The Top 22 Wines I tasted during 2014

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Aaron Watty, Ballard Canyon Road American Viticultural Area, Big Tar, Blake Sillix, Ethan Wines, Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA, Mark Cargasacchi, Sta. Rita Hills AVA

Let me be the first to acknowledge that yes, I need to venture further afield, because all of these wines hail from Santa Barbara County grapes — not that there’s anything wrong with that fact — and yes, I’m posting this list late, as it’s already 2015.

Oh well.

My disclaimer: I have personally tasted all of these wines, either by the taste, glass or bottle. Naturally, I sampled other wines throughout the year, but only the following made my cut for this list.

Taking good notes does pay, for I can share where and (sometimes) even when I came to taste these particular beauties. Comments appear where I remembered to jot them down … but in many cases, I was too enamored of the wine to do more than just sip.

In no particular order:

Discovered this at BubblyFest, and have since enjoyed it several times

Mosby Wines Stelline di Cortese: (“Little Stars of Cortese”), California (estate) sparkling, NV (BubblyFest, October)

2013 Dreamcote Wines Malvasia Bianca: Lively. And, as the label states: “Life’s short; Drink what you like.” (Private tasting, December)

2012 Cholame Vineyard “Summer Shade,” Grenache Blanc: La Presa Vineyard. Crisp and complex.(Garagiste Festival, Southern Exposure, March 2014). Cholame Vineyard features longtime local winemaker/vineyard manager Andy Ibarra as winemaker.

2012 Dragonette Cellars Sauvignon Blanc: Vogelzang Vineyard. Straw colored, and more viscous, less brisk. (bottle purchase)

2010 Clos Pepe Barrel Select Chardonnay: (bottle purchase)

This wine strengthens my vow to consume more Italian varietals.

2010 Ethan Wines Nebbiolo: Stolpman Vineyards (bottle purchase)

2011 Sillix Wines Syrah:  (first tasted at Garagiste Festival, Southern Exposure, March 2014), (bottle purchase)

2013 Lindley Wines Chardonnay: estate (private tasting, December)

2102 Carucci Wines Viognier, White Hawk Vineyard: (Garagiste Festival, Southern Exposure, March 2014)

True confessions: I’ve had a lot of this wine over the years. A LOT. And it never loses its allure.

2010 Jalama Wines “El Capitan:” (Blend of syrah, mourvedre and cabernet sauvignon) (bottle purchase)

2013 Alta Maria Wines Carbonic Pinot Noir: whole cluster, 100 percent carbonic maceration, bottled four months after harvest (tasting room)

As you can see, I couldn’t choose just one pink wine. Here are my three dead-heat favorites: Hitching Post, Dragonette Cellars and Andrew Murray Vineyards.

2013 Hitching Post Rosé; 2013 Dragonette Cellars Rosé (Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara); and 2013 Andrew Murray Vineyards, Esperance Rosé. (Bottle purchase, all three; the HP is pinot noir and the other two are Rhone blends)

2010 Samsara Wine Grenache: Spectacular. (bottle purchase)

2009 A-non-ah-mus Grenache: D’Vine Wine Bar, by the glass

2009 Stolpman Vineyards L’Avion: Roussanne, (bottle purchase)

2012 Stolpman Vineyards Estate Grown Syrah: (Wine Bloggers’ Conference seminar: “Syrah Terrority, Ballard Canyon,” July; and again during Celebration of Harvest seminar, October)

2011 Brave and Maiden “Union:” Blend of syrah, merlot and cabernet franc. Beautifully dusty. (Wandering Dog Wine Bar, by the glass)

2010 No Limit Wine “The Nutz” Syrah: (private tasting, December)

2012 Big Tar Wines Cabernet Sauvignon: Winemaker Aaron Watty’s goal is food-friendly wines, and he nails it with this silky beauty. (private tasting, December)

While I tasted all four of these Rack and Riddle bubblies, the Blanc de Blancs gets my top vote

Rack and Riddle North Coast Blanc de Blancs: (100 percent chardonnay, NV) (BubblyFest, October)

Copyright Central Coast Wine Press for centralcoastwinepress.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chardonnay Symposium Update: SMV Wine Country Association disbands

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Clarissa Nagy, James Ontiveros, Nicholas Miller, Paul Lato, Presqu'ile, Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association, The Chardonnay Symposium

The recent news that the popular Chardonnay Symposium would no longer be held in Chardonnay-ville, aka the Santa Maria Valley, now makes a little more sense.

