Vino101

Amazon has started selling beer, Champagne, wine and spirits in France.  While I'm still not sure it's for real, Burger King looks to be giving away wine to celebrate its four decades of business in Spain. Starbuck's is no longer just a place to get your morning caffeine jolt.  Elin McCoy checks our their new evening program of adult beverages and small plates.  The trend of fast food joints offering wine to go with your meals continues to expand.Writing for Business Insider Libby Kane asks Jorn Kleinhans, owner of The Sommelier Company, to recommend ten words to look for on wines under $25 dollars. It's a good read with lots of good information.Whether you're looking for a new way to open a bottle of wine or a way to treat those pesky red wine stains, 14 simple hacks every wine drinker should know is bound to give you a few new ideas.If you haven't heard Bill and I get on our soapbox and talk about the importance of serving wine at the proper temperature, here we go again.  This time we h

Taco Bell is setting its sights on the urbanites of Chicago and San Francisco. Their first pilot stores Taco Bell Cantina, are slated to open later this month.  Specifically targeting the millennial demographic these restaurants will feature a revamped menu, digital menu boards, TV monitors and mobile ordering and pick up apps.  The kicker is these new locations will be serving margaritas in Chicago and draft beer and wine in San Francisco. Steve Heimoff offers his take on Taco Bell's new concept. The San Francisco location is near the AT&T ballpark area and with that location it looks like it will be a home run.Costco heir David Sinegal acknowledges that he loves,  "the art and act of making things that are unique and special".  Elin McCoy shares what he's doing with his new venture Sinegal Estate in Napa Valley.Have you tried wine from a keg yet? Adam Teeter writes an article about the recent phenomenon of wine on tap. It a good jumping off point for Bill and I as we discuss the pr

It looks to be an excellent vintage for Champagne according to Claude Giraud. If the weather holds there will be lots of smiling wine growers throughout France. The harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon has started in Napa Valley.  Growers are seeing lower yields but the quality thus far appears to be excellent.  Jessie Duarte fills us in on what's happening in the regions up and down the valley.W. Blake Gray finds an intern working at a Napa Valley winery to explain what one does in a winery at harvest time. The mystery writer, fresh out of a four year program of viticulture and enology with several harvests under his belt, already seems to have a fairly good grasp of how the wine business works. It's a good read.The Sonoma County Wine Auction set a new record this year. All the proceeds go to charity and in this article by Peg Melnik you can see who the big spenders were.Cynthia Sewell writes an article about wine exclusives in the state of Idaho and asks, "Are Idaho Officials Enforcing the Rules?". Over

If it seems like the frequency of counterfeiting, embezzlement, data breaches and fraud have been increasing in the world of wine, it's because it has.  Fighting crime will be the major focus of the 24th annual Wine Industry Financial Symposium to be held Sept. 21-22 in Napa.  This Symposium will provide an excellent opportunity for individuals in the business to learn ways to avoid some of the accounting pitfalls of running a small business.  Traditionally small wineries haven't used  trust and verify style management to run the financial side of their businesses.  The Symposium will feature a panel of crime experts that can help  you start a program to better secure your business from criminals.  If you're in the wine business,  you can't afford not to be there. The "Sherlock Holmes of Wine", Maureen Downey has announced the launch of WINEFRAUD.com.  It's being touted as a resource for buyers, producers and vendors of fine wines.  As such winefraud.como

After selling his wildly successful Meomi wine brand to Constellation Brand Inc. Joseph Wagner is looking to the Oregon frontier to create his next super brand.   At the ripe young age of 33 this entrepreneur is making his presence known on the west coast.  Elsewhere in Oregon, Willamette Valley Vineyards has tendered an offer of preferred stock to wine enthusiasts.   They plan to build two small production wineries in the Eola Hills and Walla Walla AVAs.   A posting on Jim's Loire blog wonders why Tim Atkins and Ron Washam's dispute with Georg Riedel was settled so quickly; whereas Jayne Powell - aka Champagne Jayne'scase, with the Le Comite Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne seems to be stuck in a legal limbo that has her facing financial ruin.  The famed French wine regions of Burgundy and Champagne have been recently added to Unesco's world heritage listing.  Laurent Fabius, the country's foreign minister is making plans to promote more tourism in these win

