Wining in Napa, Sonoma and Lompoc...Part 4...

After a lovely day tasting in Napa, we packed our bags and headed to Sonoma. We stopped on the way at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards. We've had Jacuzzi wines before - mainly their Chardonnay - and found it pleasant and drinkable. The winery itself is beautiful - a great place for a party. And, judging from the crowd on a Wednesday morning, it is clearly a popular stop for wine lovers. The wine list is long and diverse, with a lot of Italian varietals, and we were happy that our barista, Kerstin, offered us spit cups.

Wining in Napa, Sonoma and Lompoc...Part 3...

A perfect Napa day

After being treated with less respect than I am used to, JD and I decided we wanted to go somewhere we knew we'd be treated well. So we headed over to Mumm Napa, where, when I flashed my business card, the charming Karri asked if we were interested in tasting some VINTAGE bubbly on the exclusive Oak Terrace. Well, yeah!

Wining in Napa, Sonoma and Lompoc...Part 2...

July 27th. Decided to spend the day checking out wineries along Rte. 29. First stop, Peju Province.  We had met the Peju folks at various LearnAboutWine events, but didn't call ahead for a private tasting. Won't make that mistake again. Peju has lovely wines and a gorgeous winery; they obviously receive truckloads of visitors, and have figured out a kind of assembly-line tasting experience. JD and I were herded to a counter along with 4 other couples. I pulled out my card, and Jeff, the very pleasant sommelier behind the counter graciously comped our tasting and gave us the trade discount. He poured 8 wines, spoke knowledgeably and enthusiastically about all of them, offered wine jokes and stories, and kept interaction to a minimum. The presentation was very professional, but felt scripted. Next time, we'll call first.

Wining in Napa and Sonoma and Lompoc...Part 1...

Having been invited to witness the wedding of Megan and Rich, JD and I drove up to Napa 7/24, stopping at Harris Ranch for an overpriced lunch and fuel for the car; arrived at the Best Western Inn at the Vines in Napa. Very nice, updated, clean room. Pulled in around 4, cleaned up and rested a bit, then coasted over to Villa Romano for the rehearsal dinner. Megan and Rich love Villa Romano, but the staff were a bit unfocused due to the sudden illness of their boss the night before, so dinner had some interesting hiccups. The guests were mainly family, but there were other folks as well: Dale and Mark, Brian and Stephanie, Rich’s best man Don Williams and his family, and Joe Lobue from WineShop At Home and his wife.

Wining and dining all over the place with friends...

So much going on!  So little time to write!  And so many folks out there who are telling everyone what they should drink and what they should think.  But not me.  I'm just telling you about my life...

First - there was the day of tasting in Malibu with Marya, Shawn, Debra, Xochitl, and Barry at the Cornell Winery, one of our favorite places to hang and taste wines from the Malibu AVA.  The highlight of the day for me was my friend Shawn's own wine, a deep, dark Syrah under the Shai label. He's been pouring at some small events, and for friends (thankfully!). He'll be releasing it soon. Watch for it!

An Embarrassment of Wining...I mean Riches...

Feeling a bit overwhelmed.  JD and I have been so busy with events and traveling that I don't know what to write about first! So, I'm going to start with what's on my mind.  We'll see how that works...

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Wining in Monrovia on a Saturday Afternoon...

Last week, JD and I actually had a weekend where we didn't have many plans, and it was a long weekend!  Saturday morning, we ran our usual errands, breakfasted with friends, and made a last minute decision to visit the California Wine and Cheese Company in Monrovia.  We had not been there previously, but I was on the email list, and it looked interesting, so we headed east.

We entered and were greeted cheerfully by Manager, Jeff Schultz, who, when we asked if they were pouring, responded, "If the doors are open, we're pouring!"  My kind of place!

We took a walk thru the store, admiring the diverse selection of California wines, international cheeses, and charming wine and cheese accessories and gift items.  Then we bellied up to the bar and checked out the tasting menu to see what was being poured.

Wining at Home...

One of the things I do on a fairly regular basis is host opening night parties at the Eclectic Company Theatre, where I am a long-time member.  It's always challenging to find inexpensive wine to pour for folks who are not necessarily looking for great wine, just something the wet their whistle and improve their theatre-going experience.

We've bought various Argentinean and Chilean wines at Trader Joe's, but the inventory there changes pretty quickly, and recently we haven't been able to find the La Boca Malbec from Argentina, so we went a bit further afield.  A new store, Fresh and Easy owned by British company that also owns Tesco, opened in Burbank (and all over LA, as far as I can tell).  JD went to do some grocery shopping and came back with info about a huge wine sale taking place:  Wines that were already seriously inexpensive had additional discounts in case lots.  So, he picked out 2 whites, 2 roses and 2 reds, paid under $12 for the 6 bottles, and brought them home to taste.

Spanish Wining...for two days...

Yikes.  Got an email from Ian at LearnAboutWine - 'Can you quit your job and take this class?' Um...no, can't quit the day job yet, but I can take a couple of vacation days to learn about Spanish wines.  This was a certification program presented by the Wine Academy Spain.  I spoke to the boss, who has actively supported my wine ventures from the very beginning, and took Monday and Tuesday to broaden my horizons in the wine world.  My good friend and colleague, Debra B., was also taking the class, and as it turned out, I knew a few other folks in the class, so it was friendly and mostly fun.