It wasn’t too long ago that Biodynamic® was considered fringe but according to the turnout at a recent joint Demeter® USA and University of California Cooperative Extension Short Course in Biodynamic Winegrowing in Rutherford, it is becoming mainstream.  Demeter USA is the US arm of the international Demeter organization which sets standards for – and certifies - Biodynamic producers and products.  According to Demeter USA Marketing Director Elizabeth Candelario, a few years ago, 20 farmers might show up to a seminar like the one held last week but on that day, there were …

 One of the ways to really appreciate winemakers’ “passion” for wine is to gain some historical perspective, such as how Napa Valley vintners survived during the 13 years of Prohibition between 1920 and 1933.  The best-selling book When the Rivers Ran Red written by Vivienne Sosnowski chronicles this period through individual experiences, adding color to a period that most of us see as black and white.  The book is now in paperback ($16) and makes a great addition to the wine or history lover’s library. 
The story describes in the years leading up …

One of my favorite foods is a simple one – bircher muesli.  It’s a concoction of whole grains, nuts and maybe dried fruits soaked overnight in a mixture of milk and yogurt and then topped with fresh berries and honey.  So simple, but packed with so many good things and so appealing that it was always easy to choose this over bacon and eggs.   It was created by a Swiss physician named Maximilian Bircher-Benner for hospital patients, but has since become a breakfast staple at top hotels around the world and I order …

There are only a few people in the U.S. wine industry for whom, if you mentioned their first name, everyone would know exactly who you were speaking of.  Zelma Long’s lifetime achievements would overwhelm anyone, but for Zelma, its just been a matter of intense curiosity, high standards and focus.  I caught up with her earlier this week to chat over scones at Jimtown Cafe in Alexander Valley.
Zelma was one of the first women to receive a Masters Degree from UC Davis and went on to become head winemaker at Robert Mondavi and Simi Winery during the 1970′s …

Wine ratings by the likes of Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast have been useful guides in the past for a generation of consumers in the US who really didn’t know too much about wine.  According to Michel Bettane, famed French wine critic speaking last November in Hong Kong, wine evaluation traditionally served the interests of the trade, maintaining good prices for producers and therefore merchants.  In the US, ratings helped consumers buy wine because they were easy to understand and easily duplicatable. 
At the 13th annual Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival last Friday, Daniel Sogg, former editor of the …

Wine Entre Femme, a consortium of quality-minded female winemakers and winery owners from around the world will be meeting next week in the Napa Valley to share best practices and learn the latest in viticulture, winemaking and marketing techniques.
Wine Entre Femme has grown organically from its inception in 2007, with the first official meeting between Napa Valley and Bordeaux winemakers in January 2008.  The group was organized by founder Sharon Harris, owner with her husband of Amici Cellars in Napa Valley.  Having a second home in Bordeaux and knowing many …

Today’s global wine is market is in net oversupply, but in specific markets, it is still growing.  The US is the world’s leading wine consumer by value and growing.  According to the 2009 Impact Databank, Americans are buying more of the big “brands” – the everyday, fruit-driven, easy-drinking and inexpensive wines.  In Germany, demand exceeds supply by 2 to 1, at average prices of a meager €2.00/liter primarily purchased at discount chains.  Over the past 25 years, demand has shifted from sweeter whites to red wines.  Asia is the fastest growing market and the major …

Many of you may be familiar with a distinct minty, camphor aroma in certain Napa or Australian red wines.  Heitz’ Martha’s Vineyard in the Napa Valley is one of the more famous for this character.  Researchers in both countries have since established what many producers have known for a long time – that the minty aromas originate from the fragrant oils of nearby eucalytpus trees which are cast onto the grapes and leaves and then fermented with the skins.  The compound is “eucalyptol” aka 1,8 cineole and the species e. globulus more commonly known as the Blue …

Is it the sommelier, the “established critical media”, the hand-selling of fine wine retailers, or producers?  I recall one of the earliest pieces I read regarding the value of wine – and implied salability - came from a UC Davis AIC (Agricultural Issues Center) report in 2003 that used empirical data to assign values to wine attributes such as vintage, grape varietal, appellation and Wine Spectator scores at release.  In that study, the price of an average bottle of California wine increased by 5% for every Wine Spectator point. 
In today’s rapidly changing world, such studies are archaic.  Today, wine …

When people think of Pinot Noir, they think of Burgundy or maybe Oregon or Russian River.  Some think that pinot noir, aka Spatburgunder, from Germany is another wine region trying to commercialize on the popularity of pinot.  After all, in 1975, only 3.5% of total German vineyards was planted to Spatburgunder.  But domestic consumption trends have evolved since that time from sweeter white wines to drier reds.  In 2006, 63% of imports were red wines and, as of 2007, Germany became the 3rd largest grower of pinot noir after France and the US, …