Sippd Introduces an AI-Powered Personal Sommelier

August 15, 2020 by evebushman

WASHINGTON (PRWEB) – Sippd, the personal wine-recommender that identifies the best wines for the best prices during your online wine shopping experience, announced its launch on July 20, 2020. The Sippd Chrome extension is the first installment in the company’s initiative to create the most customer-centric, powerful solution to shop for wines with confidence. By providing users with personalized wine scores and notifications when prices drop on their wishlisted bottles, Sippd offers data for consumers to predict the best wines for their tastes before they’ve ever tried them.

With more than 70,000 new wines coming to market each year, consumers are overwhelmed with options leaving a world of incredible wines that consumers don’t have the opportunity to discover. The technology, branded Taste Match, provides the most accurate ranking for a user’s personal affinity to various wines, surpassing the accuracy of wine critic scores and community reviews, which doesn’t account for a consumer’s personal tastes or budget.

Using AI and machine learning, the technology behind Sippd provides personalized wine recommendations by amalgamating ratings for an accurate ranking of personal affinity to various wines. Recommendations continually evolve with the consumer’s palate, allowing for seamless, effortless and confident wine orders for an individualized, hyper-personalized experience.

Sippd currently connects to wine.com to provide personal Taste Match scores to more than 40,000 wines. The personalized Taste Match indicates how much an individual will enjoy each wine— the higher the score, the closer to preference. Sippd is also working to expand integration onto other online wine retailers and same-day delivery sites, like Drizly.

By leveraging your history of wine orders and ratings to refine the taste profile, Sippd improves the overall wine purchasing experience while providing unbiased ratings and tasting notes. Sippd also provides users with food pairings for each wine so you can pick the right bottle for the occasion as well as for your tastes and budget. If consumers are not ready to buy the bottle just yet, users can add to their Wishlist and be notified when the bottles go on sale, ensuring they secure the best deal every time. Users can also keep track of all of the wines they’ve ordered and rated right on their Profile with their personal wine list, allowing for a quick recap of their favorite bottles and an easy reorder of their top Taste Matches.

Sippd’s customer-centric platform significantly reduces the complexity of shopping for wine online by providing an effortless, personalized journey to users exploring the world of wine. To see how the Sippd extension works, please view the release video here. Raise a glass to the new way to experience wine and install Sippd on desktop here.

ENDS

About Sippd
Sippd empowers people to focus on enjoying their wine, not ordering it. Find the perfect wines for your taste, everywhere, every time. Combining artificial intelligence and wine, Sippd helps wine lovers find and order wines that match their tastes. With our AI-powered Taste Match capabilities, we’re able to provide you with personalized wine recommendations that continually evolves with your tastes, so you can effortlessly order the perfect bottle every time. Stop wasting your money on bottles you don’t like and instead, simplify and transform your online wine experience with Sippd, the personal sommelier that knows your palate. The Sippd extension is available for install prior to nationwide release on the Chrome Store here. For more information, visit sippd.com.

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Part Two with Mixologist Rob Floyd: Learning at the Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo 2017

September 29, 2017 by evebushman

Last week I shared all of the new products from booze to food that I sampled at the recent food show, as well as highlights from a seminar on restaurant business. This week I devote to Mixologist Rob Floyd, and all that I learned in his seminar.

Liquid Demonstration by Rob Floyd, RX Liquid Chef on the Center Stage: Molecular Gastronomy Demonstration and Trending Beverages.

This was my first time seeing Bar Rescue’s Rob Floyd in action. He created a cocktail for the entire audience with liquid nitrogen. Clearly making a statement that the show is as important as the drink. He was also awarded with the Bartender of the Year by Show Director Tom Loughran. These are my takeaways:

Molecular cocktails are trending so you need to be aware and competitive.

Drinking is not a “man’s world” only thing anymore. A whopping 75% of your bar customers are women. Beginning with the popularity of the Cosmopolitan when Sex and the City was in its heyday, ladies now want more savory-based (think whisky) cocktails. It’s also been proven that women have a better palate.

Taste, Fundamental Technique and a “Tale” are crucial. The Tale is the story that makes the customer “connect” to the drink. You have to find out what speaks to them. It’s akin to the “secret sauce.”

Speed kills or saves a place. With craft cocktails taking 7-9 steps that has got be narrowed down to 3-4 so the drink doesn’t take longer than 3-5 minutes to deliver to the table.

By the fourth visit you have a regular. Comp them something at visits one or two to make sure they make it to a fourth.

If you can get a diner to order that second drink, it will triple your money and create an order for food.

Managers must “touch” each table, make the visit personal, tell diner to “ask for me” next time they come in so that you can “send something” to their table.

