Ya’ll, just within the last week, I’ve gotten several comments about how much everyone is enjoying my content. Thanks. Thanks a bunch. I guess I’ll keep on going. That being said, would also love to hear what else you’d like to read/hear/see from me. Open to any and all suggestions.
And that said, know that I’m taking a bit of a hiatus. By the time you read this, I’ll have set up all of my away messages, packed my bags and am on my way toward an extended vacation to Japan. Stoked—I’ve never been any where in Asia before and as I understand it, all my senses are in for a glorious treat. I’d say ‘follow me on all the socials,’ and not that you can’t…definitely do!…but who knows what service will be like where I’m going, so as much as one wants to share in real time, it’s not always possible. And for that, I’m a bit grateful—it makes one practice living in the moment.
So please enjoy this last little update of the early summer season.
Silly comments, random thoughts, snide remarks…all my own. ✌️🥂
Soil to Sip
Regenerative organic is the gold standard of regenerative certifica tions,” says Joseph Brinkley,senior direc tor of regenerative organic farming at Bonterra Organic Estates in Mendocino, California. “Those of us going through these practices are really committed to a relational form of farming-‘relational’ meaning connecting below-ground with above-ground life. And for us, given our scale and distribution, having a third-party verification to back up our claims is very important.”
Meanwhile, in Sonoma’s Carneros AVA, Tony Chapman, senior director of wine growing at Don um Estate, asks, “How do we increase our soil health? How do we increase vine health? How do we make better; more exciting, more terroir-driven wines?”The answer to all these questions, he believes, lies with regenerative farming. READ MORE…
Shameless self promotion right there 👆
Tackling Wine’s Sexual Violence Problem
Imagine you worked in an industry in which, every two days, a woman files a complaint of sexual assault harassment. Welcome to the wine industry.
That’s the number of testimonies Isabelle Perraud, a winemaker and activist who runs the Paye ton Pinard Instagram account, has received over the past few years. READ MORE…
And, if I might add, sexual/gender discrimination is still real and rampant. Proud of each and every woman who’s filed an official complaint—anonymously or by name—and stood up for herself. 👏👏👏👏👏
Eerie silence hangs over Central Coast farm fields in wake of ICE raids
At 6 a.m. Wednesday, Juvenal Solano drove slowly along the cracked roads that border the fields of strawberry and celery that cloak this fertile expanse of Ventura County, his eyes peeled for signs of trouble.
An eerie silence hung over the morning. The workers who would typically be shuffling up and down the strawberry rows were largely absent. The entry gates to many area farms were shut and locked.
Still, Solano, a director with the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project, felt relieved. Silence was better than the chaos that had broken out Tuesday when immigration agents raided fields in Oxnard and fanned out across communities in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties that grow a considerable portion of the state’s strawberries, avocados and celery.
The organization, part of a broader rapid-response network that offers support and counsel for workers targeted by immigration raids, was caught off guard when calls started pouring in from residents reporting federal agents gathering near fields. Group leaders say they have confirmed at least 35 people were detained in the raids, and are still trying to pin down exact numbers. READ MORE…
Protect immigrant workers.
“It’s Complicated”: Preparing for New EU Labeling Requirements
At first glance, the new European Union label requirement for wines imported into its countries seemed intimidating to Ironstone Vineyards’ Joan Kautz. But, in the end, it was just part of doing business.
“There have definitely been challenges,” says Kautz, whose Lodi-area winery exports about 40,000 cases of wine to Europe each year, about one-eighth of its total production. “But if you don’t do it, you lose access to the European market. So you have to figure out a way to get it done.” READ MORE…
Sonoma real estate mogul Ken Mattson’s company forced into bankruptcy as rush of property sales comes into sharper focus
After a six and a half-month legal battle, Ken Mattson’s company is in bankruptcy, a move welcomed by investors and creditors who had watched helplessly as the now-indicted Sonoma developer’s once vast real estate empire began to implode — with many of his own assets out of reach.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Charles Novack signed an order Monday compelling KS Mattson Partners into Chapter 11 oversight. He was acting on a petition for involuntary bankruptcy filed in November by LeFever Mattson Inc., a separate company Ken Mattson had cofounded with former business partner Tim LeFever. READ MORE…
Munching on my popcorn, watching Karma do her thang…
A creek on California’s most famous vineyard is the site of a contentious, yearslong fight
A four-mile creek that runs through California’s most famous vineyard is at the center of a yearslong battle between a fourth-generation Napa Valley grape grower and major wine corporation Constellation Brands. After a 16-page appeal, repeated delays and even a fraud allegation, the conflict may finally get resolved this week.
The farmer, Graeme MacDonald, “grew up on and in” the creek, which babbles through land his family has owned since 1954. The property is part of the hallowed To Kalon Vineyard — made famous by California wine pioneer Robert Mondavi — and the unassuming creek is a geological star. Within its ancient bed, mineral deposits of gravel, sand and silt formed and spread, creating what’s known as an alluvial fan: rocky, fertile and well-draining soil that’s widely believed to be the best in the world for growing wine grapes. Known for producing some of the most complex and sought-after wines worldwide, these alluvial soils are famously found in renowned wine regions such as Burgundy and Bordeaux.