In a news release Tuesday, the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association, founder in 2010 of the Chardonnay Symposium, announced that it will dissolve, and has handed over ownership of the annual event to the Dolphin Bay Resort and Spa in Pismo Beach.

The SMVWCA plans to give its “website and collaterals” to the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, publicist Sao Anash (Muse Management) announced in a news release.

Taking over for the association is a “think tank” of industry volunteers, who will promote the Santa Maria Valley in ways that “are not hemmed in by the restrictions associated with many advocacy group models,” said volunteer member Dayna Hammell.

The Santa Maria Valley was recognized as an American Viticultural Area in 1981, making it Santa Barbara County’s first appellation.

Among the members of the think tank are Nicholas Miller (Bien Nacido Vineyards); vineyard manager Jim Stollberg (Maverick Farming Company); winemaker James Ontiveros (Alta Maria and Native 9); Matt Murphy (Presqu’ile); Katy Westgaard (Presqu’ile Winery); Laura Booras (Riverbench), winemaker Clarissa Nagy (Nagy Wines); Dayna Hammell (Thornhill Companies); winemaker Paul Lato and Anash.

While “ … many of us here in Santa Maria Valley will remain avid supporters and engaged members of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association,” said Presqu’ile’s Murphy, adding that members intend to more “closely align our AVA’s interests with SBCVA, (which is) a testament to the revitalized leadership and vision at the association.”

Morgen McLaughlin, new executive director of the SBCVA, calls the Santa Maria Valley a “jewel in the crown of the Santa Barbara County wine region. As the SBCVA continues to work towards its strategic mission of raising the visibility of Santa Barbara County and its five AVAs, the ideas and input from this new think tank will be vital in assisting our efforts.”

Copyright Central Coast Wine Press

New CCWP feature: Wine Week

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Adam Firestone, Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyard, Andrew Murray Vineyards, Chuck Carlson, Curtis Winery, Ernst Storm, Firestone Vineyard, Longoria Wines, Richard Sanford, Rick Longoria, Santa Barbara County Wine, Storm Wines

The week just past produced some changes in Santa Barbara County’s world of wine, and so it seems a good day to debut a occasional feature: Central Coast Wine Press’ Wine Week:

Here are but a few of the highlights:

Bank projects up to 10% sales growth in U.S. wine industry

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a commercial banker to many wineries, especially in Napa and Sonoma counties and the Pacific Northwest, Thursday released its annual “State of the Wine Industry Report.”

Based on the bank’s survey of nearly 650 West Coast wineries, as well as ongoing research, the report outlines trends and issues in the United States’ wine industry.

“Despite news to the contrary in recent months, wine supply is in balance heading into 2014 and we expect the highest rate of sales growth since the recession, despite a tough economy,” said Rob McMillan, founder of Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division and author of the report.

“News is good for the consumer: Demand is up, supply is in good shape and pricing is stable. For the winery, however, increased grape costs and flat consumer pricing means lower profitability.”

Central Coast Wine Press file

Some key points:

In the short term: Look for continued growth in the demand for wine and limited pricing power for producers;

In the long term: Baby Boomers’ declining demand for wine will not be immediately replaced by Millennials’ demand. This may affect wineries’ ability to sustain their current rate of growth;

Supply: Expect final numbers on the 2013 harvest to reach 3.94 million tons — the second largest harvest on record in California after the 4 million tons harvested in 2012;

Sales Growth: In the realm of fine wine, sales are predicted to rise by six to 10 percent in 2014, which is the first increase in three years;

Pricing: Bottle prices will remain stable, as the increase in grape and bulk wine costs are not being passed on to the consumer. This means that gross profits will be down, however;

Demand: The greatest increase in demand will be in the range of bottles that cost $10 to $18;

Wine deals: Consumers can expect to find slightly better deals on merlot, zinfandel and chardonnay, as producers have slightly more inventory with these grape varietals;

M&M: Mergers and vineyard acquisitions will continue at a record pace.

