Vino 101

Chalone Vineyards has changed hands again. The new owner Bill Foley plans to put new emphasis on promoting the brand. Dorthy Gaiter interviews Michael Mondavi about the Mondavi clan, then and now. The way things have turned out may not be as patriarch Robert Mondavi had envisioned, but if he were here he'd probably be pleased.  Tim Carl writes about the evolving taste in California wine count...

Rachel Signer has a list of ten things every woman should know about wine , but her list could apply to guys as well.  Michelle Locke offers up nine hacks to help you drink better wine by drinking it better . In the podcast Bill and I offer up a few ways to enhance your wine drinking experience as well. Is the age of the Sommelier coming to an end?  Some high profile somms are looking fo...

Vino101 Episode 28 Quivira

Happy New Year!  Thirty-one cases of the world's most expensive wine have disappeared from a northern port in France while awaiting shipment to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario in Canada.  Lettie Teague pens a piece titled 'An Insider's Guide to Weird Wine Words'. It's a good primer for explaining some of the jargon used by people in the wine business to describe wine characteristics...

Roughly ten percent of the bottles in convicted wine counterfeiter Rudy Kurnaiwan's wine cellar were deemed fakes and were sent to Creedmore, Texas to be destroyed . There's a video of the process, but allegations of fake wine being sold at high end auctions continues to persist. Wine sleuth Maureen Downey and wine expert Gil Lempert-Schwarz are headed to court as Schwarz has asked the c...

It's that time of the year when friends and family get together to celebrate the holidays, so Bill and I decided to come up with a few wine selections for the season. Although we didn't recommendany bubbly in this podcast, our default wine is sparkling, whether it be Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, Sektor domestic sparklers. A glass of bubbly always seems an appropriate way to kick off a celebration. W...

Are you a points chaser and you only drink wines that have scored 90 or more points? If you hurry you might be able to find some of the wines that made The Wine Spectator's Top 100 for 2015 . Close to a third of them fall into the $30 and under category, so if you want you can satisfy your curiosity and find out what all the hoopla is about without breaking your budget.   Guy Fieri is going i...

Food Republic has put out a video detailing how fake wine is made and brought to the market . It's a super slick production, exposing the secrets of recent infamous fraudstersand explaining how confidentiality and shame perpetuate the status quo.  One of our favorite wine retailers K&L Wines in San Francisco has moved to a new and larger location. In an article for Vogue, Jordan Salcito,...

What goes up must come down. It holds true in the stock market and real estate, but are Napa winemakers immune to prevailing market conditions? Stephen Eliot of the Connoisseurs Guide wonders if Napa Wines are too pricey ? While W. Blake Gray goes straight to the source and asks wine oracle, Rob McMillan, Executive Vice President of Silicon Valley Bank, his prediction on where Napa wine prices are...

Harvesthas concluded in Sonoma County and vintners are happy with what they have tasted thus far. Bill Swindell gives us a quick look at what winemakers and farmers have to say about the 2015 vintage, one of the earliest on record. German agri-chemical giant Bayer has acknowledged that one of its products sold throughout Europe has caused stunted development of the berries for certain wine growers...

Paul Prudhomme a legend in Cajun and Creole cuisine has died. Daniela Galarza profiles the accomplishments of one of America's first celebrity chefs. Prudhomme is credited with trade marking Turducken, a dish  that always graced the Thanksgiving table of NFL commentator John Madden. Be sure to check out the video of Paul explaining the essence of a southern favorite Red Beans and Rice. Jane A...

Blue Morph based out of the East Bay has developed a waterless tank sanitizing system that uses advanced short-wave ultraviolet ray technology. A unit has already been installed at one of the Jackson Family Wine production facilities in Santa Rosa, Ca., where Julien Gervreau senior sustainability managerestimates 250,000 gallons a year could be saved at each JFW facility that uses the technology....

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 f...

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 margarit...

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 valle...

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...

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...

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 o...

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...

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, temperatur...

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...

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...

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!   VinoWeek EP8 Vino101

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 Geyservi...

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 th...