Sommelier Says

SOMM... the movie

2012-01-18T15:04:00.000-08:00

You have seen Sideways, Montevino and Bottleshock, bur are you ready for SOMM?

The story of four sommeliers as they prepare for the toughest est know to man, the Master Sommelier Exam!

SOMM Documentary Trailer 1 from Forgotten Man Films on Vimeo.

Restaurant wine prices

2012-01-11T11:53:00.001-08:00

How many time have you been out to dinner and ordered a bottle of wine off the wine list and were blown away by the markup of the price of the bottle. We recently went to a local restaurant and when looking at the bottle price of some of my favorite wines (that I have at home in my cellar). A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, available at Costco for about $9 a bottle, was selling for $27 a bottle. Should you be shocked? Well, lets look at the math and also compare with other available drinks at your local restaurant.

That wine was marked up 3-times the wholesale price. How about a bottle of beer? Well, a domestic beer was selling at the same place for $5.75 a bottle. You can buy a 6-pack of the same beer at your local grocery store for the same price as a single bottle! That is a mark up of…… 6 times. (No high level math here).

How about soft drinks, $3.50 a glass for a Pepsi or Coke, refills usually cost the same too. How much do you think THAT markup is? Then we go to Ice Tea…. Do you even want to think about the mark up on that item?

So while paying $27 for a bottle of $9 wine in a restaurant might seem out of line, when compared to other drinks, it isn’t such a bad deal. Also, most restaurants let you bring in a bottle of wine and charge you a corkage fee. Normally it is around $12 a bottle. Add that to the cost of the wine you brought from home, and it is still a deal. (I don’t think I have ever seen anybody bring into a restaurant a bottle of sun tea to drink.)

Restaurants are not high margin businesses and there are many costs associated with running a restaurant that go into the cost of that bottle of wine. From things as basic as stemware (and associated breakage) to training, cost of carrying inventory, etc that makes that bottle cost more in a restaurant than in a retail store.

So next time you go out to dinner, check out the wine list, try a wine that you do not have at home, enjoy the meal, enjoy the wine, enjoy who you are with and have fun.

Cheers

Tim

Paso Robles Wines tasting weekend, Day 2

2011-11-23T09:32:00.000-08:00

We spent this past weekend in the Paso Robles area enjoying the fine wines and visiting some new wineries. Here is my review of the wineries and the wines we enjoyed. Today we visited mostly west-side wineries.

Maloy O’Neill- One of my Paso Robles favorites. I love their Lagrein, and Cabs, and their dark and rich Bordeaux style blends. My favorite this trip was the 2007 Enzo, ($36) 54% Sangiovese, 40% Lagrein, 6% Petit Verdot, with the Lagrein taking charge- as it should. This wine brings everything to life and when I got home I realized I had 4 more bottles in my cellar from a previous trip! I also purchased a bottle of 2007 Petite Sirah ($50), A beautifully inky colored wine that had hints of blueberries and toasted oak. I also stop at Maloy O’Neill on mu visits to the area. Unfortunately their 2011 crop was way under expected totals and they will not be making any wine from the 2011 harvest.

Tackitt- Owner/Winemaker Leon Tackitt and his wife greeted us Sunday morning with wonderful appetizers in their tasting room. I have become a big fan of the wines here. If you are looking for the perfect holiday wine, look no further, their 2010 Gewûrztraminer, is the signature wine of Tackitt Family Vineyards. At $19 a bottle you can’t go wrong. I bought 6 bottles and plan on enjoying them with my holiday turkey. I also enjoyed his 2008 Rolling Hills Merlot ($28) and his 2008 Melange ($28) which is a marvelous blend of 62% Cab, 21% Petite Verdot, and 17% Merlot. Do you enjoy port wines? Then you need to try Dream Tyme, ($38) made from late harvest Zinfandel and aged in a solera for 6 years. Located up in San Miguel, they are a bit off the beaten track, but I highly suggest you take the time and drive up there your next time in the area.

Graveyard- Also located in the San Miguel area is Graveyard Vineyards, driving through the gate you pass a Graveyard- hence the name. They just opened up a new tasting room and it is very nice. Located near the lake on their property, bring your fishing pole and catch some largemouth bass while tasting the wines. I did what I always do here; I walk out with a case of wine! Their Tombstone labeled White, Pink and Red wines are well worth the $14 a bottle price. I also enjoyed their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($38), a beautiful wine, with hints of green bell pepper, rose and a lingering finish. Well worth the price. Graveyard also has a marvelous port wine called Deliverance, this Syrah dessert wine has natural chocolate flavors infused creating the perfect LPR wine!

Daou- This is a newer winery in the West side. Located on top of a mountain with a beautiful tasting room, that has as its centerpiece is a white Onyx lighted counter. Looking at their tasting list, it listed wines all over $32. I have to tell you, walking into this place I felt like I was entering the snootiest tasting rooms of Napa Valley. I did enjoy their oaky-buttery 2010 Chardonnay, but again, looking at the price $42… I did feel like I had left Paso Robles and Napa… this wasn’t a good thing. Yes the grapes were from Paso….not Napa, so why the high price? Aged for 15 months… French oak… nothing too special. Yes I did enjoy the wine. I bought a bottle, but for me this was almost too much. I also enjoyed their Micho ($42), and Cab/Merlot blend. But part of the wine tasting experience for me is the experience in the tasting room. I missed the warmth, and personal feeling that you get in most of the other Paso Robles tasting rooms. Yes I bought four bottles of wine, but for me I probably won’t be back, if I want more of their wines I would buy it online.

Twilight- Now as for a total contrast to Daou, we ventured down the mountain and decided to try Twilight (one of our group is a Twilight fan- so we had to stop there.) When we got there, I remembered being here years before but it wasn’t called Twilight. It was Thunderbolt! The “meatball winery”. Years ago we went there and they were serving meatballs with their wines, we all walked out with cases of wine- when we got home we tried the wines and we didn’t care for them…. Must have been the meat balls! Well they were sued by Thunderbird, so they changed their name to Twilight…. Same wine. We didn’t buy anything here- but they again were serving food paired with each wine.

Villacana- Not wanting Twilight to be our last winery of this trip, we decided on one more- taking a chance I pulled into Villacana. We walked in and were greeted with a smile. Ahhh I made a good choice. This small production family owned and operated winery is no frills but good wines. We enjoyed the tasting of all of their wines. I purchased the Viognier ($18) which was the best Viognier of the trip, full bodied, great fruit, nice clean finish. The Estate Cabernet ($28), which made me laugh actually, because it knocked the socks off of the one at Daou, at almost half the price. (I bought two). But the wine from Villacana that I will remember is the Mourvedre ($35). Very rarely do you see Mourvedre as a stand-alone wine; it is usually blended with Syrah. But this stands alone easily and it actually shines. Rich with black cherries and a nice toast, this is a perfectly balanced wine. The finish I swear, I still had on my pallet when we stopped for lunch an hour later.

Great trip, great wines, great friends….. let’s do it again soon!

Cheers-

Tim

Paso Robles Wines tasting weekend, Day 1

2011-11-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

We spent this past weekend in the Paso Robles area enjoying the fine wines and visiting some new wineries. Here is my review of the wineries and the wines we enjoyed.

Dark Star Cellars- I am a big fan of Norm and Susan Benson's winery, Dark Star Cellars, so much so we served their Ricordati ($32) at our wedding.

During this visit I once again enjoyed the Ricordati as well as the Anderson Road ($28), a nice wine that is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), Syrah (45%) and Petite Syrah (10%). Be sure to say hi to Gracie their dog too while you are there.

Attached to Dark Star Cellars is their son’s tasting room, Brian Benson.

Brian has a completely different style of wine making that his father does and he is doing it very well. The two tasting rooms are a perfect contrast to wine styles. Brian’s wines are big, bold, mouthfuls of flavor. He has experimented as well; to his credit he has a Syrah that he aged for 40 months in French Oak barrels and it is a delicious wine that shows well, and has a tremendous finish.

But I have to say the wine that totally knocked my socks off was his 2008 Zinfandel ($40). It was my favorite wine of the entire weekend. For me it was a classic California Zinfandel. It had bright fruit, balanced acidity and notes of blackberry, anise and pepper. It is a beautiful wine that had me thinking about it the entire weekend.

Justin Winery- Our next stop was Justin, while we were there because they had a Holiday Party Open House, where we could tour the Justin home (which is beautiful) we also had tasting of some of their fine wines. My favorites were Isosceles ($63) and Justification ($45). We also had tasting so the Reserve Isosceles ($75), not my favorite and I really do not see much difference in the two Isosceles available; I would much rather drink the regular and save some money.

kukkula- Following Justin we headed down the road to a new winery for me, kukkula, a winery from a Finish family. In September of 2010, kukkula completed construction on their winery and tasting room. The modern structure is partially dug into the hillside and incorporates innovative materials, such as rust colored insulated panels, and gabion rock cages. The vineyard uses dry farming to bring out the most in the fruit, and the wines show that character. My favorite wine was their GSM, called sisu ($30). It was a typical GSM (which I love) with notes of blackberry, cherry, violet.

Mondo- It was getting late in the day and we decided to hit one more. One couple in our group is a wine club member of Mondo, so we ventured to their beautiful tasting room. If you like inexpensive Rhone and Bordeaux style wines, and then I suggest Mondo. The wines ranged in price from $16 to $24 a bottle and you can’t go wrong with any of them. If you want easy drinking every day wines, then I suggest the The Truck ($18) a blend of 25% Zinfandel, 13% Syrah, 13% Merlot, 13% Petite Sirah, 12% Mourvedre, 12% Tempranillo and 12% Tannat. Or the La Rocca ($20) a smooth, velvety red Rhone blend of 56% Grenache, 16% Mourvedre, 15% Petite Sirah and 13% Syrah.

For dinner we ended up at Chico’s Caffe in downtown Paso Robles, it was nice that they could get us in on a short notice with our party of 9. I highly recommend Chico’s for seafood. The prices were right and the wine list (yes after wine tasting all day we were able to kill off two more bottles) is excellent.

Cheers-

Tim

Robert Parker's latest.... what do you think?

2011-11-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

US wine critic Robert Parker has admitted to Wine Future Hong Kong that his star may be on "wane" but that his influence has always been greatly over played.

In a press conference prior to his public tasting Parker was in relaxed mood telling journalists that he was now just a "fat old happy Buddha" who they could come to for some "wisdom".

He said he hoped the high prices surrounding recent Bordeaux vintages "had now run their course". "For all the things that have been written about me I am a consumer of wine and drink wine every day" and that it was not in his desire to see prices out of touch with the market.

Really? Do you really believe this?

How often has the wine rating influenced your decision to buy a particular wine? Come on be honest here…

Cheers-

Tim

We're (California) #1.... who is #2?

2011-11-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

New York sits in the number two spot for domestic wine production. California is number one. Each year New York's wine production brings in more than 20 million dollars - an amount state officials would like to increase.

Recently the New York State Liquor Store Association mailed out posters to stores kicking off the "Fall in love with NY wines" promotion.

Have you had a NY wine recently? If so tell me about it.

Cheers

Tim

Is Sea Smoke getting a bit cocky?

2011-10-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

New for the 2009 vintage: Sea Smoke of Santa Barbara is putting “California Grand Cru” on the label.

