W! B! C! TTL!

What is with all of these letters? WBC? TTL? How is a wineaux to decipher such things!


First things first, let's talk about TTL. Twitter Taste Live is a live event, where the Twittersphere tastes & types about the same wines, and the same time. it is about connection the bloggersphere around the world, and conducting a giant social experiment about what drives trends in wine, and encouraging us to gain knowledge about consumer tastes.

During the event, we will be guided through 4-6 different wines, and post our Tweets, with the tag #ttl. This will enable our hosts, Twitter Taste Live, to log these directed Tweets on the TTL home page, so we can all follow along. If you haven't yet registered for Twitter, I would encourage you to do so. There is a large community of wine lovers, bloggers, and professionals who are actively using Twitter as a mass communication tool and you can learn a great deal in new social media.

This month, we will be walking through the wines of Jed Steele. Jed Steele was the founding winemaker, general manager, and VP of Production at Kendall Jackson at its inception, and now makes his own wines out of his facility in Lake County.

For this adventure, we will be tasting:

• 2006 Shooting Star Aligote (WA)
• 2006 Steele Pinot Blanc
• 2006 Steele Chardonnay
• 2006 Shooting Star Blue Franc (WA)
• 2006 Steele Pinot Noir (Carneros)
• 2006 Steele Zinfandel (Pacini Ranch)

For your best source to find these wines, please contact Bin Ends Wine, who is offering this tasting pack for the ridiculously low price of $90. But you better hurry! Time is running out to get your tasting pack before next Thursday. The tasting is on Thursday, October 23rd, at 4pm PT. Yes, I realize this is early for us Left Coasters, but upcoming tastings will be on weekends to accommodate the global nature of this event.

The Twitter Taste Live event is held every month, so please go to Twitter Taste Live and click on the Upcoming Tab for information on the next theme. If you have ideas, please post them! We have the 89 Project tasting, a Blogger's Pick tasting, suggestion for Walla Walla tastings, and more! This is where the bloggers take over, so please, let's hear your voice.


The other exciting bit of news is that one week from today, the FIRST EVER Wine Blogger Conference kicks off at the Flamingo Resort & Conference Center in Santa Rosa.

I cannot tell you how excited i am to have the opportunity to meet 159+ other wine bloggers & professionals in this arena. While I have met several of you in person through my wine travels, there are so many that I know virtually and have not yet have the opportunity to meet in real life.

A huge shout out to Joel Vincent and the Open Wine Consortium Team for putting together this amazing event.

Furthermore, this conference will give us all the opportunity to not only taste some amazing wines, but also to have some discussions about where the wine industry is headed in the 21st century, with the advent of Wine 2.0, Web 2.0 and beyond technology, as well as the saavy wine drinker.

Some of the highlights of this event include:

• Tour of Kick Ranch, one of the most exciting growers in Sonoma County
• Live Blogging sessions
• Keynotes with Gary Vaynerchuck & Alice Feiring, two controversial figures in the wine world today
• Breakout sessions on topics such as:
  
• Increasing Visitors to Your Blog
• Beyond Blogging – New Technologies and Social Media
• Wine Blogger Credibility
• Making Money from Your Blog
• Blogging for Your Wine Business
• Wine Industry & Blogger Interaction



Although this year's conference is sold out, even over sold, this promises to be the first of many in North America.

I look forward to seeing you there!

In South Australia I was born

Heave away, Haul away!
In South Australia 'round Cape Horn,
We're bound for South Australia!

As you might have guessed, this post is about Aussie wines. A week ago, I was able to attend a fantastic tasting presented by South and The Jug Shop in San Francisco.

South is a wine bar in SOMA that specializes in wine & food from Down Under, and I love it. I've picked out my favorites (ok, fine, the wines I purchased) to write about, since there were so many to drink that night and I lost track of my tasting notes at the end! The Traveling Winemakers of the Country Vintner is a road show of Aussie offerings (with one New Zealand host for good measure). This wine event gave us Yanks an opportunity to taste some smaller production and country vintner examples in a fun format, at a small venue.

