A Free Wine Encyclopedia!As in the rest of the wine making world, it seems each region in California takes on its own personality. Certain grapes tend to fair better in certain regions. The Mayacamas mountains for its big Cabernets, the central coast for its rich Pinot noir, the Carneros district for its luscious Chardonnay and Amador County for… read more »
As the French have their noble grapes of the respective regions, so do the Italians. In Bordeaux France, for instance, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot are the noble grapes. In Italy, the three noble vines are Nebbiolo (responsible for Barolo and Barberesco etc.), Sangiovese (responsible for Chianti and Brunello di Montelcino… read more »
The Konocti Winery is located in Lake County, to the north and east of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. It lies on an ancient volcanic plateau dominated by California’s largest natural lake, Clear Lake, and the 4,200 foot extinct volcano, Mt. Konocti, from which it derives its name. Lake County’s vineyards date back to the… read more »
Founded in 1705, the Melini winery owns 225 acres of vineyards in Tuscany, home to many of Italy’s finest red wines. Melini stands as one of the top four producers in the renowned Chianti region there. This wine gets its name for the villages (borghi) along the River Elsa and comes from their modern facility… read more »
Founded in 1921, Zonin is Italy’s largest privately-owned wine-making concern in operation today. Considering how far back many Italian wineries go, this makes the company a relative newcomer. In all fairness, it is important to state that prior to establishing the firm seventy years ago, the family had actually been active in the wine industry… read more »
In opening, let me first ask you to notice the small print section of this wine’s label which reads “A Chalone Property”. Any discussion of the Carmenet Vineyard must include a discourse on its parent company. Chalone Incorporated is the only publicly-held company in the U.S. whose principal business is producing and marketing premium wines…. read more »
The Benziger family moved to Glen Ellen California in 1980 from White Plains, New York to set up a boutique winery. The rest is truly California wine making history. The 1981 crush came before construction of the winery was finished. There was no electricity. There were no wine storage tanks. The crush went on through… read more »
With the rising cost of the dollar on the international money market and the increase tax liability that has hit the wine industry, many people have asked how “The Club” will be able to maintain the quality of the monthly import selection. Good question! One answer lies between the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean and… read more »
Note: Please do not confuse the wine maker Inglenook-Napa Valley with the jug wine maker Inglenook-Navale. Founded in 1879, the Inglenook-Napa Valley winery was the hobby of the great seaman Gustave Niebaum. Not only a diligent student, receiving his ships papers by attending merchant marine school in Finland, he was a brilliant businessman. At age… read more »
The Concannon Vineyard is factually a piece of California history, California Historical Landmark No. 641, to be exact. Over 100 years ago James Concannon founded this venerable operation 50 miles east of San Francisco in the Livermore Valley. This area distinguishes itself from other wine regions of California by its striking similarities to the great… read more »