September, 2007
Written by: Ben Bicais on Saturday, September 29 2007
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The proposed Calistoga AVA continues to stir controversy and passions on both sides. At issue is Calistoga Cellars’ use of the region in their brand name, despite the fact that they do not use Calistoga grapes in their wines.
This is a cardinal sin in the eyes of many local growers and wineries, who place a high value on the geographic origin of their wines. The entire AVA approval process has ground to a halt over the controversy as the TTB reevaluates the system. Calistoga Cellars recently opened up a tasting room, amidst protests from other vintners who claim the winery is thwarting Calistoga’s quest for AVA status.
Roger Louer, CEO of Calistoga Cellars, has stated in the past that he cannot source enough grapes from the Calistoga region for his wines; a claim that local grape growers vehemently deny. One of these vineyard owners, Charlie Wolleson, asserted, “My family has been growing grapes on land three miles south of Calistoga for generations. We still have vines budded by my grandfather — zinfandel, cabs and merlot. To say that local grapes are not available or affordable is not right.”
Bo Barrett, owner of Chateau Montelena, is also particularly outspoken on the issue. He recently said that, “Calistoga Cellars is completely deceiving the public by using the Calistoga name. They go over there to source their grapes because they can find them for half the price.”
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Written by: Ben Bicais on Tuesday, September 25 2007
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Jewish Blessings of the Grapes this Weekend
There will be a Jewish blessing of the grapes ceremony on Sunday, September 30th, at noon at Hagafen Cellars. It will be conducted by Rabbi Oren Postrel of Congregation Beth Sholom in Napa. The public is free to stop by at the blessings, which will take place at several other locations during the day.
Ernie Weir, the founder and winemaker at Hagafen, said, “The Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot falls at this time and since we are also harvesting grapes, we thought it would make sense to align the two calendars, of Mother Nature and Jewish history.”
‘The Imposter’ from JC Cellars
JC Cellars just released the first vintage of a new Zinfandel based wine called The Imposter. Winemaker Jeff Cohn said, “I wanted a new challenge; something fresh and exciting. Creating a new wine that is neither a vineyard nor varietal designate is indeed a change for me.”
It should be an interesting wine, made with 72% Zinfandel, 11% Syrah, and a bit of Petite Sirah, Mourvedre and Viognier. The name was inspired by Cohn’s favorites TV mystery classics, like Colombo and McMillan and Wife.
The domain name winecast.com is now up for sale
In other news, the domain name winecast.com is up for sale. Mick Winter, who currently owns the name, originally purchased it in 1999, when it was bundeled with wine.com. “We originally intended to use it for audio/videocasting of wine reviews, winemaker interviews, and other wine and wine industry news,” he said. “However, we’ve decided to focus on other areas and instead put the domain name on the open market.”
Written by: Ben Bicais on Sunday, September 16 2007
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There’s a new gold rush going on in California, but it may not be what you think. For years, Calaveras County has been turning out some of California’s most deeply flavored, delicious wines. The region is located in the southern part of the Sierra Foothills, and boasts 19 boutique wineries.
With only 3 stoplights, Calaveras County has an undeniable amount of rustic charm. Several of California’s rising stars are located in the region, notably the venerable Twisted Oak Winery.
Owners Jeff and Mary Stai have won many awards for their mountain grown wines and have developed quite a following. They have an impressive web presence and a great blog that is cleverly written.
Some of their current releases include The Spaniard (65% Tempranillo, 31% Caberent Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot in 2004), 2005 Petite Sirah, 2004 Murgatroyd (55% Cab, 25% Petit Verdot, 13% Tempranillo and 7% Grenache), and 2004 Syrah. Twisted Oak is one of California’s premiere producers of Tempranillo. This Spanish grape has taken to the rocky hillsides of Calaveras County exceptionally well.
Twisted Oak is amongst great company and there are a number of other wineries in the region that are well worth exploring. So if you are looking for a change of pace from the tasting rooms of Napa and Sonoma, consider planning a trip to beautiful Calaveras County.
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Written by: Ben Bicais on Sunday, September 09 2007
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As online wine sales continue to grow, more and more traditional retailers are entering the marketplace. Recently, Safeway announced plans to begin selling wine online from a warehouse in American Canyon just south of the city of Napa. However, Safeway still needs to obtain the necessary city permits to begin this project.
