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Upcoming Events
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Look for future emails regarding our 2015 educational seminar schedule!
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Fun Wine Facts
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During the prohibition period in the United States, grape juice concentrate manufacturers took advantage of the big drinking lust Americans had and put a great warning sticker on their product saying "After you mix the concentrate with water, please do not keep the mix in a barrel for 20 days - as it will turn into wine."
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PGWA Board Elects Officers for 2015
At its January meeting, the PGWA board of directors elected the following officers for 2015:
President: Ana Keller (Keller Estate)
Vice President: Doug Cover
Treasurer: Kathleen Doyle
Secretary: Thrace Bromberger (WALT Wines)
The other directors on the 2015 board are:
Drew Buechley (Grand Vent / Clary Ranch Vineyard)
Gisela Cartwright (Mala Closure Systems)
Paul Clary (Clary Ranch Wines)
Cecilia Enriquez (Enriquez Estate)
Kathy O'Donnell
Mark Pasternak (Devil's Gulch Ranch)
Evan Pontoriero (Fogline Vineyards)
David Sandri
Rickey Stancliff (Trombetta Family Wines)
The PGWA board is comprised of all volunteers dedicated to advancing the mission of the PGWA, which is to:
- Promote the winegrowers and vintners within the Petaluma Gap and foster the production of high-quality wines crafted from Petaluma Gap fruit
- Cultivate positive relationships with the community by elevating awareness of growing and winemaking practices and an understanding of the winegrowers' commitment to respect and protect the land
- Continue to advance Petaluma's 150-year heritage as a successful wine-producing center
You can reach the PGWA board at pgapboard@petalumagap.com.
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AVA Petition Update
 We are pleased to report that our petition to become an official American Viticultural Area (AVA) is nearly complete! After nearly 10 months of effort, we expect to submit our petition to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in early March. So what happens next? The TTB will review and evaluate the merits of our petition and will publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register. The TTB's proposed rulemaking would recommend either (a) approval of the AVA as we have proposed it, (b) approval of the AVA with modifications, or (c) disapproval of the AVA entirely. The public and other interested parties will then have 60 days to submit comments on the proposed rulemaking. At the end of the comment period, the TTB will evaluate all comments and will publish a Final Rulemaking which either adopts the proposed AVA with or without changes to it, or withdraws the proposal entirely.
So how long does this take? That depends on many factors, including whether significant substantive issues are raised during the public comment period. In the best case, it could take 18 months from submittal to Final Rulemaking. There are recent examples, however, where the process has taken 3 years or even longer. So stay tuned! |
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Super Bowl and Super Wine!
 The Bay Area will host Super Bowl 2016 at Levi Stadium, billed as the first "Sustainable Super Bowl." The idea is to introduce fans to the concept of sustainability, raise awareness around the country, and give meaning to the term "green". Since Sonoma Winegrowers are taking a leadership role in sustainability, it is appropriate that ONLY Sonoma County wine will be served at all 2016 Super Bowl events! Would you like to be at the game? To promote Sonoma's Winegrowers sustainability program, there will be a drawing for 2 tickets to Super Bowl 2016. All growers who complete the CSWA "Self Assessment" will be eligible. If you are a winegrape grower in Sonoma County, you can get your name in the hat by contacting Robert LeVine (aka "Coach Bob") at 707-522-5851 or Robert@sonomawinegrape.org for workshop dates, or one-on-one help. |
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Member News
Kosta Browne Winery
Kosta Browne Winery  recently announced a new equity partnership with investment firm J.W. Childs Associates. The new partnership is a natural fit for the winery's next chapter that explores further vineyard acquisitions and investments towards taking wine quality to a new level. Click HERE for the complete press release.
Guarachi Family Wines
 TGIC Importers Inc., a long established importer, marketer and innovator of fine wines -- and parent company of Guarachi Family Wines -- announced in January that it has changed its corporate name to Guarachi Wine Partners. The name change comes in celebration of the company's 30th anniversary, honoring founder Alex Guarachi's dedication to his long standing winery and industry partners. Click HERE for the complete press release.
Keller Estate
Mushrooms + Pinot Noir = Delicious Alchemy! 
Keller Estate invites you to join them on Saturday, February 21st for a fun, unique, educational and absolutely delicious three-course lunch adventure, featuring their Pinot Noir paired with mushrooms. The "King of Mushrooms" will be on hand to explain the history and magic of mushrooms and our fabulous team will talk about all things Pinot Noir.
$85 per wine club member/$100 per non-club member.
PGWA Members: Use promo code PGAP to receive a 10% discount on your ticket! Click HERE for more info and to purchase tickets.
Also, check out Keller's new Menu of Services!
McEvoy Ranch
 Come and celebrate the tradition of storytelling in all its forms with the perfect companion - McEvoy Ranch's upcoming release, the 2012 Evening Standard Pinot Noir. Named in honor of their founder, Nan Tucker McEvoy, and her family's deep publishing roots, the wine will be featured alongside a rustic, seasonal lunch tucked inside the McEvoy Ranch greenhouse, an architecturally breathtaking space at the heart of their farming operations. Enjoy your meal to the melodic tones of renowned local musician Mark Clifford.
Before sitting down to lunch, enjoy tastes of McEvoy Ranch wine as you peruse a visual journey of Nan's fascinating life chapters, share your own stories, inspire a little poetry from the magical Silvi Alcivar and perhaps leave or take a book from our ad hoc library.
Wine + Words
Saturday, March 14th at McEvoy Ranch
Time: 1 - 4 pm | Cost $90
Wine club members will enjoy their club discount. Click HERE to join their wine club. Register at mcevoyranch.com.
Sojourn Cellars
 On January 20th Sojourn Cellars began its 2015 Spring Wine Release. Mailing list members are able to purchase wines during this several week period. The featured single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines are from the Petaluma Gap region. Sojourn is releasing two Sonoma Coast Chardonnays, including Sangiacomo Vineyard in the Petaluma Gap (recently rated 90 point by Robert Parker). The single vineyard Pinot Noir line-up showcases three distinct Pinots from Rodgers Creek, Sangiacomo and Gap's Crown Vineyards. Sojourn is proud to say that all of these Pinots received either a 96 or 95 point rating. The release period ends February 20th. Login to your account or join now to receive an allocation. http://www.sojourncellars.com
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