On January 6, in Cloverdale, California the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition was held. There were 5,500 wines submitted for this years competition.

Originally founded in 1983 as the Cloverdale Citrus Fair Wine Competition. The first competition was modest in size. 15 wineries entered 45 wines, with a single panel of 5 judges awarded 30 medals.

The competition rapidly grew in the 1990′s to over 100 wineries. Eligibility was increased to include wineries in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino. It was renamed the Tri-County Wine Competition. Later on the competition expanded to the entire North Coast Appellation. The areas included all wineries in the counties of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Solano and Marin. It was called the California North Coast Wine Competition. In 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle became the naming sponsor of the competition with the Cloverdale Citrus Fair remaining the host, becoming the producer of the new San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The 2001 competition was limited to Northern California but was expanded to the full state of California from 2002-2004. The 2004 competition had over 2,500 entries from 565 California wineries.

In 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle Competition expanded the wine competition to include California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho for the 2005 competition. The total wine entries for the 2005 competition was over 3,200 wine entries which made the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition the largest wine competition of American wines in the world. In 2006, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition expanded its geographical base nationally.

We would like to mention this years, Mendocino County winery winners.

Double Gold Medal Winners:

1. McNab Ridge Winery 2009 Petite Sirah
2. Patianna 2009 Chardonnay
3. Parducci Wine Cellars 2010 Sauvignon Blanc
4. Terra Savia 2007 Blanc de Blancs

Gold Medals:

1. Campovida 2010 Viognier
2. Cesar Toxqui Cellars 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
3. Frey 2010 Zinfandel
4. Handley Cellars 2010 Chardonnay
5. Jaxon Keys 2009 Farmhouse Red
6. McNab Ridge 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
7. Navarro 2010 Navarrouge
8. Philo Ridge 2009 Viognier
9. Simaine 2009 Sangiovese
10. Terra Savia 2010 Brut Rouge
11. Topel 2006 Meritage
12. Paul Dolan Vineyards 2010 Sauvignon Blanc
13. Paul Dolan Vineyards 2010 Chardonnay
14. Paul Dolan Vineyards 2009 Zinfandel

Silver Medals:

1. Albertina Wine Cellars
2. Barra of Mendocino
3. Bliss
4. Bonterra
5. Brutocao Cellars
6. Cesar Toxqui Cellars
7. Handley Cellars
8. Husch Vineyards
9. Jaxon Keys
10. Jeriko
11. Kendall-Jackson
12. McNab Ridge
13. Navarro
14. Parducci Wine Cellars
15. Patianna
16. Paul Dolan Vineyards
17. Rivino
18. Saracina Vineyards
19. Simaine
20. Topel
21. Weibel
22. Whaler Vineyard

Bronze Medals:

1. Bliss
2. Bonterra
3. Brutocao Cellars
4. Claudia Springs
5. Husch
6. Jaxon Keys
7. Jeriko
8. Navarro
9. Parducci Wine Cellars
10. Patianna
11. Paul Dolan Vineyards
12. Philo Ridge
13. Simaine Cellars
14. Topel
15. Weibel
16. Whaler Vineyard
17. Yorkville Cellars

Congratulations to all of our Mendocino wineries.

We have many of these wines on our wine list. Come stay, dine and enjoy yourself here at Stevenswood.

For dinner phone 707-937-2810 or online at urban spoon.

For lodging phone 707-937-2810 or online at reservations.

For spa reservations phone 707-937-2810 or online at Indigo Eco-Spa.

This Annual International Alsace Varietals Festival is held February 18, 19, 2012 in beautiful Anderson Valley, which is located in the rolling hills of the coastal region of Mendocino County, California. Celebrate your passion for Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, and Muscat wines. You will enjoy tasting wines from all around the world. Wineries from France, Germany and New Zealand will be pouring samples alongside wineries from Michigan, New York, Oregon, California and of course our own Anderson Valley.

Starting with the Alsace Varietals Festival Technical Conference from 8:30 – 12:30 pm., Saturday, February 18. Come listen and interact with winemakers from around the world, as they discuss winemaking and grape growing specifically for Alsace varietals. There will be a light breakfast served. Tickets for this particular event is $45.

