Eve's Wine 101

How it Began: Bushman and Perlis and Wine

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Back in 2009, or maybe even a bit earlier, I had an appointment with our insurance agent at her office in Newhall. She mentioned that a “money guy” who worked down the hall, had been reading my wine column in The Signal newspaper and wanted to meet me. The guy was Michael Perlis. That fateful day was the beginning of a great relationship.

I walked over to Michael’s office, knocked, and we met. Come to find Michael was a fan and a wine lover, but he also had a motive in meeting me, he wanted to contribute to Eve’s Wine 101 website and also…be my editor to catch and correct all of the errors he had read of mine over the years! Egads – one of Michael’s favorite Eve-ism words – and off we were. I don’t know if he said all of this in our first meeting or later after we four – with our spouses Eddie and Karen – had met over wine a few times, but this is how I remember it.

Flash forward a bit more to one of my articles for Eve’s Wine 101, and the first time that Michael chimed in on my post. That was May of 2009. Michael began writing a weekly column, which ran most Saturdays following my column on Fridays. Over the years I’ve learned more about wine through Michael’s articles – even more now that his wife Karen is co-writing them – and I suspect he’s learned from some of mine.

We’ve shared wine event plans, wine trip plans, tasting notes, and plenty of wine over the years. But mostly we’ve shared a deep friendship, common interests and goals for our website.

More collaboration included Michael pushing me to create Eve Bushman Consulting where for over a decade we assisted non-profits but also wineries, bars and restaurants with marketing and events. (We had been asked for advice many times, based on our wine/spirits knowledge, experience and knowing our city.) More of that can be found via a Google search or Eve’s Wine 101 blog.

Some of our amazing memories include the story behind the photo I chose for this post: we offered our consulting services to the Wish Education Foundation when we presented an idea of having the first wine tasting in the Old Town Newhall Library. We recruited pals, including co-host Marlee Lauffer, to open their own cellared wines, as well as wineries and local restaurants that were willing to participate. There’s a lot more on that event and others in our blog, it’s just one example to illustrate our collaboration, and the support of our spouses that also gave up their time and their wine. This particular event was called A Toast And A Wish.

Wine Interests

While Michael and Karen had wine tasted in Paso Robles, when we first met I hadn’t been there yet. Michael taught me that the Central Coast – and Sonoma, an area I also didn’t visit often – had plenty to offer. I learned pretty quickly that it was time to hit the road. I was mostly an armchair writer at that point, except for trips only to Napa now and then.  Our wine tastes sometimes differ- I am big on Napa Cabs, Rhônes and Bordeaux – but we appreciate each other’s palate. We both love Zinfandel! I’ve learned that getting out of my comfort zone – and a rut – helped me learn even more about wine.

Our own relationship

On a personal note, up until Covid, Michael and I enjoyed monthly staff lunches over wine. Michael brought the wine and I footed the bill, and I know Michael was the more generous one here! We would cover business, and then get down to harmless gossip, travel plans and ideas. Almost every time when a new challenge faced us, Michael always found a way to bolster my ego – and our collective talents – to take on any challenge. We enjoyed supporting our favorite local restaurants too, and hope to renew these lunch meetings as soon as Covid stops plaguing us all.

Michael’s Bio

I have been pursuing my passion for wine for more than 25 years. I have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show me the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages me and shares my interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as I possibly could, I had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, I do my best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. You can contact Michael at: michaelthezinfan@aol.com

From Eve

Not sure what prompted this article. I had recently reached out to Michael for his thoughts on changing our weekly newsletter to twice monthly, and possibly not having daily content. While I’ve retired Eve Bushman Consulting, Eve’s Wine 101 blog is standing firm as both of us have no plans to stop writing and supporting the wine and spirits industry. Whatever it was, I’m happy to report that we are both thankful to our loyal readers, now for well over a decade! And maybe I just wanted Michael to know, as he is editing this article like all of my others, how much he is loved and appreciated. Egads!

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

How To Start With Wine

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The question I’m asked most often is how did I get into wine and spirits? Well, over 20 years ago when I was a community columnist for my local newspaper and the editor of our weekly entertainment section asked what else I could write about. At that time I had been in a few wine clubs, and a book club, so I offered to do book and wine reviews. Pretty quickly I started receiving unsolicited bottles of wine on my doorstep for review, as well as invitations to wine dinners and wine events.
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No one sent me any free books, and the rest, is history.

Photo: Ed Bushman

What I want to share with readers today is how you can get into wine. I will share two simple ideas that should get anyone, aficionado or beginner, further into exploring and understanding wine.