The term is pure marketing. Needless to say, there is no codified “cru” system of California. However, the term does not fall afoul of the protected terms negotiated in the EU-US accord on place names. The labels previously read “Santa Barbara County California.”

After eyeing it for some time, Bob Davids acquired an apparently gorgeous, 350-acre parcel in the Santa Rita Hills in 1999 for his label Sea Smoke. According to North American Pinot Noir, it was previously a bean field. He immediately developed about 100 acres into vineyards; the first vintage was 2001. The winery produces four pinot noirs and two chardonnays; all bear the term “California Grand Cru” for the 2009 vintage.

Queried about their decision to use their term, Director of Winemaking Victor Gallegos talked about a Wine Spectator article in which James Laube called Sea Smoke “an important part of Santa Barbara’s wine scene and one of its ‘grand cru’ properties.”

Frankly... I wonder what they are Sea Smokin...

2012 Vintners Hall of Fame inductees

2011-10-13T13:05:00.001-07:00

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) today announced that its 2012 Vintners Hall of Fame inductees will be Peter Mondavi, Sr., of Charles Krug Winery; Professor Albert Winkler of UC Davis; Joe Heitz of Heitz Cellars in the Napa Valley; former Beringer winemaker Myron Nightingale; Mendocino County pioneer John Parducci; and legendary South Coast vintner Richard Sanford. Dr. Eugene Hilgard, one of the fathers of modern soil science, was previously elected unanimously by the Nominating Committee.

The official induction of the 2012 Vintners Hall of Fame honorees will take place on February 20, 2012 at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, CA, as part of the college’s 6th Annual Vintners Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.

“These inductees are the leaders who helped California become the center of the American wine industry while producing some of the best wines in the world,” said CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan. “The Culinary Institute of America is proud to host the Vintners Hall of Fame and honor the class of 2012 for their accomplishments at making California wines so extraordinary and successful.”

Funny wine video

2011-09-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

Have you hugged your Grenache today?

2011-09-23T10:59:00.001-07:00

Today is International Grenache Day!

The idea of International Grenache Day grew out of the success of last year’s International Grenache Symposium in the Rhone Valley.

Last year the first International Grenache Symposium in the village of Crestet in the Southern Rhone attracted 250 wine producers – including Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, Vincent Avril of Clos des Papes in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Chester Osborn of d’Arenberg and South Africa’s Eben Sadie.

Events include a Grenache wine treasure hunt in South Africa run by wine journalist Michael Fridjhon, in Australia renowned producers such as Hewitson, D’Arenberg, Henschke and Torbreck are supporting the event, as are wine retailers and other professionals in California, Spain, Hong Kong, Brazil, London and Singapore.

Have a glass of Grenache tonight to celebrate!

Cheers

Tim

Zaca Mesa hires new assistant wine maker Kristin Bryden

2011-09-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Just in time for harvest, Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyard has appointed Kristin Bryden to the new post of Assistant Winemaker. Kristin began her employment with the award-winning estate winery on August 15.

“We are delighted to have someone of Kristin’s caliber on our team,” said Zaca Mesa President and CEO, Brook Williams. “She has just the right blend of practical experience and creativity in the cellar that complements our wines.”

Originally from Redding, California, Kristin is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo where she studied Food Science and gained an interest in winemaking. Starting her professional career at Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards in Templeton, California, Kristin worked her way from a production technician to an enologist, and eventually to Assistant Winemaker in 2006. In that position, she managed the lab and assisted in the planning and execution of all winemaking activities, with an emphasis on quality control. Kristin also benefited from the Wild Horse Vineyards’ diverse collection of winegrape varieties, allowing her to explore their many profiles and associated styles.

Zaca Mesa Winery, located in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, is dedicated to estate grown and bottled Rhône varietal wines. They hand craft their wines with integrity using traditional methods from grapes sustainably grown in their vineyard.

Are you ready for wine in a can?

2011-09-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

French filler Cacolac has signed a contract with Australian company Barokes Pty Ltd (now registered in Europe as Vinsafe International Pty Ltd) licensing them to fill wine in a can using Barokes' Vinsafe technology. The Vinsafe process is the only wine-in-a-can packaging system, combining long shelf life with high product quality and managed by global patents. Cacolac is the second European filling facility to be awarded this license after the Spanish company Font Salem. Ball Packaging Europe, one of the leading European beverage can manufacturers, is the only European supplier of Vinsafe cans for wine using Barokes' technology.

The market for wine in cans offers great potential, as the double-digit growth of sales figures for Europe in recent years demonstrate. Reasons for that development are changing market structures as well as new trends in consumer behavior. Small-sized cans with a volume of 200 to 250 ml are particularly attractive to consumers who only enjoy wine occasionally or in single-serve quantities such as in single households.

Cacolac is based in Léognan, just south of Bordeaux, within one of France's premium wine-growing regions. In early August, the Cacolac facility underwent a comprehensive Vinsafe accreditation process to fill wine in a can. In May, the Spanish filler Font Salem became the first company licensed to fill wine in a can.

Only accredited and certified (Vinsafe) filling facilities can be relied on by wine producers to ensure the consistent quality of their wine in a can products thus offering unique protection to this new global wine category.

Upcoming local wine events!

2011-05-20T09:59:00.001-07:00

Upcoming local wine events!

Casa Pacifica, Sunday June 5

The Casa Pacifica Angels Wine & Food Festival showcases the culinary creations of the area's finest restaurants and caterers from Santa Barbara to the Conejo Valley and award-winning wineries and vineyards from throughout California's rich wine-producing regions, as well as many marvelous micro-breweries.

http://shop.cpwineandfoodfestival.com/

Ojai Wine Festival, Sunday June 12

Come celebrate the Rotary Club of Ojai-West's 25th anniversary of the Ojai Wine Festival! From its humble beginning in 1987, the annual Ojai Wine Festival has grown into a leading regional event attracting nearly 5,000 people from throughout the Central Coast and Southern California. In the last few years the number of attending wineries has doubled to over sixty. We have a fantastic variety of breweries as well.

http://www.ojaiwinefestival.com/about.html

How can you tell when you get a bad bottle of wine?

2011-05-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

One of the most common wine questions I get is, "How do you tell if a bottle of a wine that you got at a restaurant is bad? I never know when to send one back."

Let me start by saying what does not constitute a bad bottle.

A bottle is not bad just because you don't like the wine. There are many variations in wine-making style, so a bottle that doesn't suit your preferences is not necessarily defective. Of course, the sommelier should help you select a bottle that's to your liking, but ultimately only you are responsible for your personal tastes.
A bottle is not bad just because the label is damaged. Most wine travels thousands of miles to get to you, and there are plenty of opportunities for bumping and grinding. Likewise, in a cellar where thousands of bottles are stored together, one bottle can break, leaking wine onto hundreds of others. This does not affect the wine inside the intact bottles.
A bottle is not bad just because it has little white crystals accumulated at the bottom or adhering to the cork. These crystals (called tartrate) are a natural by-product of unfiltered, unprocessed fine wines and are totally harmless.
A bottle is not "corked" just because it has bits of cork in it (all this means is that an inexperienced waiter pushed the corkscrew all the way through the cork, thus forcing pieces into the wine) or because it has an unsightly or even moldy cork. The term corked has a very specific meaning, which I'll explain in a moment.

There are essentially four things that constitute defects in a bottle of wine such that you should send it back: It can be corked, oxidized, maderized or refermented.

Corked
Corks are natural products, and some microorganisms like to eat them. A wine is properly said to be corked when it has come in contact with a contaminated cork during the aging process. The results of this contamination are almost always unmistakable: The wine will smell like a wet basement after a flood or dirty socks left in the hamper a little too long: moldy, nasty and not at all enticing to the taster. On the palate, it will be astringent, lacking in fruit, with a raspy finish. Sometimes you may even notice a paint-thinner quality.

Still, when you catch a wine in the earliest stages of being corked, there may be some doubt -- here, all I can say is that the more you taste wine, the higher sensitivity you will attain in identifying corked wines. Also, if a wine is served too cold, you may not catch the telltale aromas on the initial offering. This isn't your fault, and you are still well within your rights to send the bottle back once the defect becomes clear.

You cannot, however, discover a corked wine by smelling the cork. Many fine wines have issued from bottles with funky-smelling corks, and vice versa.

Oxidized
Oxygen is wine's invisible enemy, and when a wine gets exposed to air, it becomes "oxidized." The result is flat, lifeless wine that loses its pretty, vibrant fruit scents and tastes insipid -- it will likely remind you of vinegar. The trained eye will also often notice a certain dullness in the color. In whites, it can be light to dark yellow or even brownish. It is much less obvious in red wines.

Maderized
Heat is another destructive force exerted on wine, usually as a result of bad storage. When one says a wine is "maderized," it has been literally baked (this often happens in the holds of cargo ships as they cross the oceans in summertime). It actually tastes like Madeira and is reminiscent of almonds and candied fruits -- admirable qualities in dessert wines but unacceptable in dry wines. You may also notice, in the unopened bottle, that the cork is pushed partly out of the neck (due to expansion within).

Refermented
Fine wine is a living thing, the product of controlled fermentation. Occasionally, some residual, dormant yeasts will wake up, and a wine will undergo a second fermentation after it has been released and shipped. This manifests itself as effervescence, or fizziness, on the tongue. Of course, this is desirable in champagne (which is purposely refermented in the bottle in order to create the bubbles), but never in fine still wine.

It's difficult to learn to identify these flaws just by reading about them. Only experience and time will give you the training you need to spot every defect. But if you think a bottle is bad, ask the sommelier for confirmation. Don't be afraid -- at any reputable establishment the sommelier will not take a rejected bottle personally (not that you should care if he or she does). It is, after all, a statistical certainty that a certain percentage of wines will go bad through no fault of the restaurant. Some of these we can return to our distributors for credit; with others we'll just take the loss.

Here comes Grüner Veltliner

2011-04-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

With the weather warming up, there is one white wine that I have been enjoying lately. According to the Grape Crush Report from the USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service, California processors didn’t crush any Grüner Veltliner in 2008. By 2009, 5.2 tons were processed in Napa County; 149.9 tons in Monterey County and 14.4 tons in San Louis Obispo, bringing the statewide total to 169.5 tons.

Grüner Veltliner (GV) represents approximately one-third of all winegrapes grown in Austria. As a wine, the variety exhibits fruity melon-like qualities with spicy white pepper and subtle licorice root notes. It has a wide range of regional styles, but is usually vinified dry and consumed young. It’s said to pair well with tricky foods such as asparagus and artichokes.

Limited quantities are planted in other states also, including Maryland, Pennsylvania and Oregon.

California GV growers
Von Strasser Winery (3,000 cases), in northern Napa Valley’s Calistoga, claims to be the first to produce Grüner Veltliner commercially in California. Rudy von Strasser planted a 1-acre vineyard on Diamond Mountain in 2005.

Currently, von Strasser is on his third vintage of Grüner Veltliner. His first bottling in 2007 was a test run of only 28 bottles. In 2008, he produced 60 cases. By 2009, case output increased to 177 cases; that vintage produced the first sizable yield. The wine retails at $40 per 750ml bottle.

