Anaba Wines www.anabawines.com We were planning our very short visit to Sonoma to coincide with the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend. While the main event was scheduled for Saturday, September 1st, and we were scheduled to return home on Sunday, I was determined to get in one winery visit before our scheduled dinner Friday evening at…
Blue Ginger http://www.ming.com/blue-ginger.htm I have to admit that I’ve never been a fan of this whole “celebrity chef” thing. The concept really seemed to start with the Food Network, and then exploded with shows like Bravo’s Top Chef. Not that I don’t enjoy the shows — I definitely do. But, too often, the restaurants I’ve…
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…
Westberg Cellars www.westbergwine.com One of the last wines we tasted at the Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival earlier this year was the Estate Zinfandel from Westberg Cellars. Admittedly, I was unfamiliar with this winery, but their Zin tasted darn good. But, it was near the end of the tasting and at that point everything was tasting…
Tassajara www.tassajaracellars.com Rounding out our visit to Silver Horse was tasting the wines of Tassajara Cellars. Tassajara is the name of the tallest mountain in the Santa Lucia range, which separates Paso Robles and the Pacific Ocean. Winemaker/owner Craig Reed, who used to be the winemaker for the Martin & Weyrich and York Mountain wineries,…
Epiphany! Why do I get so excited after over five years of dedicating myself to writing about wine? Why does a Rhone Rangers tasting event build up such an anticipatory thirst in me? The first time I went to a Rhone Rangers event I scoffed at all of the Grenache being poured, as the color…
Four Brix Winery www.fourbrixwine.com We were ready for our final stop of the day. Gary Stewart, one of the owners of Four Brix Winery in Ventura, had actually set up our itinerary for the day. We had originally planned on visiting four wineries that day, but the amount of quality time we spent at the…
Family Winemakers of California Thirteenth Annual Trade Tasting Pasadena Convention Center Tuesday, March 13th If I had to go to only one wine tasting event per year, it would be the Family Winemakers of California tasting held annually in Pasadena. With typically about 200 wineries represented, many of which are not readily available, this event…
Harmony Wynelands Winery – http://harmonywynelands.com/ We had one more stop to fit in before heading downtown and eventually our dinner. Rod and Rene said I needed to see Harmony Wynelands and give them a try. They had described a beautiful facility and grounds, fit for weddings. They also told me the tasting room was cool,…
What a night at Valencia Wine Company for our January 2012 Grape of the Night. One of the largest showings that we have had in a while. Included in our gathering was none other than Gary Stewart of Four Brix Winery tantalizing us with some of his latest and greatest wines. Those of you that…