A vineyard in Monterey County. From Wikimedia Commons.

Please note that this post, authored by wine writer Ben Moss, is sponsored by CellarVie Wines, an independent online wine and spirit retailer. 

For people looking for truly unique wine gifts or simply interested in wine production, the North Coast Wine Industry Expo was held at the Sonoma County Fair Grounds in Santa Rosa, California, on December 5.

The expo put on by the Wine Industry Network was attended by 200 exhibitors and more than 2,000 attendees. The event was aimed at supporting the northern California wine industry, which has recently been squeezed by a shortage of grapes.

California’s wine industry
For years, California has been the nation’s dominant wine producing state. There are about 850 wineries in California, the largest 25 of which export about 90% of all California wine worldwide. Grape prices used to be in decline due to an enormous range of vineyards that flooded the market with wines. A number of farmers even switched to vegetables, nuts and other fruit instead of grapes to get more revenue. 

Turning tables: shortage of grapes and growing prices
As American wine lovers kept drinking California wine, the situation has gradually begun to change. The recent recession is responsible for the present-day California’s grape squeeze as wineries had to hold off planting new grapes longer than usual. Nat DiBuduo, president of Allied Grape Growers representing 600 growers from California, admits, “Right now, I don’t have enough grapes of any variety in any part of the state”.

The prices of Cabernet red grapes as well as Chardonnay and Muscat have almost doubled in the past few years, though. Pauli Ranch, a bulk wine producer from the North Coast, has already contracted all of his Merlot until 2015. 

What’s next?
California supplies about 90% of domestic wine production but provides only 10% of the global wine output. The shortage of grapes in the U.S. means that Americans might be drinking a lot of imported wines in the years to come.

Despite industry changes, wine leaders state that this record wine industry crush in California shouldn’t prevent wine producers from supplying quality wines. 

Coping with the problem
Jeff Bitter, vice president of operations for 600-member Allied Grape Growers, comments, “Factors that drive wine grape prices have been in the grower’s favor lately. The market is always looking for equilibrium and it feels like we are there, at least for now.”

To cope with the present day issues, Bitter gives all grape growers a tip, “Don’t plant on speculation; get a contract for the grapes you’re about to produce.”

Please note that this post, authored by sommelier Marnie Old, is sponsored by Wine Simplified, an interactive wine book for iPad, iPhone, PC & Mac.

Tired of trying to coach friends and family in wine? Having trouble training inexperienced employees? Well, now there’s an app for that.

Wine Simplified is a highly-effective crash course for the wine curious provides useful tools for real-world tasks, like shopping and pairing, as well as explaining the organizing principles and short cuts professionals use to make educated guesses about wines before they pull the cork.

The following is an excerpt from Wine Simplified by author and sommelier Marnie Old.

How to Pair Wine with Raw Food vs. Cooked Food

As we all know, foods taste differently depending on whether they are raw or cooked. The application of heat changes a food’s texture and breaks down nutrients to make it more digestible. But of greatest importance to wine pairing is the change of flavor that occurs when a food is heated and browned. Whether browning is a result of caramelization (as with fruits and vegetables) or of Maillard reactions (as with meats and starches), it adds a distinctive nutty, “cooked” flavor.

Generally speaking, the more prominent the flavor of browning is in a dish, the more likely it is to pair harmoniously with wines that are aged or oaked, since cooking and barrel-aging impart similar toasty flavors. Think of it this way — fermenting or aging wine in oak barrels is a form of browning, too. The toasting of the barrels and the slow, controlled oxidation of the wine inside as it breathes have a subtle impact on the color of the wine, and change its flavor. Like leaving a sliced apple on the counter, barrel-aging wines exposes them to oxygen that browns them in both flavor and color. It adds a golden hue to whites like Chardonnay and gives red wines like Rioja the russet tinge of maturity. Just as raw foods feature a vibrant freshness, so, too, do young, unoaked wines — which are protected from oxidation by non-porous stainless steel and glass.

Some cooking methods, such as boiling or steaming, impart no browning to food at all. But many of our favorite ways to cook, from toasting to roasting, add the flavor of browning. When we turn up the heat by frying or grilling, browning has even more impact flavor-wise.

Tips and Tricks of the Trade

• Match fresh foods served raw — like salad and sushi — to the youngest, freshest-tasting wines, i.e., unoaked wines. Save oak-aged wines for foods that have been cooked and in which the flavor of browning is present.

• Match the degree of browning in the dish to the impact of oak in the wine’s flavor. The oakiest wines fare best with foods that are grilled, sautéed, or fried, or accented with toasty or smoky elements. When the browning is less noticeable, as with roasted or baked dishes, a more balanced oak presence is more suitable.

