Garagiste Glendale: Kick Off Party and Grand Tasting

Don’t travel through Glendale often, and never been to the Glendale Civic Auditorium, but I’ve covered numerous Garagiste events in LA held at The Wiltern, Santa Monica Bay Women’s Club and Union Station. Traveled to Paso for the event more than once, beginning with their first fest in 2011. And very happy to see that this event, voted the “Best Wine Festival by USA Today readers, has now reached as far as Sonoma and Doug Minnick (one of the founders) said it was their 24th. There’s a reason for their growth and success. We look forward to Garagiste to catch up with small wineries that have been there from the start, and discovering new ones. Here is what we found in Glendale:

Longtime Garagiste founders and organizers l to r: Doug Minnick, Dave and Lisa Dinsmore.

Starting with the “Kick off Party” night of rare, reserves, pre-releases, barrel samples and club member only wines that included a yummy buffet from Fired Up Chef Services (photos), the next day I had a seminar on the growing group of vintners that make their wines from LA Country grapes and then came the grand tasting (more photos). I grouped the kick off party and grand tasting wines together in the Wineries section below and, due to length, will share the seminar and tasting in a separate article on this website today.

Wineries

I have noted the particular wines from either tasting that I found remarkable. If a winery is not noted it doesn’t mean anything in particular, but most likely I just missed them. Asterisks denote wineries at the LA event for the first time:

13th & Third Wines* (2016 Rhone Red), Adron Wines*, Aldina Vineyards* (2014 Cabernet Sauvignon), Alma Sol Wines, Angeleno Wine Co., Ann Albert Wines, Armitage Wines, Ascension Cellars (2015 Soul Searcher Cabernet/Syrah), Bella Luna Winery, Bevela Wines (2015 Unforeseen Alchemy Red Blend), Bodega de Edgar (2016 Nexo Syrah, 2015 Gran Riserva Tempranillo and 2016 Mis Pasos Cab/Tempranillo/Syrah blend), Brooks Note Wines* (2018 Pinot Blanc, 2017 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and 2014 GSM), Byron Blatty Wines (entire lineup with a special shout out to 2016 “Eventful” blend of Tempranillo/Petite Sirah/Merlot), Cavaletti Vineyards (2017 Alicante Bouschet barrel sample and 2017 Vigneron Reserve Syrah/Cabernet), Changing Patterns, Cholame Vineyard (2014 Estate “130” Syrah and 2016 “The Beautiful One” Petite Sirah), Cloak and Dagger Wines, Copia Vineyards (2017 “The Cure” GSM), DB Cellars* (2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Paso and 2011 Sete Barbara, Sierra Foothills), DENO Wines (2017 Arneis, 2016 and 2014 GSM, 2010 Two Bills Zin/Grenache, 2009 Paso Ridge GSM), DeWitt Vineyard* (2015 Estate Syrah and 2015 Estate Touriga), Dusty Nabor Wines (love all the wines, special shout out to their 2017 Syrah, Ballard Canyon. Also his wife Karin’s label, Bolt to Wines 2016 Roussanne and 2017 Syrah)), Enriquez Estate Wines* (2015 Muscat, 2013 “Brisa” white blend, 2013 Reserve Pinot Noir and 2013 Reserva Tempranillo), Etnyre, Ferguson Family Winery* (2016 Boomshakalaka Petite Sirah), Frostwatch Vineyard* (2015 Estate Chardonnay and 2016 Ophira Reserve Chardonnay), Gary Kramer Guitar Cellars*, Golden Star Vineyards (Everything as always, big fans of Lee and Helen Williams), Golden Triangle (2015 Cab/Syrah, Willow Creek), Gravel Pit, Greyscale Wines* (2015 Merlot, Oak Knoll Napa), Hoi Polloi Winery (everything, fan of winemakers Behlendorf and Minnick), Kendric Vineyards, Kings Carey Wines*, Kitson Wines (2015 Rafael el Fils Estate Cabernet Sauvignon), Lions Peak Wines* (2012 Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc), LXV Wines (2016 Reserve Cabernet Franc, 2017 “Crimson Jewel” Super Tuscan blend and 2016 “Secret Craving” Bordeaux blend)), Marin’s Vineyard (nice discovery: 2017 Malbec and 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, MCV Wines (2016 Petite Sirah and 2016 “1105” blend), Metrick Wines, Montagne Russe (2015 Dragon’s Back Chardonnay, 2016 Dragon’s Back Pinot Noir, 2016 Alder Springs Syrah), Ocean’s Churning* (another cool discovery: 2014 Chardonnay Los Carneros, 2016 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast and 2014 Heritage Clone 4 Los Carneros), Playground Cellars*, Powicana Farms (2013 Petite Sirah and 2015 Port), Record Family Wines, Republic of Pink, RF Fine Wines* (2015 Arbre Petite Sirah), Rhonedonnee Wines, Say When Wine* (2017 Petit Verdot, 2018 “Stipa” Rose of Mourvedre, 2017 “When” Pinot Noir and 2017 “Rasi” Pinot Noir), Torch Cellars (2018 Tannat/Syrah Rose and 2013 Illumination Red blend), Turiya Wines (Divine Force Cab/Sangio/Petite Sirah), Two Papas Wine* (everything, I’m a fan, 2018 Grenache Blanc was new), Two Shepherds (sorry to have missed this one today), Velvet Bee Wines*, Vino Vargas, Wander-Must Wines* and Zanoli Wines (2016 Syrah).

http://garagistefestival.com/

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.