My wife and I have been making an annual trip to the Central Coast region of California for the last five years. For the first couple of years, we built our trip around Santa Barbara wineries. But the last few years, our trips have been built around Paso Robles wineries. Tablas Creek Vineyard is...
Steven Kent winery is owned by Steven Kent Mirassou. The Mirassou family has been growing grapes and making wines in California since 1854. That's when Steven's great-great-great grandfather Pierre Pellier, who sailed from t2010 he Port of La Rochelle, France, arrived in San Jose with wine-grape...
Smith-Madrone Vineyard and Winery is a family run, estate-bottled winery located on Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley town of St. Helena. The winery was founded in 1971 by brothers Stuart and Charles Smith who are the Managing Partner/Enologist and Winemaker respectively. In addition to the...
Napa Valley means many things to me, most of which are associated with positive feelings. It has an intriguing sense of history when one considers its ascendancy in a relatively short period of time to the status it enjoys today in the wine world. It has a unique geological profile with a...
On our most recent trip to Napa Valley, my wife and I were looking for a complete different kind of Napa Valley experience. Something we've never done during decades of visiting the Napa Valley. Something that I didn't think existed in the Napa Valley. Free tasting! Such experiences are few and...
Silver Trident Winery is a Napa Valley-based winery located in Yountville, the charming Culinary Capital of the Napa Valley that offers a completely different and singular wine tasting experience. Silver Trident is a Tuscan-style tasting home featuring a sit down tasting in an upscale setting...
More often than not, when a winemaker is asked about his/her favorite wine, the answer -similar to when a parent is asked about his/her favorite child - is usually something along the lines of it depends or I don't have a favorite, I appreciate what's special about each. I feel the same way...
I have the good fortune of living in the East Bay between Oakland and San Jose. It's a wine-lovers paradise. Napa Valley, Sonoma, the Santa Cruz Mountain, and Livermore Valley wine regions are all within a 90 minute drive. Even so, I frequently find myself also taking advantage of the multitude...
I have the good fortune of living in the East Bay, between Oakland and San Jose. It's a wine-lover's paradise. I live within a 90-minute drive of Napa Valley, Sonoma, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Livermore Valley wine regions. Even so, I frequently find myself also taking advantage of the...
Several years ago a wine-loving friend of mine, who lives in Oakland, California, asked me if I'd ever tried wine made from a grape called Teroldego. I didn't know the grape at all. I told him I hadn't. He told me I had to try it, and that there was a winery in Oakland that was specializing in...
Broc Cellars is an urban winery located in Berkeley, California. The owner/winemaker is Chris Brockway. Chris grew up in Omaha and attended the University of Nebraska where he majored in Philosophy. After college, he worked in restaurants back home before moving to Seattle, Washington. That's...
Donkey & Goat is an urban winery located in Berkeley, California. It's owned and operated by Jared & Tracey Brandt. Theirs is a story we've heard before, but with a natural twist. They both left tech careers to pursue their dreams of making wine. They got started making wines in the Rhône Valley...