Your bar, like any business, needs a short mission statement. (I believe that you need a employee guide/policy book too. So everyone’s training is always the same.)

Be aware of popular trends, like organic products, and bring into bar menu.

Cheapest marketing is social media.
Instagram is huge for food/drink photos. Gain followers on Instagram and Facebook, and re-tweets from Twitter.

Test market your new cocktails, and let the ones go that aren’t popular. This should be on-going. Roll out a different cocktail each night. Accept mistakes, learn from them and move on.

How do you evaluate a bar manager? Floyd said that unfortunately most aren’t good. They have to put the business first, be a team worker and can’t be a partier. Keep the floor clean, never drink on the property (unless it’s a scheduled tasting) and overpay them.

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. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Catoctin Creek Distilling Company Wins Double Gold

June 7, 2017 by evebushman

PURCELLVILLE, VA (PRWEB) – Catoctin Creek Distilling Company has won multiple awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), including a Double Gold medal for the cask proof version of its popular Roundstone Rye Whisky that was finished in premium French Bordeaux oak barrels used to make the distillery’s 1757 Virginia Brandy. Released just a twice a year, Roundstone Rye – Cask Proof is a strong and dark pre-Prohibition style rye whisky made from 100-percent rye grain. The rarely given Double Gold is awarded when all members of the esteemed competition’s judging panel give a Gold medal designation.

Catoctin Creek was also awarded three Silver medals. Winners include the flagship original version of Roundstone Rye, a smooth single-grain whisky that features notes of caramel and rich butter toffee and is bottled at an approachable 80 proof, as well as the specially curated Roundstone Rye – 92 Proof and Braddock Oak Single Barrel Rye Whisky.

“We are honored to be recognized by the judges at the world’s most prestigious and recognized spirits competition,” says Catoctin’s co-founder and general manager Scott Harris.
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“Our team at Catoctin Creek continues to make the best handcrafted Virginia whisky available today—made by us and never sourced.”

Founded in 2009 by the husband and wife team of Becky and Scott Harris, Catoctin Creek uses local and organic ingredients to produce a variety of premium spirits, including Roundstone Rye, which holds distinction as Virginia’s most-awarded whisky. With Scott running business operations and Becky focused on the art of crafting the finest spirits in the Commonwealth as chief distiller, the couple leads a small team of employees that are proudly making a variety of high-quality products in an historic building in the quaint downtown of Purcellville, Va. For more information about Catoctin Creek Distilling Company visit http://www.catoctincreek.com.

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is considered one of the most influential spirits competitions in the world. Started in 2000 with the purpose recognizing top products in the craft spirits industry, the 2017 SFWSC received 2,100 entries, the most in the competition’s history, and spirits were judged by a panel of 43 experts in the industry, including acclaimed critics, mixologists, and restaurateurs. For more information about the SFWSC visit http://www.sfspiritscomp.com.

About Catoctin Creek Distilling Company: Catoctin Creek Distilling Company (120 West Main Street, Purcellville, VA 20132; Twitter: @catoctincreek) is the first distillery in Loudoun County Virginia since before prohibition. Family owned and operated, Catoctin Creek produces premium spirits: rye whisky and gin from organic sources, and brandy from Virginia wines. For more information please visit http://www.catoctincreek.com.

Garagiste Wine Festival Brings Hidden Winemaking Gems to Hidden Architectural Gem

June 5, 2017 by evebushman

Paso Robles, CA (PRWEB) – Garagiste Events Inc., producers of the renowned Garagiste Festivals, has announced that tickets are now on sale for The Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure, which returns to Los Angeles County on July 15th, at a stunning new historic location in Santa Monica, just a few blocks from the ocean (and close to the Expo Line).

Celebrating its fourth anniversary in Los Angeles, the festival features 50 micro-production, craft wineries from across California – including Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez and SLO counties; Livermore, Mendocino, Napa, Paso Robles, and Sonoma – and is the only wine event on the Los Angeles calendar to exclusively feature high quality, hand-crafted wines from commercial California ‘garagiste*’ winemakers.

“The great thing about our Urban Exposure festival is that Angelenos can discover these hard-to-find wineries, taste hundreds of their wines, and meet the winemakers all under one roof — for less than the cost of gas for a trip to wine country,” said Doug Minnick, Co-Founder of The Garagiste Festival. “Besides, the majority of these under-the-radar wineries do not have tasting rooms, are not on “wine country” maps, and are very difficult to find. But we bring them all together for our guests to discover at the Garagiste Festival. There’s nothing else like it.”

