50+ micro-production wineries join line-up of events that celebrate Garagiste Festival’s five years of bringing hundreds of winemaker discoveries to thousands of wine fans, raising profile of Central Coast’s micro-production winemakers and creation of Garagiste Scholarships Paso Robles, CA – The Garagiste Wine Festival returns to Paso Robles November 5th – 7th to celebrate its fifth…
Celebrate harvest at more than 50 festivals, winemaker dinners, concerts, tours and classes SAN FRANCISCO (August 24, 2015)— September is the height of harvest season when a wine lover’s thoughts turn to all things wine. California Wine Month is a great way to celebrate with more than 50 amazing events and immersion experiences—from wine festivals…
New Winery Now Named the Monterey Winery of the Year Paso Robles, CA – A new small family owned winery, Mystic Hills Vineyard, has been honored with awards in every competition it has entered. Now it has been awarded the top spot: Monterey Winery of the Year under the USA Individual Awards handed down by…
I must admit that, living in Healdsburg, I was mortified when an Indian casino was built into the pristine hills above neighboring Alexander Valley. And I still think River Rock Casino is an eyesore and does not belong perched on a hill overlooking vineyards. Recently, I discovered a different side of the tribal gaming story…
Paso Robles restaurant honored for the second year in a row Paso Robles, CA – Downtown Paso Robles’ favorite Italian restaurant, Il Cortile Ristorante, is being honored for the second year in a row with a prestigious Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The announcement was made in advance of Wine Spectator Magazine’s August 31 issue,…
The first time Doug Minnick, co-founder with Stewart McLennan of the Garagiste Festivals, told me the Wiltern was going to host the latest version of the event, I was a little concerned. Were they just going to use the stage? If not, what about all the seats? Well, it turned out the seats are removable…
I was a little fretful…panicked is actually the right word, about judging the Long Beach Grand Cru for two days after only serving as a guest judge in the LA Wine Competition two years ago…once. I recognized the names of some of the judges, and personally knew quite a few, but I thought I better…
The middle of June 2015 was truly a wine-soaked weekend in the Los Angeles area, with Wine in the Pines on Saturday, June 13th at Pine Mountain Club followed on Sunday, June 14th by the Ojai Wine Festival. First – Wine In The Pines The annual Wines In The Pines festival was started in 2003…
Beverly Hills, Calif. – Los Angeles welcomes the best of Pinot wines as wineLA is set to host their first annual STARS of Pinot Wine Festival on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 at Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills. Attendees can expect to taste some of the top artisan Pinot based wines from around the world. Wineries…
It seems like only yesterday that I sat down with Doug Minnick, one of the founding organizers of The Garagiste Festival, to discuss their upcoming inaugural event in Paso Robles. It was an exciting time, with the Garagiste Festival being unique in focusing solely on small [maximum 1,200 cases per year] wineries, most without tasting…