UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

For The Love Of Grapes ~ Harvest Time In Sonoma County

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IMG_9681An exhilarating time to experience Sonoma County Wine Country is during the harvest, which for the second year in a row, began as one of the earliest on record.

karissa“Growers have kept a fast pace since the start of harvest here in Sonoma County,” said Karissa Kruse, president of the Sonoma County Winegrowers. “For some, picking schedules that usually occur over the course of a month have been condensed into a one or two week time frame this season.”

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By Labor Day, the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir had already been picked in the Russian River Valley and the vines were starting to yellow.  The vineyard activity was quiet, however, the cellar workers were in high gear!

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Littorai Wines, Sebastopol  ~ Sorting Table 

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Dutton Estate, Russian River Valley ~ Field Bins [Read more…]

Iconic Merry Edwards Winery Embraces Pinot Noir Lovers

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IMG_8521 Sooner, rather than later, Pinot Noir aficionados seek out Merry Edwards Winery near Sebastopol in the picturesque Russian River Valley AVA.  Considered a perfectionist and a wine muse by all who meet her, Merry Edwards is now in her 40th year of wine making.

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Merry and husband/partner Ken Coopersmith  manage five estate Pinot Noir vineyards: Coopersmith, Cresta d’Oro, Flax, Georganne and Meredith.  The Chardonnay and  Sauvignon Blanc grapes are sourced from other vineyards in the Russian RIver Valley.

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Private tastings are hosted by appointment in the state of the art facility’s elegant tasting rooms.  Guests are educated about the diurnal temperatures, climate micro zones and soils of the Russian River Valley and the diversity between the estate vineyards.   [Read more…]

Sunce Winery Exudes True Old World Charm

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Winter Wineland 2014 was the perfect venue to visit over 36 wineries in the Russian River Valley in January, plus another 100 or so wineries in Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Healdsburg, Geyserville and Santa Rosa.  My wine trek started along Olivet Road, my favorite stretch of vineyards  in the heart of the Russian River Valley, which led me to Sunce Winery.

IMG_6017Third generation Croatian-born winemaker, Frane Franicevic, has certainly perfected his love of winemaking over the years.  Frane released his first wines in 1990, created in a barn off Piner Road, later moving his winemaking operation to the current Sunce Winery site in the late 1990s.

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Sunce is a Serb-Croatian word for “sunshine”.  And, plenty of sun shines in the Russian River Valley in the peak growing season.  Sunce Winery is named after one of Frane’s daughters, Sunce, with another vineyard and a varietal wine blend named after his other two daughters, Zora and Zemlja. [Read more…]