“And, in keeping with our tradition of unique venues with character, this year our attendees have an opportunity to discover hidden wine gems in a hidden architectural gem: a 100+ year-old Historic Landmark Classical Revival building in downtown Santa Monica,” continued Minnick. “Take the train, take in the ocean air and taste some of the best wines of your life. What’s not to love?”

Dubbed “one of wine’s premier events…fun and exuberant…not to be missed” by the Los Angeles Times, the Garagiste Festival is renowned for its ‘crazy thrill of discovery,’ one-on-one interactions with winemakers, fun ‘no-snobs-allowed’ atmosphere and interesting and intimate venues.

Time and Place: The Garagiste Wine Festival: Urban Exposure Grand Tasting will take place from 3pm – 6pm on Saturday, July 15th, with the Rare and Reserve tasting at 2pm, all at the ballroom and balcony at 1210 Fourth Street, right in the heart of Santa Monica. The event is a short stroll from the ocean and easily accessible by train via the Expo Line, which stops at Colorado and Fourth Street. And, for your designated driver, there is plentiful parking in the many public parking structures close by.

Winemakers: Among the fifty winemakers already scheduled to pour are Alta Colina Vineyards, Anglim Winery, Ann Albert Wines, Ascension Cellars, Bodega de Edgar/Hug Cellars, Brophy Clark, Burning Bench Winery, Caldera Cuvee, Caliza Winery, Carucci Wines, Chenoweth Wines, Cholame Vineyards, Cloak & Dagger Wines, Coruce Vineyards, Cutruzzola Vineyards, Deno Wine, El Lugar Wines, Enoteca Five, Golden Star Vineyards, Golden Triangle, Halcyon Wines, Hoi Polloi, Hoyt Family Vineyard, JPIII Wines, Kaena Winery, Kaleidos Winery, Loubud Wines, Malibu Ridge Wines, March Wines, MCV Wines, Metrick Wines, Monochrome Wines, Nowell-Smith Wines, Olsen Perri Wines, Pagter Brothers, Penville Wines, Press Gang Cellars, Prizm Winery, Pulchella Winery, Rendarrio, Ryan Cochrane Wines, SLYD Wines, Starfield Vineyards, Tao Winery, The Farm Winery, Theopolis Vineyards, Two Shepherds Wines, and Vinemark Cellars.

Tickets: To preserve an intimate experience with one-on-one interaction with winemakers, tickets are very limited for the Garagiste Festivals and always sell out. Tickets are available at http://garagistefestival.com. For special discounts and updates on Urban Exposure, Taste of Garagiste mini-tastings and other Garagiste Festival events and news, sign up for The Dirt at http://garagistefestival.com/sign-up/, or follow us on Twitter (@GaragisteFest) or Facebook (http://on.fb.me/1rgBC80).

Festival Sponsors: ETS, Glenn Burdette, Bidwell Insurance, Farm Credit, Laffort, Digital Dogma, mWEBB Communications, Travel Paso, Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. For sponsorship info, email info(at)garagistefestival(dot)com.

About The Garagiste Wine Festivals
The Garagiste Wine Festivals (http://www.garagistefestival.com) are the first and only wine festivals dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized American artisan ‘garagiste’ producers who are making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot production wines in the world. Founded by fellow garagistes Stewart McLennan and Douglas Minnick, the Garagiste Festivals are committed to discovering the best and most innovative limited-production winemakers and promoting and showcasing them to a broad audience of discerning wine consumers. In addition to its flagship annual festival in Paso Robles, CA, the Garagiste Festival line-up includes Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure, featuring Santa Ynez Valley garagistes; the Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure, in Los Angeles; the Garagiste Festial, Northern Exposure, in the Bay Area; garagiste mini-tastings presented from So Cal to Tahoe; winemaker dinners, a newsletter, garagiste profiles and more.

The festivals were named one of the ‘Top Nine Incredible Epicurean Vacations’ in the world by ABC News,* “one of the premier wine events of the year,” by the LA Times and “Best Festival” by Sunset Magazine’s ‘Best of the West.’ The festivals are produced by Garagiste Events, a non-profit dedicated to furthering the education of future winemakers and those training for employment within the wine industry. Proceeds from the festivals support the Garagiste Festival Scholarship fund of the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo Wine and Viticulture Department.

*Garagistes (garage-east) is a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their “garages” (anything considered not a chateau), who refused to follow the “rules,” and is now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world. The Garagiste Festivals were the first to shine a light on the American garagiste winemaker in 2011. Since then, the festival has helped thousands of consumers discover the remarkable wines of hundreds of true garagistes, who handcraft under 1,500 cases a year and pay close, hands-on attention to every wine they make.

