Wining for a good cause...She Dances...

The Goddess of Wine and JD were having an early dinner at the Peasant Wine Bistro on Sunday, and were introduced to a couple of young women who were putting together an event to raise money for an organization whose mission to is rescue, rehabilitate and empower girls who have been victimized by the sex trade in Honduras. 

PWB owner, Greg Woodbury, generously invited us to attend the event as his guests, and we offered to publicize it via social networks.

Here's the info from the She Dances website. The event is Saturday, October 12th, at the Hidden Chateau & Gardens in West Hills from 7 - 10 PM.

We hope you’ll join us on this very special evening of celebrating hope. Taste some stunning wines and bid on some exciting auction items! All of our wine, food and silent auction items have been generously donated, so every dollar raised will directly benefit the girls in our program who have been rescued from sex-trafficking. Admission is free, and $20 buys you four tasting tickets. 21 and over please. Visit our RSVP page and let us know that you’ll be coming!

A diverse selection of donated wines include selections from Dunn Vineyards, Abeja, Whalebone Vineyards, Peju Province, 3 Saints Vineyards, J Lohr, Lateral, Calabasas Peak Vineyards, and more.

Just a quick note: While the statements and/or opinions from the She Dances organization website are not necessarily in sync with those of the Goddess of Wine, we think this is a cause worth supporting. Cheers to those who work to save the children of the world!

Exciting New for Small Business Owners... Provide Unique Video Advertising with the SCV Unscripted Team

SANTA CLARITA, SEPT. 26 - If you haven’t already heard the buzz, well now you have.  SCV Unscripted is the newest production of Prime Publications, Inc., publishers of The Magazine of Santa Clarita and élite Magazine.  Together with Bonnie Keith, owner of Video Magic Production, and Eve Bushman as host, SCV Unscripted is dedicated to bringing even more awareness and publicity to your business or organization through use of video marketing. 

 

You may ask, “Why video?”  Using a mix of print as well as video marketing strategies makes the most sense.  With print ads, you have your chance to tell your stories using headlines, images and copy. With video, you can tell your story with movement and emotion.  So why not put your marketing dollars to good use with both?

Wining by Proxy...Kobrand Tour d'Italia - Icons of Italian Wine...

Sometimes the Goddess of Wine must send her First Acolyte, JD, to taste wine in her place. Last week, just a day before his knee surgery, JD attended the Kobrand Tour d'Italia 2013 tasting, Icons of Italian Wine at the Sofitel in Los Angeles. Here is his report:

Attended the walk-around tasting at this final stop of the tour. There had been hints of a seminar but could never confirm or connect. As I discovered after I checked in for the tasting and as certain questions were asked during the tasting, there actually was a seminar earlier somewhere in the hotel. Those are usually very educational. Who knows what it covered?

I started with the whites.

Masi Agricola Masianco from Veneto, a blend of 75% Pinot Grigio and 25% of another unfamiliar Italian grape called Verduzzo which added some nice acid and citrus notes.

Wineaux of the Goddess - September Meeting - Israeli Edition...

September being the month of both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this year, the Goddess of Wine thought it might be nice to taste the wines of Israel. Viticulture has existed in Israel since biblical times. In the book of Deuteronomy, the fruit of the vine was listed as one of the seven blessed species of fruit found in the land of Israel (Deut. 8:8).

The location of Israel along a historic wine trading route between Mesopotamia and Egypt brought winemaking knowledge and influence to the area. Wine played a significant role in Judaism with images of grape growing, harvesting and winemaking often being used to illustrate religious ideals. In Roman times, wine from Israel was exported to Rome with the most sought after wines being vintage, dated with the name of the winemaker inscribed on the amphora. In the 7th century, the Islamic conquest of the Middle East virtually wiped out the region's wine industry with wineries closing down and vineyards, planted with now lost indigenous grape varieties, pulled out. Winemaking was temporarily revived in the Crusader states from around 1100 to 1300 but the return of Islamic rule and the subsequent Jewish Diaspora extinguished the industry once again.

Wining and dining in Burbank with Luna Vine and Romancing the Bean...

The Goddess occasionally dreams about the perfect evening: No driving required, great food and wine pairings, fun folks, and no cleanup (for the Goddess, that is). Sometimes, the dream comes true.

I've mentioned a few times that a new wine bar is coming to Burbank. It's finally under construction, and should be opening in October. In the meantime, Luna Vine Wine Bar owner Shannan VerGow, her General Manager Nick Caballero, and good friend and colleague Kerry Krull of Romancing the Bean, have been keeping the buzz going with monthly tastings on Magnolia Park's Ladies' Night Out. A week before Labor Day, they collaborated on the first of what I hope will be many more wine dinners.

Wine Tasting Returns to Cheers at All Corked Up!

Raise Your Glass:

Wine Tasting Returns to Cheers @ All Corked Up

SANTA CLARITA August 28, 2013 – Taste a selection of international and domestic wines as you support the return of wine tasting to Cheers @ All Corked Up, the only fully-stocked wine bar and restaurant located in the Santa Clarita Valley’s east side and just 10 minutes from the center of town. 

Al Robles and Terri Rivera, the owners of Cheers @ All Corked Up, the venue that supported both Pour Into Haiti and Pour Into Sandy wine tasting events, would like to invite local and non-local, wine beginners and aficionados, back for their first private wine tasting event.

According to Al Robles, the following wineries and distributors are confirmed so far for this event: Cantara Cellars, Gagnon Cellars, Golden Star Vineyards, Reyes Winery, Southern Wine & Spirits, Trinitas Cellars and Wine Warehouse.

