Ever wondered what it takes to craft a wine barrel? Here’s your chance to witness a master cooper in action! Join Bogle Family Vineyards for our Burning Barrel event and experience the mesmerizing art of barrel making as a skilled cooper assembles and chars a barrel right before your eyes. Spend the morning with Bogle Family Vineyards VP of Winemaking, Eric Aafedt, and Barrel Consultant, Yuri DeLeon from Cooperages 1912 for an immersive barrel-building adventure. Held at our production winery in Clarksburg, this unique experience offers a behind-the-scenes look at the craftsmanship that shapes our wines. The morning concludes with a light lunch and a glass of wine—an unforgettable way to toast to tradition and innovation. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind event! Purchase tickets here. Friday, April 11th 10:30am – 1pm $70 member | $75 non-member 

Afternoon Brief, June 15th

Peju Winery Founder and Napa Valley Pioneer Tony Peju Dies at 85: Anthony “Tony” Peju, wine industry pioneer and founder of PEJU Winery, passed away in his Calistoga home on June 10, 2023 at the age of 85...

Afternoon Brief, October 11th

Inflation Drags on Wine’s Return to Pre-Pandemic US Restaurant Sales: A hoped-for rapid return of U.S. consumers to pre-pandemic levels of ordering wine and other beverage alcohol at restaurants, bars, nightclubs, hotels and similar venues may be faltering...

I’ve recently been receiving some wonderful feedback from designers with whom I’ve worked over many years, so I thought I’d share a few. Here’s one from Tony Auston, founder and creative director of Auston Design Group in Oakland, CA. Auston has designed labels and packaging for some of the region’s leading wine and spirits brands, including Dry Creek Vineyard, Gnarly Head, and Bogle Vineyards, among others.  He has worked with me for over 25 years and it has always been a pleasure to work with him. He is exceptional at creative design and respects the input of the bottle maker, which is crucial to get a project moving forward and across the finish line. Here’s Tony in his own words:             “Erica and I met in the early 1990s while I was working on the brand development and package design program for the former Carneros Alambic Distillery. She was the Brandy Maker at that time. Soon after that she ma

Afternoon Brief, June 2nd

France vs Italy: Wine's Clash of the Titans: France and Italy are the big dogs of wine, but which would come out on top if they squared off against each other?...