Vintage Beacon Circa 1/11: The Latest SCV Wine Fest News

October 13, 2015 by evebushman

Today, Dear Wine Friends, I have a special treat for you, a “behind the scenes” look at our first SCV Wine Fest with Andrea Pohlot (aka soon-to-be Mrs. Paul de la Cerda):

Andrea, for those 10 people in Santa Clarita that don’t know your name from Facebook, Twitter, the SCV Moms and SCV Family websites…you are a marketing guru, and I know you have been brought in for our first SCV Wine Fest to make sure that everyone in Santa Clarita, that has ever – or will ever – drink wine, will know about the Fest. So do tell us, without further ado, what we can expect by way of wines and other alcoholic beverages?

Definitely! We will have a wide variety of wines represented from Napa and Sonoma, to Temecula and even right here in Santa Clarita. Participants will have the chance to discover new favorite varietals and learn more about the process of winemaking. But if you don’t love wine, you still won’t want to miss the beer, sake and scotch options that you’ll find there also. We are super excited about the variety this year!

Will there be a VIP area? What happens there?

Absolutely! The VIP event is a very important part of the SCV Wine Fest program.The Exclusive VIP Reception begins at 6:30pm and will directly benefit Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley.

At $125 per person, this special program will include a gourmet Yucatan menu created by the Executive Chef at The Grove at Embassy Suites, select wines from a number of the SCV Wine Fest participants and a special tequila cocktail created for the event by Pacific Edge Wine & Spirits. For those who are interested in a full list of the wines reserved for the VIP reception, they can visit our website at www.scvwinefest.com. A separate ticket is required for this event and seating is limited. So if your readers are interested, we ask them to PLEASE reserve early by calling 818-994-4661.

Most of all, we are very proud of the charity we have chosen to benefit from this VIP reception at SCV Wine Fest. Family Promise of Santa Clarita is a relatively new non-profit in this valley that offers a valuable service to our homeless population by providing food, shelter and services to those who need it the most. Attendees will learn a lot more about Family Promise and have a chance to give back to a hard working non-profit in Santa Clarita.

Which Santa Clarita businesses are supporting the first SCV Wine Fest?

Embassy Suites Valencia; Burrtec Waste Industries; the City of Santa Clarita, Community Bank, and many more…

Will there be any classes? Specifically, single malt Scotch or Sake classes led by Master sommeliers?

Yes! Definitely. We are very excited about the Tasting Classes that we are prepared to offer this year. Mark Newman will be there teaching a wine seminar called the “Million Dollar Palate.” This 45-minute seminar will discuss wines from Italy & Spain.

We’ll also feature a Tasting Class on Scotch where participants will learn about thesingle malt-making process including what separates single malts from blends as well as a scotch from other whiskies. You will try 8 different malts from different regions around Scotland. This class will be hosted by Chris Uhde, Scotch Master for the USS Highland Games Costa Mesa and Brand Ambassador for Impex Beverages and Chieftain Single Cask Whiskies. Chris has over 12 years experience in the Spirits industry.

But everyone who is interested in any of our workshops must reserve their space early. Limited seating is available. We are still adding more tasting classes, so I encourage anyone who is interested to check our website regularly for updates!

The event is February 12th, 2-6pm, at “The Embassy” Suites. How do we get tickets? Wait, I know that one: SCVWineFest.com How about volunteers? Who do they contact?

We are always looking for volunteers to help and we really appreciate their commitment. Volunteers can email lawinefest@gmail.com with their name, contact info, experience, and availability.

BITS and PIECES II, by Michael Perlis

May 23, 2015 by evebushman

Yes, foie gras is back. Whether or not you choose to eat it is your personal choice, but unless you are a vegetarian, the cruelty argument just doesn’t seem to apply. I believe that the geese and ducks involved are in some cases raised more humanely than the cows, pigs and chickens that you/we choose to eat. (http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/01/foie-gras-new-fire-for-an-old-debate.html among others.) Although the issue keeps rearing its ugly head — a recent twitter exchange on the topic was supposedly responsible for the termination of the long-time chef at the Tam O’Shanter restaurant, according to Eater.

I’m not really one for tasting notes and heavy-duty analysis of the wines I am tasting. Pretty much: do I like it and how much do I like it? But I found the “Court of Master Sommeliers – Deductive Tasting Format” to be a pretty helpful guide in going through a tasting and analyzing why you might like or not like about what you are trying. When you don’t like a wine, is it because it is flawed, or because the wine’s characteristics just don’t appeal to you?