*****

Speaking of mergers and acquisitions … let’s segue to Alma Rosa, whose owners this week welcomed the financial support of Houston businessman Robert Zorich.

Richard and Thekla Sanford, who founded Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyard in 2005, have an investor in Zorich, a graduate of UCSB with a lengthy career in banking and oil exploration.

The Sanfords, who in 2012 filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors who threatened to take the pioneering winemakers off the map, are no doubt thrilled by Zorich having stepped up to pay off their millions in debts.

This news does indeed mean Sanford is now Zorich’s “employee,” but luckily the well-loved winemaker is still the man behind the Alma Rosa label and in charge of the vineyards and production.

The same year the couple filed for bankruptcy, Sanford was named to the Culinary Institute of America’s Vintners Hall of Fame list.

“These inductees are the leaders who helped California become the center of the American wine industry while producing some of the best wines in the world, CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan noted at the time (in a story I wrote for my “Wine Country” column for Lee Central Coast Newspapers).

Zorich is the managing partner of EnCap Investments LP, according to his biography at http://www.encapinvestments.com. Prior to founding EnCap, he was senior vice president of Trust Company of the West, also in Houston.

******

Moving eastward into the greater Santa Ynez Valley, a long-rumored change in occupancy and management at another winery was announced Tuesday: In a pact with the Firestone family, Andrew Murray, longtime proprietor of Andrew Murray Vineyards, will lease the Curtis Winery vineyard, winery and tasting room.

Under the direction of President Adam Firestone, the Firestone family will continue farming its 200-acre estate vineyard for Curtis, Jarhead and Andrew Murray Vineyards, and Murray will take the reins as winemaker.

Winemaker Ernst Storm, who has produced the Curtis label under general manager Chuck Carlson since summer of 2011, has left Curtis Winery, the former said Thursday.

The South African native will continue making his own label, Storm Wines, at either Area 51 or the facility on the Curtis property formerly used by Doug Margerum, Storm noted.

Storm hopes to boost his own production to about 2,000 cases beginning with the current vintage, he noted.

******

And finally: Longoria Wines broke ground early this week on its owners’ long-held dream of owning their own winemaking facility.

Rick Longoria, who opened both his Los Olivos tasting room and current winery in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto in 1998, is anticipating a showpiece of a facility at the corner of East Chestnut Avenue and North D Street.

On the lot is a structure built in 1913 as a farmhouse. Its long history includes ownership by Johns-Manville, later Celite World Minerals, and use by the companies as a clubhouse, union meeting hall and site for training seminars, Longoria said.

Inside, some of the floors slope and creak and windows need replacing, but the building exudes charm and Lompoc history.

Longoria said he hopes to move his entire winery from the Lompoc Wine Ghetto in the Sobhani Industrial Park by July, just in time for the harvest of 2014, which could begin as soon as mid August.

The former farmhouse, now white with blue trim, will be repainted a classic “barn red” with white trim, which Longoria said he hopes will pair with his new winery facility, to be constructed of metal at the north side of the lot.

San Luis Obispo-based Rarig Construction is the builder. Among that company’s former clients are Sea Smoke Cellars, Foxen Winery’s newer facility, the Central Avenue facility that houses both Loring Wine Co. and Pali Wine Co., and Buellton’s Terravant Wine Company, Longoria said.

Copyright centralcoastwinepress.com

VINTAGE 2014: A tale waiting to be told needs a kick start . . .

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Central Coast Wine & Food, Clos Pepe Estates, Jeremy Ball, Michelle Ball, Santa Barbara County California, VINTAGE 2014: The Stories Behind the Vines, Wes Hagen, Wil Fernandez

Wil Fernandez has a terrific story to share, but he needs your help.