“We’re very excited to be offering this event to the Santa Clarita Valley,” said Al Robles.

The event will be held on Sunday afternoon, September 15, from 3 PM to 5:30 PM.  Wine paired appetizers are included, and unlimited tasting, for a $20 per person fee.  Additionally, wines that you taste and enjoy can be purchased; some at a special rate.

Contact Cheers @ All Corked Up at 661-259-2000 to guarantee your spot.  The address is 26340 Diamond Place Suite 100, Santa Clarita, CA 91350 and is located between Soledad Canyon Road and Golden Valley Road just off of Centre Pointe Parkway.  Landmarks include the Santa Clarita Sports Complex on one side and  the WalMart SuperCenter.  www.cheersatallcorkedup.com

Photo courtesy Eve Bushman - which may explain why it's sideways.

Wining with Francis Ford Coppola and Mr Chow...

As you know, sometimes the Goddess of Wine can't make it to trade events during the week, and so her trusty First Acolyte, JD, makes the sacrifice to cover and report on said events. This puts JD on the map for various mailing lists - and this week we are both very grateful for that.

JD was invited to a special dinner at Mr Chow in Beverly Hills highlighting the wines of the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Mr. Coppola wasn't there himself, but was ably represented by winemaker Corey Beck, accompanied by an enthusiastic staff of publicists and marketing folks.

Wineaux of the Goddess - August Meeting...Cava!

Cava

All the Wineaux agree: We love, love, love, love Champagne. What's not to love? However, we started off the year of wine region research with Champagne, so when the heat of the summer hit, we asked what other sparkling wine region did we want to check out. The answer: Cava.

Some background from Wikipedia: Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine of Denominación de Origen (DO) status, most of which is produced in Catalonia. It may be white (blanco) or rosé (rosado). The Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo are the most popular and traditional grape varieties for producing Cava. Only wines produced in the méthode champenoise may be labeled Cavas; those produced by other processes may only be called "sparkling wines" (vinos espumosos). About 95% of all Cava is produced in the Penedès area in Catalonia, with the village of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia being home to many of Spain's largest production houses. The two major producers are Codorníu and Freixenet.

Send in the Clones...Chardonnay - Part 2...

Part 2 of the Chardonnay Symposium, where the Goddess of Wine and her trusty acolyte, JD, taste a whole lotta Chardonnay...

After a fascinating morning listening to winemakers discuss Chardonnay clones, we downed the tasty box lunch provided as part of the event (turkey sandwiches with an apple and a cookie - and plenty of water), and got on the bus for the trip to Byron Winery and the Grand Tasting. Once there, we picked up our tasting glasses and got started.

The wineries included Alta Maria ~ Au Bon Climat ~ Baileyana ~ Bien Nacido Vineyards ~ Bridlewood Estate Winery ~ Byron Winery ~ Cambria Winery ~ Chamisal Vineyards ~ Chanin Wine Company ~ Conway Family Wines/Deap Sea ~ Costa de Oro Winery ~ Cottonwood Canyon Winery ~ Deovlet Wines ~ Dierberg Vineyard ~ Eberle Winery ~ Edna Valley Vineyard ~ Falcone Family Vineyards ~ Fess Parker Winery ~ Fontes & Phillips Wines ~ Foxen ~ Gainey Vineyard ~ Hartford Family Winery ~ J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines ~ J. Wilkes Wines ~ Jonata ~ Ken Brown Wines ~ Kenneth Volk Vineyards ~ La Fenetre Wines ~ Laetitia Vineyard & Winery ~ Landmark Vineyards ~ Lucia’s Wine Co ~ Merry Edwards Winery ~ Migration from Duckhorn Wine Company ~ Niven Family Wine Estates ~ Old Town Market, Orcutt ~ Patz & Hall ~ Presqu’ile Winery ~ Qupé Wine Cellars ~ Rancho Sisquoc ~ Riverbench Vineyard & Winery ~ Rusack Vineyards ~ Sanford Winery ~ Sierra Madre Vineyard ~ Solomon Hills Vineyards ~ Talley Vineyards ~ Thomas Fogerty Winery & Vineyard ~ Toretti’s Family Vineyard ~ Wente Vineyards ~ William James Cellars

Send in the Clones...Chardonnay Clones, Part 1...

Much to our delight, the Goddess of Wine and JD were invited to attend the fourth annual Chardonnay Symposium - the only event of its kind in the United States focusing on the golden grape. This was a chance to taste the world’s (well, mostly California's) most celebrated Chardonnays alongside food pairings designed to enhance the wine experience, with an educational panel session moderated by Wine Enthusiast’s Steve Heimoff.

Although I was looking forward to tasting the diverse selection of Chardonnays, I was most interested in the winemaker panel, titled and subtitled: Bring in the Clones! Chardonnay Clones: Do you care? Should you? Top California winemakers weigh in on everything you ever wondered about clones and selections. The panelists included: Moderator STEVE HEIMOFF, Wine Enthusiast, MATT DEES, Jonata, Santa Ynez Valley, MERRY EDWARDS, Merry Edwards Winery, Russian River Valley, FINTAN DU FRESNE, Chamisal Vineyards, Edna Valley, ECKHARD KAESEKAMP, Guillaume Grapevine Nursery, JEFF STEWART, Hartford Court, Sonoma County, CLARISSA NAGY, Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, Santa Maria Valley, JAMES ONTIVEROS, Alta Maria Vineyards & Native 9, Santa Maria Valley, and KARL WENTE, Wente Vineyards, Livermore Valley.