VINOGRAPHY: a wine blog
Wine and food adventures in San Francisco and around the world
~ Recently in Wine Activities Category ~
The Best Pinot Noir in California?: Tasting Pinot Days 2009
The Pinot Days grand tasting event, which took place yesterday at Fort Mason in San Francisco, brings together one of the largest collections of Pinot Noir producers in North America for the tasting pleasure of the public. I was interested to see whether attendance at this year's event would be noticeably lower, but if it was, I couldn't tell. The place seemed just as packed as ever, which is a good thing -- the California wine industry needs all the help it can get in this recession. So needless to say, I was in good company tasting yesterday with 3500... continue reading 
- Posted by: Alder on June 29, 2009 10:32 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
Comments (8) - 
TrackBacks (0) - 
Permalink
International Pinot Noir Conference: July 24-26, McMinnville, OR
There are wine tastings, and then there are wine tastings. And then, there are experiences that completely transcend a bunch of tables with vintners standing behind them pouring their wines. I've been to a few "destination" wine experiences, some of which have been great, but none of which have been better than the International Pinot Noir Conference that takes place every year in McMinnville, Oregon. Scheduled over a long July weekend every year, IPNC is one of the most relaxed and intimate wine tasting experiences I've had the pleasure of attending, not to mention the fact that it also involves... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 25, 2009 5:17 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Highlights from the 2009 Aspen Food & Wine Classic
I just returned from a weekend as a speaker at the 27th annual Aspen Food & Wine Classic, the grandaddy of all food and wine festivals. This was my second opportunity to attend the festival as a speaker, and, like the first year, a doubly special honor, as Aspen also happens to be my home town. DAY 0 I got the opportunity to kick off the weekend's festivities as the guest speaker at a luncheon for the Aspen Chamber Resort Association. My job was to entertain, to guide the attendees through the wines selected for the lunch, and to thank... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 22, 2009 9:05 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Pinot Days Festival and Tasting: June 24-28, San Francisco
It's hard to believe there was once a time that San Francisco had no major public wine tasting focused on Pinot Noir. I've only been blogging about wine for the last five and a half years, but when I started, no such festival existed. We had a Zinfandel Festival, a tasting for small family winemakers, a tasting for Rhone varietals, a Cabernet tasting, and more, but not until 2005 did San Francisco get a festival dedicated to what has been called the "heartbreak grape." Now in it's fifth year, Pinot Days has firmly established itself as one of the largest... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 16, 2009 9:10 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Golden Glass Tasting: June 21, San Francisco
There aren't many "secret" public wine tastings in San Francisco, but for several years, the Golden Glass tasting was about as close as you could get to a "wine insiders" tasting. Historically under-promoted, and generally not well attended, this tasting is often described as the single best public wine tasting in San Francisco. I'm not sure that's true, but it certainly is one of the better ones. This event, which is a fundraiser for Slow Food USA, has focused almost exclusively on small Italian wine producers -- apropos of the fact that Slow Food was founded in Italy. In recent... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 8, 2009 11:46 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Marin County Pinot Noir Tasting: June 13, Larkspur
Most of the major appellations of California tend to have their own large tastings, where members of the public have an opportunity to sample a broad range of wines from a specific area. These tastings, as I am fond of reminding you readers, are by far the best way to educate your palate and to learn both what you like and do not like, but also who you like and do not like when it comes to California wine. These tastings are the best places to discover your next favorite wine. This particular wine tasting may be a chance to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 3, 2009 10:13 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The Best Wine in Washington State: Notes from Taste Washington 2009
The first week of April I got the opportunity to do an "immersion" course in Washington State wine. No, this didn't involve repeatedly dunking me in a vat of wine, amusing though that would have been. Rather, it involved attending the annual Taste Washington wine festival in Seattle. I flew up to Seattle for two reasons. I was asked to give a seminar at the event, which I gladly did, focusing on wineries that made their wine in unconventional places like garages, barns, airplane hangers, fire houses, etc. But mostly I was excited for the opportunity to taste a ton... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 27, 2009 11:17 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (17) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wine & Spirits Restaurant Wine Tasting: June 2, New York City
Summer is almost upon us, which means a last minute flurry of wine events around the country before the heat sets in. Especially in New York City. New Yorkers don't seem to get quite as many large public tasting events as we do in California, no doubt in part because of the expense of flying in with a big box of wines to pour for the public. This is a shame, really, as it's a great market for such tastings. Which is why I always try to point out to my New York readers when the opportunity arises to spend... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 26, 2009 10:23 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
TAPAS Tempranillo Tasting: June 14, San Francisco
Sometimes I feel like California vintners don't experiment enough. While they may be trying a wide range of rootstocks, clonal material, yeast strains, trellising methods, barrel regimes, and the various other minor, yet important variables that can make for higher quality wine, far too few wineries are trying to grow different grape varieties from around the world. That's a generalization, of course, and there are plenty of exceptions, but by and large most California winemakers stick to the tried and true: white and red Bordeaux varieties, Syrah, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, with occasional branching out into Grenache, Viognier, or... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 24, 2009 10:38 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Carneros Heritage Festival: May 30, Sonoma
Carneros is one of California's most distinctive and special winegrowing regions. While wine lovers can argue for hours about the concept of terroir, few California wine aficionados can dispute that Carneros possesses a unique and dynamic climate that is forged from geography and weather. As summer heat spikes into the 100's just a few miles away, Carneros remains cool, even chilled by ocean breezes and fog banks, making for perfect cool-climate grape growing conditions that favor the Burgundy varietals of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Additionally, it represents a bit of an oddity when it comes to California appellations, as it... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 14, 2009 10:11 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Paso Robles Wine Festival 2009: May 15-16th, Paso Robles, CA
Anyone who hasn't yet discovered Paso Robles wines is missing some of the most interesting and dynamic wines that California has to offer. And anyone who hasn't discovered Paso Robles, would do well to mosey on down there for their 27th Annual Wine Festival in a couple of weeks. Once a sleepy undiscovered little wine town, Paso has become the epicenter of a wine explosion in the last decade with wineries popping up like Spring crocuses every year. The limestone terroir of western Paso Robles in particular is producing some absolutely stunning Syrahs and other Rhone Varietals that every wine... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 2, 2009 12:21 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival: May 15-17, Philo, CA
California Pinot Noir lovers take note. Wine lovers with a free weekend, listen up. It's Spring, and the wine events are coming fast and furious. It seems like every week there's a new wine tasting to go to. But some are more worth paying attention to than others. Anderson Valley is known for two things in California, and not coincidentally, it has more or less two major wine tasting events per year. The first, the International Alsace Varietals festival took place a few months ago, and I was sadly prevented from attending. The second is the annual Pinot Noir Festival,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 27, 2009 10:17 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
RAP Pink Out! Rose Tasting: May 12, San Francisco
It's almost impossible to write about pink wines these days without invoking some sort of cliche. Even the (true) claim that rosé wines are no longer out of fashion has been recycled so many times that I'm cringing just typing it. The fact of the matter is that after years of being vino-non-grata, pink wines are finally back in the awareness of American wine drinkers. After the success of Sutter Home White Zinfandel sent wine lovers running for the hills every time someone offered them a glass of rosé, discerning palates are returning to pink wines in huge numbers. How... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 21, 2009 9:58 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (8) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Hospice du Rhone Tasting: April 30 - May 2, Paso Robles, CA