Sensory Class

How are people able to describe aromas and flavors like fruit and spice in their wine? Why do they say things like, “This reminds me of milk chocolate-covered cherries”? No, there aren’t any cherries added into your glass of red wine, only a memory of a particular fruit. Your memory has to be either fresh, or well worked like most sommeliers through practice/a lot of tastings. So how can you do it? Let me tell you.

A few years back I was a guest at J. Lohr in Paso Robles. Besides a tour and tasting our group of wine writers/sommeliers were offered a sensory experience, led by red winemaker Steve Peck, which was meant to help us describe aromas. Peck had several small glasses of different Torani syrups, the same syrups you see in coffee bars, and the identity of each was written on a card, placed upside down in front of each. We were to sniff each syrup and guess what the flavor was, then reveal the card to see how we did. Immediately following this exercise we swirled and sniffed a few wines, and as you may have guessed, were easily able to call up the recent memories.

I emailed Torani after this eye-opening experience and they sent me about a dozen bottles to do my own classes, which I enjoy doing often. I also add glasses with items from my spice cabinet, honey, coffee, flower petals, earth, tree bark, tobacco, chocolate…you name it and I’ve probably put it in a cup. So you don’t have to have the syrups, you just need to take a trip through your house and garden. And then think about the smells.

Learning About One Variety At A Time

Years ago Eve Wine 101 Staff Writer Rusty Sly introduced “Grape of the Night” in one of his blog posts. He invited wine lovers to meet him at a local wine bar, with a bottle of the one variety of wine that he pre-chose. So say one month Rusty suggested a wine like Grenache and people then brought their favorite bottle of Grenache – which of course meant wines from all over, including Spain where the wine is called Garnacha. Then Rusty would read from his notes, about the history of the particular varietal, where it’s most popular and of course, the flavor profile. Guests would sample each – I know this part well as he roped me into serving most often – and describe the aromas and flavors they found. They were literally educating their palate on one variety at a time, and looking for small nuanced differences in each bottle.

Now, what will you do next to delve further into your wine journey?

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Vintage Eve 3/2018: Valencia Wine Company Through the Years

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When Valencia Wine Company opened some 14 or so years ago many people told owner Guy Lelarge that they had the same idea: open the first wine bar in the Santa Clarita Valley for tastings, purchases, advice, classes and private parties. I was one of the first visitors, and a regular for at least the first ten years. In that time I tasted a lot and learned a lot. My article footer below didn’t even exist, and one of the first wine articles I did for the Signal newspaper (now not even available in their archives) was on Valencia Wine Company.

l-r: Guy Lelarge, Jason Park and Edward Sellers. Wine Dinner at Maru Sushi in 2012.

We had done several videos over the year, talking about upcoming dinners, 10 year anniversary and classes, but we had the most fun with a brief series of “Shi- Wine People Say” videos. This is #1 that has nearly 1k views, #2 has wine educator Denise Lowe trying to educate an old friend of mine,  #3 with winemaker Shawn Halahmy and Denise Lowe joking about tasting Pinot Noir and #4 jokingly tackled what people say before they spit.

From Eve’s Wine 101

A search of our Eve’s Wine 101 website showed that there are no less than EIGHTY NINE mentions of Lelarge in our articles. I looked them over – and this took some time and a few tissues. These are just a few from my trip down memory lane if you’d like to join me:

As the owner of the longest running wine bar and retail shop in town, Guy Lelarge continues to take it up a notch.  He recently announced that he has selected Amazon to run their international wine club…(more)

Guy Lelarge, and your friends at Valencia Wine Company, are welcoming spring in a whole new way: they’ve just announced their first-ever mid-year over-the-top wine tasting event for…(more)

Guy, Thank you again for including me, and Signal readers through me, into your elite event last night. Meeting winemaker Mitch Cosentino and tasting his wines along Chef Otto’s fine cuisine was no less than stellar! Yours, in wine and out, Eve…(more)

In the first of an exciting new “pairing”, SAKE Bistro has teamed with Valencia Wine Company for their first Wine Dinner on June 21.  The “Meet the Winemaker” format will feature only the wines from Paso Robles’ Grey Wolf and their winemaker, Joe Barton….(more)

Valencia Wine Company’s Annual Holiday Tasting was the wine affair of the season, as promised. Delayed a week by fire and freeway closures there wasn’t a lack of interest or attendance. People needed a holiday now and it served to get them ready for the real ones to come….(more)

