State of the Street

Memorial Day has come and gone, and a return-to-normal summer lies ahead (hopefully). I had the great pleasure of attending my grandson’s high school graduation over the weekend in Oakland, complete with a party at the Taft Street house, the birthplace of the winery and my grandson’s home. Lots of memories. It has been busy […]

Springtime is upon us, with its warm temperatures, cooling breezes, and still green hillsides. However, not all is rosy in wine country. Recent frosts affected vineyards throughout the state, with spotty damage in most wine regions, including the Russian River Valley. The overall feeling is that we are in for a third straight year of

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