Winexpression

Snuggling close to selling half a billion bottles of Charles Shaw, 66 year old Fred Franzia has got his right foot on the gas and isn’t braking for anything.  He’s a determined man with a simple yet unpopular approach to the wine business: sell an ocean of wine at a price people laugh at.
Guess what? [...]

I was surprised to find this note in my inbox today from the Mondavi Family, so I thought I’d share.
To all of our friends,
The Robert Mondavi family is extremely appreciative of the many kind expressions of compassion and personal reflections that have appeared since Robert’s death. From the beginning, his vision, commitment to excellence [...]

(Note: Robert Mondavi’s Autobiography entitled Harvests of Joy: How the Good Life Became Great Business – Paperbackis available on Amazon.com) The Mercury News printed a nice obituary on Robert Mondavi this morning, which can be found here. The article highlights how he got into the wine business, his innovation using tempurature controlled stainless steel tanks [...]

As reported in Decanter, Winespectator (who has a full obituary), and SFgate.com, Robert Mondavi passed away this morning at his home in Yountville. If you would like to read more on the man, a book detailing his life entitled The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty(paperback) Hardcover is available [...]

Hot on Martha’s heels, Mr.Newman, under his namesake brand, plans to offer an organic Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon early next year. The 2006 vintage will be produced by Rebel Wine Co., the folks behind Three Thieves and True Earth Wines, and is estimated to go on sale for about $16. I’m guessing the vineyard [...]

In a world that has been somewhat unchanged for years, John Glaser is beginning to turn some heads. His method is unconventional, although quite common in the wine world. His company, Compass Box, is responsible for producing around 6,000 cases of award winning Scotch a year, with one catch: they don’t make it. The [...]

Martha Stewart, America’s domestic goddess, has teamed up with E & J Gallo, wine giant from Modesto, to produce a $15 bottle of wine available in red, white, and blu….oops, I mean red (merlot, chardonnay, and cabernet) from grapes grown in Sonoma.
Gallo is expected to heavily promote the Martha wine, with print ads and [...]

The California State Fair Wine Competition went down last week Thursday, and Bronco Wines 2005 Charles Shaw Chardonnay was the resounding winner. The infamous 2 buck chuck received the highest accolades in the Chardonnay division, raking in 98 points, a double gold, with accolades of Best of California and Best of Class.
All I can say [...]

Although this article is quite long, I recommend you bookmark it and consume it in small doses, it is well worth the read. The interviewer asks some questions that many have already heard the answers to, but Parker seems to give more; details, emotion, some little known facts.
For the world’s most influential wine writer, [...]

No it isn’t me, but Caduceus Winery owner Maynard Keenan James, pictured here. It looks like his entries started popping up at the end of last year. This is a smart way for Wine Spectator to include the famous tool front man’s unique take on the wine industry, all the while luring his wine loving [...]