In challenging economic times and a competitive global wine market, Navarro Vineyards prevails by staying true to a particular style of wine and cultivating consumers one by one.
Ted Bennett, his wife Deborah Cahn and their children Sarah and Aaron Cahn Bennett are proprietors of Navarro Vineyards, one of the first wineries in what is now the Anderson Valley wine region in Mendocino County.  From their first vintage in 1975, they have made dry aromatic white wines such as gewürztraminer, pinot gris and riesling which are today among the fastest growing …

One doesn’t need to drive far up Spring Mountain from Main Street Saint Helena before they reach a hidden property with beautiful formal gardens, majestic redwoods and bluebirds flying above. With its palatial Victorian home, Miravalle, one can imagine that the vast 845-acre estate looks very much like it did in the 19th century. Its earliest vineyards date back to 1873, while the Beringer Brothers planted their first vines there in 1882.
In such a natural setting adjacent to protected Napa Land Trust …

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 …

King Estate, known nationally for its signature white pinot gris wines, is located in Eugene Oregon, a region known for its environmentally green culture, outdoor lifestyle and world-class food and wine, making the area a great weekend destination. 
According the latest National Geographic ”Green Guide“ and Entrepreneur magazine, Eugene is the greenest city in the U.S. based on factors such as environmental policy, energy use, air and water quality, green design and recycling.  By comparison, The Green Guide ranked Santa Rosa #5, Oakland #6, Berkeley #7 and San Francisco #18.  Eugene is a sophisticated university town with …

The first stage of the larger ‘farmstead’ conceived by Ted, Laddie and Chris Hall of Long Meadow Ranch has been completed with the opening of the wine and olive oil tasting room in Saint Helena on December 28th.  The tasting room is located in the historic Logan Ives House, a gothic revival farmhouse originally built in 1874 which has been faithfully restored by the Halls preserving over 90% of the original materials of the site.  Nearing completion are the adjacent open-air market featuring LMR’s organically grown fruits, vegetables, eggs and …

Chablis, the home of the original un-oaked chardonnay, has always been near the upper limits of vine-growing at the 48th parallel.  It is the classic cool-climate region where spring and autumn frosts are the greatest viticultural risks and vintages really matter.  In addition to its northerly latitude, Chablis’ vineyards lie on both banks of the narrow and cold Sereine River and chilling winds from the Morvan Mountains in Burgundy contribute to the cold.  Vines are trained low to capture as much warmth from the ground as possible and the best sites are on south-facing slopes, up …

German producers have been adapting to market demand – both domestic and export – to drier styles of rieslings of less than 9 grams/liter residual sugar. From about 16% of production in 1985 to about 37% today, dry styles of riesling are definitely in vogue.  Of the 20% of high-quality VDP wines exported, 50% are dry styles. One of the more famous regions for dry rieslings is the Rheingau, but historically, many of the warmer, southern regions such as the Pfalz or Baden have the ability to produce balanced, dry …