Wine 1004

Trefethen Family Vineyards, Dragon’s Tooth Red Blend 2021, 14.2% ABV, 750 ml

The Decanter World Wine Awards is among the most prestigious and largest wine competitions in the world. The 2024 judging saw more than 18,000 wines submitted. Just .64%, only 117 of these entries were recognized with Platinum medals as among the world’s best. Among the more than 1,000 American entries, only 106 medaled, and only two took Platinum medals. The sole North American producer to claim the honors for the top red wine varietal blend, with a score of 97/100, is Trefethen Family Vineyards.

Trefethen Family Vineyards is a prominent and historic winery located in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, California. Established in 1968 by Eugene and Catherine Trefethen, the winery has remained family-owned and operated, now in its third generation, embodying a deep commitment to quality, sustainability, and the expression of Napa Valley’s terroir.

The property had a winemaking history dating back to the late 19th century. The Trefethens restored the original 19th-century winery building and replanted the vineyards. They focused on creating estate-grown wines that showcased the unique characteristics of their land.

The winery adheres to an “estate-grown philosophy”– all their wines are made from grapes grown on their property. This approach ensures full control over the quality and consistency of their wines. The vineyards are farmed sustainably, with a focus on environmental stewardship, including water conservation, soil health, and biodiversity.

Located in the heart of Napa Valley, the Oak Knoll District is known for its moderate climate, which is ideal for growing a wide range of grape varieties. The district’s diverse soils contribute to the complexity and depth of Trefethen’s wines.

Dragon’s Tooth is a signature red blend inspired by Trefethen Family Vineyard’s commitment to producing bold and distinctive wines. Named after the volcanic rocks found in the vineyard, which resemble dragon’s teeth, this wine is crafted to reflect the strength and uniqueness of its Oak Knoll volcanic soil terroir.

The wine is typically a blend of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2021 vintage was 49% Malbec, 37% Petit Verdot, and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. The exact proportions may vary slightly between vintages, but the focus remains on creating a robust and balanced wine.

These three varietals blend well together. Malbec adds deep color, ripe plum and blackberry flavors, and soft tannins. Petit Verdot contributes intense color, floral notes, robust tannins, and structure. While Cabernet Sauvignon provides backbone, structure, and complexity with flavors of blackcurrant, cedar, and spice.

Blends of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon showcase the versatility and complementary characteristics of these grape varieties. Regions like Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Mendoza, Cahors, South Australia, Colchagua Valley, and Tuscany are renowned for their ability to craft exceptional wines that highlight the best qualities of these varietals, offering wine enthusiasts a diverse range of flavors and styles to explore. Outside of Argentina and to some extent Cahors, however, it is unusual to find blends that feature such a high percentage of Malbec.

Trefethen’s Historic Winery

Trefethen Family Vineyards, Dragon’s Tooth Red Blend 2021, 14.2% ABV, 750 ml

The wine exhibits a deep, dark ruby color, with a slight purple hue.

On the nose, there is a profound aroma of ripe blackberries, dark cherries, and plums. There are also hints of violets, cocoa, and a touch of vanilla and spice from the oak aging.

On the palate, Dragon’s Tooth is a dense, full-bodied and well-structured wine. The initial burst of dark fruit flavors of blackberry and black cherry are followed by layers of dark chocolate, espresso, and a subtle, dusty minerality. The tannins are firm yet velvety and well-ripened, giving the wine a noticeable backbone.

The finish is long and smooth, with lingering notes of dark fruit, spice, and a hint of smokiness. Although readily drinkable now, the wine’s structure and fruit forward character make it an ideal candidate for extended aging. At an average retail price of $45, it also represents excellent value.

The Decanted World Wine Awards Judging Panel described the wine as featuring:

Intrepid aromas of richly peppered blue and black fruit with a sheen of minty refreshment. Structured, polished and densely textured, with indulgent tannins and a penetrating bead of fine acidity. Built for the long haul.

Trefethen Family Vineyards is a testament to the enduring legacy and commitment to quality in Napa Valley winemaking. Their dedication to sustainable practices and estate-grown wines is evident in the character and complexity of their offerings. Dragon’s Tooth is a standout example of their craft, showcasing the bold and unique qualities of their vineyard’s terroir. Whether enjoyed now or cellared for future enjoyment, Dragon’s Tooth offers a rich and rewarding wine experience.