What does the owner of the classiest wine bar in town do on his birthday? What do you give him as a gift? And how can you surprise a Wine Guru? These questions, and many more, can be found…
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gee let’s see…(more)

From Eve Bushman Consulting

On a testimonial on our Eve Bushman Consulting website Guy wrote, “I met Eve Bushman when she knew next to nothing about wine, and everything about marketing! I shared my wine knowledge with her (she calls me Guru Guy) and she, in turn, has shared countless marketing ideas with me. Whether I’m planning a winemaker dinner, a large tasting event, or co-chairing a fundraiser with Eve, I’ve always felt that she has brought as much to the proverbial table – with me – that she takes from it. I value our friendship, and always look forward our meetings – tasting wine and brainstorming new ideas, a perfect pairing!”

Supporting Santa Clarita

Over the years Valencia Wine Company supported the Soroptimists of Greater Santa Clarita Valley every year for their Sip, Stroll and Savor the Sounds event. He also contributed his wine expertise to the Art and Wine Gala that benefitted our local art’s community.

Guy also allowed me to work for charity in the bar at least twice. The first time I was still using a screw pull corkscrew over a waiter’s corkscrew!

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As this door closes for Guy others have opened. He recently redid the wine lists for both Newhall Refinery and The Social. His expertise as a wine buyer began well before Valencia Wine Company opened its doors, and I know he will find a secure footing again, most likely here in the Santa Clarita Valley. 2020 update: Find Guy at Remedy Liquor in Glendale, heading up the huge second story wine department.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Wine Times DTLA Presents Eve Bushman – Wine 101, By Tyler Davidson (Reprinted with permission)

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The wine industry is one often shrouded in mystery and sophistication; sommeliers swish the liquid around in their mouths, speaking of notes and taste lengths as if they were alchemists, so it makes a certain amount of sense that the field can be intimidating. Luckily for DTLA, Santa Clarita Valley’s Eve Bushman has come to town with a series of wine catch-alls for the beginner.

“There’s no way I can know everything,” says Bushman, who even after over a decade in the industry still maintains that she’s what she calls a “101-er,” just like any newcomer.
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“There’s people out there that have their Master Sommelier degrees that don’t know everything, because there’s always something new coming out.”

Eve’s Wine 101 is a sort of catch-all for wine enthusiasts, sharing press releases, reviews, and various other wine-related content and soon Eve will be sharing her knowledge with Downtown Weekly readers far and wide.

So how did someone like Bushman, who seemingly never harbored any deep-seated dreams of joining the Chevaliers du Tastevin, stumble into this business, let alone spend a decade-plus there?

“My wine interests began when I was probably 22 years old, I had boxed wine in my refrigerator that I put in a glass with ice in it like everybody else,” says Bushman, who would eventually become a connoisseur, traveling with her husband to places like Paso Robles and Napa Valley in California, Bordeaux, France and Ribero del Duero, Spain. But she would only “go pro” when her role as a journalist called for it. “About 10 years ago, maybe 15 years ago, I was writing for my local newspapers […] and I said, ‘I can do book reviews, and I can do wine reviews.”

Writing pieces on wine soon begat invitations to wine dinners, random deliveries of bottles of wine, and the like, something that a person could get used to very quickly.

“I thought to myself, ‘Well, nobody’s sending me any free books and that’s not so exciting anyway.’ And it just became like this fun hobby.”

As for how her “fun hobby” became a long-running website and business venture, Eve Bushman is at once blunt and unapologetic.

“I would bet for most people that do this, their answer would be, you know, the appreciation of wine and getting to like and understand wine, but I’m a full on attention whore,” she says with a laugh. “It’s a lot of fun. I mean, I have people that just say, ‘Can I be your Mini-me? Can I be your wingman at an event?’”

It’s a testament to Bushman’s talent and work ethic that, despite being so straightforward about some of her motivations, she still runs an incredibly efficient business — well, businesses.

In addition to running Eve’s Wine 101, Bushman also provided private in-home wine classes in the pre-COVID era, as well as consulting work. But even with all of her experience and accolades, Eve Bushman still strives to maintain an honest connection with even the most novice of her audience.
“That was one question I had [been asked in] an interview before, ‘Don’t you think that now that you’ve got your certifications, that you’re going to be talking above your reader?’”, says Bushman, who insists that there is no elusive “right” pairing when it comes to wine and food, that it simply comes down to whatever wine one might happen to enjoy, no more, no less.