Fernandez, founder of Central Coast Wine & Food, in November launched a Kickstarter campaign for VINTAGE 2014: The Stories Behind the Vines. Fernandez and the team plan an “interactive documentary,” the first ever to follow a vintage from start to finish — from bud break on the vines to the barreling of the juice.

His team will interview vineyard managers and winemakers during the 2014 vintage, produce short films on key events, such as netting and pruning vines, and harvest, produce time lapse videos of the season and graph key data points — air temperature and brix levels.

Fernandez took Central Coast Wine & Food on the road last summer and traveled across part of the United States, offering pop-up tastings that featured wines from Santa Barbara County.

Viewers of VINTAGE 2014 will be able to follow one vineyard’s changes month by month, or observe changes in different vineyards at the same time, Fernandez said.

But back to the money: Innovation such as this doesn’t come cheap. There’s aerial photography of vineyards, audio podcasting and web development.

This is where you come in.

Fernandez and his team launched a Kickstarter campaign in November to fund the project. Fernandez told me earlier today he’d like funding in place by Jan. 17 so that the team can begin.

With Michelle Ball, production director; Jeremy Ball, director of photography; Jonathan Baudoin, editor; Katie Falbo, events coordinator; and Robert Girvin, operations, Fernandez will offer wine tasting in various cities, a chance to question participating winemakers and, all the while, observe footage from the featured vineyards.

For sure, Fernandez has several winemakers already participating, including Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe, but he wants more to step up and join the team.

To donate or for more information: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wilfernandez/vintage-2014-the-stories-behind-the-vines

Here are a few of my favorite things: Chardonnay

We’re less than 30 hours away from the kick-off of the Fourth Annual Chardonnay Symposium, which opens Friday evening with a tribute dinner honoring the work and wine of Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat.

The symposium continues Saturday morning with a panel tasting that will target clones of chardonnay, and is followed by the grand tasting.

Yesterday I offered to share a few of my favorite chardonnays from grapes produced throughout Santa Barbara County, and specifically in the Santa Maria Valley, where chardonnay — and pinot noir — rule.

I’ve enjoyed many a chardonnay during my time in Santa Barbara County; I’m sure I cannot list them all.

Following are some producers with chardonnays that please my palate. They may not be your favorites, but remember: Your palate and my palate are different.

Tickling my fancy are the chardonnays from Alta Maria, Au Bon Climat, Bien Nacido Vineyards, Costa de Oro Winery, Dierberg Vineyard, Ken Brown Wines, Kessler-Haak Vineyard & Wines and Sierra Madre.

I have one or two other favorite chardonnay producers among the list of those pouring Saturday afternoon, but they hail from outside of our county.

See you Friday evening!

Chardonnay is the star of the show in the Santa Maria Valley this weekend

I started to create an acronym using the word “chardonnay” — you know: “C” is for “chardonnay,” “h” is for “historic” grape, “a” is for “aroma” … but I ran out of descriptors starting with the “r” and the “d.”

No matter. It’s best to speak plain about chardonnay: It’s just good wine.

Chardonnay reigns in popularity across America, both with an older generation of wine drinkers who gravitate toward traditional, oak-infused chardonnay, and those who prefer stainless-steel aged — or a blend of the two styles.

At this weekend’s Fourth Annual Chardonnay Symposium, “America’s Sweetheart” grape is the star of the show.

This will be my fourth symposium in four years, but while looking over the list of participating winemakers earlier today, I found there are still several I have yet to try.

What are some of your favorite California, Central Coast and Santa Barbara County chardonnay producers?

CCWP Tasting Panel reconvenes to partake of the perfumed pink: rosé

The first time I tried a pink wine, it was just that — pink — and it probably was poured from a half-gallon jug into a red solo cup.

But over several decades, pink evolved into rosé, and since has eclipsed any memory of the essence of overripe strawberry dripping from a green-tinted bottle.

The sticky-sweet pink wine I remember from my youth bears absolutely no resemblance to today’s rosés. They are refreshing, crisp and produced from all sorts of red grape varietals, from pinot noir to mourvedré, syrah, grenache and even cabernet franc or cabernet sauvignon.

