The story of the Overshine Collective is a fascinating one. Former Google executive David Drummond had become familiar with and very fond of Healdsburg and the surrounding area, having visited it many times to enjoy his brother Ray Drummond’s performances in the Healdsburg Jazz Fest. Ray, an acclaimed jazz bassist, lived in New Jersey, so…
Our road to Ra Ra Wine Co. et al was somewhat circuitous but we got there. It actually started very early last year, when we were planning our own Historic Vineyard tour. At that time, one of the wineries we reached out to was Saini Vineyards. Unfortunately, our schedule filled up and we were unable…
Have you heard of Harvest Moon Winery? If not, don’t feel bad. To be honest, we hadn’t either. After all, there are A LOT of wineries in California and the smaller ones don’t get nearly enough attention. But when our friend Sue Straight [aka The Wine Wench] announced that she was bringing her talents to…
We’ve been fans of wines from the Rockpile AVA for a long time. There is just something about the rich balanced flavor and structure of the wines from this region, primarily Zinfandels and Petite Sirahs. But only recently have we gotten a better understanding of the history of this AVA. Located at the far west…
When we visited the Dry Creek Valley last fall, we gave a full report on Mazzocco Sonoma winery and winemaker Antoine Favero along with our stay at its onsite Briar Cottage: Perlises Pick: Mazzocco Sonoma in the Fall of 2025 – Part 1 – Eve’s Wine and Spirits 101 Perlises Pick: Mazzocco Sonoma in the…
SANTA ROSA, Calif., /PRNewswire/ — Washington’s Maryhill Winery, located in the Columbia River Gorge, was named Winery of the Year at the 2025 Dan Berger’s International Wine Competition (DBIWC). The event celebrated its 44th consecutive year of judging at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Dec. 11. Owners Craig and Vicki Leuthold opened Maryhill Winery 25 years ago….
Some years, but not all, I do a yearend roundup article listing some of my favorite wines or spirits. This year, as I just got back from wine tasting in Napa and Healdsburg, and writing all about it, I thought I’d do my article on the different spirits and cocktails I discovered this year. So,…
If you’ve been reading this series from the beginning about our latest visit to the Dry Creek Valley (and if you haven’t, why not?), you may recall that we added one more winery to our itinerary. When we were visiting with winemaker Antoine Favero at Mazzocco Sonoma, he graciously suggested that we pay a visit…
This private tour and wine tasting was made possible as part of the exclusive Distinctive Voyages package provided by travel advisors associated with Travel Leaders Network to their clients. During our recent nine-night Atlas cruise from Lisbon to the Canary Islands, we had the great luck to make some amazing friends that included Julie and…
You may have seen Pedroncelli wines in wine stores. Those are tasty wines but they don’t begin to tell the whole story. Those wines you see in stores might be considered their workhorse wines, allowing this fairly small family-owned historic winery property to produce about 50,000 cases per year. Much of the grapes are purchased…
