by Mike Meisner
Sonoma gets a new upscale food and wine destination wineryAs you drive into wine country from San Francisco, the very first winery you'll encounter is the brand new Ram's Gate. Located on route 121/Arnold Dr., just across from Sonoma Race, this new winery sets itself apart from others in several ways. An imposing new structure is located atop a hill, and greets visitors entering Sonoma. Ram's Gate Winery serves as Sonoma's newest winery, and mixes small lots of fine varietals, exceptional food pairing, and a calming atmosphere with awe-inspiring views. The property itself can be found in the old Roche winery spot, and was built by a well-known architect Howard Backen. His intent in creating the winery structure was to imitate the style of the weathered old farmhouses that dot the Carneros ...
by Mike Meisner
North Carolina is one of the states that has seen a tremendous growth in wineries opening up during the past few years, with more than 120 open and operating today. The Yadkin Valley is an especially popular region, where winery owners have flourished recently. Although much of this attention has come recently, North Carolina has a long history of wine growing and was one of the first places where wine was grown in this country. When the first settlers arrived, a grape known as Muscadine was planted. Today, Muscadine wines are still produce there, and the varietal remains a fixture in their wine production.With wine consumption growing across America, and more wineries popping up every day, people are increasingly finding wineries to explore in their own states. The North Carolina wine sce...
by Mike Meisner
As you head up towards Sonoma Valley from San Francisco, the very first winery you'll encounter is the newly constructed Ram's Gate. Located on route 121/Arnold Dr., just across from Infineon Raceway, this new winery sits on a perch overlooking much of the Bay. The spectacular new construction is located atop a hill, and greets visitors at the entrance into Sonoma. Ram’s Gate Winery serves as Sonoma’s newest winery, and brings together small lots of fine varietals, excellent food pairing, and a stress-free atmosphere with spectacular views. The building itself can be located in the old Roche winery site, and was built by a well-known architect Howard Backen. His intent in creating the winery structure was to imitate the style of the weathered old farmhouses that dot the Carneros countr...
by Mike Meisner
I'm always on the lookout for good value, high quality Pinots and a few months ago I was introduced to Garnet's lineup. It was during a winetwits meetup, and they were pouring the Monterey one. Soon after, I picked up a few bottles of the Carneros as well, and most recently I got my hands on the Rogers Creek single vineyard one they just released. So I thought I might compile a brief review of all three.2010 Rogers Creek Pinot NoirThe Rogers Creek is a special Pinot. It's sourced from a single vineyard in Sonoma - Rogers Creek, and brings a tightly woven mashup of flavors - black cherry and plum mix with dark earth/dust and small hints of oak. This is the same vineyard that other respected Pinot producers like Sojourn and Kosta-Browne source grapes from for a few of their productions. Whil...
by Mike Meisner
Did you know that every state now hosts wineries, and produces wine? We have more than seven thousand wineries in the country now, and they extend from Oregon to Maine, all the way down to Florida and even Texas if you can believe it. In this new series of posts, we'll examine the wine scene at various regions, to learn what they're growing, selling, and how the general atmosphere of business is going for them.On the East coast, one of the fastest-growing wine regions is the North Carolina one. Along with Virginia, they have seen a blossoming of new winery owners and tourism. In their most visited area, the Yadkin Valley, a growing number of wineries are opening, and they offer tastings and tours. This all started way back when the settlers arrived, and if you can believe it, NC was one of...
by Mike Meisner
With more than seven thousand wineries in the country, it's becoming more important than ever for brands to strategivcally position themselves and align with certain lifestyles and niche markets. For wine, which crosses into almost any lifestyle you can think of, there are many opportunities.Take for example, the Hooker Cabernet Sauvignon by Lawer Family Wines. This wine is named after a rugby position, and comes in a hefty bottle that features a classy label that evokes images of family crests with the words "Rugby club" above it. Now, I wouldn't typically associate fine wine with rugby players, but sometimes first impressions aren't always the best ones. When I think of rugby, I might consider alcohol as closely aligned with the sport, but would probably pick a brand like Fosters beer to...
by Matthew R. Helmsteadt
Drinking wine is a personal sensory experience that elicits an emotional response. With a little time and effort you can set the stage for engaged customers. As opposed to ordinary repeat customers engaged customers will talk about you, recommend you, and bring their friends to you.Matthew R. Helmsteadt, president of Vidalco Wine Distributors of New York & New Jersey has these great tips for increasing your sales by engaging your staff and customers.1) Drink with your staffYour customers may not be the only ones who may feel intimidated about the vastness in the world of wine. You do not need an entire staff of sommeliers, just find time to have staff tastings of your wines. When they enjoy a wine and have a personal reference to it they will be feel more confident in recommending it. If t...
by Patrick Gilroy
Wine storage means a wide variety of things to different folks. For a friend of mine, it’s a damp, cool spot for 60-or-so bottles in the crawl space of his home. For others it’s a personal wine cave or custom cellar. Only some of these options will allow wine to age properly to its anticipated maturity date. With proper storage, wine can be a fantastic investment. A few bottles of a current vintage from a great producer, if stored properly, will likely improve in quality and value over time and prove a far better investment than purchasing that vintage after it has already matured.What Is Proper Wine Storage? No matter how many bottles you may have there are only certain conditions in which you should store them in order to allow them to age properly. If the wine is currently stored ...
by Eat.drink.evolve
It’s September; it’s back to school… and it’s not just for the kids. We’re hitting the books too! We’re offering you a well-rounded education and a crash course in geography with this month’s Pick 24. Don’t even think about skipping, or putting your head down on the desk, this is one class you want to take and unlike polynomials and quadratic equations, you’ll actually find this information handy… and for nothing but pure enjoyment! So sit up straight, put the spit-balls away, be the teacher’s pet for the next few minutes, and supplement your college knowledge with V&T’s practical version of Back to School. The Spanish Indecision…We start in Spain in the area of Rioja, (pronounced “ree-OH-hah”) a dynamic wine producing region 100 miles north of Madrid where t...
by Jennifer Malme
I love wine. I love how the aroma changes as you swirl it in your glass. I love how the flavor develops as the wine sits open on the table. And I especially love how a beverage made from grapes can taste like honey, berries, wood, or tobacco! Galileo said that "wine is sunlight held together by water." Who wouldn't want to taste a little sunlight now and then?But I must admit that my palate is not trained; I haven't taken any wine tasting courses or spent years in pursuit of the perfect wine. I know what I like and am always willing to try something new, but that certainly doesn't make me a wine expert.That's why I love going to local wineries. For a under $10, I can taste a variety of wines (sometimes even multiple vintages) and feel comfortable trying out my wine vocabulary with t...
