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
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.
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.
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.
When I went to college, computers were an afterthought and computer science was a major for the geeks (yes, I was an accounting major... much cooler). Most people took a programming class in their first couple of years and there were two main programming languages you could choose from: COBOL or FORTRAN.
It’s an oft-heard lament in the wine industry that when it comes to adopting new technologies, we’re ten years behind the curve. Fortunately though, we can report that this certainly isn’t the case for many wineries, who showcased how quickly they are adopting new software, mobile & social media tools at the Wine Industry Technology Symposium (WITS) earlier this month—and how these technologies are revolutionizing their business models.