“I said, ‘Well, if I’m doing that, then I’m doing a disservice to them, no matter how much more education I have.”

For more visit www.evewine101.com

#CovidCrazy + #DrinkingBuddies = A New Shirt for Proud Married Couples!

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A week or so ago, while fiddling around on social media, one post caught my eye. It was simple enough, a black T-Shirt that read, “Husband and Wife, Drinking Buddies For Life.” With our present circumstances and spending more time at home than ever before due to Covid-19, the shirt called to me.

This is what happened next.

To order your shirts contact Aaron Johnson via email: Support@ShopDGG.com

A friend that has access to a designer and quality T shirts, offered to make them. There were well over a dozen ladies that asked for them so I said sure, make one up, add in my logo – where the shirt would tuck in so it’s subtle – and he did.

Now, for the results. I requested a tank for the ladies and a simple T for the men. I asked about the cost for shipping and learned that this locally owned and operated business offered free touch-less pickups in the Santa Clarita Valley.

(Note: I did reach out to the company that had done the original post only to learn that they didn’t make or sell the shirt. So we were clear for the runway and liftoff with our own!)

I wanted to let my friends that liked the shirt know that we had it now ready to go, and didn’t ask for a cut of the take at all so the small profit margin could stay with the company.

But I thought I’d write about it here. How the first Eve Wine 101 supported T happened. And of course, share the heck out of it on social media so people might share and/or buy it.

Bottom line: though this shirt spoke to me because we are drinking at home more than ever, with our spouses, I’ve been drinking with my spouse for a couple of decades and am proud to show it. Are you?

And yes I’m talking to you ladies, specifically: Margie, Marie, Veronica, Debbie Maynard, Jennifer, Sue, Amber, Judi, Heidi, Terri, Lillia, Harriett, Candice, D, Julie, Kim and the other 50+ ladies that liked this on Instagram and over 60 on Facebook.

When this Covid-19 decides to be done we are going to get together, with our husbands, and drink! And once you have your shirt please wear it, photograph yourself and tag me on social media. #CovidCrazy #DrinkingBuddies #EveWine101

The Details

Price 27.50 for ladies’ tank and 32.49 for the unisex T. Colors choices include black, coral, berry, mauve, royal and lilac. You can request fitted or loose fit. It’s a tri-blend of polyester, cotton and rayon so it shouldn’t shrink. Contact Aaron Johnson here: Support@ShopDGG.com Shirt will take 10 to 14 days to arrive in Santa Clarita, pick up or they can ship to you on the same day.

2019 Dates – and Some Surprises – for Wine on the Roof and Cocktails on the Roof

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SCV’s Only Roof Top Events Offer Unique Atmosphere For Both Wine and Spirit Lovers to Dine with Wine and Dance with Cocktails! 

SANTA CLARITA VALLEY – The WiSH Education Foundation is once again pleased to announce the dates for their wildly popular rooftop events held on the top of Macy’s parking structure at Westfield Valencia to benefit over 23,000 students in the Hart District: Wine on the Roof…Dine on the Roof will be held on May 16 and the 5th annual Cocktails on the Roof on September 6. Tickets, sponsorship information, “raves”, past and current vendors can all be seen on the Cocktails on the Roof dedicated website: http://cocktailsontheroofscv.org/

What to Expect: In our inaugural 2018 event Wine on the Roof guests were treated to several courses paired with wines in a seated dinner. The venue was not made public prior to the event, and each dish came out with its own menu and pairing card. Chefs and winemakers took to the microphone during the evening to share their inspiration for their own creations. All restaurants brought staff members to the roof, all working seamlessly together. The models from Pinups for American Heroes, a local nonprofit, also served guests at the event in the spirit of the 1940s USO. Local favorite Lance Allyn provided live music.

Wine on the Roof participants, several in their debut, included: The Speakeasy Bakery, Bakers Scott Ervin and Todd Wilson, Newhall Press Room, Chef Trevor; The Old Town Junction, Chef Daniel Otto; Hundred Miles, Chef Louis Pechan; Olive Terrace Bar and Grill, Chef Lucio Teraza and Chef Alfonso Canuto; Bonefish Grill, Culinary Team; Sweet Beams Ice Cream Truck, Karin and Chris Beam; Nothing Bundt Cakes, Jennifer and Zachary Zeidler; Wolf Creek Restaurant, Pastry Chef Meghan Launier, 8. Salt Creek Grille, Pastry Chef Kristina Waggoner and Honu Coffee, Brew master James. Wineries: Byron Blatty Wines, winemakers Steve Lemley and Nate Hasper; Pulchella Winery, winemakers Steve Lemley and Nate Hasper; Hoi Polloi Winery, winemakers Ted Behlendorf, Doug Minnick, Dan Erland Andersen; Pagter Brothers, Scott Page-Pagter winemaker; Parhelion Cellars, winemaker Adam Hasper.

