Ep. 17 — What Is It All About (Part II of III)

 

"They're living too fast." -Wes 'Deacon' Smoot About: It used to be that you could grow apples, herd sheep, or fell timber and make a decent living in the Anderson Valley. But not even the few stop signs in this remote valley could slow down the incoming cash crop of grapes.

 
They’re living too fast.
— Wes 'Deacon' Smoot

About

It used to be that you could grow apples, herd sheep, or fell timber and make a decent living in the Anderson Valley. But not even the few stop signs in this remote valley could slow down the incoming cash crop of grapes. The area’s long legacy of logging now takes a backseat to its newer reputation of producing some of the world’s best pinot noir.

But how did a tucked-away valley 40 minutes from the Pacific Coast and the main highway all of a sudden become a major wine destination? And what toll did this have on a fractured community just reeling from the Redwood Summer days? And what does it mean for the future of the town's famous frontier language called Boontling?

Show Notes: 

1. [00:30] “Curious Case” by Blue Dot Sessions

2. [01:15] Map of the Anderson Valley

3. [03:25] Press clippings about Anderson Valley:

  1. Sunset Magazine

  2. The New York Times

  3. The Wall Street Journal

  4. Travel+Leisure

  5. Gourmet

4. [03:50] For more on Boontling, see Episode 16

5. [04:20] Rueben’s Train by Richie Stearns

6. [05:40] Review of this year’s Variety Show (The Anderson Valley Advertiser)

7. [08:05] “Lemon and Melon (Shorter)” by Blue Dot Sessions

8. [09:55] “Sunday Lights (Rhodes Driver)” by Blue Dot Sessions

9. [10:10] Light reading on John Cesano

10. [10:45] Intro to Wine 101 (Winefolly.com)

11. [12:20] Light reading on sociologist William Friedland

  1. A recent report of his on the Political Economy and Research

  2. And another report of his Agrifood Globalization and Commodity Systems

12. [12:45] “Otrov” by Black Bear Combo

13. [13:00] Wine Grapes, a book on the early history of wine

14. [13:05] Additional light reading on wine’s early history (Harvard University)

15. [13:15] An overview of the different Vitis Vinifera varieties (Cornell University)

16. [13:40] Light background on Dionysos (theoi.com)

17. [14:15] Light reading on the Roman Empire and wine

  1. Compare that with how much wine is had today (Wine Institute)

18. [14:40] The role of the Catholic Church during medieval times (PBS)

19. [14:45] “Agnus Dei X” by Kevin MacLeod (Incompetech.com)

20. [15:40] Light reading on the Duke of Burgundy

21. [16:15] Light reading on history of French wine

22. [16:20] An overview of where wine is grown in Western Europe (vinmaps.com)

23. [16:25] Light read on the world’s oldest wineries (winefolly.com)

24. [16:40] “Don’t Drink Nothing But Corn” by Black Twig Pickers

25. [16:45] Gallup poll on America’s booze preference

  1. Additional reading on the history of drinking in America (ushistoryscene.com)

26. [17:00] Light reading on Junípero Serra

27. [17:10] Light reading on California wine history

28. [17:55] ‘Mercurial Vision (Textural)’ by Blue Dot Sessions

29. [18:50] “Liptis Minimal” by Blue Dot Sessions

30. [20:20] Why wine cost what it does (The New York Times)

31. [20:50] Trailer to the movie Bottle Shock

32. [21:00] More on the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 (TIME)

33. [21:35] “Star Spangled Banner” performed by George J Gaskin

34. [21:45] Orson Welles Paul Masson outtake

35. [22:15] “Liptis Minimal (Driver)” by Blue Dot Sessions

36. [22:20] Quick read on Robert Mondavi (The New York Times)

37. [22:35] Quick read on Peter Mondavi (The New York Times)

38. [24:30] More on the Fall of House Mondavi can be read here

39. [25:15] “Sylvestor” (Rhodes Melody) by Blue Dot Sessions

40. [26:40] Cost per vineyard acre in and around Napa (Napa Valley Register)

41. [27:00] “Sunday Lights (Alt Rhodes Driver)” by Blue Dot Sessions

42. [28:15] More on Navarro Vineyards here (princeofpinot.com)

43. [29:05] Number of wineries nationwide (Wine Institute)

44. [29:15] Map of Anderson Valley wineries

45. [29:30] More on Louis Roederer (Huffington Post)

46. [29:40] “Two Dollar Token (Electric Driver)” by Blue Dot Sessions

47. [29:50] More on  Anderson Valley’s corporate wineries (The Anderson Valley Advertiser)

48. [30:10] Cost per Anderson Valley vineyard acre (Ukiah Daily Journal)

49. [30:15] 2015 Anderson Valley Wine Census Report

50. [30:45] A glimpse into number of wine cases sold in the Anderson Valley (princeofpinot.com)

51. [31:20] Light reading on Mark Scaramella

52. [32:30] More on The Anderson Valley Advertiser (Newsweek)

53. [33:05] And light reading on Bruce Anderson, the paper’s publisher (The New York Times)

1. And about the time he went to jail. (The New York Times)

2. And about the time he repurchased the paper. (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

3. And some more reading on Anderson's role in the valley. (SF Weekly)

54. [35:20] Scaramella’s suit against the wind fans (The Press Democrat)

55. [36:05] Note: the issue of pesticides is a big deal in Mendocino County because of this

56. [37:00] “Tuck and Point (Marimba)” by Blue Dot Sessions

57. [40:00] More on the Michoacan Community in the Anderson Valley (The Anderson Valley Advertiser)

58. [41:20] More on the broader growing concerns over migrant labor (US News & World Report)

59. [41:30] Light reading on union woes in the Valley (The Anderson Valley Advertiser)

60. [41:30] More on unpaid wages for migrant labor in the Anderson Valley (Ukiah Daily Journal)

61. [44:50] “Vengeful (Bass Feature)” by Blue Dot Sessions