Wine prices in Napa jump to over $100 / bottle

The latest Direct to Consumer Wine Report shows the average price of a bottle of wine from Napa Valley jumped $17 last year, and at the same time tasting fees increased 35%.

According to the report, the average bottle of wine from Napa costs over $108, which is considerably more than Sonoma County, which saw an average of $57 per bottle. Over 71% of the West Coast wineries surveyed said they planned to raise bottle prices again this year.

These numbers come from the 2023 Direct to Consumer Wine Report, which was previously conducted by the Silicon Valley Bank wine division.

While visitors to Napa Valley are still lower than they were pre-pandemic, the price of a tasting at a Napa vineyard is significantly higher than in the country’s other wine regions. A standard tasting at a Napa winery now goes for $81, $22 more than it did in 2021. A reserve tasting averages $128.

Compare those numbers with $38 for a tasting in Sonoma and $28 in Paso Robles. And to put that in perspective, tasting fees didn’t even exist until the middle- to late-1990s. They hovered around $10 for several years, but as more and more people began going to wineries, those prices began to climb. As recently as 2012, the price of a tasting in Napa was $22.

Wine, overall, is in a bit of a slump. The industry is in its second consecutive year of negative growth, and the SVB report says, “Swift action is required to turn the tide.” The audience is also getting older. While consumers over the age of 60 have continued to grow, people under that age are less interested in buying wine today, this report found.

September is “California Wine Month” – here’s how you can celebrate!

September is “California Wine Month” this is the time to celebrate the annual harvest and raise a glass to their vibrant wine community.

California’s wine industry has played a vital role in the state’s culture and economy for over 250 years. California makes up 81% of wine production in the United States and 95% of exports. Within the state’s 147 distinct winegrowing regions are 621,000 acres of vineyards, 4,800 bonded wineries and nearly 6,000 winegrowers.

Here are three exciting ways to celebrate California Wine Month

  1. Participate in Events and Experiences at California Wineries

Over 24 million people from around the globe visit the California winegrowing regions each year.  Visit wineries across the state 40+ harvest-themed events, activities and experiences — and more will continue to be added throughout September. These include behind-the-scenes vineyard and crush pad tours, grape-stomping competitions, wine and food festivals, hands-on harvest experiences, charity wine auctions and more.

“California’s diverse and expansive wine country is one of its top tourism draws,” said Caroline Beteta, Visit California president and CEO. “From high-end pairings and legendary wineries to sustainable vineyards and neighborly barn tastings, there’s an experience — and a wine — for everyone to enjoy.”

  1. Pair Iconic California Recipes with California Wine

It’s no coincidence that California wine pairs perfectly with the state’s farm-fresh produce and trend-setting cuisine. To help consumers experience this delicious culinary connection at home, Discover California Wines has partnered with California Grown and Visit California to create the free “Iconic California Dishes to Celebrate California Wine Month” e-book. The book features recipes for dishes that evoke the state’s sunny and relaxed vibe — all paired with California wine and creative, wine-based cocktails. Bring harvest home with recipes including Avocado Salad with Hidden Valley Ranch-Style Dressing, Wine Country Chicken Salad and the California 75, a classic wine-based lemon cocktail with a literal and figurative twist.

“We say what grows together goes together,” said Cher Watte Angulo, executive director of California Grown. “Since California provides over 50% of the nation’s produce and over 80% of the wine, it makes sense that people celebrate with both a sip and a bite of the Golden State.”

  1. Discover and Enjoy California Wine

Whether visiting wineries in person or online, there’s no better time than California Wine Month to pick up a few bottles of wine to share with friends and family. It’s also easy to find a great selection of California wine at your local grocery store or wine shop.

For the latest details on offerings, visit the Discover California Wines website.

#californiawinemonth #californiawines #harvest #winecountry #napavalley #winelovers #winetourism #winenews #wine @cagrownofficial @napavintners @sonomavalleywine @sierravintners @temeculawines @pasowine @maderawinetrail @winesofscm @mendowine @livermorevalleywinecountry @santabarbarawinecountry @lodi_wine

 

 

Francis Ford Coppola Winery celebrates the 93rd Academy Awards with two limited edition wines produced by Bottega S.p.A.

Francis Ford Coppola Winery has created two limited-edition wines in honour of the 93rd Hollywood’s prestigious Academy Awards.

“The Family Coppola 93rd Awards’” limited-edition bottles themselves have been produced by Bottega Spa and feature a mirror gold colour exterior. Each bottle was crafted as a symbol honouring the significant talent, passion and hard work achieved throughout the entire film industry.

