Wine popularity rises

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Dear Wine Lover,

Wine is enjoying its most positive image as well as sales in the US. Last year, in a national poll, American consumers named wine as the alcohol beverage they drink most often – that’s the first time in 60 years that wine was #1. We are delighted, of course, and I think there are a number of key factors behind this new popularity.

Beginning in 1991 the positive health effects of moderate wine consumption were publicized in a series of widely read medical studies. This caused Americans to take a closer look at what we call “the noble beverage,” and apparently, they liked what they saw. Around the same time, the popular TV news show “60 Minutes” aired The French Paradox, which backed up these health claims, causing a dramatic upswing in wine sales.

Coinciding with all these positive health reports, an abundance of well-made, moderately priced wine from California and around the world became available. Now, every day wines became not only interesting, but increasingly affordable. The trend continued.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court, ruled that shipping wine directly from wineries to consumers was legal and this generated additional positive publicity for the wine industry. More recently, the hit film “Sideways” featured wine – specifically Pinot Noir – as audiences watched a beautiful, enticingly scenic road trip though California’s Santa Barbara wine region.

The US will soon become the world’s largest wine consuming country in the world, surpassing the traditional wine countries of France and Italy.

I am pleased that A Taste of California Club Members enjoy wines each month, whether from California or from the leading wine regions around the world.

Call 1-800-615-7304 to order now and start enjoying the benefits of Club Membership!

Cheers!

John Davis
Founder & Chairman

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This Month's Wine Notes … by Sharon Rosenbaum, Senior Wine Buyer Ventana’s “Gold Stripe” Chardonnay is the flagship wine of California’s most-awarded single vineyard. It is named for the truly amazing fact that the vineyard has won gold medals for its grapes for an astonishing 26 years in a row! Bottled on the estate in 2003, this vintage offers a fruit-forward flavor of tangy apple, Asian pear and lemon, with tones of vanilla and light honey. You’ll love it paired with poultry or seafood.

Food Recipes to Enjoy with Wine

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Creamy Crab Dip • 8 oz sour cream • 8 oz cream cheese • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery • 1/4 cup finely chopped onions • 1 lb lump crabmeat, chunks broken up • chopped fresh parsley In small mixer bowl beat the sour cream and cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed until creamy. Stir in celery, onion, and lemon juice. Fold in crabmeat. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with assorted crackers, chips and fresh-cut vegetables Classic Sangria ~ The way it was first made … • 1 bottle red wine • 1 cup orange juice • 1/4 cup lemon juice • 2 tsp sugar • 2 oz brandy (optional) • 1 oz orange liqueur (optional) • 8 oz club soda, or to taste • 1 orange, thin sliced • 1 lemon, thin sliced Want something different? Substitute or add peaches, plums, red or green apples, pineapple, red or green grapes, mangoes, star fruit, strawberries, raspberries or other fruits.

	Favorite Wine Quotes: “The scope of the subject of wine is never ending...it embraces any number of sciences whose names I do not even know... It leads you up paths of knowledge and by-ways of experience you would never glimpse without it.” — Hugh Johnson, MW: English wine writer and author