Most wine tasting events focused on a specific style or type of wine that take place in California suffer from a single, but important deficit: they feature almost exclusively California wines. Go to a Pinot Noir event, and you get 95% California Pinots, etc. There are a few notable exceptions to this event, however, and one of my favorites is the annual fete for Rhone style wines called Hospice du Rhone. For those who have not had the pleasure of attending Hospice du Rhone, it is a unique treat for anyone who enjoys this kind of wine. Attendees spend a... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 12, 2009 10:31 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Pebble Beach Food and Wine Experience: April 16-19, Carmel, CA
Once upon at time, there was but one major event for food and wine enthusiasts looking to experience some of the top chefs and wines of the United States. The Aspen Food and Wine Classic was the ultimate experience for epicures and wine lovers who could afford to attend the multi-day showcase of taste. Other events equally focused on bringing together fine food and wine and the people who love them have followed. Strangely, for many years none of these events took place in California. Eventually, though, some people realized the travesty represented by this fact, and started an event... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 30, 2009 10:35 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Wine Activities
- Comments (6) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Taste Washington Wine and Food Festival: April 4-5, Seattle
I may be a little bit like a broken record when it comes to large public tasting events. I can't underscore enough to my readers how valuable they are for their ability to help novice wine lovers turn into experienced ones. There is simply no better way to educate your palate (or even just find out what kind of wine you like and do not like) than to attend a large public tasting. Such tastings are all the more valuable when they are focused on a particular style of wine, or a particular region. When it comes to regional tastings,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 16, 2009 10:16 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Rhone Rangers Tasting: March 22, San Francisco
I love watching the green buds burst forth on the trees this time of year, hard on the heels of the cherry blossoms. Yes, it's California, and the groundhog doesn't agree with me, but the barest hint of any season gets me excited, but especially Spring. And with Spring in San Francisco comes lots of wine tasting events, and a few really good ones. The Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting in San Francisco is certainly one of the Spring highlights for wine lovers in the Bay Area. Held at Fort Mason, like all the other big tastings, Rhone Rangers offers the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 5, 2009 12:01 AM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Tasting: February 28, San Francisco
If there is one public wine tasting event that rivals San Francisco's yearly ZAP Zinfandel tasting for sheer size and chaos, it could only be the annual Chronicle Wine Competition Tasting. Every year the San Francisco Chronicle (with a lot of help) holds a wine competition, judged by more than 60 wine professionals, in which they award medals to their top choices from among over 4,700 wines from all across America. This competition has grown over the last 8 years to be the largest competitive tasting of American wines in the world. The judges hand out hundreds of medals and... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 24, 2009 10:44 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (6) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
New York Wine Expo & Tasting: February 27-28, New York
OK New Yorkers, listen up. Most of the time, America looks your way with envy. You've got the best restaurants, the best films, the best theater, the best art scene, it goes on and on. But one thing you ain't got so much of is good public wine tasting events. Which is why there's always a bit of jealousy in the voices of my friends in New York when we talk about the wine events that happen every month or so here in San Francisco. So here's your chance to fix that in a big way: The New York Wine... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 14, 2009 2:37 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (6) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Dark and Delicious Petite Sirah Tasting: February 20, Alameda
I've referred to it in the past as "the beast." Possessing tannins that need to be tamed through intelligent winemaking, Petite Sirah can truly be a monster of a wine. One of the least-well -known red grape varieties that are commonly grown in California, it does not command legions of rabid followers like Zinfandel or Cabernet or even Syrah, from which it takes its misleading name. In the right hands, however, Petite Sirah can be a stunning wine -- deep, resonant, and rich. Petite Sirah has been grown in California for a long time, but apart from some limited success... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 10, 2009 10:11 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (9) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Anderson Valley Alsace Varietals Festival: February 21, Boonville, CA
With all the fanfare surrounding Cabernet and Pinot Noir coupled with the obsession this country seems to have with Chardonnay, it's sometimes hard for people to remember that California produces a lot of different kinds of wine. It's even harder, it seems, to get people to drink some of it. Enter what may be the most unique wine festival in California and perhaps the country. Some of the most under-appreciated and least consumed wines in the state are those made from grapes like Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. There aren't a lot of places in California where these... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 28, 2009 10:07 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
La Paulee Grand Burgundy Tasting: March 7, New York City
Every budding wine lover faces what can often seem like a daunting mountain to climb. There are so many wines in the world to learn about and experience, it easy to feel overwhelmed. Novice wine lovers also often feel a special sense of frustration, characterized by an ambition that far outstrips our own means to fulfill it. Many of the wines that passionate wine lovers wish they could taste are simply out of reach -- too rare, too popular, and too expensive. When I was first starting out in my journey down the roads of wine, the most mysterious and... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 18, 2009 1:27 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Announcing the Menu For Hope 2009 Wine Prize Winners!
Thank you all for your patience while we whipped our random number generator into place so that we could be sure that the raffle was fair and square. Finally, though, the time has come to announce the winners of the fifth annual Menu For Hope charity raffle. This year, despite everything going on with the economy, we raised $62,206.86. That is a staggering figure and an incredible testament to your generosity and support for such a worthy cause. Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you. You have provided so much to people who have so little. If... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 15, 2009 9:17 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
ZAP Zinfandel Festival: January 28 - 31, San Francisco
It's that time of year again. I know of no other event that seems to bring out the inner wine lover in so many San Franciscans more than the annual ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) Festival. It never ceases to amaze me how many people turn out with such enthusiasm for this single varietal festival. Don't get me wrong. I love Zinfandel -- unabashedly so. But I tend to forget how many other people do too. Especially those that live in San Francisco. Of course it's not just San Franciscans that turn out for this one-of-a-kind weekend. People come from... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 6, 2009 10:16 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (15) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Join Vinography at The Aspen Food & Wine Classic '09
Now that you're wrapping up your Winter holidays, it's the perfect time to plan your Summer ones. In my opinion Summer holidays should be filled with beautiful scenery, great wine, and delicious food. If you agree, then perhaps you'll consider joining me at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic 2009. I grew up in Aspen, and as a kid, I worked as a catering scamp at the Classic, hauling crates of dishes around, not really knowing what the whole thing was about, other than there was lots of free food. Last year I had the double pleasure of not only... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 2, 2009 10:24 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Last Day to Get Fabulous Wine Prizes for a Steal!
OK folks, here's the deal. Today is the last day of A Menu For Hope charity raffle. You've got until Midnight tonight, Pacific Time, to buy raffle tickets for some seriously awesome prizes. Every raffle ticket increases your chance of winning said prize, and every ticket buys healthy, nutritious lunches for school children in Lesotho. What could be better than that? It's important to realize that even a single $10 ticket can win you some seriously good loot. One of the most popular prizes last year (and this year), the Meadowood vacation package, was won by someone who bought a... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 31, 2008 3:50 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Boston Wine Expo: January 24-25, Boston, MA
Wine lovers in Beantown, listen up. It won't be long now before some of you may be asking yourselves what on Earth you're doing freezing your keisters off in the depths of winter. But there is at least one reason for sticking around through January besides the New England Patriots, and that, my friends is the Boston Wine Expo. There are very few reasons that I'd venture out to Boston in the middle of winter, but let me tell you, the Boston Wine Expo is almost enough of a reason for me to jet on out there from San Francisco.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 27, 2008 5:56 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (8) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Menu For Hope Campaign Extended with New Prizes!
