Randy Meyer

As our regular readers know, from time to time, we pose a series of questions to a winemaker to probe their winemaking philosophy and to gain insight into how they became who they are. This week, we are featuring Randy Meyer, the Director of Winemaking for BARRA of Mendocino in Mendocino County, California.

Randy graduated from UC Davis and then spent more than two decades at Korbel. He started as a cellar worker, moved to winemaking, and held various titles and responsibilities – including, at one time, brewing beer at Russian River Brewing Company. Randy joined BARRA of Mendocino in June 2019.

The Barra family has been growing grapes in Mendocino County since 1955. That of course makes them true pioneers in the region. Charlie Barra was one of the first grapegrowers on the North Coast to plant Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. After focusing exclusively on grapegrowing for four decades, in 1997, the Barra family began making their own wine under the BARRA of Mendocino brand.

Check out the interview below the fold!

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(Source: Visit Napa Valley)

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Ray Isle recommends sweet wines for winter drinking in Food & Wine.

In Wine Enthusiast, Kerin O’Keefe offers a guide to the world of Amarone.

In SevenFifty Daily, Andrew Kaplan explains why “active ages” could help drive post-pandemic wine sales.

Wild Muscadine grapes. (Photo credit: Wikimedia)

In Wine Enthusiast, Carrie Honaker explores Florida’s growing wine scene. “Now, after years of failed attempts to grow European varieties, producers embrace native Muscadine grapes and other fruits to craft bottles that tell the centuries-old story of Florida’s wines.”

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“Château du Tertre, the fifth growth estate in Bordeaux’s Margaux appellation, has been sold by the Albada Jelgersma family as part of a strategic shift, reports Chris Mercer in Decanter.

In Wine Spectator, Shawn Zylberberg talks to scientists about how Covid-19 impacts a person’s sense of smell, “a nightmare for wine lovers.”

In Wine-Searcher, Natalie Sellers offers suggestions for pairing wine in a meat-free world.

In Condé Nast Traveler, Megan Spurrell explores the world of Bolivian wine.

Nana Estate Winery in Negev, Israel. (Photo credit: Nana Estate)

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In SevenFifty Daily, Christy Frank looks whether Biden will remove the recent additional wine tariffs.

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Alder Yarrow offers his two cents on one of Trump’s last acts as President: extending wine tariffs to French and German wines over 14% ABV.

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In Wine Spectator, former World Series champ Dusty Baker talks about learning wine from Willie Stargell, planting his own vineyard and his new Cabernet partnership with baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron.

In Forbes, Per and Britt Karlsson looks at the role Texas played in saving the French wine industry from phylloxera.

Blake Gray gets a taste of smoke-tainted canned wine and shares his impression of it on his blog.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

In Wine Enthusiast, Emily Saladino considers the Gallo-Constellation acquisition, and its impact on corporatization in wine.” Every member of the industry wants to sustain the business, and bring consumers’ hearts, minds and hard-earned dollars to wine. While all can agree that making bottles available to curious drinkers is crucial, some worry that consolidation silos the market.”

Jancis Robinson explores the world of sustainable wine packaging. “Glass, so usefully inert, will surely remain the material of choice for fine wine that deserves long ageing, but for the sake of the planet we need to look more favourably on the alternatives for wine that is drunk within days or weeks of purchase – which constitutes by far the majority of all wine sold.”

In the New York Times, Eric Asimov offers notes on the most recent Wine School, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and announces what’s up next: Fleurie, “one of the 10 Beaujolais crus that collectively produce the region’s best wines. They form the top tier of the Beaujolais wine hierarchy.”

In Wine-Searcher, James Lawrence on “the incurable plague of wine influencers.”

In Grape Collective, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher highlight the wines from the sixth generation to run Burgundy’s Domaine Matrot.

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Esther Mobley gets to know Lang & Reed, “the rare Napa winery focused on Cabernet Franc.”

Decanter highlights five of Napa’s most stunning wineries.

In Vinous, Antonio Galloni offers a preview of the 2019 Sonoma vintage.

(Photo from Nonfiction Wine)

In Wine Enthusiast, Shea Swenson takes a look at the Midwest’s natural wine scene, and the people who worked hard to cultivate it. “Now, more small natural wine shops and distributors have popped up throughout the Midwest. Many are driven by consumers-turned-wine professionals who open businesses to address the lack of access to their preferred wines in their region.”

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A Covid rebound could spell better times for producers, retailers and consumers in the American wine market, says W. Blake Gray in Wine-Searcher.

In Food & Wine, Vicki Denig highlights a range of low-alcohol wines.

Photo source: Pixabay

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It’s a crucial time for Lebanese wine, says Christina Pickard in Wine Enthusiast. “Despite recent hardships, Lebanese wines have experienced something of a renaissance. From 1996 to 2020, the number of wineries grew from 40 to nearly 80.”

What’s up with all these wine cask-finished spirits? Pete Ranscombe takes a look in Club Oenologique.

On JancisRobinson.com, Matthew Hayes explores “the tyranny of scores.”

The first growths of Bordeaux used to be off limits to most wine lovers. Now Prince Robert of Luxembourg, owner of Haut-Brion et al, is leading a charge to make the region’s riches more accessible. Guy Woodward has the story in Club Oenologique.

Sheep grazing in a Champagne vineyard used by Moët & Chandon to trial eco-friendly viticulture have reportedly been stolen, reports Chris Mercer in Decanter.

On Monday, the US Supreme Court declined to hear Lebamoff v. Whitmer, a wine-shipping case from Michigan that now throws into question again whether or not states can discriminate against out-of-state retail stores, reports W. Blake Gray in Wine-Searcher.

Terry Thiese remembers the late Howard G. Goldberg. “There were many things to admire about Howard, and they will be properly cited in the obituaries to come, but Howard’s sweetness becomes woven into a kind of ecstatic spell in which I suddenly remember many moments of sweetness with men at various times.”

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In Wine Enthusiast, Caroline Hatchett looks at the word-of-mouth wine community created by Chinatown BYOBs in New York City, and wonders whether it can survive the pandemic.

Eric Guido offers notes on the past three vintages of Rosso di Montalcino (2017, 2018, and 2019) in Vinous.

In VinePair, Nicole MacKay charts the effects of the Judgment of Paris.

Sulfites or no sulfites? In Decanter, Rupert Joy weighs the pros and cons of a sulfite-free approach to winemaker. “Ultimately, the decision about whether or not to add sulphites is about appetite for risk. ”

Is there any chance mainstream wine writers will stop attacking natural wine on principle? Probably not, says Oliver Styles in Wine-Searcher.

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In Wine Enthusiast, Sean P. Sullivan reports on the new round of wine tariffs—a 25% tariff to certain European wines—that are part of the Trump administration’s escalating trade war.

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In Grape Collective, Stefanie Harris looks at how grower producers in Champagne’s Aube region are leading the way towards a new set of traditions, ones based on sustainability and more individualized expressions of terroir.

Antonio Galloni highlights the “thrilling” wines from Napa Valley’s 2018 and 2019 vintages in Vinous.

Archaeologists have unearthed a wine and snack bar in the ash-buried Roman city of Pompeii, reports Collin Dreizen in Wine Spectator.

In Forbes, Jill Barth surveys the cultural implications of the pandemic.