In May of 2019, I attended a wonderful tasting at The Wine House in Los Angeles.  Stolpman Vineyards was there in full force showcasing some of their world class syrahs.  I purchased four bottles that included the 2011-2014 vintages of Hecho Por Ruben, made by their vineyard manager, Ruben Solorzano.  Tom and Virginia Stolpman purchased their vineyard in 1990 and…

Pursuing Pinot has been experiencing creative shut down during the pandemic. However, I have encountered two new wineries that I want to share with you. My daughter, Hilary, and I ventured to Santa Barbara County in June to visit several of our favorite wineries and one new to us, Andrew Murray Vineyards. Lots of new rules were in place such…

The Wine House, a wonderful wine shop in West Los Angeles, hosted Stolpman Vineyards for a grand tasting earlier this month. I’m a huge fan of The Wine House and they do an exceptional job with their tastings. First of all, events are not oversold, meaning you aren’t endlessly waiting in line at the tables and you can actually chat…

On the second day of the 2016 Wine Blogger’s Pre-Conference Excursion in Lodi, my phone alarm began chiming at 5:00 a.m. I am never awake at this hour! But an experience not to be missed lay ahead. Our fearless leaders, Randy Caparoso and Jenny Heitman, loaded us onto our bus and we drove to the vineyards at Michael David Winery…

During the 2014 Wine Blogger’s Conference, I was introduced to Ballard Canyon and the world class Syrah that is produced there. While traveling in California recently, I wanted to return to the area and have another opportunity to taste the Syrahs. Ballard Canyon is one of the newest and smallest AVAs (American Viticultural Area).  It is made up of 7,700…

Last week, I spent several delightful days with my daughter in Maryland.  As always, it involved lots of good food and wine!  Of note was our visit to a wonderful wine bar in Frederick called Vini Culture.  They feature three enomatic systems (also known as “cruvinets”) that dispense more than two dozen wines.  Customers load money onto a card and…

During my travels on the West Coast last month, I was introduced to Treasure Island and the growing collective of urban wineries that have made the island home.  The site of a former U.S. Naval Base, Treasure Island is a man-made isle set between San Francisco and Oakland, accessible from the Bay Bridge.  The first winery began operations in 2007…

On the second full day of the conference, I selected a session on the terroir of Santa Barbara County. Santa Barbara County boasts one of the most diverse climates and largest number of grape varietals grown anywhere in the world.  The region is home to a topographic feature not found anywhere else in the contiguous U.S., a pair of mountain…