I’m sure you’ve heard about the study finding high arsenic levels in low-priced wines. Does this impact what you drink? See http://www.wineinstitute.org/resources/pressroom/03192015 and http://www.vinography.com/archives/2015/03/do_you_need_to_worry_about_ars.html among others. Seems to be much ado about nothing? And I don’t think you’ll find these wines on our lists of recommendations to you anyway.

With all the reality shows, especially those about food, why can’t we get one that sticks about wine? We’ve had a few over the years, but they’ve never lasted. After I wrote these two sentences, I read on Wine Industry Advisor that “pop culture icon and award winning actress Natalie Oliveros” is slated to host a travel show with an emphasis on wine. Maybe her fans who knew her as adult film actress Savanna Samson will help make this show a hit. [Note that I can no longer find the article on the Wine Industry Advisor website.]

My suggestion to you – when you’re at a restaurant and your server is opening your wine bottle, don’t engage him/her in conversation. Most bottles are pretty easy to open, right? But occasionally you get an inexperienced server or a wine cork that is a little less than perfect and next thing you know you have a wine disaster to deal with.

Scientific American published an article that originally appeared in Chemistry World. The article reported on a study that proved that wine glass shape does affect flavor. So there. [But really, they needed a study for this? What happened to good old empirical evidence?]

I really can’t help myself. The Drinks Business recently reported that, in a comparison test of Australian red wines aged under screwcap versus cork, those with screwcaps came out ahead. The wines ranged in vintage from 2001 to 2005. “An international panel of judges voted in favour of the expressions aged under screwcap, a particularly impactful result to occur on Italian soil, where this closure was until recently banned from use in many of the country’s most prestigious wines such as Brunello di Montalcino, and still remains controversial.”

Robert Sinskey of Sinkey Vineyards published an article on Eater wherein he expressed the opinion that sommeliers are more important than critics’ scores. Of course, this opened up the proverbial can of worms. My take on it – yes, if I am talking with a restaurant sommelier I respect and who I feel understands what I might like, I am probably going to take his/her recommendation over a critic who I have never spoken to. Note that I hardly ever pay much attention to scores and am more interested in how the critic describes a particular wine. It does need to be noted that the only place you are probably going to find a credentialed sommelier is at a fine dining restaurant and the rest of the time you are pretty much on your own. What do you do then? Well, you should use as many resources as possible, including us here at Eve’s Wine 101.

The Wine Economist recently shared some statistics from Wine Business Monthly showing that the largest growth in the US wine industry in 2014 took place in the segment of wines priced at $20 and above. While the industry as a whole grew by 3.4% in 2014, the $20+ segment grew by 15.7%. What struck me most though was that, while the growth in the premium wine segment was impressive, this part of the industry only made up $822 million of a $12.5+ billion industry, just slightly more than 6.5% of the total market. My point is that, fine wine drinkers make up a very small percentage of the overall wine drinking market. With the $20+ wine market only making up such a small part of the industry, and knowing that it is pretty hard to find anything good until you get well that number, one has to wonder what most people really feel about what they are drinking. As Eve asks: What’s in your glass?

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 Beacon Circa May 2010: Free Wine Events

February 17, 2015 by evebushman

Knew that would get your attention!

Now, stop reading right this second if you think there are such things as free wine events. Nonsense. At least there are none for you. On the other hand, and that would be my other hand, there are plenty for moi.

In seeking a career as a wine writer I found out fairly early that receiving wine, and being invited to events, are standard.

Now, before you run out to your local stationers to purchase sheets of business cards that you plan to imprint Biggie Wine Writer on, you’d be stopped dead in your tracks at a wine event if you simply A. Don’t have a blog, or B. Your articles can’t be found on a Google search.

(I have an old friend that danced his way onto the stage during a New York Ballet performance, once, on chutzpah alone. Never again. Don’t even think he can attend any ballet now. The point being made here is that there’s more I must tell you before you know the full skinny.)

Starting with winery representatives that learn your name via their ever-present search for, “who is” talking about them comes the, “who isn’t” talking about them. Then, if they send you a bottle, you are moved into their first group, the talking about them group, and your work is done. Until their next vintage…

The way we get to go to events for free is because they want us to review the event, and, wineries can get more out of me writing about an event – especially if it’s before said event – than they can from you as the one bottle a day consumer.

The perks might be:

Being treated like a queen in your local wine bars and restaurants that you’ve been generous enough to give glowing reviews of, and then, copied them to your Yelp, Twitter and Facebook pages.

The best wine education for free when you get to interview sommeliers and winemakers.

More than your fair share of tasting groups with friends that want to be quoted saying impressive things like “Ripe Berry!”

A collection of corks your sister-in-law can make corkboards and trivets out of.

