Winery Cats Helping Sustainability Efforts in Sonoma.
March 26, 2012
News article taken from WineBusiness.com
When Kathy Klopp of Klopp Ranch Vineyards in the Russian River Valley region of Sonoma found herself over-run with gophers in her vineyard and rats in her chicken coop, she introduced “vineyard cats” to patrol her property.
“We have 25 acres of vineyards,” reports Kathy, “and even though we have an owl box program, it was still an issue. We also had a problem with rats eating our chicken food. We didn’t want to use poison because we don’t want to harm the environment, so we called Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County and they helped us introduce two feral cats to our property. Happily, they have eliminated the rats from the chicken food area and barns, and we occasionally glimpse the cats with a critter from the vineyard in their mouths.”
Posted in News | Tagged Cat, winery cat, Winery cats | 5 Comments //Fiftyrow Cabernet, Napa, 2007.
March 25, 2012
Grapes
100% Cabernet
Facts
- Admittedly I’ve bit on a little “Napa-binge” lately, for which there is very good reason: I lost faith. Napa just hasn’t been “turning me on” much recently. There’s so much out there, but I think so many wineries are resting on their laurels, pumping out good (but not great) juice, slapping Napa on the label, charging a premium and hoping for the best. Fair play to them though, if it works! Suffice to say that the wine in this review has helped restore my opinion of “the Valley”…
- The Fiftyrow Cabernet is actually 100% of the grape. This may not sound like a huge deal to the uninitiated, but it actually isn’t common-practice in Napa Cabs to use 100%. Usually, other grapes such as Merlot and/or Cabernet Franc et al. are blended in to either “mellow-out” the wine, or just add another layer of complexity. Fiftyrow choose not to, instead relying on the quality of the main grape.
- The wine was aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 26 months.
What More Do You Need From a Wine Store?
March 25, 2012.
What does “garrigue” mean?
March 23, 2012
The mere mention of the word “garrigue” brings back vivid memories of my childhood summers spent in the south of France.
I’m just kidding. That never happened…
The term “garrigue” actually refers to the low-lying vegetation on the hills that often surround vineyards on the Mediterranean coast. This wild brush is made up of herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, mint and lavender, as well as juniper. Therefore; when describing a wine as having an influence of “garrigue”, it simply refers to the herbal, minty, earthy and floral aromas of a wine, which are thought to have been derived from the specific region where the grapes are grown.
Posted in Facts | Tagged France, garrigue, Languedoc, What does “garrigue” mean? | Leave a comment //Wine Road Barrel Tasting Drunkenness Shocks Healdsburg Merchants.
March 23, 2012News article taken from Press Democrat.
So it appears that the annual Wine Road Barrel Tasting in Sonoma may be uncorking a little too much rowdiness for the town in the center of it all! Healdsburg merchants are complaining that younger imbibers are getting carried away, transforming the event into a “frat party,” and even a “beer blaster.”
“There’s incredible drunkenness,” Anne Marie Montecuollo, owner of a fine jewelry store, told the City Council Monday.
On back-to-back weekends the first part of this month, merchants said they witnessed participants stagger from one tasting room to another, hanging on benches and even getting sick from too much alcohol.
“The kids are out of control, what can you say,” added Sue Sacks, owner of Options Gallery, a gift, clothing and jewelry store.
Posted in Funny, News | Tagged California, Healdsburg | Leave a comment //Dolce (Late Harvest Dessert Wine), Napa, 2006.
March 22, 2012
Grapes
80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc
Facts
- Dessert wines have developed such a bad reputation. As stupid as it sounds, if I have to hear one more person say “…wow…that’s sweet!!!” or “…I couldn’t drink a whole bottle of that!!!” I may very well stab myself in the eye with a wine opener. To me, it’s exactly the same as saying “…wow….this Filet Mignon is kind of beefy!!!” or “…this steak is great…but I don’t think I could eat a whole cow!!!”
Dessert wines (even Moscato) are to be enjoyed in much smaller quantities than regular table wines. 2oz of a wine such as the Dolce (with dessert) is even probably bordering on too much.
- Dolce was created back in 1985 by the partners of Far Niente (“dolce far niente” being an Italian-idiom for a “sweet idleness”). The winery is still the only winery (in North America) producing a single late-harvest dessert wine. Few other wineries are crazy enough (and have enough cash) to back up such a project!
← Older posts Newer posts →
