Whatever you do, plan well before spending a dime

The theme for the Newcomers sessions at the Wineries Unlimited Trade Show and Conference was to plan well before spending a dime. Many vineyards and wineries err when first starting out because planning could have been better. One of those errors includes purchasing smaller or less expensive equipment than is needed to make premium wines. […]

Birds Plundering My Grapes

I have a newfound respect for grape growers. Finally, after two years of succumbing to black rot, I managed to aggressively spray my six grape vines that now have very nice fruit. The berries must be good since they are visited by a non-stop wave of birds. With only six vines and dozens of interested […]

Government’s Local Zoning Impact on Wineries

I remember my first WSET class. The first thing our instructor told us was that to make wine, there are three entities that will affect the wine in the bottle. The first was the vineyard, the second the winemaker and the third the government. I’ve gained a bit of experience in the vineyard, helping Tin […]

Observing Vineyards in Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma

I’ve been observing vineyards in Sonoma, Mendocino and Napa counties for the last couple weeks. I’ve noticed that many of the Sonoma and Napa vineyards have few weeds and some look well manicured. In Mendocino I’ve observed quite a different scene. Vineyard rows were filled with what appeared to be weeds. However on closer inspection […]