Free trade publications to keep you in the liquor loop.

The gamut of BarParts.com gifts from friends that know exactly what you like.

Surprise desserts from the chef for all at your table! (While we’re talking about meals be careful of the people that want to meet you for “lunch”. They may expect to drink wine at lunch and will be upset if you suggest the food court in your local mall.)

Your name in a wine bar’s newsletter when you “work” there one night a year for charity.

Everybody, and I mean everybody, greets you with, “I want your job!” Because your passion is transparent.

Downside you ask? I still do buy my own wine, have wine club memberships at some wineries, buy books and attend continuing education classes. And it’s not only needed, but expected, that I do these things.

Sometimes I have a hard time telling a winemaker, the one that sent me a bottle for my opinion, that I didn’t care for their wine. I’m not a winemaker. I’m not a wine expert. I am one person with one opinion. But don’t let me convince you – too hard – of that one. Then I’d really be out of a really, very cool, job!

Lastly, if you are going to begin a career as a wine blogger, as of 2010 wine bloggers now must disclose to the Federal Trade Commission if they purchased or were gifted any wine that they review. I think that’s a great idea.

Cambria at Craft (Vintage Beacon Circa 12/09)

October 14, 2014 by evebushman

“We got our holiday wish. Now we’d like to help others with theirs.”

Adam Beaugh, Social Media Director for Jackson Family Wines, sent me this intriguing invite to taste wine at Craft LA with a nice note that continued, “I read over your blog and would love for you to come if you are available. Should be a pretty good mix of folks there, but I’m hoping to bring out a few wine lovers who dig social media. Basically.. good wine, good people, good food.. just another lovely evening in L.A.”

Goddess of Wine, Denise Lowe. Photo by Xochitl Maiman.

The Wine

The party was to celebrate Wine Enthusiast magazine’s #1 ranking of Cambria Winery’s ’06 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir.

I wanted to “refresh” my palate and have some sense of the wine before the event. That said, I ran out and bought 3 bottles of different vintages to try. (Easily found at Ralph’s Santa Clarita and Castaic. No complaints from the wine students, hard liquor fans or my hubby in the three occasions I found to share my Cambria.)

The event turned out to be a bit of a “Twitter Meet-Up”. When I arrived at Craft in its Century City location, and ushered into a private room, the first thing I noticed was a large screen on one wall with a live Twitter feed.

Twitter, like Facebook, has little icons, or Avatars, for each member. A “Tweet” is limited to 140 characters (which is why I prefer Facebook, writers need a wee bit more space) and, for this group it was all about networking over, you guessed it, wine.

I had fun matching the live feed of my Tweet friends to guests around the room and quickly went to meet the match for Adam Beaugh himself, Jesse Hiestand, Luke Mathews and Ben Mason (friends from Hipsterenology.com that I’d met at Rhone Rangers this summer), Denise Lowe (Goddessofvino.blogspot.com), her husband John Dickey and uber social media strategist Tom Martin.

By then we were sipping on Cambria’s very classy 2007 Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay and Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, and munching on some elegant appetizers (See food section below. Yes I e-mailed the chef!)

While I met and chatted with the proprietor Barbara Banke about her daughters due to arrive, and then winemaker Denise Shurtleff on winemakers that don’t always stick to the rules in admitting to what’s really been blended into their Pinot Noirs, and her hubby that won’t come to pour with her as people presume he is the winemaker – the clock struck midnight for me and I had to dash home.

The star of the evening, the 2006 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot is reviewed quite nicely by my friend that stays up later here: http://goddessofvino.blogspot.com/2009/12/celebrating-with-cambria-wines-at-craft.html

The other star that I missed was special guest Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast California editor that I met later, you guessed it, on Facebook.

The Food and Venue

From the attentive wait staff, hostess, coat check, valet services all the way down to the elegant glassware, guests were greeted with “too many spoons” to count. Think stacked appetizers cradled in metal spoons, as well as the expected charcuterie. I especially liked the salami, Goat cheese, the bite from the poached pomegranate in the “Chestnut Agnolotti”, lobster, duck ham and Hamachi.

