This sunny state on the Pacific Ocean of the U S A is both industrial and agricultural. California produces more wine than any other state of the union and stretches fro 42 latitude north to 33 north approximately 1000 km.

The ATB (Alcohol, and Tobacco Bureau formerly known as Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms) recognizes five main regions, each of which has its own AVA’s (See bar).

North Coast covers the north coast from San Francisco to Mendocino. (The famous AVA’s are Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and Los Carneros that is located in both).

Central valley is the largest region, stretching north and south of Sacramento and Fresno (Lodi is the only AVA here).

Sierra Foothills lies just east of the Central Valley and contains one AVA: Amador County.

Central Coast stretches south from San Francisco to Santa Barbara (the AVA’s are San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey County, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County).

South Coast covers the region south of Los Angeles, to San Diego, to the Mexican border. This region’s wines are mainly marketed locally, and rarely ever shipped outside of California.

The location of each region and the altitude of each AVA and vineyard largely determine the style of wine.

Many connoisseurs refer to wines as “liquid geography”, which is essentially the philosophy of appellation d’origine controllee laws of France, denominazione di origine controllata laws in Italy, denominacion origen laws in Spain.

Terroir, (the combination of soil, climate and other geographical factors) determine the quality if the winemaker cares enough to handle the fruit expertly and uses appropriate technology.

Quality in wine, however, can only be achieved by growing flavourful grapes on the right soil, using the right grape variety, and with expert handling, from picking, al the way to bottling. Every step in the process counts towards quality, including packaging. But beyond all these, wine must be carefully transported, stored, and served at the correct temperature in the appropriate glass of the suitable capacity.

Mendocino County stretches from Eureka in the north to Hopeland in the south. Pacific Ocean breezes cool the region’s vineyards, and with appropriate vineyard location the wines can be fine to excellent. Vineyard-suitable land is plentiful and inexpensive. Many Sonoma and even Napa wineries source their fruit here and purchased additional land to plant.

Lake County, just east of Mendocino, is relatively new to wine growing, but shows promise.

Sonoma County is much smaller than Mendocino but much larger than Napa Valley to the east/ It stretches from Geyserville to the town of Sonoma and contains the following AVA’s (Rockpile, Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek, Russian River, Green Valley, Bennett Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma valley, Sonoma Coasty and Carneros Sonoma). Each AVA’s fruit shows slight but recognizable flavour differences.

Napa Valley enjoys a worldwide reputation for quality, although historically up until 1930’s the region grew mostly tree fruits, the majority being plums. Much of its reputation comes from constant and clever marketing. The 1976 blind tasting in Paris putting Napa Valley wines against top Bordeaux châteaux and Burgundy bottles helped put California on the world map.

In red and white categories, California wines edged their French counterparts by a small margin. The tasting was arranged by S. Spurrier, an Englishman operating a wine shop and wine appreciation school at the time. He selected all the wines carefully by travelling to Napa Valley and visiting wineries.

Napa Valley is relatively short, stretching north to south 55 – 60 km. from Calistoga to Carneros. It has several AVA’s (Calistoga, Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain District, Chiles Valley District, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Rutherford, Oakville, Atlas peak, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Oak Knoll District of Napa valley, Mount Veeder, Wild Horse Valley and Los Carneros).

The Sierra Foothills, east of San Francisco stretches from Sacramento to South lake Tahoe in the east. The wines are high in alcohol, low in acidity, and reds are dark in colour with low cellaring potential.

Central valley, almost bisecting California, is very large. Sacramento in the north and Fresno in the south represent this region’s boundaries. The climate is hot, vineyards mostly on flatland, and must be irrigated.

Central Valley’s Amador County is famous for its highly alcoholic and powerful zinfandel wines, some of which contain as much alcohol as 16.5 ABV (alcohol by volume).

South Central Coast with Paso Robles in the north and Santa Barbara in teh south is now producing excellent wines from grapes on high-altitude vineyards close to the Pacific Ocean.

The South central Coast boasts several new AVA’s including Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Louis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Barbara. The region has such a high wine quality potential that French wineries started joint ventures with local entrepreneurs. The results are excellent.