Burgundian winemaker Christian Roguenant, at Niven Family Wine Estates in San Luis Obispo, debuted his first 926-case vintage of Grüner in 2009, retailing at $20 per 750ml bottle. Zocker, the German word for “Gambler” was made from Paragon Vineyard Grüner planted in 2006 from vines acquired at Sunridge Nurseries, Bakersfield, Calif.

Andrew Jones, Sunridge Nurseries’ vineyard representative, estimates that there are about 10 to 20 acres of Grüner in Monterey County, about 15 acres in the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County, and 12 acres in San Luis Obispo County.

Roguenant says he is happily surprised that so far Grüner looks like a sturdy variety. He says that appropriate canopy management is key. “To get less tropical, estery qualities and more mineral qualities, the fruit needs shade. The berries can handle heat stress fairly well. Three to four days this year it was 110°F in the vineyard, and it stood up well. It has only been two years, so we’re still just learning.”

Clarksburg weighs in
Dancing Coyote Wines, Acampo, Calif., had roughly 7.5 acres of Grüner planted in 2007. Its first crop yielded 400 cases in 2009.

Around 2005, Tom McCormack, owner of 8,000-case Dancing Coyote, noticed GV was being offered by the glass in trendy restaurants and wine bars. The fad inspired McCormack, who says he strives to plant varieties not typically grown in California.

Chad Joseph, Dancing Coyote winemaker, reports his Grüner-growing experience: “The Clarksburg appellation in the Sacramento Valley heats up during the day, but pulls in a cool maritime breeze in the evening, so it responded really well to the Delta weather. We have it trained on a standard California T-trellis. It’s a hearty grape with large berries, and can potentially produce good tonnage, so you have to stay on top of pruning.”

He also cautions that it’s still too early to know precisely how Grüner will fare in California, since he’s still learning its ripening patterns and crop loads. “It was the first to be picked in 2009 and the last in 2010. It’s a healthy canopy without being overly vigorous, as we harvested 4 tons per acre this year.”

I would suggest popping over to one of your local wine stores and picking up a few different bottles of Grüner Veltliner, and please let me know what you think!

Sonoma Barrel Tasting 2011 video

2011-04-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a little video I made of the Barrel Tasting trip in Sonoma this year. Enjoy

Tim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTHLR47dz_M

Magnavino Cellars wines on Celebrity Apprentice

2011-03-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

Ventura County’s own Magnavino Cellars is thrilled to announce that their wines will be showcased on this Season of the "Celebrity Apprentice".

The Celebrity Apprentice is one of the hottest shows on television. Using their fame, along with a rolodex of contacts and their business acumen, 16 celebrities will be competing against one another to raise money and awareness for their respective charities. Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. will be joined by Eric Trump to help advise their father on which celebrities should advance each week.

During each episode, from the comfort of their respective war rooms, the winning team will have the privilege of watching the losing team squirm under the scrutiny of Mr. Donald Trump in the boardroom. Magnavino Cellars is honored to announce that the winning Celebrities will be enjoying their wines while they relax and Celebrate their Victories.

The show airs Sunday Nights, check your local listing.

The women include: Hope Dworaczyk, La Toya Jackson, Star Jones, NeNe Leakes, Marlee Matlin, Lisa Rinna, Niki Taylor and Dionne Warwick.

The men include: Gary Busey, Jose Canseco, David Cassidy, Richard Hatch, Lil Jon, Meat Loaf, Mark McGrath and John Rich.

http://www.magnavino.com/

Cheers-

Tim

Governor Brown and wine…

2011-03-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

Last week Governor Jerry Brown (72) made an impromptu appearance at the ninth annual California Wine Grape Growers Foundation (CWGGF) Capital Wine Dinner with a message of collaboration. The event, which took place at the Sutter Club in Sacramento drew more than 100 attendees this year.

“California is facing unprecedented challenges,” said Governor Brown. “We have to come together and find the higher objective, which is improving our state. That is my goal.”

Governor Brown spoke briefly and then met wine grape growers face-to-face, asking questions and discussing issues important to the wine grape growing community. He continually spoke of the need for a unified effort to resolve California’s standing fiscal and economic challenges.

In a related story……………

Glass of wine a day 'cuts dementia risk'

Scientists followed 3,200 people over 70 years old, who had no signs of dementia when they enrolled on the study, for three years. Of those, 217 went on to develop dementia.

They found those who drank between two and three glasses of wine a day were 29 per cent less likely to have started developing dementia by the end of the three-year study period.

The results for Alzheimer's, which accounts for two-thirds of dementia cases, were even more striking: such drinkers were 42 per cent less likely to have developed the disease.

Cheers-

Tim

Temecula Valley Wineries.... who do they think they are?

2011-03-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

Look at my website under winery reviews, and you get an honest idea of what I think of the Temecula Valley area wineries.

This coming weekend myself and a group of 22 other wine lovers are traveling up to Sonoma for their annual barrel tasting weekend. This will be 5th year in a row that I have attended this wonderful event. For only $20 you can barrel sample at any of the 147 wineries participating in this years two weekend festivities.

http://www.wineroad.com/annualevents/3

I love Sonoma Valley wines, they represent some of the best California has to offer.

This same weekend, Temecula Valley, is holding their own Barrel Tasting weekend. For $99 you can visit any of the 30 wineries in the Temecula Valley. They are calling this event WoW (World of Wine), unfortunately I feel that the Temecula Valley is no where near the World of Wine. A part of me would like to see Temecula Valley be made a part of Arizona (nothing against Arizona) but is embarrassing that they represent California Wines.

http://www.temeculawines.org/events/index.php?events_id=24

I have made three trips to the Temecula Valley in the past five years, and not once did I find a wine that suited my palate and I found the arrogant attitude of most of the tasting room personnel worse than in the snootiest of Napa wineries.

What do you think of Temecula Valley wines? When was the last time you saw one of those on a restaurant wine list?

Cheers-

Tim

Dark Star’s Son is Shining Brightly

2011-02-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

During our recent visit to Paso Robles, we made our regular stop at Dark Star Cellars and once again enjoyed everything that they were pouring. This stop we also went next door to Norm and Susan’s sons tasting room, Brian Benson Cellars. Now I have to be honest, I have seen Brian grow and change as a wine maker, and early on I was disappointed and felt he did not get the winemaker gene from his father. But time has changed that, and the past few visits; I have walked out of his tasting room with a few bottles of wine.

Brian at 28 has been making wine for half of his life, and opened his tasting room on his 21^st birthday.

His current releases range from a Syrah that has been aged for 40 months in the barrel to a 3-year vertical of Denner Syrahs and a nice Cabernet Sauvignon from Westside Ranch in Adelaida.

The current issue (March 31, 2011) of Wine Spectator Magazine has also recognized Brian this week, with a nice article and photo highlighting the new wine makers in the Paso Robles area.

It is a well-written article and you should go pick one up at your local bookstore.

Congratulations Brian! Keep up the great work! As his Mom Susan now says, Brian and Norm are now competing to see who will take care of her when she retires!

http://www.darkstarcellars.com/

http://www.brianbensoncellars.com/

Cheers

Tim

Six new Master Sommeliers announced!

2011-02-18T09:57:00.001-08:00

Join the Guild of Sommeliers in congratulating the six new Master
Sommeliers from last week's examination in Dallas. Their achievement
is an inspiration to many.

We raise a glass to:
Anthony Anselmi MS, Kermit Lynch - Los Angeles
Jason Heller MS, Bond Estates - Napa
Jennifer Huether MS, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Toronto,
Canada
Brian McClintic MS, Treasury Wine Estates - San Francisco
Matthew Stamp MS, French Laundry - Napa
Dustin Wilson MS, RN74 - San Francisco

The Guild is thrilled to see that four of the six new Masters were
finalists in the 2010 TOP|SOMM competition including the TOP|SOMM
Champion and runner-up!

For those of you who are or engaged in or inspired by this process we
encourage you to log on to guildsomm.com and read Master Stamp's
recent blog "Reflections of a New Master - The Journey is the
Reward".

We asked the four new Masters who competed in the TOP|SOMM
Championships along with the other finalists to recommend some of
their favorite books for studying. They are available in the Guild's
Amazon store, found here.

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GuildofSommeliers/59a9983425/e041f11a4a/5138ea34a8/_encoding=UTF8&node=8

A percentage of the proceeds from any books purchased via our Amazon
store goes to support the Guild of Sommeliers scholarship fund.

Congratulations to the new Masters and Cheers to you all!

Tim

Another one...... Four Vines sold!

2011-02-15T15:51:00.001-08:00

Four Vines, a highly regarded California Zinfandel and Chardonnay producer, has been purchased by Purple Wine Company, a little-known Sonoma firm led by one of the founders of the successful Blackstone brand.

The sale price was not disclosed but the deal includes the Four Vines brand and the current wine inventory. Four Vines owns no vineyards and a small production facility in Paso Robles was not included.

Four Vines was launched in 1994 by Christian Tietje, in what he called a garage and surf shack. By the early 2000s, Tietje’s full-flavored wines caught on with consumers and production grew to 120,000 cases.

Their tasting room in Paso Robles is now closed.

Cheers-

Tim

Valentines Day wines

2011-02-10T10:52:00.001-08:00

Romance and wine tend to go hand in hand, whether it's a fancy Valentine's Day dinner or trying some of Cupid's chocolate paired up with wine. You may also find yourself presenting a unique wine as a gift itself - there are plenty of reasons to have a good bottle of wine on hand for February 14th.

So, let me know what are some of your best options for Valentine's Day wines. The traditional Valentine colors just happen to come in the same shades of wine: red, white and pink, and we'll try all three.

Cheers-

Tim

2011 Paso Robles Rhone Rangers Experience

2011-01-28T08:10:00.001-08:00

2011 Paso Robles Rhone Rangers Experience
Vina Robles Winery & Event Center
Sunday, February 20th, 2011
Seminar and Luncheon 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Grand Tasting and Silent Auction 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
...
Join the 35+ members of the Paso Robles Chapter of the Rhone Rangers for a day in Paso Robles Wine Country with some of America’s leading producers of Rhone varietals as we explore what makes Paso Robles so ideal for these great grapes and wines. This fun-filled and information-rich day will include:

- "Rhone Essentials" Seminar, moderated by noted Rhone expert and Wine & Spirits Senior Correspondent Patrick Comiskey.
- Vintners' Lunch, hosted by Rhone Rangers principals and winemakers
- Grand Tasting, featuring wines from the complete membership of the Paso Robles Rhone Rangers.
- Silent Auction, to support the Rhone Rangers scholarship fund!

Tickets to the seminar and lunch are just $75, and seminar/lunch attendees will receive free entry into the walk-around tasting. Tickets for the Grand Tasting are just $25. The Grand Tasting is free to qualified trade and media (advance registration is required).

For more information about the day's events, visit http://www.rhonerangers.org/calendar/paso_experience.php

To buy tickets, visit http://arestravel.com/4242_attraction-tickets_a889.html

Constellation Wines.... is the mighty beginning to fall?

2011-01-19T11:52:00.000-08:00

Constellation Wines U.S. will be closing the Blackstone production facility and tasting room in Kenwood, California on March 1, having already moved production of Blackstone’s reserve and vineyard designated wines to the Ravenswood Quarry facility in Sonoma for the 2010 crush.

Employees were notified Tuesday that the facility and tasting room would be closing.

