According to Greek Mythology, it was the God of pleasure and wine, Dionysus himself who first brought grape vines to Sicily. As we all know, there is always some basis to both legend and folklore. Archeological evidence places Mycenaean traders, as early as 1500 BCE, cultivating grapes on Sicily’s Aeolian Islands. By the 8th century…
Grape of the Night explored a varietal that originated in Spain. In fact, it is known as the native or noble grape of Spain. That grape is Tempranillo. This varietal originated in Spain and was believed to be related to Pinot Noir, however, ampelographic studies have shown this not to be the case. This wine…
The problem as I see it is that we all dream of this: The lush vines sagging under the weight of their fruit, the intimate backyard tastings, the rocky earth, the turquoise sky above a mountain, wind chimes barely making their music, the coolness of the winery, the large-bowled stemware filled to just under 1/3,…
I love the city of Burgos. This is the historic capital of Castile and the home of the legendary, El Cid Campeador Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, a Castilian nobleman and military leader was instrumental in the recapturing of Spanish lands from their Muslim conquerors. On a personal note, I would like to add that Burgos…
When I read all about the wonderful winemakers and beer makers that were highlighted in a story in Elite magazine, I asked for permission from Elite to reprint the story here on my site. I hope you enjoy learning about how these local winemakers give back – and I see many of you at Sunset…
This book is about my unexpected journey into the world of dating after the breakup of a relationship I thought, like many do, would last a lifetime. The women, and the things that happened here are absolutely true. You might find some of the stories and events humorous, and even hard to fathom and others,…
Our next stop was Turley Wine Cellars, where they were presenting a blending seminar. The panelists were National Sales Manager Christina Turley, Winemaker Karl Wicka and Vineyard Manager Brennan Stover, and the topic was how the various blocks of the Pesenti Vineyard in Paso Robles are blended together. The Pesenti Vineyard was originally planted over…