What to Expect: In our 5th Cocktails on the Roof, Eve Bushman and a committee of amazing volunteers and WiSH board members promise to have a surprise or two up their collective sleeves. Our first year was brand new: DJ MAV from SOS Entertainment, guests voting for their favorite cocktails and a Flash Mob of prepared dancers doing “Thriller” for guests. In subsequent years, guests could sponsor private lounges with private service; finally last year we added in a table just for Pulchella Winery as a special nod to their invaluable work in Wine on the Roof. (Cocktails on the Roof focuses on highlighting the cocktail programs from our local restaurants, and several unique single spirit vendors.)

2018 participants included: JFC Int’l, Nealie’s Skillet, Marston’s Restaurant, Honu Coffee, Mammoth Mountain Coffee, Willow Creek Distillery, Indian Affair, Wolf Creek Brewery, Wolf Creek Restaurant, Salt Creek Grille, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur, Sweet Beams Ice Cream, Mule 2.0, Lazy Dog Restaurant, SCV Custom Crush Services (Pulchella Winery), Newhall Press Room, LA Scotch Club, Alchemy, Dulce Vida Tequila, Hyatt Regency Valencia, Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ, Sweet T’s Treats, Impex Beverages, The Local Pub, Smokehouse on Main, Claim Jumper, solita, Figenza Mediterranean Fig Vodka and the Joy Squad Photo Experience.

Eve Bushman of Eve’s Wine 101 and Eve Bushman Consulting created these two events and co-hosts along with Amy Daniels, Executive Director of the Wish Education Foundation; Marlee Lauffer, the President of the Henry Newhall Memorial Hospital Foundation; and Alexander Hafizi; of Elite Magazine and the Santa Clarita Magazine. Steve Lemley, the co-owner of Pulchella Winery and SCV Custom Crush Services, is the co-host for Wine on the Roof, curating all of the wineries, working with the winemakers and pairing the menus with Bushman. Last but not least, Jennifer Chadwick, Director of Marketing for Salt Creek Grille; serves as the Wine on the Roof Lead Coordinator in the restaurant Prep Tent. Our tireless committee members also include: Judy Penman, Ed Masterson, Richard Cohn, Jennifer Ramos, Dawn Begley and Mitch Russell.

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities for either or both of these exciting events, please reach out to Amy Daniels: Wish@HartDistrict.org

Past and Present Sponsors include: Westfield Valencia Town Center, The Magazine of Santa Clarita, Elite Magazine, Littler, California Credit Union, Oasis Associates, Brightview Tree Company, Andy Gump, Burrtec, 24/7 Events, SOS Entertainment, Peterson Printing, Jennifer Ramos Social Conduit, Eve Bushman Consulting, Image 2000, Craig and Lisa Eichman, Team House Real Estate and PinUps for Heroes.

Perlis Picks: Epic Times at Epoch Estate Wines

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In my last article, I mentioned that I’d next be writing about who went into the old Clos Solene spot at Tin City. Well, some technical difficulties have delayed that report, so this week you get…

EPOCH

Photo from Epoch Facebook page.

One of the benefits of living in Southern California, as do most of our Eve Wine 101 readers, is proximity to various wine regions. Santa Barbara wine country is just a couple of hours away, Paso Robles a little farther and a few more hours gets you to Napa, Sonoma and beyond.

Inevitably, once you do start visiting wineries, you’ll be presented with opportunities to join winery clubs. With so many wineries offering great wines, it is easy to get overwhelmed. How do you decide which clubs to join? For us, it is often, in addition to the wine quality, it is the feeling that we have a personal relationship with the people involved.

Epoch Estate Wines in Paso Robles is a great case in point. Karen and I first tasted the Epoch wines in 2010 when they were still being made at Denner. We had the good fortune to meet Kristen Darnell (née Carrillo), now Epoch’s Vice President of Sales and Personnel as well as newly hired winemaker Jordan Fiorentini. The wines were great, Kristen and Jordan were too, and the fact that the owners had purchased the old York Mountain Winery site to develop their winery [a place we had first visited in the 1980s] was icing on the cake. We were hooked.