Merry Christmas to all! Today was supposed to be the final day of A Menu For Hope, our annual charity raffle, but it has really picked up some steam in the last few days so we're extending it through the end of the year! A number of new prizes in all regions have been added. So go find some fabulous prizes and bid on them: You can find wine related prizes here on Vinography. Prizes from Europe *including* the UK at Ms.Adventures in Italy Prizes from US: West Coast at Matt Bites Prizes from US: East Coast at Steamy Kitchen... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 25, 2008 8:27 AM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Win Dinner for Six, Free Wine, and Vinography as Your Sommelier
One of my greatest joys in the world is turning people on to good wine. And I love when I can do it in person. It's the season of giving, and as you know Vinography is the proud sponsor of all the wine prizes for this year's Menu for Hope charity raffle. I've made sure there are a lot of fabulous prizes to win, partly by talking generous folks in the wine industry into donating some really choice things. But I haven't yet donated a prize myself this year. So let's change that, shall we? My friend and fellow blogger... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 16, 2008 9:24 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Announcing A Menu For Hope 2008: Win Fabulous Wine Prizes
How would you like to go a luxury wine vacation all the while knowing that you're enjoying Napa luxury because you helped to feed some hungry schoolkids in Lesotho, Africa? That, my friends, is the beauty of the charity event called A Menu For Hope. This is the fifth year of A Menu For Hope, the grassroots charity event for wine and food bloggers that started in response to the horrible Tsunamis of 2004. Last year's event raised more than $90,000 for the UN's World Food Programme, which set up a special arrangement so that 100% of the proceeds went... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 15, 2008 7:43 AM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine News
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Donate a Prize to A Menu For Hope, Become Famous!
This is the official request for prize donations for the 5th Annual Menu For Hope charity raffle, sponsored by wine and food bloggers around the world. For those who are not familiar with this initiative, it is essentially a raffle, with prizes donated by bloggers (or other kind folks who want to participate but don't have blogs). Participants post a description of their prize (or get me to post one for them if they don't have a blog) and do all they can to attract donations (which will be made made on the designated donation web site) in increments of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 14, 2008 4:29 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wine Bloggers Get Charitable
Ok all you wine bloggers out there, listen up. Later this week, the 5th Annual Menu For Hope campaign will be announced. This annual charity raffle, coordinated by top food and wine bloggers around the world raised $91,188.00 last year to feed school children in Lesotho in a truly awesome display of reader generosity and blogger power. This year's campaign will go from December 15th to December 25th. For those who are unfamiliar with the event, you should check out the main event posting from last year, as well as my wine specific event page. Here's how it works: 1.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 8, 2008 11:18 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (10) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The Best South African Wines, Part II: Cape Wine 2008 Scores
I went to South Africa to learn about South African wine, and the primary way for me to do that is to taste. So taste I did -- probably more than 500 wines by the end of the week -- spending two full days going from booth to booth at the Cape Wine 2008 expo trying to taste a wide cross section of South African wine while at the same time making sure to hit some of the producers I knew were among South Africa's best. The end result? Scores for more than 350 wines, and a very rapid education... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 16, 2008 10:11 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The Joy of Sake 2008 Tasting: October 23, San Francisco
I absolutely love the fact that we've reached a point in this country where I don't need to explain why a sake tasting in San Francisco might be an enjoyable way to spend an evening. In the five years since I've been writing this blog, sake has gone from obscure to obvious, hardly known to hip. The availability and visibility of sake in the US has blossomed, driving by fine dining establishments and the increasing popularity of all things Japanese. Despite this, however, the average wine lovers' knowledge of sake is extremely limited, mostly by virtue of not having tasted... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 17, 2008 11:15 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Activities
- Comments (11) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Chicago Pinot Days Tasting: November 15, Chicago
Hey Chicago, listen up! If you live in the Windy City and you love wine -- you know who you are -- then there's someplace you better be on November 15th. Once upon a time there were only a few big-time, high-quality wine events around the country, and they tended to cluster heavily on the two coasts. These days, however, we are in in the midst of a gold rush of sorts, as people figure out that there's both good money to be made in putting on large scale wine tastings, and plenty of people who love to go to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 13, 2008 11:09 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (6) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Pinot on the River Festival, October 24-26, Russian River Valley
Now is a wonderful time to be wandering around wine country. The harvest is mostly complete, so there's less chance of being hit by a wine truck, and while there's still a lot going on at wineries, things have faded from the manic atmosphere that pervaded the last four weeks at most places. All of this means that as the afternoon sun angles low, life gets pretty idyllic on the wine roads around Sonoma, and the timing is good to relax with friends and a nice glass of wine. Which is why, I suppose, around this time of year we... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 7, 2008 9:55 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting: October 14, San Francisco
I've beat the drum a lot about public wine tastings, but there's just no getting around the fact that they are the best way for wine lovers to educate their palates. There's just no substitute for tasting a lot of wines in a single "sitting" to learn what the differences are, and more importantly, what you like. One of the other nice things about public tastings, put on as they are by big organizations, or in this case, publications, is that they often allow you to taste wines that you might not get a chance to taste otherwise for some... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 28, 2008 7:36 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (6) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
San Francisco's FallFest 2008: October 11, San Francisco
It seems like every major city has dozens of food and wine festivals every year. San Francisco, compared to many urban centers, tends to be more selective in what it puts on, however. And that's a good thing, because I've certainly been to enough crappy food and wine events with lousy food and wine (and too little of either) to last my lifetime. Honestly, the first time I attended FallFest in San Francisco, I expected it to be yet another mediocre attempt at a gourmet food and wine festival. But I was more than pleasantly surprised that first year, and... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 21, 2008 2:46 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Sake Day Tasting: October 1, San Francisco
Japan has given many things to the world that I cherish, but few of them have an unofficial holiday that gives me the excuse to celebrate them. But every October first, along with sake lovers all over Japan and around the world, I get to observe Nihonshu no Hi, also known as Sake Day. Like wine, no one knows exactly when sake first made an appearance. In a similar fashion to grape wine, the knowledge that fermented rice eventually yields an alcoholic beverage was probably discovered in accidental and then later deliberate stages, as innovative and curious folks explored ways... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 18, 2008 10:13 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Sake , Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Notes from the Manresa Sake Dinner
Last week, I was joined by an adventurous group of diners and drinkers for a completely unique meal at Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos, California. The result of months of discussions and planning between myself, Chef David Kinch, and Wine Director Jeff Bareilles, The Sake Dinner was an extraordinary experience. To my knowledge, no non-Japanese, U.S. restaurant of the caliber of Manresa has ever done a tasting menu exclusively to be paired with world-class sake as we did last Wednesday night. Chef Kinch created a special eight-course meal that drew on his deep love of Japanese cuisine and its influence... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 16, 2008 11:28 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Sake , Wine Activities
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wine 2.0 Event and Tasting: September 18, New York City
Internet technologies are changing every aspect of life and commerce in industrialized societies. While the wine industry is often slower to adopt new technologies than some, wineries, wine retailers, and wine consumers are all benefiting from the creative application of technology, whether that's through easier ways to buy, sell, learn about, or market wine. As critical as I can be of some of these applications of technology, I'm convinced that the wine industry (or the world, for that matter) will never be the same. There are a lot of wine tasting events out there that afford wine lovers the opportunity... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 12, 2008 9:52 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (6) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Still Seats Left for the Sake Dinner at Manresa
