Each Family Has Continuously Farmed Land for More than 100 Years The image of vibrant farms and rugged ranches set among Sonoma County’s beautiful landscapes has long been sought after by tourists, painters and photographers. The sheer beauty has always stood out, but, given that the area’s first vineyards date back to 1812, it is the region’s agrarian roots and family legacy that makes Sonoma County unique. Today, twenty-two local families, all winegrape growers, were recognized as the original members of the “Century Club” in honor of their continuously farming their family’s original land for more than one hundred years. Sonoma County Winegrowers created the Century Club to mark the unique legacies of farm families in the region and it will recognize new families with the honor as they hit the one-hundred-year mark in the years ahead. Each of these farms – and the families behind them – have endured the ups and downs of the cyclical

Viticulturists in California's Central and North Coasts predict a delayed harvest this year due to the cold, rainy spring. This postponement poses a potential threat to the grape crop, leaving it vulnerable to challenges from autumn rains, cooler temperatures, and smoke taint from wildfires.  The delay does, however, provide grape growers with more time to prepare for a persistent challenge to wine grapes – bird damage. The critical moment is after bud break and before veraison when vineyards become prime targets for birds searching for food and a place to roost. "The time to act is when the sugar content begins to rise and attract the birds," asserts Dave Crockett of Kenwood's The Dirt Farmer, vineyard services company. "Once the birds are drawn in, there's nothing you can do to deter them. The key is to prevent them from noticing the ripening grapes in the fields below. With this year's harvest delayed by one to four weeks, there's st

Jose Aceves, a 54-year veteran of Dutton Ranch, claimed the Sonoma County vineyard workforce’s highest honor over the weekend Jose Aceves was just 19 when he began working at Dutton Ranch, a sixth-generation family farm, apple orchard and vineyard in Santa Rosa. That was 1969. Fifty-four years later, Aceves still works at Dutton Ranch, where he’s gone from field worker, to tractor driver, truck driver, foreman and supervisor. Those years of hard and successful work paid off Feb. 25 when Aceves received his most prestigious title yet: Sonoma County’s Vineyard Employee of the Year. “There is no doubt we wouldn’t be as successful without Jose’s dedication and expertise all these years,” said Steve Dutton, president and co-owner of Dutton Ranch. “Vineyard workers are the backbone of the wine industry, so It’s fantastic to see him receive this honor.” Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Aceves came to Dutton Ranch with his childhood best frie

Afternoon Brief: Sugarloaf Custom Winery Seeks Bankruptcy Protection as $13 Million Loan in Default

Sugarloaf Wine Co. southeast of Santa Rosa filed for Chapter 11 reorganization as loan on winery goes into foreclosure. Founder says hundreds of thousands of dollars from the winery and a separate vineyard operation went to fund a fintech startup...