Debbie Marlowe of The Wine Shop of Charleston conducted a fantastic tasting of 2009 Bordeaux at her shop on November 27.  We tasted nine Bordeaux, working in flights of three wines per round.  There are five legal grape varietals that may be included in Bordeaux, which is always a blend of at least two of the five.  They are Cabernet…

Last week was the 2012 Grower Producer Champagne Seminar.  I enjoyed it even more than last year’s because my knowledge has increased over the past 12 months.  Also, it was held at an ideal venue, the amphitheater at the Culinary Institute of Charleston.  Harry Root was our Master of Ceremonies, assisted by Marie Sauer.  We tasted 12 Champagnes and enjoyed…

The autumn season is upon us, even though it doesn’t feel like it here in Charleston.  We did have a “taste” of fall, but then the humidity set back in.  There have been a number of interesting events over the past few weeks.  One of our new local eateries is called Butcher and Bee and it has a unique format,…

This post is a bit more technical than usual, but it is so interesting, I want to share the concept. The information here was presented by Tim Gaiser at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland this past August. Tim has 2 degrees in music, worked in the restaurant business for many years, and is one of fewer than 200 people…

Misuzu, who is a wine distributor from Japan, was interning at Ken Wright Cellars when I visited in 2011. She was back in the U.S. for a combination vacation/business trip and we had the opportunity to go to some wineries together while I was in Oregon.  We share some favorites and our first stop was Alexana where our friend, Christie,…

On Sunday, I packed up and headed south, back to Willamette Valley.  I checked into Ken Wright’s Winery Lofts, feeling like I had “come home.”  Carlton’s Walk in the Park was in progress, so I caught the trolley to the park.  It is an annual festival to benefit local charities and includes wineries, food, art, and music.  The wineries included…

Saturday was a very busy day featuring a diverse array of workshops and sessions. My friends, Mary and Lorie, and I decided to divide and conquer in order to get as much as possible out of the content being offered. My sessions included a blogging workshop that was very helpful and a fascinating session entitled ‘The Neuroscience of Wine Tasting’…

Friday got off to a fast start with an Argentine Food and Wine pairing brunch at 10:00 a.m. I wasn’t hungry and I wasn’t ready to drink, but neither of those factors were relevant. My favorite pairing was a Beef Empanada with Raisin Balsamic, Kalamata Olives, and Red Pepper Puree with Bodega Catena Zapata Alta Malbec 2009. The spice and…

Day Two and we were headed to Salem with our fantastic tour guide, Irene. Our first stop was Willamette Valley Heritage Center which includes the site of  a woolen mill established in the 1889. Peter Booth, the Executive Director, took us on a fascinating tour providing  a good understanding of the history of the mill and how it functioned as…

Wednesday and day one of the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference. Several pre-conference excursions were offered and I chose the Salem option. Our first stop was the Evergreen Aviation Museum – they decided (wisely!) that we should see more than wineries!! It is an impressive campus containing an aviation museum, space museum, IMAX theater, and water park. One could easily spend…