A perk of being in a wine club is that members often get invited to special events. Recently, Epoch members were invited to the beautiful state of the art winery on York Mountain to attend not one but two events.

The first event, reserved for the top tier of Epoch members, started with a reception that included passed appetizers along with Epoch’s newly released white blend [Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne] and Rose [Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah] wines. Both were excellent but the Rose is really something special. Just ask my wife Karen.

Then, we were treated to an elegant sit-down dinner in the winery, paired with the great Epoch wines.

The 2015 Sensibility [Grenache and Syrah] was paired with Manchego & Prosciutto. The 2015 Zinfandel [with a touch of Grenache] was matched with Grilled Quail and the 2015 Veracity [Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah] with Wild Mushroom Risotto. Finally, the 2015 Estate Blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Tempranillo and Zinfandel was served with barbecued New York Strip with bone marrow butter and Roquefort whipped potatoes. The dessert table filled with petit fours and brownies topped off the evening, along with more wine to accompany them.

The next evening, open to all Epoch members, was a more casual affair with serving stations set up in the winery. The white blend and the Rose were available at the entry to the event along with various appetizers. The reds were paired as follows…

2015 Sensibility with two flatbreads – one wild mushroom and the other prosciutto and arugula.

2015 Zinfandel with bacon wrapped blue cheese stuffed dates.

2015 Veracity with Capicola and blue cheese skewers.

2015 Estate Blend with lamb sliders.

There was also Seafood and Chorizo Paella, which Karen really enjoyed with the Rose.

Although the events were markedly different from each other, they both really emphasized one thing to me. While the wines are delicious on their own, they really shine when they are paired expertly with the right dishes.

The other thing that always has struck me about Epoch is the amazingly nice people that work for them. Owners Bill and Liz Armstrong told me that this is the first requirement in their hiring process as almost anything else can be taught. Kudos on a job well done.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

 

Vintage Eve Circa 1/2015: The Best Wine or Spirits Experience in 2014

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Yep, it’s that time of year again. Forget about learning what your pesky new year resolutions were for 2015, I just wanted to know what your drinking epiphanies were in 2014! After learning what our Eve Wine 101 Facebook pals experienced, I’d have to say I have some new boozy goals for 2015:

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Grape vineyards in Tuscany.

Scott E: At The Ace rooftop bar. A drink called the Mi Corazon. Fresno pepper infused cachaca, coconut, lime, nutmeg, served in a chilled metal cup.

Lisa B: Drinking shots of Russian Vodka with friends in St. Petersburg! We didn’t do it for long! It was the last day of our two-day tour and we begged our guide and driver to find us a place for that “Bucket List” experience. She found us a very nice restaurant and the servers and kitchen staff were so sweet to let us barge in and just do shots. It was a great experience! I highly recommend it! Just wish we could have stayed longer and tried some of their food. The restaurant looked very upscale. All the staff was young and gorgeous, polite and perfectly dressed. The food looked awesome!

Hope G: A 4-course Scotch dinner. Who knew the differences in Highland and Lowland Scotches were so pronounced and paired so well with oysters, game and beef. I did not expect to find a favorite in Dalwhinnie 25yr!

Barbara B: I simply liked discovering wines from areas under-represented here like the Xianomavro wines of the Naoussa region of Greece or the Slovenian wines fermented in ancient Amphorae…too cool and now planning wine visits to both countries!

Lee W: “The Black Dahlia” A toast to Elizabeth Short with Absolut Citron, Chambord and Kahlua, with an orange peel garnish at the Gallery Bar and Cognac Lounge in the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles. (The last place she was seen alive!!)

Wayne L: Chateau Montelena in Napa. Great venue and great wines.

Kelly B: Lunch at the Louis Roederer Champagne Family Home with Cristal, and other assorted favorite along with a 3 star Michelin Chef Prepared Meal and eating off Napoleon’s own gold eating utensils… or there is was the Zurich Wine Expo…nothing like drinking wine on a boat!

Theresa H: My 25th wedding anniversary trip to Napa. The castle hands down. Temecula was very enjoyable too. My first year in California has introduced me to so much fun… Oh oh wine tasting at The Jelly Belly Factory as well.

That is near Napa.

Lori R: Tequila at Solita.

Michelle T: We took our 10 and 12 year olds to Napa for the first time and took a winery tour at Frog’s Leap. Yep, we are those parents.

Jane S: Watching my husband sipping a glass or two or three of his special hand picked red wine every night.

Orlando R: Making shot glasses out of watermelon then freezing them with liquid nitrogen, and filling them with a habanero flavored vodka.

