Friday, October 14, 2016

This Post is Not About Wine...

Not that folks have noticed, but the Goddess of Wine hasn't been writing much. Oh, I keep Tweeting and Facebooking and Instagramming, which keeps me alive in the social network world, but I've been so overwhelmed with the changes JD and I made in the last year that it's been hard to focus.

However, the events of the past few weeks have stirred up memories, anger, and disgust, so I thought I'd exorcise of few of my demons. Spoiler alert: This post is not about wine. And it's long. Deal with it.


Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Wining in Santa Maria with the #LAWineWriters...

One benefit to staying members of the #LAWineWriters despite our move out of Los Angeles, is that we are able to participate on some of the field trips the group takes. This latest adventure took the Goddess of Wine and First Acolyte, JD, into the wilds of...Santa Maria.

Santa Maria is a city around an hour north of Santa Barbara (and 40 minutes south of our digs), and is notable for its wine industry and Santa Maria-style barbecue. Home to an increasing number of vineyards, wineries and winemakers, and centrally located to both the Santa Ynez and Foxen Canyon areas of Santa Barbara County's wine country, and San Luis Obispo County's Edna Valley-Arroyo Grande wine country, Santa Maria is an area that JD and I have often visited.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Wining with the Rhone Rangers...

Do you know about the Rhone Rangers? That merry band of winemakers whose vision is to expand our knowledge and appreciation of grapes and blends that historically came from the Rhone Valley in France.

From the Rhone Rangers' website: The Rhone Rangers is America's leading non-profit organization dedicated to promoting American Rhone varietal wines. American Rhone-style wines are made from the same grapes that have flourished for centuries in France’s Rhone River Valley, and their growing popularity in the United States speaks to their versatility with food, wide range of rich flavors, and to the skills of American winemakers.

The Goddess of Wine has been a fan of the Rangers for many years, and now that JD and I are living in the Central Coast, it's easier to get to many of the events that are put on by the large and very active Paso Robles chapter. This year, the organization has put together a schedule of "Varietal Nights" designed to enhance, and in some cases, introduce folks to specific varieties and styles of wine.


Thursday, March 3, 2016

Wining with film...

The Goddess of Wine and JD were invited to attend one of the International Wine Film Festival events, with selected wine-themed videos paired with a wine featured on the big screen, all organized by whiz kid Wil Fernandez. This event was hosted by Presqu'ile, one of the most beautiful wine estates in the Santa Maria Valley.

Accompanying each wine and film pairing were amazingly delicious passed appetizers by Chef Adam Measurall of the Far Western Tavern.

View from Presqu'ile
The event started with a casual reception on the patio, a location with panoramic views of the Santa Maria Valley. We could see the fog rolling in from the west as we sipped Presqu'ile Rosé of Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley, CA) and munched on a selection of artisan breads from Bob's Well Bread Bakery in Los Alamos.