Publication: The New York Times
Title: Don’t Judge a Wine by the Grape on Its Label
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/dining/drinks/wine-school-california-grenache.html
Eric Asimov talks about California’s labeling laws with ‘varietal wines,’ and the history of California and ‘new world’ producers identifying wines by grape varietal rather than region. He talks about California grenache and grenache blends and how three different producers label grenache. One producer, Donkey and Goat, says they are trying to get away from varietal labeling while others embrace varietal labeling as a way for consumers to better understand what they are drinking.
Publication: Forbes
Title: 6 Reasons to Love Old Vine Zinfandel
Get schooled on old-vine California Zinfandel in Forbes’ Food and Drink section this week. A quick lesson on old vines to understand why old vines produce great fruit but give low yields leads to stories and history of old vine Zin in California. Tres Goetting of Robert Biale Vineyards explains that “Back in the day, Napa's vineyards were planted 70% Zinfandel,” today they account for just 2% in Napa Valley. Contributor Cathy Huyghe hopes the history and testimonials will convert you into a Zin lover.
Publication: Wine Spectator
Title: 12 Affordable California Pinot Noirs
Finding good, affordable Pinot Noir is always a challenge. Whether it’s Pinot from France or California, these wines command high price tags. Wine Spectator highlights a dozen quality California Pinot Noirs that won’t burn a hole in your wallet. Find reviews, tasting notes and scores for these widely available, “ready-to-drink,” pinots.
Publication: Wine-Searcher
Title: Controversy Erupts Over Label Laws
Link: https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2018/02/controversy-erupts-over-label-laws
A loophole that is getting a lot of attention lately, which allows wineries outside of Californian to label their wine under California AVAs is pitting growers against winemakers. Most wineries support a stricter regulation that would close this loophole and no longer allow out-of-state wineries to use California AVAs. While grape growers, who make a large portion of their income selling grapes out-of-state, want to continue to profit from this law. This article touches on the legal side of things as well as the growers’ and winemakers’ perspectives.
Publication: Paso Robles Daily News
Title: Sip and Savor: Clesi’s artisanal Italian wines
Link: https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/sip-savor-clesis-artisanal-italian-wines/79404/
Paso Robles Daily talks wine and heritage as they feature a new central coast winery, Clesi. Chris Ferrara of Clesi Winery celebrates his Italian heritage by making wines from Italian varieties. Chris covers much of the country’s wine regions, making wines from grapes like Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Nero D’avola, Negroamaro, Dolcetto, and Nebbiolo. But he is clear about his goals, he is not trying to copy Italian wines, but rather grow these varieties and express them with local California terroir. Chris purchased the 30-hectare property where the winery is built in 2015 and currently has just five hectares planted to vines. The tasting room just opened in 2017 and features their small production wines and barrel room where he has also started using a lot of amphorae to age his wines. Read to learn more about Ferrara’s history in the wine industry and about the winery.
Publication: San Fransisco Gate
Title: BEST WINERIES FOR A BREAK UP ON VALENTINE’S DAY
Link: http://thepress.sfchronicle.com/review/best-break-up-wineries/
Wineries are typically seen as romantic getaways, but SF Gate highlights the opposite. This year they invite you to break-up with your significant other at one of these ten wineries in California’s wine country. Urmila Ramakrishnan points out that wineries, “...can also be one of the best places to break up. Think about it: dark drafty caves, baroque-style decor, remote locations. It’s all enough to plan a seemingly cute date that ends with a quick escape.” Urmila gives us a list of break-up spots for this romantic holiday.
Publication: Cision
Title: Foley Family Wines And Banshee Wines Become Wine Industry Partners
This week, the president of Foley family wines and the CEO of Banshee Wines announced a new partnership between to the two California wine companies. Banshee also owns a second brand called Rickshaw, both well-known brands in California. Banshee’s business has focused on purchasing grapes from great vineyards and making wines that outperform their price points. Foley Family Wines is an established company with an extensive network of vineyards and a vast portfolio of luxury wines. President of Foley Family Wines, Hugh Reimers says, “We look forward to working very closely with Baron and his winemaking team to help expand their successful business model. Their fresh, on-trend labels and unique approach to premium winemaking is something we're excited to showcase in the Foley Family Wines portfolio."
Publication: Napa Valley Register
Title: Will Napa's 50-year-old agricultural preserve continue to protect the Napa Valley?
This year, the Napa County agricultural preserve reached its 50th anniversary. The preserve is meant to act as a preventative measure against growth in the area in order to protect agricultural land. The preserve should protect the Napa Valley and its vineyards for another 50 years according to the EPA. The Environmental Services Director, David Morrison explains, “We either fight really hard to keep what we have in terms of agriculture or were absorbed into the Bay Area metropolitan region.” The article further discusses the history of the formation of the Napa County agricultural preserve back in 1968 and how the preserve has grown to date.
Publication: Wines&Vines
Title: Delta Educational Vineyard Takes Shape
Link: https://www.winesandvines.com/news/article/195415/Delta-Educational-Vineyard-Takes-Shape
Thanks to the effort of the local wine industry and community in Clarksburg, California programs at the local high school and middle school will allow students to get practical experience in viticulture. This is the region’s leading agricultural industry and efforts like these will help to sustain the industry. A local grape grower has been leading the promotion of the program stating that “a lot of kids don’t realize how many job opportunities are available. We are excited to provide real-world experience to our students and show them the many different ways they can be associated with agriculture and have successful careers in the field.” The program has a dedicated vineyard that will be planted this spring on a 1.5-acre site at Clarksburg’s wine tasting and custom-crush wine-production complex.
Publication: Napa Valley Register
Title: Will Napa's 50-year-old agricultural preserve continue to protect the Napa Valley?
This year, the Napa County agricultural preserve reached its 50th anniversary. The preserve is meant to act as a preventative measure against growth in the area in order to protect agricultural land. The preserve should protect the Napa Valley and its vineyards for another 50 years according to the EPA. The Environmental Services Director, David Morrison explains, “We either fight really hard to keep what we have in terms of agriculture or were absorbed into the Bay Area metropolitan region.” The article further discusses the history of the formation of the Napa County agricultural preserve back in 1968 and how the preserve has grown to date.
Publication: Wines&Vines
Title: Delta Educational Vineyard Takes Shape
Link: https://www.winesandvines.com/news/article/195415/Delta-Educational-Vineyard-Takes-Shape
Thanks to the effort of the local wine industry and community in Clarksburg, California programs at the local high school and middle school will allow students to get practical experience in viticulture. This is the region’s leading agricultural industry and efforts like these will help to sustain the industry. A local grape grower has been leading the promotion of the program stating that “a lot of kids don’t realize how many job opportunities are available. We are excited to provide real-world experience to our students and show them the many different ways they can be associated with agriculture and have successful careers in the field.” The program has a dedicated vineyard that will be planted this spring on a 1.5-acre site at Clarksburg’s wine tasting and custom-crush wine-production complex.