Ron C: Traveling to Willamette Valley in Oregon, staying in the Archery Summit winery guest house! Touring the winery and having an incredible experience with…great wine, great food and great friends!

Cathy M: Geeez, I was just happy to find original copper Moscow Mule mugs my parents had from the 1950s. Steve makes Alcatraz cocktails in them. You substitute vodka for tequila.

Melissa L: I must say that the adventures in Absinthe have been most enjoyable and filled with surprises. We evaluated 200 year old samples alongside the modern – like a liquid history lesson. Delicious.

Michael D: My favorite wine experience was during our trip to Italy last spring. The highlights for me were the driving tour through the Florence countryside in a classic Fiat 500 that ended with a wine tasting in a 15th century villa and drinking with the locals at the Cantina Do Mori in Venice… My favorite sprits experience was going to Bourbon and Branch in San Francisco for my 50th birthday. You have to love a place that won’t even ask you if you have a reservation unless you know the password and whose house rules include “Don’t even think of asking for a Cosmo”!

Michael M: Hands down the Henry Wine Group’s “Taste the World” event in Beverly Hills at the historic Beverly Hills Hotel. Loved meeting Elizabeth Spencer and trying her delicious Sirah. I think I met a few other cool people there too… (Eve Hammond Bushman)

Robin B: Had an amazing time with my partner-in-crime, Robin A., up in Paso Robles last August at one of Tobin James Winery’s annual barbeques. Got to taste a great array of wines (actually, it was more like glug it down to our heart’s content), eat fantastic food from local top chefs and listen to live music under the stars. Fun evening, and I will be going back.

Scott H: Finally getting 2 bottles of Alban Vineyards Syrah after being on the waiting list for 2 1/2 years. We opened one. It was worth the wait.

Dale G: Stagecoach wine tours in Solvang and Santa Barbara; day trip to winery in Lancaster surprisingly good. Still want to go to Temecula. Did Napa years ago.

Chris C: Hands down, getting married in a Vineyard in Temecula at Ponte in March, to my beautiful wife Jennie C. Boom!!

Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years.  She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a guest judge for the L.A. International Wine Competition.  You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Perlis Picks: Helping NorCal Wine Country

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My most recent two-part article was devoted to whining about our trip to NorCal that had to be cut short when my wife Karen fractured her knee on the second day. As the first of that two part article hit our site, we were at the end of the week of devastating fires in Napa and Sonoma Counties that made my complaints seem petty.

Sonoma-County-Resilience-Fund-1-shrunk-for-NFGTruly, my heart has been broken over this. The loss of life is the worst part of course, but the loss of property and impact on the community is devastating as well. It was especially difficult for us was to learn of the damage to Santa Rosa, our adopted home-away-from-home.

Over that week, my Facebook feed was inundated with images and stories of the damage and destruction being wreaked by Mother Nature’s fury. I’m sure your social media accounts were as well. And as a wine lover, I expect that you have friends and/or family up in NorCal wine country, or perhaps even live there yourself. You too probably know personally people who were evacuated [or like one of my friends – evacuated twice, or like another of our friends whose parents lost their home and all of their family heirlooms]. Even the hospital ER where Karen had to go with her broken leg in September was evacuated.

After what seemed like forever of hearing the words “no containment”, we were all extremely ecstatic when, due to the efforts of the heroic first responders, the fires were finally brought under control.

What happens next? The long rebuilding process begins.

I think there is this myth of wealthy winery landowners. I’m not denying there are a few. But the vast majority of California wineries are small operations that can’t afford devastation that comes from the fires as well as the hit to the local economy which is fueled by wine tourism. Not to mention all the winery workers that are also impacted. Please bear in mind that not only wineries and their workers were impacted. The entire community needs help.

There are many organizations to donate to. Eve published a link to a list recently…

https://www.fastcompany.com/40479325/how-to-help-napa-fire-victims-8-things-you-can-do-for-californias-wine-country-right-now

Are you having a hard time deciding who to pick?

Clay Mauritson of Mauritson Wines suggested http://www.sonomacf.org/sonoma-county-resilience-fund/

In addition to donating, the consensus of how to help is to buy wine. Buy wine from the wineries in the affected areas and buy direct if you can.

