Monday, April 11, 2014, Sacramento, Calif. – 26 Brix, an online marketing agency focused exclusively on restaurants and wineries, today announced completion of a new website for Liquid Sky Vineyards. The new website is an important element in the winery’s marketing strategy and is expected to increase its direct-to-consumer wine sales.

Prior to engaging 26 Brix, Liquid Sky Vineyards (LSV) relied on a website built on outdated web technology and e-commerce software, which had become an obstacle to ordering for LSV’s customers according to Dave Labuda, the winery’s owner. The ordering tool was difficult to use, had limited shipping functionality, and ...

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These two wines could hardly be more different. One is a chenin blanc from Navarro Vineyards in Mendocino on the north coast of California, the other a chenin blanc from Domaine Pichot in the Vouvray appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in the Loire Valley in France. Same grape. Very different wines.

It’s popular to talk about a wine’s terroir these days, and one might be tempted to say that the difference between these two wines is due to that somewhat vague concept. In my opinion, however, terroir has little or nothing to do with why these wines are so different.

Let’s back up ...

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"Harmony" is Trefethen's reserve chardonnay, and the 2009 vintage is a stunning example of how good California chardonnay can be.

If you're like me, you don't drink a lot of this varietal. There are so many interesting white wines on the market these days, now that the dominance of California chardonnay seems to have subsided somewhat. From crisp whites like Clarksburg chenin blanc to floral whites like roussanne and viognier, grown increasingly in regions like the Sierra foothills, California white wines offer consumers a much broader range of flavors today.

Moreover, the buttery, toasty style of California chardonnay became a tiresome cliché, ...

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In September of this year (2012), Julianne Nola and I embarked on a little adventure: making zinfandel wine. This is that story, told primarily in photos.

2012 zinfandel grapes, nearly ready to harvest. These aren't from the same vineyard where our grapes came from, but they're similar of course. By comparison to cabernet sauvignon, for example, zinfandel grapes are large. They're also inconsistent in size and ripening. Notice that some of the berries near the top of the cluster are starting to "raisin."

Home winemaking supplies. We purchased most of these supplies ...

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Trent Ghiringhelli has a plan.

As the winemaker at Heibel Ranch Vineyards (and one of the owners, along with his mother, stepfather, and wife), Trent has already invested nearly a third of his life in this family business – clearing land, planting vineyards, picking the first crop, bottling that first vintage. Always with a vision of the future. Thinking long-term. Operating on a 25-year plan.

Trent Ghiringhelli isn’t what you’d call impulsive. "In this business, you need to have a vision," he says. "And you need to stick to your guns."

A New Winery with a 60-Year History

Heibel Ranch Vineyards is part of ...

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Today is International Grenache Day. (I always wonder who decides things like that.) When I was in my mid-twenties and discovering wine, I thought of grenache like "burgundy," a light, sweet, and fruity wine. I'm not sure where that perception came from. Certainly it's true that grenache doesn't typically make wine as deep and tannic as cabernet sauvignon. It cannot abide as much oak as cabernet. But in the right hands and grown in the right region, grenache can make an impressive wine with great structure and the ability to age for decades.

Grenache is the leading red grape of the southern ...

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It’s harvest time!

For everyone in the wine business, this is the critical moment. Fall marks the end of one very important phase and the beginning of another, as wine moves from vineyard to cellar. It's the busiest and most exciting time of the year.

The vines have given everything they have to give. And now it’s time for the winemakers – and Saccharomyces Cerevisiae – to work their magic, mysteriously transforming these round globes of sweet grape juice into something even more splendid and beautiful.

For those of us who have only been on the receiving end in the business of wine, what ...

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