What Does "California" Mean on a Wine Label?

When perusing wine labels on the shelf of your favorite wine shop, you'll often find that the label indicates "California" as the region where the wine is from. But, you may have asked yourself, what does that really mean? With all the California wine regions such as Napa, Sonoma, and Paso Robles, is a "California" wine simply generic wine?

Well, sort of, but not really.

If a wine label indicates it is from "California" you can certainly bank on the fact that at least 75% of the grapes used to make the wine were grown in California. They may have come from multiple big-name wine regions in California (a specific region can only appear on the label if 85% or more of the grapes came from that region) or they may have come from un-named regions that are not registered as an American Viticultural Area (AVA).

And, California grows a lot of wine grapes outside of registered AVAs.

Something approaching half the California wine grapes are grown in non-AVA regions.  The San Joaquin Valley, that vast agricultural region that runs from Grapevine north to Stockton, produces a tremendous amount of wine grapes, but wines made from these grapes can only carry "California" on their label.

But, realize, just because the grapes are grown in non-AVAs doesn't mean they are inferior. Quite the contrary. It's just that they don't have the unique characteristics that those regions are known for.

So, don't pass over a wine just because its label indicates it's from "California." You're sure to find good ones and usually at a great value. Cheers!

Try A Different Wine for a Change

I just took a week-long trip to the east coast. Not a wine-focused trip. But, nonetheless, I did pick up a couple bottles to enjoy in the evenings. Being a Californian, it's really easy to immediately look on the shelves for a nice California wine.  But, this time I decided to try a different wine for a change.

Being on the east coast, and a bit closer to Europe (well, nearly halfway there!), I decided to pick one bottle of wine from France and one from Italy. While it can seem really tough to pick out French and Italian wines, I came at it from a simple approach. I simply looked for wines any wines that were in my typical price range. 

I started with the French wines.  I spotted several upper-shelf wines that fit the price range. But, then I spotted a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Knowing that great red blends come from this region, I picked up the bottle.

Then, I turned my attention to the Italian wines.  Again, scanning the upper shelves, I spotted several bottles of Chianti.  And, seeing a 2012 Chianti Classico Riserva (and spotting the Black Rooster), I picked it up. (And, yes, the 'Riserva' truly distinguishes it from the more common Chianti.)

In both cases, I was very pleased with each bottle of wine.  The Châteauneuf-du-Pape (a blend of up to 13 varietals) was rich and flavorful while the Chianti had wonderful bright cherry flavor.

I could have gone with a couple of bottles of go-to wine from California, but I'm really glad I tried something a bit different. And, you should too. It's a fun way to get exposed to some different flavors. And, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised with your choices.

Cheers!

Are You Ready for the 2017 Beaujolais Nouveau Wine?

Get ready because it's almost ready for you! Every year on the third Thursday in November France celebrates Beaujolais Nouveau Day. And this year that will be November 16, 2017.

The celebration starts at 12:01 a.m. in France. The 2017 vintage of Beaujolais will be released, just a matter of weeks after the grapes were harvested from the fields. And the French celebrate this occasion with all-night parties throughout the country.

Clearly, this youngest of all the wines is not meant for anything other than celebrating the recent harvest. Beaujolais is cherry-red in color and has fresh fruity flavors of candied-cherry and strawberry. What is most unique is the wine's banana and bubble gum flavors. Yes, a bit odd but very much worth the experience. 

While the celebrations are going on in France, millions of cases of the Beaujolais Nouveau are being shipped around the world.  You too can join in on the celebration as you'll likely be able to find bottles in your local wine and grocery stores.

Serve it chilled a bit and enjoy it immediately. These wines are not intended for aging. And with the timing relative to Thanksgiving, have a couple of bottles on-hand for the day. They make for a great conversation starter and they may even go with something on the table.

But for more on Thanksgiving wine pairings, tune in next week. It's not just white wine that works with turkey. Until then, cheers!

Paso Roble Wineries - So Much More

With more than 300 wineries in Paso Robles it's hard to highlight just a few.  In recent posts, we've taken a look at the east and west sides of Highway 101 along Highway 46. And, we've explored some of the wineries on the west side along Vineyard Drove and Adelaida Road. But there's so much more!

In addition to the wineries highlighted in the links above, here are some other favorites:

• Écluse - Owner & winemaker Steve Lock will pour wines for you in this small but excellent winery just on the west side of downtown

• Vines on the Marycrest - True "Mom & Pop" winery with Victor doing all the winemaking and his wife, Jenny, running the business side and pouring in the tasting room.

• Chronic - Very hip and edgy. Brothers from Peachy Canyon started this one with a fun tasting room, cool wine labels and a bunch of really good wines

• Red Soles - The wine-growing and wine-making duo, Randy and Cheryl Phillips, do the farming and happily run the tasting room themselves at this great little spot

• Cypher - Winemaker Christian Tiekje started Four Vines, sold it off and started Cypher. A funky and fun winery with a bunch of good wines

• Zin Alley - One of the Paso originals, owner Frank Nerelli does it all from growing the grapes to pouring this wines in the tasting room.

• Wild Horse - Known for flagship wines you can find in your local market, Wild Horse is so much more. You'll be pleasantly surprised by this small farmhouse tasting room set out in the vineyards serving excellent wines

Well, you may think of Paso Robles as just a small dusty town along California's Highway 101, but it has become an excellent wine region in California. And, as a matter of fact, this little wine making region was actually split up into 11 separate AVAs a couple of years ago.  A testament of the variety of wines being produced in the region.  Be sure to give it a try!

Paso Robles Wineries - More West Side Options

The Paso Robles wine region offers many options. There are nice wineries on the east side of Highway 101 along 46E and a bunch more on the west side of Highway 101 on 46W. But, you'll also find a lot of nice wineries off the beaten path.

If you travel west on Highway 46W, you'll pass all the wineries described last time.  But, if you make your way to Vineyard Drive and head north, you'll drive into some beautiful country that's dotted with wineries.  Along the way, some of the highlights include:

• Opolo - Along with great wines, Opolo has "Pairings on the Patio" with pizzas, sausages, cheeses and salads, along with The Inn at Opolo if you're interested in staying in wine the heart of wine country.

• Oso Libre - Winery and cattle ranch where you can be both a wine club member and a member of The Black Angus Beef Club. 100% energy sustainable.

• Brecon - Nestled in the rolling hills of Paso Robles, this small winery sells its wines exclusively through their tasting room.

• Whalebone - Another small family-owned winery producing from a site where actual whale bones were discovered while planting the vines.

• Tablas Creek - One of the premiere makers of Rhône style blends having imported new cuttings of Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, Counoise, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc from the Beaucastel estate in France.

• Justin - Another of the bigger players in Paso Robles, Justin produces wine you may see in stores but, like most wineries, server and sell their best at the winery.

Then, you can head back into downtown Paso Robles along Adelaida Road that also boasts a bunch of good wineries:

• Halter Ranch - A beautiful tasting room overlooking the vast vineyards serves Bordeaux and Rhône blend wines.

• Adelaida - With property at 2300 ft, their beautiful new tasting room overlooks their grove of almond trees and the vast rolling hills of the Adelaida district.

• Lone Madrone - The 'hobby' of the Tablas Creek winemaker, this winery is named for the lone Madrone tree that sits atop the vineyard hillside.

• Daou - Sitting atop the hills of western Paso Robles, this winery has spectacular views that match their spectacular facility and wines.

But wait, there's still more! Next time we'll look at some other wineries tucked away among the hills and valleys of Paso Robles. Until then, cheers!