Boston startup Kuvee has assembleda group of techie scholars, entrepreneurs and venture capitalist in order to go into the wine preservation business.  Their idea "a convenience play - drink what you want, it stays fresh, and reorder easily.", appears to have merit.   The product is due to launch this fall sostay tuned.   Gargantuan wine, which is rapidly becoming one of our favorite reads, offers us up some well deserved criticism for restaurant owners and chefs.  The post Four Mistakes Every Restaurant Makes exposes those faults and then proposes some simple solutions to correct them.  After reading the article I'll certainly pay more attention to my hand washing ritual before dining.  What do Celebrity chefs, Mexican immigrants and the Food Network have in common and why are chefs so concerned about their symbiotic link?  Roberto Ferdman pens a post for the Washington Post about what may be going on behind the kitchen doors of your favorite restaurant.  Dav

Ron Washam aka The Hosemaster of Wine finally gets someone to threaten to sue him.   One of his recent satirical works did not strike the funny bone of Mr. Georg Riedel,  as he had his lawyers fire off a firm request for a retraction of said article.  Michael Ru Bello's bankruptcy filing for his California construction company is causing a lot of headaches for his creditors and for several high profile wine industry players, that worked with him.  David Stoneberg and Sasha Paulsen do a good job of putting the pieces together while explaining how it all went south.  Sandro Boscaini - 'Mr. Amarone' has taken a bold step and listed Masi Agricola on the Italian stock market.  Is this the beginning of a trend?  Several wine projects move forward in the Kenwood area of Sonoma County as the debate over the expansion of wineries in Northern California continues.  Margaret Rand writes a piece for Decanter magazine titled, Six Signs You're Becoming a Wine Buff.  If you

California is in the midst of a four year severe drought and the latest visual evidence can be seen in Lake County, where the Rocky wildfire has consumed over 22,000 acres, the largest of about two dozen fires burning around the state.  If anyone is wondering what to get me for Christmas here it is.  The VinGardeValise is a 'rolling hard shell suitcase lined with high-density, temperature-regulating foam that protects bottles while in transit'.  This year Trinchero Family Estates is celebrating the forty year anniversary of the first release of its White Zinfandel.  Who drinks White Zinfandel?  We do.  Since its inception Trinchero has sold $6 billion worth of White Zinfandel.  The article by Andrew Adams features a birds eye of Trinchero's new Lodi facility that is mind blowing.  Ever wonder when's the right time to pop the cork on some of those fine Italian wines you have resting in your cellar?  Kerin O'Keefe pens a wonderful piece outlining some general guideli

Two more big wine deals were announced this week, as E & J Gallo and Vintage Wine Estates make a bid to broaden their holdings in Sonoma County.  Measure AB-20,  a bill aimed at helping illegal farm workers obtain work permits is making its way through the California legislature.  If it reaches Governor Jerry Brown's desk will he sign it?  Rock star winemaker Susana Balbo wants to improve the education and healthcare systems in rural Mendoza,  Argentina.  Instead of just complaining she's running for a seat in the Parliament of the Mendoza region.   Have you ever purchase wine online?  Lucy Shaw puts forth some surprising statistics on the wine buying habits of American wine drinkers.  These topic and more on this episode of VinoWeek.  Thanks for listening and tell a friend.  Cheers!       

What companies make  80 percent  of the wine purchased  in the U. S. market?Which two wine companies own half of the wine brands on the top 20 list for off premise sales?  Here's a hint; one is publicly traded the other is not.  Blockbuster brand Meomi was just purchased by Constellation Brands Inc, the latest in a frenzy of acquisitions being made by some big players in the wine business.  Steve Heimoff wonders who got the better end of the deal.  Why would anyone want to hack a winery?  Rob McMillan pens a in-depth article about the Payment Card Industry, with respect to the wine trade and explores topics any consumer that shops using e business should be aware.  Vindu Goel reports in the New York Times that former winemaker and vineyard manager Jeffry James Hill plead no contest to charges of misrepresenting the origin of wines he sold to his clients and other winemakers.  He's out of the wine business and awaiting sentencing.  As always thanks for lis

This week in the world of wine we discuss unauthorized cave building in Napa, The Napa Valley Auction,  Ag drones, and much much more.   Cheers! 