A modern rosé (rosado in Spanish, or rosato in Italian) is crafted either by the traditional saignée style (saignée is French for “bleed”) — the process by which the juice is bleed off the grapes — or via skin contact with the skins of red grapes. Naturally, the longer the juice “sits” on skins, the darker the color of the final rosé product.

The sixth adventure of the Central Coast Wine Press’ tasting panel focused on rosé. A handful of members met at the home of Michelle and Jeremy Ball March 8.

Participating were Michelle and Jeremy Ball, Bottle Branding; Ashley Costa, Lompoc City Council member and tasting room manager at Loring Wine Company; myself, and for the first time, Matt Mauldin, wine sales professional and blogger; and his financeé, Melissa Miller, developmental analyst at UCSB. The size of our group likely will fluctuate in coming months.

Because were so few this time around we tasted just two rosés. The Ball’s provided charcuterie, pulled pork sandwiches and slaw. We never leave the Ball’s home hungry.

Comments about the wine, in the order we sampled them:

Wine One: “Tart, some spice, no strawberry, very little sweetness (this taster had the first pour and later noted that it “sweetened” up as it got air); low acid, even (more so) on the nose; salty, with mouth-smacking acidity; big and rich, zero minerality, strawberry, watermelon; (like a) basket of eggs on the nose, a little barn-y on the ending, soft on the palate.”

Wine Two: “The fruit shows — cherry, strawberry, less so on the watermelon; the tannins make you salivate; floral, tropical, grapefruit on the nose; real floral, perfume-y; if I didn’t know this was a rosé, I’d think it was a sauvignon blanc; banana; they must have blended some white wine into this; crisp (with) integrated, lighter minerality; like grenache with a sauvignon blanc; all back, no front palate; lean and mean, on the extreme side of racy, and juicy on the finish, although the fruit is more of a sensation; it doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up; piercing fruit on the front palate when paired with the proscuitto — the food equation opens up variables with feel … it’s almost too acidic (on its own), and has no balance. It needs the fat (of the proscuitto).”

The wines:

Wine One: 2011 Carhartt Vineyard & Winery, grenache rosé, $21 per bottle but sold out, according to carharttvineyard.com

Wine Two: 2012 Domaine de la Fouquette Cotes de Provence Cuvee Rosee d’Aurore, Provence, France. This vintage is comprised of Cinsault, grenache, syrah and rolle. Most interestingly, Michelle Ball let the cat out of the bag: While it’s known as rolle in the south of France, it’s vermentino in Italy and other nations in Southern Europe. And it presents like sauvignon blanc, with lots of bright acidity. $14 per bottle, according to wine-Searcher.com

Wednesday at Unified: Wine and sales meet social media’s tricks of the trade

After Moderator Andrew Healy introduced the panelists presenting New Technologies and Social Media session today at Unified Wine & Grape Symposium (#UGWS), Ashley Teplin, the first panelist, jumped in head first with advice for winemakers.

Tell the world who you are, she said, or details about your brand: “Tell. The. Story.”

“There’s a lot of wines out there, and you need to make sure that your brand resonates with the people who will consume it.”

Teplin is the owner and co-founder of Teplin+Nuss.

Outline your brand via a six-month plan, and stick to it, she said.

And jump in.

“Everyone notices, and everyone notices everything you say” on Twitter, or Facebook. So be yourself, she said, but draw a line between your brand and who you are when you’re not making wine. Be careful not to cross that line too often, or do so with care.

Her tips:

— Befriend your local journalists. Be their plus-one and a wine event. (And, I might add: Ask your new journalist buddy to explain how journalism works so you’ll understand more about ethics, and what Off The Record really means).

— Less is more. Do not take on more social media than you can reasonably accomplish in a given time frame. Stay on it, or don’t take it on.

— Don’t be out of line, or in poor taste, in posts on your Facebook page.

— Ask for help from social media experts and continue to educate yourself.