Southern California includes the city of Los Angeles in the north and Escondido in the south. It is hot, and most of the vineyards are on flatlands. All must be irrigated, and the fruit lacks sufficient acidity to yield lively wines

While Napa Valley and Sonoma County are well established and enjoy an excellent reputation, Mendocino and South central Coast are up-and-coming regions

AVA (American Vitcultural Area) is a unique system used by the ATTB. Wineries collectively apply to the Bureau outlining boundaries, and report all special and discernible flavour characteristics possessed by the wines based on soil and climatic conditions. They must, at least in theory and by submitting samples, prove that their application has merit.

There are no yield maximums, or grape variety recommendations or regulations, nor barrel aging for reserve wines, or for the claim of “old vines”.

The Bureau may or may not approve the application based on consultations with experts.

Some AVA’s are huge (Central Valley), others very small

The ATTB believes that quality is based on how consumers perceive the brand and/or the wine. They believe the market, sooner or later, will determine whether the wines is worth buying.

Important note: Canada is an impotent market for California wines. California wineries pour their selected products coast to coast from Vancouver, to St. John’s and every major Canadian annually to convince consumers of their fine quality.
This yea, the Toronto segment of California Wine Fair will take place at the Royal York Hotel on April 19.
This year 430 wines will be available for tasting.
In March, wine writers had an opportunity to 53 in a preview tasting.
This gala event is not to miss.
When there try any or all of the following:
Chardonnay, 2008, Chappellet, Napa valley
Chardonnay, 2007, Gloria Ferrer Winery, Sonoma County
Chardonnay, 2008, Miner Wines, Napa Valley
Merlot, 2005, Sterling Winery, Napa Valley
Syrah, 2007, Stolpman Vineyards, Santa Ynez Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006, St. Clement Vineyards, Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006, Stag`s Leap Winery, Napa Valley
Zinfandel, 2007, Truchard Vineyards, Napa Valley
Pinot Noir, 2008, Laird Family Estates, Carneros
For more information log on to www.californiawinefair2010.com



Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

Sonoma County, located between the Napa valley in the east and the Pacific Ocean in teh west, may not be as famous as its eastern neighbour, but outstanding wines from a range of grape varieties,
The first vineyards were planted by Russian colonists at Fort Ross in 1817, but Spanish Franciscan monks are the ones who expanding acreage.
The Hungarian count Agoston Haraszthy, a.k.a the Father of California Wine Industry, is responsible for researching and importing many vitis vinifera varieties, after trips to Europe, and upon his return to the County.
The County is large, and produces beside wine, many other fruits, vegetables, flowers and cheese.
Sonoma County has 12 appellations – from north to south – Rockpile, Northern Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Knight’s Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Chalk Hill, Russian River Valley, Green Valley, Bennett Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma Valley, Los Carneros, and Sonoma Coast.
Of all appellations Russian River Valley and Alexander Valley have the largest vineyard acreage with 6000 hectares each. This large appellation enjoys a long growing season and successfully harvests pinot noir, chardonnay and zinfandel.The smallest viticultural area is in Bennett Valley with 220 hectares.
The altitude of vineyards varies from sea level to 850 metres, and soils vary with 11 major formation types, and 31 soil series. Permutations of each soil series make the number of soil types innumerable.
The Pacific Ocean provides a cooling maritime influence, with breezes in afternoons, In Los Carneros the San Pablo Bay generates afternoon fogs.
The County has 1800 growers, supplying 450 wineries, most of which are open to the public for tastigns. Some charge a small fee, but deduct it when purchases are made, others pour free.
Approximately 60 varieties are grown, but the following are the most important: chardonnay (6000 hectares), cabernet sauvignon (5000), pinot noir (4000), merlot (2500), zinfandel (2200), sauvignon blanc (1000).
Landmark, Davis Bynum, Buena Vista, Clos du Bois, Martin Ray, Gallo Family Vineyards, Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards, Chalk Hill Estates Vineyards and Winery, Cline cellars, Dry Creek Vineyard, Ferrari Carano Vineyards and Winery, Sonoma Cutrer Vineyards, Kendall-Jackson Wine Center, Jordan Vineyard and Winery, La Crema, Mac Rostie Winery, Matanzas Creek, Ravenswood, Robert Young Estate, and Schug.
Sonoma County whites can be high in alcohol but show sufficient acidity and extract so that the taste is balanced and harmonious.
The reds are powerful, can be silky smooth, elegant and refined, pending on appellation, fruit available, and skill of the winemaker.
In general, Sonoma County wines represent good to very good value for quality.
The County produces 25 – 30 per cent more fruit than Napa Valley.
Land costs are reasonable and thus product costs are lower than the more famous neighbour to the east.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

