Have you ever opened a bottle of wine just to be surprised by small crystals on the cork or particles suspended in the wine? Don’t panic – those small crystals are called tartrates and they are simply a sign of how the wine was made and are harmless to you and your wine. Tartrates – […]
The first signs of Verasion
Originally posted August 2009 I took this picture on Friday afternoon. Our Old Vine Zinfandel vineyard looks really good this year. And even though I have seen some single berrys starting to turn, Friday was the day I am calling the start of verasion. Technically, verasion is a term that applies to one of […]
Harvest 2014, Week 2 the little things we do…
When I started writing the first entry for the Chenin Blanc had just been put in barrels and was just staring to ferment. I have been measuring the Brix & temperature everyday and of course smelling and tasting it. After the other days check it looks like it dry, which means it is done fermenting. […]
Crush 2014, Week One
Wednesday September 4th marked the first day of my 29th harvest, the first day of crush, a day I look forward to and something that we in the wine business use as a measure of time. We tend to remember harvest by the weather patterns, something that might have happened or the years that the […]
The Great Sunflower Project in Sonoma Valley
Last month a good friend of mine invited me to come to a meeting with the Cittaslow Sonoma Pollinator Pals group. The topic was The Great Sunflower Project here in Sonoma Valley, the following is the press release with the details of this very exciting project. My participation to this point has been limited to […]
I was asked, why Chenin Blanc?
My first thought was the sarcastic answer, why not Chenin Blanc? But then I thought about it. When I first started in the wine business Chenin Blanc was planted throughout the north coast. But as the popularity of Chardonnay and other varieties grew the acres in Sonoma and Napa started to shrink and so did […]
Crush Lunch in honor of a great friend.
When I worked at Kenwood Vineyards (1986-1998) during harvest they fed us Crush Lunch. Now this was a welcome break during the middle of the day which was usually a 12-16 hour day. When Mike Lee hired me he told me about lunch but I had no idea what an amazing experience it was. These […]
Save the Bees
Last Saturday, I was walking across our property and I could hear a very distinctive buzz, there was not doubt what is was the question was where were they. Up on the hill over a valley oak there was a swarm of bee’s the side of a small car. I tried to capture the swarm […]
Charcuterie class with the Chefs from Estate & The Girl & the Fig
I had an amazing experience a couple weeks ago, I took a class at the catering kitchen for The Girl and the Fig. Growing up in Petaluma with my mom’s Swiss/Italian heritage my family was always sharing dried salami and other charcuterie. At any give family gathering there was always a large plate of “Anti […]
ZAP Zinfandel Advocates & Producers 19th Grand Tasting
Founded in 1991, ZAP is a non profit organization dedicated to expanding public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel. The common focus is the preservation and recognition of Zinfandel as America’s wine. ZAP organizes seminars, educational programs, and tastings at wineries and other settings across the United States to explain the uniqueness of the […]
Los Chamizal Vineyard
The first time I remember tasting a wine from Peter Haywood’s Los Chamizal Vineyard it was at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair in 1987. I knew that I was really interested in Zinfandel’s and was amazed at how different they were. That night one of my favorites was from Sonoma’s Haywood Winery owned my Peter […]
Cellar Life 