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Courtesy of Cuyama Buckhorn

The post-covid world has us exploring our ‘backyards’ in ways we never have before. Finding excitement in unexpected places just a hop, skip, and a jump from our homes is one of the greatest discoveries. If you’re based in Southern California and looking for a new haunt to joyride to, do not miss Cuyama Buckhorn. The 1950s revamped roadside resort stands just an hour north of Ojai and 2 hours from Los Angeles. This year they won a Wine Spectator Award and they have a new chef who hails from Mexico City with quite a pedigree. There has never been a more exciting time to venture out to Cuyama.

Courtesy of Cuyama Buckhorn

Cuyama Buckhorn—recent winner of a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence—is honored to present a truly special opportunity to connect with one of the most interesting winemakers in the world, Vahe Keushguerian, who was recently the subject of the documentary, SOMM: Cup of Salvation. Cuyama Buckhorn’s Chef Hugo Vera has designed a six-course dinner influenced by the wines to help tell the story of these special grapes. Keushguerian and his daughter, Aimee are revitalizing vines from the oldest winemaking culture in the world (more than 10,000 years of wine making) and bringing the traditions of their heritage into the modern day at their wineries, Keush and Zulal, respectively.

Courtesy of Molana Wines

In addition to growing Armenian grapes on Armenian soil, Keushguerian smuggled indigenous wine grapes out of Iran, where winemaking has been outlawed since 1979, and re-established the vines in Armenia to make Molana Winery—essentially Iranian winemaking in exile. Molana is the first Iranian wine that has been produced in fifty years, and is unlikely to ever be produced again. This is a rare chance to taste this wine, with the winemaker himself, and partake in history. To honor the collaboration between Cuyama Buckhorn and Keushguerian, Chef Vera’s menu will help tell the winemaker’s incredible story with unique Cuyama flavor and locally-sourced ingredients.

Courtesy of Cuyama Buckhorn

On Saturday morning guests are encouraged to attend a screening of SOMM: Cup of Salvation followed by a Q&A with Keushguerian.

This dinner comes amid a summer of Wine Weekends at Cuyama Buckhorn. Other recent wine dinners have featured Condor’s Hope, Marbeso, and Presqu’ile. On August 3rd, Sonja Magdevski of Clementine Carter will be the featured winemaker and September 7th, Austin Hope of Hope Family Wines will be pouring.

WHEN: July 19, 2024

PRICING: Dinner tickets are $250 per person including wine pairings. Book a room for the weekend starting at $285/night.

WHERE: 4923 Primero Street, New Cuyama, CA 93254

Cuyama Buckhorn is located 1 hour east of Santa Maria, and 2 hours north of Los Angeles.

INFO: Call (661) 766-2825 or visit cuyamabuckhorn.com to reserve

Courtesy of Cuyama Buckhorn

By Thomas Lee, The Boston Globe

Chances are, there will be some kind of food and wine festival in Nantucket May 14-18 next year. We just don’t know which version yet.

That’s because two parties are laying claim to the annual event at the same date and venue. On one side, there’s Nancy Bean, who has owned the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival since 2013. The festival, which draws about 3,000 people each year, has been a popular event on the island for over a quarter of a century. The White Elephant hotel has hosted the festival for about a decade.

But in a lawsuit filed in US District Court in Boston, Bean is accusing David Gordon and the Gordon Companies in Waltham, a family-owned chain of liquor stores, of stealing her business. Indeed, the Gordon Companies have set up a website promoting the Nantucket Food & Wine Experience at the White Elephant Hotel on the same dates in 2025 as Bean’s annual event.

Compounding the confusion is a recent press release issued by the Gordon Companies in which it claimed to have purchased the event. But then the company issued another statement saying that it did not buy Bean’s festival and was starting something new.

“Most people learn by kindergarten that you don’t say something belongs to you when it belongs to someone else,” Barry Pollack, an attorney representing Bean, told the Globe.

Neither David Gordon, CEO of Gordon Companies, nor White Elephant returned calls seeking comment.

According to court documents, Bean declined a proposal by Gordon to take over management of the festival. But on June 17, the Gordon Companies issued a press release in which it claimed that it purchased the festival.

“The Gordon Companies, owners of Massachusetts’ Gordon’s Fine Wine and Baker’s Best Catering, has acquired ownership of the Nantucket Food and Wine Experience, one of the longest running food and wine events in the U.S.,” the statement said.

“The rebranded event, in partnership with Nantucket’s iconic White Elephant harborside hotel, will take place on the island from Wednesday, May 14 through Sunday, May 18, 2025, and will feature the world’s top vineyards and culinary minds during wine dinners, seminars, galas, thematic receptions, wellness events, and celebratory brunches.”

But the company soon backtracked from the claim.

On the website Gordon Companies created for its festival contains “an announcement correction.”

