Big Fat Wine

Come visit our list!

It’s Official! We now have the most comprehensive Big Fat list on the web of celebrities that have chosen to venture into the elegant business of wine production! Many “thank you’s” to all of your suggestions and comments! Celebrities  sure know what to do when they want to enjoy life!

Below are two more additions to the BigFatWine listing of celebrities who own commercial wineries, wine brands
or vineyards. 

Richard Branson

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson
British Industrialist
Virgin Wines
Mendocino, California

Emilio Estevez

Emilio Estevez
American actor, film director, and writer
Casa Dumetz Wines
Malibu, California

(If you are a celebrity who owns a winery, wine brand or vineyard or you know of one that we’ve missed, let us know and we will add you/them)

Many “thank you’s” to all of your suggestions and comments! We’ve added more celebrities to our page and will continue to add more as we find them!

Celebrities  sure know what to do when they want to enjoy life!  Below is yet another addition to the BigFatWine listing of celebrities who own commercial wineries, wine brands or vineyards.

Frank Sinatra
American singer and actor
Sinatra Family Estates
Napa Valley, California

(If you are a celebrity who owns a winery, wine brand or vineyard or you know of one that we’ve missed, let us know and we will add you/them)

As we step forward into 2011, it seems months and months away before we can attend the annual outdoor wine events. Weather is often a deterrent from enjoying our outdoor activities and we tend to hide out in our warm home, drinking hot coffee and waiting for our Netflix deliveries. In a few weeks we will drive up to Chateau Ste. Michelle to pick up our wine selections from our VRC membership. It has been a while since we have visited and the bottles multiply rather quickly. It is always exciting taking advantage of the wine tasting and then traveling home with our bottles clanging together in the back seat. The holidays are now winding down and as I thought of the many events we will be attending in the new year, it occurred to me how much we are missing as we wait for the season to change.

 Winter

December and January in wine country are unique in that there are simply no crowds to contend with. If you’re looking to visit particularly popular wineries, and you want to avoid groups of tourists and crowded restaurants (not to mention crowded wine tours), these two winter months are ideal for you. There is a certain beauty to the vineyards during these months, as the trellises normally supporting live vines will be all but completely bare. It isn’t that the vines are “dead” — they are simply dormant. For proof that even the dormant winter months can be beautiful, schedule your trip to wine country in December or January — as an added bonus, you may often be the only visitor to certain wineries. This provides a unique opportunity to ask questions and broaden your knowledge of wine. It is also a great time to bring friends and family and share a more intimate setting.

In February, you may begin to see a few more wine enthusiasts popping up here and there. Vines will still be dormant, although the trellises will not appear as bare because of wildflowers just starting to pop up among the vines.

 Spring

In March and April, the tourist season will have truly begun. For one thing, the temperatures will have evened out, allowing for more time outdoors. Also, the wildflowers that can be found everywhere in the wine country are blooming while the vines in the vineyards are awakening and budding. Expect decent crowds when you visit the more touristy spots, though small wineries and out of the way locations will still be pretty bare.

Late Spring through Summer

From May to the end of August is the serious tourist season for the wineries. Weekends will bring heavy crowds — not necessarily a bad thing. If you want to meet likeminded people and don’t mind waiting a bit for a table at your favorite winery restaurant, this warm (even hot) season can be quite the vacation spot. During this time, the vines are budding and showing grapes, and people’s minds turn to the coming harvest, talking about the recent weather, the amount of rain, and how they feel the new crop will turn out. This is the most “exciting” time to visit the wine country, and certainly the most crowded.

Fall

September through October is harvest time — a unique time to visit wine country if you’re a fan of viticulture. Depending on what part of the wine country you’re in, you could pull into a winery at its busiest, or maybe you’ve just missed the harvest but can still see the process finishing up. Grape harvest season begins about mid-August and ends about mid-October. The actual harvest time depends on the grape variety and location of the vineyard. Most vineyards offer tours and tastings year-round, but late summer to mid-fall is the best time to visit most wineries and experience a “taste” of the wine making process.

November in wine country is similar to December and January, except that wildflowers and vines are just starting to lose their vegetation. The beautiful golden colors of falling leaves make for a romantic getaway, and another great photo opportunity for wine country tourists. Crowds will have fallen off considerably, but so will wine production, so if that is what you want to see, you must arrive in wine country earlier in the year.

No matter when you decide to visit, wine country is a unique destination for wine lovers;  and for those of us who call ourselves wine enthusiasts, it is a kind of Mecca. Here’s hoping you visit wine country, no matter what month you decide to take your vacation. Just don’t forget to bring a camera (and designated driver).

Thanks for a fantastic 2010!

