Scott Butterfield
The Russian River Valley has a viticulture history unlike any other in California. Grapevines were first planted by immigrants from the Mediterranean region in the 19th century. Most were “gardens” that families used for personal consumption, using cuttings brought from their European homesteads. This is how Zinfandel, now a flagship US grape, first appeared in the country. By the early 20th century over 200 wineries were in operation. However, Prohibition devastated the nascent winemaking industry. Nearly all wineries closed.…
More →
What goes better with French food? French wines or California wines? Winemaker Ross Halleck of Halleck Vineyard in Sonoma County collaborated with Bar Boulud Sommelier Victoria Taylor in Manhattan on a private vintner dinner to find out.
They compared 4 award-winning, small-production California wines from the Halleck Vineyard boutique Sonoma winery in the West Sonoma County town of Sebastopol with 5 French wines, all carefully paired with contemporary French dishes from one of the most celebrated French chefs in America.…
More →
The wine industry has long been at the forefront of sustainable farming. Long before organic became a buzzword, eco-friendly California winemakers in highly respected regions like Sonoma County became ambassadors for climate protection through stakeholder engagement. The rise of the sustainable winery, carbon accounting, and climate-neutral viticulture are their responses to the decades of depletion and contamination that pesticides and commercial fertilizers have caused.
Table of Contents
Sustainable Wineries
Sustainable Viticulture
What is Sustainable Wine? …
Natural wine and organic wines are rising in popularity.
Despite the wide-ranging and heated discussions around natural and organic wine, ultimately, the difference, here in the US, is quite simple.
Organic wine is certified by the FDA. Natural wine is not.
This is just fine for many passionate, anti-authoritarian, and raucous natural wine community members who suspect the futility of effective government regulation. The initial cost of organic certification (around $6,000), the price of annual inspections required to maintain certification,…
More →
We scoured the web to put together this 2023 Wine Festival Calendar. It features 16 California Wine Festivals (including the big event in Santa Barbara), Nantucket, Oregon, and Colorado wine festivals, plus a wine festival reopening in France. All the festivals serve food, but these are true wine festivals, organized to appeal to aspiring wine enthusiasts and serious wine collectors.
Now a lot has changed, but one thing remains the same. We still enjoy gathering together to share our passion about wine with others.…
More →
Pairing the best wine with Mediterranean food is notoriously difficult. There’s a menagerie of spices and herbs that don’t mesh easily with white and red wine varietals.
One of the best wines to pair with Mediterranean dishes is the Halleck Vineyard Hillside Cuvee Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, according to Boulud Sud Head Sommelier Victoria Taylor, who pours the varietal at her Lincoln Center eatery.
Boulud Sud is owned by two-Michelin star celebrity chef Daniel Boulud,…
More →
Among the best wine with salmon pairings can be found at Mourad, a San Francisco Michelin-star restaurant that fuses the rich and vibrant style of Moroccan fine dining with the local, artisan ingredients of northern California.
Currently, on the menu is smoked salmon in a tart tomatillo sauce, which pairs perfectly with the 2021 Halleck Vineyard Little Sister Sauvignon Blanc. Inspired and surprising, this is a pairing you won’t be able to recreate at home.…
More →
Donors, Sonoma wineries, local businesses, and community members rallied to help Sebastopol charity Ceres Community Project raise over $300,000 at this year’s Harvest of the Heart fundraiser on Sept. 18, 2022, at Gambonini Family Ranch in Petaluma. The money will be used to nourish community members and empower its youth.
Nearly 300 people attended what is the Ceres Community Project’s biggest fundraising event of the year. Partnering with celebrated chefs and local wineries,…
More →
For over 150 years, Sebastopol was known as a farming and agricultural center of northern California. Once a plum and apple growing industry, the area is now a diverse paradise of flowers, fruits, vegetables, and of course, rolling green vineyards. Some of the wineries on our list are on Gravenstein Drive, which runs through the center of Sebastopol, which gives a sense of the town’s agricultural roots. Apples and wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay do well in a cool climate.…
More →
Although they are based in west Santa Rosa, DeLoach has every right to call themselves a Russian River Valley winery. Sure, they also source fruit from the Sonoma Coast, North Coast and Northern Sonoma AVAs. But it is the Russian River Valley AVA they chose to use on their label. The part of Santa Rosa they’re in is incredibly diverse in terms of soil types. In fact, there’s more variation here than in all of France.…
More →