Modesto wine columnist ready to help you celebrate California Wine Month
September is California Wine Month. It’s time to stand up and raise a glass to the state’s wine industry and celebrate its people, regions, wines and experiences. California has more than 6,200 wineries and grows more than 100 grape varieties. It produces over 81% of the country’s wine and accounts for 95% of its wine exports. The industry supports more than 1.1 million U.S. jobs and $170 billion in annual economic activity. Wine grapes thrive in 148 American Viticultural Areas (AVA’s) and 49 of California’s 58 counties.
Wine festivals, including winery tours, grape stomps, food and wine pairings, live music, vertical and barrel tastings are happening throughout this month. Go to www.discovercaliforniawines.com for more information. Cheers to California Wines.
CRU Winery 20th anniversary
CRU Winery is celebrating its 20th anniversary by offering special tastings, wine dinners and a commemorative bottling. The winery was founded in 2003 and for many years the production was small and only available locally. CRU produced wines with fruit from various regions in California and ultimately decided the Central Coast was the best location to source Burgundian and Rhone varietals. CRU also sought out the finest appellations and vineyards within the Santa Lucia Highlands, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Maria Valley and recently added the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Regan Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Santa Cruz Mountains will be released in 2024 but a sneak peek will be available for the anniversary tasting.
CRU Winery began receiving accolades and recognition from the wine industry and the press for its premium wine production of Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Syrahs. CRU properly gives credit to the region, the AVA and the vineyard on the bottle. The wines are distributed nationally and in select international markets. CRU has tasting rooms in Monterey County, Soledad and Madera. To find out more about the 20th anniversary event or to browse the upcoming wine dinners visit www.cruwinery.com. Cheers to CRU Winery, have a happy 20th.
What’s on our table
The 2021 Menage a Trois Dark Red Blend Midnight was a State Fair Double Gold Medal winner, with 99 points and Best of California Appellation. It’s available in most supermarkets. I found it at Target for $8.99. The 2021 California Sand Point Rose, the Sonoma Coast 2021 Summer House Rose and the French 2021 Bouchard Aine & Fils Pinot Noir Rose are perfect poolside sippers at $5.99. A steal at the Grocery Outlet. I found two red steals at Costco. The 2019 North Coast Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon is just $10.99. This 92 point Cab is one of the Bill Foley Food and Wines Society’s 40 brands. The 2019 Shannon Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon from Lake County is a big, bold red just crying out for a ribeye and is only $9.59. Cheers!
Questions? Comments? Find me on Facebook or at rgwinton@yahoo.com.