Auction Napa Valley is coming to you online.  Bidding starts on May 31st and it's a great opportunity for  those in the industry and wine lovers that can't make the trek to Napa Valley participate in the auction.  Peg Melnik writes a nice article featuring Hoby Wedler, a blind UC Davis graduate student, who is leading blind wine tastings at Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville.  There's a lot at stake as the battle lines are being drawn between Empire Wine and the New York State Liquor Authority.  Although we haven't tried it yet we're tempted; Alder Yarrow has found a company that can help make receiving shipments of wine less problematic.  If you adhere to a vegan diet Sara Rennekamp provides a more in-depth viewpoint into the winemaking process, so that you can make a more informed decision when purchasing your wines.  Alder's first walk through the famed Grand Cru vineyards of Champagne was not what he had expected.  The photos and video that accompany the art

On this week's VinoWeek podcast we discuss Jeff Siegel's article on the premiumization of wine.  Are consumers really trading up for more expensive wines?  Locally here in wine country we have our legislators making an effort to fix something that doesn't seem to be broken.  Derek Moore pens an interesting post on the legal limbo which barbers and beauty salon owners are finding themselves.  Lake County, Napa north if you will, has been discovered and is gaining more recognition for its microclimates and its rich red volcanic based soils.  If your'e a music lover, a foodie and a wine lover hurry up and get your tickets for Bottle Rock Napa 2015.  The entertainment line-up looks great and the food, beer and wine choices on offer will be spectacular.  We touch on  some more local politics involving the newly proposed Dairyman Winery and a change in ownership of one of the top wine retail destinations for wine lovers in Sonoma County.  We are holding our breath and ho

I first became acquainted with the wines of Fausto Albanesi  by happenstance.  I was purchasing wine from an online provider and I was short three bottles to fill out my order.  As I browsed through their offerings his 2010 base bottling of Montepulciano D' Abruzzo caught my eye, so I filled out the order with them.  I picked the wine because  I was familiar with the soft, full of fruit, mildly tannic wines that could be made from that grape.  In fact most Montepulciano D' Abruzzo can always be counted on for modest pricing and good qu

This week's VinoWeek podcast features Popular Restaurant Wines, Prosecco's Growth,  Hopkiln's Expansion and much more.    As always thanks for listening.

This week's VinoWeek podcast features Texas wine coming your way, Italian winemaking convicts,  more talk about sulfites in wine and a tragic murder/suicide in Napa Valley.  Jeremy Parzen pens a good post on building moratoriums and plans to ban new plantings in Tuscany.  Have you ever wondered what the real cost of a $10 bottle of imported wine is?  We discuss these topics along with several others and if your are on the left coast for the weekend of March 27th - 28th say hello to us at the Rhone Rangers Tasting in Richmond, California.  Thanks for listening.  Cheers

In this Vinoweek podcast we discuss Yao Ming's recent foray into the world of crowdsourcing for his Napa winery.  Other topics include Premier Napa Valley, the trademark infringement suit CIVC vs Champagne Jayne, Wal-Mart suing the state of Texas for the right to sell spirits, the state of California suing Ernest and Julio Gallo over hazardous dust disposal, and this weekend's barrel  tasting events in Sonoma County.  Thanks for listening.  Cheers!

This week we cover the concept of terroir, the new Fountaingrove AVA, weather technology for grape growers and David Ramey's opening of a new winery.  We also discuss Gary Vaynerchuk showing up at Premiere Napa Valley, Biondi Santi's panning of Brunello for 2014, the economic impact of craft brewers in Sonoma County and Guy Fieri's plans for a winery in Santa Rosa.  Thanks for listening.  Cheers!

Longshoremen Strike, Winery Development in Napa and Sonoma, Tin Capsules, Shiraz Week

There I was in one of my favorite wine stores doing my usual thing, looking at all the different labels and reminding myself to make certain that 25% of my purchases have to be of wines I've never tried before.  It's a good way to keep your mind open to new discoveries and expand your knowledge of wine.  Lately I've been on a Bordeaux buying binge as there are an astounding number of good quality wines from the 2009 and  2010 vintage on the market.  That's when I spied it, stacked on the floor at the end of the shelves in the far left corner at t