The Dawn of the Internet

Initially, the online world was a good place to get your email and find out about the latest news. As bandwidths expanded and computers with Internet connections became more prevalent in modern households, the Internet became the location for more and more of people’s daily lives. It was no longer just a place that you visited occasionally to check in. It became the focus of many peoples’ lives. Existing companies began to move much of their business there and many new companies founded their operations on the web.

Working from Home Attractions

The Internet also presented opportunities for people to work from home. Many employers took advantage of the possibilities and allowed workers to complete their work at home and send their work in via fax or email. Other people founded businesses on the Internet. They sold products or performed services via the World Wide Web.

The attractions of this lifestyle were numerous. You could avoid long commutes or incorporate your work into a hectic life full of other responsibilities. Soon, people realized how blogging could be turned into a moneymaking enterprise.

Blogs began as platforms for people to communicate online. They created small websites, which were usually free. They were excellent locations for posts about people’s thoughts on a variety of subjects. Some blog owners focused on current events while others were interested in specific topics, such as sports or religion.

These blogs were also excellent platforms for advertisements and portals for business. Blogs that received a lot of traffic were able to generate money for their owners when a sufficient number of curious visitors clicked on advertisements or followed links to web pages selling specific products.

Mom Blogging Phenomenon

Stay-at-home mothers also discovered a way to utilize these blogs for income. They were perfect solutions to the quandaries faced by many mothers. They wanted to stay at home with their children but also provide an income for the family and find outlets for their passions and their desires to work. With blogs, they were able to do all that and more.

The New York Times first noted the phenomenon on a national level in January of 2005. At that time, there were only around 8,000 people blogging about their families. Only a handful were mothers dedicated to making a living from their weblogs, as they were still called then.

Many of these initial mom blogs were centered entirely around their families. Women shared stories about their children, the common struggles of raising kids, what their lives were like before having children and what they would do when the kids were grown up a little more.

It became much more than that. Mothers discovered that the conversations that they were having online were drawing crowds. These crowds were curious about lots of things and eager to take part in the discussions. Suddenly, mom blogs were not just digital versions of backyard fences and residential street corners where a handful of women could share their thoughts. Instead, they were wide open marketplaces. People came to talk but, more significantly, some people came with their wallets open.

The Rise of the Blogging Empire

The shrewd use of advertisements and third-party affiliate sales helped to propel the mom-blog phenomenon in to the spotlight. Women who had stayed at home to raise their children were amazingly doing it all. They had the kids and the career. Once they had pined for lost freedoms and discussed their mutual disillusionment on their blogs. Now, many of them were turning their blogs into centers of ecommerce.

According to a 2012 article in PR Daily, a web-based news site, Mom bloggers now control roughly $2 trillion worth of American purchasing power alone. They have gone far beyond the blogs that detailed their daily struggles. Many of them have gone on to run blogs about politics, economics and a bevy of cultural issues. Between them, they sell advertisement spots, products and a variety of services.

By now, many of the first mom bloggers have gone through incredible transitions. They started out just finding people to talk to while they cooked, cleaned and change diapers. Soon they discovered how to add some supplemental income to their lives with deft use of their blogs. By now, many of them are actually supporting their families with their online work and earning more than they ever imagined doing with their degrees or their old jobs.

Impact of Social Media

Social media began to transform the Internet again with the rise of platforms such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. Rather than take away from the opportunities found on older platforms such as blogs, these new element sin the equations of Internet success simply added more ways to garner visitors. In fact, social media just made it easier for these moms to transform their blogs by targeting the audiences that they needed to generate income with their writing.

Varieties of Mom Bloggers

Today there is a wide variety of mom bloggers. What was once a niche now has many of its own special corners. For example, there are leagues of mom blogs dedicated to women of various ethnicities, such as the Latina Mom bloggers group. Then there are Mom Bloggers for Social Good, a global alliance of women from 17 countries that just formed last year. They use their traffic and their skills to help a variety of good causes and NGOs around the world.

A synergy has developed and continues to develop between these mothers and the Internet as a whole. They have successfully transformed the web from a mere tool for communication into an instrument of social welfare.

