Wining about Shai Cellars...

Shai surrounded by his wines

The Goddess of Wine and a friend were talking about Shawn Shai Halahmy the other day, and she asked, "Have you written an article about Shawn?" I thought for a moment, and then realized that even though I talk about and write about Shawn and his wonderful wines, it's mainly in the context of hanging out with friends, and no, I have not written an actual article about him. So here we are!

JD and I met Shawn through Ian Blackburn and LearnAboutWine. During the period when we were working with Ian and his team on a regular basis, we were present at many classes and events, and this inquisitive guy was there, asking lots of questions about making wine. We actually found him kind of annoying (!) because he was quite persistent and wanted specific answers to his questions. Things changed when we - kind of by accident - adopted him into our rapidly-expanding group of Wineaux during a wonderful event, the Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux in January 2010. Suddenly, we couldn't get enough of him!

Wining at the end of the year...

The Goddess of Wine took off a couple of weeks from writing this month because this time of year always stops me in my tracks. Like pretty much everyone, I've been musing on the year that's passed; great moments, terrible losses, everything in between. This year we've lost some dear friends, and happily, made some new ones. We've seen some great theater and some dreadful. Attended some wonderful events, and some...not so much. Like all years, a mix.

This was the year I got my shoulder fixed after damaging it a second time. The first was saving a case a wine from falling at a LearnAboutWine event 5 or 6 years ago, rupturing my rotator cuff in two places; the second was this April, pulling my chair up to my desk and ripping my long-head biceps tendon. Six months post-surgery, I'm doing great, with full rotation and upper arm strength returned.

This year JD also had some relatively minor knee surgery after tearing his miniscus earlier in the year. I fear that this is just the precursor to a full knee replacement, but we'll see how his recovery continues.

Wineaux of the Goddess December Meeting - Jerez/Sherry!

After much discussion about how to finish up 2013 - the Year of Regions - the Goddess and Xochitl agreed to do a slightly different tasting: Sherry paired with tapas, one for each wine. Now Sherry isn't something that I run into a lot. In fact, I don't actually remember tasting any Sherry in my life except for the Sherries that were presented in the Spanish wine certification class I took back in 2010, so this was going to be a bit of a stretch. Between discovering just how complex and interesting all these different Sherries are, and Xochitl's perfect pairings, it turned out to be a remarkable and delicious evening.

Wining by Proxy...DM Vineyards & Partners Portfolio....

When the Goddess of Wine can't break away from the earth job, First Acolyte JD steps in to cover special wine events. Here are his notes from the DM Vineyards & Partners Trade and Press Portfolio Tasting at the Villa Restaurant in Woodland Hills on December 2nd.

The elegant Villa restaurant is located on a corner in the west San Fernando Valley and has had a number of incarnations over the years. While its address is on the busy Ventura Boulevard, the business actually extends deeply up the side street. This event was on their patio behind, so I can’t say what the restaurant proper is like inside, though from the pictures on their website (http://www.thevillawoodlandhills.com) it looks quite nice. The patio is sunken, paved in used brick with iron fencing and gates, a fountain in the rear upper section and wonderfully grown in with vegetation that secludes and protects from the sun. A fine array of appetizers was set out for the tasting. Judging by that sampling, I would certainly like to try their main menu.

Wining...well...Judging Wine in Camarillo...

A couple of months ago, the Goddess of Wine and JD were having a quiet glass of wine at the madport wine lounge (yes, all lower case), and found ourselves in conversation with winemaker Dave Lustig and his wife Nancy. One thing led to another, we exchanged cards and promises to stay in touch. Dave is a prime mover in the Cellarmasters of Los Angeles, a group of passionate home winemakers founded in 1973, who are are dedicated to promoting the culture and hobby of amateur winemaking along with the safe enjoyment of wine [from their website].

Some weeks later, I received an email asking if I would be interested in judging at the 40th Annual US Amateur Wine Competition to be held on November 23rd. If so, would I attend the free clinics on Sensory Evaluation and Wine Judging prior to the event? Of course! The classes proved to be interesting and helpful, and a great introduction to Cellarmasters. Slight disclaimer: I was already familiar with the group, as JD had been a member and purchases most of his winemaking supplies at the Home Wine, Beer and Cheesemaking Shop in Woodland Hills. The shop is owned by John Daume, who also operates Camarillo Custom Crush, where the competition was to take place.