We tasted a large variety of wines, from five wineries from all over Oz - Pemberton and Denmark, way out Western Australia-way, over east to South Australia's Adelaide Hills, a few clicks north to the Barossa Valley, then across the Tasman to NZ's famed Marlborough district.

• LOOSE END - Barossa Valley, South Australia

Loose End gets my Gold Star winner of the night award. Rob's GSM blend was stunning and RIDICULOUSLY affordable! The 2005 Loose End GSM Blend retails for $16, and is a smooth ripe blend of 43% Grenache, 30% Shiraz, and 27% Merlot. For a full bodied red with dark fruit and spice, you cannot beat this for the money.

The other wine that Loose End poured was a classic Aussie Shiraz. Typically, I am not a huge fan of the Barossa Shiraz that we get here in the states, mainly because I find them over oaked and over manipulated. This was the exception to the rule. The 2005 Loose End Barossa Shiraz Viognier blend is fermented on 4% of Viognier grapes which gives this wine a beautiful aromatic quality and softens the hard edges you can sometimes find in Shiraz, and shows blackberries, chocolate and and earthly backbone.

• Vinaceous Wines & West Cape Howe - Denmark, Western Australia

Vinanceous wins for Best Label Design. In addition, the content of those bottles were AMAZING!

The 2006 Vinaceous Red Right Hand blend of Syrah, Grenanche and of all things Tempranillo, was unusual. It showed as a juicy red, with some interesting spice and great body. I also enjoyed the Snake Charmer Shiraz. While more expensive than the Loose End, at only $24, this was an affordable wine as well.

The other label produced by this winemaker, West Cape Howe, had a lovely Unwooded Chardonnay that was really creamy and delicious without having that overpowering oak characteristic. I don't drink very much white, but I really enjoyed this wine with its crisp & juicy flavors, topped with some mineral and citrus. For less than $20, you can drink this at a Barbie, a picnic, or at the beach.

I could go on for days here, but these were my favorites. Thanks so much to South & The Jug Shop for their hospitality and great wines! Please stop by The Jug Shop to pick up your own Down Under in a Box and if you're in San Francisco, check our their tasting events HERE!

Where has the summer gone?

Gracious what happened to the summer months? I feel like a kid who's summer vacation has been cut short. Fortunately, we get a late summer out here in San Francisco, but it is amazing that it is already September 1st.

Yesterday being the Sunday before an extra day off, I took the opportunity to cruise up to Dry Creek with some wineaux friends. Little did we know that Trentadue was having a 50% off sale, and my friend stocked up! Their La Storia line has always been a favorite of mine.

This being a new month, I thought I'd take the opportunity to tell you about a few evetns coming up:

September 13/14
Spotlight on Zinfandel in Kenwood
Seven Heart of Sonoma Valley wineries are participating. Enjoy wine tastings, verticals, barrel sampling, select discounts, educational seminars, and more!

1. Eric Ross Winery
2. Family Wineries
3. Kenwood
4. Kaz Winery & Vineyards
5. Loxton Cellars
6. Muscardini Cellars & Ty Caton Vineyards
7. The Wine Room
8. VJB Vineyards & Cellars

September 14
Country Vintner tour at South, brought to you by The Jug Shop
Rob "Gibbo" Gibson with LOOSE END
Nick "Kilo Man" Stacy with WEST CAPE HOWE
Barbara "The Law" Lawson with LAWSON'S DRY HILLS
Peter "The Adelaide Longhorn" Saturno of LONGVIEW VINEYARD
George & Liz "The Country Duo" now on tour with PICARDY


Sept 20th
Release the Spaniard Dinner -at Twisted Oak Winery
Being a recent convert to the Twisted Few wine club, I decided this would be a fine opportunity to visit the Murphy's area to do a little wine reconnaissance. Since I haven't been there since I was prospecting for gold in high school, I am looking forward to a grown up tour of the area.
Some other wineries in the area that we will try to taste at are:

• Black Sheep Winery
• Bodega del Sur Winery
• Brice Station Winery
• Broll Mountain Vineyards
• Chatom Vineyards
• French Hill Winery
• Frog's Tooth Winery
• Hatcher Winery
• Indian Rock Vineyards
• Ironstone Vineyards
• Laraine Winery
• Lavender Ridge Vineyard
• Milliaire Winery
• Newsome-Harlow Wines
• Solomon Wine Company
• Stevenot Winery
• Tanner Vineyards
• Twisted Oak Winery
• Vina Moda Winery
• Zucca Mountain Vineyards

And speaking of Roses...