Cheers

Tim

Valentine and Wine

2011-01-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

Valentine and Wine

A three-day wine passport event in Ventura County

Come explore the wineries of Ventura County

$45 includes tasting of the wines from the 12 Ventura County Wineries along with food pairings.

http://www.valentinenwine.com/

Cheers-

Tim

33rd annual Barrel Tasting along the Wine Road

2011-01-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

Join us as we celebrate the 33rd annual Barrel Tasting along the Wine Road - Northern Sonoma County 100+ Wineries!

March 5/6 2011

Hotel:
Courtyard Santa Rosa
175 Railroad Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95401

Flights:
Southwest Airlines
March 5, 2011, Flight 599
Leave Burbank at 7:10am, arrive Oakland 8:20am

March 6, 2011, Flight 2604
Leave Oakland at 7:30 pm, Arrive Burbank 8:35 pm

We will be renting a large van to transport us to the wineries each day. The cost of this is dependent upon how many people attend. (Last year it was about $40 per person)

Contact Tim and let him know if you can make it!

Tickets on sale January 24, 2011 $20 per person

http://www.wineroad.com/annualevents/3

Justin Vineyards is sold!

2010-12-06T11:19:00.001-08:00

Fiji Water LLC will acquire Justin Vineyards & Winery in Paso Robles, California, for an undisclosed price, adding upscale wine to his investments in bottled water and pomegranate juice.

Justin, which makes about 50,000 cases of wine a year, was founded in 1981 by former investment banker Justin Baldwin and his wife, Deborah. The 160-acre property includes a hotel and a restaurant.

“It’s actually a perfect match,” said John Cochran, president of Fiji Water, in an interview. “The Justin folks have done an exceptional job of building a great business, primarily based on fantastic products. And despite all the success that they’ve had, there’s still a great opportunity, given consumer demand for the product, to carefully grow that consumer presence and distribution.”

The acquisition is one of eight this year for California wineries, twice as many as last year and the most since 2007, when eight purchases were completed before the recession, according to the San Francisco-based Wine Institute.

“There will be more deals like this, without question,” said Jack Daniels, co-founder of Wilson Daniels Ltd., a wine marketing firm in St. Helena.

Before the recession, the market was flooded with bottles priced from $25 to $100 as existing wineries ramped up production and new entrants came to the market, Daniels said. Now many are sitting on excess inventories as middle-class consumers cut back purchases of pricey wine and opt for bottles below $20.

‘Excellent Reputation’

Justin, which sells wines ranging from a $15 sauvignon blanc to a $62 cabernet sauvignon blend called Isosceles, has “an excellent reputation and are perceived as a high-quality producer,” Daniels said. “But there’s a lot of those wineries out there today.”

What makes the deal for Justin unusual is that the company doesn’t appear to be in trouble, unlike many other purchases this year, said Vic Motto, co-founder and chief executive officer of Global Wine Partners LLC, an investment bank in St. Helena, California.

“It’s an outlier,” Motto said. Since the economic slump, expanding wineries have been reluctant to sell for a discount, and those that have are in distressed situations, he said. “Those wineries that were highly leveraged were squeezed as sales went down. They just couldn’t sustain that.”

This year’s wine deals included purchases of troubled assets. In June, Sutter Home Winery paid $6.5 million for the real estate of former Havens Wine Cellars, which was liquidated last year. Last month, Foley Family Wines picked up Eos Winery in Paso Robles, which was in receivership.

During the recession, consumers drank less in restaurants, hurting producers who relied on sales of bottles that cost more than $10. California wholesale wine sales were unchanged in 2009 from the previous year, and the value of retail sales dropped 3 percent to $17.9 billion, the Wine Institute said.

The situation is different with Justin, Baldwin said. “We’re finishing up the best year we’ve ever had,” he said. Part of the reason he decided to sell is for financial planning, Baldwin said. He was also concerned that to “build off of what we’ve developed in our 30-year history,” they wouldn’t have “the financial wherewithal” to do that on their own.

“They’ve done such a nice job of building up a business, most of the things you look at are such a train wreck,” Cochran said. “Stewart’s been buying businesses for 40 years, and it’s rare that he’s looked at one that got better as the process went on, not worse.”

Cheers-

Tim

WHAT IS THE WINE CENTURY CLUB?

2010-11-30T19:00:00.000-08:00

The Wine Century Club is for all adventurous wine lovers. If you've tasted at least 100 different grape varieties, you're qualified to become a member (click here for more information). If you haven't tried 100 different grape varieties, but are interested in the concept, you're welcome to all of our events.

http://www.winecentury.com/

Cheers

Tim

Happy 3rd Thursday of November (aka Beaujolais Nouveau day)

2010-11-18T05:58:00.000-08:00

At one past midnight on the third Thursday of each November, from little villages and towns like Romanèche-Thorins, over a million cases of Beaujolais Nouveau begin their journey through a sleeping France to Paris for immediate shipment to all parts of the world.

By the time it is over, over 65 million bottles, nearly half of the region's total annual production will be distributed and drunk around the world. It has become a worldwide race to be the first to serve to this new wine of the harvest. In doing so, it has been carried by motorcycle, balloon, truck, helicopter, Concorde jet, elephant, runners and rickshaws to get it to its final destination.

It is amazing to realize that just weeks before this wine was a cluster of grapes in a grower’s vineyard. But by an expeditious harvest, a rapid fermentation, and a speedy bottling, all is ready at the midnight hour. By French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is to be released no earlier than the third Thursday of November.

Gamay is the only grape permitted for Beaujolais. While certain California wineries may label their wine "Gamay Beaujolais" this is not the same grape variety as what is grown in France, and is quite different in taste and growing habits. All the grapes in the Beaujolais region must be picked by hand.

Beaujolais Nouveau is meant to be drunk young-in average vintages it should be consumed by the following May after its release.

Serve Beaujolais Nouveau slightly cool, at about 55 degrees Fahrenheit-the wine is more refreshing and its forward fruit more apparent than if you serve it at room temperature.

Enjoy a glass of Beaujolais Nouveau tonight, but don’t blame me for the hangover in the morning.

Cheers-

Tim

Estate Wines.... there will soon be an 'official' definition

2010-11-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

Last week's election will have consequences for the wine industry, but the most important change in government might have come from a tiny notice in the Federal Register the following day.

The TTB, the federal agency that oversees alcohol, is thinking about officially defining the word "estate."

If it happens, some wineries are going to have to change either their names or their entire business practices.

Here's an example. The Wente family owns a brand called Tamas Estates.* It's not a bad wine; the Pinot Grigio is good value for $10. But it's not what Europeans would think of as "estate wine." It's mass-produced from grapes purchased from a huge area -- California's "Central Coast," which stretches all the way from Santa Barbara to San Francisco.

This has never been a problem for the Wentes, because the TTB has no official definition for "Estate" or "Estates.

The TTB does, however, define "Estate bottled." A winery can use that on a label only if it made the wine entirely on its own property (including leased land). That includes growing the grapes, fermenting the wine and even barrel- and bottle-aging it.

Recently some unnamed winery approached the TTB about using "estate grown" on a label, arguing that it shouldn't have to meet the same standards as "estate bottled."

Rather than just roll over and say OK, the TTB opened it for public comment, asking 9 questions about how "estate" could or should be defined.

Question No. 1 ought to have wineries paying their lawyers to formulate a reply. It is: "Does the use of the term 'estate' or 'estates' as part of a name or otherwise on wine labels convey specific information about the product to the consumer and, if so, what information does it convey?"

And if that's not clear enough, question No. 2 is, "Should TTB propose to define the term 'Estate' in the regulations when not used in the expression 'Estate bottled'? If so, what should that definition be?"

Aw, let's beat a dead horse. Question 8 is, "Should TTB continue to permit the use of 'Estate(s) vineyard(s),' 'Vineyard estate(s),' or 'Estate(s) wines' or other similar terms, whether or not preceded by the winery name, on product labels when the wine does not meet the 'Estate bottled' standards in section 4.26? Why or why not?"

Look out, Tamas Estates. And Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates. And ...

But it only takes one big angry winery to make a huge stink over laws like this. Korbel can still call its sparkling wine "Champagne" because it convinced the US government to go to trade war over our American right to be stubbornly uneducated.

Magnavino Cellars

2010-11-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

I had a great night last night at Magnavino Cellars in Oxnard. Rob and Barbara held their first pick-up party for the first 100 wine club members.

I find that totally amazing, they have been open only a few months and already have over 100 loyal customers! Awesome job you two! If you have not yet been to Magnavino, I urge you to check them out.

http://www.magnavino.com/

I also had a very nice thing happen to me last night, a very nice couple came up to me and told me that I first introduced them to wine at the Magical Kitchen in Simi Valley, they at that time were not big wine drinkers, but I poured them a Spanish Cab/Syrah blend and they said their wine life changed forever. They thanked me for taking the time with them and introducing the two of them to wine. As a Sommelier, I believe that is the greatest compliment one could ever have. Made my night.

Cheers-

Tim

Opus One

2010-11-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

Opus One

When you say Opus One to anyone, whether they are Vinophiles or not, they get an idea of an expensive California Napa Valley Wine. And they are right, at $200 a bottle for the current release, it is one of the most expensive bottles of wine in the Napa Valley.

Opus One Facts.

This was the brain child of Baron Rothschild and Robert Mondavi
The first vintage was in 1979
They make only wine per year.
It takes 3 years from harvest to bottle release.
The wine will be kept in New French barrels for 17 to 20 months.
The French oak barrels are only used once.
The grapes are all hand sorted
The fermentation tanks only hold a single varietal lot each season.
During aging each barrel is tested by the winemaker on a regular basis.
The winery design is a combination of old and new world design
Opus One produces about 25,000 cases of wine per year.
In 2004 Constellation Brands purchased Robert Mondavi Corporation and took 50% ownership of Opus One.

This past month, I was given the opportunity to take a tour of the Opus One winery. This was my first visit to Opus One. What took me so long? I think the price, the attitude and the price…. Did I say price? The cost of the tour and tasting of one wine is $40 per person. Was it worth it? Will I do it again, absolutely.

Hand Sorting 20 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon

The tour was amazing, in my day job I work on satellites that go into space and I am always seeing the latest technology in my work place, at Opus One I felt at home. This season they began using an optical sorter to quickly sort out grapes, the good and the bad. This has allowed them to cut back on manpower in the hand sorting process. They still do an initial sorting, but they now use 12 employees to do this task when in the past it was done by 20 or more.

Now if you balk at paying $200 for a bottle of Opus One wine, think about this, a 2005 Chateau Lefleur Pomerol is currently going for $2000 a bottle.

I have been focusing on small family run wineries most of my wine career, looking for those diamonds in the rough- this tour has reminded me however, not to ignore the big guys- there is a good reason they are the landmarks of the California wine industry.

Cheers-

Tim

2nd Annual Wine and Gourmet Food Experience at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley

2010-10-27T10:20:00.001-07:00

Friday, October 29, 2010, 6:00pm – 9:30pm

$79.95 per person (tax & Gratuity Included, 21 and Over only)

Back by popular demand! This year’s event features wines from the Ventura County Wine Trail!

