September 2014 – WineFashionista

Livermore Stories: BoaVentura de Caires Winery

Wine

“Handcrafted” has become such a buzzword in the wine industry that it’s almost meaningless, superfluous. But not at BoaVentura de Caires, the Livermore Valley winery owned by Brett Caires. His operation is truly handcrafted. Brett planted the vineyards and renovated the horse corral that’s now his winery and tasting room almost wood plank by wood plank. He salvaged redwood, a couple of stained glass windows and a door from buildings on the nearby Concannon Vineyard property that were being demolished. And, oh yeah, Brett farms the vineyards and makes the wine. His hands are on every grape cluster, every vat of fermenting grape juice, every barrel of aging wine, every bottle filled and dipped in wax. BoaVentura is not your typical winery, and that’s what makes it such a wonderful place to visit. When you pull up the steep driveway, you see a sign that says “No limos past this…

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Bringing Wine Country Living to Lowcountry Living

Food

I grew up spending two weeks each summer going to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina with my family. The Lowcountry is a special place for me. Those summers were idyllic. I love the beauty of the marshes and the long, wide sandy beaches with sand dunes and sea oats. This is my second home (thanks Dad for retiring there!). I’ve always loved the easy, breezy Lowcountry beach lifestyle, perhaps even more now that I’m living on the west coast and don’t get to Hilton Head as often as I’d like. However, I’ve also fallen in love with the Wine Country lifestyle. After all, I did a TV show about it for 10 years, In Wine Country. So when I found out Robert Mondavi, Jr. and his wife Lydia were building a house and launching a home collection in Beaufort, SC, I had to find out more. The Mondavi name is…

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Red Wines, Good Times in Napa Valley #NapaStrong

Wine

Kathryn Hall knows how to throw a party. Maybe it’s because she spent four years as the United States Ambassador to Austria during the Clinton administration. But I think she just loves to have fun and enjoys seeing her guests have a great time. This past weekend at Hall Wines in Napa Valley, the scene was literally set in red – huge red sofas placed everywhere in a large grass courtyard. I thought they were leather at first, but they are actually some sort of inflatable material. Fun, clever and definitely eye-catching. You could also play I Love Lucy and stomp on freshly picked Merlot grapes that will go into making wine. My feet are in the 2014 Merlot. I’ll have to get a bottle when it is released. We were all at Hall for the release of the 2011 Kathryn Hall Cabernet, her top-of-the line signature wine. It’s a blend of…

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On the Wine Oh TV Wine Club: A New Label for Mat Kearney

Perfume

Courtesy Wine Oh TV Ok I’ll admit it. I’m not as up on current music as I used to be. Play most any song from the late 70’s and the 80’s and I can name that tune (a skill which recently earned me a Lava Flow at Pool Bar Jim’s in Hilton Head Island). I pay more attention now to wine labels than record labels. So when I first tried a red wine called “Verse & Chorus” I had to ask “who is Mat Kearney?” Maybe not knowing him or his music made me be totally skeptical about another musician fronting a wine label. But I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this soft, rich and fruity wine, with notes of cherry, violets and chocolate. I liked it so much I immediately went to Whole Foods, where Verse & Chorus is sold exclusively, to buy more. I got to learn…

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