Jun 25, 2017 | Wine
My good friend and talented photographer, R.K. “Bob” Berg, invited me to join him on a walk through a dramatic installation of new mega-sculptures now underway at a major vineyard here in Carneros. These epic pieces are inspiring, challenging, and set quite the dramatic tone. Sorry, can’t reveal the name of the winery as it is not open to the public other than by appointment, and the installations are neither complete nor ready to debut. It was a record setting 108F the day before, and we were excited to get out into the light breezes of Carneros where the temp at sunset was a comfortable 93F.
Jun 22, 2017 | Vineyard, Wine
Roaring hot in Sonoma this week…
Anecdotal information is always susceptible to mental inflation, especially when it comes to weather. Fact-based meteorology is more reliable. But still, it sure felt like this was the hottest temperature any of us could recall in our entire careers here in wine country. Here is the proof from many weather stations positioned around Sonoma wine country:
Jun 18, 2017 | Wine
After three consecutive years of record drought, record rains in NorCal in the winter of 2016/2017 have left excess moisture in the ground and created enormous canopies in the vineyard. Extra time and labor, and therefore money, is being expended to keep the vineyard canopies under control. And produce a great vintage at year end. Here is a video of conditions from this week at one of my client’s vineyards in the Kenwood area of Sonoma.
Vineyard canopy June 2017
Jun 13, 2017 | Wine
The weather on Sunday got a little crazy in Sonoma as a rain and hail storm raced across from Bennett Valley and Kenwood in Sonoma to St Helena in the Napa Valley. Even during the last three very bad drought years, we almost always get a brief spite of rain around mid-summer, often close to the solstice. Here is a short 10-second time lapse video Hail June 2107, viewed from above some olive trees, as the storm moved from west to east. Kenwood is in the far background…
Jun 11, 2017 | Vineyard, Wine
For 20 years, I have been growing grapes, making wine, launching my client’s wine brands, and hopefully entertaining people with candid anecdotes from the wine industry. In this weekly blog, expect to see reports from field, crush pad video, commentary on misconceptions, and eventually (when I get brave enough to stick my neck out!) leaning towards politically incorrect material about the wine business. I hope to post once per week, typically on Sunday mornings. Comments always welcome. Outrageous entertaining replies encouraged.
