The Fifth Annual Berkeley Wine Festival Features Dinner Series with Frog’s Leap Winery, Kenwood Vineyards, Chimney Vineyards and a Grand Opening Reception With Over 45 Wines Now in its fifth year, the acclaimed Berkeley Wine Festival held at The Claremont Hotel Club & Spa, will kick off with a Grand Opening Reception on Saturday, March 1 from 4-8 p.m., where…
On November 13, courtesy www.LearnAboutWine.com, we sat in on a one-hour seminar delivered by Jean Hoefliger, winemaker Alpha Omega; Aaron Pott, winemaker; and Lars Ryssdal, General Manager, Ackerman Family Vineyards. And after a tasting of their wines we then enjoyed a tasting from top California (mostly Napa) Cabernet Sauvignon winemakers. So, without further adieu, lets…
Region’s well-known fog, cooling winds, and mild growing conditions make for a hallmark vintage As the last truckloads of grapes come in across California, it’s clear that Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco American Viticulture Area (AVA) has experienced a keystone vintage that will go down in history as one of the region’s best. “To sum up, Mother Nature…
On Friday, November 8, 2013, the Zonta Club of Santa Clarita honored one of their own, Marlee Lauffer, at the annual Tribute Dinner. Zonta is an international organization of executives in business and the professions working together to advance the status of women. Now, I love women, so anything that advances their status I’ll support….
Autumn on the island of Malta is gloriously met by the Quormi Festival. This two day event is a celebration of the local wines. Held on the streets of Quormi and is hosted by St. George’s Parish Church … Wait just a minute! Malta? Wine? Malta as in the “Maltese Falcon?” You bet. Wine production…
Whites 2009 Nuggucciet Cellars Riesling McMinnville 12.3% alcohol Color of the white part of a lemon, I now learned is known as the pith. Aromas of sandalwood, new suede, cold cling peaches, honey, candied ginger, maraschino cherry and…OMG minty Neosporin – in a pleasant way! The generous acidity of a Sauvignon Blanc, followed by fruit…
Grape of the Night (GOTN) got together to explore the elegance of Chardonnay. This varietal is claimed to be the most popular of both the reds and whites. Chardonnay wines have a huge following by people that want that crisp, fresh,pure quality that this wine delivers. The palate gives way to flavors of pear and…
Once again I trolled the Internet looking for something to make for dinner. This grilled salmon recipe from TasteofHome.com appealed to me because it called for, among other things, lemon-pepper seasoning, garlic powder, brown sugar, soy sauce, scallions, lemon and fresh dill. We paired it with a Liquid Farm Rose during the cooking and a…
I attended a pre-event tasting of Donelan Wines paired with bites designed by Chef Tamra Levine at Salt Creek Grille Valencia last week. I was able to meet with Cushing Donelan, the Director of Branding and Marketing at Donelan, and taste some awe-inspiring wines. The plan was to have this “mini preview” so I could…
Today I am joined by friend and fellow sommelier, Ivelisse Negroni. We are in the small historical town of Samur in the French region of Pays de la Loire. This area is renown for its chateaus and of course, their wine. From our patio table, we have a lovely view of the plaza square. We…