- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Wall Street Journal's wine critic, Lettie Teague, said winemakers are beginning to push beyond wine's traditional alcohol-content ceiling of 14 percent - sacrificing the favor of some wine afficionados for flavor and intensity.
The federal government taxes wines with 7 to 14 percent alcohol as "table wine," and taxes wines with 14 to 24 percent alcohol at a much higher rate as "dessert wine."
A wine's alcohol is determined by the grape's sugar content. As grapes ripen, they accumulate sugar, which is converted to alcohol during the fermentation process. The higher the sugar, the higher the...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A group of UC scientists traveled to Chile recently to see firsthand vineyard damage caused by the European grapevine moth, according to an article in the Fresno Bee. The moth has been detected in California's Napa County, and is being actively tracked in the valley to determine whether the infestation has spread.
European grapevine moth was discovered three years ago in Chile. Because the pest develops from larvae to moth at a crucial time in the grape's growth cycle, its effects can be devastating.
"They have lost whole vineyards in Chile; not one grape was picked," UC entomologist
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Zelinskis began working with Central Coast vineyards in 2003; a few years later they began making wine from vines they were managing, a process documented by Becky Zelinski, an aspiring photographer.
Their friends were envious, the newspaper reported. "The Zelinskis then wondered if their friends’ interest could translate into a do-it-yourself winemaking business,"...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Tomorrow at twilight, vintners will converge on campus to weigh in on winemaking on a warming planet, says a spot on the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat's wineabout blog. (I love alliteration.)
Among the speakers at the 6 to 9 p.m. UC Berkeley event are Miguel Altieri, UC Berkeley professor of agroecology, and Kent Daane, UC Berkeley Cooperative Extension specialist in biological control.
They will be joined by leaders of two California wineries in a discussion about current practices in and research on traditional, organic and biodynamic winegrape production, according to the blog post. The panel will also assess...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Sacramento Bee food editor and restaurant critic Mike Dunne devoted two columns in a row to the sad saga of winegrape grower Harmon Overmire. After retiring from the aerospace industry, Overmire planted four acres of Malbec wine grapes in Sheldon, Calif. A somewhat uncommon winegrape variety, Malbec creates an inky red wine with plum-like flavor and is often used for blending, according to the Malbec entry on Wikipedia.
Overmire's sorrow, according to Dunne's first column (published Sept. 24), springs from the inability to find a buyer for his crop. "I haven't found a...