Every time we travel to Napa we make a point to drive to the Alexander Valley AVA in Sonoma. There are many great wineries and the quality of the wines are very good. The history of Alexander Valley dates back to 1841 when Cyrus Alexander arrived in an untamed valley to manage the Sotoyome Rancho, a Mexican…
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When I started drinking wine, I was not a fan of white varietals. As time moves forward and I keep trying, I am really liking white wines. There are times I even prefer a good dry white wine over a red. If you have never tried older white wine seek out and find them. The…
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I have not spent a lot of time searching out or drinking wine from Australia. When I do think about wines from Australia I think of Shiraz. There are many varietals produced. The largest red varietal produced is Shiraz with Cabernet Sauvignon following Merlot. Of the whites produced Chardonnay is first with Semillon second…
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Our local bottle shop hosted a South African wine dinner. I was not familiar with the two wineries and wine makers. I also did not know who the importer was. So it is an opportunity to meet more people from South Africa. Generally, the wines from South Africa I am familiar with come from Z…
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I have officially graduated from UC Davis. Friends ask what does that mean? Well, I want to be a winemaker when I grow up. I have planted the seed with friends and have been offered to help with Overgaaux Wine Estate February 2016. We will spend a month and help David with harvest I will…
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As I drink more and more Sauvignon Blanc I am becoming a huge fan. There are so many ways to make wine. If two wine makers receive the same fruit I can guarantee you the end product will not be the same. That is what makes wine so interesting to me. Wine is a living…
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The Brunello di Montalcino is made from 100% Sangiovese (san-jo-veh-zeh) grapes. The grapes are grown throughout most of Italy and Sicily and are one of the regions favorite varietal since the early 1500’s. Two of the best-known wine regions of Italy are in the Tuscany region, being Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. These regions required…
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If your local wine shop hosts winemaker tastings I would recommend you sign up. Most of the wine tastings are pretty inexpensive and it gives you an opportunity to try a wine before you buy it. One of our local wine shops hosted a wine tasting with co-owner and winemaker Jill Klein Matthiasson. The tasting…
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Chris and I are huge Rhone fans. A few years back we attended a J.L. Chaves wine tasting at Sunfish Cellars. During the tasting, we had the privileged to meet Erin Cannon-Chave. Erin is the owner of JL Chave Selection, Erin imports the wines and is married to the winemaker Jean-Louis Chave. Since 1481, the family has been…
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It is always fun trying different wines and blends. Last year during our Christmas break in Walla Walla, we met Winemaker Ashley Trout. Hearing her story was fun and you could see her passion making wine. Ashley has been making wine since 1999, when she was 18 years old. Originally from Washington, DC., Ashley moved…
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It was the final smut night with Chris and her friends. As usual there was plenty food and the girls were loud. Sometimes I have to text Chris asking them to simmer down. It’s all fun and I am happy she has this time with her friends. The smut shows start again in January so…
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If you have been watching television, I am sure you have seen the horrible fires in California. California has been in a drought since 2012. The drought has been so bad that many wells are dried up. Reservoirs are dangerously low or empty. Some local communities are limiting the water usage per family per day.…
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