I’ve alluded to it a bunch of times so I suppose it’s time to tell you what I’ve been talking about. I live in Kentucky, the state that Prohibition forgot. Apparently, Kentucky and Utah are the only two states left in the country that have this sort of restrictive laws when it comes to the sale of alcoholic beverages.
Read the rest of this entry »

Australia is a nation of vast plains, few people and towering ambition.

“We’re a country nearly the size of the United States, but with only 20 million people,” notes Chris Hatcher, chief winemaker for Beringer-Blass Australia. “Anyone who wants to have a successful business must export.”

Indeed. Over the past two decades, American wine merchants have nearly drowned in a sea of Australian wine. Willingly, I might add.

Read the rest of this entry »

Almost every community around us in Northern California has some form of an art and wine festival. Some call it a fall festival or a summer festival – depending on the timing. Others use different names. The point is, if you are missing out on your local community’s art and wine festivals then you should go check one out. If your town doesn’t have one maybe it’s time to bring up the idea to the folks at the town hall.

At the time of writing this brief note, we had just gone to the Sunnyvale, California Art & Wine Festival. As a result, a couple of people we went with are still working off a little headache brought on by a little too much of the grape – oh yeah, and those barley and hops too.

Generally the art and wine festivals are much more than art and wine. Typically they have live music, great food including the ever so popular chocolate covered fruit (yup – I’m a health nut…) on a skewer that seem to sell out before I can ever get one, all types of bbq, chicken, pork, burritos, garlic fries, beer, and so on.
Read the rest of this entry »

Viansa Winery & Marketplace
25200 Arnold Dr. (HWY 121)
Sonoma, CA 95476
Phone: 707-935-2710

Less than an hour north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in Sonoma County you will find Viansa Winery & Italian Market Place perched up on a hill. The name Viansa stands for Vicki and Sam Sebastiani and the winery’s tagline is A Taste of Tuscany in Sonoma Valley.

This wonderful winery overlooking its own vineyards and wetlands (look for the Ducks Unlimited labeled bottles of Viansa Riserva Anatra Bianco and Rosso commemorating the Viansa Wetlands) that Viansa preserved has great character, beautiful grounds, excellent wine, and fantastic food outside at the Viansa Tuscan Grill. A perfect place for a wedding or a business meeting this is also the perfect place for just relaxing outside with you and yours.
Read the rest of this entry »

Caymus Vineyards
Rutherford, Napa Valley CA
Phone 707-967-3010

As you cruise up Route 29 through Rutherford and possibly pass all 500 or so residents you will see many well-known wineries and vineyards. If you are lucky enough to know about Caymus Vineyards then you will know to turn off the main drag and find the winery. Whether you cross the Pope Bridge built in the late 1800’s and take a right as we did or if you take a more direct route, once you get there, you will enjoy.

However, make sure you made your tasting reservations in advance. They recommend up to ten days prior, although we made ours one day in advance and they happen to have a couple spots open. The tasting is free and it will be memorable. It’s not the typical pile up of people at a counter waiting for others to finish.
Read the rest of this entry »

Caymus Vineyards
Phone: 707.967.3010
8700 Conn Creek Road
Rutherford, CA 94573

Make a reservation for the tasting, it’s free. Excellent Cabernet. The Special Selection Cab from a dry harvested 15-acre parcel is outstanding. The tasting is limited in size so it’s comfortable, relaxing, and you might even learn a thing or two. Purchases of the Special Selection were limited to 3 bottles at our visit – and of course we bought the limit. See detailed review.

PlumpJack Winery
Phone: 707.945.1220
620 Oakville Cross Rd.
Oakville, CA 94562

Well what can I say – the first winery to offer a metal screw off top in their top end $145 per bottle cab. Should last forever… This winery is neat, comfortable, and fun. Interesting Sangiovese too. Enjoy a sandwich outside while drinking wine (your bring the sandwich).
Read the rest of this entry »

Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards
5937 Alpine Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
Phone: (650) 851-6777

A frequent stomping ground of ours. Whether you found Fogarty’s name in the Time 2002 Almanac under the Inventor’s Hall of Fame, worked with him in the medical field, or know him personally, you need to stop at the winery if you are in the Santa Cruz Mountain Region, more specifically if you are traveling the Skyline Blvd area near Silicon Valley.

Jon Hunt manages Fogarty’s wine tasting room. Although he can’t make a good bet on a football game, he sure is fun to talk with at the winery. The winery has wonderful views of the vineyards and is a great place to have a great outdoor event like a business meeting or wedding. They have all that is necessary.
Read the rest of this entry »

Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery
8761 Dry Creek Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Phone: (707) 433-6700
Fax: (707) 431-1742

Beautiful grounds, flower gardens, lots of landscape. Nice place to bring lunch and have a glass of wine. Excellent Chardonnay. We visited here with our friends Tom and Jen Kaminski – the girls bought matching hats in the store, walked the grounds, smelled the flowers, and came back to the wine tasting area to find us… As usual, we left a little tipsy – it’s just too much fun. Life is good!

Annapolis Winery
26055 Soda Springs Rd.,
Annapolis, CA. 95412
Phone: 707-886-5460

This was the first winery I every visited and what a great place. It’s up in the north, not far from the ocean if you straightened out the curvy, 25mph road you need to take from the Sea Ranch area of California’s north coast. Annapolis is comfortable, casual, and fun. The people working the winery and pouring the wine are owners or family of the owners and that makes it fun. You’re always welcome to ask questions, see what’s currently going on, and take a bottle, or two, or three outside to drink under the apple trees.
Read the rest of this entry »