Calwineries

Sterling Vineyards has announced that a portion of the sales of their 2004 Wild Lake Ranch Napa Valley Merlot will be donated to the Land Trust of Napa County. The Land Trust has either purchased or holds the easement to 47,000 acres since it was founded in 1977.

From September 24th – 26th, 2007, the Sonoma County Winegrape Association will put on the Sonoma County Grape Camp. This unique event will give participants the opportunity to be involved with harvesting grapes and blending wine. But it won’t be all work and no play; there will also be plenty of wine tasting, dinners prepared by well-known chefs, and croquet lessons.

With the success of last year’s Festival del Sole, it is no surprise that event organizers are planning a return trip to California’s wine country. This year’s event will incorporate staged opera along with the usual dose of music and art.

On April 9th, the long-awaited “Castle Winery” opened for tours and tastings in the town of Calistoga. Owner Darryl Sattui, (also the proprietor of V. Sattui Winery), spent over a decade constructing Castello di Amorosa in Northern Napa Valley, hiring stonemasons and transporting materials from Europe.

Every so often, you hear a wild idea, and say “that’s good, I’d try that.” This is not one of them. Japanese Geneticists have discovered a gene which stimulates yeast fermentation in the udders of “sake cows.” They can turn off the gene that makes milk and turn on the gene that makes alcohol, providing the base ingredients for wine.

In the wake of one of the worst disasters to ever hit the California wine industry, the owners of the Wines Central warehouse are working to cleanup and repair their building. On October 12th, 2005, $200 million worth of wine was destroyed in a suspicious fire that investigators believe was the result of arson.

On April 2nd, Medlock Ames Winery announced the anniversary of their move to sustainable energy. They run their entire operation on Solar Power, from lighting the winery, to powering their electric vehicles.

For Medlock Ames’ commitment to the environment is clear. For them, sustainable energy is not just an ideal; it’s a way of life. They have made sustainability an integral part of their business; only using organic farming methods in their vineyards.

With more and more people using the internet to find and buy wine, it isn’t hard to see the opportunity presented by direct to consumer sales. This, coupled with relaxed state regulations, is making this channel a legitimate force in the wine industry.

Placer County may not get anywhere near the amount of wine tourists as Napa or Sonoma, but a recent story by the Auburn Journal shows that the issue of public tastings is still a controversial subject in the region. Pescatore Vineyard has a permit to produce wine on-site, but not to allow public tastings or sales.

What is your wine doing to make the world a better place? Most answer with; “it brings happiness into the lives of those who drink it.” Very true. But for Mike Grgich, its not about personal satisfaction, his wine is being used to support the Roots of Peace non-profit.