Wine

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Mexican LGBTQ group rallies support for beach ‘paradise’ battered by storm

When Hurricane Agatha battered a Mexican beach hamlet popular with LGBTQ residents and visitors earlier this week, members of the community sprang into action to help the town rebound. Zipolite, located on the enchanting southern Pacific coast of Oaxaca state, found itself directly in the path of the storm on Monday. The storm touched down only about six miles (10 kilometers) west of the town as a Category 2 hurricane, damaging buildings and filling the beach with debris.  By Thursday afternoon a GoFundMe campaign had already raised over $21,000 to be used “for the reconstruction of this paradise,” the GoFundMe […]

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A Winery Refused to Host a Same-sex Wedding Because of the Owner’s ‘Religious Beliefs’

A lesbian couple who asked to hold their wedding at a California winery were turned down because of the owner’s “religious beliefs.” One of the brides posted her correspondence with the winery on Facebook to call for a boycott after its “overt homophobia”. The email from Viaggio winery’s weddings and events director read: “While Viaggio Winery welcomes your business, we have never hosted a same-sex marriage. “[The owners] understand that California statutory law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, and they don’t like to think they would ever discriminate on that basis even if a law allowed them to do so. “However, […]

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Rep. Mike Thompson Introduces Tax Bill to Benefit U.S. Wine Industry

  North Coast Rep. Mike Thompson proposed a series of federal tax breaks Monday for the U.S. wine industry, including a proposal to slash a tax on sparkling wine that has lingered since the aftermath of Prohibition. The St. Helena Democrat, who owns a vineyard in Lake County, teamed up with Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., to propose a sweeping overhaul of the laws that brought in $1.07 billion in federal excise taxes from the U.S. wine industry during the last fiscal year. Thompson and Reichert contend the bipartisan legislation will help spur new and innovative products by modernizing federal excise […]

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Three Kosher Wine Picks Perfect for Passover

My people had a rough go of it when it came to developing their palates. I blame it on Manischewitz because when you’re weaned on that wretched stuff, it’s hard to imagine that wine can be nectar of the gods. With Passover festivities set to begin April 22, there’s plenty of time to explore kosher wine, bottlings you’ll actually want to savor rather than spit. For the uninitiated, Passover celebrates the Jewish exodus from Egypt with something that delights foodies — a Seder that is essentially a service and feast wrapped into one, with drinking four cups of wine a […]

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In Carmel Valley Go to 21 Tasting Rooms Without a Car

Carmel Valley is the place where locals go to soak up sunshine and, increasingly, high-quality wine. Last month, Holman Ranch spin-off Jarman Estate Wines opened its tasting room next to landmark Wills Fargo Steakhouse and Bar with an inventive and food-focused approach to wine tasting. At around the same time, Folktale Winery released its brand-new label — with a barrel-room rock show and garden party — in the previously underachieving, albeit massive, Chateau Julien, bringing the number of tasting rooms on the Carmel Valley Wine Trail to a full-bodied 23. Even better news for wine lovers near and far: No […]

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Top 10 Wines Under $10 at Santa Rosa’a Grocery Outlet

A man I know said he routinely checks the wine merchandise at the Grocery Outlet on Fourth Street in Santa Rosa, a good way for an everyday wine drinker to keep his budget in check. When I stopped in, I was surprised to find that about one fifth of the store is devoted to wine. The Santa Rosa Grocery Outlet is “among our top stores in variety of wines offered and also is one of the fastest growing in that regard, said Melissa Porter at the Emeryville headquarters. “I have a passion for wine, so I ramped up our wine […]

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There’s A Big World of Wine Out There

Wine lovers love wine tasting rooms … as long as the charges to taste wine aren’t too high. The original reason for wine tasting rooms was to allow potential buyers to sample the current releases, which decades ago could be erratic. In many of the world’s far-flung regions years ago (and in some places even today), tasting before buying was crucial. In some places, vintages can vary greatly, and what’s new and just released can be good or terrible. That was routinely the state of the wine game 40 years ago in most places. In the last four decades, grape […]