March 28, 2017
In the early 1940s Fred and Eleanor McCrea travelled from San Francisco to Napa Valley seeking a family getaway in the mountains for Eleanor and their two young children. On one such visit, they travelled a narrow and winding dirt... UNFILTERED Archives: USA
Tectonic Origins: A Glimpse Into Sta. Rita Hills
February 28, 2017
Navigating the intricacies of the American Viticultural Areas oftentimes feels like the work of politicians as much as it does that of cartographers, historians, or geologists. That is why, when gazing from above (go ahead, take a look), Sta. Rita... 30th Anniversary American Wine Tasting
February 1, 2017
Skurnik Wines began in 1987 (as Michael Skurnik Wines) with a portfolio of just six small California wineries. Thirty years later, in addition to today’s diverse, globe-spanning portfolio of wines and spirits, we proudly offer for sale selections from nearly... Zinfandel: American Heritage in a Glass
November 3, 2016
Featured Image: The Ueberroth Vineyard in Paso Robles, planted in 1885, is the oldest of Turley’s Zinfandel holdings. These vines are ungrafted, head-trained, and dry-farmed. Since its earliest mentions in horticultural catalogs of the 1820s, Zinfandel has been claimed as... This Must Be The Place: Homesteading with Favia Wines
October 4, 2016
“The most trifling action, every little thing accomplished, has something of importance in the great cosmic household, and it is merely a question of being aware of this importance.” – Rudolf Steiner, Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and its Attainment, 1904 e·col·o·gy... Rad Dad Wines: Father’s Day Selections from the USA
June 16, 2016
Father’s Day is this Sunday, so we thought it would be great fun to celebrate some of our excellent domestic wines that are perfect fits for Father’s Day – wines that are made by fathers whose children are also involved... The Story of the Black Chicken
May 20, 2016
“Hey Aldo, when you come by on Friday, bring me a couple pounds of walnuts, some fruit and vegetables, two dozen eggs, and a black chicken.” And thus went one of the hundreds of phone orders to the Biale homestead... Talley Vineyards: A Rich History in the Arroyo Grande Valley
May 6, 2016
The story of Talley Farms and Talley Vineyards dates back to the 1930s, when Oliver Talley began farming in the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County. The farming operation moved to the Arroyo Grande Valley in 1948, and as... The Origins of Oregon: A Brief History of the Willamette Valley
March 21, 2016
In 1966, David Lett planted the first Vitis vinfera vines in the volcanic red Jory soils of the Dundee Hills in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. While other cool climate varieties were planted at the time – Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc... Occidental Wines: The Legacy of Steve Kistler
March 3, 2016
“In a way, Steve Kistler comes across as an all-American version of a French winemaker caricature. From afar, you can almost mistake his jeans and blue chamois shirt for those ubiquitous blue coveralls that are a second skin to millions...