“The Gordon Companies have partnered with White Elephant Resorts in a deal to produce a new event titled the Nantucket Food And Wine Experience. Gordons has not purchased, acquired, or rebranded the previously existing Nantucket Food & Wine Festival which has been operated by a still operating entity which is not affiliated with The Gordon Companies in any way. The Nantucket Food And Wine Experience is also not affiliated with the Nantucket Food & Wine Festival.”

Weiss, the attorney, said Bean still plans to host the festival next May as planned. But where in Nantucket remains up in the air.

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The dapper-dressed owner of the Chelsea Wine store made his second appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday after being arrested for allegedly stealing vintages from his own posh shop.

Michael Gancarz, who was cuffed last Father’s Day at the popular wine store at 60 Ninth Ave., wore a bespoke striped blue suit as he dodged questions from The Post’s photographer about the bizarre case.

He faces charges for burglary, petit larceny and trespassing, according to court records.

Gancarz was released without bail and is next scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 14.

Chelsea Wine, located across from the Chelsea Market, no longer belongs to Gancarz and his wife Amelia, according to the criminal complaint.

The new owner of the store, Bobby Khorram, told the arresting police officer that Gancarz did not have permission or authority to take items from the store and entered it despite it being locked up, the complaint said.

It remains unclear what items were taken from the store.

Gancarz and his lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.

Khorram did not comment.

The 25-year-old business was once located in the Chelsea Market. The couple assumed ownership of it from Amelia’s father, Daniel Barteluce, an architect who designed luxury retail stores around the world.

Gancarz made headlines last year when customers from his wine storage business in Midtown – Chelsea Wine Storage – began complaining that they couldn’t get access to their pricey vintages, as The Post exclusively reported.

Longtime customers couldn’t get anyone on the phone and when they visited the storage facility – which moved out of its former location in the Chelsea Market without informing customers – they were rebuffed.

Photos obtained by The Post last year showed hundreds of cardboard boxes sitting on wooden pallets in the unfinished basement in Midtown.

The storage business was quietly moved to the basement of a former TGI Friday’s off of Times Square at 777 Seventh Ave.

“With no response, I am afraid my wines in storage are gone for good,” a CWS customer posted on Yelp on Oct. 23.

Another posted, “I cannot get them to answer emails or phone calls, and I am extremely worried about my collection…some of my most prized bottles somehow no longer appear in my inventory.”

Gancarz’s has the same landlord at both the store and the storage facility – Michael Shah – who sued him for not paying his rent and initiated eviction proceedings.

The New York State Liquor Authority initiated an investigation last year.

Bright Cellars

Similar to the proliferation of meal kit startups a few years back, the wine industry saw a surge in the creation of novel wine clubs aimed at attracting the adventurous palates of millennial and Gen Z consumers.

And just like the meal kits came the reckoning for direct-to-consumer (DTC) wine startups.

DTC wine refers to the sale of wine directly from wineries to consumers, bypassing traditional distribution channels like wholesalers and retailers. This model often involves online platforms, wine clubs or direct shipments from wineries, offering consumers a more personalized and convenient experience. DTC wine experienced a period of rapid growth several years ago, fueled in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since faced challenges in not just maintaining momentum but staying afloat. Several major startups in this field have filed for bankruptcy and shuttered. But some have been picked up, mostly by Full Glass Wine Co.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2023, Full Glass Wine Co. is a brand acquisition and management firm focused on revitalizing the DTC wine market. Co-founded by entrepreneur Neha Kumar, the company has acquired wine brands such as Winc, Wine Insiders and Bright Cellars. The company is focused on taking these brands and optimizing operations and enhancing market presence while maintaining each brand’s unique identity.

In April, the startup confirmed it had raised a $14 million Series A round to continue acquiring more of these online wine marketplaces.

Kumar recently shared more with Forbes the shift in changing consumer expectations and the need for more personalized and engaging experiences.

Neha Kumar

Before co-founding Full Glass Wine Co., I served as the COO & CFO of Create & Cultivate, a platform that empowers women in business. In addition to my role at Full Glass Wine Co, I continue to teach finance at UCLA and am deeply involved in the Women’s Abundance Collective, where I focus on teaching high-net-worth women to invest – with the ultimate goal of closing the gender gap in financial decision-making. My journey has always been driven by a passion for strategic growth and empowering others, which naturally led to the creation of Full Glass Wine Co.

The initial surge in the DTC wine market was driven by the novelty and convenience of having quality wines delivered directly to consumers’ doorsteps, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a significant spike in demand.

However, this rapid growth changed projections and didn’t fully account for the post-pandemic market dynamics. As the market evolved, customer acquisition strategies had to adapt.