• The flavors that emerge in food with low-and-slow cooking methods like braising share some of the complexities of flavor found in wines that are bottle-aged. Cooking methods that rely on a quick sear to preserve some of the freshness of the food flavor find more harmony with younger, fresher wines.

Please note that this post, authored by wine writer Susan Anderson, is sponsored by Vintage Cellars.

With the holiday season quickly approaching, many of us are figuring out ways to “wine and dine” our clients. Below are some tips that’ll help you make your wine selections.

A Classic Dinner Party
If you have a close personal relationship with your client, hosting a small dinner party in your home is sure to make an impression. In such a cozy setting, selecting memorable pairings is key.

Serving steak? Consider a rich, full-bodied red. With poultry, consider a delicate red, like Pinot Noir or Grenache. Serving something spicy, like Thai or Indian cuisine? Go with an intense, high-acid wine like Riesling or Gewurztraminer. And don’t forget to start with Champagne!

The Gift of Great Wine
If you’re unable to meet your client in person, wine makes a great gift. But be sure to send something that tells a story or a recognizable wine that isn’t easily found at the supermarket.

For example, if you and your client traveled together for business, consider sending a wine from a region nearby. Did you once have a meeting in Washington, DC? Consider a Virginia wine. Did you visit New York together? Consider something from the Finger Lakes or Long Island. If you once visited Rome, send an Italian wine! Such wines will tell a story and leave a lasting impression.

Alternatively, wines from luxury regions like Napa Valley and Champagne are always memorable.  Just be sure to order the wines from a reliable retailer who will make sure they’re shipped at the correct temperature throughout transit.

A Wine Club Membership
Looking to step up your gift? Consider a wine club membership.

Most wine clubs regularly ship a certain number of bottles every month or quarter – enabling their customers to learn about different wine regions and explore different varieties. Some memberships even include tasting notes and recipe pairings.

Best of all, if you belong to the same wine club you’ve gifted, you’ve created instant fodder for conversation. You can get in touch with your client to chat about this month’s bottles and compare tasting notes, helping to build your business relationship.

A Wine Tasting
Perhaps you need to entertain several clients at once. Or maybe your colleagues aren’t as comfortable with wine as you’d like — after all, a basic familiarity with wine is critical in the business world. If either of these scenarios speaks to you, consider hiring a wine educator to host an event and walk attendees through a carefully planned program.

The educator could compare New World wines to Old World offerings, explain the basics of navigating a restaurant wine list, or even discuss food-and-wine pairings. Most cities have excellent wine professionals.

Susan Anderson is a blogger and wine lover who writes for Vintage Cellars, a San Diego based wine storage company that specializes in building custom wine cellars.

Please note that this post, authored by South African wine writer Jessica Jackson, is sponsored by Tesco Wine. 

Some of the world’s top up-and-coming wine estates are near the gorgeous city of Cape Town. The vineyards are dotted around the villages of Franschoek and Stellensbosch, into the magnificent granite Paarl Mountains, up the coast to Hermanus and towards Cape Point near Constantia.

Disclaimer: I’m from Cape Town, so I’m completely biased about this beautiful part of the world!

There are several world-class estates in this region. Some favorites are Tokara, Fairview, Delaire, and Alto, but a relative newcomer — Gabriëlskloof, on the Bot Rivier wine route — has really grabbed my attention.

The property has been an active vineyard for more than 150 years, but for most of its history, it produced simply wine and brandy to sell to travellers from Cape Town.

In 2001, well-known South African viticulturist Barry Anderson told businessman Bernhard Heyns that he believed the property had enormous potential. He recognized that the property’s shale would help give the wines richness and body, and that the Table Mountain sandstone would offer minerality and flintiness to the wines’ structure. So Heyns purchased the property and planted vines the next year. In 2009, award-winning winemaker Kobie Viljoen joined the team to make the winery’s first vintage.

The property is already generating positive press. Even Platter’s Wine Guide has written about the property, calling it “young and upbeat.”

I recently sampled Gabriëlskloof’s rosé — called Rosebud — and it was stunning. A blend of 78 percent Viognier and 22 percent Shiraz, the wine is incredibly aromatic — with a fascinating nose of  strawberry and caramel. Although off-dry, the finish is crisp and fresh, and displays a hint of well-textured tannins. The wine retails for R65.00 in South Africa, and is available in England for around £5 and the United States for around $8.00. It’s really quite a bargain!

Jessica Jackson is from South Africa and has always had a fascination with fine wine since her parents introduced her to unique flavours from around the world. She particularly enjoys a wonderful Spanish Rioja but is also partial to South African wines specifically from the Cape Town region.