Rhode Island’s stringent requirement that direct wine shipments to residents must originate on-site at wineries severely limits its residents’ ability to enjoy wine. It also limits their freedom to participate in the Traveling Vineyard’s in-home business marketing wine.

In 2001, Rhode Island changed from a state requiring consumer permits to one requiring an on-site purchase on behalf of the consumer, a huge step backwards.  In the past, the state allowed limited wine shipping to individuals with a permit for personal use.  Today, the law states:

• A Customer must conduct the sale on-site (at the winery) for the wine to be shipped directly to them.  This makes it exceedingly difficult, if not impossible to order wine from out of state.
• The law (S752/H5295) specifically mentions out-of-state wineries stating, “it shall be unlawful for any person in the business of selling intoxicating beverages in another state or country to ship or cause to be shipped any intoxicating beverage directly to any Rhode Island resident who does not hold a valid wholesaler license issued by the state of Rhode Island.” The legislation applies to direct wine shipping within the boundaries of Rhode Island as well.  Even in a state as small as Rhode Island, home delivery of wine could increase wine sales for in-state wineries, but this is not allowed unless the sale is made on site at the winery.  That means less wine sales, less tax revenue from those wine sales and less customer choice. 

A common legal test is to ask what state interest does this legislation support?  To quote the Wine Institute, a public policy advocacy association of California wineries, “Does a state have a legitimate interest in protecting its citizens from the wide net of intemperance? States may have an interest in protecting its citizens from harmful products by controlling its distribution, and alcoholic beverages can be abused. But to say that a product is legitimately in the state because it went through an established state distribution system while the identical product is illegitimate simply because a consumer received it directly from the producer who just so happens to have sent it from another state raises questions. What state interest is being served?”

The language of Rhode Island’s legislation could not be any more clear in favor of the wholesaler.  It is so protectionist that it must call out the fact that the wine is being delivered for “non-business purposes”.  The spirit of the law is not to protect the rights of the consumer. It is to protect the monopoly established in favor of the wholesaler.

As we review each state, the lack of uniform laws with regard to direct-to-consumer wine shipping becomes clearer.  It’s as if we live in 50 different countries!  There is no unified system of laws that allows wine commerce to be free flowing.  Instead, we are subject to a tangle of laws (protectionist trade barriers) where the state can determine because of the 21^st amendment how alcohol is sold within and across its borders.  The wholesale lobby with its strangle-hold grip on legislators nationwide keeps this in place.  Legislation was proposed that would create a direct shipping permit and allow up to 24 cases of wine per resident per year.  However, back in 2011, the Senate Special Legislation Committee voted to hold the measure for further study.

Free The Grapes

Remove the Shackles on Wine Lovers.

In the tradition of independence and dissent, we need Rhode Islanders and wine lovers everywhere need to take action to modify these outdated laws.  Visit www.freethegrapes.com to sign up for their informative Enewsletter and learn about the regulations in your state and the states where you ship wine.  Stay connected to the action on Facebook.

What does this means for the Traveling Vineyard and you?

The Traveling Vineyard creates local jobs and generates local and state tax revenues in every state to which we direct ship our wines. Our local Independent Wine Consultants market Traveling Vineyard wines through our innovative free home wine tasting program and introduce our winery products to residents via local residents in each state.  Our Independent Consultants love their home- based businesses marketing wines. We only wish that we could put good people to work in Rhode Island like we do in 33 other states.

Wines get their names and flavors from the types of grapes used and the soil and weather where the grapes grow. In the northern hemisphere, grapes bud in late March and continue to develop throughout the summer. Vitis Vinifera grapes include Chardonnay, Merlot, Riesling, Cabernet Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, which grow in European climates. Hybrids include Chambourcin, Vidal Blanc, Blanco Noir, Villard Noir and Seyval Blanc, and these grapes grow well in France and the United States. American grapes include the Concord, Delaware, Niagara and Catawba, and they come from the Vitis Labrusca family. Grapes from the Vitis Rotundifolia family, such as Scuppernog, Magnolia and Carlos, grow well in warmer regions not usually known for wine making.

