On Sunday, May 4 from 1pm to 4 p.m. the picturesque Rose Garden and Aratani Japanese Garden at Cal Poly Pomona will again serve as the beautiful setting for friends and alumni savor fabulous wines and enticing cuisine samples from some of Southern California’s most popular restaurants, while enjoying lively musical and auction entertainment. In…
Ever since its release, Dave Phinney’s Zinfandel based, “The Prisoner,” captivated the wine world. For many, it came as a surprise in 2010 when Phinney’s Orin Swift Cellars sold two of their most popular wines, Saldo and The Prisoner, to Chile’s Huneeus Vintners. According to Phinney, the sale is more of a partnership as Huneeus…
In this final installment of my series of articles about alcohol levels in Zinfandel, we hear from two gentlemen who are on the forefront of preserving some of California great old vineyards. Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Co. (www.bedrockwineco.com) grew up with Zinfandel – literally. His father is Joel Peterson, founder of Ravenswood Winery and,…
Living in Europe, I am often inundated with questions concerning the California wine scene. After all, we do have the reputation of abounding with new and innovative ideas for wines. In fact, when my stateside friends come for a visit, they are expected to pay tribute to this self-proclaimed Caesar. My friends are quick to…
This is a continuation from last week’s post, part 2, and shares what we tasted at Lisa Madison’s party. The Tasting For Lisa’s launch party she had enlisted the assistance of executive director, Diane Nozik, to “conduct the guided tasting of 6 handcrafted wines from some of California’s best vineyards”. “We call our parties edu-tainment,…
Last week, I started exploring the issue of alcohol levels in Zinfandel, and received comments from Claire Silver, co-owner of Tobin James Cellars and Janell Dusi, winemaker and owner of J Dusi Wines. In this week’s article, we hear from Karl Wicka, winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars’ Templeton location: “Zinfandel as a variety has uneven…
There’s a new local flavor in town. You don’t have to leave your home to try it. Comes in many varieties and styles. And it involves wine, of course. Lisa Madison is a beautiful blond. I wished she wasn’t. When I met her at Lee’s Wine Bistro last week to discuss her wine knowledge, interests…
I woke up one morning to a message from friend and fellow Eve’s Wine 101 contributor Gregory Alonzo: “Hi Michael … Recently I have had several emails from European acquaintances who want to know more about our Zinfandel, especially those of higher alcohol content. As you probably know, California Zin is tough to find in…
Classic Guides to California’s Destination Wineries Go Digital! Back in 2010 I met and interviewed editor/publisher Tom Silberkleit of The California Directory of Fine Wineries at the now defunct Vino 100. Tom had come to the shop for a book signing and I came in about an hour ahead of time to meet with him. …
I’ve been an Alan Rickman fan from Sense and Sensibility (chick flick) to Galaxy Quest (guy flick). I’ve been a wine fan even longer. Both were definitely working for me before I even stepped into Vino 100 this last Friday night for a special screening of the movie Bottle Shock. Bottle Shock tells the story…