Jona and Joel
Big Fat Wine
http://bigfatwine.com/

Sometimes “Thank you” is not enough.  To the brave men and women who are now or have ever served as the shield protecting me and this country I would like to say more than thank you.   I would like to say that I appreciate you for your service, I respect you, and I love you.  I know people aren’t supposed to say “I love you” to just anyone, but you aren’t just anyone.  You are what keeps me and my family safe to enjoy the life we live.  When I get my paycheck it’s because you have made it possible for a free market system to exist.  When I worship in whatever way I choose right out in the open it’s because you stand up for freedom of religion.  When I enjoy any of the rights that I have as a free citizen of this great country it’s because you keep all enemies, foreign and domestic, in check.  So I LOVE YOU and I THANK YOU for everything!

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Official State Portal

Read the true story by George Taber

The French have a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ about their wine, and they are the first to let you know about it. And why shouldn’t they? So when American Steven Spurrier challenged France to a blind taste test, they were quick to accept. But the French didn’t know that Napa Valley is one of the best places in the world to grow wine grapes. So the stage was set, a face off between France and California.
A tasting panel of 8 French men and 1 French woman was assembled to judge the competition. Six California Cabernet Sauvignons were pitted against four of the top red wines from Bordeaux and six California Chardonnay competed against four highly regarded whites from Burgundy in the 1976 blind taste test.
As the tasting began, people who witnessed the competition realized that something unexpected was occuring as the judges couldn’t tell which wines were from California. One judge noted, “That is definitely California. It has no nose.” He was speaking of the 1973 Batard Montrachet, which at the time, was regarded as one of the finest wines in the world.
The end results was a “shot heard round the world.” The 1973 Stags Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon won the red category. The 1973 Chateau Montelena from Calistoga was voted the best white. A must read is “Judgement of Paris” by George Taber. I am in the middle of this book and the story is intriguing and factual for you history buffs.

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California has more than 107 AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas). An AVA, or American Vinticultural Area, is a specific grape – growing area within a state or a region recognized by and registered with the federal government. AVA designation began in the 1980′s and is a system styled after the European system (AOC).

*NOTE: If an AVA is listed on the label, at least 85% of the grapes must come from that region

Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the most widely planted varietals. More than 2,600 wineries (check out our list) are bonded in the state, up over 200% from 1990. In 2007, over 192 million cases of California wine were sold. Land planted to grapes now tops 527,000 acres.

California Wine Facts at a Glance

Number of wineries in California
2,843
Number of winegrape growers in California
4,600
Varieties of winegrapes grown in California
More than 110
Counties in California where winegrapes are grown
48 out of 58
Number of jobs created by California wine
820,000 U.S. jobs, of which 330,000 are in California
Bottles produced with one ton of California winegrapes
Approx. 797 or 65 cases
Amount of winegrapes in one (750ml) bottle of wine
600-800 grapes or 2.8 lbs.
Bottles produced by one grapevine
Approx. 5
Percent of wine sold in U.S. purchased by women
55.4%
People who visit California wine regions every year
20.7 million

For current tourism and seasonal happenings, contact the below organizations;

 
Northern California

Central California

Southern

Central Valley

View Larger Map

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Wine and Social Media

If you spend time researching wine varietals, reading about wine travels or simply investigating reviews on local wine bars, you will inevitably discover the massive communications media used today in discussing the wine lifestyle. Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and videos. It is everywhere you look and has been increasing in popularity daily.

Wine is a social beverage. It’s more than what’s in the glass. The entire experience can be complex yet socially enlightening.

This may be why, according to a new study from the research company Lift9,  700,000 people watch wine-related videos each month. There are over 7,000 wine tweets per day, and over 1,300 bloggers focusing on wine. And the wine experience has become mobile, with more than 300 iPhone apps.

Below are data collected by Lift9 involving the top clicks in social media and how each tool is used;

Most-watched Wine Videos

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most-watched online videos are not educational, but entertainment-oriented.

1. Wine in an upside down glass trick
2. Drink to your health
3. Borat’s guide to wine tasting

Top Wine Blogs (measured by frequency in audience interaction over the previous 3 months)

Wine can be intimidating and rather than approaching a snobby store clerk, social media is a great place to interract and get information.

