Chateau Julien - Summer Jamboree 2008 - Part 1

It takes a cast of all of our current and past employees to put on the Jamboree. From the days of Edna (past employee) to the newest employee, we all had a great time. Our guests enjoyed fine wine, great food, hat making and music from the Dennis Murphy band!

As Reported by Wine & Spirits Daily

ROSÉ SURPASSES WHITE WINE VOLUME IN FRANCE. Rosé has seen a surge in France particularly among young adults, who view rosé as a festive drink. Approximately one in five bottles of wine sold in France is a rosé, with the gains coming from falling red sales. Rosé's popularity is also being seen in Britain and especially the U.S. where the pink wine is booming.

Now - Do you think America will wake up to really good Rose wines. Our Rosato is "sold out" for the year.

Chateau Julien Wine Estate - from the air!

We must be ready for the summer jamboree, because the overflow parking has been marked. Join us this Sunday, July 13th for a fun filled day of entertainment, food and great Wine!

Big Sur "Basin Fire" gets close to Chateau Julien Wine Estate

The Big Sur "Basin Complex" fire just got a little closer to Chateau Julien Wine Estate with the eruption of a visual blaze about 3 - 4 miles away. The fire is just over a ridge or two. Pray for rain!

As reported by Wine & Spirits Daily

RED WINE IMPROVES HEALTH, NOT LIFE SPAN

Researchers have found that resveratrol (a compound found in red wine grapes) will help slow the signs of aging although it will not necessarily prolong your lifespan. Previous studies suggested red wine could help people live longer, but new evidence says that's not the case. Instead, it will improve quality of life by providing heart benefits, stronger bones and help prevent cataracts.

"We found that while quality of life improved with resveratrol, the compound did not significantly affect overall survival or maximum lifespan," Rafael de Cabo of the US National Institute of Ageing said.

In the study, some mice were fed a standard diet, some a high-calorie diet and some got food only every other day. The researchers then began giving some of the mice resveratrol in either low or high doses when they were 12 months old, roughly the same as 35 years old in a person. The mice given resveratrol experienced broad health benefits compared to mice not given the compound, reports Reuters. De Cabo told the publication that Resveratrol "wiped out the negatives effect of the high fat."

However, De Cabo said it would be too early for people to start taking resveratrol supplements to improve health until more research is done

As reported by Wine & Spirits Daily

Wine & Spirits Daily

U.S. Ranks Higher in Drug and Alcohol Abuse

July 3, 2008

Despite strict drug and alcohol laws, the United States leads the world in rates of experimenting with drugs, researchers at the World Health Organization have found.

"The United States, which has been driving much of the world's drug research and drug policy agenda, stands out with higher levels of use of alcohol, cocaine, and cannabis, despite punitive illegal drug policies, as well as (in many U.S. states), a higher minimum legal alcohol drinking age than many comparable developed countries," said the research team, lead by Dr. Louisa Degenhardt of the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

After surveying 54,000 people in 17 countries, researchers determined that alcohol was by far the most common substance used worldwide, with higher levels found in the U.S. along with marijuana and cocaine. Sixteen percent of people in the United States had used cocaine in their lifetimes. The next highest rate comes from New Zealand where only 4.3% reported using cocaine. More than 42% of Americans admitted to having tried cannabis, closely followed by 41% in New Zealand, reports Reuters.

By the age of 21, up to 99% of Europeans, 92% of Japanese, 94% of New Zealanders and 93% of people in the Americas had tasted alcohol.

Interestingly, researchers found that countries with looser drug and alcohol laws have lower rates of abuse.

So what does the U.S. plan on doing? The U.S. National Institutes of Health director Dr. Elias Zerhouni said the following in a statement:

"These findings add to our understanding of substance abuse world-wide, and suggest that drug use is still a major problem in this country, pointing to the need for more effective prevention interventions."

Party at the Browers

Wow! While seldom filmed together (for security reasons) only kidding! Bob and Patty enjoy a group of friends for the release of "Black Nova". The first release of a Zinfandel and Sryah blend.

Back to Italy and now Germany! June 2008

Pictures can tell a thousand words, but I have to tell you about this trip. I left San Francisco on Tuesday and flew to New York where I boarded a flight to Milan. After early arrival in Milan (thanks to American Airlines) I drove 3 1/2 yours to Mugello. There I caught up with the Ferrari F-1 Cliente group and spent the rest of the day with track activities (some with Benjamin De Rothschild (yes the wine guy). After a few hours rest, we (Tony, Kevin, Walter and I) took off for Florence. We encountered a huge traffic jam (highway was closed for almost 2 hours) and Kevin Weeda got out of his car and walked to the next exit where, due to a kind truck driver, he met with a Taxi to take him to the airport. The rest of us, just waited until the road was open again and drove, like crazy, to Florence. There we boarded a plane to Frankfurt to look at the F3000 car that was supposed to be at the track (long story). The drive (provided by Walter Rossing) was down the autobahn at lightning speeds. We arrived near Koln and viewed a great F3000, 500 HP racing car. Then back to Frankfurt, return to Milan and after a few hours sleep back to San Francisco via Chicago. All of this in 4 days! Can you do it?