Weather Hazards Spring Frosts can kill new growth. In 2008 we had the coldest April in Napa. I remember driving around and looking at all the green growth on the vines. That night the temperature dipped into the mid 20’s, and the next day, all that was green turned brown. Such a sad sight to […]
After soils, climate is the most important factor in determining what a wine will taste like. In the simplest sense, growing seasons with lots of sun produce fruity and full-bodied wines, while cloudier growing seasons produce thinner, earthier wines. Warmer seasons produce higher alcohol but lower acid wines, while cooler years produce just the opposite. […]
Crémant The term Crémant is used to designate sparkling wines made by méthode champenoise but falling outside the boundaries of the Champagne region. The secret of how to make Champagne was eventually leaked and other regions started producing their own fizz. These were produced by Method Champenoise, just like Champagne, although they might slightly lower […]