1. Wine Library TV
2. 1 Wine Dude
3. DRINKnectar

Top Wine Tweeters (measured by number of followers)

In the 140-character world of Twitter, what brings in the followers is equal parts relevance and entertainment. The top Tweeters also are the ones who also take time to respond to followers.
1. @Jancisrobinson
2. @winetwits
3. @garyvee

Top Facebook Fan Pages (measured by number of fans/friends)

Note that all three are wineries, not wine critics or personalities. “Engagement” is what differentiates these three from the rest. There’s a lot of activity, both from the vineyard and the fans, talking about their experience, sharing it. There’s images, videos, even events for customers and fans, giving them a reason to return and participate.
1. Barefoot Wine & Bubbly
2. Due vigne di familia
3. Bounty Hunter Rare Wine & Provisions

Most-searched Wine Terms

Screening out the most obvious terms (“wine,” “alcohol,” etc.), the wine terms most often searched on the Internet are:
1. Champagne
2. Red wine
3. Cabernet
4. Cellars
5. Pinot
6. Vineyard
7. White wine
8. Merlot
9. Sauvignon

And. . . Social Media at Big Fat Wine

Here at BigFatWine we’ve fully embraced social media in its myriad forms. We have been blogging; sharing videos, discussion topics and event notifications are posed regularly on our official facebook page. We’re getting bigger and fatter every day so come join the fun.

Whatever your preferred social media platform, we are actively promoting the wine lifestyle!

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You may have noticed that there is more than one person posting here.  My husband Joel and I both post.  You will know Joel’s posts because they’re way more technical.   He spends hours and hours comparing scents and reading about the grape growing regions all over the planet.  Me, not so much.  I drink what I like.  I may not know the slope of the terrain the vineyard is on but I do know if it’s yummy.  I was blessed with a pretty good palate and can detect and recognize fragrances and flavors fairly easily.   Where he’s technical, I’m way more touchy-feely.  Both Joel and I love the ritual and romance of wine but, rules be damned,  we both feel that the “ritual” of wine tasting should never detract from the romance and ever important relationships that the wine lifestyle brings.

What I love most about wine is the way it brings people together.  I have met some of the most amazing people and had some fabulous conversations at “wine” events and gatherings.   Throughout history wine has been used to celebrate, to mourn, to bring communities together, to heal, and to form bonds.  Something about sitting across a table and sharing a bottle of the grape creates a connection between two (or more) people, even if only temporary it is very real.   Some would say it’s the beverage talking, but I truly believe that it’s something more, something somehow chemical or maybe even magical in a way.

Tasting is all about sensation.  The feel of the glass in your hand, the wine in your mouth.  The look of the wine, from deep reds to golden hued whites, you have to admit it is beautiful.  The smell… ahhh the smell, oak, tobacco, leather, fruit, flowers, herbs, meat… smells are so sensual that we actually anchor emotions and memories to smells (ask a shrink or NLP practitioner, they’ll tell ya).  The sound of the cork leaving the bottle, the liquid rushing from bottle to glass, the swish and, of course, the conversation with friends and family.   Then we come to the taste.  I think you all know the joys of discovering layered flavors as it hits different locations on your tongue, then waiting to see how the layers develop over time.   So you see, for us, wine is a natural extension of a sensual, passionate lifestyle.

The lifestyle we live, while involving wine, is not all just the drinking of wine.  The lifestyle for us is living life to the fullest, enjoying every second and doing what we are passionate about.   We might be at a quaint wine bar, a winery, a rock concert, traveling around Europe, playing on a beach, partying with frineds or working in the yard but whatever we do, we do BIG.  Go big or go home is an attitude that has given us amazing experiences and I wouldn’t trade a second of it.

My hope for you, my friends, is to live Big.  Live the life of your dreams.  Live your passion, whatever your passion is.

As always, my friends

Love, Laugh, Learn… LIVE!

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In September 2007  Joel  and I had the opportunity to spend 10 days in Paris.

We arrived in the afternoon after almost a full day of travel so it was time for food and a nap.  We ate in a cafe around the corner from the hotel, fell into bed and slept.  The time difference really does mess with you.  Once we came out of hibernation it was time to explore.  We didn’t get a car because driving in Paris is way more of an adventure than I was ready for plus the metro system can get you anywhere in the city easy, cheap and fast… okay so it’s a bit crowded and there are some pretty interesting smells down some of the dark corridors but I still felt safer down there than I would have in a car considering the driving style.

We were warned, before we left, that the French were not exactly friendly to Americans and if we don’t speak French (which we don’t) people would be down right rude.  That wasn’t the experience we had.  The French people that we encountered were wonderful and very helpful.  We had a few interesting experiences when we tried to order but thank goodness everyone knew what we were saying when we ordered “house red.”

We never had a bad glass of wine or a bad cup of coffee while we were there.  Not once.

We did all the regular stuff, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Jim Morrison’s grave, but I think the best thing we did was hang out in the shadow of Sacré Coeur in the little community of Montmartre.  We just walked and ate and drank cheap wine and absorbed the local color.

This trip was amazing and I would go back today if I could.

By the way, Paris truly is the most romantic city on the planet.

As Always,

Love, Laugh, Learn… LIVE!

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