Journal
14 MAY 5.14.2018 AUTHENTICITY IN WINE AND WHY IT MATTERS
Authenticity in Wine: People, Dirt, Love. Welcome back all you wine lovers and those that search for deeper wisdom in the glass. I just returned from a long 2 week+ wine sales trip throughout the Southeast and the East Coast. In 15 ... Continue »
Feb 22, 2019 at 9:27 AM
Permalink16 MAR 3.15.2018 THE PULSE OF AMERICAN WINE CULTURE: ON THE WINE ROAD FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA
Happy 2018 from all of us here at J. Wilkes Wines: Budbreak is the first sign that a new vintage is emerging, and we are seeing budbreak throughout Santa Barbara County this week. There’s no denying it. Here we go again on ... Continue »
Feb 22, 2019 at 9:16 AM20 NOV 11.20.2017 THE CLONE WARS–WHY GRAPEVINE ‘CLONES’ DO AND DON’T MATTER
I want to believe that the day will come when Americans will have their own wine culture without relying on a French inflection. In his brilliant book, Religion: An Anthropological View, Anthony Wallace explains how a religion that develops in a conquered... Continue »
Feb 22, 2019 at 9:14 AM04 SEP HOW DOES A LATE-SEASON HEAT SPIKE AND AN UNEXPECTED RAINSTORM IMPACT THE 2017 VINTAGE?
This is the Best Kind of Rain to See During Winegrape Harvest! Santa Barbara County vintages can be summed up in a single sentence: “Long, cool, consistent growing seasons punctuated by heat spikes in September and October.” There have been a few ... Continue »
Feb 22, 2019 at 9:08 AM07 JUL LOS OLIVOS WINE MERCHANT & CAFE HOSTS WES HAGEN
Click on the photo to start your adventure with Wes and Shawnda (one of the owners of Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe). Continue »
Feb 21, 2019 at 2:48 PM05 JUL 7.5.2017: ‘HISTORY OF WINE IN ABOUT 5 MINUTES’: NEW AND REVISED WITH WES HAGEN
Thanks to Vince and everyone at V is for Vino for the production! Love Wes’ education? Make sure to follow him at @weshagen @jwilkes @j.wilkes_wines and J. Wilkes Wines on Facebook and Instagram! Continue »
Feb 21, 2019 at 2:35 PM30 JUN 6/30/2017: CLUB MEMBER ASKS: ‘HOW DO I UNDERSTAND ACID IN WINE? I DON’T GET IT!’
A wine club member emailed me today with the question in the title. My response took just enough time that I thought it would be prudent and useful to post it here for everyone to read: ACID IN WINE EXPLAINED, by Wes ... Continue »
Feb 21, 2019 at 2:27 PM29 JUN NEW FEATURE: WHERE WILL WINEMAKER WES HAGEN BE IN JULY?
J. Wilkes Faithful: In an ongoing attempt to keep you aware of fun events and chances to eat and drink with our winemaker, we intend to publish a list of public events that you can attend each month. July included a lot ... Continue »
Feb 21, 2019 at 2:25 PM27 JUN JULY 4TH: ALCOHOL AND THE FOUNDING FATHERS: THE SPIRIT OF ’76 TURNS OUT TO BE BOOZE!
Alcohol, Founding Fathers and US Presidents The Spirit of ’76 Turns Out to be Ethanol @weshagen @jwilkeswines @j.wilkes_wines (Note: This history lesson is not meant to encourage or glorify unhealthy drinking habits, instead it is a view into a different time with ... Continue »
Feb 15, 2019 at 5:33 PM30 NOV 11/30/2016: DOES STUDYING WINE DECREASE THE ENJOYMENT OF DRINKING IT?
Welcome back to Wes Hagen’s J. Wilkes Wines blog. Please make yourself comfortable and if possible pour yourself a nice glass of wine. I’m a strong believer that wine education should always be accompanied by vino in our glass. Would we study ... Continue »
Feb 15, 2019 at 5:31 PM