Calwineries

The 1976 Paris Tasting was a defining moment is the history of California Wine Country. The performance of Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Napa Valley Chardonnay and Stags Leap Wine Cellars’ 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon brought California Wine to the world stage.

With California is facing a $14 billion budget deficit, politicians and public policy groups are looking for ways to make up for the shortfall. One proposal is to increase the tax on distilled liquor, beer and wine.

The Marin Institute, an alcohol industry watch-dog, is one of the major proponents of this plan. According to Bruce Livingston, the group’s executive director, “Raising the alcohol tax for the first time in 16 years is a commonsense and fiscally responsible option to help close the budget gap. A simple 25 cents per drink increase would generate almost $3 billion in revenue.”