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Ceja Winery – Celebrating Mexican-American Wine Heritage and Strong Female Leaders

At the age of five, Dalia Ceja remembers walking behind her father, uncles and other vineyard workers, picking up fallen grape clusters and putting them back in the harvest bins. As a second generation leader in one of the first Mexican-American wineries in Napa Valley, Ceja Vineyards, Ceja is currently the SVP of Marketing & Sales, and is looking forward to taking the family winery to the next level. In honor of International Women’s History Month, the story of Dalia Ceja and the other strong female leaders in her family, lends inspiration to other women trying to build new companies [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-04-01T11:23:18-07:00April 1, 2022|

How Bonterra Winery Leapfrogged Ahead Of Other Businesses To Achieve Climate Neutral Certification In 2021

Recently I had the chance to drive the 2-hour drive from Southern Sonoma County to Bonterra Winery in Mendocino County. It was my first time to visit the organic vineyards and taste Bonterra wines in the original old barn that serves as a by-appointment-only tasting room. It was very inspiring to see the cows and sheep in the vineyards, an owl flying through the trees, and the biodynamic free flow fountain to create the biodynamic preps. While there, I interviewed most of the people quoted in this article. What prompted my visit was Bonterra's Climate Neutral Certification that they received [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-01-31T16:03:19-08:00January 31, 2022|

A Brief History of Wine in America

According to historical sources, the first wine in the US was made by French Huguenot immigrants in Florida in 1565 using the native American grape, Muscadine (Bates et al, 1989). Though successive European immigrants brought cuttings of vitus vinifera winegrapes from their homeland to the East Coast of the US, the majority did not survive due to phylloxera and other native pests. Greystone Cellars in Napa Valley, CA (now the Culinary Institute of America) - Established 1889. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons It wasn’t until the 1620’s that Spanish explorers successfully made wine from vitus vinifera grapes in what is now [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-02-17T13:26:36-08:00November 19, 2021|

Chandon’s Global Strategy Finds Success With New Consumers And Innovative Products

Chandon Winery in India

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-11-01T10:42:48-07:00November 1, 2021|

How Quintessa Winery Honors The Passing Of Grapes Through The Value Chain

Harvesting grapes by hand. Photo Credit: L. THACH During harvest in wine regions around the world, it is useful to examine some of the practices that go into picking the grapes and transforming them into the delicious wine in your glass. One winery that has a unique practice is Quintessa, nestled in the Rutherford AVA of Napa Valley. Here they perform a harvest opening ceremony to pass the grapes through the value chain. “It’s a practice that we have been doing for many years,” reports Rebekah Wineburg, Winemaker at Quintessa. “Early in the morning, as the first delivery of grapes is [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-10-18T17:40:43-07:00October 18, 2021|

Bears In The Vineyard And Other Challenges Of Being An Emerging Wine Region In El Dorado County

Bears In The Vineyard And Other Challenges Of Being An Emerging Wine Region In El Dorado County

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-09-14T15:31:05-07:00September 14, 2021|

Materra-Cunat Family Vineyards – A Unique Napa Valley Destination Known for White Wines

Entrance to Materra Cunat Family Vineyards in Napa Valley. Photo Credit: NapaWineProject Napa Valley is known world-wide for its famous wines made from cabernet sauvignon and cab blends, so it is unusual to find an estate winery in Napa that doesn’t grow cabernet sauvignon. Instead, Materra, located in the Oak Knoll AVA, a mere 10-minute drive north from the town of Napa, is known for its white wines. “Many visitors come here because they hear that we have a good selection of white wines,” says winemaker, Chelsea Barrett. In fact their 39 acres of vineyards are planted not only to [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-06-30T12:32:59-07:00June 30, 2021|

Migliavacca – Resurrected Napa Winery Focuses on Italian Varieties

“What does Migliavaca mean?” I asked, sitting at the kitchen table of Katie Migliavacca, founder and co-owner of Migliavaca Winery in Napa Valley. We were tasting the wines of her family’s newly resurrected wine brand, Migliavacca. “Roughly translated it means ‘thousands of cows,’” replied Kate, “but it is a common surname in Italy.” “Fascinating,” I said, delighted to have the opportunity to participate in another Covid-safe winetasting during the pandemic. Katie had carefully spaced us 6 feet apart, opened the patio doors and windows wide, provided hand sanitizer, and insisted we wear masks until it was time to taste. “Tell [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-04-19T17:03:16-07:00April 17, 2021|

