Grapegate

Someone is stealing the great grapes of Burgundy, according to the Burgundy wine bureau (BIVB). As reported in Decanter, there have now been four separate reports of thefts of grapes across the region. A possible motive underlying the crimes: the 2016 harvest, which has been so devastating (severe frost and hailstorms) that some vintners have 50% to 90% fewer grapes than in typical years.

Of the four wineries below, which was the first to plant chardonnay in the Napa Valley?

A. Robert Mondavi Winery

B. Schramsberg

C. Kendall Jackson

D. Stony Hill

Stony Hill, a small cult winery on Napa Valley’s Spring Mountain, planted chardonnay in 1948. At that time, there were only 200 acres of chardonnay in the whole state (compared to the nearly 98,000 acres planted today.) Schramsberg Vineyards planted chardonnay for its famous sparkling wines in 1965. The Robert Mondavi Winery’s first chardonnay was planted in 1970. And Kendall Jackson, which is not located in the Napa Valley, made its first chardonnay in 1982 and now makes some 2 ½ million cases of chardonnay annually.

“Men are like wine–some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.”

—Pope John XXIII

Grapegate

Get WineSpeed