My wife and I had several guests over for dinner the other night.  We enjoyed a great meal and later we sat on our patio with a glass of our favorite after dinner wine.  My guests know of my current pastime of blogging.  They began to tease me about how I learned enough about wine and related topics to write about them.  My answer was simple “I conduct extensive research on the web to gather information for my articles and Blog posts.”   One of my guests said, “If you know so much, who is the biggest producer of wine in the United States?”.  I said, “I do not know, but you have given me an idea for my next article”.  After everyone left, I immediately went to research an answer to the question. 

American Wine Production

Wine production in the United States has been going on for well over 400 years.  Every state in the union has some wine production actively occurring.  The states of California and Washington are the undisputed leaders in American wine production.  California can brag that 90 percent of all wine consumed in the country is produced in that state.  As it turns out, the U.S. is the fourth leading wine producer in the world with France, Italy and Spain taking the top three ranking spots.

I reviewed several sources to discover who the top U.S. wine producers are.  All the sources I found had the same top four listed, but there were some differences in the “Top Ten” list after that.  Near as I could tell, the lists represented data compiled during different years, which may be the primary factor that caused the lists to vary.  Based on 2004 information, the top producer of wine in the country produces 300 percent more that the second producer on the list.  The next two top producers produce over 200 percent more than the fifth highest wine producer does.

Largest U.S. Wine Producer  

The largest producer of wine in the U.S. is E. & J. Gallo. In 2010, this privately owned wine company is celebrating its 77^th birthday.  This company has annual revenues of $1.7 billion, employs around 5000 people, has an annual American sales volume of 66 million cases and sells wine in more than 90 countries.  The company founded by the Gallo brothers still has many second and third generation family members with roles in the business (source: Wine Business Monthly, Review of the Industry: The Top 30 U.S. Wine Company Profiles, February 15, 2008). 

Second Place Wine Producer

Constellation Brands is the second leading producer of wine in the U.S.  Annual American sales volume is 59 million cases with another 53 million cases sold on the world market outside the U.S.  The strength of Constellation Brands is its widely diversified portfolio of wineries and brands.  In the United States, Constellation Brands employs about 3,200 people of which 500 previously worked for Beam Wine Estates of Jim Beam Whiskey fame.  This company is the leading seller of wine in Canada and lays claim to be the biggest producer of “premium wines” in the U.S. 

The Rest of the Top Five Wine Producers

The number three producer, The Wine Group is a San Francisco based company that has an annual sales volume of 44 million cases.  It once was a part of The Coca-Cola Company.  Bronco Wine Company is the number four wine producer with a U.S. sales volume of 20 million cases.  Foster’s Wine Estates with a U.S. sales volume of 20 million cases holds the fifth position. 

While it is interesting to understand who the top wine producers are, there are great numbers of lesser companies that produce great wines.  It still boils down in the end to what wine suits your palette.  As I always say, buy the wine you like, store it properly in a wine cooler, serve it at the proper temperature and enjoy it immensely. 

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, July 2010

Wine and Beverage Storage Dilemma

Most often for me a great glass of wine hits the spot.  However, after working in the yard on some especially hot days, a cold beer is my preferred choice.  My grand children, when they visit, are always clamoring for a cold soda, mostly orange and root beer.  The dilemma is how to keep these various beverages cool, handy to retrieve and secure from access by the youngsters.  I have selected for my July Manager’s Pick a combination wine and can cooler that solved all my problems.  The Vinotemp Combination Wine and Beverage Center (VT-36) is a great solution.  I have enclosed a complete product description of the VT-36 so you can peruse the specifications.

Special Pricing 

Ideal Wine Coolers suggested retail price for the Vinotemp Wine and Beverage Cooler is $895.  We have priced this well-built combination wine and beverage center at the reduced price of $799., a  discount of $96.  This wine cellar and beverage cooler has all the “bells and whistles” that will make ownership of this product a real pleasure and it is also ADA compliant.  It’s versatile French Door and dual zone design will make this a great addition to any home.