Some of the best meals of my life have been from the kitchen of chef David Kinch at Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos. I'd take half a tasting menu from him over anything at the French Laundry, any day of the week. Which is why I'm humbled at his continued interest in collaborating with me to provide an unparalleled dining and drinking experience for a few adventurous diners every once in a while. David and I both have an enduring love for Japanese cuisine. If you've ever eaten at Manresa you may have noticed this influence in Chef Kinch's cooking.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 27, 2008 7:35 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Slow Food Nation Wine and Food Event: Aug 29 - Sept 1, San Francisco
It's a pretty good time to be alive. I don't find myself often wishing that I had lived in earlier times. However, there are events in the past that I would give my right arm to have been able to experience first hand. One of my top choices for time-travel destinations would certainly be the 1893 Worlds Fair in Chicago. I'd love a week to explore the wares of the world amidst Olmstead's gardens. There may not ever be another event so grand as that, but when it comes to American food and wine, Slow Food Nation may very well... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 22, 2008 9:57 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Tasting the Wines of San Francisco's East Bay Wineries
Wine country is now 15 minutes from downtown San Francisco, thanks to the surge in wine producers that are popping up all over the East Bay (and in San Francisco proper, too!). Oakland, Alameda, and Berkeley are now home to more than a dozen wineries that range in size from a couple of people and a couple of barrels, to some of California's most lauded wineries. A couple of years ago, these wineries got together and formed a marketing association that would help them all gain more visibility. This organization, known as the East Bay Vintners Alliance, has begun to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 20, 2008 8:38 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Sonoma Wine Country Weekend: Aug 29-31, 2008
Most people, when they come visit me in San Francisco and ask to be taken to wine country, assume that they're going to Napa, but at least half the time, that's definitely not where we end up. These well meaning tourists aren't the only ones who seem to forget that Northern California has many different "wine countries." Napa casts a long shadow, as it were. I've got lots of love for every piece of wine country we've got, and a special place in my heart for Sonoma County, both because it is the place of my birth, but also because... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 18, 2008 8:21 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Napa Valley Wine Library Tasting: August 24th, St. Helena
Serious wine lovers in the San Francisco Bay area get several opportunities each year to indulge their passions for wine. Large, themed tastings like the ZAP Zinfandel Festival or the recent Pinot Days are great opportunities to get a sense of a certain varietal and the quality of the recent vintage in California and events like the upcoming Family Winemakers are an opportunity to taste wines from smaller producers. It is quite rare, however, despite the nearness of the appellation and the saturation of wine in the Bay Area, for consumers to get the opportunity to get an in-depth or... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 11, 2008 9:06 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The Best Pinot Noir in California?: Tasting at Pinot Days 2008
The Pinot Days event, which took place on the last weekend in June this year, brings together one of the largest collections of Pinot Noir producers in North America for the tasting pleasure of the public. It's taken me quite some time to get this report out. Such tasting reports are the most time intensive blogging that I do, especially when the organizers of events like Pinot Days don't have an electronic list of the wines that are being poured at the event. Which means I need to transcribe the hundreds of wines and scores that I record in my... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 9, 2008 9:23 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Family Winemakers Tasting: August 24th, San Francisco
Size isn't everything, they say, but sometimes it's mighty impressive. The yearly Family Winemakers tasting in San Francisco has as one of its many claims to fame that it is the single largest tasting of California wines in the world. That alone would not be reason for excitement, were it not for the generally exceptional quality of the wines that are on offer, year after year. Regular readers know that this tasting is one of my favorites every year. It provides an opportunity to sample the wares of smaller, family-run wineries, many of whose wines are made in such small... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 3, 2008 11:13 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Bay Area Urban Wine Experience Tasting: August 9th, Oakland
Wine country means a lot of things in California, a state with winegrowing regions stretching most of its 800 mile length. For most residents of the San Francisco Bay Area, we tend to think of Wine Country as Napa or Sonoma. Increasingly, however, wine country must also include the East Bay. The cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda are now home to dozens of "Urban" wineries that are producing some of California's most sought-after wines. Recently united by an organization known as the East Bay Vintners Alliance, this group of 15 winemakers is holding its third annual Urban Wine Experience... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 25, 2008 10:21 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Italian Wine Tasting Notes From The Golden Glass 2008
These days, with a newborn, I don't get out to many large tasting events, but one I decided I shouldn't miss this year was the annual Golden Glass tasting in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. This tasting is an annual fundraiser for Slow Food USA, and has been called the best single wine tasting event in San Francisco by more than a few wine lovers I know. In addition to having a reputation for pouring a lot of great wine (mostly Italian) the Slow Food focus attracts many of the top artisan food producers and restaurants from around... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 26, 2008 10:37 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Taste3 Conference: July 17-19, Napa
I know how you think. You're sitting there, scratching your head, wondering, "now what on earth am I going to do here in the middle of the summer to exercise both my brain and my taste buds in a sophisticated way?" It's a good thing I caught you early on in your musing, otherwise you might have frittered away the whole summer in frustration, trying to come up with something suitably intellectual and delicious to occupy your time. So instead of sitting there updating your cellar list in Excel, or converting that old rolodex of recipes into a new digital... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 21, 2008 6:05 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Blogging From Paradise: Day 2 at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic
Day two of Aspen's Food and Wine Classic was blessed with the same weather as the first. Crystalline blue skies, 75 degrees and sunny. I gave my second Napa's Next Superstars seminar to a nearly full auditorium at the Given Institute, and after hanging around to chat with some of the attendees about the wines, I was free. With all my seminars behind me I had the opportunity to finally explore the Classic as a spectator instead of a speaker. The first thing I did was head down to the Grand Tasting tent to get a few bites of food... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 14, 2008 10:54 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wine Blogging From Paradise: Day One of the Aspen Food & Wine Classic
I just finished my first day at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic, and my second day back in my home town for the first time in 14 years. It's been quite an honor to be asked to speak at this year's classic, but so far it has been an incredible pleasure and a deeply nostalgic experience. Returning to the little town where I grew up (most people don't think of Aspen as so small, but in my day there were about 9,000 permanent residents -- my high school class had 72 people in it) is a very surreal experience.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 13, 2008 10:15 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Pinot Days Festival and Tasting: June 26-29, San Francisco
It's hard to believe there was once a time that San Francisco had no major public wine tasting focused on Pinot Noir. I've only been blogging about wine for the last four and a half years, but when I started, no such festival existed. We had a Zinfandel Festival, a tasting for small family winemakers, a tasting for Rhone varietals, a cabernet tasting, and more, but not until 2005 did San Francisco get a festival dedicated to what has been called the "heartbreak grape." Now in it's fourth year, Pinot Days has firmly established itself as one of the largest... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 9, 2008 11:12 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Marin County Pinot Noir Tasting: June 14th, Larkspur
Most of the major appellations of California tend to have their own large tastings, where members of the public have an opportunity to sample a broad range of wines from a specific area. These tastings, as I am fond of reminding you readers, are by far the best way to educate your palate and to learn both what you like and do not like, but also who you like and do not like when it comes to California wine. These tastings are the best places to discover your next favorite wine. This particular wine tasting may be a chance to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 28, 2008 10:15 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Golden Glass Tasting: June 8th, San Francisco
There aren't many "secret" public wine tastings in San Francisco, but for several years, the Golden Glass tasting was about as close as you could get to a "wine insiders" tasting. Historically under-promoted, and generally not well attended, this tasting was often considered by some of my wine friends to be the single best public wine tasting in San Francisco. It may well still be. However, this year's Golden Glass tasting is taking a different approach to its wines. In past years this event, which is a fundraiser for Slow Food USA, has focused almost exclusively on small Italian wine... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 22, 2008 9:43 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wine & Spirits Hot Picks Tasting: May 22, Los Angeles