As I sit here and have my morning dose of Twitter, the illustrious Agent Red of The Wine Spies pointed out that their deal today is a delectable little number by Chandon. Since I do love my Blanc de Noirs, and pretty much anything with bubbles, I will have to give this one a try.

Which reminds me. This Thursday, August 14th (that's tomorrow folks!) is Pretty in Pink at Jovino in San Francisco. Hosted by BottleNotes, this is your chance to taste some lovely Rosé wines paired with foods for the occasion! What are you waiting for? Sign up and join us!

For details, please click HERE!

Pretty in Pink

Summer is here (in some parts of the world) and the weather is heating up. This is particularly true in the East Bay, where I happen to spend my weekdays.

Some things I love about summer are:

• -Peaches
• -Tomatos warm from the sun off the vine
• -BBQs
• -and sitting outside on a warm afternoon, sipping a nice dry Rosé wine!

Since there are so many different types of Rosé, I have started to drink more to explore different territories. One of my strategies this year at Family Winemakers is to taste some new ones to add to my cellar list.

As it happens, my friends at Bottlenotes are hosting an event here in San Francisco next week all about Rosé. If you're not familiar with Bottlenotes, they are an online wine club that you can customize to suit your tastes. Each time you recieve a wine, you can rate it, and you get future selections based on these. It's kind of like your suggestions list on Amazon. Pretty cool!

Rosé wines and paired appetizers from the The Little Black Apron Cookbook (purchase from Amazon.com below)

will be served on Thursday, Thursday, August 14 at Jovino on Union.


Click here for details and to make reservations

See you there!

Bottle Shock UPDATE!

As promised, here are the vital stats for the Bottle Shock! Premiere Party.
The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 turned established perceptions of French and California wines on their heads. So what better place than Crushpad — known to challenge convention ourselves — to celebrate the release of Bottle Shock, the new feature film that dramatizes this famous tasting.

Tickets are $75. Yes I know, it's a lot. BUT think of what you get. You get Bo & Heidi Barrett and Gustavo Brambila, who won first place among white wines at the Paris Tasting with their Chateau Montelena Chardonnay.

We'll also be joined by folks from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, whose Cabernet Sauvignon captured first place among red wines. Bottle Shock producers, Brenda & Marc Lhormer will even be on hand to give you a behind the scenes account of the filming.

You'll be part of the judging too, tasting four French wines and four American wines, then casting your vote for best red and best white. After the winning wines are selected, we'll hop aboard chartered buses for a short trip to the theater to view a private screening of the movie.

You'll also get entry to the opening night screening of Bottle Shock with, more wine!

Please buy your tickets early here:
Bottle Shock Tickets

GREAT Wine under $20

In homage to Dr. Debs (the real Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20 fame), I am happy to report that I had a fantastic evening last night at the Cameron Hughes wine reception hosted by Cornelius of Wine 2.0 & RadCru.

Most impressive were the Alexander Valley & various Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon selections, poured from the new Lot releases by Cameron himself.

Cameron Hughes Wine has made a name for itself as premium quality budget priced wine, widely available at Costco warehouses everywhere. These premium wines average $15 and under, with a few of the more unusual selections hovering around $20. I don't have to tell you, that $15 for a stellar Cabernet from Napa is like having someone forget to add an item on your bill at your favorite restaurant. It almost feels like stealing candy from a baby!