VT-36 Specific Specifications

Our Vinotemp Combination Dual Zone Locking Wine And Beverage Cooler can be used in built-in or free standing installations. This beverage and wine cooler has dual zones that are have separate controls for keeping all your beverages at just the right temperature. Each compartment contains individual touch screen controls and digital read outs. This beverage center is ADA compliant. Features that will make owning this beverage cooler a real pleasure are double-paned glass doors, interior lights, locking doors, and stainless steel french door design. This cooling appliance comes with six wine storage racks and four canned beverage shelves. This is a great product to consider in an under counter application, especially if you are remodeling your kitchen. Look no further for superior beverage centers.

FEATURES:
* Black Cabinet and Stainless Steel Door Trim
* French Door Design
* Double-paned Glass Doors
* Separate Dual Zone Adjustable Temperature Controls
* Two Thin Bar Handles
* Interior Lights
* Lock and Key
* 6 Wine Storage Racks
* 4 Canned Beverage Storage Shelves
* ADA Compliant
* Front-vented Unit for Built-in or Freestanding Applications

CAPACITY:
* 58 12 oz. Beverage Cans
* 19 Wine Bottles

DIMENSIONS:
* Width 23.5 Inches x Depth 24.25 Inches x Height 32.25 Inches

SHIPPING & HANDLING:
* $149.00

MANUFACTURER’S LIMITED WARRANTY:
* 12 Months Parts and Labor

EXTENDED WARRANTIES:
* Available For Purchase On This Product
* For More Information Go To the “Warranty” Page Tab

Check out our selection of free-standing and undercounter wine coolers

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, July 2010

The video below is somewhat lengthy, but it contains a good discussion of the human health effects of resveratrol.  Resveratrol is a molecule  found in various red wines that is purported to have positive health effects based on research on mice.   More study is needed to understand the true effects of this molecule on humans, but what we do know is that drinking alcoholic beverages to excess is not good for your health.   As with most things in life, a balance must be achieved between drinking wine to improve health and drinking wine to degrade health.  The video does go on to recommend what red wine would best meet resveratrol intake objectives.

My son and his family used to live in Anacortes, Washington.  We generally traveled to visit them by either  taking Interstate 5 north from California or Interstates 82 and 90 west from Idaho.  Along both of these routes, we noticed many scattered Washington vineyards during our trips.  I often wondered how the different wine producing zones in Washington managed to produce great grapes and wine because the climatic regimes on either side of the Cascade Mountain Range are so different.

Washington’s Two Wine Growing Areas

Washington can be generally divided into two  grape growing zones with approximately 34 to 36 thousand acres under cultivation.  One zone is defined as the Interstate 5 corridor on the west side of the Cascade Range.  This zone receives adequate rainfall to grow grapes (average of 48 inches per year).  The other zone is defined as the plains on the east side of the Cascade Range.  Storms in Washington generally arrive from the northwest Pacific Ocean coastal area and move to the east.  As these storms push through the Cascade Range, abundant rainfall occurs on the west side of the mountains.  Later, these same air masses push over the Cascades much drier than when they arrived.  This produces a rain-shadow effect (average of 8 inches per year) because of the topographic lifting of the air mass over the coastal mountains.  Because of the rain shadow effects of the Cascade Range, this area often must use various irrigation techniques to maximize grape production.

Washington Wine Production Facts

The grape growing season in Washington is generally from March to September each year.  Harvesting starts in August and can run as late as November.  Washington is the second largest wine-producing state with only California out doing them.  Washington’s grape annual production is approximately 160 to 170 tons of grapes, which is only a fraction of California’s production of 3.6 to 3.8 million tons.  Prohibition arrived in 1920 banning alcohol-based beverages, and, as in other states, set the wine producing industry back.  The industry is building rapidly based on the availability of reasonably affordable land, but because most of the vineyards are small operations, the per bottle production costs are higher than most other areas in the country.  Washington wines are generally more expensive than wines produced elsewhere.  It remains to be seen if this will be restrictive and problematic as    Washington’s wine industry  grows.  Meanwhile, one article I reviewed stated a new winery opens about every other week with the current total around 650 wineries.

