The Balkans are an ancient land that has given rise to such heroes as Orpheus and Spartacus. Since the Iron Age, some 3500 years ago, Thracians have long dominated Bulgaria and developed it into a mighty kingdom. The Thracians, legendary warriors of antiquity, were ready, willing, and able to hold their own against any foreign…
There were more food, wine, lifestyle vendors and appreciative guests this year, in only its second time around, at Reyes Winery for the Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival last weekend. While VIPs were given early access and other perks, every guest seemed to be feeling the VIP treatment with unlimited access to both commercial and…
I belong to a group known as the Century Club. In order to be a member of this most unique group, one must meet the requirement of having sampled a minimum of 100 grape varietals. Now that is varietals, not wines. When you think about it, many people who enjoy wine seldom get beyond the…
Well, it’s the time of the year where wine tasting events pop up all over California, covering all kinds of grape varietals. Some are wide spread, but others are more focused, like Rhone Rangers (French Rhone varietals), ZAP for the Zinfandel lovers and then a number of events for the fans of Pinot Noir (Pinot…
James Bond strode briskly into the Le Louis XV Restaurant of Monte Carlo’s Hotel de Paris. Once his eye caught sight of chef Alain Ducasse, Bond called for his attention. “Yes, Monsieur Bond,” he flashed a quick nod. “How may I be of service?” “Alain, am I correct when I say that a…
Now and then I actually write about wine. Well, take that back, I go to a blind Syrah tasting, hosted by my friends in the Santa Clarita Vintners and Grower’s Association, ask them to take down notes and send them to me. So this really is a wine review column, but not just from a…
Lublin, Poland has been an important trading site since the early Middle Ages. Due to its economic prominence, the city has been attacked and sacked by Tatars, Ruthenes, Yotvingians, and Lithuanians. By the late 1200s, Lublin was under the rule of the Kingdom of Galicia-Volhyna and eventually by the 1400s absorbed into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth….
A few years back Ed and I were stopped right in front of Backwoods Inn by the SCV sheriffs in one of those mandatory drunk-driving checks. I was scared, not because we had drunk too much, but because police in general make me nervous. (Another thing to blame on my mom—the very first hippie of…
Just east of Cape Town is one of South Africa’s most prolific wine regions. Known as “Winelands,” it is a seemingly mystical land conjured from a fantasy tale. The landscape is fringed with craggy mountains whose peaks ascend high into the clouds. Green valleys are dotted with 300 year old camphor trees, fields of flowers…
We played a game the other day in the Pulchella Tasting Room. Winemaker Steve Lemley removed his tasting notes and we spent nearly two hours talking winemaking practices, the effects of the past 2010 and 2011 cold Paso years and that these wines we were to taste were from the “2012 No Excuses” vintage –…