Grape Harvesting Yields to Modern Technology

The classic wine making techniques of past centuries included crushing the grapes by foot, but modern technology and health concerns have changed this practice. After the harvest, the slurry of crushed grapes and their juices gets treated with antimicrobial chemicals, nutrients and yeasts to begin the fermentation process. The slurry of grapes, yeast and juice is called must.

At this point, grapes get separated into white and red wine varietals. Grapes destined to produce white wines have the skins and stems removed. Red wines include the skins, which provide the tannins that produce the deep red colors of fine wines. Fermentation takes place in large casks, stainless steel tanks or oak barrels.

Fermentation is the process by which yeast converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Some grapes have enough sugar naturally, but wine makers add sugar to other varieties to increase the alcohol content of the finished wine. Maceration describes contact between the grape skins and juices. During active fermentation, the skins often rise to the top of the must and form a cap. Wine makers want to maximize color and flavor extraction, so they punch the cap and remix the solids and liquids. Some devices spray the juices over the floating caps. Both techniques release heat and intensify flavors.

Blending Produces Distinctive Vintages

Accomplished wine makers blend grapes, sugar content and chemicals to achieve the right balance of acidity, sweetness and flavor, a subjective process that each wine drinker performs personally by selecting wines for meals, social occasions and celebrations. Wine makers adjust pH levels, sugar content, acidity, and grape percentages to improve color or add distinctive flavor notes.

Acidity levels make a tremendous difference in the finished wines. The pH balance influences flavor because lower acidity increases oxidation that enhances flavor. High-acidity levels resist bacterial infections that could spoil wines. Blenders add acids to the must to adjust pH levels to achieve the perfect balance of flavor, color and safety.

Oak adds flavor and allows small amounts of oxygen to interact with the wine during the fermentation process. However, oak casks and barrels don’t last forever, so stainless steel tanks have become increasingly popular for wine fermentation. Wine producers often add oak chips to the must to introduce the flavor notes that fermentation in oak traditionally imparts.

The yeast eventually convert all the sugar into alcohol, and the tanks allow the owners to remove the liquid from the settled solids for secondary fermentation. This process allows a bit of aeration that further develops flavors. Once fermentation has finished, wine makers face the challenge of clarifying wines, which describes removing unwanted particulates that float in the liquid.

Filtering removes most of the particles and adding egg whites binds the froth to smaller particles and helps them settle on the bottom of tanks, removing dead yeast cells and other debris that make wines appear cloudy. The result is a bright, clear and sparkling vintage that appeals to the eye, nose and palate.

Final Aging and Bottling

The vintners age wines in temperature-controlled environments to develop flavors. White wines typically age for six months before bottling. Red wines often take one or two years to develop their flavors fully. Oak barrels add tremendous flavor during this time.

During the process, carbon dioxide helps extract flavors and color from the grapes. Yeast converts sugar into alcohol, but the process also produces residual heat. Wineries cool the fermenting must to prevent flavors from evaporating during fermentation. Chilling the wine to 28°F helps turn sediment into crystals, which wineries remove by filtration and clarification.

In about six months, the wine clears and all fermentation stops. At this point, the wine gets siphoned into sterilized bottles and corked. People store wine bottles on their sides at 55-degrees Fahrenheit to preserve the flavors, and many wines age well because flavors continue to intensify during storage.

Flavor Distinctions Come from Growing Conditions

The viticulture process involves complex interaction among several influences. Soil, water, light, grape type, geology, topography and chemical additives affect the flavor of finished wines, and consumers enjoy the benefit of choosing wines that fit their personal flavor preferences.

Growers must stay vigilant for signs of disease, drought, and insect pests to ensure strong grape harvests. Ideal conditions produce superior vintages that oenophiles cherish. The growing conditions, local culture, raw materials and wine making traditions influence the flavor of particular vintages, so consumers often appreciate their wines by knowing a little something about how they get made.

Leaves, Herbs and Flowers Create Signature Flavors

Wine makers often blend grape varieties to get distinctive flavors, and some add herbs and flowers from the local ecologies to complement flavors. Oxygen and bacteria exposure could ruin a vintage, so consumers taste each bottle after uncorking to ensure that the wine has survived its astonishing journey intact. Each bottle of wine tells a unique story of the growing, fermentation and bottling process, which is why people sample uncorked wines to make sure the bottles haven’t turned. Tasting the wine means the story has reached its climax. The tasting process is anything but routine because it introduces vintages and palates, capping an extraordinary process.