The second panelist to speak was Kristy Sammis, funding partner of Clever Girls Collective.

Know your market; who will you target? “When the ‘how’ and ‘who’ come together, that’s when you’ll actually see traction,” in your social media efforts, she said.

Social media is just one channel of marketing, Sammis said, and not an end in itself. It’s just part of a larger plan.

That said, blogs are much more influential than ads in print media, Sammis said. Viewers may not purchase because of an ad on a blog, but they are “influenced” by the blog. In other words, social media resonates with viewers.

“Content is king.” Use your content — your story – in a unique fashion. And then make it easy for your target audience to find you.

Reach out beyond wine bloggers: Find crafters who blog about, say, knitting and drinking wine. Or beer. “Use your social media outreach skills for good and find who is willing to talk about your product,” Sammis said.

Mark Gordon, the third panelist, is direct social media manager at Jackson Family Wines, and opened with “the best places to be” on social media.

Number one choices: Facebook and Linked In. “Nice to have” is Twitter. But it takes time. Instagram would be his fourth choice, followed by YouTube, Google+ and a blog — if you’re ready and have the time. Pinterest, again, if you have the time. And vimeo, for its quality.

He echoed Teplin by reminding audience members not to open an account in any of the above if “You don’t have the time to maintain it.”

Time your posts around the holidays, and what might be seasonal in the vineyard — harvest, pruning, even planting, he said.

Gordon shared several ideas for winemakers’ best use of the various social media outlets:

For Facebook: In your posts, use 80 characters or less, for fewer words pack more clout than paragraph after paragraph. Be mindful that people don’t read as much as they once did.

Pose your questions so that viewers can respond to you with yes or no or very short answers: Facebook users favor “like,” “share,” and the ability to comment very quickly.

Best time to post: 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday are considered the “best days,” he said, citing research. Posts that include photos receive more attention than those that do not.

Twitter: Retweet regularly. Follow others, especially those in your industry. Tool up. Hook up, but don’t sell. Reply when you are mentioned. Use #hashtags. Use Instagram to tweet your photos. And finally, engage people directly.

Panelist and musician Alan Kropf, founder of “Mutineer” magazine, opened up with a bugle call that got everyone’s attention and laughs — and underscored his point: Winemakers have a battle for the mainstream consumer.

Viewers crave a personal connection to your brand; without that “hook,” your brand is just that: Yours.

This goes back to Teplin’s advice to tell your (own) story. Be yourself, because everyone else is taken.

Many distributors, he noted, tell small producers looking for help that “you’re too much like everyone else.” Find what sets you apart Kropf said, and run with it.

“We’re going through something of a Wild West period (as far as social media), and you don’t want everyone else to discover the results when you’re still waiting to get on the train,” he said.

Healy and all four panelists all live and work in Napa or Healdsburg.

Copyright centralcoastwinepress.com

At Unified: Globalization of wine and how that affects U.S. production

In experts’ opinions, what in recent years was the biggest trend affecting the U.S. wine production market?

The rise of imported bulk wines, giving consumers decent to good wines for great values.

Bulk wines took center stage Tuesday during the first general session at Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, “How the Global Wine Market Affects U.S. Production.”

Panelists were Kym Anderson, Greg Livengood, Stephen Rannekleiv and Mike Veseth (details on each follow).

From margins, to production to wages, “globalization is a two-way street,” said Mike Veseth, writer for The Wine Economist and an instructor at the University of Puget Sound in Washington.

Down the line, it’s packaging and how the wine itself is shipped around the world.

What is another product like wine that is a little further along the route of globalization — one that those in the wine industry can learn from? Veseth: “Apples.”

Or: “Juice boxes.” Read the ingredient list, he urged the crowd. Apple juice comes from the “U.S.A, Argentina, Austria, Chile, Austria, German and Turkey.”

And: This means apple juice sources are “interchangeable and highly sensitive to exchange,” and can this be the future of “basic wine?”

Or, a step further, the future of branded wines?

The next speaker was Kym Anderson from the University of Adelaide in Australia. While the latest wave of wine globalization began in the mid-1980s, it was in the 1990s that the share of the global exportation rose in the Old World to 25 percent from 15 percent, he said.

