Santa Clarita Wine Fest - It's almost here!!

Join the Goddess of Wine on March 3, 2012 at The Bridgeport Marketplace for a day of food and wine with over 125 wineries represented and over 350 wines, beers and spirits being poured. This year will benefit the Michael Hoefflin Foundation, which offers hope, help and healing for Children's Cancer.

General Public from 1p-6pm
VIP event 5pm-7pm

For tickets, visit: http://santaclaritawinefest-autohome.eventbrite.com/

Use discount code 'goddessofwine' to get a huge discount - $40 for a $75 ticket!

See you at the Fest!

Wining in the Inland Empire...

Once again, we changed our plans for a quiet evening at a local restaurant to an excursion into the wilds of the Inland Empire. New friends, Susie Leivas and Chef Cheryl Markwardt, put together an amazing and delicious dinner for their Meet-Up group, and we were the lucky ones!

Tuscan dinner setting

John, Shawn, Debra, and I carpooled to Rancho Cucamonga on a cool, cloudy evening. The traffic gods were with us, and we made it out there in 45 minutes. Susie and Chef Cheryl were ready for us and popped the cork on a 2009 Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux sparkler to pair with the appetizers listed below. Shawn opened a bottle of his 2009 Grenache for an additional pairing, and as the other guests arrived, the evening just got better and better!

Wining with the Wineaux of the Goddess...Sangiovese...

After Googling the term 'Wine Goonies' and discovering that 'goonie' is a word with many undesirable connotations, the Goddess made an executive decision and renamed our little tasting team Wineaux of the Goddess, and is feeling much better about life. In order to be transparent about our methods, we use the tasting note format derived from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust or WSET, as several of us have achieved various certifications from that entity and find the method simple and straightforward. We judge the appearance, nose, palate, conclusion and food match, and determine if the wine is acceptable or not. We will never give points. We each pay for the wines we bring - nothing is donated or provided by a winery.

Sangiovese grapes

New name lilting on our lips, we (John, Shawn, Rico, Xochitl, Amelia, Marya, and I) met at Fab's on February 8th to taste and discuss the many faces of Sangiovese. Italy's most commonly planted red grape varietal, with over a dozen distinct clones, is a thin-skinned grape that takes its time to mature. Central Italy, specifically the region of Tuscany, is the agricultural heartland of the Sangiovese grape named for 'blood of Jupiter'.

Wining with SLO Pourers...

Broken Earth Winery

JD and I were finally able to participate in one of the monthly blind tastings that Sophia Stephens hosts with her group of enthusiastic wineaux, the SLO Pourers. We met at the new Broken Earth Tasting Room on Route 46 East on February 1st. It was great fun, and we hope to be able to play with the SLO Pourers again soon!

Petit Verdot is a red grape, mainly used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favor in its home region. When it does ripen, it is added in small amounts to add tannin, colour and flavor to the blend. It has been planted in the New World, where it ripens more reliably and has been made into single varietal wine. It is also useful in 'stiffening' the midpalate of Cabernet Sauvignon blends. When young its aromas include unripe banana and pencil shavings. Strong tones of violet and leather develop as it matures.

Wining by proxy...staff writer Marya Glur fills us in on the 3rd Annual Pinot Days...

The Goddess & JD were in San Francisco for ZAP, so staff writer Marya J. Glur and her intrepid sidekick stepped in to cover Pinot Days! Her report:

I have a secret. I’ve kept this secret since I started drinking, tasting, appreciating and loving wine, oh, so many years ago. It’s a secret that I have been loath to tell for fear of retribution, especially around wine aficionados who wax poetic about the subtleties of Pinot Noir. I keep mum around people who go on and on about how delicate and temperamental the grape is and how difficult it is to grow and what clones are grown where and how Burgundy is the ultimate of all wines. Blah, blah, blah...

Wining at the 2nd Annual Santa Clarita Wine Fest...

It's coming! The 2nd Annual Santa Clarita WineFest!!

 

March 3, 2012 the Bridgeport Marketplace hosts the 2nd Annual Santa Clarita WineFest which features over 300 wines, spirits and brews.  In addition there will be classes provided by industry experts on Italian wines, wine and cheese pairings and scotch. But Santa Clarita WineFest offers new ways to reach out toward our experts and Fest details like never before based on social media.

Attendees can learn more by visiting Santa Clarita WineFest on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to meet some of the wineries, learn from our acclaimed instructors and start conversations with other attendees and wine enthusiasts.

WineFest Owner/CEO Dr. Joel M. Fisher comments: "Social media has become a major force in the world. We're excited to embrace these tools and let them help us to create a comprehensive experience for our Fest."

