January, 09, 2015 Sonoma County: Winery barn saved for another century

(PD) - On paper, it’s not the kind of expense that would pencil out for a publicly traded corporation. But at Sonoma’s Rhinefarm, where six generations of Gundlachs and Bundschus have worked its fertile, clay-loam soil, typical business formulas don’t apply in the face of 150 year...

January, 09, 2015 The Psychology of Wine Labels

(Forbes) - After multiple opportunities to do field research this holiday season, I’ve come to the conclusion most of us choose wine based on brand, rather than taste. Sure, many people have an oenophile friend who knows that a bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite with the initials Th.J. etched on ...

January, 09, 2015 Late, Late Harvest Brings Sweet Results

(Wine-Searcher) - The first grapes picked in 2015 were from last year's vintage but, for Ontario's ice wine makers, it's worth the wait. The cold wintry weather in Ontario might be causing most residents to burrow down into the blankets, but for others it’s a sweet time of year. Winemak...

January, 09, 2015 Where Has Napa Valley Gone?

(Thedailymeal) - As I look back on the changes in Napa Valley over the last 40 years since my friends and I first started going there in the early 1970s, I cannot help but reflect on the great Pete Seeger song “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” This song was popular in the ‘6...

January, 09, 2015 Grapevine Pruning Experts Share Wisdom

(Wines&Vines) - Veteran farmers from Independent Grape Growers of the Paso Robles Area (IGGPRA) will demonstrate critical pruning techniques and discuss the practice during a seminar Jan. 10.  Organizer Lowell Zelinski is vice president of IGGPRA and owner of Precision Ag Consultin...

January, 08, 2015 WINEMAKERS ATTACK ‘ILLEGAL’ PROSECCO TRADE

(TDB) - A group of Italian winemakers is threatening legal action against British pubs and bars marketing sparkling wine on tap as “Prosecco” calling the practice illegal. With the UK’s Prosecco boom showing no signs of slowing, pubs and bars have tapped into the trend by offer...

January, 08, 2015 CHINA WINE INDUSTRY SUFFERS ‘SHAKEOUT’

(TDB) - Bottled wine imports into China declined last year, marking the first negative growth in the modern history of vinous shipments into the country. Between January and June last year there was a 5.7% drop in bottled wine imports into China, according to Ian Ford, co-founder and general mana...

January, 08, 2015 Davies winery opponents sue St. Helena

(NVR) -  Opponents of the Davies Family Winery expansion and tasting room have sued the city of St. Helena and the City Council for approving the project in November. The suit argues the city and the council violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by not ordering an environ...