Enjoy an incredible evening of food and wine pairing, featuring 14 selected wines, an incredible small plate dinner menu, fine chocolate tasting, and award winning artisan cheeses. Meet the wine makers, and chocolate experts, and dance to live music under the wings of Air Force One! Step out onto our outdoor terrace lounge and enjoy the cool fall breezes of the Conejo Valley. Don’t forget to tour all of the exciting exhibits the Ronald Reagan Library has to offer including the Air Force One, the White House in Miniature, and our exciting Born to be Wild celebrity and vintage motorcycle exhibit. In addition to all of the evening’s exciting events each guest will receive a commemorative wine glass to take home!

Our chefs have been working for months designing an extensive small plate dinner menu to pair with tastings from the featured wineries. Menu items will include shrimp, crab, lamb, lobster, gourmet sausage, duck, local fruits and vegetables, and exquisite and more!

Bring your family, friends, or employees for a truly memorable and enjoyable evening! Do not miss this elegant evening and the Ventura County Food Event of the Year. This all-inclusive offer is only $79.95 per person (includes tax and gratuity, 21 and over).

Reservations are required and seating is limited.

To make reservations, CLICK HERE. For more information, please call 805-577-4057.

Click here for a list of wineries participating in this year's event

Cheers-

Tim

Vegas Weekend

2010-10-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

The wife and I spent this past weekend in Las Vegas, enjoying the fine dining and entertainment of the city. One of the highlights was a dinner we had at our hotel, the Bellagio.

We ate at Circo, and had Master Sommelier Darius Allen at our table, it was my wife's first experience having a Master Sommelier do our wine service. Darius was wonderful and he made the evening very enjoyable.

The food, a Tuscan upscale inspired by Egidiana Maccioni, was excellant as well.

The wine we had with our meal was a Grgrich Hills, 2005, Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cheers-

Tim

Starbucks Wine? Here it comes!

2010-10-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

A very different kind of Starbucks is on tap. It will serve regional wine and beer. It offers an expansive plate of locally made cheeses — served on china. The barista bar is rebuilt to seat customers up close to the coffee.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-10-18-starbucks18_CV_N.htm

Cheers-

Tim

Sideways goes vertical in sequel!

2010-10-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Sideways author Rex Pickett has written a sequel to Sideways, that takes place 7 years later. You can read about it in this article in Wine Enthusiast!

http://www.winemag.com/Wine-Enthusiast-Magazine/Web-2010/Sideways/

Cheers

Tim

Who is the wine expert in your home?

2010-10-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

Women wine drinkers now the majority

I was surprised to read that 53 percent of wine drinkers in the United States are women, according to the Wine Market Council. And last year, women matched men as "core drinkers," those who drink wine at least once a week.

That trend may accelerate if women heed the results of a recent survey of 20,000 women over 13 years by Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. The poll showed that women who regularly drink a moderate amount of alcohol, particularly red wine, are less likely to have long-term weight gain than non-drinkers.

Nevertheless, when a man and a woman sit down to dinner in a restaurant, it's usually the guy who grabs or is handed the wine list and chooses the bottle.

"In our more upscale dining restaurants, eight times out of ten, it is the gentlemen at the table still making the decisions," said Virginia Philip, sommelier at the Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, Fla.

Philip, 42, is one of only 13 women certified as a Master Sommelier out of 130 worldwide. She oversees a cellar of 28,000 bottles and 1,600 selections at the resort's L'Escalier fine dining room and eight other restaurants, with prices ranging from $35 to $15,000.

Once, men were always automatically handed the wine list everywhere, she said.

The assumption that women tend to order a "nice dry chardonnay" by the glass has changed, in winter they tend to go for red and in warm months for whites.

My experience when teaching wine appreciation classes, 80% of the attendees were women.

Who is the wine “expert” in your family?

Cheers-

Tim

Good article in LA Times

2010-10-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

The LA Times just did an article on the affects of having such a late harvest this year.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-wine-harvest-20100930,0,6612298.story

My Top Wine Movies

2010-10-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

During my recent trip up to Napa, I thought about the movies Bottle Shock and Sideways and what affect those movies had on those wine regions. I also got to thinking about what are some of my favorite movies that have wine in them. I looked for movies where wine plays a significant role, the filmmakers get the wine parts right, and the movie is a pleasure to watch. These are in no apparent order.

“A Good Year” (2006)

Directed by Ridley Scott, this movie tests whether Russell Crowe can balance machismo with winemaking. Max Skinner (Crowe) is a carnivorous Wall Street lion. He returns to French wine country after the death of Uncle Harry (Albert Finney) and is tamed by the romantic routines of the vineyard–not to mention the alluring ways of Fanny Chenal (played by Marion Cotillard)–to discover his new/old self. Beautifully filmed and acted.

“Bottle Shock” (2009)

Alan Rickman plays Steven Spurrier, a London wineseller, in Bottle Shock who decides to pit American wines against their French forebears. In 1976, Steven Spurrier, comes to the Napa Valley to take the best he can find to Paris for a blind taste test against French wine. He meets Jim Barrett, whose Chateau Montelena is mortgaged to the hilt as Jim perfects his chardonnay. There's strain in Jim's relations with his hippie son Bo and his foreman Gustavo, a Mexican farmworker's son secretly making his own wine. Plus, there's Sam, a UC Davis graduate student and free spirit, mutually attracted to both Gustavo and Bo. As Spurrier organizes the "Judgment of Paris," Jim doesn't want to participate while Bo knows it's their only chance. Barrett's chardonnay has buttery notes and a Smithsonian finish. Not very accurate in it’s telling of the story, but a good movie to watch with a bottle of Chardonnay and popcorn.

"French Kiss" (1995)

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton.

Kline won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in "A Fish Called Wanda," but he's even better in this romantic comedy as the prodigal son of a French family of vineyard owners. Not only does he hit all the right romantic and comedic notes; to this American, he's astonishingly convincing as a Frenchman, right down to the Gallic gestures of disinterest and disdain.

There may not be a better, more poetic description of the concept of terroir than the following exchange between Ryan and Kline.

Ryan: "A bold wine with a hint of sophistication and lacking in pretension. (Pause.) Actually I was just talking about myself.

Kline: "You are not wrong. Wine is like people. The wine takes all the influences in life all around it, it absorbs them and it gets its personality."

"The Muppet Movie" (1979)

Directed by James Frawley.

Steve Martin's hilarious cameo as a haughty waiter/sommelier puts this kids' film on the list. Out to dinner with Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog orders a bottle of bubbly, which turns out to be sparkling Muscatel from Idaho that Martin "uncorks" with a beer opener. Kermit is about to sip some when Miss Piggy reminds him that the expert is supposed to taste it first. Martin takes a sip, spits it out in a rush, grimaces, then composes his face into a smarmy smile and says, "An excellent choice."

See it with your kids; you can advise them that in the right company, on a warm night on a terrace with a nice piece of pork, even Vin de Idaho can be special.

"Sideways" (2004)

Directed by Alexander Payne. Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen.

The character of Jack (Church), is a washed-up actor with an unquenchable libido, and his arrogant oenophile buddy, Miles (Giamatti) explains the elusive appeal of Pinot Noir.

Maya (Madsen), Miles' love interest, shows us why stuffy snobs like Miles don't really get it; that wine is meant to be shared with friends. And Stephanie (Sandra Oh), Jack's fling, shows us that you don't need to be wealthy to have a few good bottles lying around. She also shows us that it's not a good idea to lie to a lover.

By the way, thanks a lot, Miles, for superheating the market for Pinot Noir. At least good Merlots are more available than ever. This is called the "Sideways effect" in the wine industry; the fact that there is such a term two years after the film's release shows how important this movie is.

"Silence of the Lambs" (1991)

Directed by Jonathan Demme. Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn.

There's no actual wine in this movie, so if there's a ringer on the list, this is it. But this film is responsible for the most famous wine and food pairing in the history of cinema.

In one of the most famous roles of his great career, Hopkins plays the brilliant psychiatrist, serial killer and cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

What everyone remembers about Lecter. Trying to scare FBI trainee Foster, Hopkins says: "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." Frankly if you ask me, the proper paring with liver is a hearty Merlot. J

"Mondovino" (2004)

This plodding, anti-American wine documentary excited French audiences and angered some interview subjects who felt misled. If you're not a total wine geek, it's long and boring and the photography will make you sick with its handheld cameras.

"Star Trek: Nemesis" (2002)

Capt. Picard toasts a departed friend with his family's Chateau Picard wine in the last voyage for the Next Generation crew. And we learn Romulan ale gives even Klingons a hangover.

Okay your turn…. What are your favorite wine movies?

Cheers

Tim

What makes up a good wine list?

2010-09-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

I just paid a visit to a newly reopened wine bar in Ojai. Clearly, a lot of thought had gone into putting the menu together and creating ambiance in the dining room. Anticipation ran high for a great experience. And then I asked for the wine list. Looking it over, I could only sigh in disappointment.

Sadly, this restaurant’s list was not balanced, and lacked imagination. An example was it had 3 Zinfandels, all from the same winery, but different vineyards. The list had 11 Pinot Noirs, and 10 Cabernet Sauvignons, but only ONE blend, Justin Isosceles and one Syrah. No Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Grenache blends, or old world wines.

I talked this over with the waitress and the owner, two different points of view. The owner felt that these were all good wines, yes most were, and that he liked them and this is what he wanted to offer. My point to him was, people come into a wine bar to experience new things, not the same old things. He had nothing new.

So what makes a list good?

In a word: Balance. Balance of flavors, styles, and price points.

Flavor refers to different grape varieties or blends. Pinot noir is a single varietal; Bordeaux wine is produced from a blend of grapes. Each offers a different flavor profile and a solid wine list will feature a variety of flavors.
Style includes a multitude of factors such as growing region, winemaking technique, the presence of bubbles, or residual sugar. But on a very practical level, style can generally be equated with weight: full, medium, or light.
Price points are just that, and a range is desirable.

These are the pieces of the puzzle. Putting them together, with a nod to the nearby winemakers, a modest wine-by-the-glass template might look something like this:

* Sparkling: Champagne or similar $14
* Light-Bodied White: S.B. County Sauvignon Blanc $7
* Full-Bodied White: Sonoma Chardonnay $12
* Off-Dry White: German Riesling $8
* Light-Bodied Red: Italian Chianti $8
* Medium-Bodied Red: S.B. County Pinot Noir $14
* Full-Bodied Red: S.B. County Syrah $10
* Full-Bodied Red: Napa Cabernet Sauvignon $14

It’s not rocket science, but considering all the work that goes into creating a menu, an indifferent wine list seems an affront to the food! To restaurant owners, I implore you not to treat your wine list as an afterthought—it is an extension of your menu and an important source of revenue. Be prepared to work with multiple vendors and take advantage of their knowledge. You should also consider developing parings of the wines on your list to complement your menu. To wine-loving diners, I invite you to speak up and ask for better. Your food deserves it.

Cheers,

Tim

Weekend in Napa Valley

2010-09-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

Bev and I flew up to Oakland and rented a car and took off for our Bottleshock tour of Napa on Saturday; Chateau Montelena, Heitz, Praeger Port Works, Freemark Abby, and Sunday we did Grgrich Hills, Castillo de Armarosa, Stags Leap, Frogs Leap and Opus One.