This sunny state on the Pacific Ocean of the U S A is both industrial and agricultural. California produces more wine than any other state of the union and stretches fro 42 latitude north to 33 north approximately 1000 km.
The ATB (Alcohol, and Tobacco Bureau formerly known as Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms) recognizes five main regions, each of which has its own AVA’s (See bar).
North Coast covers the north coast from San Francisco to Mendocino. (The famous AVA’s are Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and Los Carneros that is located in both).
Central valley is the largest region, stretching north and south of Sacramento and Fresno (Lodi is the only AVA here).
Sierra Foothills lies just east of the Central Valley and contains one AVA: Amador County.
Central Coast stretches south from San Francisco to Santa Barbara (the AVA’s are San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey County, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County).
South Coast covers the region south of Los Angeles, to San Diego, to the Mexican border. This region’s wines are mainly marketed locally, and rarely ever shipped outside of California.
The location of each region and the altitude of each AVA and vineyard largely determine the style of wine.
Many connoisseurs refer to wines as “liquid geography”, which is essentially the philosophy of appellation d’origine controllee laws of France, Denominazione di origine Controlata laws in Italy, Denominacion origen laws in Spain.
Terroir, (the combination of soil, climate and other geographical factors) determine the quality if the winemaker cares enough to handle the fruit expertly and uses appropriate technology.
Quality in wine, however, can only be achieved by growing flavourful grapes on teh right soil, using the right grape variety, and with expert handling, from picking, al the way to bottling. Every step in the process counts towards quality, including packaging. But beyond all these, wine must be carefully transported, stored, and served at the correct temperature in the appropriate glass of the suitable capacity.
Mendocino County stretches from Eureka in the north to Hopeland in the south. Pacific Ocean breezes cool the region’s vineyards, and with appropriate vineyard location the wines can be fine to excellent. Vineyard-suitable land is plentiful and inexpensive. Many Sonoma and even Napa wineries source their fruit here and purchased additional land to plant.
Lake County, just east of Mendocino, is relatively new to wine growing, but shows promise.
Sonoma County is much smaller than Mendocino but much larger than Napa Valley to the east/ It stretches from Geyserville to the town of Sonoma and contains the following AVA’s (Rockpile, Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek, Russian River, Green Valley, Bennett Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma valley, Sonoma Coasty and Carneros Sonoma). Each AVA’s fruit shows slight but recognizable flavour differences.
Napa Valley enjoys a world-wide reputation for quality, although historically up until 1930’s the region grew mostly tree fruits, the majority being plums. Much of its reputation comes from constant and clever marketing. The 1976 blind tasting in Paris putting Napa Valley wines against top Bordeaux châteaux and Burgundy bottles helped put California on the world map. In red and white categories, California wines edged their French counterparts by a small margin. The tasting was arranged by S. Spurrier, an Englishman operating a wine shop and wine appreciation school at the time. He selected all the wines carefully by travelling to Napa Valley and visiting wineries.
Napa Valley is relatively short, stretching north to south 55 – 60 km. from Calistoga to Carneros. It has several AVA’s (Calistoga, Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain District, Chiles Valley District, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Rutherford, Oakville, Atlas peak, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Oak Knoll District of Napa valley, Mount Veeder, Wild Horse Valley and Los Carneros).
The Sierra Foothills, east of San Francisco stretches from Sacramento to South lake Tahoe in the east. The wines are high in alcohol, low in acidity, and reds are dark in colour with low cellaring potential.
Central valley, almost bisecting California, is very large. Sacramento in the north and Fresno in the south represent this region’s boundaries. The climate is hot, vineyards mostly on flatland, and must be irrigated.
Central Valley’s Amador County is famous for its highly alcoholic and powerful zinfandel wines, some of which contain as much alcohol as 16.5 ABV (alcohol by volume).
South Central Coast with Paso Robles in the north and Santa Barbara in teh south is now producing excellent wines from grapes on high-altitude vineyards close to the Pacific Ocean.
The South central Coast boasts several new AVA’s including Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Louis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Barbara. The region has such a high wine quality potential that French wineries started joint ventures with local entrepreneurs. The results are excellent.
Southern California includes the city of Los Angeles in the north and Escondido in the south. It is hot, and most of the vineyards are on flatlands. All must be irrigated, and the fruit lacks sufficient acidity to yield lively wines
While Napa Valley and Sonoma County are well established and enjoy an excellent reputation, Mendocino and South central Coast are up-and-coming regions