We had selections, if not all, from this list:

1. Charcuterie Plates

Chorizo, Prosciutto, Salami, Speck

2. Cheese Board

Cavatina, Goat – Andante Dairy

San Andread, Sheep – Bellwether Farms

Serena, Cow – Three Sisters Dairy

3. Chestnut Agnolotti

Candied Pomelo Zest – Hamada Farm

Blood Orange Butter – Hamada Farm

Poached Pomegranates – Dautch Farm

Micro Basil

4. Abalone

Yuzu Vinaigrette – Hamada Farm

Micro Shiso

5. Liberty Farms Duck Ham

Kumquat Jam – Dautch Farm

Brioche Toast

Micro Parsley

6. Maine Lobster

Cherry Tomato Jam – Tutti Frutti Farm

Wild Mache

7. Niman Pork Belly

Pink Lady Apple Butter – Cuyama Orchard

CompressedPiIllc Lady Apple – Cuyama Orchard

Micro Parsley

8. Japanese Hamachi

Finger Lime Vinaigrette – Churchill Orchards

Lime Gelee

Pickled Red Onion

Micro Cilantro

9. California Natural Sirloin

Tiny Potato Confit – Heirloom Organics

Sauce Bordelaise

Chervil

10. Spaghetti Squash Panna Cotta – McGrath Farms

Basil Powder

Pumpkin Seed Oil

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

The Charity

The private invitation-only wine tasting was to benefit Children’s Bureau and their new Magnolia Place Family Center Library. In the spirit of the season, donations of children’s books were encouraged. (I brought a bag full myself!) All was sponsored by Children’s Bureau in conjunction with Cambria.

A day in the life of a wine 101er (Vintage Beacon Circa 8-09)

July 8, 2014 by evebushman

It starts before 5 in the morning, the anal compulsion to blog about my wine adventures…but it really started 14 years ago, when I began poking fun of all things Santa Clarita in a local newspaper. Who knew that movers, shakers, and those of us in-between, enjoyed a little wine now and then?

I’ve been writing, can you believe this, before I started drinking. (You thought I was going to say walking?) Anyway, I wrote under the column header Eve of Destruction (while poking fun) and Another Face of Eve (when doing good) before I settled on using Eve’s Wine 101 for almost the last 5 years.

I met a lot of local people running non-profits, politicians for hire, business owners…you get the drift. When the newspaper asked me to write about wine I found that most of the people I had met, well, seemed to have an interest in wine as well. And what’s more, they wanted to perch themselves on my glass, follow my wine adventures, and, basically, get thoroughly loose through me.

So this is what I do every day to satisfy your every whim.

Yes, I’m up at 5am, because I walk my LA City Fire Chief to his car, with his coffee and Wall Street Journal, every morning…or at least the ones where he is on shift. Then, in rapid succession comes, the run, the coffee, the reading and returning of e-mails, adding events to the SCV Wine Calendar, checking in on Facebook, Twitter, the West Ranch Beacon, reading my friends blogs, taking all the little scraps of notes that I jotted down in the middle of the night and transferring them into a “blog notes” document, get ready to blog and then I see my daughter off to school…

I do work part time, the hours my teenage cherub is in school, but I will leave that job up to your imagination. My employer is a wonderful person that ignores my wine passion…and allows me just enough hours, and salary, to escape cooking and cleaning my own house.

Then back at home after the end of the school day, I transfer non-profit, and for-profit, press releases into blog posts, put their art with a link on my blog, return more e-mails, put up photos and guest posts from readers, take time to write to and work with my two wonderful contributors: Michael Perlis and Rusty Sly that also give time to my Wine 101 blog. Then sift through the dozens of invites I receive every month to see which I can attend and write more about.

I write my big blog story for this site, prepare my weekly Dear Wine Friend newsletter, and then, by the end of the week, I’m headed out to a wine tasting or wine education class.

I try and go to as many non-profit events, and advertise that I’ll be there in my newsletter so that others, may be on the fence, might go as well.

I take a Pepcid AC if it’s a farly large tasting so I can be feeling tip top the next day when I start again at, you guessed it, 5am.

Eve Gives Lompoc a Shout Out

July 26, 2013 by evebushman

Sneaking off to Lompoc and Santa Ynez soon…and since many of you have sent your suggestions I wanted to check in and fill you in on what we have planned. Feel free to email me if you have any other wine-filled ideas: eve@evewine101.com

We will spend Saturday in the Lompoc Ghetto with appointments set for us at Taste of Sta. Rita Hills, Jalama Wines, Fiddlehead Cellars, Palmina Wines and Zotovich Cellars. (I’ve never visited the Sta. Rita Hills tasting room or any of the others, so I used the LompocTrail.com website to plan my schedule.)

I didn’t want to miss Jalama as I know as they are supporting Circle of Hope by pouring at the Vine 2 Wine Classic on August 17 (join us: http://circleofhopeinc.org/events/vine2wineclassic), Fiddlehead supported our WiSH Education Foundation tasting in the library this year with wine donations, I enjoyed Palmina at a LearnAboutWine event and Zotovich had the best Pinot Noir that I tasted at a Henry Wine Group event. It was prime time that I visited all of these!