Rolling Hills and Spanish Varieties at Bokisch Winery in Lodi

Bokisch was the second winery we visited during our tour of the Lodi Wine region, and we were pleasantly surprised at its location on the crest of a small hill overlooking a vast vineyard. While the majority of Lodi vineyards are planted on the flat sandy soil of the Delta, Bokisch is located in the Clement Hills AVA. Here the elevation can range from 100 to 450 feet above sea level, and provides beautiful views of undulating hills covered with vineyards and wildflowers. Bokisch Winery in Lodi, California Liz Bokisch welcomed us, and we followed her to a beautiful outdoor [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-03-22T18:08:24-07:00March 21, 2021|

Oak Farm Vineyards – One of the Most Elegant Wineries in Lodi

As we listened to the voice of our GPS and turned down a narrow road, we were unprepared for the magnificence of the winery we were about to visit – Oak Farm Vineyards. My husband and I were touring the Lodi Wine region for two-days, and all around us stretched row upon row of bare grape vines, their limbs gnarly and black on a grey February day. The landscape was flat, composed of the sandy soil deposited by the confluence of two great rivers – the Sacramento and San Joaquin. Together they created the famous California Delta, home to some [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-03-02T09:04:16-08:00March 1, 2021|

Lodi Wine Region Fights to Save Ancient Grape Vines

Old grape vines are literally living, breathing pieces of agricultural history, with the grace of a magnificent sculpture. In the Lodi Wine Region of California, home to the highest concentration of old vines in America, with many of them over 100 years of age, there is a fight going on to preserve these ancient beauties. Bechthold Vineyard in Lodi Planted in 1886. A Heart-Breaking Choice Unfortunately, due to the increasing costs of vineyard management, low yields, urban developments, and a diminishing financial return, hundreds of acres of old winegrape vines around the world are ripped out each year. For growers [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-22T21:48:01-08:00November 14, 2020|

A Visit to the Legendary Eisele Vineyards of Napa Valley

Established in the 1880’s, Eisele Vineyards, nestled in a special corner of Napa Valley is only 38 acres in size. This small size, along with a prestigious history of producing some of the highest quality wines in the valley over many years and multiple owners, has propelled it to the top echelon of Napa Valley vineyards, and is rightly referred to as a “Grand Cru” vineyard by some professionals. Famous Eisele Vineyard of Napa Valley, California I had a chance to visit this “sacred vineyard” for the first time in August 2020, under strict COVID safety procedures, and meet with [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T21:05:36-08:00September 7, 2020|

A Gourmet Wine Picnic Lunch at Swanson Vineyards on a Toasty Day

We scheduled our COVID safe visit to Swanson Vineyards in Napa Valley on a clear sunny day with temperatures hovering around the 100 degree mark. When we booked the Gourmet Picnic wine-tasting experience online, we didn’t know the heat would be so intense, but with the beautiful shade trees casting dappled patterns over the French style garden, complete with pea gravel and padded chairs, it turned out to be a lovely meal. Whimsical French Garden at Swanson Vineyards in Napa Valley Friends Rave About Swanson Vineyards For years I’ve had different sets of friends tell me how wonderful a visit [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-22T21:48:59-08:00August 22, 2020|

Two New Napa Wineries Created by Same Family – Accendo Cellars and Trois Noix

The name “Araujo” is quite famous in Napa Valley, as Bart and Daphne Araujo ran their namesake winery for 24 years, crafting a string of some of the most highly rated Napa Cabs from the legendary Eisele Vineyard. But with an offer “that came out of the blue” from the Artemis Group to purchase Araujo Estate in 2013, they decided the timing was right to move onto another “project.” Fast forward to 2020 with a brand new winery at Wheeler Farms, a private custom-crush facility located in St. Helena, where the Araujo’s, along with daughter Jaime, have created two new [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T21:06:20-08:00August 16, 2020|

Hawaii Meets Napa Valley at Tedeschi Winery

I first met Emilio Tedeschi as a wine MBA student in a class I was teaching at Sonoma State University. When he introduced himself, he said he was born in Hawaii, but was planning on taking over the family wine business in Napa Valley called Tedeschi Family Winery. At the time I thought this was rather unusual, until I recently visited Emilio at his boutique 2000-case winery near the town of Calistoga – and learned the rest of the story. Entrance to Tedeschi Winery in Napa Valley Arriving at Tedeschi Winery Since this visit occurred during COVID-19, my friend Charlie [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T21:06:36-08:00August 8, 2020|

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