It is rare to go to a major tasting event and have one winery, one family’s story about how they came to make their wines and why they make what they do, stand out long after actually tasting their wines. As tasting events go, the Garagiste Festival in Paso Robles is simply fun. Smallish, intimate…
Earlier this year, in a vast hall in downtown LA called the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, the growers and vintners of the newly-designated Malibu AVA came together to fight for their futures. The County Board of Supervisors was voting to decide whether the Coastal Commission’s ruling that no new vineyards be planted or expanded…
Ravenswood http://www.ravenswoodwinery.com/ Long ago, before the internet took over all our lives, I became a fan of Zinfandel. At the time, it was always a good bet to look for the three Rs of Zinfandel. What? You say there’s no R in Zinfandel? You’re not looking closely enough. If you bring your face closer to…
LIMERICK LANE http://www.limericklanewines.com/ Several months ago, we attended the Sonoma in The City event held in Beverly Hills. At the time, my concern that I would just be inundated with a plethora of taste-alike Chardonnays and Pinot Noir was put to rest when I sampled a stellar lineup of Zinfandels and Rhones, although there were…
As Grape of the Night (GOTN) continues our exploration of wines from different countries, regions and states we returned to Spain to sample another wine from the old world called Albariño. Wines from Spain are not high on most drinkers list when selecting to purchase or drink. This is really too bad as Spain produces…
In wanting to find the oldest wine grapes grown in the Santa Clarita Valley, I remembered that Juan Alonso, owner of Le Chene French restaurant in Agua Dulce, had his own wines on his extensive 34-page wine list. I e-mailed Juan thinking starting with him was the best. Yes, he had been making wine since…
The tasting room at Hammersky Vineyards and Inn is currently sharing samples from their all Estate 2010 vintage: four reds, and then a second line called Naughty Princess. Right away I was wondering about that second label, and owner/wine blender Doug Hauck said that he designed the line for his dental office staff that wanted…
Dating back to antiquity, most of what is now the Republic of Macedonia was known as the Kingdom of Paeonia. The peoples who inhabited these lands were primarily of Thracian stock. In 356 BCE, Phillip ll of Macedon took control of Paeonia. Under his reign, King Phillip not only brought in Greek culture, the tradition…
In this, the second annual Cab Collective, now called the Paso Robles Cab Collective, the media was given a multi-day schedule. I planned on resting my head for two nights at the Hammersky farmhouse, after days that would be spent doing barrel tasting of the 2013 vintages, vintner panel discussions, library tastings, interviewing winemakers over…
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…