Not everybody is busy preparing a National Convention for over three hundred attendees at this time of the year. However, vineyard managers are already starting to shape up their rows of vines for the upcoming harvest for 2017.   Canopy … Read More »

Back in Ancient Rome, winemakers would burn candles made of sulfur in empty wine containers (called amphorae) to keep the wines from turning to vinegar. Winemakers began using sulfur in the winemaking process during the early 1900s to stop bacteria … Read More »

Springtime is here in California vineyards! Grapevines, just like your beloved garden at this time of the year, need some care and attention. Let’s see what vineyard managers and workers are up to this season.   Vineyard Protection The vineyard … Read More »

From time to time, I must use my legendary French charm to convince somebody to pause, empty their mind, pour themselves a glass of wine and just taste. Let me repeat, just taste. However, the wine business has always been … Read More »

The first quarter of 2017 is underway. Let’s see what wineries are up to… Vineyard Activities Vines are currently in the dormant stage in vineyards across California. Vineyard managers are planning their pruning strategy, which is the most important operation … Read More »

Many people are interested to know if our wines would benefit from decanting or aerating, versus pouring straight from the bottle. This is an important aspect of tasting wine, since we want our wines to showcase their best attributes.     … Read More »

Sometimes I receive questions on Facebook asking me if I have tried the latest wine gadget to hit the market. A recent question referred to the new Coravin corkscrew, the “Elite Two.” As I was replying that I have not … Read More »