Today, consumers are looking for more than just convenience; they seek high-quality, unique offerings that cater to their specific tastes and preferences. They want personalized recommendations, engaging storytelling and seamless online shopping experiences. It’s not just about buying wine—it’s about connecting with the brand and enjoying a curated experience.

Winc

The inspiration behind Full Glass Wine Co. stemmed from a desire to create a platform that redefines the DTC wine category. We envisioned a one-stop-shop where consumers could find a diverse portfolio of wine brands, each offering curated, convenient and high-value wine offerings.

Our mission is to acquire and elevate beloved brands, providing them with the resources and expertise needed for long-term success while maintaining their unique identities and loyal customer bases. This approach allows us to deliver exceptional quality, variety and value to wine enthusiasts nationwide.

When evaluating potential acquisitions, we look for brands with strong, distinctive identities and loyal customer bases. We prioritize brands that align with our values of authenticity, quality and consumer engagement, and have the potential for growth with the right support. The turnaround process involves integrating these brands into our portfolio, optimizing their operations and enhancing their market presence while maintaining the unique qualities that make each brand special.

Our goal is to ensure these brands flourish and continue to delight their customers, ultimately driving growth and success for each acquired brand.

The future of the DTC wine market will be shaped by increasing consumer demand for curated, high-quality and convenient wine offerings. We anticipate continued growth in online wine sales, driven by a preference for personalized shopping experiences and the ease of home delivery. Full Glass Wine Co. aims to lead this trend by providing a diverse portfolio of exceptional wine brands tailored to various tastes and preferences, making it easy for consumers to discover and enjoy their perfect bottle.

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Many classic American holidays have a specific feel and certain rituals about them.

Thanksgiving’s all about the midday family feast and lazy afternoons on the couch.

Christmas can be a frenetic, exciting extravaganza, especially when there are children and presents involved.

Halloween’s all about the candy and the crisp, creepy, cool night air.

New Year’s Eve? Anticipation, excitement, then the kiss.

And for many of these holidays – with the exception of Halloween perhaps – wine often plays a role in many of them for many people. (That being said, I did write a Halloween candy wine pairing story last year.)

New Year’s Eve is easy.

But what about all the other holidays? You can’t have champagne all the time, although it would be fun to try.

Opinions vary from one person to the next. Some people prefer big, bold red wines like cabernet sauvignons or malbec on certain holidays. Others prefer more subtle white wines like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.

But what about the Fourth of July? What wines go great with Independence Day?

For some people, nothing. Go to many backyard barbecues and you’ll likely find hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken and beer.

This week, I want to make a case (and not the beer kind) for adding American red wines to this annual celebration.

Don’t freak out hop heads. I’m not trying to take away your beer. Believe me. I love an ice-cold beer on a hot summer afternoon just as much as anyone.

I’m simply suggesting serving some great red wines to go with all that great food that often gets grilled in backyards across the country.

So here are six suggested American red wines for Independence Day. And if you can’t find these specific wines, don’t worry. You can’t go wrong with many California cabernet sauvignons, malbecs and red zinfandels – all of which go great with many grilled meats and other hearty holiday foods.

Hope you enjoy.

Wine Tasting Notes

2021 Franciscan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($19 Suggested Retail Price)

Region: Various vineyards, California

Grape: Cabernet sauvignon

Tasting notes: One of the reasons why I’m recommending several California cabernet sauvignon wines is because they’re perfect for summer barbecues, where the flavors of many foods (especially grilled meats) can be big and bold – two words that perfectly describe many California cabs. This particular one has a plush, velvet-like finish with hints of roasted cherries, caramel and toasted almonds.

2021 Textbook Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles ($27 SRP)

Region: Paso Robles, California

Grape: Cabernet sauvignon

Tasting notes: Put down your pencils and pay attention, class. This Paso Robles red wine is, well, a textbook example of why cabs from this part of central California can hold their own with many better-known wines from Napa Valley. Paso Robles has mineral-rich soil, which gives its wines a nice structure and density. Flavor-wise, this one’s filled with hints of black cherry and plum notes along with a few dashes of vanilla, pencil shavings and chalkboard erasers… OK, I’m kidding about the last two, but you get my point. This wine gets top marks. Class dismissed.

2021 Markham Napa Valley Vineyards Merlot ($30 SRP)

Region: Napa Valley, California

Grape: Merlot

Tasting notes: Easily one of the most overlooked California wine grapes is merlot. It’s mellower than many of the other wines on this list, especially some of the cabernet sauvignons. But that’s why I think merlots deserve a seat at any holiday table. Not everyone loves an over-the-top red wine. Sometimes, understated is better. Here, the fruit flavors (especially plum and raspberry) are subtle, delicate and linger after each sip, like a great conversation with a cherished old friend beside a bonfire long after all your other guests have slipped away into the night.