Chateau Montelena was nice, we did end up buying a Riesling, Chardonnay and a Cab. Heitz, I loved- again, bought a Cab there. Freemark Abby, the only winery that had both a red and and white wine in the 1976 Paris Tasting, was very nice too, less expensive wines- bought a couple Petite Sirahs, a Sauv Blanc and a Zin . Praeger, we just drank port.... huge pours.... not a good thing on an empty stomach :). At that point we were done... went to hotel and slept till 6:30pm and then went out to dinner at a very nice Italian place. (A note on our hotel- when we checked in they informed us that the hotel had NO HOT WATER until Tuesday.... there were no other hotels vacant this weekend, so they gave us 30% off the room rate which made it less than $100)

Sunday's tasting started at 9:30 in the morning... ahhhh Grgrich Hills.... what a way to start the morning. I loved them all. Bought a Cab and a Sauv Blanc. From there we decided to drive back up to Calistoga and see the Castle winery, Castillo de Armarosa. I have learned something over the years of wine tasting, the reason wineries have castles is because the wine sucks... $16 for a tour and tasting.... a waste of money. Nice castle, $40 million to build, 15 years to finish.... should have spent the money on a winemaker. We then went to V. Sattui for lunch, which was nice. Then we took off to Frogs Leap, nice tasting wines, bought a rose and dessert wine.

We had about an hour to kill before Opus One so we were near Stags Leap and did a tasting there. Nice move. Great tasting room, great people, awesome wines. I bought a very nice Yountville Cab and Sauv Blanc.

Lastly was Opus One. Bev had bid on a tour for 6 people at a fundraiser earlier in the year, and she won it! Beautiful winery. Our tour guide greeted us in the lobby. He took us into the greeting room to discuss the history of Opus One, then we went into the winery, where they were hand sorting through the 20 tons of grapes that came in that morning- we got to see their entire process live, including a brand new optical grape sorter, that uses a computer to sort through the grapes and discards the ‘bad ones’. We toured their barrel rooms, and then into the private tasting of the 2005 and 2006 vintages, where we could have finished off bottles of both. I had a glass of each, but we were leaving for the airport or we could have finished them off. I bought a bottle of the 05 and two bottles of their second label wine, Overture.

We ended up with 18 bottles, and spending less than our budget.

Funny, I have always stayed away from the big wineries, and focused on the small boutique wineries. And in the past I always felt the Napa attitude, we didn't have any of that this weekend, it was totally positive. This time bigger was better… except for the castle.

Next time, you need to join us!

Tim

Vina Moda

2010-09-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

On my first visit to Vina Moda a few years ago, winemaker, owner Nathan Vader (no relation to Darth) brought out a wonderful 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. It literally made my knees buckle when I tasted it. I am serious. I still have about 9 bottles in my cellar and according to him, he only has a few cases left. It is worth every penny.

During this visit, we tasted the 2007 Viognier, which at $44 a bottle is high for a Viognier, but for me it was close to perfection. Nathan’s Clockspring Zin was also very nice, but frankly I am getting overloaded with Zins- but saying that at $32 a bottle, this Zin is worth the price. But, like last time I was there, I was again knocked over by another creation at Vina Moda, the 2007 Villa Vallecito Barbera ($36). Winemakers in Northern Italy should be afraid, very afraid. This is a classic Barbera, with intense fruit and enhanced tannic content. You want to know the really bad part? Only 108 cases were produced.

Don’t let the screw-cap closure on these bottles fool you either. (I asked Nathan why he would want such a fine wines in a screw cap bottle; his response was that he did not want to risk the chance of just one bottle being ruined by oxidation)

Their website STILL isn’t up yet with the details of their wine, but it does have their contact information. They are only open for tasting on Saturdays, 12 – 6 pm.

147 Main Street, Murphys Ca.

209-728-1917

http://www.vinamoda.com

You can read my previous review of Vina Moda on my website:

http://www.wine-sommelier.com/wineries_sierra.html

Cheers-

Tim

Wineries of the Sierra Nevada Foothills, Hatcher Winery

2010-09-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Located in the heart of Murphys, under ground! You have to walk down an alleyway, down some stairs and under the main street (I think it is even called Main Street) and you will find a small-darkened room where some of the best wines in the area are served.

Matt Hatcher is the owner and winemaker, and his wine making talents have put Hatcher on the don't miss list of Sierra Nevada Foothill wineries.

All of their wines are under $30 a bottle, (with the exception of their Ice wine at $32) which I feel makes them all a great value.

During my most recent visit last weekend, I enjoyed the 2009 Grenache Rose ($16), it’s light but spicy taste was refreshing and a mouthful for a rose. I really enjoyed its finish. Moving into the reds, the Sewell ($23) this Rhone blend’s is named for the wine makers Dad and it is a worthy tribute. A blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Grenache, and Cinsault brings out the flavors of orange blossom, dry cherry, and lavender. Dry, well balanced and complex. This was a beautiful wine. Lastly for me was their Petite Sirah ($26); I have to tell you, more and more wineries are doing this varietal well; deep, dark, black fruit. Big healthy tannins balanced with bright acidity. Ripe plum and tart cherry lead to a big finish that is classic Petite.

Hatcher is open from 11:00am-5:00pm Friday thru Sunday and 12:00pm-5:00pm Monday thru Thursday. They are located underground on Main Street in downtown Murphys, (across from Grounds restaurant).

www.hatcherwinery.com

Cheers-

Tim

Antelope Valley AVA?

2010-09-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is weighing approval of a third American Viticultural Area in the High Desert region northeast of Los Angeles. If approved, the Antelope Valley of the California High Desert AVA would join the Leona Valley and Sierra Pelona AVAs established in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

The Antelope Valley Winegrowers Association (AVWA), founded in 2006, was behind all three proposals, supported by nurseryman Ralph Carter, who drew up the petitions. A fourth application for a Tehachapi/Cummings Valley AVA, which would include part of neighboring Kern County, is currently on hold because it does not contain sufficient vineyard acreage.

The AVWA membership consists of about a dozen wine grape vineyards and five vintners, distributed among all four of the areas. With an annual production of some 18,000 cases and 90 acres of vineyards, Agua Dulce, the only winery in the Sierra Pelona AVA, is by far the largest. Two wineries operate within the proposed Antelope Valley AVA: 4,000-case Cameo Ranch & Winery and 2,500-case Antelope Valley Winery, both in Lancaster. Cameo Ranch farms 25 acres of vineyards; Antelope Valley Winery has a single acre at its Lancaster estate and more in the Leona Valley AVA, according to its wine club manager and AVWA president, Chantel Kilmer.

According to the petition, the proposed Antelope Valley AVA contains 665 square miles, bounded on three sides by the Tehachapi, San Gabriel and Sierra Pelona mountains and on the fourth by the Mojave Desert.

What do you think about this possibility?

Cheers-

Tim

carhartt vineyard… a small shack with some big wines

2010-09-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Their website calls them the worlds smallest tasting room- I have to agree. Located in Los Olivios, across the street from Saarloos and Sons in the old Conn Creek tasting room is carhartt vineyards.

But don’t let the size fool ya, what you get here is what I feel is near the ultimate in wine tasting experiences. The person pouring the wines is Mike Carhartt the wine maker himself. Ask him anything about the wine, grapes, farming, weather, the theory of relativity, and he has an answer for you. Mike along with his wife Brooke and their son operate this strictly family run vineyard and tasting room.

And the wines of carhartt are very nice indeed. I ended purchasing their Grenache Blanc ($21) that was full of honeysuckle aromas with a nice light citrus taste; Sauvignon Blanc ($21), their Sangiovese ($24), two bottles of his Merlot ($30) and my absolute favorite, the Bordeaux blend with 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cab Franc, 3% Petite Verdot appropriately called “Four Play” ($35). Upon tasting this wine I swear I could have closed my eyes and believed I was in the Saint Emilion region of France. This wine had a velvety texture that I love and is normally felt in much more expensive wines. Defiantly this is a wine to enjoy with a nice meal, and lingering finish that brought joy to my pallet. I bought a couple bottles of Four Play, and I plan on laying them down for a few years.

Next time you are in the Solvang area wine tasting, I suggest you stop by this little tasting room with the big wines and say hi to Mike and Brooke!

http://www.carharttvineyard.com/

Cheers-

Tim

Chronic Cellars… something a bit different

2010-09-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

So there I am, I just leave the fancy Justin Gala… driving down Nacimiento Lake Drive in Paso Robles and I see a sign that I have driven past many times, but this time I say hey…. With a name like this, I got to try it.

Chronic Cellars is the baby of brothers/Cellar Rats Jake and Josh Beckett. They started selling their crazy creations in 2008. The prices are a great value, the wines a pretty good too, but what got me was the wonderful names of their wines, and how they got past the legal weenies that watch over the wine label industry I do not know. Take their signature wine for example. Sofa King Bueno. Go ahead, say it out loud…. And again…. Uh huh, yeah, that’s what I thought too. Pretty sofa king funny huh?

Their wines range in price from $14 to $20. From the Sofa King Suite Riesling to the Purple Paradise which is a Zin with a dash of Petite Sirah both going for $14. Their wine club members love these guys and the wines.

Their wine labels are also a work of art.

So next time you are looking for something a bit different, leave your Tastevin in the car and check out Chronic Cellars.

http://www.chroniccellars.com/

Cheers-

Tim

Wine Spectator Video Contest

2010-09-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

I enjoy this contest every year, go over to Wine Spectators web site and vote for your favorite wine video.

http://www.winespectator.com/videovoting

Cheers-

Tim

Norm did it again…

2010-09-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

Have I ever said just how much I enjoy Dark Star Cellars in Paso Robles?

Well, Norm took his left over wine from last years bottling, stuck it in a bottle, slapped a label on it and called it Chain Reaction.

Here is what Norm says on their web site “Now any duffus can sell wine, but it takes an extremely talented guy with the pallet of Bacchus himself to create a blend like Chain Reaction. That guy would be me of course. It’s an incredible, delicate blend of Cab, Merlot, and Syrah with a splash of Grenache and Zin. Pure genius, and very “outside the box”.

Need I say more? The wine is good… real good. It reminds me of the Justin Orphan, but with more flavor, and a better finish. It sells for $18 a bottle, but wine club members get it for $12.60….. yeah that’s right Twelve Dollars and Sixty Cents.

I have been reevaluating my wine club memberships lately, some I have had for many years, the wines have been disappointing- but I have never been disappointed from Dark Star wines. Make them your next wine club membership!

And while you are there, be sure to check out their son’s wines, located right behind the tasting room for Dark Star, you will find Brian Benson Cellars. Brian has a Syrah that spent 40 months in oak barrels that is full-bodied and just the right amount of spice and smoke to make you say, can I have another glass, and pass the steak!

http://www.darkstarcellars.com/

http://www.brianbensoncellars.com/

Cheers-

Tim

Website updates!

2010-09-09T09:11:00.001-07:00

I have updated my winery review section of my website, added Ventura County and Williamette Valley! Check it out

http://www.wine-sommelier.com/

Cheers-

Tim

Got $25 Million? Mondavi is for sale!

2010-09-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

The 56-acre Napa estate of the late Robert Mondavi and his widow, Margrit, has gone on the market for $25 million.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703866704575224181745815578.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

Wine labels…. The good the bad the ugly…

2010-09-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

Happy labor Day!

