I remember the day I came home from Georgetown University. I was so proud of my MA Degree and wanted to share my joy with my grandparents. When I pulled up to the horseshoe drive, I was greeted by my grandfather who had been working on his roses. After the customary pleasantries, Gramps asked me…
Instead of attending as media during the day, this time I opted to dress up, bring my hubby, and see what it’s like to attend http://www.LearnAboutWine.com’s STARS of Santa Barbara wine tasting event at night, like normal people. I quickly discovered that the crowd didn’t walk around with notepads or cameras, so I easily got…
A wise man once said that before one can understand anything properly, one has to learn how to love it. For me, this holds true with both wine and women. It seems that the bulk of my time is spent with the pleasurable task of trying to understand the qualities and complexities of wine and…
Make it: Ever been interested in planting your own small vineyard? A reader offered me 6 two-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon plants in pots as well as some cuttings pruned from his vineyard. Told that they would produce fruit if the ground around them is kept damp for the first year and that 10 to 12 vines…
Pinot Days 2013, as with Pinot Days of previous years, was a huge success. It never ceases to amaze me how many vintners, both small and large, attend this event to pour their creations for those who come to taste these wines. The wineries that are present at Pinot Days range from very small boutique…
My husband Eddie and I recently spent the night at the beautiful Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley. The expansive ranch was established in 1928 and was a fave destination for movie stars like Clark Gable and Joan Crawford. The grounds include a stone hacienda, private lodgings, game room, carriage house, conference room, chapel, patios, courtyard,…
I slammed shut my volume of Encyclopedia Americana and muttered to myself, “This makes absolutely no sense!” I had just returned home from seeing the latest Bond thriller. 007 was drinking a dark red wine which he referred to as a “Claret.” However, according to my research, a Clairette is a white Rhone varietal. Being…
This little bit o’ blog is about my new Wine Log program that I bought from the iTunes store (with a lot of help from my husband Eddie as I am a technology wimp) for my iPhone (another purchase from Eddie) to record information on wine. Now I realize that if you don’t have this…
THE INVITE: Long before Sideways, LearnAboutWine was telling their audience that Santa Barbara winemakers are producing some of the best wines in the world. We invite the “Best of the Best”, “the brand standards” and “the newest and most up and coming” to our participate in the 10th Annual STARS of Santa Barbara at the…
His name wasn’t Andre, but since I didn’t ask if I could use his name I have taken poetic license just to give readers a catchy title. It was mid-evening—just shy of eight o’clock— on a Friday night, holiday lights twinkling at us on Towne Center Drive, bracing (only in the SCV) Santa Ana winds…