2022 The Vice The House Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($36 SRP)

Region: Napa Valley, California

Grape: Cabernet sauvignon

Tasting notes: What’s so nice about this vice? The price? Perhaps. Its spice? Maybe. Suffice it to say, anyway you slice it, this wine is twice as nice, especially without ice… Ok, I did my best but there’s only so many things I can say about this delightful wine that ends in “ice.” Not really a big fan of cheeky wine names like The Vice. But I’m willing to look past that since this California cab has a vibrant finish with a wonderful blend of subtle fruit flavors and aromas, especially cherry and blackberry.

2021 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon ($55 SRP)

Region: Napa Valley, California

Grape: Cabernet sauvignon

Tasting notes: If you’re looking for a big, bold yet elegant California cabernet sauvignon, I definitely recommend these last two wines on the list. This one has a robust yet velvet-like texture with a hints of smoked cherries, cedar, vanilla, pepper, and black licorice. Give this wine a little time to open up before serving it to family and friends. It’s worth the wait and goes great with many hearty barbecue staples, especially grilled steaks.

2020 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve Red Wine ($65 SRP)

Region: Napa Valley, California

Grape: Blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, cabernet franc, and petit verdot

Tasting notes: If you love big, elegant wines, this blended red wine from California’s Napa Valley should hit the bullseye for you. I’ve long been a fan of this well-established California winery that nowadays sometimes unfairly gets overlooked. This particular wine weaves a wonderful array of complex flavors in each glass – from hints of blackberry and raspberry along with dashes of dark chocolate and roasted cherries. No wonder this Bordeaux-style blended red wine is called tapestry. It’s a work of art in a glass.

Sports viewing recommendation for wine lovers

On Friday, July 5 starting at 6:30 a.m., Stage 7 of the Tour De France bicycle race makes its way through some of the most gorgeous wine villages and vineyards in Burgundy, France. This day’s race starts in Nuits-Saint-Georges (which you can read more about soon in this column), finishes in Gevrey-Chambertin and passes through Chambolle-Musigny. Each cyclist will leave one at a time so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see the winding, stonewall-lined roads in this charming part of France throughout the morning. Television coverage is available streaming online on .

Cheers!

Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday.

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I’m breaking from tradition for this column to feature a winery, not a single wine, of the month. And for good reason: Masciarelli Tenute Agricole itself breaks tradition with a female leadership consisting of the Belgrade-born Marina Cvetić and her daughter, Miriam Lee Masciarelli. The mother-daughter team took over operations after founder Gianni Masciarelli’s death in 2008.

Founded on less than 2.5 acres in 1981 in Abruzzo, the winery has risen through the ranks and gained respect, putting on the map a region better known for its rusticity than its fine wines. Though, that is sure to change, with more consumers embarking on a road of exploration of lesser-known regions and native grapes—a journey for which Italy, with its 400+ grapes, is a solid tour guide, and Abruzzo a most promising emerging star.

From the start, Gianni Masciarelli focused on quality and particular parcels, taking his cue from quality regions such as Burgundy and convinced that the same rigor would pay off in Abruzzo.

And it did. Gambero Rosso, the Italian magazine of gastronomy, awarded Masciarelli’s Villa Gemma Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 1995 “Best Wine in Italy”—the first Montepulciano to be so recognized.

In the United States, look for the winery’s widely available “Linea Classica” line. And for your upcoming July 4 barbecue (or, in my house, my Sunday evening salmon dinner), look for these two reds that straddle seasons and climates.

Two reds from Abruzzo

Masciarelli “Villa Gemma” Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Superiore DOC. Very light garnet in color, this is a lithe and light-bodied red, even for the 14% alcohol. Cerasuolo means “cherry red” and that informs this wine, which is cherry-fruit forward. There’s a bit of earthy spice on the finish. This is a good swap out for Pinot Noir—a lighter interpretation that goes well with red-sauce pasta dishes, charcuterie, pizza and roasted salmon.

Keeping it in the family, this Marina Cvetić Montepulciano Riserva San Martino Rosso DOC (2019) shows tart red fruit, fresh raspberry and strawberry. Like its sister wine, there’s a little earthy afternote and spice, but it’s a well-made wine that delivers a direct line of fruit. If the winemaker had a hand in this, I can’t taste it: it’s unadulterated by heavy oak or wood spice, though it spent 13 months in barrique. Not a heavy wine, this is a red to accompany the grill.

