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Veraison 2009

It's always exciting when we see the first signs of veraison in the vineyard. The red grapes start to soften and turn red, while the white grapes start softening and add a little yellow to their green tone. It typically marks a point about six weeks from the

Robert Haas is 2009 California Mid-State Fair Wine Industry Person of the Year

On Thursday night, my father was awarded 2009 Wine Industry Person of the Year by the California Mid-State Fair. It was a really nice presentation, with my dad's introduction given by Steve Lohr of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines. He was previously committed to a dinner in

10-Minute Blender Bearnaise Sauce Recipe

10-Minute Blender Bearnaise Sauce Recipe

I don't usually post recipes here. But, I'll make an exception because this one was so good, and so easy. Before I do, though, I should note that we do publish recipes in the information we send out with wine club shipments, and have compiled them

Truth, Fiction and Self-fulfilling Prophecy in Wholesale Wine Sales

Sure, consumers are cutting back. And sure, sizzle is out in favor of substance. But it is my belief that the wholesale wine market is perpetuating and strengthening the much-trumpeted phenomenon that consumers are only buying the least expensive wines. The mechanism is that of the self-fulfilling prophecy.

A great blue heron visits the Tablas Creek wetlands

Several of us were sitting on our patio having lunch when a blue heron sailed over the vineyard before coming to rest in the Tablas Creek wetlands that border Adelaida road, just downhill from our entrance. I got one decent shot (right) before I scared it off by getting too

Wine Clubs vs. Mailing Lists

I've gotten several questions recently on why we choose to use the wine club model while other California wineries choose to sell their wine to their supporters through a mailing list. As I have been answering these questions, I thought that it might be interesting to delve a

I see trees of green...

I was struck as I walked back from the vineyard toward the winery today by the different shades of green in the landscape. The grapevines really stand out in the landscape, yellowy-green and very lively-looking. The olive trees which we use to line the roads are grey-green,

Anchoring Bias (AKA Follow the Leader) in Community Tasting Notes

As more wineries focus marketing attention on new media such as blogs, social networking sites, and online bulletin boards I've begun to see some suggestions that the age of the all-powerful wine critic is ending. I have my doubts as to that (of course, I also have

Early impressions of the cool 2009 early summer

So far, except for a scorching hot weekend that (of course) coincided with the 2009 Paso Robles Wine Festival, it's been cool. Days typically have been topping out in the mid- to high-70's, with relatively frequent cloud cover at night. Normally, by June, we'

Why bother with single-varietal wines if blends are better?

I got a great question recently from Tablas Creek VINsider Wine Club member and blogger Steven Stumpf, whose blog www.thebestofwines.com is one of my must-reads each week. He asked, in essence (and much more diplomatically than I'm rephrasing it) why we make single varietal wines