Sign of the times: Recession in wine country

Beyond Koreafornia Cooking ^ | November 2, 2009 | Tamar1973

[Tamar1973]

Imagine paying 50 cent/lb for Sonoma County zin grapes? And just think, some people pay $100 + a bottle for wine?!

I tried to post the photo to no avail!

[Stand Watch Listen]

[REDWOOD99]

How much does “Two Buck Chuck” work out to per pound?

[Tamar1973]

Kahmsamnida!

[Tamar1973]

Two buck Chuck isn’t two bucks anymore. It’s closer to $5 now. IIRC, they use bulk wine, which is a different market.

[chrisinoc]

Still $2 in California.

[Frantzie]

Hope & Change in Wine Country. These people voted for him.

[Tamar1973]

Not in this part of California.

[Defiant]

Oh no!!! The price of wine might bear some relation to the cost of production. The horror!

[max americana]

It’s $2 still at Trader Joe’s. I buy mine bulk and most of my snobbish “wine expert” friends dont even know it’s 2BC.

[Melchior]

A relative and zin producer in the Alexander Valley, Sonoma, has quietly put her acreage up for sale. Hard times hit the elitists.

[I Buried My Guns]

"...Two buck Chuck...IIRC, they use bulk wine..."

Correct. The grapes come from the Central valley of California. When you see gasoline transporters around there, they are not necessarily gasoline, as that is the mode of transportation for that wine also.

[Lurker]

My wife is a native of Sonoma, CA and it's hard to imagine a more beautiful place in America.

Abundant good weather, outstanding food, wine, and beer...

The only problem with it is that it's absolutely infested with Californians. Some of these smaller vineyards are going to go belly up quite soon, and that will be too bad. Their acreage will be gobbled up by larger entities and the wonderful vintages these smaller places put on the market will be gone.

Oh well, they voted for this sh**. Let them reap it.

[Tamar1973]

It answer your fundamental question. I think that the grapes in the Central Valley probably sell for 50 cents or even less per pound.

[Tamar1973]

If you check out my blog later tonight, I’ll have some photos of the old zin vines and their spectacular fall foliage. Gives the NE types a run for their money, IMO.

[HereInTheHeartland]

“My wife is a native of Sonoma, CA and it's hard to imagine a more beautiful place in America.”

Any favorite places to recommend to stay at in Sonoma area? May be out there mid March.

[Lurker]

Try Vintners Inn in Santa Rosa. It's not inexpensive but I think you'll enjoy it.

There's also Timber Cove which was the site of one of the most memorable nights of my life.

While at Vintners do eat at John Ash and Co. The food is absolutely out of this world good.

[stboz]

Ah, si! Dos Pesos de Carlos! Muy bueno. Salud!

[HereInTheHeartland]

Thanks, the Timber Cove looks really nice. We are traveling with 6; so it makes it a bit harder to find places.

[Lurker]

Happy to be of service. Have a good trip.

Make sure you head down the Russian River Valley and taste the amazing wines available there.