Perhaps you have even started down this road and already work from home. If that is the case, you have probably already run into some disillusionment. As it turns out, it takes quite a bit of self-discipline to manage your own business. While any small business owner in a previous age could have told you the same, the Internet has made it possible for many people to start their own businesses completely out of the public eye. Without the pressure of going into your own store, it can be very difficult to generate and maintain the energy that it takes while surrounded by the many distractions of your home.

Fortunately, overcoming those distractions is not impossible. There are legions of successful stay-at-home moms and other web entrepreneurs who have created their own profitable businesses without walking out the front door every day.

Here are some tips to help you walk in their shoes…

The first most important tip is the no-pajama rule. People often refer to the idea of working in their pajamas as if that was an ideal condition for work. Actually, the temptation to use the same relaxed attitude that you usually maintain at home while you work is lethal to business success.
Whatever your line of work, make sure that you have some sort of work outfit that you rely on whenever it is time to start working. You do not need to make yourself as uncomfortable as your job did and put on a business suit with dress shoes. However, you need to have some sort of physical cue in your dress that tells your brain that it is time to work. This cue can be as simple as putting your tennis shoes on or wearing a button-down shirt.

Now that you have something to wear, when are you going to wear it? You should not feel restricted to certain hours of work. After all, that is one reason that you left the rat race. However, some sort of regular schedule will do wonders for your productivity. Sitting around and waiting for the muse is unlikely to work on a day-to-day basis. Feel free to work outside your regular hours but try to stick to a schedule and have an appointed time for beginning work every day.

Define your work space. This piece of advice has two dimensions. First, you need to define where you work for yourself. In the same way that you use clothing and the clock as cues for your brain, you also need to use a certain space in the house. This does not mean that you cannot have sudden inspirations in the kitchen or in the bedroom and write them down. However, you need some sort of space to help yourself slide into your work habits every day.

Now that you have set aside the space, keep it as clean as possible. Plenty of geniuses have cluttered desks but you should not keep a dirty desk on purpose. Those geniuses were successful in spite of their clutter, not because of it.

This work space also has to be clear to your family. They need to understand, as much as they can, that when you are in a certain space during a certain time and dressed a certain way, that you are at work. You are not available as Mom or Dad or Wife or Husband unless it is an emergency. Obviously, those of you who work at home with small children have to adapt these rules but you should always strive to create an atmosphere of respect for your work. This is a real job and the money you make is real income.

Make a to-do list and stick to it as much as possible. Some of these tasks will be offline things that you have to do. These can be hard to complete because you will be tempted, during of-moments, to simply surf the net and get distracted. Use the to-do list to keep yourself focused on your business.

Speaking of surfing the net, remember to take time away from the computer screen. You will need to take breaks eventually. No matter how hard you want to work, you will need to rest. Do not rest by watching videos or scrolling through the news. Step up and walk away from the computer. Get a drink of water. Look out the window. You may want to schedule breaks or simply walk away for a minute every time that you complete some small task.

Take larger breaks at the end of the day or during your days off. Include human interaction with these breaks, schedule periodic days away from the computer entirely. While it may be necessary to work odd hours and break away from relaxation to take care of minor issues sometimes, you must also have periods of time that are absolutely sacred and untouchable. This is crucial for your mental well-being as well as your productivity.

Communicate with other people in the same business as you are in or who stay home to work, at least. People in regular 9-to-5 jobs get more out of trips to the water cooler than hydration. They also brainstorm and get ideas from other people. Sometimes this happens on purpose and sometimes it is just a chance occurrence. Working at home and alone, you will not have this opportunity.

Self-discipline is a much more demanding part of working at home than the actual skills and knowledge that you will need. Plenty of people have knowledge about a variety of subjects. The will to use that knowledge and earn money from it must be acquired through experience.

