“Grandma was a bootlegger.” Not something you hear every day, but this is what Jane Portalupi told Karen and me when we visited. The tag hanging on the one-liter milk bottles of their Vaso di Marina red and white wines tells the story like this: “This wine is inspired by my grandmother, Marina Portalupi, who…
The last time Karen and I visited Vintners Resort in Santa Rosa was in 2019. At that time, the additions of the modern luxury suites and rooms and amenities such as the new spa and pool were in place and the transition from Vintners Inn to Resort was complete. My plan was to write about…
When Karen and I started thinking about making our first-in-a-long-time visit to a winery [or anywhere for that matter] we wanted to take into account certain criteria – protocols followed, outdoor seating, an exceptional experience and of course, great wine. Comstock in the Dry Creek Valley immediately came to mind. We’ve been fans of the…
I think I need to finally admit something… About Zinfandel. Back when I first started developing my appreciation of Zin, there were the three Rs of Zinfandel – Rosenblum, Ridge and Ravenswood. More recently, although still about 20 years ago, my own tastes elevated Turley and Carlisle to the top spots. Bedrock, the relative newcomer…
I like to think that I am fairly genderblind when it comes to professions. But, when I saw the Women Winemakers website and recently released book, I got to thinking. Karen and I have been seriously interested in wine for over 30 years. Over that time, we have gotten to know dozens of winemakers. But,…
On March 19, 2020, members of the J Dusi Winery wine CLuB (including me) received the following email regarding the film “91 Harvests”: Initially set to premiere this week at the SLO Film Festival, because of the Coronavirus situation the Film Festival has been cancelled. This short movie has a very special place in our hearts, not only…
I’ve written about the Historic Vineyard Society various times over the years. This organization is near and dear to my heart, dedicated to the preservation of California’s historic vineyards, so many of which have been lost to development or replanted to grapes that are currently in vogue and therefore more profitable. Karen and I have…
Last week, I wrote about the seminar that Karen and I attended at the latest Garagiste Festival in Glendale. Part 2 is about the other wines we tasted. The grand tasting featured over 50 wineries from all over California, 23 of which also poured the previous evening at the Rare & Reserve kick-off party –…
Think about one of your favorite wines. What goes into your decision to make it your favorite? Is it the varietal? The region it comes from? The terroir? The year? The label? There may be multiple reasons. I that, at least for me, a big one is passion – the passion of the vintner, winemaker,…