Some of my friends and I chose to skip the opening reception Wednesday night and instead had dinner at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos.  It is a charming restaurant housed in a building that used to be a stage coach stop dating to 1886. We shared a variety of dishes including grilled avacado, beet and peach salad, grilled wild salmon,…

We were off to Vina Robles bright and early for a 10:00 a.m. seated seminar focused on Paso Robles AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas).  Paso is the largest non-county AVA in California and is in the process of applying for 11 sub-AVA’s. Among the wines tasted was Ancient Peaks Winery’s 2011 Oyster Ridge Bordeaux blend, named for the 13 million year…

People have different perceptions upon tasting a particular wine. What I love, you may not care for. What I find too sweet, you may find just right. What seems too tannic to me is perfect for you. Most people are aware that our tongue and palate are able to identify the five primary categories of taste, which are sweet, sour,…

Charleston was buzzing with activity as the 2014 Wine and Food Festival took place.  One of the events I attended was billed as Passport to Pairings, held at the Thomas Bennett House, and sponsored by an innovative company, Rewined, that repurposes used wine bottles into wonderful candles.  Each guest received a candle and mine is Carmenère-scented, one of my favorite…

Life has been busy with the holidays and all.  I think we have all been a little out of sync with Thanksgiving being so late.  The annual Grower Producer Champagne seminar was held in November, hosted by Harry Root of Grassroots Wines and facilitated by Marie Sauer of Sauer Grapes.  The wines presented were another “killer” line up.  It is…

Last month I visited my home town of Cincinnati to visit friends and attend the Western and Southern Tennis Masters tournament. The culinary highlight of the trip was a wine tasting dinner at The Summit, a restaurant operated by the culinary arts program at  Cincinnati State.  The wines were presented by Vintage Point, a distributor with an eclectic collection of…

  Rosé’s are wonderful anytime, but they are especially appealing during the summer as they complement lighter fare and are a great choice as an apértif. Marie Sauer recently hosted a rosé tasting at her Sauer Grapes Wine Lounge.  Six wines were featured including three from France, one from Germany, one from Austria, and one from California’s Russian River Valley. …

Sass Winery in Salem, Oregon, was founded by wine maker Jerry Sass in 1989 when he purchased 19.4 acres of land and began planting Pinot Noir vines. The production is small, approximately 4,500 cases per year across all of the varietals. Jerry is passionate about the land, the grapes, and the wine making techniques he employs and the results are…

Wines from Sancerre and oysters are a match made in heaven.  Debbie Marlowe of The Wine Shop of Charleston hosted a wonderful tasting last week, presided over by Laura Masero of Joseph Mellot wines and Eric Hill, the distributor. All tastings are educational and the big revelation for me during this event was learning about all of the different varietals…

Marie Sauer of Sauer Grapes Wine Lounge hosted a wonderful tasting of French wines last week.  Anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows how fervently I support small grower producers in any region.  The people who grow the grapes and create the wines are passionate about quality and authenticity.  Sophie and Fabrice Laronze are among these select growers,…