Santa Clarita WineFest's Twitter account is active on a daily basis sending out fun tips, Fest details and wine-loving facts. Their Facebook is active throughout the week posting and sharing popular wine links and creating conversation. The YouTube channel offers exclusive content from regional, national and globally recognized wine commentators.

Learn more about the 2nd Annual Santa Clarita WineFest, visit the website here (www.SantaClaritaWineFest.com), buy tickets using eventbrite (http://santaclaritawinefest-autohome.eventbrite.com/), fan WineFest on Facebook.com/SantaClaritaWineFest here, follow WineFest on Twitter.com/SCVWine

The 2nd Annual Santa Clarita WineFest is sponsored by A1 Event Rentals, Bridgeport Marketplace, West Central Produce, Five Star Gourmet, 100.3 The Sound, The Magazine of Santa Clarita, Wine & Spirits Magazine, Icelandic Glacial H2O, Courtyard by Marriott.

 

And, if you use the code GODDESSOFWINE, receive a special discounted price for the Fest!!

See you there!

Wining by proxy...staff writer Marya Glur fills us in on the Union des Grand Crus...

Sometimes the Goddess doesn't get to attend wine events. Sob! Luckily, she has a band of merry and hearty wineaux who provide eyewitness accounts for her. Today, a special post by Staff Writer, Marya Glur, about an extraordinary annual event. Read on, and thanks, Marya!

Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux
January 21, 2012
Fairmont Hotel, Santa Monica, CA
By Marya J. Glur


The first time I attended the Union de Grand Crus des Bordeaux wine tasting a few years ago in an event space at Hollywood and Highland, I thought it was the single MOST important educational experience of my career as a wine aficionado. With over 100 château representatives, many of them winemakers and/or château owners, pouring over 150 Bordeaux wines, the event planners placed all the producers from each AOC area together making this event the perfect chance to taste through 5-10 wines from each viticultural area to really understand what makes Pauillac wine a Pauillac and how that's different from a Saint-Julien -- areas on the map that are directly adjacent. For that tasting, the Goddess and her merry band of wineaux decided the best strategy was to go for the most expensive, most prestigious wines of Bordeaux first while our palates were fresh. So, while everyone else was starting at the beginning by tasting through the whites, we headed directly to Margaux. The beauty of this strategy was that we were alone with the Margaux producers and then, Pauillac and Saint-Julien for an hour before anyone really caught up to us. We got to leisurely chat with each chateau representative about their wines before, during, and after each tasting. It was truly brilliant.

First winings of the year...

Took a month off from writing so that I would spare you all yet another year end recap. Suffice to say that 2011 had its ups and downs and a whole lotta great wine and food. And we're getting 2012 off to a busy start.

New Year's Eve - A few of us met at Debra B's atelier. We shared a few bottles of Kirkland Champagne (yep, Costco imports actual Champagne under their label - and it's pretty good and only $19.99), a treasured bottle of 2004 Caymus, Shai Adome (of course), and several others. Shawn got pretty toasted, so the Goddess ended up being the designated driver. Oh wait, I'm always the DD! Of course, we had to wait until I was back at the legal limit...thank goodness for Shawn's Breathalyzer!

New Year's Day at Rico's - Too much amazing food, too much delicious wine. I think I was in bed by 8 p.m.

Thinking about future wining...

Been trying to figure out why I've been so down this month. Mercury has been retrograde for the last 3 weeks. That could be part of it. Coming up on the third anniversary of my mom's death, and I miss her more than ever, so that's part of it, too.

It's also my birthday week, and I'm hitting a big milestone this year. I've had mixed feelings about it. In this weird world of Los Angeles/Hollywood, so many people are freaked out about getting older, but I've always embraced it. Until this birthday.

OK, just have to say it. I'm turning 60 on the 14th.

Random thoughts...

Time goes by so quickly. I'm always surprised that another week or two or more has elapsed since I sat down to write a post. I really admire writers who crank out post after post, article after article, and never seem to run out of topics or energy. Of course, those writers are probably getting paid for their work, which is a real incentive to make it happen!

Dinner at the Joust

Since Thanksgiving, I've just been kind of stalled. Got a big birthday coming up, and it's taken me by surprise. We'll be celebrating with my posse of wineaux, of course. Should be fairly silly. Going to Medieval Times. Never been there - I know you're surprised knowing that JD and I are longtime Ren geeks, but there you have it. Plus, I can't actually remember the last time I was in Buena Park. Stay tuned for pix and reviews. What ho!