The Francis Ford Coppola Winery wines selected for the 93rd Awards are a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, both from 2019. They come from grapes grown in Sonoma County, in the first year since 2011 that California did not suffer from drought, giving the wine a pleasing complexity, thanks to the high quality of grapes from that year.

The Chardonnay is balanced and bold, with notes of stone fruit and white peach. The Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is earthy and spicy with good acidity. Both develop an alcohol content of 14.5% vol.

The exclusive golden bottles have been produced by the Bottega S.p.A. winery in Bibano di Godega (TV), which for years has been developing an exclusive metallization process, thanks to the mirrored gold colour becomes “glass,”, a patent recently recognised also by the Court of Appeal of Venice.

The friendship with Francis Ford Coppola and Sandro Bottega was born together with Stefania Sandrelli, who says: “mutual esteem and trust is the common thread that has allowed us to come together for a little big common toast” and in the same way Sandro Bottega tells of the uniqueness of Francis Ford Coppola “in every thought there is Italy, our culture (including food and wine): Francis sometimes drinks wine cut with water, a real spritz, like our grandparents; he is a man of great culture who spends a lot of time on history books to imagine the future’.”

 

@coppolawine @bottegagold
#coppolawine #bottega #bottegagold #bottegagoldwine #bottegawine #limitededition #Oscars2021 #Oscars
#winelovers #instawine #oscarwine

What we can do to help California Wine Country?

Since the beginning of 2020, there have been over 8,100 wildfires in California, alone.   August 15 when fire activity increased extensively, there have been over 26 fatalities and 7,000 homes and businesses destroyed. This week, the California wine country was affected by the “Glass Fire”, which burned parts of Sonoma and Napa. The images are disturbing and the wine industry, as a whole, is with heavy-heart!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Donate to charitable organizations – see list below;
2. Book a trip in advance: support the wine country by visiting them;
3. Shop California wines: search for local shops, DTC winery shipments, order California wines in restaurants and bars; and
4. Show your support by using #WineCountryStrong on social media.

American Red Cross
California Community Foundation’s Wildlife Relief Fund
California Fire Foundation
Google (Scroll down and click “Yes, Donate”)
Humane Society of Ventura County
Salvation Army
United Way of Greater Los Angeles

Stay safe and show your support!

Liz Palmer

Ashes & Diamonds Winery in Napa opens a drive-thru

A winery in California’s Napa Valley has opened a drive-thru service with complimentary caviar when you purchase a case of wine.

Last month, California’s wineries, breweries, bars, restaurants and taprooms were asked to close as governor Gavin Newsom imposed a lockdown across the state to slow the spread of coronavirus.

This naturally is a hammer blow to the value of the country’s wine sector. California makes around 81% of all US wine and is the world’s 4th leading wine producer, according to the California Wine Institute. The state’s wine sector employs roughly 325,000 people, while the 23.6 million tourists who visit California wine regions spend around US$7.2 billion last year.

Thankfully, the measures only apply to tours, tasting activities and events. Wineries are now adapting to the new rules by offering pick-up and delivery services, but some are going the extra mile to stand out.

Ashes & Diamonds winery, located in the Oak Knoll district of Napa Valley, is using booking platform Tock to open up a delivery and drive-thru service to supply locals with the high-end wines in its portfolio and is throwing in caviar as a gift.

Customers can opt for either delivery or drive-through, and reserve a specific time slot, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m to order a package that includes Ashes & Diamonds wines as well as snacks such as focaccia, locally made cheese and caviar.

The winery’s prices range from US$45 for a 2017 vintage white wine made with Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillion, to $125 for a 2016 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon.

Also, customers who order at least three bottles of wine will get an additional bundle of food, which includes Focaccia, Rancho Gordo bean dip, house-made pickles and locally produced cheese. Those who order at least six bottles will also get a portion of trout roe, and only those who splash out on a 12-bottle case will be given a complimentary 1oz serving of caviar.

On the other side of the pond, in Nottingham UK Castle Rock brewery has also opened a drive-thru service allowing customers to stock up on 5lr, 10lr or 20lr polypins, alongside cases of bottled beer and mini kegs of its session ale.

Craft beer giant Brewdog, meanwhile, has also turned a large portion of its UK bar network into drive thru stations. The brewer has set up a new app, called Hop Drop, which allows people to select their nearest Brewdog bar, choose the beers and food they want to take away, and adding 30% off all orders as an extra incentive.

Sources:  Drinks Business and California Wine Institute