Vine 2 Wine, in this its second year morphed with The SCV Wine Classic, has successfully created an event that leaves nothing, sans your own notes on the wines, left to the imagination. Let me explain… Vine 2 Wine, run for nearly a decade by the former Betty Ferguson Foundation, was a lovely afternoon affair…
When I think of Summers Estate Wines (www.summerswinery.com), I immediately think of the red wine Charbono. The origins of Charbono are a little unclear. It is often thought of as an Italian varietal. The name Charbono certainly sounds Italian. But testing by famed grape geneticist Carole Meredith proved that the grape known as Charbono in…
Another sunny day in California…but wait…what’s this…a wine fest! Yahoo! Nothing makes a weekend any better than to spend a few hours in the backlot of Raleigh Studios sipping wine, sampling tequila, trying out a new single malt scotch and pairing it all with old pals and new acquaintances. Yes, it’s my life, go get…
Robert Simon owns two wonderful restaurants in Pasadena: a/k/a an American Bistro (www.akabistro.com) and Bistro 45 (www.bistro45.com). It had been way too long since we had visited either. But then we received the following via email: Edibles for Epicureans Events and Wine Dinners In the continuing tradition of Bistro 45’s discovery of new wineries and…
A couple of weeks ago was the Weekly Best Buy Wine Tasting featuring new and cellared wines from Mr William Terry of PWS. Unfortunately a traffic mishap (Not to worry William is fine!) kept him from his duties as host leaving yours truly to carry the day. Here are my notes from The BEST BUY…
Do you remember the old Creedence Clearwater Revival song, “Lodi”? Yes, the one that had the classic line, “Oh Lord, I’m stuck in Lodi again”. Well, I had those words rolling around in my head last week as I took up some old friends on a wine tasting invite down in the Lodi area. I…
I read Nat MacLean’s Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass before a brief trip, via cruise ship, to her native Canada. Chapters like compiled columns – one was working a single night as a sommelier – and I was smitten with her unassuming, easily approachable, style. When her…
Marche Bacchus – French Bistro Cafe (This is part 2, part 1 ran on 11/12. The original, lent to us by the author Rick Fraga, appeared originally on his website: http://www.gatewaytowine.com/marche-bacchus-a-divine-place-to-dine) As we stepped towards the dining area we were warmly greeted and guided to our table, which was next to the Lake, looking out…
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Stars of California event presented by Learn About Wine. According to the invitation, the purpose of this event was to focus on “Newer or smaller brands that will make the difference in the future of wine in your stores, wine lists, and events.” The event was held…