Sonoma County Winegrowers, Sonoma County Vintners, and Full Circle Wine Solutions periodically band together to showcase Sonoma County’s sixteen AVAs. Their Sonoma in The City event was held recently at The Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills. And lest you think this was purely about Pinot Noir and Chardonnay [make no mistake, there were excellent examples…
Second Annual Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival http://www.sierrapelonavintners.com/ Do you know what an AVA is? It is the abbreviation for “American Viticultural Area”, which is an officially designated wine grape-growing region in the United States. Creation of a new AVA has to be approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau of the…
As the verdant slopes of Mt. Meliton stretch down to mingle with the crystal clear waters of Toroneo Bay, 475 hectares of the largest Greek vineyards lie in amphitheatre-like formation. The “Slopes of Mt. Meliton” vineyards are some of the largest in Europe and a model of organic viniculture…Domaine Porto Carras. The vineyards of Domaine…
Ever since its release, Dave Phinney’s Zinfandel based, “The Prisoner,” captivated the wine world. For many, it came as a surprise in 2010 when Phinney’s Orin Swift Cellars sold two of their most popular wines, Saldo and The Prisoner, to Chile’s Huneeus Vintners. According to Phinney, the sale is more of a partnership as Huneeus…
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,…
An interesting thing that happens at large wine events: camaraderie grows as wines are consumed, people tend to become chattier and want to share their discoveries of the day. So instead of just keeping track of what I was digging at the Family Winemakers Pasadena tasting, I listened to the buzz coming from Santa Clarita…
Living in Europe, I am often inundated with questions concerning the California wine scene. After all, we do have the reputation of abounding with new and innovative ideas for wines. In fact, when my stateside friends come for a visit, they are expected to pay tribute to this self-proclaimed Caesar. My friends are quick to…
Last week, I started exploring the issue of alcohol levels in Zinfandel, and received comments from Claire Silver, co-owner of Tobin James Cellars and Janell Dusi, winemaker and owner of J Dusi Wines. In this week’s article, we hear from Karl Wicka, winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars’ Templeton location: “Zinfandel as a variety has uneven…
While it’s fresh in my mind, I wanted to jot down some notes for wine 101ers on the Carmel-by-the-Sea Wine Walk adventure I’m on right now! So I’m sitting in a small outdoor shopping mall courtyard, as I just finished my last tasting of the day, at Wrath. Time to enjoy the cool weather, the…
When I am asked about my preferences in wine, my usual answer is, “Italian wines are my forte and Spanish wines are my heritage. However, Georgian wines are my passion.” Another of my passions, in the world of wines, is “terroir. ” I come from the school of thought that terroir is everything. I had…
