SacWineRegion

If they follow their usual timetable, federal and state agricultural officials any day now will release their annual calculation of vineyard acreage in California. more ...

Early on in their annual update of grape acreage in California, the federal and state agricultural officials who track this sort of thing include a long list of synonyms for the names of grape varieties. Mataro, for example, also can be called mourvedre, sangiovese can go by brunello, valdepenas can be substituted for tempranillo, and so on. more ...

File this one under "unintentional oversight." "Wine Buzz" mentioned last week some big accolades for Terre Rouge & Easton Wines of Amador County, which earned a spot on Wine Spectator's list of 100 outstanding values of 2012 for its Easton 2010 Zinfandel Amador County ($18). more ...

Ben Zeitman and Katie Quinn, the husband-and-wife winemaking team of Amador Foothill Winery in Amador County's Shenandoah Valley, first visited the southern Italian region of Campania in 2001. more ...

The black Italian grape sangiovese, the backbone of the remarkably agile wines of Chianti Classico, is having a difficult time getting a firm grip in California's soils. more ...

Two surprises emerged from the Amador County Fair commercial wine competition this year, and just one of them was a wine. more ...

You can almost miss seeing the vines at Helwig Vineyards & Winery in Amador County's Shenandoah Valley. more ...

I should have seen this coming, but nonetheless was surprised. It wasn't like I was in a blind curve. more ...

From deep in Portugal's shadows, the black grape touriga is emerging into the California sunshine, finding a tentative yet encouraging new home. more ...

I'm getting pretty excited about the first Barbera Festival coming up June 11 in Amador County's Shenandoah Valley. Fittingly, it will be on Dick Cooper's ranch, the source of so much highly acclaimed barbera. more ...