WHining and wining...

Pre LAWineFest

The Goddess and JD are TIRED. We are just beat. Between the 6th Annual LAWineFest, the Arte in Junio event at the Beauty Lounge, wine events and winemaker dinners, and moving the parental units to a new location, we are tired. We have been up and down the coast between home and Morro Bay several times this month, with more to come as we clear out the old place and determine what stays and what goes. In between has been wine. And thank the universe for that!

Wining and adventures in Pasadena...

We set off early Saturday - breakfast with the usual gang at Lancers, plus a couple of Pete's nieces (new friends we now adore). Over to the Beauty Lounge in Pasadena, where Gina made us look shiny and new, and on to more adventures in wine.

Tasting @ Heritage

It was too early for most of the wine bars in Pasadena to be open, so we walked over to Heritage Wine and Spirits. We hadn't been there since the new owners had taken over, so we didn't know what to expect. Christian poured a glass of the 2008 Jana Rosé of Grenache for me (light, fresh, crisp), a glass of the 2009 Maipe Torrontes (a great aperitif) for JD, and we started off an adventurous afternoon! We sampled a fun sparkling Rosé, Fresita, a unique blend of Chilean sparkling wine (a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Moscatel) infused with fresh, handpicked strawberries from Patagonia. A little sweet for my taste, but Christian says he has trouble keeping it in stock. I believe it!

Still wining...really!

Yeah, yeah...I know...haven't written recently. But I've been busy!!

Been getting my somm's and pourers in place for the upcoming LAWineFest 2011! There's still time for you to let me know if you want to help.

• There will be over 500 wines and spirits to taste, plus great food from local restaurants and food trucks.
• There will be special programs - Wine, Scotch and Sake tasting, plus wine and cheese pairing with Barrie Lynn and George Rosenthal, winemakers and winery owners panels, and a special appearance by Chef Cyndy Schwanke, College of the Canyons -ICE making some glorious desserts to pair with dessert wines!

You should attend, even if you can't volunteer. Discounted tix are still available, but the discounts disappear the closer we get to the event. Don't wait!

But that's not all I've been doing...

So much wining...so little time to write!

I was trying to figure out why I haven't written in the last month, and I realized it's because JD and I have been running all over the place tasting wines, eating great food, and just generally having a good time, except for the broken nose. But that's another story. 
 
Here's what's been going on in the last month or so. And it doesn't include various dinners with friends and meetings about the upcoming LA WineFest!

3/14 - The Flask Studio City - Fog Crest from Sebastopol (wines were OK, nothing to write home about)/Shai Cellars from Santa Ynez (Of course, a personal favorite. And winemaker Shawn Halahmy was donating part of the proceeds of any of his sales to help Japan.)

Wining by proxy...A guest post from the First Acolyte himself...

So many wine events, so little time! Back on March 15th, the Family Winemakers of California came to town, but the Goddess couldn't get there...sob! So I sent my First Acolyte, JD, to cover the event. Here is his report:

Popping up from parking at the convention center I found myself in the conference building. Discovered the Exhibit Hall is on the other side of the Center grounds. I planned on mostly hitting wineries I was unfamiliar with, which would unfortunately mean skipping many known great tastes.

The doors opened and I headed for the end of the alphabet and started with William James Cellars, who had called the Goddess asking to be sure to taste their wines. Started with the “Simply Gorgeous” Grenache Rose, had good cran- & other berry spice, light, a nice start which led to the regular Grenache “Smoke Rings”, a slightly heavier version. “Persuasive” Pinot Noir had some nice earth in it. I found the Cabernet Sauvignon was a little hot on the nose, but would probably quiet down given a little time to swirl. Sampled a couple others too, but was getting a little anxious to move on- so many wineries in this huge room!

Wining at Noir...

Dining room at Noir

JD and I were lucky enough to be able to get tickets to a special winemaker dinner at Noir Food and Wine in Pasadena. By special, I mean special. Richard Sanford, the man behind the Sanford & Benedict vineyard, the original Sanford Winery, the current award-winning Alma Rosa Winery, and the inspiration for a generation of winemakers, was bringing his lovely wines to be paired with dishes created by Pasadena's most celebrated chef, Claud Beltran.

Wining, wining, wining...the wining never stops!

Grape of the Night @ VWC

Attended an intimate Grape of the Night at the Valencia Wine Companylast Monday, the 7th. Ringmaster Eve Bushman put out the call, per Rusty Dale Sly's command, for Bordeaux wines. You know, from France. JD & I showed up with a chilled 2008 Chateau Tertre de Launay from the Entre Deux Mers region, setting the bar pretty high, if I say so myself. A couple of attendees, who said they never drink white Bordeaux, had to admit it was pretty tasty (technical term, of course); a crisp, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend that had a soft, honeyed finish. Yum!

Other hits of the night were the 2003 Chateau Franc, a lush blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc, and the 2006 Chateau Tour Pauillac Cru Bourgeois, a 70/30 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. I do love Bordeaux! Next month, GOTN will feature Petit Sirah, that deceptively named grape that is anything but small.

Rhoning in Paso...

JD & I had the opportunity to head up to Paso Robles a couple of weeks ago for the annual Rhone Rangers Experience - Paso Robles chapter - seminar and tasting. We sweet-talked our cousins in Los Osos to put us up for a couple of nights, and headed up the coast.

Saturday morning, got on the road early, stopping in Solvang to break our fast at Paula's Pancake House. This time we had contacted our friend Lee Tomkow, a brilliant photographer and videographer, to meet us. Over breakfast, we chatted about wines and wineries. On hearing that we were headed to the RR, he suggested that we look up Ambyth Estate and try the wines there. He couldn't say enough about them - biodynamic, organic farming, great location at a high elevation in Templeton. I said we'd keep it in mind, time permitting.

Wining all around town...

Can't believe we're at the end of February already. How did that happen? And there have been so many wine events already, and so many more coming up. It's hard to choose when there are so many opportunities to meet like-minded folks and taste great wines. So far this year, there have been a couple of Grape of the Nights at Valencia Wine Company, the 1st Annual SCV WineFest (pictured right), several LearnAboutWine events, not to mention my own series of Introduction to Wine With the Goddess classes.

In Memoriam...

I took a break for a few weeks - from writing, that is - because I needed to rethink what I was doing on this blog. I don't want this to just be shameless self-promotion; I really do want to talk about the things that are important to me, and things happen that put priorities into perspective.

A long-time friend died today. She was an elegant, old-fashioned LADY. In the best sense of that word. She was dignified, but had a wicked sense of humor and timing. She had an undeniable self-possession, a noble bearing and the ability to handle any situation or person with patience and kindness, no matter how angry or upset or amused she was. She comforted me during the period of my mother's descent into Alzheimer's; she always knew what to say. She had strong beliefs, but never pushed them on anyone - because that just wasn't done. She doted on her husband, but knew that she needed her own space and made sure he had his, too. Over the last year, she became very frail and stopped coming to our Saturday breakfasts, but she was always with us. Rest in peace, dear Flo. We are all better for having known you.