Blog

|

Aaron Larson Presentation Slides

Aaron Larson, PhD, winemaker and co-owner of Raven’s Reach Winery (Sutter Creek, CA), gave a presentation to SHW members, on blending common and lesser-known varietals. Aaron has graciously shared his presentation with us for use as a reference for blending and includes a list of unusual varietals grown in California. The techniques he uses, and…

Grapes for Sale: Cab Sauv, Malbec, Temp, Petit Verdot, Tannat – Great Bear Vineyards, Davis

Jenny and Marcus Meadows-Smith of Great Bear Vineyards in Davis write: It is a magical time of year – the vines are lush, the fruit has set beautifully, and the promise of another exceptional vintage is in the air. The season is a little early and we have already completed our first shoot thin to improve fruit…

2026 SHW Jubilee Wine Competition Results

This year 148 wines were entered in the SHW Jubilee wine competition, the work of 44 individual winemakers or teams. Entries covered 20 different classifications from Albariño through Zinfandel. All entrants received written comments providing feedback about their wines. Congratulations one and all on your achievements. Click here to view the awards sorted by winemaker….

May 20, 2026, SHW Meeting: Winemaking with Emerging and Lesser-Known Varietals

This Wednesday, May 20th, Aaron Lawson PhD will be joining us at our monthly meeting. Aaron received his PhD from Cornell University and began his winemaking journey as a home winemaker! Currently, Aaron is both the winemaker and co-owner of Raven’s Reach Winery, Sutter Creek, CA (Amador County) and will be presenting wine blending techniques,…

Sentia Testing Available! Bring your Samples Wednesday Night!

Wondering if your wine has VA?  We now can test for acetic acid using the Sentia Wine Analyzer! Seems like there might be some residual sugar? We can test that also with glucose and fructose strips! Currently we have test strips for free SO2, Malic Acid, Acetic Acid, Glucose, Fructose and Titratable Acidity (TA). All…