How do they do it? Well it's actually a fairly old story of the negociant, a wine merchant who buys grapes or finished wine and slaps their own label on it. IN this case, which amazing results that are different with every lot and every year. Cameron Hughes Wine focuses on buying bits & pieces of leftover super premium wine. Sometimes, wineries don't want a large case production, to create the illusion of scarcity. Sometimes, they just aren't happy with the results. And sometimes, well sometimes I just can't understand dhow they can give up such wonderful elixirs but I"m happy I reap the financial benefits!

My highlights from the tasting are:

• Lot 71 - 2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This was my outstanding wine winner of the night, both because of the killer dusty cocoa, tobacco and richness, as well as the stupid cheap price. I pre-ordered 2 bottles of it, but now am kicking myself for not ordering more. $15 (not released yet)

• Lot 73 - 2006 Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

A very close 2nd to Alexander Valley, I had a hard time picking my favorite. So I tasted more. And again. And often. Oy the joys of a cab ride home! $16 (not released yet)

• Lot ? 2006 Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon

This was the first cab we tasted last night, and I thought it would be my favorite. But as we moved down the line, Alex and Chalk just kicked Yountville's little butt. But it was still good, and a screaming value. Hell, all of them are. It's young, and needs to be decanted & held, but for $15? Seriously!

• Lot ? Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon

Silly me, I didn't keep my tasting sheet because I turned it in to order, and now can't remember the lot numbers. But this was a tasty tidbit too! I admit, at this point, i sort of lost count because they were so tasty.

• Lot 69 Dry Creek Merlot.

For me, a typically non Merlot drinker, this wine blew me away. It is a rich & powerful merlot, coming from an area that i wouldn't expect and yet didn't' have that overpowering manipulated feel of most commercial wines.
$15

• Lot 67 - 2005 Russian River Syrah

A very minty syrah, with a lot of spice. It was a bit tannic for me, and could use a bit more balance but I expect great things in the future. $15

• Lot 49 - 2004 Priorat D.O.Q.

This was a surprise, and a really interesting blend that caught my attention quickly as we tasted the large array of wines on the bar. Grenache & Carignane come together to give a taste of Spain in a classic meritage. $20

The moral of the story? Don't prejudge! I have had some of the other CH Wines, and wasn't terribly impressed. However, with the variety of Lots and the amazing Cabernets, I will certainly not shy away in the future.

Thanks to RadCru and Cameron Hughes for a great time at Varnish!

Monday blues...

It's Monday, and I feel it. Yawn.
A slow week this week, but Wednesday, Cameron Hughes will be pouring their wines at Varnish Fine Art on Natoma in SF.

Cameron Hughes is known for it's value priced wines which are widely available, such as found in this search, and they are pretty tasty too. It's free wine, so why not break up the BART ride and take a sip or two.

I'm planning on being there, are you? It's a private tasting, so if you are interested please email
paul dot jenson at chwine dot com to RVSP for the event, from 6-10pm on Wednesday July 16th.



Saturday is Santa Cruz Passport, and this year since there are a number of wineries pouring north of the Santa Clara county line, I plan on hitting

• Domenico in San Carlos
• La Honda Winery in Redwood City
• Mountain Terrace Restaurant in Woodside, featuring:
  
  
  
  • Kings Mountain Winery
  
  
  • Michael Martella Wines
  
  and maybe a few farther south, but we'll see...

BreastFest 2008 is Saturday!

No, it's not an opportunity for you to see boobies.

Officially known as Microbreweries Fighting Cancer, this festival brings together good food, good people, of course, good beer, and a great cause.

Take the ferry on over to Larkspur, and participate in the cause!
Tickets are $35 at the door, and give you a commemorative glass as well as all the beer you can drink. Food is available for a small charge as well.

Participating breweries include:

• Marin Brewing Company
• 21st Amendment, (one of my favorite brew pubs in the city)
• Anderson Valley
• Beach Chalet another of my favorites
• BJ’s Brewery
• Black Diamond
• Broken Drum
• Drakes Brewing
  
• Fox Barrel Cider
  
• Half Moon Bay
  
• Iron Springs
• Lagunitas Brewing Co
• Magnolia Pub
• Moon Light
• Moylan’s
• Mateveza
  
• Mount St. Helena
• North Coast
  
• Rubicon
• Russian River
• Santa Cruz
• Seabright
• Stone Brewery
• Third Street Aleworks
  
• Triple Rock
• Two Rivers Cider

Who is Gary V?

