I had tasted a couple of wines from Charleston Peak Winery (formerly Pahrump Winery) only once, and very briefly, at a party. Fast forward to last month, when I visited the winery on assignment for City Lifestyle magazine to cover their chocolate and wine pairings – look for that in all three Las Vegas issues…
CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. — The 2025 growing season in Monterey County can best be described as a Goldilocks vintage, not too hot, not too cold, but perfectly balanced. With only a handful of brief warm spells, this year recalls cooler, classically elegant vintages such as 1998, 1999, 2010, and 2011, years celebrated for their finesse and…
I’m a fan of The Farm Winery wines. In reading their latest newsletter it made me think: I find so many people either don’t know that winemaking isn’t all glamour and/or they really don’t think about or appreciate what work goes into every bottle. The latter is probably the most pervasive and is why I…
The historic Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley welcomed early Hollywood celebrities and now offers one of the most unique wine clubs in the business as well as first rate estate wines. Sprawling over 400 acres with a 6,000 square foot restored Spanish-style hacienda dating from the late 1920s and several revitalized casitas that have welcomed…
The Legend of Neil Roberts and The Temptress of Templeton There is a story the old-timers in Paso Robles sometimes tell, when they are on their third or fourth bottle of zinfandel. With a little prodding, you might get to hear the story of how, back in the 1880s, Neil Roberts rescued a young lady…
In this final installment of my series of articles about alcohol levels in Zinfandel, we hear from two gentlemen who are on the forefront of preserving some of California great old vineyards. Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Co. (www.bedrockwineco.com) grew up with Zinfandel – literally. His father is Joel Peterson, founder of Ravenswood Winery and,…