AVA (American Vitcultural Area) is a unique system used by the ATTB. Wineries collectively apply to the Bureau outlining boundaries, and report all special and discernible flavour characteristics possessed by the wines based on soil and climatic conditions. They must, at least in theory and by submitting samples, prove that their application has merit.
There are no yield maximums, or grape variety recommendations or regulations, nor barrel aging for reserve wines, or for the claim of “old vines”.
The Bureau may or may not approve the application based on consultations with experts.
Some AVA’s are huge (Central Valley), others very small
The ATTB believes that quality is based on how consumers perceive the brand and/or the wine. They believe the market, sooner or later, will determine whether the wines is worth buying.

Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail.   Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books?

Hawaii consists of hundreds of islands spread over an area of 2400 km. in the Pacific Ocean. However, there are only eight major islands – Nihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui Kahoolawe, and Hawaii, which is the largest and most famous of all.

The first European explorer was captain James Cook in 1718. He was so impressed by the beauty and exuberant population that a year later he returned. He tried to capture King Kalauiopuu to resolve a dispute, but the indigenous war-like population managed to kill him. Hawaii was independent kingdom inhabited by people of Polynesian descent. Today, the population is highly mixed with many Japanese, Hispanics and mainland Americans.

Hawaii’s main industries are – tourism, education, military, agriculture (pineapples, sugarcane) and food processing. Honolulu on the main island Hawaii id the biggest city and the seat of the government. The tropical climate of Honolulu and the whole of Hawaii attracts millions of tourists. Rich Japanese jet over for a weekend of golf, and buy US steaks at half the price paid in Japan.

Honolulu airport is busy catering to many airlines fling to Far Eastern countries but this importance is gradually diminishing with the design of long range passenger jest, capable of fling non-stop from Los Angeles to Sydney, or Hong Kong and farther.

Honolulu offers a myriad of hotels from ultra luxury to quaint bed and breakfast operations. If offers visitors excellent, well-maintained beaches in Waikiki. The beaches are full of eye-candy to elderly and vouayeurs. Honolulu offers many sights to visitors – Chinatown, Iolani Palace, State Library (designed according to typical Hawaiian Renaissance architecture) Waikiki tourist district, several museums, the Honolulu Zoo and Ala Moana Centre.

Many specialized travel agencies offer half or full-day sightseeing tours. Some companies organize luau feasts ( kalua suckling pig cooked in pits, poi, lome, salmon, haupani and beer ) complete Hawaiian dancing ensembles. These feasts are educational and highly entertaining.

While in Hawaii, you can also visit on day-trips neighbouring islands Maui, (Kaanapali beach), Lanai and Molokai which offer, more quaint, and less expensive life styles.

Hawaii’s cultural roots run deep, and islanders love to share them with visitors. Many hotels feature Hawaiian cultural activities, and traditional luaus, which combine traditional food, music, dancing showcasing the influences of various Polynesian cultures.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

Vinmonopolet’s focuses in January are wines from U.S.A.

Source Vinmonopolet:

Among the news in January 2009, it is the U.S.A that will be the main focus area. The United States is not the focus because it is different, but because it made good wine there! We know that it has made a major effort to adapt the grape to the soil and climate, and we hope it also will be the impression for this presentation.

The wine production in the U.S. actually takes place in all states, but in the first instance we will focus on wines from California and Oregon. California set NOK class in terms of volume and diversity. 98 percent of the export from the United States is California wine. There are about 100 AVA regions in the state, which all offer different geological and climatic conditions for grape cultivation, and this is one of the most important aspects of the focus area. For quality wine is also important Oregon, where we find the familiar area Willamette Valley. It is a young estate, and it was first producing wine in the early 1970s. Pinot Noir is by far the most important grape for the industry in Oregon, which has been well positioned for growth in the last decade. That commitment is also sustainable, often organic methods.

We’ve added many of the new wines in our database and they are search able with the dice roll from the Norwegian newspapers. The database will be updated daily in the days to come. The selection of American wines in Norway has been very poor in recent years so we hope now that it will improve and we look forward to try out several wines from the United States.

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