Gary Vaynerchuck, VAY NER CHUK, is the rambunctious, loud, opinionated host of Wine Library TV, a video wine blog that tries to change the wine world by getting people to ignore those big critics and discover their own palate with some heavy encouragement.

Take him for what you will, he is celebrating his 500th episode at our local custom crush facility Crushpad tomorrow, July 10. Come on down and celebrate!

Happy Zindependance!

It's the last day of June, and as summer wears on, there are more and more wine events filling my calendar. Even though I try to pick events that are new and exciting, sometimes you just can't resist.

I am looking forward to the long weekend which is only...um four more days away. Now that the smoke has cleared and the fog is back, i can actually breathe and will probably be looking for a BBQ or two. As luck would have it, there are some new events to choose from so I won't be bored.

Pinot Days was nice, but I didn't find anything new that knocked my socks off, sadly. Maybe I'm just becoming jaded? Or maybe it's just that I didn't swallow as much wine and I could / should have. There is something in the ceremony of spitting that loses some of that delicious pinot flavor.

Other than the Urbano open house this weekend, Mounts Family Winery is also having an open house up in Dry Creek. This is a great opportunity to taste their small lot wines, since they are not open to the public every weekend.

Mounts will be hosting a BBQ and Wine tasting on Saturday & Sunday, while they will be open for tasting on the 4th itself.

If you're in to beer, and let's face it, who isn't! Around the World in 80 Beers is having it's July installment at O'Neill's pub in Ghiradelli Square on Saturday. Goldstar has half-price tickets if you are interested.

July is for Wine-ing!

The 4th of July is made for picnics, beer, lemonade and potato salad.
That makes the 5th of July perfect for wine!
Urbano Cellars is having a release party to celebrate their new wines.

• 2006 Dry Creek Syrah - 290 cases
• 2007 Green Valley (Solano) Vin Rose' - 135 cases
• 2007 Lodi Viognier - 30 cases
• 2007 Lodi Five Barrel Blend -125 cases
• 2005 Green Valley (Solano) Zinfandel - 125 cases

Join me in toasting these new releases across the bay with Urbano at Periscope Cellars (click for Google Map) in Emeryville. Afterwards, we can mosey on down to Lost Canyon and maybe even invade Rosenblum. Check out other East Bay wineries at East Bay Vintners Alliance.





As I was reading the list for the July 19th Santa Cruz Mountain Passport, I was happy to see there are now several wineries in the San Carlos / Redwood City / Woodside area.

Check out the list of mid-Peninsula wineries:

• Domenico Wines
• La Honda Winery
• Aptos Creek
• Kings Mountain
• Michael Martella
  

As much as I love driving down to Santa Cruz, with the gas prices and beach traffic the way they are right now - wouldn't it be fun to go local?

PS if you want to Caltrain, you can walk to Dominico from the San Carlos station!

Red Wine & Brews Festival - Carmel Valley

I was recently in Carmel Valley wine tasting, and was happily impressed by most of the offerings, particularly from Parsonage and Bernardus.
My friend just told me he would be manning his hand crafted woodcrafts booth (Green Tree Designs) at the festival, so why not come down and check it out?

June Already!

So you'll have to forgive me for not doing this sooner, but I decided to migrate my email list to a blog. Mind you, I am not an experience blogger, so please bear with me!
I'll be adding things here as I think of them, or as they come up, so be sure to bookmark me and check back regularly.

How is it June! Well, as shocked as I am, June is the month for wine. And birthdays. And vacations. So many things, so little time!

With the global climate shift causing strange and unusual weather patterns, I decided that I better drink as much good wine as possible to stave off the bevy of new illnesses we will probably get.

No no, I'm not a pessimist. Just looking for an excuse! Thanks to Gabriella from Catavino, who's doctor told her to drink more and eat more meat, I am following suit.

