June 5, 2019
They say necessity is the mother of invention, and this story begins with a hole which needed filling. When Michael & Harmon Skurnik started The Pinot Project in 2009, it was to answer a call from their customers in New... UNFILTERED Archives: USA
Hanzell Vineyards: Timeless Expression of Sonoma
May 14, 2019
In 1953, James D. Zellerbach returned from his tenure as the Ambassador to Italy under the Truman administration with one goal in mind – to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in California. While abroad, he spent extensive time traveling through... Meet the 2nd Generation of Four New World Icons: Kistler, Ramey, Turley, and Hirsch
May 2, 2019
It is estimated that in the United States 70 percent of all family-run businesses never make it to the second generation, and a staggering 98 percent never get to the third. The wine world is an exception – particularly in... The Reality of Riesling: How Our Producers are Changing the Landscape of a Challenged Variety
March 21, 2019
Why is it that the Finger Lakes wine region does not hold the same reputation as Champagne, Napa or Barolo? How can a region’s latitude be the most defining factor in its commercial success? Should the Finger Lakes AVA be... 2019 Grand Portfolio Tasting: Where It All Comes Together!
March 11, 2019
It seems like our grand tasting gets even grander every year, which is why we’ve taken over the entire Met Pavilion. We wanted you to be able to explore all the sake, cider, wine, and spirits that we have to... Bruce Schneider: An Insuppressible Entrepreneur Finds His Groove (For Now)
February 26, 2019
It might sound a little bit like New Age mumbo jumbo when someone tells you that they’re “…trying to do less,” but when Bruce Schneider says it – after spending more than an hour relating his unrepentant entrepreneurial history –... An Interview with Justin Willett of Tyler
January 8, 2019
Justin Willett, owner and winemaker of Tyler Winery, just completed his 13th harvest in the Sta. Rita Hills. A recent visit by the Skurnik Wines team to Lompoc, home of the winery, reaffirmed what we thought when we first began working... Zinfandel: American Heritage in a Glass
November 8, 2018
Crisp weather has arrived, Fall foliage is underway, and Thanksgiving is just around the corner, shifting our focus in the direction of the all-American grape variety: Zinfandel. Since its earliest mentions in literature from the 1820s, Zinfandel has been claimed... A Return to Classic: The Stylistic Evolution of California Wine
November 1, 2018
Wine styles are constantly shifting. Ripeness, acidity, body, alcohol all take turns on center stage as the wine pendulum swings. Recently, California has been in the spotlight, leading the way toward a return to a lower alcohol, higher acid, more... The Golden Apples of the Sun: a Quick Tour of Skurnik’s Burgeoning Cider Portfolio
October 11, 2018
Late summer. Greenmarket bins are overflowing with heaps of ratatouille-friendly tomatoes, squash, and eggplant, but try as global warming might to make Eternal Summer a reality, change is in the air. The first new crops of Mutsu, Macoun, and the...