Kimberly
CCA Staff Gratitudes

Kimberly

I'm thankful for:  Friends

CCA Staff Gratitudes
Kimberly
Forged by Fire

In lieu of our normal monthly newsletter, given our home base in Northern California, we at Charles Communications Associates, representing wineries from our own backyard and around the world, dedicate this missive to those affected by the Northern California fires of October 2017

Forged by Fire
Friends
If You Can't Stand The Heat, Get Out of the ...

The Napa Valley has recently taken a lot of heat – both literally, due to the serious temperature spike that hit the valley earlier this month, as well as figuratively from those who think the aberrant fluctuation spelled doom for the entire region’s harvest.  The media has been eager to report this story, which we can all understand – what’s sexier than a potential climate change story about America’s most recognized wine region? Fortunately for the consumer, cooler heads prevail for those of us on the ground, and I wanted to share the perspective from someone who has been around the vineyard block.

If You Can't Stand The Heat, Get Out of the Cellar
Kimberly
10 Medium Intensity Questions With Faith ...

Meet Faith Armstrong, the winemaker behind Onward and Farmstrong wines. As refreshing as the Pétillant Naturel she makes of Malvasia Bianca, many of the words used to describe Faith's wine could be used to describe the winemaker herself. Honest, vibrant, unfiltered, true to her origins, bright, complex. 

10 Medium Intensity Questions With Faith Armstrong of Onward & Farmstrong wines
Hillary
Cooking with Cannabis

With that infamous hippie holiday around the corner, Charles Communications explores how Pot d'Huile has revolutionized the marijuana edibles market for both medicinal benefits and gastronomic delight.

Cooking with Cannabis

Italy

CCA's Insider Guide to Piedmont

CCA's Insider Guide to Piedmont

There are not many places in the Northern hemisphere that exude such gastronomic excitement this time of year as Piedmont, Italy. Bordered on three sides by the Italian Alps, Piedmont is true to the meaning of its name (“at the foot of the mountains”). And while some would spend their winters skiing these slopes, we here at CCA would rather taste our way toward the New Year…after all its not long before those 2017 resolutions go into motion. This week on All the Swirl join us for an insider’s tour of Piedmont, Italy’s food and wine mecca.

Amphorae Are a Fashion, Not a Philosophy

Amphorae Are a Fashion, Not a Philosophy

The technology surrounding wine fermentation has evolved tremendously over the 8000 years that humans have been making this prized libation, and yet last year's fall fad was all about amphorae. While the amphorae conjures romantic images of rustic Italian villages and Rome's vinous past, does the vessel really make the difference? Brian Terrizzi of Broadside Wines speaks to his experience of earthenware winemaking and his spirit of experimentation.

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The Wines of Mexico

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The Wines of Mexico

Winemaking in Mexico began in the early 1500s when the governor of ‘New Spain’ (as Mexico was known at the time),conquistador Hernando Cortes, ordered every Spaniard with a land grant to plant 1,000 grape vines for every 100 Indians in his employ.

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Re-imagining Italy

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Re-imagining Italy

Having studied in Rome during my junior year of college, and visited the picturesque if tourist-soaked towns of Firenze, Sorrento and Pompeii, I am no stranger to Italy’s charm. But prior to this past May, I’d yet to set foot in the Piemonte, an Italian region that’s often overlooked in favor of its more glamorous counterparts (Tuscany most of all).