In the New World, the rate rose from 3 to 20 percent within that same decade, he noted.

And that New World increase was a “big challenge to Old World wines.”

Moving along, the exports of bulk wines from today’s biggest players — Australia, Argentina, Chile and New Zealand — have obvious consequences for grape growers and winemakers in the United States.

Retail buyers, for one, have access to better wines at lower costs, and in turn offer those benefits to supermarket consumers, Anderson said.

Nations with the largest increase in consumption are Northern Europe, and Asia.

In the latter, especially in the “developing” regions, Anderson said, dollars (billions) spent on wine consumption are forecast to rise from 11 to 28 percent between 2007 and 2030.

Residents of China, in particular, are forecast to represent the world’s largest jump in consumption, which means countries such as Italy, Spain and Australia are spotlighting China for export, he noted.

Third to speak was Steve Rannekleiv of Rabobank in New York.

Fresno has seen the most explosive growth, followed by Lodi, and then Napa, he noted.

On the North Coast, sales of bottles priced $20 and above show the most increase, and that demand, he said, matches middle-class income — families making around $90,000 per year.

How will this improve in 2013? Consumers are making strides paying down debt, the banking system has recapitalized, and both the housing and labor markets have improved, he told the audience.

In Fresno, the supply of both grapes and prices of wine are increasing, which, by itself, doesn’t make a lot of sense, but when we factor in globalization of bulk wine, then, yes, it does, Rannekleiv said.

Global inventories have tightened, but Fresno continues to outpace, if you will, the world, as far as total inventory. This is quite the opportunity for Fresno, and for California, Rannekleiv noted.

“California is very price competitive,” he said.

That said, however, he expects that the weak U.S. dollar will remain weak — but stable — for the immediate future.

The session’s final speaker was Greg Livengood of California’ Ciatti Company, a global brokerage company.

Imports, he said: Who wins? Who loses? Who are the importers?

They are either foreign-based and foreign-owned companies, or U.S. companies with value brands or potential line extensions, such as with muscato, Livengood said.

Why go overseas? Price, for one. Consumers want deals. Second, in search of a pecific varietal, such as pinot grigio, which is enjoying an upswing. Third: Consumer-driven demand, such as that of New Zealand sauvignon blanc, for example.

Grape varietals most commonly imported: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, muscato, malbec and sauvignon blanc.

Livengood said that of the 347 million cases of wine sold in the United States in 2011, 61 percent was California-grown, and 34 percent was wine imported to the U.S.

Looking ahead, California had a big crop in 2012, which is good news all around.

On the other hand, grape and bulk prices could have reached greater heights (in certain varieties) without foreign competition, he said.

Since wine consumers will continue to drive global competition, Livengood urged winemakers and growers to “have a global strategy.”

A member of the audience questioned the panel about how and if future water needs will affect global grape production, and in particular, the conditions faced by China.

Anderson noted that the vineyard regions of China are quite similar in size of those of Australia, and while water is plentiful in sections, water rights are issues in others.

Another question: What country is poised to be the next “wine nation” as far as promoting an identity for itself?

While the name on everyone’s lips might be China, Livengood said, Spain has recently moved a lot of its wines to overseas’ consumers after Chile “opened the door” with its lower-priced wines.

This morning’s panel was moderated by Jeff O’Neill, O’Neill Vintners & Distillers of California.

Third public hearing on Winery Ordinance draws crowd concerned about special events

Mid-way through Thursday’s Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department’s third public hearing to gather input for revisions to the Winery Ordinance, one participant raised a point that momentarily silenced the crowd.

“Why don’t we consider pulling special events out of the (proposed) winery ordinance and include them in a county-wide ruling” that is not specific to wineries?” asked Michael Dobrotin.

Many in the standing-room-only audience murmured or nodded in agreement with Dobrotin, who is involved in a vineyard project outside of Buellton.

