wine book club

Handley Cellars

Six miles west of the tiny town of Philo in Mendocino County the traveler comes to a sign announcing that he/she has arrived at Handley Cellars, where Milla Handley is winemaker. As the great great granddaughter of Henry Weinhard of Oregon brewery fame, Milla must have had some bubbles in her genes and, thinking in terms of wine, not beer, Milla enrolled in fermentation science courses at the University of California at Davis.
Read More …

A Visit to Rios-Lovell Winery

There are those who say that the arrangement of small tables and comfortable chairs in the tasting room at Rios-Lovell Winery in California’s Livermore Valley makes the wine taste better. Whether it does or not, it certainly makes the tasting experience more enjoyable and welcoming. Hospitality director, Jill Reya, describes the setting as one of comfortable elegance, and she is absolutely right.
Read More …

Good Comes from the Glut – Charles Creek Cellars

There has been a lot of publicity about overproduction of grapes over the last few harvests. This can mean lower prices paid to growers for their grapes and more bulk wine on the market. On the plus side, for the consumer, a heavy harvest and more vines coming into full bearing can possibly mean lower bottle prices, better quality wines in low end packaging and, for some emerging wineries, it can mean an opportunity to expand production with grapes from vineyards with a long history of providing quality fruit to the industry.
Read More …

Mill Creek Winery – Reflections Meritage

Starting in 1996, with a barrel tasting of the first vintage of their classy Meritage wine, “Reflections,” the Kreck family has celebrated each succeeding blend with a gala dinner party. A special benefit for those attending that first party was the opportunity to buy futures – i.e. purchase a case or so of that first Reflections, vintage 1994, to be delivered in 1997, when winemaker Hank Skewis and Mill Creek Winery owners Bill and Yvonne Kreck decided it was ready for release.
Read More …

B. R. Cohn Winery, Glen Ellen

In mid-September 2003, a grand opening celebrated completion of a stunning new hospitality center at B. R. Cohn Winery, Glen Ellen. The building, which was originally the family home of winery owner Bruce Cohn, his wife Sharon and their children still has the welcoming appearance of a family dwelling, and that impression was an important part of the plan when work commenced on the project.

“We wanted to preserve the 1920s style of architecture,” says Bruce, “so we paid a lot of attention to small details. In designing the mahogany paneling and the long tasting bar, for example, every board was hand picked, with the grain matched perfectly. The floor is tiled, and the surround of the fireplace is tiled, with fluted wooden pillars.
Read More …

Carmenère – Little Known, but Delicious

When I first heard of the grape, Carmenère, I thought it, like Symphony, was a varietal bred by the viticultural department at the University of California at Davis. Then I received a newsletter from Guenoc Winery and read a fascinating story, written by Karen Melander-Magoon about her efforts – eventually successful in 1994 – to have Carmenère, a disappearing Bordeaux variety, certified for legal shipment into the United States.
Read More …