What Resveratrol Is

A phytoalexin that is produced by a variety of plants, Resveratrol’s initial job is to help prevent attacks from bacterial or fungi. Without sufficient supplies of this antioxidant, many plant species might not be able to survive their most formative stages of development and would therefore be unable to bear their fruits. With wine, although it is primarily found only in the seeds of the grapes that are used in the wine production process, rather than their actual fruit, the wine pressing process keeps the actual red wine in continual contact with these things for a much extended period, thereby increasing the Resveratrol content in the resulting beverage.
The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity of Resveratrol or—its ORAC—is tremendously high when found in blueberries, dark-colored grapes, blackberries and strawberries. This is good news for those who do not enjoy red wine or who are prone to allergic reactions such as headaches, after wine consumption. The body requires ample doses of Resveratrol in order to promote optimal health, making dark-colored fruits of this type essential part of the normal diet for those who are entering their later years. Unfortunately, however, some studies have shown that most adults over the age of 40 are getting less than half of the Resveratrol they need in order to experience its benefits fully. This may be one reason why people tend to feel less energetic and experience more aches and pains at this stage of life.

Restoring pH Balance

One of the many benefits of Resveratrol is that it counteracts the effects of poor pH balance, especially when internal acidity levels are too high. Acidosis can be the cause of excess fatigue, arterial plaques, arthritis and a number of additional ailments that people become far more prone to developing as the years pass. The typical diet encourages a higher than normal acidity level, whether through the inclusion of processed foods or large quantities of meat. Ample doses of Resveratrol may be able to counteract some of these effects.
For those with chronic or systemic yeast infections or other fungal infections, a diet that is high in Resveratrol can have a number of important benefits. Choosing to consume fresh fruits with their skins intact is one of the best ways to make this inclusion. Small doses of red wine during the evening hours and a dedicated effort to avoid highly acidic foods such as red meat will facilitate a faster return to internal pH balance and overall good health.

Lowering the Likelihood of Stroke, Heart Disease and Diabetes

Another benefit of Resveratrol is that it can reduce the formation of blood clots, specifically those that lead to cancer and heart diseases. If you are on a natural program to increase blood circulation, whether for enhanced toxin removal or improved sexual functioning among other things, Resveratrol can be an appropriate addition to your program for its thinning properties. This also makes it an effective tool for warding off varicose veins and the pain and physical discomfort that is often associated with them. Commonly called the miracle molecule, it has shown marked effectiveness in preventing stroke and lowering the likelihood of developing type 2 Diabetes.
There are even claims that Resveratrol can heal DNA at the cellular level and restore damaged genes. Understanding this, however, you should avoid attempting to replenish your internal Resveratrol supply by consuming an excess of red wine. This can be more detrimental to the body than good for it. It is better instead to drink moderate amounts of red wine on a routine basis and fill your diet with lots of dark colored fruits that are known to provide this beneficial antioxidant.

Increasing Longevity and Enhancing Life Quality

Although a diet that contains ample amounts of Resveratrol definitely has its advantages, its ability to promote long life in invertebrates is a matter of debate. Some have called this antioxidant the elixir or youth, however, others are not so sure that certain of the heath improvements gained from drinking red wine are derived directly from this particular molecule. The tannins in red wine are known to hold many of the same benefits as Resveratrol, making it impossible, some say, to discern which elements of red wine are causing the most positive changes to arise.
Studies that have been conducted specifically on Resveratrol, however, have shown that this antioxidant can extend the life span of obese mice, fruit flies, short-lived fish and certain species of worms. In humans, the ability to counteract the negative effects of high acidity or acidosis will definitely decrease the likelihood of many physical ailments. With a lowered risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and other common and life-shortening illnesses, people will be able to enjoy longer lives when ample doses are present in the diet. Thus, in spite of the ongoing debate, it is also certain that these individuals will experience a significantly increased life quality in their later years, given the reduced incidences of arthritis, other forms of joint pain, varicose veins, fungal infections, bacterial infections, high blood sugar, cancer and inflammation.

Choosing a Good Supplement

It is important to note that antioxidants are prone to absorbing oxygen, especially when they are processed and distributed in the form of a supplement. If you want to get the freshest, purest doses of Resveratrol, you should consume more strawberries, blackberries, dark purple grapes, blueberries and moderate quantities of red wine. Fresh products like these can have a number of immediate benefits for the body. When selecting a Resveratrol supplement, however, you should make sure that it is produced by a reputable and trusted company and that it is sold in an airtight bottle and airtight capsules.