The American wine industry is pretty excited these days. Sales are up, and the demographics are looking good: the youngest generation of alcohol consumers (known as the "Millennials") are much more interested in wine than any other generation before them, and there are a lot of them -- almost as many as the Baby Boomers. In many ways, the Millennial generation has caused the wine industry to finally realize there's a market in younger wine drinkers, a group that has long been ignored by both the wine media and most wine producers. While the beer and hard liquor industries... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 17, 2008 9:56 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival: May 16-18, Philo, CA
California Pinot Noir lovers take note. Wine lovers with a free weekend, listen up. It's Spring, and the wine events are coming fast and furious. It seems like every week there's a new wine tasting to go to. But some are more worth paying attention to than others. Anderson Valley is known for two things in California, and not coincidentally, it has more or less two major wine tasting events per year. The first, the International Alsace Varietals festival took place a few months ago, and I was sadly prevented from attending. The second is the annual Pinot Noir Festival,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 12, 2008 9:04 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
RAP Pink Out Rose Tasting: May 13, San Francisco
It's almost impossible to write about pink wines these days without invoking some sort of cliche. Even the (true) claim that rosé wines are no longer out of fashion has been recycled so many times that I'm cringing just typing it. The fact of the matter is that after years of being vino-non-grata, pink wines are finally back in the awareness of American wine drinkers. After the success of Sutter Home White Zinfandel sent wine lovers running for the hills every time someone offered them a glass of rose, discerning palates are returning to pink wines in huge numbers. According... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 27, 2008 11:29 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (13) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The Mountain Wines of Napa: Tasting Notes From Altitude
We live in a world of marketing, where everyone struggles to distinguish their product from the competition and where seduction is the name of the game. Winemakers and producers seemingly must participate in this cacophony of messages in order for their wines to attract the attention of consumers. This competition for eyeballs in the store (or online), and then share of wallet (or, one might say, share of cellar) leads to an awful lot of hype. Wine labels and web sites are now chock full of all sorts of claims and phrases, leaving consumers to sort out the honest descriptions... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 26, 2008 11:25 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (11) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wines of Portugal Tasting: April 22, San Francisco
I'm a little late to the game on this one folks, so apologies for the last minute notification. But if you're not busy on Tuesday evening and you are either a fan of Port or interested in one of the more interesting up-and-coming red wine regions of the world, you may want to pay attention. We get plenty of opportunities to taste California wines around here, and some chances to explore France and Italy, but Portuguese wine tastings are rare in most of the United States. This tasting has been billed as the largest Portuguese wine tasting in America. Of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 20, 2008 9:51 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wine Blogging Wednesday #45 Announced: Old World Riesling
Seven years ago, I didn't really know anything about Riesling. Seriously. Most of the Rieslings I had tasted at that point were purchased in supermarkets. Which meant that they were all from California or Washington, and that almost without exception, they sucked. I had yet to begin exploring the wines of Germany and Austria (I would shudder at the thought of decoding those inscrutable five-syllable names) and when it came to the wines of Alsace, I tended to pass over Riesling in favor of Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc. I had probably tasted one or two Rieslings from the Clare Valley... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 12, 2008 11:38 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (11) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Napa With Altitude Tasting: April 23, San Francisco
If you've been drinking wine long enough, especially California wine, you've probably heard the phrase "hillside fruit" or "mountain fruit." While both phrases are certainly overused (I've seen some vineyards that produce "hillside fruit" that are about as steep as my kitchen floor) I cannot deny that I believe there is something special about fruit that is properly grown on steep slopes and mountainsides. I've had too many fantastic wines from such vineyards, whose generally sunny but cooler slopes produce slower maturing fruit that often has a distinct brightness and juiciness that I find hard to resist. Everyone knows Napa... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 9, 2008 9:26 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Eat, Drink, and Be Green Earth Day Event: April 20, Sebastopol, CA
For the dedicated wine drinker, every holiday is a wine holiday. Not like we really need an excuse to celebrate wine, of course, but if you're going to celebrate anything, its best to do it with wine. Of course, certain holidays lend themselves more to a wine theme than others, and Earth Day may be one of the most wine friendly around. When you're busy celebrating the Earth and our environment, what better way is there to celebrate than to drink something that is truly the product of that Earth? Add to this the fact that Spring is in the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 4, 2008 7:45 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Chianti Tasting: April 21, New York City
For as great a wine town as it is, fantastic public tasting opportunities don't come around all that often in New York City. Sure, if you know people, and especially if you're in the business, there's always some place to go to taste a few great wines. But there are rarely large public tasting events like those frequently held in San Francisco, where consumers can spend a little bit of money to taste a huge number of wines. As you know, I consider such events the best possible education wine lovers can get. There's nothing like being able to compare... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 28, 2008 11:00 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The Best Grenache in California: Tasting Rhone Rangers 2008
Maybe I'm getting old, but I just didn't have the energy to taste 300 wines last weekend when the Rhone Rangers came to town. This is always one of my favorite tastings each year, as I deeply enjoy Rhone style wines in all their incarnations, from the crisp whites of Marsanne and Roussanne to the rich dark Syrahs, and everything in between. My usual approach consists of starting at one end of the hall and tasting through the wines like a bulldozer goes through a crowded square. This usually yields a great cross section of wines and lets me highlight... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 23, 2008 11:30 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (9) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wine Blogging Wednesday #44 Announced: Gary Says "Drink French Cab Franc"
What happens when the wine blogosphere meets the movement that is Gary Vaynerchuk and his nation of Vayniacs? We're about to find out, because Gary, the enfant terrible of the wine world and man behind Wine Library TV is the host for the 44th monthly Wine Blogging Wednesday. Gary's announcement of this fact comes at about 13:45 into his latest show, if you want to hear it from his own lips. The details, however are as follows: On Wednesday, April 2nd, bloggers from around the world (and presumably Gary himself?), and hopefully a bunch of his Vayniac fans will all... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 19, 2008 10:38 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The World's Best Burgundy? Tasting La Paulee de San Francisco
It's not every day that I get to leave a wine tasting knowing that I've probably spit out a volume of wine that would cost more than the entire contents of my own personal cellar. OK, I'm probably being slightly hyperbolic, but I did spend last Saturday tasting wines that for the most part I will never be able to afford to own. The Grand Tasting at La Paulee de San Francisco offered an opportunity to taste approximately eighty top Burgundies from recent vintages alongside food samples from some of San Francisco's top restaurants, including Coi, A16, Boulevard, La Folie,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 6, 2008 11:20 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Rhone Rangers Tasting: March 16th, San Francisco
Strict astrologers will quibble with my pronouncements, but I'm ready to officially declare that it is Spring! My feckless abandon is no doubt due in part to the fabulous weather we seem to be having here in San Francisco. My real sense of the season, however, derives from the wine tasting events that are popping up with increasing frequency on the calendar. The Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting in San Francisco is certainly one of the harbingers of warmer weather and good wine in San Francisco. Held at Fort Mason, like all the other big tastings, Rhone Rangers offers the change... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 5, 2008 11:13 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#43 Coming This Wednesday, March 5th: Comfort Wines
February is the sneakiest month. It lulls you into thinking it's just like any other month, and then it pulls the rug out from under you a couple of days before you're ready. Well now it's March, and the first Wednesday of the month approaches, which means Wine Blogging Wednesday, the blogosphere's virtual wine tasting event is right around the corner. This month's edition, the 43rd since we began the event, is hosted by Joel over at Wine Life Today. His theme for this month's event is Comfort Wines, which loosely translates into: buy and drink a wine that helps... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 2, 2008 1:35 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The Best Cabernet in Napa: Tasting Premiere Napa Valley 2008
