Wine Tonite!

The South is at risk of losing it’s title of having the friendliest hospitality in the land.  Once I arrived safely in Santa Rosa after my 5-day trek across this great land of ours, I had expected to take a few days to relax, get settled and work on a few things.  Well that thought [...]

Earlier this month the Calistoga AVA was finally approved by the TTBafter 5 years of review and consideration.  AVA is the abbreviation for American Viticultural Area, which is America’s version of AOCs in France.  In the U.S. AVAs do not prescribe strict grapegrowing and winemaking requirements like AOCs (Appellation d’Origine Controlee).  However, AVAs are still [...]

The vines are getting pretty close to going completely dormant this time of year, as many have lost most of their leaves and those that remain are brown and yellow.  Nonetheless, this changing of the seasons doesn’t diminish the beauty of the valley on this crisp weekend in early December as I find myself making [...]