If you get a chance, watch this video from Martin Cody of Cellar Angels:

https://www.facebook.com/martin.a.cody/videos/10214525161868448/?hc_ref=ARQG7Aw7y56Vht2eVdIxsNsoBnoc3M1K0MyWXENttOaORoKqba2vSaRkD6coOiiI8GU

I definitely support his ideas. If you’re looking for who to buy from, I’d suggest researching wineries who suffered losses and also wineries who are helping in the relief efforts. Look for wineries that are donating significant proceeds such as:

Limerick Lane is donating 100% of the proceeds of the sale of their 2014 Syrah/Grenache blend.

Idlewild is donating 100% of the sales proceeds of their full or ½ case of Northern California fire relief wines.

[I have to give props to the Bilbro family, Jake and Sam respectively, for the above. Even brother Scot of Marietta Cellars, which can’t typically sell to the public, put together a flash sale with Vivino to donate sales dollars to wildfire relief.]

There are other wineries that are donating as well, along with a host of fundraising events. We’ll do our best to keep you informed of them on this site and on our Eve’s Wine 101 Facebook group page. I’m not sure how long these offers and events will last, but even when they are gone, Northern California Wine Country will still need a steady influx of wine sales and tourist dollars to facilitate the rebuilding process, which is going to take a long time.

So, buy early and often.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

Don’t be left off THE ROOF – Do YOU have your tickets yet?

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We’re giving you DOUBLE the fun this year as we begin with our pre-party celebration on August 17th at TPC’s Oaks Grille! Come by from 5pm to 9pm for happy hour pricing all night long, bartender lessons, DJ MAV (the same DJ we will have at the main event for the third year), dancing and the best sunset in Santa Clarita, all while giving back to the WiSH Education Foundation! Have a big party? Call ahead to reserve your table: 661-288-1995.

Cocktails logo newCocktails on the Roof, on August 25th, has us looking forward to a new, fun layout, more lounges (you can even sponsor your own lounge – email Wish@Hart District.org to learn more) and voting on your favorite Craft Cocktails – you’ll even be able to win a social or dinner for a group of six this year in our new silent auction tables!

Everyone is a VIP this year! All tickets are general admission ($85) so you get to enjoy the entire evening from 8pm until 11pm… or come as a Designated Driver and enjoy mocktails and all that amazing food for just $65. All tickets at the door are $95. Either way, let us know about your excitement with #COTR17 on all your social media posts!

Hosted by Eve Bushman of Eve’s Wine 101, Marlee Lauffer, President of Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation and WiSH Executive Director Amy Daniels, this year promises to be another top notch event with returning favorites and brand new participants! The restaurants sharing their most sought-after cocktails, mocktails and food are back. Included in the list is Speakeasy Bakery, California Pizza Kitchen, Yoshi Murikami with sake-based cocktails, Sisley Italian Restaurant, solita Tacos & Margaritas, Honu Coffee, Newhall Refinery, TPC Oaks Grille, An Indian Affair, Mammoth Coffee Roasting Company (coffee cocktails), Salt Creek Grille, Wolf Creek Restaurant and Brewing Company, Persia Restaurant and Lounge, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Bonefish Grill, Pomp & Whimsy, Deep Eddy Vodka, Sweet Beams Ice Cream, Olive Terrace Bar & Grill, Marston’s, CPB Winery with wine-based cocktails, The Distillery at Opolo, Vina Sympatica Sparkling Wines, LA Scotch Club and Vines Restaurant. Get your tickets and stay tuned for every exciting announcement (and guest party secrets) on the WiSH Facebook and Cocktails event pages and www.WiSHscv.org!

Although WiSH sponsors many programs and initiatives NOT funded by tax dollars, we are focusing our funding this year on the ARTS, with another emphasis on our public school libraries. Together we can make a difference for our public school youth in our own backyard! Why not have fun while raising badly needed funding?

Many thanks to our sponsors, without whom we could never get this party started –Westfield Valencia Town Center and The Magazine of Santa Clarita/Elite Magazine, EveBushmanConsulting.com, Mitchpickswine, SOS Entertainment, 24/7 Events, Andy Gump, Burrtec, Brightview Tree Company, Lundgren Management, Nick Rose Insurance, California Credit Union, Littler, Randy Plaice & Associates, Oasis Associates, Jeff & Melanie Meyer, Gymnastics Unlimited, Peterson Printing, Enchanted Kids, The Signal, Solprint, KHTS and SCVTV. Special thanks to Genesis Moss, Print & Web Design (www.genesismoss.com), for creating our brand new dedicated website, www.CocktailsontheRoofscv.org.

WiSH asks that you be responsible – 21 & over only; please leave your car in the parking garage overnight (approved by Westfield) and take alternate transportation.