"vineyard" news and stories

I was in Napa a few weeks ago for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers, and had the opportunity to visit Tres Sabores Winery on my way out of town. (I won a fellowship to the symposium, and Tres Sabores was the sponsor. One of the reasons the judges matched me with that particular winery is that I write a lot about green issues, and Tres Sabores is a sustainable winery.)

At the Tres Sabores ranch, I toured the property with owner Julie Johnson and one of her sweet dogs, who acted as if she owned the place. Turns out, she does. She and Julie's two other dogs have been featured in the U.S. Wine Dogs book, one in a series taken all over the world by Australian photojournalists Craig McGill and Sue Elliot.

To date, they've got two U.S. editions, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, and the Australian Deluxe edition. It seems they've tapped into something: wherever there's a winery, there's a dog (or two or three).

If you love dogs and wine, this book is a winning combination.

If you've ever run a race - or missed a meal - you know the name "Clif Bar." Packed with protein and carbs, these pocket-sized portions can get you through a tough race or a long meeting.

Between energy bars, sports gel, and even kids' granola bars, the Clif family has sure made a name for itself. So now that they've conquered the sports food arena, why not go for something a little more...laid-back?

Clif Bar's owners, Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, fueled by motivation, entrepreneurial spirit, and probably a few bites of Maple Nut-flavored Clif bar, are now pouring their energy into wine. The Clif Bar Family Winery focuses on sustainably-farmed and organic grapes, and the collection includes a white and red both named "The Climber," as well as a zinfandel, a syrah, and others.

Energy bar to wine might not be the most obvious transition, but since they opened up shop in 2004, things seem to be going just swimmingly for the Clif Bar family.

• Travel to Montreal and hit the town

• How an embarrassing encounter with Moroccan turmeric and neroli oil rekindled one man's love of baking, especially if it's this Glazed Orange Flower Madeline Cake.

• Despite salmonella freak-outs, some bars still serve cocktails with raw eggs

• For many Chatham fishermen, cod are just out of reach

• Frank Bruni shares his experiences with a frustrating new NYC online restaurant reservation system (and then writes about it again, and again)
  

• Want your own vineyard? This company will help you find it

• Jersey's brew pubs are serving up some mighty fine stouts

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When the first organic wines came out, there was something of a hippie stigma attached to them. The method of growing the grapes was more important than the finished product and, as a result, the wines really couldn't compare to the more traditionally produced vintages. But everyday consumers and connoisseurs alike are no longer turning up their noses at organic wines because there are excellent ones available now. More vineyards are making them and the wines are getting better all the time. The reason for the turn towards organic wine is that consumers' demand for organic products is growing in scope, stretching beyond produce. Their demand means that the market is bigger - the supermarket Sainsbury's reports over 400% growth in the sale of organic wine in the last year - and to fill it, more organic wine is being produced.

Of course, as Jonathan Ray (The Daily Telegraph wine expert) points out, "good wine is good wine" and some of the very best are not organic. But if organic is a criteria that is important to you, for reason, it's nice to know that there a good wine options and that the number of them is growing all the time.

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