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

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In a major development for the wine industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency this summer plans to try out new crop insurance coverage in California to protect growers against losses from wildfire smoke exposure.

The “fire insurance protection smoke index” will be available as an optional add-on to individual grape crop insurance policies starting in the 2025 crop year, an agency official said at the West Coast Smoke Damage Task Force summit earlier this month.

The pilot program will launch initially in 32 counties where crop insurance is available in the Golden State, with plans to potentially expand to other smoke-prone regions in the future.

“We want to develop something really simple, something that can quickly respond to smoke events or smoke damage at the end of the insurance period, and provide indemnities quickly without minimal interaction,” said Jeff Yasui, agency regional director.

Wildfire smoke compounds can be absorbed into wine grapes and be released during the winemaking process, leaving smoky, ashen or muted flavors that result in wines that can be unfit for sale. In 2020 alone, an estimated 165,000 to 325,000 tons of California winegrapes were lost due to actual or perceived smoke damage, with financial losses of over $600 million.

The smoke-taint add-on or endorsement is designed as an area-based plan, meaning payouts will be triggered if the required number of “eligible smoke days” are recorded in the insured county during the coverage period, rather than requiring individual growers to document losses, Yasui explained during the task force online summit.

The extra insurance is meant to cover the liability for smoke damage between the grape policy’s coverage level and 95% of the crop price. Most of the premium costs will be subsidized by the government.

“The nice thing about it, too, growers don’t have to do lab tests. They don’t have to prove they had losses. It’s just whether or not the area had a loss,” Yasui said. “Indemnities can be issued under either or both policies.”

This new insurance option aims to provide a straightforward way for growers to be compensated for smoke-related damage without extensive documentation requirements. It comes after years of advocacy by the wine industry and research efforts to better understand and mitigate the impacts of wildfire smoke on winegrapes.

“We’re hoping the program is popular and resolve some issues,” Yasui said. “It was a big group collaborative effort, it was a big success.”

The smoke taint coverage rollout, announced amid other coverage changes for other crops from the USDA agency Thursday comes just over a year after the introduction of a House bill (H.R. 4801) that seeks to study and develop such coverage for California, Oregon and Washington.

“Winegrapes are essential to California’s economy,” Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, one of the bill sponsors, said in a statement Thursday. “Yet growers in our state have been struggling to recover after smoke exposure damages their winegrapes. I’ve long advocated for strengthening crop insurance for winegrowers to better capture the risks associated with growing in smoke- and wildfire-prone regions. RMA’s announcement is an essential step toward that goal.”

Natalie Collins, president of California Association of Winegrape Growers, called smoke-damage coverage a “critical need” to the “significant threat” of wildfires.

“This new policy is a significant step forward in protecting the livelihoods of growers and the industry as a whole,” Collins said in a statement Thursday.

Policy coverage for smoke “became a top federal priority” in public policy advocacy for trade group Napa Valley Vintners.

“Today’s announcement that the Department of Agriculture will begin offering smoke insurance policies is a huge win for the Napa Valley wine Industry,” said Rex Stults, vice president of industry relations for the Napa Valley Vintners on Thursday.

Additional details on the pilot program will be released later this summer, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Jeff Quackenbush covers wine, construction, and real estate. Reach him at jquackenbush@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4256.

In a major development for the wine industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency this summer plans to try out new crop insurance coverage in California to protect growers against losses from wildfire smoke exposure.

The “fire insurance protection smoke index“ will be available as an optional add-on to individual grape crop insurance policies starting in the 2025 crop year, an agency official said at the West Coast Smoke Damage Task Force summit earlier this month.

The pilot program will launch initially in 32 counties where crop insurance is available in the Golden State, with plans to potentially expand to other smoke-prone regions in the future.

“We want to develop something really simple, something that can quickly respond to smoke events or smoke damage at the end of the insurance period, and provide indemnities quickly without minimal interaction,” said Jeff Yasui, agency regional director.

Wildfire smoke compounds can be absorbed into wine grapes and be released during the winemaking process, leaving smoky, ashen or muted flavors that result in wines that can be unfit for sale. In 2020 alone, an estimated 165,000 to 325,000 tons of California winegrapes were lost due to actual or perceived smoke damage, with financial losses of over $600 million.

The smoke-taint add-on or endorsement is designed as an area-based plan, meaning payouts will be triggered if the required number of “eligible smoke days” are recorded in the insured county during the coverage period, rather than requiring individual growers to document losses, Yasui explained during the task force online summit.

The extra insurance is meant to cover the liability for smoke damage between the grape policy’s coverage level and 95% of the crop price. Most of the premium costs will be subsidized by the government.