One of my favorite events each year involves the opportunity to sample some of the best wines that Napa produces in a given vintage. At Premiere Napa Valley, an auction that serves as the world's most expensive "bake sale" to support the efforts of the non-profit Napa Valley Vintners Association, journalists like me get a chance to sneak a taste of hundreds of unique wines that are purchased by the nation's top wine retailers at staggeringly high prices. This year, as every year, 200 member wineries each crafted a unique auction lot of wine that in most cases represents the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 24, 2008 10:34 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (10) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
New York Wine Expo & Tasting: March 7-8th, New York
Regular readers know that I regularly post about large public wine events here on Vinography, which I believe are some of the best ways to educate one's palate and learn about great new wines. Unfortunately for many of my East Coast readers, most of the major wine events of this sort tend to take place on the West Coast. Strangely, while it is rife with store-based tastings, winemaker dinners, and private tastings, New York generally does not play host to large public tastings in quite the same way. Until now. Wine lovers that live in or near New York should... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 23, 2008 10:17 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (10) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#42 Roundup Has Been Posted: 7 Word Wine Reviews
I seem to recall from back in college that a wacky English professor once held a class called "Generative Devices," which was all about imposing strange constraints on the creative process in order to generate more interesting results. What sort of strange constraints? How about writing a whole novel without using the letter "e"? Writing wine reviews without the letter "e" would be tough, as there's a lot of cherry, berry, and other such aromas that would be sorely missed. However, there are other ways to creatively constrain the process of writing wine reviews. One such constraint was the theme... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 15, 2008 11:17 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
La Paulee Grand Burgundy Tasting: March 1st, San Francisco
Every budding wine lover faces what can often seem like a daunting mountain to climb. There are so many wines in the world to learn about and experience, it's not hard to feel overwhelmed. It's also quite common to feel a certain sense of frustration, the kind characterized by an ambition that far outstrips our own means to fulfill it. Many of the wines that passionate wine lovers wish they could taste are simply out of reach -- too rare, too popular, and too expensive. When I was first starting out in my journey down the roads of wine, the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 8, 2008 11:59 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
3rd Annual Anderson Valley Alsace Varietals Festival: February 9-10, Booneville, CA
With all the fanfare surrounding Cabernet and Pinot Noir coupled with the obsession this country seems to have with Chardonnay, it's sometimes hard for people to remember that California produces a lot of different kinds of wine. It's even harder, it seems, to get people to drink some of it. Perhaps some of the most under-appreciated and least consumed California wines are those made from grapes like Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. There aren't a lot of places in California where these grapes thrive, but the Anderson Valley, three hours north of San Francisco, may well be the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 28, 2008 10:27 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Taste Top Bordeaux Without Going Broke: February 1, Chicago
There are three ways to taste older vintages of the top wines of Bordeaux. The first is to be wealthy enough to collect them, or to buy them at restaurants. The second is to pool your money with friends and buy a couple of bottles that you wouldn't ordinarily be able to afford. The third is to attend pre-auction tastings. An often poorly publicized part of the high stakes wine auction market, pre-auction tastings are held by many major wine auction houses to allow prospective bidders a chance to taste some of the wines they will be bidding on in... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 28, 2008 9:43 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#41 Roundup Has Been Posted: Friuli White Wines
The white wines of northeastern Italy have never been on the radar for most Americans. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate only began covering this area in the past year, thanks to the addition of Italian critic Antonio Galloni to his staff. Yet this area produces some of the world's finest white wines. The best of these wines are made in very small quantities and are quite expensive and difficult to get ahold of here in the U.S. but as more importers seek out the nooks and crannies of the wine world, we are slowly beginning to see more wines from Friuli... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 25, 2008 10:13 PM
- Filed under: White Wine , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Dark and Delicious Petite Sirah Tasting: February 8, San Francisco
I've referred to it in the past as "the beast." Possessing tannins that need to be tamed through intelligent winemaking, Petite Sirah can truly be a monster of a wine. One of the least well known red grape varieties, it does not command legions of rabid followers like Zinfandel or Cabernet or even Syrah, from which it takes its misleading name. In the right hands, however, Petite Sirah can be a stunning wine -- deep, resonant, and rich. Petite Sirah has been grown in California for a long time, but apart from some limited success in the 1970s at the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 25, 2008 9:45 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wines of Baja Tasting Event: January 26, Napa
Most readers know that I have a strong interest in up-and-coming wine regions around the world. In particular I love exploring those that are in surprising and unknown areas. Baja Mexico clearly qualifies as the latter. I first learned of the area from a loyal Vinography reader, and then subsequently spoke with Eric Asimov after a trip he had taken a trip down there to explore for an article he was writing. Since then I've had only a couple of wines from the Guadalupe Valley, which is the name of the region's wine country, but they've been interesting enough to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 17, 2008 10:35 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
The Menu For Hope Prize Winners. Maybe You?
The moment that you've all (OK, maybe some of you have) been patiently waiting for. The winners of this year's Menu For Hope Wine Prizes! Thank you all so much for your generous donations this year (to the tune of more than $90,000) and your support. An extra special thank you to all the bloggers and others who donated prizes -- your generosity is also astounding. For the winners, please reach out to the blogger who donated the prize to arrange delivery. We will also provide the donors with the e-mail addresses of their prize recipients. EXCEPT: For the Wine... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 11, 2008 11:32 AM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
ZAP Zinfandel Festival: January 23 - 26, San Francisco
Yes wine lovers, it's that time of year again. Get out your raincoats, rubber boots, and prepare to drown in a sea of Zinfandel lovers. Quite possibly the most raucous public tasting every year in San Francisco, the ZAP Zinfandel festival is one of the Bay Area's most dependable wine tastings. You can always count on it to be big, crowded, and a heck of a lot of fun. The festival revolves around the hub of their huge public tasting on Saturday January 26th, but there are several other events put on throughout the weekend that are worthwhile to anyone... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 3, 2008 10:46 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#41 Has Been Announced: Friuli Whites. Yum.
I've said it once and I'll say it again: Italian white wines are some of the most exciting wines in the world to me right now. I certainly owe some of that fascination to my good friends Jack and Joanne who run the web site Fork & Bottle, with whom I've had a chance to drink more than a few stellar examples of the form. It will come as no surprise then, that their choice as hosts of this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday, is to have all participating bloggers drink white wines from Italy's Friuli region. Officially known as Friuli-Venezia-Giulia,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 18, 2007 8:24 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#40 Roundup Has Been Posted: P.S. We Love You
Doesn't it seem to you like folks with the name "Junior" and "Little Joe" always end up having bad attitudes? When you're called "little" anything for most of you're life it's not surprising that you might have something to prove to the world -- a little chip on the shoulder about playing second fiddle to someone or something else. Personally, I think Petite Sirah has got the same sort of complex. Always being known as the "Little Syrah" (no matter how you spell it) has got to suck. It's no wonder that this little grape packs a big wallop of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 15, 2007 11:22 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#40 Has Been Announced: Que Sirah Sirah
Some grapes just don't get no respect. Petite Sirah might easily qualify as a member of that club. This grape reminds me of some hulking brute with a heart of gold. He's the giant who doesn't know his own strength or recognize the coarseness of his bearing, but is a steadfast and soulful friend. Call him the Beast. Petite Sirah is sometimes tough to love. It's a tannic brute of a wine, that at its worst never becomes more than an exercise in bludgeoning your palate with the taste of stems. But when those tannins are kept in check, it... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 28, 2007 11:59 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#39 Roundup Has Been Posted
Mmmm.... reasonably priced Burgundy. Fantasy or simply just a chore to find? A nice bottle under $25 is certainly possible to find, especially if you look outside the fabled Côte d'Or region. And that is precisely what this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday asked its participants to do. For those unfamiliar with Wine Blogging Wednesday, it is a virtual tasting party, where a host blog chooses a theme, and then on a designated Wednesday, bloggers from around the world post wine reviews based on that theme. The latest incarnation of this event (the 39th such tasting) was hosted by the Brooklyn... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 20, 2007 11:00 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
