agriculture

September is a very special month to us, and one that we always greet with great happiness. It’s California Wine Month! Not only does this mean the wine world is chock-full of wondrous deals and promotions that translate to more fun for you, it’s also one of the best times of the year for wine, at least in and around San Diego and – harvest time. We’ve talked about how great the harvest is in the past, but we’d like to point out that this is also a great time to get to know new vineyards in the region, especially since so many new ones are about to start sprouting up, since San Diego County recently changed the rules and made it a lot easier to cut through the red tape you need to start your own vineyard. So, come…

Easter has a very special place in our hearts around here. For one thing, we love making the usual jokes about how beer lovers always have a “hoppy Easter,” but for another thing, the history of Easter is in many ways the history of beer. It all started during the ancient pre-Christian times, when Ishtar was the Babylonian goddess who represented the dawn and the springtime. Say her name out loud, and you'll hear how easily it became the word Easter. During the spring festivals, worshipers said, the sun would hop for joy as it rose in the sky. Water drawn during this time was said to be especially healing, too. And the goddesses of spring and fertility in nearly every culture eventually became goddesses of the fields and agriculture; as beer is the reason for agriculture (and actually for…

As we’ve said before, we don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions. However, we do believe in constantly working toward lifelong goals and making ourselves and everyone around us happier. This is nothing new.  The New Year’s celebration is as old as humanity itself, although many cultures wait until spring to throw their parties. The Romans were the ones who fused Christmas with the New Year, which was in and of itself an offshoot of Saturnalia.   We’re particular fans of that holiday, because Saturn, as the god of agricultural bounty, and his consort Ops, the goddess of resources and wealth, were both celebrated with toasts and consumption of a lot of beer and of wine (which in those times was occasionally mixed with seawater; we don’t recommend it!) Both were also associated with the notorious Bacchus, also known as…

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a day to honor the efforts of American workers. It is a classic American holiday, and a federally-observed day. Labor Day was signed into effect by President Grover Cleveland after brutal violence marred the Pullman Strike in 1894. But although this history is interesting, the real story here is how Labor Day and the labor movements are entwined with the history of wine in the United States. After the Great Depression hit, the wine industry made a comeback during World War II. As more workers returned from war and streamed into agricultural jobs, wages went lower and standards for farmworkers dropped. In 1965, California grape workers, led by United Farm Workers, organized a nonviolent strike, boycotting in vineyards within Kern County and beyond to demand fair treatment. Americans – more than 14…