The wine producing valleys of Napa California have achieved world wide fame. Hyped with movies, magazines and food channels. People now have a sense of awe for the place. The common perception is that “big spending” is the only way to go in California. Though it is a possibility, it isn’t the only one present for wine and nature lovers. As the rest of America prepares for a cold winter, northern Californians head outdoors. The rains transform the landscape from a dull brown to a lush green. Trees start blooming in February and by March a full bloom is achieved. All the green then dies out in the summer for the regular tourists to enjoy.
Napa and the rest of California can be expensive during tourist season; tastings cost as much as $50 per person. For the budgeted traveler, the Sonoma County is a better alternative where tastings are mostly free on under $5. The rural western side offers a glimpse of the rural side of the County. Ninety minutes from the golden gate bridge the rural country side is criss crossed with winding back roads through vineyards making getting lost both imminent and a welcoming possibility. The County offers more than just vine yards and prides itself on its diversity. From cheeses to apple orchards it has a lot to offer for the entire family.
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During the 1970’s winemaking was mostly an experimental undertaking in Washington, without prospects of commercial return. Today however Washington comes second only to California in the United States in premium winemaking, estimated being close to $3 million dollars.
Some believe that global warming is responsible for the thriving industry in the northwest. According to a 2003 study by Gregory V. Jones, a professor and climatologist at Southern Oregon University, average temperatures have risen by over 2 degrees in 50 years in major wine producing regions and are expected to rise another 2 in the coming 50. The northwest according to the professor has never been more suited to wine production.
Further climate changes which seem imminent have done nothing to dampen the spirits of the local winemakers, who assert as winemakers being more flexible and more resourceful. Although the wine industry in the state is only about 30 years old, it does not show any signs of slowing down, coupled that with the tourism and hospitality the industry appears to have a rosy future in front of it.
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Reno, NV - Reno’s Atlantis Casino Resort Spa will host the 9th Annual Reno/Tahoe Winter Wine & Ski Expo on Thursday, January 29, when Atlantis’ Grand Ballroom will be bustling with more than 50 wineries from around the world, microbreweries and local restaurants. Area ski resorts will be represented as well, and you can make a bid in the silent auction with more than 150 items from ski and snowboard gear, wine and dinners to luxury room stays.
All proceeds from the Reno/Tahoe Winter Wine & Ski Expo will help fund The Heuga Center for Multiple Sclerosis, a nonprofit organization that leads the way with comprehensive programs that empower people and families living with MS to transform and improve their quality of life. Based in Vail, Colo., the Heuga Center’s one-, three- and five-day programs teach people with this incurable neurological disease how to manage it to the best of their ability.
The Winter Wine & Ski Expo kicks off at 6 p.m., and you must be at least 21 years old. Tickets are $55 in advance or $65 at the door. Tickets are now available at the Atlantis Gift Shop, Bobo’s Mogul Mouse, Whispering Vine or by calling (775) 824-4467 or toll free at (888) 551-7007 or online at www.heuga.org.
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With wine brands tightening up the competition in the wine industry lately, the need to attract and, more importantly, keep loyal wine patrons becomes even more prevalent. Because of this, the quality and appeal of tasting rooms to these patrons are becoming more and more crucial to the success of any competing establishment, which is exactly what has been found in the results of Wine Business Monthly’s second Tasting Room Survey this year.
In fact, according to the study, with tasting rooms becoming the significant bulk of winery sales – specifically 43% of total sales from Oregon, California and Washington wineries – these tasting rooms are gradually becoming the most important profit centers for wineries today. Over 59% – an 8% increase from last year – of wineries in the industry are actually charging and profiting from tasting rooms and at the same time collecting the most consumer information from there.
This gradual but sure change of trend obviously signals the winemaking industry to turn and focus on these tasting rooms within the following years.
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Tanner Creek Energy, Oregon’s most experienced supplier of solar energy systems to its wine industry, designed and installed a 94.5 kilowatt system in Oregon Dundee Hills’ well known Domaine Drouhin Oregon, making it the winery that houses the largest solar panel system in the region’s wine industry.
Embracing environmentally-friendly business practices, Phillippe Drouhin of the fourth generation of the Drouhin Family of Burgundy came up with the idea and worked with Tanner Creek in order to install over 500 ground mounted, state-of-the-art Photovoltaic panels into the facing southwest within the vineyard landscape.
Being the largest developers of solar energy systems in Oregon with over 500 kilowatt of systems already completed, Tanner Creek Energy paired up with the Drouhin Family because of the winemaker’s dedication to the use of renewable energy, which they say is a quality that has brought inspiration to the industry as much as their wine have inspired many people.
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