Washington Wine Types

The quality of Washington wines cannot be disputed.  The wines from this region have won numerous awards and are currently marketed in every U.S. state and 40 other countries.  Some of the leading red grapes found are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet France, Malbec, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir and Lemberger.  Some of the leading white varietals are Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Semillon and Chenin Blanc.  White wine production is 54 percent of the total, while red wine is 46 percent of the total.  The  wine producing industry economic impact to Washington State is estimated to be in the neighborhood of 3 billion dollars a year.

Washington Wine Tour Planning

Touring wineries and vineyards is an excellent way to pass the time.  Cities in the Interstate 5 corridor that could serve as a tour base are Vancouver, Longview, Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, Mt. Vernon, Bellingham and Fern Dale.  Wine production in the more arid eastern side of the Cascade Range is more scattered across the area.  Cities that could serve as a tour base are Spokane, Brewster, Chelan, Wenatchee, Yakima, Moses Lake, Toppenish, Richland and Walla Walla.  One thing I did notice, when visiting the few vineyards that I have, is that  during your wine tours often you will get a great view of a snow-covered peak.  I have also found another blogger that had a great experience touring Washington and visiting wineries and breweries.

When visiting Washington, touring its wine country will be very rewarding.  Some great wines are produced; the small wine growing operations are friendly to visit; and a landscape of beautiful views will reward you.  Remember, buy the wine you like, have a good wine storage cooler, serve it at the proper temperature and enjoy it immensely.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, July 2010

I was browsing through my local paper the other day and came across an article by Jon Rogers.  Jon, of Wines Without the Mystery, is a wine educator and consultant who teaches a wide variety of classes.  The article was entitled: You have no need to fear ‘the cork ritual’.  The article presents some great advice on the presentation and evaluation of the cork in a restaurant.  While his article was extremely informative, the questions that popped into my head were much more basic.  For example, when did cork become the favorite way to plug a wine bottle?  Where does the cork come from that wineries use everyday?  I figured it was time to get back to my research to find some answers. 

Egyptians: The First Cork Users

The Egyptians first used cork as a stopper thousands of years ago.  Later, ancient Greeks and Romans used cork for a variety of uses, including wine stoppers and olive oil.  In the 1600’s, a monk called Dom Perignon was using wooden stoppers wrapped in rags to seal his bottles of wine.  These crude plugs most often just popped out and were ineffective.  He started using cork plugs and successfully stoppered his best wines.  Wine bottling would never be the same, as cork soon became the essential answer to successfully sealing the bottles. 

First Cork Factory Was In Spain

In 1750, the first cork stopper factory opened in Anguine, Spain.  The widespread use of cork ultimately resulted in wine bottles undergoing a transformation from short and fat to tall and slender, because the slender neck was easily sealed with cork plugs.  Spain and Portugal produce over 80 percent to the cork used in the world.  Wine bottle cork comes  from the bark of a Cork Oak Tree.  The bark of trees older than 25 years is carefully stripped from the tree to protect it and perpetuate the life of the tree.  The bark is dried for up to six months then boiled for a few hours and then allowed to dry another 2 to 4 weeks.  

After the final drying process, the bark is carefully cut or molded into the correct sizes.  A washing process follows using chemicals that sanitize the corks from any bacterial growth.  Bacterial growth in the cork would quickly render a wine useless to drink.  New technologies for eliminating cork contamination are also being used such as irradiation.  Corks are then shipped in specially sealed bags to wherever they are needed. The entire cork making process could very well last a year.  

From Tree To Wine Cork May Take A Year

Portugal continues to be the world leader in cork production.  There are over 5 million acres of  cork forest in the world and over thirty percent of that area is in Portugal.  There are three basic sizes of natural cork from the standard size up to the larger champagne cork.  While cork is still the preferred sealer for bottled wine, some wine producers have begun using screw cap sealing systems on their bottles; thereby, throwing out the romance and sophistication of opening a corked bottle of great wine.  Corks can easily be used to re-seal partially used bottles of wine.  Smelling the cork when it is first removed will give you a quick idea of a wine’s quality.  Because of its fire resistance, cork is now also used in rocket technology.  Who knows what other uses may develop from this natural product. 

As I always say, buy the wine you prefer, have a proper wine storage cooler, and serve it at the correct temperature and you will enhance your enjoyment of this unique beverage.  Do not forget, smelling the cork will provide you critical evidence of what your first sip might taste like. 

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, July 2010