SUISUN VALLEY UPDATE: European Grapevine Moth Letter: UC Davis Extension EGVM updates for finds in and around Solano County
A day in the life of a wine publicist includes interacting with clients, Suisun Valley – for me – being one of them. I was just asked to get this onto Suisun Valley’s blog, and I thought to myself that this is great public service material. For those of you who read this blog, this [...]
Second Annual ~ 2012 Oregon Pinot Gris Symposium ~ Presented by Oak Knoll Winery
Thursday, June 7, 2012, 8:30 a.m. The best and brightest talent in Oregon is once again gathering to discuss the potential of Oregon’s Pinot Gris, putting Oregon on the map as “the Pinot state” (both Gris and Noir), at Oak Knoll Winery. My friend and president of Oak Knoll Winery Greg Lint travels the United States [...]
Earliest History of Grape Growing in Suisun Valley
[Image courtesy of Gary Mangels] Mae Fisher Purcell wrote for the Eighteenth Anniversary Edition And All County Chamber of Commerce Atlas of Solano County, Information-Section 4-1935, in a story entitled, “Claus Mangels Renowned Solano Winery and Notable Estate is Beauty Spot of Suisun Valley: When Omar Khayyam, poet-tentmaker, wrote in his immortal Rubalyat the lines… [...]
How Much Wine Comes From One Vine & Bottle Sizes
On average, one plant equals about 14 pounds of fruit, if crop isn’t dropped in substantial amounts. One plant will then equal about five (750 milliliter) bottles of wine. One gallon is equal to 5 bottles of wine. The following are averages, because viticulturists ultimately decided how many plants there will be on one acre [...]
Ode to a Wine Incarnate, as written by Dr. Sondra Barrett
The first time I read through Wine’s Hidden Beauty ~ Bioscapes of Wine: Sondra Barrett, I began to think of wine as a whole new entity, something much grander than a liquid food. Reading it didn’t inspire me to write about whether or not the book worked for me and how I’d share that. Nope, [...]
What if there were more Petite Sirah? Nurseries, it’s time to take note…
Leave your trending reports behind, dear nursery friends, because the trending reporters never call me. We’re too inconsequential for them, or we’re just not on their radar screen. That said, I’ve been keeping facts and figures on Petite Sirah since February 2002. I have 10 years devoted to this singular study. What do you think [...]
“Jo, you are promulgating some awful myths” ~ The Primer & The Proper Response
This was a comment on my story about organic wines: Jo, you are promulgating some awful myths… What follows is the The Primer & The Proper Response backup, because who can leave all of this below in a comment box? Let me just state first and foremost, I’m a product of the “Summer of Love.” [...]
The Relationship Between a Winemaker and a Vineyard Grower: The Vineyard Gets the Last Laugh, “Steve Hall”
[Off the record: Steve Hall reminds me of a "Fred Rogers" kind of winemaker, and I mean that in the kindest and gentlest of ways.] Steve has that very easy, very comfortable way about him; and he uses that accessible trait to describe meticulous details of his craft… Namely: working with vineyard owners being at [...]
