We were all set for our 4oth Anniversary Celebration on April Fools’ Day. Even the weather was cooperating – predictions called for blue skies with temperatures in the mic 70’s. Our smoker was ready to be fired up, and the RSVPs ensured a good crowd. Then several staff members tested positive on their home Covid …
Much can be said about the wine business – but being dull is not one of them. The usual vagaries – fickle weather, soil fertility, pestilence, changing consumer tastes – are all expected parts of the game. Add to these a pandemic along with its severe economic consequences, catastrophic climate threats, (e.g. Western US drought), …
I am writing this on a day with brilliant blue skies and temperatures in the mid-sixties. Unfortunately, it has been this way for the past month, and there is no rain in sight. After a very soggy October and December it seems the drought has returned. On top of that, we have just received a …
Yesterday the 49ers played the Rams for the Western Conference final. The good guys did not win. We had a few people over to watch the game, and it turned out the best part of the afternoon was the food – specifically BBQ chicken wings. Went really well with our newly released GOLD MEDAL winning …
The year 2021 was certainly memorable. It started with restaurant closures, curbside pickups for food and beverages, vaccinations, blue skies, GOLD MEDALS and reservations for wine tasting. As the year went by the blue skies were no longer smiled upon as drought loomed all over the west, more GOLD MEDALS accrued, reservations for tastings became …
Kathy and I are riding the train from Paris to Lyon, after a week’s visit with family in Paris, our first trip in almost two years. Paris was wonderful (if cold), aglow with holiday lights and inviting restaurants every few feet. We managed to import a bottle of 2021 Taft Street Pinot Noir Nouveau to …
Just returned from a friend’s wedding in Baja California, where a large crowd consumed copious amounts of terrific food and beverages (tequila, mezcal, cervezas and Taft Street wine). Tacos were ever present – here is one of my favorite renditions. INGREDIENTS: 1 3 pound boneless pork loin 1 white onion, chopped 1 pineapple; peeled, cored, …
What a difference a month makes! Over 10” of rain fell in just two days last week; more rain fell yesterday, and more is forecast for tomorrow. The drought may not be over, but fire season for this year definitely is. Here’s hoping this continues for a (long) while. Our 40th harvest ended just before the rains …
The fires have kept their distance (so far), the weather has cooperated nicely, and the grapes have been arriving in a steady stream. Maybe the finger crossing over the past couple of months worked, because it looks like an excellent year, though a bit light in quantity. Tomorrow is October 1st, and by the end …
In these first days of September the weather remains (too) dry, the skies are (sorta) blue, and our 40th harvest is in full swing. Unlike recent years, the wildfires that have plagued our state are for the most part not affecting wine growing areas. Though it appears the harvest will not be huge, grape quality …