“The nice thing about it, too, growers don’t have to do lab tests. They don’t have to prove they had losses. It’s just whether or not the area had a loss,” Yasui said. “Indemnities can be issued under either or both policies.”

This new insurance option aims to provide a straightforward way for growers to be compensated for smoke-related damage without extensive documentation requirements. It comes after years of advocacy by the wine industry and research efforts to better understand and mitigate the impacts of wildfire smoke on winegrapes.

“We’re hoping the program is popular and resolve some issues,” Yasui said. “It was a big group collaborative effort, it was a big success.”

The smoke taint coverage rollout, announced amid other coverage changes for other crops from the USDA agency Thursday comes just over a year after the introduction of a House bill (H.R. 4801) that seeks to study and develop such coverage for California, Oregon, and Washington.

“Winegrapes are essential to California’s economy,” Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, one of the bill sponsors, said in a statement Thursday. “Yet growers in our state have been struggling to recover after smoke exposure damages their winegrapes. I’ve long advocated for strengthening crop insurance for winegrowers to better capture the risks associated with growing in smoke- and wildfire-prone regions. RMA’s announcement is an essential step toward that goal.”

Natalie Collins, president of California Association of Winegrape Growers, called smoke-damage coverage a “critical need” to the “significant threat” of wildfires.

“This new policy is a significant step forward in protecting the livelihoods of growers and the industry as a whole,” Collins said in a statement Thursday.

Policy coverage for smoke “became a top federal priority” in public policy advocacy for trade group Napa Valley Vintners.

“Today’s announcement that the Department of Agriculture will begin offering smoke insurance policies is a huge win for the Napa Valley wine Industry,” said Rex Stults, vice president of industry relations for the Napa Valley Vintners on Thursday.

Jeff Quackenbush covers wine, construction and real estate. Reach him at jquackenbush@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4256.

Bush-trained vines during the fog in the Palisades Vineyard

Ten years. Ten years to get a vine just right, according to the heritage way of growing premium wine grapes.

Old Petite Sirah vine

First, the rootstock goes into the soil. Two years later, the vine is grafted onto the rootstock. Six years of getting advice from four well-known viticulturists, one of them a PhD who is a leader in her field of research, with the most experienced vineyard workers meticulously pruning and shaping these bush vines (also called goblet vines because they should be shaped like a goblet cup). Then, after the shape of these bush vines resembles some of the grand old goblet vines of the world, it takes two more years to bring it to an ideal balance of fruit-producing potential through future management in the vineyards.

“In another 30 to 40 years, people will come to the valley and have no idea what old vineyards look like,” explained Palisades Canyon co-owner Steve Rasmussen.

Felicia Woytak

Steve is speaking about the old heritage bush vines that his area of Napa Valley is known for, currently the steward to some of the most precious Petite Sirah old bush vines that top Napa producers have cherished for years. As the old vines around his valley start to get past their prime where they can no longer produce, forcing owners to pull them out, they will be replaced by trellised vines that are more in line with modern practices that help mechanize a lot of the work in the vineyards. But he and his wife, Felicia Woytak, bought their Palisades Canyon property with the primary focus on preserving the heritage style of growing grapes and conserving their 796-acre property as a whole. So, when it came to the vineyards on the property, they would protect those precious, old heritage bush vines but also go through the decade-long process of replanting in the heritage style, which would need many years of detailed work to get the vines to the perfect place, creating an ideal growing zone for the fruit before they could even get the vines where they wanted them for making ultra-premium wine.

Steve fully admits that it has been Felicia leading the charge when it comes to taking on the massive challenge of making sure to not only restore the vineyards to what they looked like over 100 years ago, but also, to insist that the new bush vines are not only for show, as she would go to any length to make sure these new heritage vines lived up to their much older siblings. Today their estate, Palisades Vineyard, is only 17 acres, as they would like to keep it small to continue their meticulous work and to carry on the organic management of the whole vineyard.

Palisades Canyon estate

It has been a long journey for Felicia to find the ideal property, which would incorporate her love for nature, being an adventurous camper and whitewater rafter for decades, her dedication to protecting wildlife and its habitat, her and her husband’s devotion to education and her deep passion for wine. She already had a highly accomplished career in male-dominated industries when she started in the 1990s, navigating herself through Silicon Valley and then making a mark for herself by having her own successful brokerage for commercial real estate. Despite her husband Steve having a very successful career as a mathematics publisher, he makes no bones that Felicia’s incredible financial success makes purchasing Palisades Canyon possible and why they can go to great lengths to keep heritage viticulture alive.

