Australia Assesses Fire Damage

As the bushfire threat subsides and winery owners try to salvage vineyards, the world responds with aid. Twelve days after record heat helped spark a wave of devastating wildfires across Australia's southern state of Victoria, milder weather is helping firefighters win the battle against the remaining blazes. Meanwhile, the wine industry is beginning to come to grips with the extent of damage to vineyards, wineries and lives. Click on this link for the rest of article.

South Napa plant provides place for disabled workforce

WineBev is a company owned and operated by United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay. The business is designed to provide training and jobs for the developmentally disabled.  “We are empowering people to be more economically independent,”..... In a 12,000-square-foot temperature-controlled warehouse, WineBev Services repacks wine into shrink-wrapped two packs, and four- and six-pack toters.....On a recent morning, workers were shrink-wrapping bottles of Beringer’s Meridian wines for shipment to Costco stores. The production line was purchased by WineBev after it received the $50,000 community grant from Foster’s.   Click on this link for the entire article.

RIEDEL WINE & GLASS GUIDE

If you have ever agonized over the type of glass to use for a particular varietal check out the Riedel Wine and Glass Guide.  They have made an art of pairing  wines to their best suited glass.  90% of your experience with wine is inhaling the aromatics and that is what a properly shaped  glass will help you do, as you swirl the wine in the glass it is volatolized and then concentrated in the mouth of the glass for you to inhale.  This is especially important with Pinot Noir.

Unusual Closure Tasting At Master of Wine Seminar Very Illustrative

A closure tasting was held Tuesday in Yountville, California at the annual Master of Wine seminar for enrolled students. The tasting was also attended by about a dozen Masters of Wine. Click on this link for article.

Wine producers may dodge alcohol tax

The latest from the office of 6th District Assemblyman Jared Huffman is that a potentially crippling state alcohol excise tax will be voted down this week. This new development comes as a welcome surprise to California wine producers, who braced for the worst in light of a proposed tax that would steeply increase fees per gallon of wine. Referred to as the “nickel-a-drink” tax, this measure would raise the state’s wine tax by 640 percent, with fees increasing from $0.20 per gallon of wine to $1.48 per gallon. The increase would reverberate through all segments of the wine industry, including hotels and restaurants. Click on this Link to article

Rielle Wines at Pick of the Vine Wine Tasting April 4, 2009

Rielle is pleased to be pouring our wines at Pick of The Vine Wine Tasting on 4/4/09 6:00 pm t0 8:30 pm at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. This event benefits Senior Advocacy Services and the Ombudsman program of Sonoma County. There will be 35 wineries, gourmet food, the Ian Scherer jazz trio plus live and silent auctions. We hope to see you there!

Wine is Good For Your Health: Recent Findings

Five Articles about wine and health, click on links for more information.

**Moderate Drinking Linked to Lower Levels of Erectile Dysfunction
Study finds hard evidence that responsible alcohol consumption does not cause impotency


**Bartender, a Glass of Medicine, Please
Wineries are developing wines dosed with high amounts of resveratrol. But is this sound science?

**Grape Seed Extracts Show Promise Against Leukemia, Obesity
Two studies find red-wine compounds perform powerful tasks; debate rages over whether supplements or wine offer best results


**Drinking Wine Linked to Better Levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Novel mechanism triggered by wine consumption creates healthy fats


**Researchers Look to Red-Wine Compounds for Alzheimer's Cure
Polyphenols, including resveratrol, can control proteins that build up in brain cells and inflict damage; more research needed