Wineaux of the Goddess November - Meeting - Toro!

The Goddess of Wine and her merry band of wine aficionados met to taste the wines of Toro, Spain. As it turned out, almost all the Wineaux brought samples of the noble Spanish grape, Tempranillo, known in Toro as Tinto de Toro. And there was an interesting and unexpected lesson at this tasting.

Some background on Toro mainly from Wikipedia: Toro is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) in the province of Zamora, northwest of Castile and Léon (Spain). The area covered by the DO is in the southeastern corner of Zamora province. Wine has been made in Toro since the end of the 1st century BC, when the ancient Greeks taught the local Celtic tribes. In the Early Middle Ages, the wines from Toro were the first to be traded in the region of the River Duero.

King Alfonso IX granted lands to several religious orders with the understanding that they would plant vines, and many of the existing churches in Toro today were built thanks to the wealth generated by the wine trade. The reputation of the wines from Toro grew and it was sold further afield in cities such as Seville and Palencia. At this time the wine producers built underground wineries (bodegas) in order to obtain better quality wines and to have more effective temperature control. At the end of the 19th century, wine were exported to France during the phylloxera crisis, which did not affect the local vines as they were protected by the sandy soil. The vines of other regions of Spain were replaced by vines from Toro as well. Toro still has a number of very old vineyards with pre-phylloxera Tinta de Toro, which in recent years have been used to source grapes for special cuvées.

Wining in a 'Simply Italian' fashion...

The Goddess of Wine is still catching up on her October events...sigh... On Wednesday, October 30th, JD and I braved the morning traffic over the canyons to reach the Mr. C hotel in Beverly Hills in order to learn about and taste some Italian wines presented by Simply Italian. These intrepid folks had flown in the night before from a similar event in Chicago and, despite their pleasant demeanor, we could see how tired they were.

The first seminar Regulating Italian Wines in Today’s Market presented by Federdoc featuring Riccardo Ricci Curbastro, President, and Paul Wagner, Instructor for Napa Valley College’s Viticulture and Enology department, started late and ran into the set up for the next seminar. The information presented was a brief recap of some of the legislative changes that have taken place regarding the DO/DOCG system in the Mediterranean region. The system protects trademarks and appellations - not just wine, but all foods that are specific to an area. The presentation was somewhat marred by an attendee who obviously needed to let everyone know how much he knew about the regions and the subject, as he continually interrupted and derailed the presentation, not just in the first seminar, but all through the morning, adding to an already problematic day.

Wineaux of the Goddess - October Meeting - Anderson Valley Edition...

The Wineaux of the Goddess came together for their monthly blind tasting to sample the wines of the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County. Long known for their gorgeous white wines, the Goddess threw a monkey wrench in the works and specified red wines only.

Some background on this cool climate AVA (from Wikipedia): The name Anderson Valley applies to the region from Yorkville (located in a highland meadow straddling the upper Rancheria Creek and upper Dry Creek watersheds) through Boonville (located on Anderson Creek) and Philo (located on Indian Creek) to Navarro (located on Soda Creek). Rancheria, Anderson, Indian and Soda creeks are tributaries to the Navarro River, which flows north and west through the coastal range to the Pacific Ocean; Dry Creek flows south into the Russian River watershed in Sonoma County. The climate is tempered by cool marine air. Steep hills and mountains surround rolling to nearly level alluvial terraces. Elevation ranges from sea level to 2,500 feet. Annual rainfall ranges from 35 to 80 inches, and the average annual temperature is about 53°F. Towards the coast the summers are cool and moist with frequent fog, while the interior Anderson Valley proper features a warm to hot summer climate similar to nearby interior regions, with daytime highs occasionally in excess of 100 °F (38 °C).

Wining in the Santa Ynez Valley...

The Goddess and JD received an invitation from the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Club to attend the Harvest of Love - A Winemaker Affair on September 28th at the Santa Ynez Inn in the tiny hamlet of Santa Ynez. This intimate event featured 6 small wineries: Roark Wine Company, Solminer Wine, Turiya Wines, LaMontagne Winery, Kaena Wines and Shai Cellars in a lovely shady green setting on a perfect California autumn day.

I've mentioned before that I rarely go to big wine events because it's too hard to talk to the people making/selling their wines. At a small event like this one, JD and I were able to meet the wine makers in person (some of whom we already knew) and find out what drives their passion for winemaking.

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!