PinotFest 2007 Tasting: November 17, San Francisco
You can't get enough Pinot Noir can you? I know, I know, YOU enjoyed the grape long before that silly movie made it trendy, so don't worry about defending your desire. It's GOOD to want to drink Pinot all day, every day. And it's even better to drink really high quality Pinot Noir. Which is why you might consider taking a couple hours next Saturday to attend one of the higher quality Pinot tastings in San Francisco. There are a lot of different Pinot Noir festivals and tastings popping up everywhere in San Francisco, but one of those that has... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 11, 2007 9:54 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
26th Annual Beaujolais and Beyond Tasting: November 17, San Francisco
Every year on the third Thursday in November, the French have a tradition of celebrating the harvest by drinking Beaujolais Nouveau, the very young wine made from the first pressings of Gamay grapes picked only a month or two earlier. These "traditional" celebrations often tend to be drunk-fests of the first order, made all the worse by the fact that they involve wine that is quite close to undrinkable in my personal opinion. This year, there's may be more or less to celebrate depending on your point of view. The harvest in France seemed to only barely recover after a... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 31, 2007 8:21 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Tasting the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Wineries for 2007
There are public wine tastings and then there are public wine tastings. The difference between the good ones and the bad ones can be quite dramatic. The bad ones are in crappy locations, are poorly organized, offer no food, and only mediocre wines. The good ones are, well, just the opposite -- nicely organized, well catered, and offer great wines. And the best ones? Well, they throw in a jazz quartet, and all you can eat oyster bar, a dessert bar, and wines that sometimes retail for hundreds of dollars, if you can find them. All of which nicely describe... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 27, 2007 2:40 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Wine Activities
- Comments (7) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Chicago Pinot Days 2007: November 9-10, Chicago
Hey Chicago, listen up! If you live in the Windy City and you love wine -- you know who you are -- then there's someplace you better be on November 10th. Once upon a time there were only a few big-time, high-quality wine events around the country, and they tended to cluster heavily on the two coasts. These days, however, we are in in the midst of a gold rush of sorts, as people figure out that there's both good money to be made in putting on large scale wine tastings, and plenty of people who love to go to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 24, 2007 8:16 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#39 Has Been Announced: Inexpensive Burgundy
Inexpensive Burgundy? Isn't that an oxymoron? There are many in the wine world who will tell you flat out, that yes, if you want good red Burgundy you normally have to pay more than $50 for it. I'm not sure what camp I fall into, but I do know that every bottle of red Burgundy that has ever really wowed me has been fairly expensive. But I certainly have had decent red and especially white wines that come from more off-the-beaten-path appellations, which is exactly where BrooklynGuy, the host of next month's Wine Blogging Wednesday #39 wants us to look.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 16, 2007 11:15 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
All About Portuguese Wine: The WBW#38 Roundup
What do you get when more than thirty bloggers drink more than 60 Portuguese wines? A lot of drunk bloggers. But you also happen to get a lot of good Portuguese wine reviews. Last Wednesday was Wine Blogging Wednesday. For those unfamiliar with this event, it is a virtual wine tasting party hosted by a blogger who chooses a theme, and then as many bloggers who care to drink ad review a wine based on that theme. Last week the 38th monthly incarnation of Wine Blogging Wednesday was hosted by Ryan and Gabriella who write the blog Catavino, and they... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 15, 2007 11:46 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Pinot on The River Tasting: October 26-28, Forestville, CA
If you like California Pinot Noir, or if you're interested in learning more about it, you should join me at one of my favorite wine events. The Pinot on The River Festival is now in its fourth year of providing an intimate and low key way to enjoy some of the best Pinot Noirs from Sonoma county and around the state. Held at Russian River Vineyards in Forestville, (a new venue this year), the festival begins on Friday October 26th with a number of small wine dinners at several Russian River Valley wineries. Saturday is filled with seminars and tastings,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 12, 2007 10:48 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Tasting Portuguese Table Wines
Today is Wine Blogging Wednesday, the day where all over the world, bloggers of all kinds drink a wine according to a theme, and then review it on their blogs, making for a huge virtual wine tasting party which usually yields a very useful and informative group of wine reviews. My contribution is usually a single wine review based on the theme, but this time I've decided to do something a little different. As regular readers know, I regularly attend large trade tastings put on by marketing associations and other such organizations to showcase a lot of wines. I'm usually... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 10, 2007 11:28 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (9) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting: October 17, San Francisco
Hey you. Yes, I'm talking to the wine lover in you. Do you want to taste some really good wine? Do you want to try new wines that you might like? Do you like to taste expensive wines before dropping big bucks on them? If so, then there's only one thing to do, and that is go to public wine tastings. One of the nice things about public tastings, put on as they are by big organizations, or in this case, publications, is that they often allow you to taste wines that you might not get a chance to taste... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 3, 2007 11:20 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
FallFest 2007 Food and Wine Tasting: October 6th, San Francisco
It seems like every major city has a dozens food and wine festivals every year. San Francisco, compared to many urban centers, tends to be more selective in what it puts on, however. And that's a good thing, because I've certainly been to enough food and wine events with crappy food and lousy wine (and too little of either). Honestly, the first time I attended FallFest in San Francisco, that was what I expected. But I was pleasantly surprised, and have continued to be impressed each time the event has been put on. The organizers (San Francisco Magazine, among... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 26, 2007 11:25 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Wine Activities
- Comments (2) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#37 Roundup Has Been Posted
Albariño, Tannat, Verdelho, Ribeyrenc, Fer Servadou, Ribolla Gialla, Poulsard, Pigato, Teroldigo Rotaliano, Touriga Nacional, Xinomovaro. Do you recognize all of these as grape varieties? And what do they all have in common? Each made an appearance in this month's Wine Blogging Wednesday, the blogosphere's virtual wine tasting event. Hosted this month by Tyler, who runs the blog Dr. Vino, WBW#37 had 54 bloggers from around the world reviewing wines made from indigenous varietals of all kinds. This was one of the best turnouts in a while for Wine Blogging Wednesday, and certainly one of the better themes that we've had... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 18, 2007 11:16 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (0) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
California's Best Boutique Wines: Tasting Family Winemakers 2007
Better late than never? Many of you have been e-mailing me for the last few weeks since the Family Winemakers tasting event here in San Francisco asking when my notes from the tasting would be up on Vinography. My intent has not been to teach you a lesson of patience, rather I was learning a lesson myself: DO NOT GO FOR TWO DAYS. Folks, I ended up tasting over three hundred fifty wines over two days, and that is just too many. It's taken me hours and hours to transcribe my scores from the tasting, but I've finally finished. Family... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 11, 2007 11:36 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (11) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Masters of Wine Champagne Tasting: September 17th, San Francisco
There was a time, I am not ashamed to admit, that I wasn't really a fan of Champagne or sparkling wine. Frankly I didn't see what all the fuss was about. People I knew, wine lovers especially, would rave about how amazing Champagne was. I would read quotes from famous epicures, chefs, and even wine critics, suggesting in not so many words that given the opportunity they'd drink Champagne every day with every meal without ever tiring of it. "Man," I thought to myself, "what is the big deal, here? It doesn't taste that good!" And then I found out... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 4, 2007 11:36 PM
- Filed under: Sparkling Wine , Wine Activities
- Comments (11) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
2007 Joy of Sake Tasting: September 13, San Francisco
It brings me great pleasure to not even really have to explain why a sake tasting in San Francisco might be an enjoyable way of spending an evening. In the nearly four years since I've been writing this blog, sake has gone from obscure to obvious, hardly known to hip. The availability and visibility of sake in the US has blossomed, driving by fine dining establishments and the increasing popularity of all things Japanese. Despite this, however, the average wine lovers' knowledge of sake is extremely limited, mostly by virtue of not having tasted very much sake side-by-side in comparison... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 4, 2007 11:00 PM
- Filed under: Sake , Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
Mendocino Wine by The Bay: September 15th, San Francisco
