Rod Byers

Grass Valley

Columnist at The Union

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Articles

Rod Byers: Drop the mic

Jul 2, 2024 | theunion.com | Rod Byers

It is time to wave a fond farewell to Dave Luce, owner of the Alta Sierra Wine Shop. The shop is not closing its door but Dave is hanging up his corkscrew. I cannot imagine there is anyone in our local Nevada County wine community who does not know Dave Luce. He is an icon. But on the chance you don’t, let me fill you in. For those of you with distant memories, Dave first appeared at Dingus McGee’s Restaurant in Colfax in the late 1980s.
Rod Byers: Pretty in pink revisited

Jun 4, 2024 | theunion.com | Rod Byers

Everyone, except perhaps for the most die-hard red wine only drinkers must have noticed that rose-colored wines are very much in fashion. This is not an overnight success story. I first wrote about the coming rosé trend back in 2005. Twenty years later, rosé is still trending. Or has rosé officially become a thing? It might be useful to look at the history of rosé and the important role it has played in America’s developing wine culture.
Rod Byers: Fairly natural

Apr 30, 2024 | theunion.com | Rod Byers

I went to a Natural Wine Fair in Richmond recently. 40 wineries all showcasing their interpretations of natural wine. It was great. Really interesting for numerous reasons. But first a word about natural wines. Natural winemakers believe in a non-interventionist philosophy. Add nothing to the wine. Take nothing from the wine. The strictest of the lot are known as zero-zeroes. Nothing plus nothing, minus nothing, equals nothing. Zero. No intervention. Let the grapes be the wine.
Rod Byers: The oldest winery In North America

Apr 2, 2024 | theunion.com | Rod Byers

If you asked me what’s the oldest continually operating winery in North America, and gave me twenty guesses, I would not have gotten it right. I know because a bottle of wine arrived at my door with a back label claiming that exact title and I had never heard of it. So I looked into it. America was partly conceived as an in-house supply source of wine for a thirsty Britain. They saw the colonies as a way of freeing themselves from the overbearing, duty-ladened French wine trade.
Rod Byers: Foothill celebration

Mar 5, 2024 | theunion.com | Rod Byers

The 22nd Annual Foothill Celebration is taking place next weekend on Saturday, March 16 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. I think there are a couple of reasons why you should consider attending. But first a few details. Foothill Celebration is one of those walk-around-town type wine events with over twenty different venues scattered throughout Grass Valley. Wine vendors and food purveyors set up tables inside the various venues offering samples of their product. It’s your job to walk around town to enjoy them.
Rod Byers: Are CRV fees a good idea or just another tax

Feb 6, 2024 | theunion.com | Rod Byers

If you’ve purchased a bottle of wine (or distilled spirits) in 2024 you paid a ten cent Credit Redemption Value better known as a CRV fee. Are CRV fees a good idea? Do they work? Only 10 states have them. Is that 10 states too many or 40 states too few? Prior to World War II everyone used refillable glass bottles for both beer and soda. After the war cans began replacing bottles. “Just throw ‘em away” was the selling pitch. By 1960 almost 50% of beer in the U.S was sold in cans or no-return bottles.
Rod Byers: Gray Pine Winery

Dec 5, 2023 | theunion.com | Rod Byers

Guy Lauterbach is the owner/winemaker at Gray Pine Winery (graypinewinery.com) in Penn Valley. It’s a small, hands-on, one person operation. The size of the winery is perfectly suited for his needs. The cave dug in the hillside below the winery is just big enough to hold the barrels of wine that come from his two-acre vineyard that stretches down the hill away from his cellar door. This is the time of year I like to ask winemakers about their assessment of the recent harvest.
Rod Byers: Kicking It at Fawnridge Winery

Oct 31, 2023 | theunion.com | Rod Byers

I mentioned to my friend that I was going down to visit the folks at Fawnridge Winery. “Who?”, she asked. “Fawnridge Winery (fawnridgewine.com),” I answered. “They are in the North Auburn region, just past the Bear River going into Placer County. Been there since 2004.”But I wasn’t going to the vineyard/winery on Fawnridge Road. I was headed to their tasting room located on Linnet Lane, in Nevada County.
On guard and on the prowl

Oct 3, 2023 | theunion.com | Rod Byers

On GuardThis time of year always makes me think about harvest, grapes ripening on the vine, and the heady smell of fermentation in the air. I try to pay attention to each growing season. Each one seems unique. This year we had a wet winter. Not only lots of rain but rain late into the spring. That created a late start. Pruning was delayed because of soggy terrain. Bud break was later than usual. Spring finally turned fair with no frost, hail, or calamities.
Rod Byers: A legacy wine for the ages

Sep 5, 2023 | theunion.com | Rod Byers

When a story begins with “once upon a time” it is sometimes regarded as a fairy tale. Doesn’t mean it can’t be true. Doesn’t mean it can’t be about wine. Doesn’t mean it can’t still be just a little bit magical. Indeed, this story begins with once upon a time, dating back to 1839 and the 13,000-acre land grant known as Rancho Cucamonga from the then Governor of California, Juan Alvardo, to Tiburcio Tapia. Tapia grazed cattle on the land. He also planted a vineyard.