Wine Classifications and Sales Volumes

The largest sector of the U.S wine market is the table wine category followed by dessert wine and sparkling wine or champagne. The table wine designation includes classifications such as light wine, light white wine, red table wine, and sweet table wine all with alcohol content up to 14 percent. Wines with alcohol content between 14 and 24 percent are classified as dessert wines, and sparkling wine or champagne contains high levels of carbon dioxide which is responsible for the traditional fizziness common to this variety.

The Wine Institute reported that in 2010 table wine sales reach 678 million gallons with dessert wine sales of 69 million gallons and sparkling wine with 37 million gallons for a total of 784 million gallons. This includes sales from all production sources including California as well as international imports. These numbers represent a 10 percent increase in quantities purchased compared to pre-recession levels over the past five years with a total retail value of 32.5 billion dollars in 2011.

Wine Production Numbers by Region

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, California accounts for nearly 90 percent of wine production in the United States so growing conditions in this region have a significant effect on U.S. production levels. In 2010, wine produced in California accounted for 61 percent of wine sales with 8 percent being produced in other U.S regions and the remainder originating from international imports. The other U.S. regions with noticeable contributions to U.S. production levels are the Northeast and Northwest. In Washington State, production is up 33 percent from 2006. Across the nation in New York, growth of grapes for wine production has increased by 17 percent. Steady growth has also been realized in Oregon and Michigan as well as in other states throughout the south and in Texas.

Wine Distribution within the U.S. Market

Of the total sales for wine in the United States, per capita figures for the total population of legal drinking age Americans is approximately 3.5 gallons per person. This number represents nearly a 10 percent increase over the last five years. Based on ACNielsen supermarket data, red wines are the more popular choice among consumers at 47 percent with whites accounting for 40 percent of wine consumed and the remaining 13 percent being blush wines. While this per capita data falls short of individual consumption levels of the residents of some foreign nations, notably France, the U.S. has grown to be the world’s largest wine market.

The data concerning the sale of wine in supermarkets represent only a portion of sales totals. There are a variety of avenues a consumer can take to obtain his or her favorite wine. Following the abolition of prohibition by the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a three-tier system of alcohol distribution was established that is the basic structure by which producers are legally allowed to market their beverages. This system requires that producers must only sell to wholesale distributors who then are able to sell to retailers who are allowed to sell to consumers. This sales chain has generated some controversy in the United States by limiting the wine enthusiast’s access to selections that are not readily available in each individual’s state of residence through local retail outlets.

This distribution chain within the wine sales industry has been hotly contested for decades culminating in a Supreme Court decision in 2005 in the case of Granholm v. Heald. The decision of this case determined that it was unconstitutional for wineries to sell directly to customers in the states of New York and Michigan. More recent legislation has continued and various states take up differing positions concerning the original three-tier system. Now with the matter being decided at the state level, it is possible in some states for consumers to purchase wine from producers and this has had a large impact on wine sales within the United States.

For consumers who are not provided retail access to all the wines that are available in the U.S., this option to buy direct from producers has greatly liberated consumer choice as well as increasing wineries potential customer base. Customers interested in purchasing wine direct from the producer should check the current laws in their state of residence to determine if it is lawful for them to do so. As further legislation and distribution standards are discussed and modified, the direct sale of wine to consumers is anticipated to become a leading method of the purchase and delivery of wine for U.S. customers. Companies like The Traveling Vineyard take advantage of this by providing consumers access to wines though in-home wine tastings where wines are demonstrated and then direct-shipped to the consumers from the wineries.

Five Year Growth Trend in Wine Sales and Future Expectations

The increase in the sale of wine since the beginning of the 2008 recession and the more recent rapid growth in wine sales are considered by many economists to be a unique indicator of an improving economy. The trend in the wine market suggests that consumers are increasingly becoming more willing to engage in discretionary spending for non-essential products such as wine. As the economy becomes stronger, it is expected that wine sales will continue to climb with direct to consumer sales being a leading avenue for national sales.