So you bought some wine to celebrate Labor Day, did the bottles label affect your purchase? Marketing specialist will tell you that the quality of the package can make or break a product. That goes along with wine. I remember working with Rob and Barbara on their Magnavino label. One evening they brought over about 6-7 samples of what he was looking for. Was the border better with two lines or one thin line, now about dots and lines as a border…. In the back of my mind I kept thinking, damn the wine better be good (it is) or it doesn’t matter what the bottle looks like (it looks great).

Design Juices in the UK posted the 50 most exquisite wine labels on their web site, what do you think?

http://www.designjuices.co.uk/2010/08/50-exquisite-wine-label-designs/

Does the label appearance make a different to you when buying wine? Post your comments here, and what is the best looking wine label you have ever seen?

Cheers-

Tim

Graveyard Vineyards wines and dry rub

2010-09-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

Last month during my visit up to the Paso Robles area I returned to Graveyard Vineyard to sample their latest creations. Driving through their gates, I saw the smiling face of Paula, waiting to show us their latest wines.

The personality of the people pouring the wines can actually make or break the wine tasting experience. In this case, Paula knows what she is doing- she is knowledgeable about the wines and the wine making process and also has humor and an excellent personality- she is easy on the eyes too :).

We tasted everything from their wonderful house wine, the Tombstone Red ($14 a bottle); to their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, that wine is what I look for in Cabs, huge, meaty, great tannins, and finish. This is a wine that you can drink and enjoy tonight, or lay it down for 5-7 years, and watch it grow and develop into something real special. I love this wine and at $38, I think it is a bargain and holds up to some of the finest Napa Cabernets!

While we were checking out, Paula placed a little something in our shopping bags; it was a Dry Rub that is an old family recipe. Well, this past weekend I decided to give it a try. I put some of that bad boy on some pork spare ribs, oven cooked them for about an hour and a half, then put them into a plastic bag, and poured in some teriyaki sauce and left in the fridge overnight. The next night I put them on the Bar-B-Que, heated them up and poured us glasses of Graveyard Mortal Zin (OMG)… (Those of you that know me know that I am pretty picky when selecting and buying Zinfandels…. There is a bar set that is pretty high). I have to tell you the pairing of that wine and those ribs WERE TO DIE FOR! The Mortal Zin goes for about $22, and is worth it. Graveyard only makes 150 cases of this too. (Why am I telling everyone this? I need more!)

You’re next trip to the Paso Robles area, do not forget to venture up to San Miguel, you won’t be disappointed!

http://www.graveyardvineyards.com/

Cheers,

Tim

Tackitt Family Vineyards

2010-09-01T08:44:00.001-07:00

During my last visit up to the Paso Robles area I had made a return visit to Tackitt Family Vineyards at the request of winemaker Leon Tackitt. My last visit was unfortunately a disappointment for me. A few weeks before my recent visit I received an email from Leon requesting that I come back and sample their wines again.

I am glad I did. Tackitt Family Vineyards is a small, family owned winery. The kind I strive to find that makes well-crafted wines. Their signature wine is Gewûrztraminer. The original vines for this varietal were planned in the 1970s, and to this day still produce one of the finest Gewûrztraminers you can find anywhere in California. At $19 a bottle you cannot go wrong.

Unfortunately during my trip, Leon was not there to walk me through their tasting list, but his father; the vineyards farmer, was there instead. I did enjoy talking to him.

Another wine I enjoyed and purchased was the Bravo Zulu, and Zinfandel/Barbera blend that brings the spiciness of the Zin to the heartiness of the Barbera, a wonderful blend. Only 83 cases were made of this wine, I would suggest getting some before he runs out! I loved the Barbera notes on this wine and think next year he should do a straight Barbera… just for fun.

The final wine I loved and purchased was the EOD Red blend. EOD Cellars wine that is specially bottled to support the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation. All of the net proceeds of your purchase price will go directly to the foundation. EOD is for the Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, of which Leon was a member of and the recent Academy Award winning movie Hurt Locker was about.

Check out Tackitt Family Vineyard, next time you are in Paso Robles, they are north a bit, in San Miguel. Tell them I sent ya!

http://www.tackittfamilyvineyards.com/

Cheers-

Tim

Zaca Mesa Black Bear Release party!

2010-08-31T10:33:00.000-07:00

I will be at Zaca Mesa this coming Saturday night at their annual Black Bear Syrah release party! I plan on doing some wine tasting on Sunday morning, any suggestions for some place new?

http://www.zacamesa.com/news_and_events

Cheers-

Tim

Magnavino Petite Sirah

2010-08-30T07:59:00.001-07:00

I was at Magnavino Cellars yesterday enjoying their new tasting room and wines, then Rob took us into the barrel room and we sampled his 2009 vintages. I would buy a case of his 2009 Petite Sirah right now! Wow that is going to be an amazing wine. Good job Rob!

Magnavino opens this weekend!

2010-08-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Our friends Rob and Barbara Wagner are finally opening their doors to their beautiful tasting room in Oxnard.

I was there last week and it was amazing, and the wines are pretty darn good as well.

Check out their website and head on over this weekend.

http://www.magnavino.com/

Cheers

Tim

Sommelier Say May 27, 2010

2010-05-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

Hey there fans, I have had a number of emails and calls lately wondering what happened to my newsletter and me! We I am alive and well and very busy doing my day job and some other wine things right now. My day job (NASA) has been keeping me traveling back and forth to Boulder Colorado a few times a month and that really keeps me from getting too involved with wineries and wine bars.. as right now the government job is the one that pays the bills (unless someone out there wants to hire a full time Sommelier??).

The wine events I have been doing are a side of my business that a few of you might not know about, at-home wine parties. All you need to do is invite 10 of your wine friends over to your home and have each couple bring a bottle of wine in a paper bag. I will take care of the rest!

This will be a fun and educational evening where you and your friends will learn wine-tasting techniques used by the pros as well as some fun wine facts along the way.

During this 2-hour event, Wine-Sommelier.Com will supply the wine glasses and all of the wine tasting materials. This tasting event is limited to 12 people. It is suggested that the host of the wine tasting event supply appetizers as well.

If this sounds like fun to you, drop me a note and we can work it out and have some fun tasting wines!

I have some things in the works at local wineries and locations and soon I will be back out there in the public eye doing more exciting wine events.

Memorial Day weekend…. It is going to be 85 degrees…. Sounds like Summertime Wine Time!

Sit back… relax… take a deep breath… my first choice for the Summertime is…

Rosé:
After gaining great momentum elsewhere (less so in the US), the oft-dissed pink wine has made the covers of recent Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast magazines. Ah, respect. Made from every grape imaginable, today’s rosés often have surprising complexity to go with summery crispness. (Try Fiddleheads, Pink Fiddle- this Pinot Noir, also very nice is Cantara’s Cellars Syrah Rosé

Vinho verde:
A bit of effervescence helps make this light-bodied Portuguese wine (usually white; the red version rarely gets here) a natural for patio sipping. The lower alcohol content and citrusy notes are especially nice on scorching midsummer afternoons. (Check out your local wine shop or BevMo and look at their selections, the nice thing as these wines are usually under $15 a bottle!)

Chenin Blanc:
U.S. renditions of this dry white used to be largely plonk but have improved markedly. There also is no shortage of nifty versions from France’s Loire and Languedoc regions, South Africa (where it’s called Steen) and Argentina (as pinot blanco). (Herzog Cellars has a very nice Chenin Blanc for only $8, I do suggest this wine to be added to your Summer Wine list!)

Torrontes: Speaking of Argentina, this native grape of the South American nation provides quality at several price points. Its floral, peachy qualities mask a wine of surprising depth that matches up well with most grilled dishes, especially spicy ones. (I had a 2009 Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontes from BevMo a few weeks ago, and it a very nice balance between fruit and acidity)

Pinot Noir:
Doing a mixed grill, especially surf-and-turf? Here’s your ideal wine for pairing with everything from salmon to steak to lamb chops. The more acidic versions from Oregon and Burgundy tend to be a bit more food-friendly than the California fruit bombs. (Anything from the Santa Rita Hills, or try something from the Williamette Valley in Oregon!)

More of my favorite sipping wines for summer are California Viognier, rich and ripe fruit similar to Torrontes with fresh exotic floral notes and the heady aroma of a richly blooming garden at night. Rieslings and of course the easy pick is Sauvignon Blanc(Check out Magnavino to try their new vintages of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, I had a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc a few weeks ago, it was refreshing and delicious!)

Sommelier Says March 10, 2010

2010-03-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

March 10, 2010

The Sommelier Says….

Hello and welcome to the newsletter for http://www.wine-sommelier.com/

Social Networking and wine

Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and YouTube. With all the various ways to communicate about wine (and myriad other pursuits), it’s a wonder we have any time left to sip and enjoy wine.

This may be why, according to a new study that 700,000 people watch wine-related videos each month. There are over 7,000 wine tweets per day, and over 1,300 bloggers focusing on wine. And the wine experience has become portable, with more than 300 iPhone apps.

Most-watched Wine Videos
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most-watched online videos are not educational, but entertainment-oriented

1.Wine in an upside down glass trick
2. Drink to your health
3. Borat’s guide to wine tasting

Top Wine Blogs (measured by frequency in audience interaction over the previous 3 months)
The action on the top blogs centers around getting and giving specific recommendations.
1. Wine Library TV
2. 1 Wine Dude
3. DRINKnectar

Top Wine Tweeters (measured by number of followers)
In the 140-character world of Twitter, what brings in the followers is equal parts relevance and entertainment. The top Tweeters also are the ones who also take time to respond to followers.
1. @Jancisrobinson
2. @winetwits
3. @garyvee

Top Facebook Fan Pages (measured by number of fans/friends)
Note that all three are wineries, not wine critics or personalities. According to Song, “engagement” is what differentiates these three from the pack. “There’s a lot of activity, both from the vineyard and the fans, talking about their experience, sharing it. There are images, videos, even events for customers and fans, giving them a reason to return and participate.”

(And if you’re wondering why Jancis Robinson doesn’t dominate Facebook the way she does Twitter: she doesn’t have a page. She noted recently on Twitter, “My kids won’t let me do Facebook.”)
1. Barefoot Wine & Bubbly
2. Due vigne di familia
3. Bounty Hunter Rare Wine & Provisions

Most-searched Wine Terms
Screening out the most obvious terms (“wine,” “alcohol,” etc.), the wine terms most often searched on the Internet are:
1. Champagne
2. Red wine
3. Cabernet
4. Cellars
5. Pinot
6. Vineyard
7. White wine
8. Merlot
9. Sauvignon

What are some of your favorite online sites?

2010 Barrel Tasting weekend

Check out my video of the weekend!

http://gallery.me.com/sommeliertim#100002

Upcoming Events:

April- Two new wineries are coming to our area!

The first is Magnavino Cellars, the work of Robert and Barbara Wagner. I have tasted their wines and it looks like we have some exciting things coming soon. You can signup for the grand opening at:

http://www.magnavino.com/

The second is Four Brix Winery, Their release party is on April 24th 2010 at Lost Canyons in Simi Valley. Check their website for upcoming news and events.
www.fourbrixwine.com

Cheers-

Tim

If you would like to be removed from this list, please reply to me at

tim@wine-sommelier.com and request removal from this list.

