Elevating Zinfandel was a tasting event I attended, once again put on by WineLa.com, in which the guest could not only sample an array of California “Zin” (the common abbreviation), but by doing so elevate the senses as only one can that attends a single varietal tasting. For wine 101ers I’ve found one of the…
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…
Starting March 2017, Les Marchands resumed their acclaimed educational program with WINE WEDNESDAYS and SOMM TASTINGS, designed and created by new Retail Wine Manager Jeremy Bohrer and General Manager and Advanced Sommelier Emily Johnston, respectively. Weekly, Les Marchands offers WINE WEDNESDAYS, an informal way to taste wines among fellow wine lovers. The early evening wine…
I had noticed that other cities were doing cocktail events: our very own Santa Clarita Valley restaurants had bar programs that were vamping up with seasonal craft cocktails along with favorites our parents enjoyed like the rye-based Manhattan, blended whiskey-based Rob Roy, the Luxardo cherry and orange wheel in a whiskey-based Old Fashioned and the…
Trio of Ladies Bring Their Certified Wine Knowledge Into your Home or Business! SANTA CLARITA September 2016 – In April of 2016 it was announced that three local Santa Clarita women had achieved their AMERICAN WINE SPECIALIST® certification in the “first globally-recognized course on American Wine” provided by the North American Sommelier Association. These ladies,…
Do you select wine based on a winery’s choice in being sustainable or organic? Do you know what those terms even mean? Lets start with some basic Definitions (from Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinny) These terms vary in the way they’re defined and regulated, but I’ll do my best to sort out the way they’re most…
In looking at new ways to help wine 101ers learn about wine I remembered that in the weeks I was studying for my WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) test I asked the other students to my home for some group study meetings. During one of those sessions one woman had found a really cool…
It’s tough not to judge people based on what wine they order….sounds terrible, yes, but it’s true. Let me explain. This week’s article was prompted by another article, on what bartenders think of your drink orders: http://matadornetwork.com/nights/bartenders-actually-think-wine-order/ However, instead of explaining things, the article took a tongue-in-cheek approach about if you order a certain kind…
I wrote an article a couple of years ago, The Young Wine, to illustrate that a fresh-faced 21-year old nowadays has far more choices then we did a couple of decades ago, IMO (in my opinion), in alcoholic beverage choices. (But yet those choices don’t automatically translate to a developed palate.) In my youth I…
An athletic instructor who had never had wine in her life but was willing to try, was faced with a dilemma recently when she attended a holiday party. Her host prompted her to select a wine that she already liked. When she explained she’d never had any, she was told to just pick whatever looks…