I think the question I get asked the most when people find out that I spend several hours a day drinking and then writing about wine is: how can I learn more about wine? My answer is always the same: taste a lot more. Of course I usually go into details as to exactly how an interested consumer might do that, and one of my suggestions is always to go to large public wine tasting events. Even if you consider yourself fairly knowledgeable about wine, and familiar with the wines of various wine regions, public tastings focusing on a single... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 2, 2007 5:25 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (8) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#37 Has Been Announced: Drink Indigenous
One of my greatest pleasures when it comes to wine is the exploration of new varieties of grapes and the wines they make. Which is why I'm thrilled that Tyler, who runs the blog Dr. Vino, will be hosting the 37th edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, as he has chosen the theme of indigenous varietals. For those of you unfamiliar with WBW, it is a virtual wine tasting, hosted by a different blog each month. On the appointed Wednesday, bloggers of every stripe from around the world all taste and review a wine according to the theme, and then the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 20, 2007 10:58 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Top 2004 Napa Cabernet: Tasting at the Napa Wine Library
There are very few times during the year when the ordinary public has an opportunity to taste a large cross section of the wines from Napa, and most of those occasions are quite expensive. One of the least expensive, and most pleasant is the Napa Valley Wine Library tasting, which took place this past Sunday on the grounds of the Silverado Resort and Country Club in Napa. The Napa Wine Library is just that: a library about wine, which provides the public, as well as its supporting members, access to a significant collection of books and literature about all things... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 14, 2007 9:27 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (12) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
Family Winemakers Tasting: August 19, San Francisco
Size isn't everything, they say, but sometimes it's mighty impressive. The yearly Family Winemakers tasting in San Francisco has as one of its many claims to fame that it is the single largest tasting of California wines in the world. That alone would not be reason for excitement, were it not for the generally exceptional quality of the wines that are on offer, year after year. Regular readers know that this tasting is quite possibly my favorite every year. It provides an opportunity to sample the wares of smaller, family-run wineries, many of whose wines are made in such small... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 12, 2007 10:41 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
Urban Wine Experience Tasting: August 18, Alameda, CA
Wine country means a lot of things in California, a state with winegrowing regions stretching most of its 800 mile length. For most residents of the San Francisco Bay Area, we tend to think of Wine Country as Napa or Sonoma. Increasingly, however, wine country must also include the East Bay. The cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda are now home to dozens of "Urban" wineries which are producing some of California's most sought-after wines. Recently united by an organization known as the East Bay Vintners Alliance, this group of winemakers is holding its second annual Urban Wine Experience event.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 11, 2007 6:11 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (3) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
IPNC 2007: Tidbits, Gossip, and Thoughts
I'm now safely back in San Francisco after spending last weekend at the 2007 International Pinot Noir Celebration in McMinnville, Oregon. I have to say, I'm already missing the sun and the trees and relaxing days filled with good food and great wines. As I reflect back on the event, which I can heartily endorse for anyone interested in the Pinot Noir grape and its wines, there are some small bits and pieces of my experience which have not yet been captured by my previous posts, so I thought I'd just catalogue them here for my own peace of mind,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 1, 2007 8:45 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities
- Comments (18) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
IPNC 2007: Grower Champagnes
DAY TWO (continued): The second morning's sparkling wine seminar was followed by another that focused specifically on "grower Champagnes", this time moderated by Eric Asimov of the New York Times and Pete Wasserman, an consultant and importer with Le Serbet / Selection Becky Wasserman, and an expert on both the wines of Burgundy and on Champagne. Grower Champagnes are those wines that are made by small producers who also grow their own grapes (as opposed to the large champagne houses like Bollinger who purchase grapes from sources far and wide). This second session consisted mostly of winemakers and importers telling... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 29, 2007 10:17 PM
- Filed under: Sparkling Wine , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (8) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
IPNC 2007: The Secret Life of Pinot Noir
DAY TWO: Hello again from McMinnville, Oregon, where I am attending the 2007 International Pinot Noir Celebration, a conference and celebration of Pinot Noir in all it's incarnations. The morning of the second day began with the repeat of a session that had been given to half of the attendees the day before. Dubbed "The Secret Life of Pinot Noir" this was pair seminars about Pinot Noir and the role it plays in Champagne. The first hour and a half was one of the most remarkable and educational sessions I have had the pleasure of attending at any wine related... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 29, 2007 8:55 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Sparkling Wine , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (10) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
IPNC 2007: Dinner Wines, Day One
DAY ONE (continued): One of the best parts of any major multi-day wine event are the dinners. Whenever I attend such functions I privately feel like it's the closest I'm ever going to get to being at he king's table in Medieval times when wines from the royal storehouse flowed until the last iron-livered courtier slipped under the table in the wee hours of the morning and the cats descended on the scene for scraps. The food at these dinners is, as expected, pretty lavish, and in this respect IPNC does not disappoint. In fact, quite the opposite -- it... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 28, 2007 5:20 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (1) - Permalink
Submerged in Pinot Noir: IPNC 2007
DAY ONE: Hello from sunny McMinnville, in Oregon's Willamette Valley where I am spending the weekend attending the annual International Pinot Noir Celebration. I'll be spending three days practically submerged in Pinot Noir along with several hundred other attendees and more than sixty featured Pinot winemakers from all over the world. This event is regularly billed as one of the best Pinot events in the country, so I'm very happy to have been able to steal the time to attend. One of the things I'm most anticipating about this conference is a chance to taste through a good selection of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 27, 2007 7:57 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities , Wine Reviews
- Comments (1) - TrackBacks (2) - Permalink
Napa Valley Wine Library Tasting: August 11-12, Napa
Serious wine lovers in the San Francisco Bay area get several opportunities each year to indulge their passions for wine. Large, themed tastings like the ZAP Zinfandel Festival or Pinot Days are great opportunities to get a sense of a certain varietal and the quality of the recent vintage in California and events like Family Winemakers are an opportunity to taste wines from smaller producers. It is quite rare, however, despite the nearness of the appellation and the saturation of wine in the Bay Area, for consumers to get the opportunity to get an in-depth look at the wines of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 24, 2007 10:06 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
WBW#35 Roundup Has Been Posted: Spanish Values
Wine Blogging Wednesday, the blogosphere's original virtual wine tasting party is going strong in its 35th month. We had top turnout of 41 bloggers, each of which sought out a value priced Spanish wine to taste as part of this month's event, hosted by Michelle and Kevin over at My Wine Education. I'm happy to see that people went far and wide to find a huge assortment of wines for this event, and many found their way to decent importers, successfully avoiding the mass market stuff, which while often decent, only represents a sliver of what Spain has to offer.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 16, 2007 10:38 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
- Comments (4) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
2005 Torres "Mas Rabell" Red Wine, Catalunya, Spain
Most of the time I buy my wines from proper wine stores. Not just because I like to support them, but also because I'm a firm believer in cultivating a relationship with good wine retailers, who will inevitably turn you on to wines you might not have known about or tried. Sometimes, however, I'm wandering through the grocery store and something catches my eye (yes, sometimes I buy by the label, just like the rest of you) and I throw it in the cart. I came into possession of this wine in roughly that manner, with the additional variable of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 11, 2007 11:05 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities , Wine Not To Buy , Wine Reviews , Wines under $20
- Comments (16) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink
California Wine Tasting Championships: July 28-29, Philo, CA
When I was a kid I avoided competitive sports of all kinds. Mostly because I was the scrawny nerd that never got picked for kickball. Emotionally scarred for years, I took up fly-fishing and rock climbing. The most competitive I ever got was a pick-up game of table tennis or ultimate Frisbee. I finally got coordinated and put on a little weight in college, but by that time it was too late. I'd completely lost the desire to compete in any sort of sport, though I was building a gradual instinct for intellectual and business competition. These days, however, I'm... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 6, 2007 3:28 PM
- Filed under: Wine Activities
- Comments (5) - TrackBacks (0) - Permalink