If you know someone that wants this list, please have him or her send me an email requesting to be included too!

Sommelier Says

2010-01-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

January 25, 2010
The Sommelier Says….

Hello and welcome to the newsletter for http://www.wine-sommelier.com/

Some Wine Tasting Tips

When wine tasting, do you go with the mindset in buying more wines for your cellar, or are you just going out there to see what’s new. Either way, I have a few tips for you.

1) First do some research on the various wineries in the area you are visiting. Find those that have what you are looking for. Do you like Italian varietals? Whites only? Sweet wines or big red wines? Every winery has a different expertise in wine-making styles. Find the ones that make what you might be looking for.

2) When visiting wineries, take notes. Every winery has a sheet with tasting notes or a price list. Use those lists to make a few notes on the nose, and taste of the wines as you taste them. You can use this information when you finish tasting the 7 or 8 wines to decide what you liked and did not like. (I actually keep those as my records of the wines I have enjoyed and not enjoyed).

3) Give yourself a budget- by this I mean figure out what wines you need and how much you want to spend on each type. For example, after the Summer time heat, I am usually low on white wines, so I spend some time restocking those varietals.

4) Buy what you like, but look at what you might be eating while wine tasting and how that affects the taste of the wines. For example a few years back a few of us went wine tasting and we wandered upon a little winery, the wines were not anything to write home about, until the wife of the winemaker brought out of BBQ meatballs to have with the wines. Four of us ended up walking out of there with cases of wines. Later, at home, opening the wines, I ended up using most of them for cooking.

5) If you find wines you enjoy at a winery, ask someone there who else in the area makes wines in that style- I have been very pleasantly surprised when a winery refers me to another local winery, one that might not have been on my radar.

6) While wine-tasting it is okay to dump your wine if you do not like it… or spit (your wine) into the dump bucket. No one will think anything less of you.

Café Firenza- Redo
We had not been back to Café Firenza since ‘the boys’ left and we thought we would give them a try. So one recent Friday afternoon I gave them a call to get reservations for that night (something that was impossible to do a few months ago) and I got in at the time I requested- no problems.

We were seated in the old deli area, which they have turned into a nice dining room, and our waiter gave us the menus and wine lists and I selected a wine. The waiter then said they might be out of it and that he would have to check. Ten minutes later he came back (had not taken our diner order yet) with the bottle of wine and I asked for it to be decanted, as it was an older bottle. He then said he wasn’t sure if they had any decanters… apparently they had a large party the week before and they broke a number of them. About 10 minutes after he told us that, he came back with the decanter and opened the bottle of wine to pour into the decanter. At this point he took our order.

We then waited for 35 minutes for our salads to arrive, during that time he never came back to check on us or pour any wine from the decanter. When the salads arrived they were very good. Shortly they’re after our main courses arrived. The food was excellent- something that I had always expected from Café Firenza.

Following the meal we decided on dessert- looking at the menu we both decided – since we were getting the true Italian 3-hour dining experience, we decided upon a glass of Lemonchello. A typical after dinner drink in an Italian restaurant. Unfortunately the waiter told us that they were out of it, even though it was on the wine list. That was the third time during the 3-hour meal that he apologized to us.

So my overall impression, the food was great, service not so much. I had come to expect a certain level of personal service from Café Firenza, that was totally lacking on this recent visit. How has your experience been there recently? Drop me a note and let me know if my experience was a fluke or the standard now.

Camarillo Crush Wine Tasting Weekends
This past weekend a few of us ventured out to a new wine tasting location in the Ventura County- The Camarillo Crush. Located just over the bridge on Lewis (Lewis exit off the 101). At the light, turn into the Imitation Business Complex. Unit C.

The Camarillo Crush has over 40 wine labels that come from this location, many of them are very small production, and some are becoming cult classics in wine collecting circles.

Every weekend they will be open for wine tasting from 11-5pm, and they will offer up to three of the wineries selections for tasting. This list will change every weekend. The weekend we went, they were pouring Zuma, Graystarr, and Consensio Cellars. I ended up buying a bottle from each!

Give them a try and let me know what wines you discover there!

http://camarillocustomcrush.com/

Upcoming Events:
March 6/7- 32nd annual Barrel Tasting along the Wine Road! 100+ Wineries! To taste at any of the participating wineries these weekends, you will need to purchase the Barrel Tasting ticket ($20 available online on January 18).
http://www.wineroad.com/annualevents/3

My current plans are to fly up, Burbank to Oakland on Southwest airlines on Early Saturday morning the 6th of March.

Flight:
March 6- Southwest Flight 888, Departs Burbank @ 7:10am, Arrives in Oakland @ 8:25. “Wanna get away fare” $59
March 7- Southwest Flight 1046, Departs Oakland @ 8:00pm, Arrives in Burbank @ 9:05- Web Fare $82.

Total cost airfare per person: $141

Hotel:
March 6- Travel Lodge Healdsburg, 178 Dry Creek Rd, Healdsburg, CA, 95448
$150 a night
http://www.healdsburglodge.com/

Let me know your thoughts and drop me a note by January 25th if you are serious about coming along.

April- Two new wineries are coming to our area!

The first is Magnavino Cellars, the work of Robert and Barbara Wagner. I have tasted their wines and it looks like we have some exciting things coming soon. You can signup for the grand opening at:
http://www.magnavino.com/

The second is Four Brix Winery, Their release party is on April 24th 2010 at Lost Canyons in Simi Valley. Check their website for upcoming news and events.
www.fourbrixwine.com

Cheers-

Tim

Edward Sellers Found some 2004 Cognito!

2010-01-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

Edward Sellers Found some 2004 Cognito!

During an annual audit they found a pallet (56 cases), unaccounted for, of the extremely popular 2004 Cognito, and this beautiful wine is ready to drink today! With a little CO2 left from the original bottling, decant this wine and enjoy it with your favorite grilled meats, spicy pastas or just by itself!

Robert Parker said enjoy it through 2011, so now is the perfect time! All 56 cases have to go, and we are re-releasing our 2004 Cognito at the unbelievable price of:

$99.00 per case (regularly $312.00 per case)

Call the Tasting Room at 805-239-8915. This won't last a week...!

Sommelier Says

2010-01-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

January 11, 2010

The Sommelier Says….
Hello and welcome to the newsletter for http://www.wine-sommelier.com/

Happy New Year! 2010!! 2010- What is going to happen in the wine world this year

1. Prices will continue to drop across the board, from the priciest of Bordeaux and Burgundy to cult California wines that were once available only by subscription. This goes, too, for those Italian, Spanish and Chilean producers who thought that they could easily get the same kind of money those age-old French estates used to command.

2. More people will buy online. Consumers can go to sites like wine-searcher.com, winebid.com or vinfolio.com and compare prices for the same wine not just around the U.S., where many states now allow cross-state shipping, but in the U.K., Germany, and other countries. The spread can be amazing: a wine costing $40 in one store may be $75 in another. Wine stores will stock more inexpensive wines, which account for most of their profits.

3. Wine blogging will increase, mostly among those contending they’ve found spectacular bottles that will “blow your doors off” for under $15 a bottle.

4. California, alas, will fail to back away from big, high alcohol, oaky reds and whites, because the producers believe that is the style most Americans prefer over subtlety and complexity. The problem is that cheaper wines of this style are so often dreadful, out of balance and undrinkable after one glass. California wineries talk a good game about finesse, but then they overripen their grapes and stick them in new oak for too long.

5. The tsunami of new wines from South America and Eastern Europe will ebb as the market overflows. Greek, Portuguese, and Brazilian wines have had good press in recent years, but unless they keep prices down, they won’t make much headway.

6. New Zealand wineries will be in trouble. The country’s recent prodigious harvests have glutted the market for their overly fruity punch-like style, and many fans want to move up in quality.

7. Champagne will be in serious trouble. It’s not just that prices have gotten way out of whack, with too many selling above $100 a bottle, but other sparkling-wine producers have been canny about getting their bubblies well-positioned, well-priced and well-reviewed. Champagne is reducing output and holding back product already bottled to get some balance, but it’s going to be a struggle to win revelers back from Italian prosecco, Californian sparklers and Spanish cavas. There are just too many Champagne labels out there.

8. Fine-dining restaurants will buy nominal numbers of expensive wines after trimmed expense accounts caused them to sit on their previous big capital purchases. They’ll wait until guests are telling sommeliers, “Money is no object.” Good luck with that. Fewer top-end restaurants will even open, and more modest new eateries will build wine lists with interesting, small labels from around the world and sell them at reasonable mark-ups.

9. More producers will switch to screwtops from cork stoppers in an effort to stem damage to the wines in the bottle from corkiness and oxidation as well as to make wine more accessible to the average consumer. The dirty secret is that most winemakers I talk to say they’d love to switch to screwcaps but fear buyers will think them cheap!

10. Americans will buy more wine at the $10-and-under level. The best bet for an expanding market is China, which is thirsty for good, inexpensive wine. And, like everything else, they’ll soon be producing that themselves.

When to open a bottle of wine?

One question that I have been asked recently is, when is okay to open a newly bottled wine?

While most wineries do not release their wines until they have had some time in the bottle, some release their wines as soon as the bottling process is competed.

While it's tempting to start consuming your wine right after bottling it, and in fact, there are many wines that can be consumed right after bottling and be everything you want them to be. But if you really want to maximize your wine's potential, a little time left alone in the bottle can make the difference.

With age, most red wines which begin life with obvious fruity aromas and some degree of astringency ('bite') will develop softer, gentler, more complex aromas and flavors. The wines become richer, as the fruit mellows and the astringent tannins relax and contribute to the body and character. Many white wines also benefit with age. Whites intended for aging may display exceedingly high acid levels which will soften over time, uncovering wonderful textures and flavors. Components of wines differ by variety or blend, and thus react differently to aging. Some wines require longer ageing periods than others.

For example: More Aging - Reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Barbara, Merlot, and Pinot Noir. Whites: Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. As a general rule for California wines, I would wait at least 3 - 6 months after bottling before opening the wine. If you can hold yourself off longer, then do so; you can’t hurt the wine as long as it is stored properly.

Upcoming Events:
March 6/7- 32nd annual Barrel Tasting along the Wine Road! 100+ Wineries! To taste at any of the participating wineries these weekends, you will need to purchase the Barrel Tasting ticket ($20 available online on January 18). http://www.wineroad.com/annualevents/3

My current plans are to fly up, Burbank to Oakland on Southwest airlines on Early Saturday morning the 6th of March. I am currently looking into hotels for the evening as well. Depending on how many of you want to join us, we can get a van or limo for the two days. Let me know your thoughts and drop me a note by January 25th if you are serious about coming along.

Cheers- Tim

My Wine Blog!

2010-01-11T09:39:00.001-08:00

Welcome to The Sommelier Says Wine Blog.

My plans are for this to eventually replace my month/weekly newsletter. Hopefully I will be able to attract more readers and educate more individuals in the wonderful world of wine, and announce upcoming wine tastings and events in a more timely manner.

So there will be no schedule to my postings, when I find a nice wine, have a nice dinner or have some random thoughts that I need to share with you, I will be posting.

In addition if you have any wine related questions, drop me a note and I will do my best to answer them here.

Cheers!

Tim