Sheep in the vineyards

Steve and Felicia moved out to Berkeley in the ‘80s and have been part of the wine community ever since. Noting how well they know Napa, as well as Felicia being well-versed in how the real estate market works with every self-proclaimed “dream” property hardly ever living up to its proclamation, one can imagine that it is saying something that when Felicia first visited the Palisades Canyon property, in Calistoga, she was so overwhelmed with the powerful feelings of falling in love with the property that tears started to stream down her face. And they do not take for granted for one moment how lucky they are to have such a place, as they allow educational programs to give kids first-hand experiences with geology, watershed study, regenerative farming practices and allow them to hike their 15-mile hiking path and meet their goats and llama. They especially like to invite lower-income kids and their families to come and enjoy their beautiful property.

Among all these great achievements and incredible projects that give back to the community, they have some of the most sought-after Petite Sirah grapes—despite once being the most planted grape in Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon eventually prevailed with its association with Bordeaux fine wines in France. Hence, Cabernet Sauvignon is king in Napa today, with very few growers making premium Petite Sirah.

Petite Sirah is not a variant of the Syrah grape; it has been identified through DNA testing as the Durif grape variety found in Southern France. It has small berries and makes wine with lots of structure and deep concentration. The best are multifaceted, extremely complex wines.

Steve Rasmussen, Felicia Woytak and Graeme MacDonald in the vineyards

One day, they were introduced to winemaker Graeme MacDonald, who was fascinated by the history of the property which was first planted with vines in the 1870s, thrilled to look at the head-trained, dry-farmed old Petite Sirah vines and to see their “ghost” winery, which is a rare sight, as these wineries were built from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, during the winemaking boom, so very few still exist.

Graeme MacDonald knows about outstanding, historic vineyards as he is a fourth-generation Napa Valley grape grower and winemaker whose grandparents sold grapes from their property, which became part of the legendary Robert Mondavi To-Kalon Vineyard bottling. After spending some time with Felicia and Steve, all three decided that they would collaborate to make Palisades Canyon wines, creating a small amount of the estate Petite Sirah as well as estate Cabernet Sauvignon (blended with a bit of estate Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) and the lesser-known white, estate Chenin Blanc, which are all bush-trained under strict heritage guidelines.

Palisades Canyon’s property with vines near a creek

Felicia admires the top Chenin Blanc ultra-premium wines from South Africa. She feels that the grapes do well in their valley with a good amount of heat, and the bush-trained vines help to keep an ideal balance of retaining plenty of that crisp freshness that Chenin Blanc is known for.

Considering its lack of prestige combined with the difficulty of growing an ideally ripened Petite Sirah grape, one would have thought that the grape would have vanished entirely from Napa Valley, where Cabernet Sauvignon and other grapes are more of a guarantee and do not need to be babied in the vineyards like Petite Sirah. But it still stands in the magnificent Palisades Vineyard. The same can be said about a woman fighting to carve her path in commercial real estate in one of the most competitive markets in the U.S. when male-owned and run businesses had no interest in hiring a woman for anything other than an administrative assistant. By all accounts, she should have crawled in a hole and just disappeared, yet instead, she was able to get female bankers to give her loans so she could buy those properties herself, work for herself and succeed all by herself.

Some rare breeds are hard to wipe out as they find a way to survive, as important people realize their potential, that they are something special, and ultimately become victorious.

2021 Palisades Canyon, Petite Sirah

2021 Palisades Canyon, Chenin Blanc

2021 Palisades Canyon, Chenin Blanc, Calistoga, Napa Valley: 100% Chenin Blanc from organically-farmed Palisades Vineyard. A serious white wine that shows all the uniquely fine qualities of Chenin with an extremely complex bouquet of honeysuckle, dried hay and intense minerality with deliciously rich flavors of apple strudel and quince paste balanced by mouthwatering acidity. A real stunner!

2021 Palisades Canyon, Cabernet Sauvignon

2021 Palisades Canyon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley: 95.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.6% Cabernet Franc, and 0.2% Petit Verdot from organically-farmed Palisades Vineyard. A beautiful nose with lovely violet aromas, blueberry scones, and an intriguing underlying note of graphite. The wine has sculpted tannins that are finely pixilated with classic Cab flavors such as tobacco and blackcurrant. The distinctive sense of place is evident with a persistent finish that has lots of finesse.

2021 Palisades Canyon, Petite Sirah, Calistoga, Napa Valley: 100% Petite Sirah from organically-farmed Palisades Vineyard. A profoundly seductive nose that is dark and brooding with blackberry liqueur, licorice, and asphalt. The palate is delectably dense, filled with wild cherry cordial and subtle nuances of baking spices and black tea. The texture is round and plush yet delicately etched to give shape and drive to the finish.

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