Then at noon, prior to the Grand Tasting, Food Network star, Chef Beau Mac Millan and local renowned Chef Francois de Melogue, will be creating Alsace and Asian style dishes, which will be perfectly suited for aromatic whites. The chefs will be entertaining and educating attendees as they discuss food and wine pairing tips, and the audience will sample their creations of fresh oysters, charcuteries, Asian fare, Tart Flambee’ and more which is a great way to learn more about the versatility of Alsace-style wines.

Then the main event, which is the Alsace Varietals Grand Tasting from 1:00 – 4:00 pm.  Meet the winemakers and taste Alsace-style white wines from around the world, and enjoy foods perfectly suited for aromatic whites. This event costs $65.

These events will be held at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in downtown Boonville. The street address is 14400 Highway 128. Sorry no kids or pets allowed.

Then enjoy Anderson Valley Winery Open Houses on Sunday, February 19, from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. Spend the day touring the many winery open houses. Savor tasty pairings, and taste unique and vintage Alsace varietal wines, and enjoy live music.

For tickets click 7th Annual International Alsace Varietals Festival

For dinner phone 707-937-2810 or online at urban spoon.

For lodging phone 707-937-2810 or online at reservations.

For spa reservations phone 707-937-2810 or online at Indigo Eco-Spa.

After 27 years with Fetzer Vineyards, Winemaker and later President, Paul Dolan, devotes his time to working 70 acres of biodynamic grapes at Dark Horse Ranch near Ukiah. Paul with his son Jason helps manage the vineyards.

“Biodynamic is just good farming” Dolan said. “We lost the art of farming”. It became totally technical. Any type of mechanization or new system or chemical, we were immediately attracted to and thought it was going to improve productivity and improve quality. “What was lost there was the exploration, the discovery”.

It was over the years that he began to sense the importance of sustainablility. From the growing of the grapes to the building of the business and the nurturing of employees. He thought about it enough to lay out a blueprint in book form: “True to Our Roots: Fermenting a Business Revolution” came out in 2003. Dolan wrote, his entire way of thinking about grape growing was about to change, with huge ramifications for him personally. He concluded that the wine industry wouldn’t have a future under standard operating procedures. There had to be a better, more sustainable way.

Dolan also introduced the Code of Sustainable Wine Growing to members of the Wine Institute, a public policy advocacy group for California wineries formed in 1934. His code become a workbook laying out the ecological, economic and social criteria for becoming sustainable. Dolan later served as chairman of the Wine Institute which had 928 members in 2006-07.

Dolans’s message and methods resonated not only because of what he was saying but because of who he was — a winemaker and businessman not only talking the talk but walking the walk.

When Dolan bought the Dark Horse Ranch in 1998, Vines were dying, fences had fallen into disrepair, and the buildings needed reconstruction. Paul Dolan with sons Heath and Jason rebuilt and replanted, focusing on grenach noir, syrah, petite sirah and zinfandel with smaller amounts of cabernet sauvignon and mourvedre.

But in going biodynamic, even Dolan had some convincing to do. When he said biodynamic the first time to his sons, there reaction was no way. But when he said its not really about that, it’s about listening, opening up your awareness and exploring new ways of farming, that’s how I got my boys involved.

Biodynamics is a form of farming that attempts to be self-sustained, self-contained and harmonious with nature. There is an international certifying body called Demeter whose standards are said to exceed those of the National Organic Program.

In the vineyard, Dolan tries to create the best possible environment for his grapes to grow in, putting in different cover crops that have different blooms to attract different insects and also absorb nitrogen out of the air. Ultimately it comes down to the soil Dolan figures, so he feeds the soil with compost, with biodynamic preparations — instead of feeding the plant. His methods are attracting a host of interested grape buyers from St. Helena to Anderson Valley.

In 2004, Dolan started making his own wines from some of the grapes under the label Paul Dolan Vineyards, wines he crafts over at Parducci.

By 2006 he felt the quality of what was coming off Dark Horse Ranch was starting to exceed even his own expectations. The perception of biodynamic grapes is high Dolan says but not everybody’s willing to do it themselves, but they know it’s good, and there is something unique going on.