It’s difficult to believe that our just completed trip to New Zealand and Australia was in the planning process for nearly one year. The Wine Media Conference (formerly the Wine Blogger’s Conference) scheduled its first conference outside of North America in the Hunter Valley of Australia.  The conference was set for October 2019 and I made our conference reservations on…

A recent visit to the lovely Central Coast included visits to three wineries new to me. My daughter, Hilary, had previously visited Riverbench and one of my friends recommended Dierberg and Sunstone. Riverbench is situated on the southeastern edge of the Santa Maria Valley, the northernmost AVA in Santa Barbara County. Pinot Noir vines make up the majority of the…

              Fully half of our second busy day was spent at Crown Valley. This enormous 8,000 acre property is home to vineyards, Black Angus cattle, elk, long horn steer, watusi, and blackberries. The enterprise also includes a brewery, distillery, and various hospitality properties.  An unexpected feature is the family’s not for profit Tiger Sanctuary…

Our Missouri Wine Board hosts had planned another busy day for us, packed with activities.  We began with a grand tour and tasting at Chaumette.  Hank shared some fascinating history with us about the name “Chaumette” and the influence of the French immigrants who settled in St. Genevieve. As we began tasting some of the wines, he used the classic…

Some History   My introduction to Missouri wines occurred at last year’s Wine Blogger’s Conference in Sonoma. I was not aware that the state was a wine producer and the handful of wines I tasted were impressive. The Missouri Wine Board offered an opportunity to visit one of the wine growing areas and I jumped at the chance. Missouri’s wine…

One of the most serendipitous occurrences during our first day in Santa Barbara County was meeting Hilliard Bruce’s new production manager, Sonja Magdevski.  She also makes wine for her own label, Casa Dumetz.  Sonja was busy that Saturday, decked out in rose colored rain boots, managing various tanks of wine.  I called “hello” to her and she was happy to…

Last weekend, my daughter and trusty tasting partner, Hilary, and I headed off for a little getaway to Santa Barbara County for some wine tasting. The day was partly cloudy and the clouds added dimension and interesting lighting as we drove along the Pacific and into the Santa Ynez foothills. Even though California hasn’t seen much rain this season, there…

  The second day of the 2017 Wine Blogger’s Conference was fast-paced and packed with interesting presentations and tastings.  As night fell, we set off on our dinner excursion to Thomas George Estates. Thomas George Estates, located in the Russian River Valley, was established in 2008 and currently consists of four vineyards.  Production is dedicated to creating small lot, vineyard…

Having attended a wine blending class in Charleston in January 2016, I was eager to try my hand, again. On the first official day of the Wine Bloggers Conference, Hilary and I joined the Rodney Strong team for a Meritage blending class. Meritage can be a red or white wine, crafted solely from two or more specific Bordeaux grape varietals….

Pre-Conference Excursion to Napa Valley   I had been anticipating the 2017 Wine Blogger’s Conference with various emotions – excited to visit Sonoma and Napa, thrilled that my daughter, Hilary, was joining me, but also with some trepidation over what we would see as a result of the Wine Country fires.   Hilary and I arrived at the tiny Santa…