Regardless of how consumers are getting the wines they desire, it is evident that there is a growing interest in this market. Market data over the last five years has shown consistent growth even during difficult economic times. California is by far the largest producer of wine in the U.S. and accounts for a large percentage of the wine consumed by American wine enthusiast. Overall wine sales are up, and individual consumption is also increasing. With the American wine market now the largest in the world, growth in this sector is expected to continue and this is a good indicator for both the wine industry and national economy as a whole.

Monterey County’s cool climate helps Riesling grapes ripen slowly and maintain their acidity.

With the exciting new release of the 2011 Calamity Sue, Riesling, Monterey County, California (CAL932) $17.99 now showing at tasting events everywhere, we thought it would be a good time to distinguish between the many different styles of Riesling.  As varietals go, Riesling is probably one of the most misunderstood.  This is perhaps because Rieslings can vary dramatically in style from very dry to very sweet and even sparkling.

Riesling is known to be a wine that very much expresses “terroir” meaning that it is highly influenced by its place of origin.  That being said, let’s take a look at the various places around the globe where it is produced.

Alsatian Rieslings from France’s northern region are generally drier than their German counterparts.  The difference is partly the result of soil, but mainly due to variations in winemaking styles.  Alsatians winemakers ferment every bit of sugar from their Riesling grapes resulting in wines that are drier and higher in alcohol with a cleansing quality.  They’ve generally spent more time in stainless steel tanks causing them to be rounder, and this lack of oak makes them varietally pure in their character. Therefore, when a Riesling is described as more as being more “Alsatian”, it implies that it is low in residual sugar.  By contrast, when a wine is termed “Germanic” in style, it implies that it is relatively sweet and lower in alcohol.

Australian producers in the Clare Valley and Eden Valley have adopted Alsatian-style Riesling and are noted for Rieslings with citrus flavors.  US producers cluster in the cooler climate areas of upstate NY, northern California and Washington state. These New World styles vary but are typically at the mid-point of the Alsatian and German extremes.

Riesling can be crafted as a dry, off-dry (as in our 2011 Calamity Sue, Riesling, Monterey County, California) or sweet style. Sweet wines or late harvest dessert wines are made by letting the grapes hang on the vine past the normal picking time.  This increased hang time causes evaporation of water in the grape either by promoting a beneficial fungus called “noble rot” or by freezing the grapes as with ice wine (German Eiswein).  These sweeter styles are popular in Germany and in New York’s Finger Lakes region.

Regardless of the style, Riesling is typically described as a very aromatic flowery or perfumed wine.  The Riesling flavor profile is consistent exhibiting delicate flavors of fresh ripe peaches, apricots and melons.  If you’re tired of Chardonnay (especially oaked ones), you’ll find these flavors make it a lovely alternative.  The fact that it’s unoaked means it will generally work well with food, especially difficult to match ethnic foods like Thai, Chinese and Japanese dishes.

The word to know with our 2011 Calamity Sue, Riesling, Monterey County, California is “racy”, a wine term which refers to the juxtaposition of stimulating, refreshing acidity (a dry element) with the pear fruit “base flavor of Riesling (a sweet element). Dry versus sweet vying for dominance on the palate at the same time equals “racy”.

Tasting Notes:

Brilliant pale yellow, straw in color, this racy white wine harvested in the Santa Lucia Highlands opens with white flowers and ripe pear on the nose. It delivers soft and round flavors of pear with apricot and nectarine notes along with beautiful food-friendly acidity.

Serving Suggestions:

Riesling is a chameleon-like wine that adapts to many dishes and is a must for all “foodies”.  The fresh flavors in glazes, salsas and Asian dishes work magically with its powerful fruity elements.  A sweeter version of Riesling might get in the way of the food.  Not this wine.  It brings out the best in so many different types of foods.  It’s a delicious partner with spicy foods so it’s safe to go Asian. Or, try it with Alsace’s famously delicious cuisine—foie gras or Choucroute Garnie (sauerkraut with sausages).

Interested to Hear How You Can Have a Home Based Business Marketing Wine?

