Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

It’s hard to keep a secret when you put a big sign in the window about your business — though there’s not much “gumshoe” reporting going on anymore.

As it turns out, Pilot Peak Winery and Solune Winery — two of the county’s popular wineries — have a big sign in the window at 151 Union Street in downtown Grass Valley applying to sell wine where The Union newspaper used to be published. They are dated March 23.

The signs refer to the “Grass Valley Wine Company.”

Other wineries are expected to join them in what could become a wine bar and events center at “Union Square” for wine tasting, socializing, holding special events and listening to music. You could showcase local artwork too.

This sounds like a cool concept redolent of Basement Wines over in Colfax, a wine bar and wine shop.

The space has handsome brick walls and wood floors.

Wine tasting rooms in downtown Grass Valley already are booming. Smith will hold a grand opening for its tasting room — formerly Bunce’s Place — in May, joining Lucchesi, Sierra Starr and Avanguardia.

We’ll keep you posted on the progress at 151 Union. Judging from the looks of it, I wouldn’t expect anything to open until summer.

UPDATE:
Jacque Wilson, co-owner of Pilot Peak Winery commented here with this additional detail:

“The other wineries will be Bent Metal (which will be opening their doors at the winery on McCourtney on April 10th) and Montoliva.

“GVWC is planning to offer the best urban ‘casual wine tasting experience’ and special events in Northern California. The site lends itself to becoming a ‘destination’ in downtown Grass Valley — with the ease of parking (plenty in back parking lot) and a new ‘BACK DOOR’ entrance which will set the mood for what’s to come! Enough secrets for now… more info as we get closer to opening.”

The Grass Valley Wine Company at Union Square
151 Mill Street
Grass Valley, CA 95945

Thanks Jackie!

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The Hollbrooke Hotel in Grass Valley is selling seats on its balcony for $20 to watch the Amgen Tour of California bike race as it passes by.

The price includes one well drink or draft beer and large shade umbrellas if needed.

“Get your spot soon,” the Holbrooke’s website reads. “We’d hate to see you miss out.”

Expect to see lots more of this as the race-day of May 16 approaches. The owners of parking lots will charge for RVs and cars, and homeowners will rent their homes on Craigslist and the like.

The information for the Nevada City leg of the race is here.

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The New York Times has started a daily video newsfeed that broadcasts their Page One meetings.

Called “Timescast,” it is here. It has sold sponsorship to FedEx, so you have to sit through a short Fed Ex ad. It is accessible by the homepage each day.

Some of the discussion is a bit stiffer than you’d normally experience in such a meeting, but I like the idea of transparency. As for the ads, well, a sign of the times (including the Times).

Will other newspapers follow suit? Not many. It’s still a struggle for newspapers to “get out of the box.”

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The Deer Creek Inn, one of the most prominent B&B’s in Nevada City, has been put up for sale.

We received a postcard in the mail about it. The asking price for the B&B at 116 Nevada Street is $850,000.

“1860s Queen Ann Victorian fully restored and currently being used as a Bed & Breakfast — The Deer Creek Inn, nestled on one of Nevada City’s most breathtaking parcels, right on Deer Creek.

“History themed 7 bedroom, & 7.5 baths with some original flooring, float glass windows, & beautifully landscaped. Formal living room, parlor with original raised panel doors, formal dining room, big country kitchen with deck and patio with lawn cascading down to the water.”

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You might have noticed a new name has been quietly added to the masthead of The Union as “circulation director/managing editor.”

He’s Peter Kostes, and he’s a 20-year “company man” with the Swift-owned chain of newspapers — just like the publisher. Peter has been bumping around from one management job to the next in the Sierra Nevada Media Group unit of Swift (the Tahoe-Carson City outpost) as it consolidates and copes with the economic slowdown. (The Truckee paper has cut their daily production and lost their publisher, as I reported before).

Can you expect any change in the “direction” of The Union? No. The publisher is the “alpha dog” in this one. One upside: You won’t hear Peter ranting like his boss does on this blog or elsewhere. (But then who would?) I’ve never heard him call a person a pig or fat, for example. Could he succeed the publisher, at least in theory? Yes.

Peter started with Swift in 1990 at the Sierra Sun as editor, as he points out on LinkedIn. He was promoted to general manager and then publisher through 1999. He served as publisher of The Record-Courier through 2003 when promoted to Associate Publisher of the Nevada Appeal and Group Editor of Sierra Nevada Media.

He served as assistant group general manager from 2005 to 2007. “In 2007, I combined group editor duties with the Internet First (continuous newsroom) Initiative lead for Swift. Served Appeal interim publiser Jan. to June 2008,” he writes.

He graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism (1979-1981). For the first two years of college he attended Central Connecticut State University, from 1977-79, according to LinkedIn.

Swift has been advertising for a circulation director for a while. It is now distributing the Sacramento Bee in the area and has been advertising for independent drivers — on the news racks, no less.

Despite a national search, the last two slots at the paper have been filled by other “Swifties.” The last reporter — Kyle Magin — came from the Sierra Sun.

Let’s hope Peter gets out to meet people more: His Tweets are “protected,” and on Facebook, “he only share’s certain information with everyone.” He’s more transparent than that.

Sierra Nevada Media Group consists of seven newspapers and associated Web sites in Truckee, Tahoe City, South Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, Gardnerville, Carson City and Fallon. All are operated in their respective communities and printed at the Appeal’s production plant in Carson City.

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