Facilitating the two-hour hearing was Susan Klein-Rothschild, and in attendance were Dr. Glenn Russell, Planning Department director, as well as Deputy Director Jeff Hunt, Assistant Director Dianne Black and Stephanie Stark, agricultural planner.

Thursday’s hearing, the third of five scheduled during which county planners hope to gather public feedback on the ordinance before it heads to the County Board of Supervisors for revision, was devoted to Special Events, and drew approximately 65 participants.

The planning staff encourages those interested in participating in the input process to attend a hearing and speak, fill out a comment card at a meeting, or comment via the department’s web site. Comments emailed must be received within two weeks following each meeting date — by Jan. 24 in the case of the Jan. 10 meeting.

Visit http://longrange.sbcountyplanning.org/programs/winery_ord/wineryordinance.php

The planners define special events, Stark explained, as those lasting less than one day, with 80 or more people in attendance on winery/vineyard property, having concerts with or without amplified sound, and include weddings, advertised events, fund raising events and winemaker dinners open to the general public.

Clearly defined in the existing Winery Ordinance, created in 2004, are three tiers of “maximums” that limit wineries’ events. A Tier 1 Winery is limited to four special events per year, and each event must not exceed 150 people. Tier 2 wineries can have eight events and 150 people at each, and Tier 3 wineries 12 events per year, and 200 people at each.

In order to host any kind of special event, a winery/vineyard site must be at least 20 acres in size, Black said.

Attendees Thursday spoke up either in support of rural wineries’ attempts to hold special events — especially fundraisers — or complained that the ensuing noise, lights, traffic, dust and parking make their neighborhoods unbearable.

Phil Bond, who said his Santa Ynez Valley home of 20-plus years is located five miles from Gainey Vineyard, described hearing “significant” noise whenever the winery hosts an event. “Sound travels, especially at night,” he said. He and other opponents present emphasized to the planners that it was the “cumulative” effect of several events throughout the years, not isolated concerts, weddings or benefit dinners, that have urging stricter rules.

In the hour-plus leading up to Dobrotin’s comment, representatives of local nonprofit groups that have benefitted from special events spoke in favor of allowing winemakers and wineries to extend community goodwill by, well, throwing a party or two.

Bruce Porter, board chairman of the Santa Barbara County chapter of the American Red Cross, told the planning staff that “it’s so important that we have access to wineries because they are our theaters” when it comes to events.

Many wineries throughout Santa Barbara County need special events to boost sales, said Kady Fleckenstein, executive director of the Santa Ynez Valley Visitors Association. Smaller wineries and winemakers often cannot afford to utilize brokers and wholesalers to sell wine, and so rely on “direct-to-consumer sales out of necessity,” she said.

“There’s so much competition in the industry, and wineries need that connection to consumers” that special events offer.

Lisa Bodrogi, newly appointed executive director of the Central Coast Wine Growers Association, threw her support behind wineries’ events because, in turn, those parties benefit florists, caterers, graphic artists, wedding staff, lighting companies and more. “As an industry, we bring business to Santa Barbara County,” she said.

As the hearing entered its second hour and Klein-Rothschild pushed to keep speakers to the agenda, some in attendance grew slightly impatient, but the overall tone remained congenial.

When former county supervisor and longtime cattle rancher Willy Chamberlin urged the planning staff to not regulate events “simply because they exist,” the pressure in the room eased slightly. “Negative impacts (of events) must be shown to exist,” Chamberlin emphasized, and several others agreed.

Representing the Santa Barbara County Cattlemen’s Association, Chamberlin stood to hand to the planners a copy of a “white paper” drafted by the association and its attorneys. A white paper is typically used to help better define rules, organization and authority.

Chamberlin suggested that “rules for (wineries’) special events can be included in this good-neighbor ordinance, and hopefully the two can be melded together.”

It was Chamberlin’s presentation that appeared to trigger Dobrotin’s suggestion to pull “special events” out of the revision to the Winery Ordinance and into documentation better suited to businesses at large.

The next public meeting about the ordinance is from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, in Stacy Hall at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Church in Los Olivos. The topic: Neighborhood Compatability.

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