In 2016, MacDonald, a hobby historian, petitioned the federal government to name the stream that flows through the vineyard To Kalon Creek. “I really wanted to be part of making To Kalon one of the Grand Cru vineyards of the world,” MacDonald said. “You create that kind of recognition with layers of science, history, (wine) criticism and consumer acceptance.” READ MORE…
Blogs Worth a Read
Taken from the list of Blogs and other media outlets I follow regularly, here are just a few posts from this past week I think are worth a read. Shoot me a note if you have suggestions of independent media to follow or want your outlet included on that list.
Wine Gourd: Finns do not like wine in their alcohol–retailer monopoly
I have recently reported that both Swedes (What countries are best represented in Sweden’s wine retailer monopoly?) and Norwegians (How well do wine-producing countries do in Norway’s wine retailer monopoly?) both actually do quite well, in terms of the availability of products in their respective alcohol–retailer monopolies. Here, I report that in some ways Finns do both better and worse.
The Finnish government-owned alcohol retailer is called Alko (= Alcohol). It was founded in 1932, and is the only company allowed to sell beverages with an alcohol content >8% in Finland. (NB. wine is typically 12%—14.5% ABV; regular beers are around 5—6% ABV, while stronger craft beers can have an ABV of 6—10%) There are 368 Alko stores and 143 order pick-up points, which is not too bad for a population 5.6 million people, with c. 80% 18 years or older.
So, first, note that normal retail shops can sell full-strength beers and light wines, unlike in Sweden or Norway (where they can sell only light beers). Second, note that there are somewhat more stores than in Norway, in spite of very similar population structures. So, the Finns do quite well, compared to other Nordic countries (I have not yet discussed Denmark in these posts). READ MORE…
Press Releases
These are some press releases I received this week that I actually thought were interesting…enjoy!
WHO launches new Collaborating Centre on Alcohol Policy and Public Health Research
The World Health Organization (WHO) Department of Health Promotion is pleased to announce the designation of the Institute for Social Marketing and Health (ISMH) at the University of Stirling, Scotland, as a new WHO Collaborating Centre for Alcohol Policy and Public Health Research.
With more than four decades of international research expertise on marketing, behaviour change and public policy, ISMH becomes one of the few WHO Collaborating Centres specifically focused on alcohol policy.
Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear some of the highest burdens of alcohol-related deaths worldwide. As populations grow – especially among young people – the number of individuals affected is expected to rise. Despite this, many countries still lack comprehensive alcohol policies to safeguard public health. The new Collaborating Centre will work closely with WHO to support alcohol policy research in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in areas concerning alcohol licensing, the regulation of alcohol marketing and addressing unrecorded alcohol. The partnership aims to generate evidence to inform public health policy and protect individuals and communities from the health and social harms associated with alcohol consumption. READ MORE…
Alameda County Board of Supervisors Approves Amendments to East County Area Plan to Support Future of the South Livermore Wine Region
June 12, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors approved key amendments to the East County Area Plan (ECAP) and South Livermore Valley Area Plan (SLVAP), marking a major milestone for the future of Livermore Valley wine country. The changes and the corresponding amendments to the Cultivated Agriculture zoning district clarify and modernize land use policies in the region to encourage investment in agriculture-related tourism while safeguarding the area’s farmland in perpetuity.
“These amendments are critical to the long-term success of Livermore Valley’s wine industry and the local economy,” said Rebecca Spector, executive director at Tri-Valley Conservancy. “They create the conditions for sustainable economic growth while ensuring that the land remains protected and in agriculture for generations to come.” READ MORE…
Crafting the future of wine, from Barossa Valley to the world
More than two years in the making, the new facility features state-of-the-art dealcoholisation technology, complemented by world-first patent pending processes for treating the aromatic component of wine that locks in flavour. It houses customised, exclusive equipment alongside proprietary processes that delicately process the wine’s extracted essence as part of the dealcoholisation process, allowing winemakers to protect the components responsible for the wine’s flavour and fragrance. The system has been designed to overcome challenges with existing processes for removing alcohol from wine that change its chemistry and impact richness, body and ‘mouthfeel’.
Treasury Wine Estates Chief Supply and Sustainability Officer Kerrin Petty said: “This world-leading facility cements our position as a global pioneer in winemaking. This state-of-the-art technology and proprietary process for de-alcoholisation is our latest step in building a hub of innovation, technology and sustainability in the Barossa Valley, where we’ve been crafting wine to delight consumers for more than a century.” READ MORE…
Tablas Creek Vineyard Becomes First U.S. Winery to Bottle All 14 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grapes as Single-Varietal Wines
Tablas Creek Vineyard has announced the completion of a decades-long project: bottling all 14 traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape grape varieties from the Château de Beaucastel collection as single-varietal wines. The final piece came this year with the debut of a varietal Muscardin, an extremely limited 25-case bottling that marks a first for any American winery.
This is an important milestone in the journey that began with the founding of Tablas Creek in 1989 as a partnership between the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel and American importer Robert Haas. Over the next three decades, Tablas Creek imported, propagated, and planted the grapes grown at Beaucastel, including nine new to the United States. The grapes, and the year in which they were first planted, are: Mourvedre (1994), Grenache (1994), Syrah (1994), Counoise (1994), Grenache Blanc (1994), Roussanne (1994), Picpoul Blanc (2000), Terret Noir (2010), Clairette Blanche (2010), Picardan (2013), Vaccarese (2016), Cinsaut (2016), Bourboulenc (2016) and Muscardin (2019). READ MORE…
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