Five Key Ingredients to a Great Wine Bar. The Winner is…
VIDEO Interview at Compline Wine Bar In the Heart of Downtown Napa: Compline Wine Bar & Restaurant https://www.youtube.com/embed/XJ4jnpPwJOw Walking into a wine bar, I often feel a bit of a thrill. It’s like treasure hunting. Occasionally blind-sided by bad taste, poor concept or even worse, uninspiring wine. You see a variety of different takes […]
El Bierzo, Spain. The Wine World’s Best Kept Secret
El Bierzo, Spain will make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. But it is the wine, made from the grape Mencia, that will steal your heart. View from Las Médulas, wine tasting with certified Jamón Iberico professional carver Traveling to Spain is not on my short list, but I am always up for […]
Harvest: Kevin Morrisey on Wine & Ehlers Estate
Flirting with Autumn, this years harvest takes place on a cloud covered pre-dawn morning at Ehlers Estate. VIDEO INTERVIEW “Before this last heatwave, we had a completely different crop out there.” Kevin Morrisey, Winemaker & GM, Ehlers Estate Harvest at Ehlers Estate. Tuning in to my internal clock of fear and fright, I awake at 3 am. About […]
Introduction to Napa Valley’s Maayan Koschitzky {VIDEO}
As the head of winemaking at Atelier Phillipe Melka, Napa Valley’s Maayan Koschitzky knows how to make exceptional wine. {Video Interview} https://www.youtube.com/embed/bEQG7-PQsQA “My main focus here is Atelier Melka. What we do is make great wines and truly enjoy this valley.” Koschitzky works with private clients as well. That brand is Brilliant Mistake, which produces […]
2017 Napa Harvest Is Here For Mumm Napa: Video Interview
First Napa Harvest for Mumm Later Than 2016 The Napa harvest is one of the most exciting times of the year where I live. I’m perched above the Napa River, sitting on the second floor of my writing nook listening to the somewhat irritating popping of the bird cannon in the distance. The cannons have […]
Beaujolais Gamay: The Masters Weigh-In from Pebble Beach
When an event brings the right wine personalities together the room becomes electric. l to r, David Keck, June Rodil, D’Lynn Proctor & Anthony Giglio Such was the case with the panel at Pebble Beach Food and Wine this season, featuring a discussion on Gamay from Beaujolais France (where it thrives) a region located south […]
Five Rosés for Your Summer Fun!
Here’s to Your Rosé Summer. Whether you’re poolside, relaxing under the shade of a tree or on a beach in the Mediterranean there’s a Rosé sure to change your outlook on the heat. My first encounter of the Rosé Summer kind was a “non-Rosé”. In the 80’s White Zinfandel was in fashion and perfectly suited […]
Interview with Julien Miquel, of Social Vignerons.
Julien Miquel at Vitalie Taittinger Champagne House The wine industry is a smaller community than most might think. The more time I spend in it, the more I marvel at the interconnectedness of the niches, the communities, and the people. Some will turn you off like a desperate housewife, while others will show their integrity, […]
The Rhapsody of Provence Rosé
Provence Rosé is the very foundation of Rosé Chateau Gassier in Provence, France at the mase of Mount Sainte Victoire “We grow Rosé, we live Rosé, we think Rosé.” Chateau Gassier. I think to myself, they should add “We are Rosè.” The Provence Rosé of Chateau Gassier in France To taste French Rosé at home is […]
Drew Barrymore on Winemaking and Rosé
Drew Barrymore. Girl next door. Producer. Actress. Now you can add Vintner. Drew Barrymore in the vineyards of Carmel Road. I’m in Monterey, California by request. An interview with Drew Barrymore. Yes, that Drew Barrymore. I accept this assignment with a rush of excitement, and butterflies. Oh, there was vetting. A list of potential questions. […]
Wine Books for Summer Time Leisure
Not something you often hear people requesting. Many wine books are technical, meant for industry wine geeks. I have several of the aforementioned wine books in my personal library, and they’re quite good from an insider’s perspective. However not always riveting reading. Do you love a can’t put it down read? The kind that reel you […]
Quilt: A New Wine and The Very Fabric of Joe Wagner
Quilt: A New Wine and The Very Fabric of Joe Wagner Video Interview with Joe Wagner of Copper Cane https://www.youtube.com/embed/wrO2k0YfHhg Joe Wagner is no stranger to the wine business. He grew up in it. Grandson of the founder of Caymus Vineyards, he’s watched every aspect of winemaking. From farming to the business of wine since he could […]