24th Annual Passport to Dry Creek Valley — A Modern Tradition with Century-Old Roots Saturday & Sunday, April 27-28, 2013 from 11am – 4:30pm Over 50 participating wineries throughout Dry Creek Valley and Healdsburg Featuring top-flight wine tasting, gourmet food, themed décor and live entertainment Fly Alaska Airlines into Santa Rosa and check a case…
The Earth Day Food & Wine Festival is known for its tantalizing array of locally sourced dishes and award-winning wine and they are raising the bar this year ready to showcase another Central Coast secret: that gluten-free can be just as robust and flavorful. There’s often quite a bit of communication at festivals between attendees…
When visiting a winery the experience of tasting with the winemaker or winery representative is not easily duplicated. However, the planners behind the inaugural WiSH Education Foundation – benefiting our local Junior and Senior high schools – have done just that. With the approval from our city’s latest landmark – the Old Town Newhall Library…
Recently, we had the opportunity to attend the Buick Discovery Tour event held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village. So, right off the bat, you might be asking: Why is Michael writing about cars? Well, in addition to getting to see and test drive Buick’s new line up of autos, the event was…
Anyone who has been reading my weekly column knows that I love and exalt sparkling wine. I have gone on record, and jokingly stated that champagne is what makes life bearable. I am also fond of saying that when the weather is too cold, the only thing to drink is champagne. So here we are…
Peering out from my 5th floor balcony, Kyiv’s beautiful snowscape filled me with a sense of quiet calm that I never knew growing up in Los Angeles County. Today was definitely going to be a “White Christmas,” and I planned to share it with long time friend and fellow sommelier, Elena Boiko. Earlier in the…
JANUARY 17, 2013 (Los Angeles, CA) – Sierra Pelona Valley Vintners Association will hold its 1st Annual Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival on Saturday, January 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Reyes Winery in Agua Dulce. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital*. Guests will receive a complimentary…
Over the years I have been most fortunate to travel to some seventy countries. I have visited a few countries that far exceed the realm of the exotic. However, when it comes to Iceland, this lovely little country is absolutely out of this world. Back in my military days, I worked as a Marine Security…
The enthusiasm and participation keeps growing for the The First Annual Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival slated for Saturday January 26, 2013 from 11a.m. to 4p.m. at Reyes Winery just 45 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The festival will celebrate the recently established AVA, The Sierra Pelona Valley Appellation. Proceeds from the festival will…
Throughout my travels, I have stayed in some luxurious as well as unique hotels. By far one of my most interesting haunts is Helsinki’s Glo Hotel Art. Set in a 1900s Art Nouveau castle, and in the center of the city’s Design District, the interior of this colossal structure is no less imposing. The hotel’s…