There is always so many great opportunities to experience living in the beautiful Sonoma County Wine country and working in the wine industry here just adds to the flavor of what is available. Frequently, I find myself invited to a specific winery, to meet a winemaker or to go and taste new release wines at…
The Scholium Project http://scholiumwines.com/ The last time [and first time] I met Abe Schoener and his minions, it was in Los Angeles and he was discussing the great overriding importance of the husbandry of microbes in winemaking and how the microscopic critters at his winery The Scholium Project are essentially left alone to do their…
For a long time, I’ve focused on whether a wine provides me with a pure and clean expression of fruit. But now along comes Abe Schoener, winemaker and owner of the Scholium Project (http://scholiumwines.com/), and changes all of that. Recently, we had the pleasure to attend a barrel tasting of Scholium Project wines, led by…
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…
I’m an Aniston fan ever since the days of the uber-popular TV show “Friends” so I felt sorry for Jennifer when her marriage to Brad Pitt broke up so publicly. But the buck stopped there, so to speak, or so I thought until Pitt and Angelina Jolie decided to make wine together. I admit it:…
The Rhone Rangers ride into Los Angeles on Sunday, June 23, 2013 with more than 50 wineries pouring their American-grown Rhone wines. Events include a seminar, lunch with the winemakers and a walk-around tasting reception. ANCO Fine Cheese will be providing samples of their imported cheese. The Heirloom LA food truck, famous for their lasagna…
On February 28 I attended the Paso Robles Grand Tasting Tour at the Bookbindery in Culver City organized by The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. But, before you pull out your wine glasses to join me in your virtual tour, I had also signed up for a seated seminar led by three winemakers. And, lucky…
The day before I left the U.S. to chaperone my daughter’s show choir at the Olympics, I signed up for my friend Denise Lowe’s Spanish Wine Tasting Class. I’ve interviewed Denise many times about her work as a wine educator and festival sommelier, but never attended one of her educational tasting classes. Below are the…
As reported in “Part I–Burgundy,” Don and I traveled to Southern France this spring, combining an 8-day river cruise of the Saone and Rhone rivers with a week-long, independent driving trip along the French Riviera. As our trip progressed, we left the Saone and Burgundy behind, and the Viking Europe, carrying 150 passengers, merged onto…
The Club Culinaire of French Cuisine [http://www.clubculinaire.us] is a non-profit organization of chefs, wine purveyors and other hospitality professionals. The Club organizes events to support the Concern Foundation, the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Hope Program and the M.E.G. Foundation in India. One of the annual events is the Picnic Des Chefs which brings together various…