The longtime regional wine experience returns after a Covid hiatus, offering its first-ever auction of rare bottles and a series of new, exclusive experiences at the wineries. The SLO Coast Wine Collective’s annual Roll Out The Barrels celebration, which has drawn thousands of wine lovers to San Luis Obispo’s wine country since 1990, returns this…
When I started writing this series of articles about the lighter wines Karen and I have been drinking recently, I hadn’t really thought that so many of them would be from Paso Robles. After all, Paso’s reputation [at least in my mind] is for big delicious Reds, and there certainly are a lot of those…
Recently a pal that used to live in Santa Clarita had called me as he was opening a wine bar where he lives now in Texas. He didn’t want advice on anything other than what wine I would want if I were to visit his bar. Since he had moved to Texas a few years…
Garagiste festival co-founders Stewart McLennan and Doug Minnick (locals know Doug from his shared wine tasting room in Downtown Newhall, Double Trouble) as well as countless experienced volunteers, succeeded once again to bring nearly 50 small producing wineries under one roof – Santa Monica Bay Women’s Club – to be discovered by wine lovers. (Photo:…
I shared a press release recently on canned wines. Suffice it to say, most of the comments, mine included, were biased against canned wines. Most of us didn’t care for the presentation – just like the people that resist screw capped wines for their lack of romance – and some questioned if there was a…
Snobs are sure to dismiss Texas wines as wines made by local “Philistines”. They should note the Dave Phinney: Yeah THAT Dave Phinney who created the now legendary Orin Swift wines such as: The Prisoner, Saldo, Pappillon, Mercury Head, Machete, & D2…Phinney has made his statement that Texas can and does grow and produce world…
I’m a sucker for Rosé wine, especially when the temperatures go up and the days are longer. It’s almost like an aperitif to have before dinner for us, on the front porch, as we watch our neighbors slowly filter by walking their dogs or walking themselves. So, this week, now that I’ve got you in…
I think I need to finally admit something… About Zinfandel. Back when I first started developing my appreciation of Zin, there were the three Rs of Zinfandel – Rosenblum, Ridge and Ravenswood. More recently, although still about 20 years ago, my own tastes elevated Turley and Carlisle to the top spots. Bedrock, the relative newcomer…
KELSEYVILLE, Calif., PRNewswire — Lake County received the highest rating ever achieved by a wine from its region – receiving a 96 point rating for the 2016 Sol Rouge Petite Sirah from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Lake County, a small wine growing region directly north of Napa, used to be part of Napa County and was said…
Finishing off our trip to Lompoc we had our last two tasting appointments, to Ampelos Cellars and to Zotovich Vineyards. Due to Covid-19 both wineries are open for outdoor tastings. Just call or email ahead of time as we know that things can change from one day to the next. Starting with Ampelos we met…