Safeway is attempting to get a license that allows retail sales but prohibits consumption on the premises. According to the Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC), about 14,000 of these types of licenses have been issued in California.
In a memo to the city of American Canyon, a spokesman for Safeway said, “Safeway has the capacity to attract a very large volume of Internet-based business, especially within California where they already operate hundreds of grocery stores and have a large business base… American Canyon would enjoy significant revenue from these taxed sales.” Assuming the plan goes through, New Vine Logistics Inc. will assist Safeway in its efforts.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Thursday, September 06 2007
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The 3rd Annual Loose
Goose Wine Festival will be held on October 3-7, 2007, in the Santa Clarita Valley. This multi-day festival includes several different events such as the Wine Pairing Dinners on October 3, the Loose Goose Golf Classic on October 4, the Golden Goose Gala on October 5, the Professional Goose on October 6 (trade tasting), and the Main Festival which will be held on October 6-7.
Santa Clarita Valley is located about 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. 100 different vineyards and wineries will be participating in the Main Festival as well as many other luxury vendors. Last year’s festival drew over 5,000 wine lovers.
Tickets for the Main Festival are $40 per day when purchased in advance and $55 at the gate. Part of the proceeds will be donated to the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Health Foundation and the Brenda Mehling Cancer Fund.
Written by: Ben Bicais on Tuesday, September 04 2007
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On October 12, 2005, a fire broke out at Wines Central, a storage facility in Vallejo, California. The blaze caused an astounding $100 million in damage and decimated the inventory of 82 California wineries, both large and small.
Mark Anderson has been charged with arson in connection with the blaze. When the fire was set, Anderson was on trial in Marin County for embezzlement. He allegedly stole wine from his clients and then set the fire to cover up his tracks.
Special Agent Nina Delgadillo from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said that an investigation found, “sufficient (physical) evidence to tell us that this was an intentionally set fire. ... We are vigorously pursuing the person or persons who caused this.”
Givich Vineyards was one of several boutique wineries that were affected by this devastating fire. Although owner Ken Givich lost all of his saleable merchandise, he has bounced back stronger than ever with his new releases. These include the 2004 El Dorado County Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 El Dorado County Petite Syrah, 2004 El Dorado County Zinfandel and 2005 Napa Valley Chardonnay.
Established in 2000, Givich Vineyards is based in Napa Valley and also purchases grapes from the Sierra Foothills. Mr. Givich ages each of his wines in small oak barrels for 20-24 months. He has received many accolades over the years, including being honored at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, Grand Harvest Awards and Marin-Sonoma County Fair Competition.
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Written by: Ryan Fujiu on Sunday, September 02 2007
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This past Wednesday, the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission (LLC) destroyed 1,123 gallons of wine found in Lincoln Country. The wine had an estimated value of $140,000, making it the largest bust in LLC history.
It is believed that the wine belonged to winemaker David Jurena, who brought the wine illegally from the Napa Valley. Although the details of the story are still emerging, officials believe that Jurena stole the wine from Terra Valentine winery, where he was once winemaker.
It was transported to Nebraska in 60 gallon barrels, kegs and bottles in an old freight car owned by Feather River Vineyard. Jurena was also the winemaker at Feather River Vineyard, but was fired in 2006, when he destroyed over 300 gallons of wine in a attempt to hide his winemaking mistakes.
Jurena added too much sulfer dioxide to the wine, rendering it undrinkable. Instead of accepting responsibility for his mistakes, he tried to cover it up. When Feather River Vineyard found out about, they fired Jurena and filled criminal charges against him.
Investigators could not determine where the wine came from, but they believe that Jurena planned to bottle and sell it under the Eggers-Jurena label. These kinds of actions are rare in the wine industry, but are becoming more and more common among less than above board winemakers.
Once officials found the wine, they decided that it should be destroyed, as there is no record of safety procedures used to make the wine. More than 800 gallons of the wine were taken to the North Platte wastewater treatment plant and destroyed. The unlabeled bottles were smashed and taken to the landfill.
Jurena is set to go on trial Sept. 11 in Lincoln County District Court.
Calistoga Continues its Quest for AVA Status
