine by the zodiac sign is the answer. We found it at http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/travel-dining/g6014/best-wine-for-your-sign-horoscopes/ and, of course, had to look up our signs.  It’s good for a...

By Tim Hanni, Master of Wine and Certified Wine Educator, Napa, California (Editor’s Note:  Take the quiz below to test your knowledge of” swee”t wines and wine history!) September 9, 2015 — One of my favorite quotes is, “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and...

Feb. 2, 2015 – A novel way to find out where all the wine drinking is taking place is to canvas real estate listings.  According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, a survey of listings in 2014 that mention “wine cellar” or something similar put Orange County, California...

January 23, 2015 – We think you’ll enjoy browsing the wine selections of top wine retailers, which we bring you courtesy of Beverage Dynamics, November/December 2014 issue www.beveragedynamics.com Editor’s note:  Throughout the year, we’ve asked our retailer wine panel to review zinfandels, chardonnays, pinot noirs, summer white wines and cabernet...

By Harriet Lembeck, CWE, CSS October 9, 2014-If you really care about wine, you should think seriously about making the journey to the country of Georgia. You will experience true hospitality, tradition, winemaking, and still be close enough to the Black Sea’s famed resorts when you are ready to relax....

September 1, 2014-Julia Bainbridge writing on Yahoo! says, “It’s time to consider Champagne an everyday item”.  Right on, Julia.  Our sentiments exactly. Here are seven suggestions, including a couple from the U.K., that have been paired with Champagne: Hotdogs.  This came from Bubbledogs in the U.K.  Lots of flavor going...

June 5, 2014-We told you about the Coravin Wine Access System, a clever device that allows you to pour wine without removing the cork.  Unfortunately, there are some safety issues and the manufacturer has voluntarily withdrawn the device from sale and is urging people not to use it until further...

May 22, 2014-Planning a picnic?  Going to a ballgame? The Beach? State Park?  Wine would be lovely but who wants to lug a bottle, corkscrew and glassware.  Even wine in boxes or Tetra-Paks is problematic.  The answer is single serve wines. There are several to choose from, all cleverly packaged...

May 15, 2014-If you are in the wine and spirits trade, you almost certainly know about SWE.  But if you are not, but would like to be, or if you are just interested in improving your knowledge of wine and spirits, the Society of Wine Educators may have a program...

April 8, 2014-The Consumer Wine Awards tasting is a golden opportunity for ordinary folk who love wine to volunteer as a judge for a day.  And it’s a lot of fun! We gathered in a large hall at the Grape Center in Lodi, located about 84 miles east of San...

March 18, 2014- California Wine Appellation Specialist (CWAS) is a credentialed course offered by the San Francisco Wine School.  Designed for professionals and enthusiasts alike, CWAS is the first and only formal credential relating to California wines.  It has the support of the California Wine Institute (the voice of the...

Joel Butler MW February 16, 2014-“Through its Members and activities, the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) promotes excellence, interaction and learning, across all sectors of the global wine community.”  This is the Mission statement of the Institute of Masters of Wine, created in 1953 to encourage greater professionalism and...

We posted news about the invention and market introduction of the Coravin Wine Access System on the Blog page. We are totally jazzed about this gizmo but don’t take our word for it. Here’s what world renowned wine expert Robert Parker had to say, “(It is) the most transformational and...

July 26, 2013-Mira Winery of St. Helena has created a buzz in the wine world with their experiment of ocean aging four cases of Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2009 vintage. The wine was submerged in 60 feet of water in Charleston Harbor for three months. Phase two of the project...

 June 21, 2013- Boxes. Aluminium cans. Plastic bottles. Tetra Pak. The wine industry is determined you will have no excuse to travel without your wine. Let’s talk Tetra.   One of the reasons we like the Tetra Pak so much is really, really basic – it takes up so little...

The 33rd annual Auction Napa Valley was one for the record books, achieving $16.9 million in overall fundraising for healthcare and youth education nonprofits in Napa County.   The record-breaking results exceeded the previous record of $10.5 million raised in 2005 by more than 60 percent, reaffirming Auction Napa Valley’s...

April 29, 2013-If you’re planning a trip to the Napa Valley and would like to find a path less travelled, take a trip down Fulton Lane at the north end of the town of St. Helena. Here you’ll find several “boutique” wineries where the welcome is exceeded only by the...

April 15, 2013-“I thought all white wine was Chardonnay.” “I thought Zinfandel was a white wine.” “Why are red wines red?” Those quotes, all 100 percent genuine, prove that wine is still a confusing subject for many wine drinkers. But who can blame them? Wine can be very intimidating and...