Calif. Cuts Off Water to Grape Growers, Healdsburg

Grape growers north of Healdsburg will have to make do without water to irrigate their crops after California officials ordered about 1,500 water rights holders, including grape growers and the cities of Cloverdale and Healdsburg, to stop drawing water from the Russian River watershed.  Violators face fines of $1,000 a day or $2,500 for each acre foot diverted.

The order is a drastic attempt to deal with an historic draught.  If it stretches into a third dry winter, the region will only have the water captured in two reservoirs available.  Officials are trying to ensure Lake Mendocino does not fall below 20,000 acre feet — roughly enough to cover 20,000 football fields with 1 foot of water — before Oct. 1.

Another 310 users in the lower Russian River watershed may receive curtailment orders as early as next Monday (8/9), water board staffers say.

 

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Oak Knoll Winery Picks Handcrafted W&S for 3 States

Spanning OregonKansas and Oklahoma, the partnership between Oak Knoll Winery and Handcrafted Wine & Spirits strengthens both organizations’ abilities to provide superb wines and exemplary service to restaurants and retailers throughout these states.

Oak Knoll Winery President Greg Lint comments, “We are extremely excited about our multi-state relationship with Handcrafted. As a family-owned company and one of the oldest wineries in Oregon, we found in Handcrafted a company that reflects our passion and values.”

Handcrafted was founded in Kansas in 1996, expanded into Oregon in 2015 and Oklahome in 2018.  The firm now has 65 employees.

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CRŪ Winery Opens New Tasting Room in Santa Lucia Highlands

It’s Cru’s second tasting room location.  The Cru Winery Santa Lucia Highlands tasting room sits within the Paraiso and Sarmento Vineyards both of which are a part of CRŪ Winery’s single vineyard program and have been farmed by the Smith Family for almost 50 years. This opening further builds upon the longstanding relationship between CRŪ Winery and the Smith Family.

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Stitzel-Weller’s New Club

Stitzel-Weller Distillery opens the Garden & Gun Club, a destination cocktail bar, inspired by Garden & Gun Magazine’s hospitality franchise. Located on the second floor of the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, the Club offers a unique food and drink experience along the Kentucky Bourbon Trai®.

Both intimate and inviting, the Garden & Gun Club at Stitzel-Weller Distillery is conceived to be a natural extension of the Garden & Gun brand, bringing its distinct voice to Louisville and paying homage to the modern lifestyle long synonymous with the magazine.

The space inside the historic distillery offers an elevated experience featuring thoughtful décor, a curated drink list including a Blade and Bow 22-Year-Old tasting experience, and a unique bar menu that is a modern-day take on classic southern favorites developed by executive chef Ann Kim.

The Garden & Gun Club space features a custom-designed bar along its back wall and offers a combination of bistro tables, banquette seating, and a comfortable lounge area with a total capacity of 60 people.  The Stitzel-Weller Distillery shop will also feature Garden & Gun Club branded merchandise alongside a selection of vintage barware.

The exclusive Blade and Bow 22-Year-Old tasting experience, available for purchase, will include a glass, handcrafted in North Carolina by Garden & Gun Made in the South Award winner Terrane Glass, as well as a signature wool tartan bag, a Blade and Bow enamel pin, and a tasting notes guide.

The Blade and Bow-infused cocktail menu features an Old Fashioned, New Fashioned, Paper Plane, Manhattan, and Bourbon Bloody Mary.  In addition, the Garden & Gun Club boasts a full bar menu, stocked with top brands including Ketel One Vodka, Tanqueray, Zacapa Rum, Johnnie WalkerDon Julio, and Guinness. Wine and additional beers will also be available.

The Garden & Gun Club’s food menu was designed by executive chef Ann Kim who translated the identity of G&G‘s modern Southern brand into a dining experience.  The cuisine at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery experience features an elevated bar menu including pimento cheese served with crudité and local potato chips, a country ham and cheese board featuring artisan cheeses and Newsome’s ham, among other savory options.

The Garden & Gun Club is open to the public starting on Thursday 98/5) no membership required, and is independent of distillery tours.  The club will initially be open with limited hours: Thursday – Saturdays, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. and closed on major holidays. Additional hours and special events will be added over time.

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Mount Gay Rum Offers Rum Day Cocktail Kit

Mount Gay Rum is releasing a limited-edition National Rum Day cocktail kit, that features the essential ingredients to craft Black Barrel Classic Daiquiri cocktails, along with complementary items that help honor and protect the ocean:

  • Mount Gay teamed up with Karim Iliya, Marine and Ocean Conservation Photographer, to include a never before published print that highlights the beauty of the ocean.
  • An exclusive Mount Gay x 4ocean red bracelet made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials. Each bracelet represents 1lb of trash removed from the ocean.
  • Additional items include reusable tumblers and straws to enjoy cocktails without additional waste.

The kit is available on Cocktail Courier.

 

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What We’re Reading —

New Zealand Wine Giant Villa Maria Saved from Liquidation

Villa Maria is being bought by Indevin.  Villa Maria was put on the market by parent company FFWL after the latter reportedly racked up debts of more than NZ$200m ($140m). FFWL, which was established by Villa Maria founder Sir George Fistonich in 2018 – the same year Fistonich was stepped down as Villa Maria CEO – went into receivership in May of this year. (Wine-Searcher)

Ancient Roman wine shipwreck found near Sicily

Researchers have found the ruins of a ship believed to have been transporting wine and olive oil in the Mediterranean more than 2,000 years ago.  (Decanter)

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