Wine Line: Wine Institute Expands Website
The Wine Institute’s consumer website, www.DiscoverCaliforniaWines.com is a good resource for wine lovers. The site offers information on California’s wine regions with maps, a winery finder and calendar of events in the state and around the world, wine and food pairings, seasonal recipes and more. The Institute recently translated the website for its top export markets, including the European Union’s 28 member countries, accounting for $617 million in annual sales; followed by Canada, $454 million; Japan, $102 million; Hong Kong, $78 million; China, $77 million; Mexico, $22 million and South Korea, $18 million.
U.S. wine exports, 90 percent from California, reached a record of $1.55 billion in winery revenues in 2013, the fourth consecutive year of growth and are on track to increase in 2014. According to Wines and Vines, as of September, the United States has 8,049 wineries. California accounts for almost half of those at 3,798 with 1,040 in Napa Valley and 782 in Sonoma. Check out the Wine Institute’s website.
Wine Line ages
In September, Wine Line turned seven. That’s 168 columns and approximately 80,000 words. Many of you have figured out that it appears on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. My No. 1 goal in writing the column has always been to eliminate the “mystique” of wine by taking a consumer friendly approach. If I ever start babbling in snooty wine-speak, please let me know. In most columns, I recommend wines that are readily available, good quality to price (QPR) and under $20. Below are the red wines I selected for year seven.
What’s on our table
This year saw red blends take over an entire section of the wine wall. ‘A’ by Acacia, Concannon’s Crimson and Clover, Coppola’s Rosso, Bogle’s Essential Red and Hahn’s GSM were all solid blends. Three zinfandels on three different price points; Twisted ($8), Rancho Zabaco ($12) and Scott Harvey ($19) all hit the mark. Box wines have increased their shelf space as well with the Bota Box Old Vine Zin, the Black Box Malbec and the Wine Cube’s Pinot Noir. Inexpensive pinot noirs are hard to find but the Seaglass Santa Barbara County, Mark West, Bogle and the Castle Rock Mendocino and Central Coast all have excellent QPRs. Kendall Jackson’s Santa Barbara Syrah, McManis’ Syrah, Kenwood’s Merlot, Cline’s Mourvedre and the McManis Jamie Lynn Vineyard Barbera are all outstanding quality reds at very affordable prices. Remember, if you find a good wine deal, make sure to buy all you want first and then pass on the news. I’ll be happy to share it with readers. Thanks for reading Wine Line and on to year eight. Cheers!
This story was originally published October 22, 2014 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Wine Line: Wine Institute Expands Website."