Back-to-back wine competitions in Petaluma and Angels Camp last week provided both surprise and affirmation, as competitions are inclined to do. One day it was the Sonoma-Marin Fair’s North of the Gate Wine Competition in Petaluma, which draws entries from most of...

Napa Valley, the nation’s most gilded wine enclave, also is the most conspicuously gerrymandered, a viticultural district drawn not so much to represent geography and culture as politics, especially the marketing party. In contrast to the traditional standards of...

      Jeff Runquist, Mike Roser, take a bow. Saturday, they reaffirmed their stature as two of Amador County’s more accomplished winemakers. At the Amador County Fair commercial wine competition in Plymouth, which drew about 300 entries, they were...

During April – Earth Month – expect to read and hear a lot about how the wine trade is responding to climate change and softening its impact on the environment. More by coincidence than strategy, however, one seasoned winemaker is taking on those issues in an...

Every wine has its day. For Cabernet Franc, it’s Dec. 4. That’s fitting, given that the wine’s customary forward fruit, stable spine and nippy acidity make it a fine companion for the hearty dishes of fall and winter. Michael Kelly doesn’t wait until Dec 4 to uncork...

Jerry Eisterhold devotes his professional life to designing museums. His credits include the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, Virginia; the North Carolina History Center on Civil War, Emancipation and Reconstruction at Fayetteville, North Carolina; the...