You don’t need to be a wine expert to be successful at The Traveling Vineyard. Even if you have no experience in sales or running your own home based business, we make it easy for you to succeed starting with your very first free home wine tasting event. We’ll provide an experienced mentor and on line training to get you up and running fast!

In today’s economy you might be looking for just the right work from home business opportunity to spread your wings, unchain yourself from a desk, spend more quality time with the important people in your life and create a flexible and fun working environment.

As an Independent Wine Consultant with The Traveling Vineyard you will have all that and more! The Traveling Vineyard provides you with a turnkey self-employment business opportunity.

Why you’ll Love the Traveling Vineyard!

Even though it seems like yesterday, we held our first free home wine tasting in November 2001, where it was instantly apparent that we were onto something special.

When people are invited to a free home wine tasting event, or hear about our free home wine tastings, their first words usually are, “What an incredible idea.” Having a free wine tasting in your home with friends, for free…how good is that?

Just look around… you enjoy a glass of wine…your friends enjoy a glass of wine ……so if you are looking for a way to earn some extra income working from home, why not a home based business with wine?

The Traveling Vineyard’s flexible, no pressure environment is ideal for anyone looking to work from home. From stay-at-home-moms, to retirees, to experienced direct sellers, to a wine enthusiast The Traveling Vineyard is a fun way to earn some extra money.

Unlike many home based business opportunities, our Independent Consultants include men, women, and couples. Other than being over 21 and enjoying wine… there are no limits to your success.

If growing a business is something you’d enjoy, access to the 30 billion dollar a year wine industry gives you plenty of room to expand and prosper.

Whatever your personal requirements, there is no easier way to have fun, make great friends, and earn extra money. As an Independent Wine Consultant, you get to meet new people and talk about something you already like…wine. How easy and fun would that be?

Come join us!

Host your own free home wine tasting, or become part of our family of fun, friendly Independent Wine Consultants and start your own exciting home based business.

Back in 2006, Indiana Governor Daniels signed into law, the following legislation about shipping wine direct to consumers:

• The customer must have made a face-to-face transaction on the winery premises (on-site). This on-site visit stipulation was originally struck down by the courts, but then reinstated on appeal. The law severely limits off-site sales.
• Only wineries that have not had a relationship with a distributor for the preceding 120 days are eligible to ship to consumers. This stipulation means that only those wineries that do not have a wholesaler relationship may ship.  This cuts off a huge portion of the wine in the national market because three states (actually accounting for 90% of non-carbonated wine sales) automatically give wholesaling privileges to their wineries.
• The wine is subject not only to a sales tax of 7%, but an additional excise tax of $0.49/per gallon.
• With a 24 case limit per household per year and a 3,000 case limit into the state on behalf of the winery, the state effectively limits the consumer base of any given winery in Indiana to a mere 125 customers.

What’s confusing is that the law states that a given household cannot receive more than 24 cases of wine each year from any winery.  Yet each winery has no way of knowing how many cases the customer has already received.

The law certainly frustrates interstate commerce by making it cumbersome for consumers to receive shipments from wineries based outside Indiana.  (Indiana has very few wineries.)  And yet, without the ability to ship wines within the state, Indiana businesses are essentially prohibited from expanding outside of urban areas with their shipments.  Laws actually hurt in-state wineries too!

The fact that you have to physically visit the winery to have wine shipped to your home is absurd, protectionist and downright anti-business.   It makes no sense.  It’s madness! Not just march madness, it’s madness 365 days a year.  That’s the wholesalers lobby at work once again.

What Can You do as a Wine Lover?

We need your consumer voice in so many states to stop this madness in the legislature.  Visit www.freethegrapes.com to sign up for their informative Enewsletter and learn about the regulations in your state and the states where you ship wine.  Stay connected to the action on Facebook.

Why We Care?

The Traveling Vineyard creates local jobs and generates  local and state tax revenues in every state we direct ship to. Our local Independent Wine Consultants market Traveling Vineyard wines through our innovative free home wine tasting program. Introducing our winery products to residents using local residents in each state.  Our Independent Consultants love their home based business marketing wines. We only wish that we could put good people to work in Indiana like we do in 33 other states.