Open House

Saturday June 21

Happy Anniversary to Crushpad!

http://applications.crushpadwine.com/event/50.3

San Francisco Wine Enthusiasts Meet the Winemakers

Wednesday June 25
I really enjoy these meet the winemakers sessions, because it gives us a chance to get to know some very small producers that you might not otherwise get to know.

This month, it might be our final episode because we have had a hard time attracting crowds. Please take a moment, find a friend, and come on down to see and try:

Sterling Albert Winery
Concord's only winery and winemaker, will be pouring wines sourced from grapes grown on Mt. Diablo where many of the state's more respected vineyards grew before Prohibition. You'll also enjoy his Lake County Cab Franc from 35 year old vines that will produce no more, having recently been pulled out to make way for progress.

Pietra Santa Winery
Pietra Santa, located next door to Josh Jensen's Calera winery, will be sampling estate wines from Cienega Valley including their Super Tuscan Blend Sassolino as well as their SangioveseDolcetto. and

Vin Nostro
The winemaker of Vin Nostro, Dario Zucconi, whose family owns Tomasso's pizzaria, will join us to pour his double gold medal winners, the 2004 Alexander Valley Cab and '05 Syrah from the Red Hills AVA (Lake County) and his '05 Dry Creek Valley Zin.

Harvest Moon Winery
Among its wines, Harvest Moon Estate & Winery will be showcasing several Zins from the Russian River appellation.http://wine.meetup.com/321/calendar/8055401/

A weeklong extravaganza of Pinot Noir!

Tuesday June 24
Ottimista Enoteca Pinot Pairings
$25 reservations required.
Six pinot producers will pour their finest to those interested in tasting and celebrating pinot noir, as paired with pinot-centric foods. Ottimista Enotecca-Cafe is known for its pairings; this is a tasting you do not want to miss.

• Churchill Cellars
• Handley Cellars
• Olson Ogden Wines
• Philo Ridge Vineyards
• Hirsch Vineyard and Winery
• Kanzler Vineyards

Thursday June 26
Table Hop Dinners

• Isa
• Jack Fallstaff

Saturday June 28
Focus Tasting Series

This year we are offering three Focus Tastings, each with a regional focus. Each of these tastings will feature 16 of the best producers efforts within the theme. We will drink the wines blind and reveal them after each flight. While you are tasting the wines, the winemakers will field questions, discuss their own wines and the uniqueness of the region they are representing, and share their colorful stories about making some of the most exciting pinots available. All of this will happen while you are sitting and tasting some of the finest pinots on the market.

1. Santa Lucia Highlands, Santa Rita Hills and Central Coast - 6/28/2008 1-3pm Cost: $ 80 SOLD OUT
   
2. Best of Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley 6/28/2008 4-6pm Cost: $ 80
3. Best of Russian River Valley and Santa Maria Valley 6/28/2008 7-9pm Cost: $ 80

Sunday June 29
Seminar Series
Our Sunday Seminar Series offer specific opportunities to appreciate wines of particular styles, or from particular regions or vineyards. Each Series consists of three unique, topical tastings: Appellation, Vineyard and Misto. The "Appellation Tasting" is a tasting of pinots from a specific appellation or region. The "Vineyard Tasting" is a tasting of pinots from a specific vineyard. The "Misto Tasting" is mix of pinot-related topics, ranging from an alcohol level study to a clonal study to a study of the effects of the various barrel types - you choose. A ticket to the Sunday Seminar Series includes the Grand Festival. Sunday Seminar Series ticket holders may enter the Grand Festival at 11AM with members of the Trade, and taste for one hour before heading to your particular seminar series. Seminars are two hours in length, so you may re-enter the Grand Festival at 2PM to enjoy three more hours of tasting pinot and meeting winemakers.

Grand Tasting

Sunday's Grand Tasting will showcase 170 producers of pinot noir. This is California's largest single gathering of pinot producers, as well as its most varied. Consumers will be able to sample up to 400 pinots from every important region in California, Oregon, New Zealand, and Burgundy, and to meet the winemakers who create them. We will also offer a number of pinots for auction, donating various charities.