Free breakfast at O’Cairns

Knowing it was going to be a full day of tasting I wanted to stay at a nearby hotel in Lompoc where we could rest up before heading out to dinner. We chose O’Cairns Inn and Suites, this is what their website promised:

…an unsurpassed complimentary cooked-to-order hot breakfast each morning…complimentary drinks during our Happy Hour…Our rooms are home-like, and include large flat screen TV’s, pillow top mattresses and some even have leather recliners…premium ice cream available 24-hours in the Lobby…toiletries, DVD rentals (over 1000 DVD Library, including up-to-date new releases), complimentary laundry service (including detergents), daily passes to Walnut Pier Health Club and copies of USA Today.

SY kitchen

I was relaxed just thinking about the hotel but, I had to make dinner reservations. I tried the uber-popular Succulent and was told that they were booked, two months in advance, for the time I wanted. A pal suggested the new SY Kitchen in Santa Ynez that was created by the same people behind Bar Toscana. The website promised Italian fare served in a three-room (one is a porch) farmhouse. And the Facebook page had photos of the chef torching artichokes and plating chicken dishes…that did make my mouth water.

For Sunday wine-tasting plans I contacted Cheryl Stauffer, the director of the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Association, for a new itinerary. She set us up to start at Lucas & Lewellen in Solvang where owner Louie Lucas was planning to meet up with us. “In addition to his own winery operation,” Stauffer said, “Louie has a wealth of information on the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, the terroir and farming.” (I was looking forward to meeting Louie as a pal of mine had secured a generous donation of his wine for our Pour Into Sandy tasting event.)

From there we were to have tastings at Lincourt Vineyards, Rideau Vineyard and Buttonwood Farm Winery. Of these threes I hadn’t had Lincourt since a 2003 tasting via Valencia Wine Company and Rideau would be totally new to me! I had met and lunched with Buttonwood winemaker Karen Steinwachs via another LearnAboutWine event and looked forward to seeing her again – or at least her wines!

So, in a very big nutshell, these are our plans. Once I take the trip I will report back via Twitter, Yelp, Trip Advisor, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Facebook, a website or print magazine and my Dear Wine Friend Newsletter because, what’s the point in tasting something great if you don’t shout about it???

About the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Association

We are an association of select boutique wineries located in the heard of the Santa Ynez, California. Each winery has a unique story , tasting room and selection of award winning wines for you to sample.

Wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley offers an outstanding opportunity to try a variety of premium wines including (but not limited to!) Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Merlot. While visiting, discover the charm of the village of Los Olivos, rustic Santa Ynez and the quaint Danish village of Solvang. You can use our printable map to plan your next outing or just pick up a picnic lunch and head out to our wineries.

Relax amidst the vines while taking in the ancient oaks stretching out over gently rolling hills. With a moderate climate, beautiful scenery and peaceful country living, the Santa Ynez Valley has become a wine tasting destination unlike any other.

We hope you enjoy your visit and make sure to add Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country to your permanent list of delightful getaways.

About the Lompoc Trail Tasting Rooms

Come explore the bountiful wine region along the Lompoc Wine Trail. Lompoc is the gateway to the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, which is renowned for exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Many of the wine producers in Lompoc have their vineyards, or source grapes from this region.

Scattered along the loop of Highway 246 and Santa Rosa Road from Lompoc to Buellton there are a number of wineries which also include some larger, estate wineries.

The Wine List for Lompoc Wine Trail

Lompoc

Wine Ghetto

Sta. Rita Hills

The Wine List for the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Association

Our Association members are located throughout the Santa Ynez Valley. In Los Olivos: Alexander & Wayne, Arthur Earl, Cimarone & 3CV Wines, Daniel Gehrs Wines and Toretti Family Vineyards. In Solvang: Buttonwood Farm Winery, Casa Cassara, Lincourt Vineyards, Lucas & Lewellen, Rideau Vineyard and Toccata. In Santa Ynez: Imagine Wine and in Buellton: Standing Sun Wines.

More Links

http://www.lompocghetto.com (The link now goes to lompoctrail.com)

http://tasteofstaritahills.com/

https://www.jalamawines.com/

http://www.fiddleheadcellars.com/

http://www.palminawines.com/

http://zotovichcellars.com/cm/Home.html

http://circleofhopeinc.org/events/vine2wineclassic

http://www.learnaboutwine.com/

http://www.ocairnsinnandsuites.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32645-d77552-Reviews-O_Cairns_Inn_Suites-Lompoc_California.html#REVIEWS

http://sykitchen.com/index.htm