Please join me and master perfumer Sarah Horowitz for a super fun wine and perfume pairing workshop in Los Angeles! We’ll be pairing wine with fragrant essences curated by Sarah at her perfume studio. You’ll get to sniff and sip. The best part of all is we’ll be creating a custom, one-of-a-kind fragrance on the spot, with your input, inspired by one of the wines! You’ll be able to take a home a sample vial of this bespoke scent. This is a great way to learn about both wine and perfume, and how the two are more similar than you ever imagined. Our guest vintner is Sonja Magdevski of Casa Dumetz Wines and we’ll be pouring and pairing her wines with Sarah’s perfumes! Tell all your perfume loving friends, especially those in the Los Angeles area. Sign up early! Space is extremely limited. Detailed information on ScentTrails.com, a new perfume boutique finder and…
The Other 47 (States of Wine)
“New Jersey was a revelation.” Linda Murphy is talking about wine. American Wine to be exact, which is the name of the book she has just co-authored with Jancis Robinson, a Master of Wine and leading authority on all things grape related around the world. Linda is a well-respected wine writer and was most recently the wine editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, and now writes for Decanter and is the west coast editor for Jancis’ website JancisRobinson.com. In the months and years leading up to publishing of American Wine: The Ultimate Companion to the Wines and Wineries of the United States, Linda did most of what Jancis calls “the heavy lifting.” She traveled across the country, seeking out unfamiliar varietals in states not known for making quality wine, in what Linda and Jancis have come to call “the other 47.” These are the states where wine is being made…
Deep into Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Country at Fernwood Cellars
Talk about off the beaten path. This has to be one of the most scenic drives to a winery I’ve ever been on. I’m not talking sweeping, panoramic views. Instead the road is shrouded in morning mist, and the oak trees form a tunnel above the pavement and redwood trees touch the sky. The atmosphere is eerily romantic. That Fernwood Cellars is nestled into northern California’s Santa Cruz Mountains is an understatement. It sits on the site of a former retreat, at the very end of the historic Redwood Retreat Road in Gilroy, a town more famous for garlic than wine. Arriving at the barn that houses the small Fernwood winemaking operation, you feel you’ve really gotten away from it all – and discovered really good wine as a bonus. The Fernwood property has been in winemaker Matt Oetinger’s mother’s family since 1860. His great grandfather homesteaded here and started…
“King of Chardonnay” Miljenko Grgich Still Going Strong at 90
“In all my life I have been associated with two W’s.” The beret clad Miljenko “Mike” Grgich is standing in front of us, a group of wine press gathered at the Grgich Hills Estate winery in Napa Valley, to celebrate his 90th birthday. “Guess what that is?” One of the W’s is for wine of course. The other? Women. Grgich is quite the charmer, and one of his favorite sayings is “Good wines and good ladies improve with maturity.” He should know. For 40 years Grgich has been making some of the best, if not the best, Chardonnay in the business, wines which have not only matured well but are still very much alive. Proof of that ageability? Grgich poured tastes of the 1972 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that he made, where he was winemaker and limited partner, as his inaugural vintage for the new Napa Valley winery. Today this wine…
Tasting Wine With Tony Terlato
On a recent sunny Sunday, a small group of sommeliers gathered at the Andaz hotel in Napa Valley to take part in a wine tasting. That’s not unusual; somms have tasting groups and often attend tastings to keep their palates up to date. But this tasting was not organized by just anybody. This invitation was to what he calls the Options tasting, led by Tony Terlato, chairman of Terlato Wines International. The Terlato portfolio runs deep and large across the international wine world. Terlato owns a number of wineries, and has partnerships with others to import wine to the American market. “I don’t like to talk too much because I’m sure all of you have listened to winemakers talk about the wind and the rain and the soil so you really don’t need to hear that from me,” is how Tony kicks off this tasting, a blind tasting of…
Original Scent Opening Draws Stars and Fragrance Fanatics
Blue and green glass bottles fill shelves against a stark white backdrop. Mixologists hold bottle stoppers out for people seated at the bar to smell. They wear white lab coats that say “Be Original Be Fabulous.” They seem to be conspiring with the guest brewing a concoction. Clear glass bottles are filled with amber colored liquids. You’d think that a special Cognac or Bourbon is being blended for a cocktail at a hipster bar. Instead, the people behind the bar are perfume gods and goddesses, waiting to help you find your own Original Scent. Then you notice Kelly Bensimon (Real Housewives of New York) sniffing and smelling at the bar. She’s consulting with artisan perfumer Sarah Horowitz to create a custom blended perfume. There’s Jeff Goldblum trying out different scents. These sessions are taking place at Original Scent, a new upscale custom fragrance boutique in Pasadena, CA. Original Scent is…
A New Kind of Wine Club
On International Women’s Day the courtyard of the Westin Versa in Napa Valley is a lively scene with people having a great time sipping, eating and talking. As you walk around to the 30 or so tables where wines are being poured, you don’t see any men. These are the Women of the Vine, and they have a compelling story to tell behind their own wine labels. Deborah Brenner is what you would call a connector. She’s a dynamo, and has managed to court some of the best vintners in wine country for Women of the Vine, a venerable a who’s who list: Gina Gallo, Pam Starr, Milla Handley, Genevieve Janssens and more. It all started as she was researching and writing Women of the Vine, published in 2006, where she explores the contributions women have made to the American wine landscape. While her book was successful, she wanted another way to connect…
Learning To Blend Perfume – A Class With An Artisan Pefumer
When you’re really passionate about wine, there’s nothing better than getting an opportunity to visit one of your favorite wineries, meet the winemaker, and then have a blending session led by that winemaker. By learning the basics of blending, you can taste how just a few drops here or a few milliliters there of Cabernet Franc added to a Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend can make all the difference, one creating a blend that you don’t like at all to one that is sublime, one that you can’t wait to drink. The same principle applies in perfume blending, as I learned one recent Saturday in Los Angeles. I had met perfumer Sarah Horowitz through the Artisan Frangrance Salons held in San Francisco and LA, and I liked her perfumes very much. I’m obsessed with Perfect Coconut Milk and Beauty Comes from Within. When I heard that she also teaches a beginner’s…
The Wine Version Of A Tupperware Party In Your Own Home
I’m sitting in the living room of my friend’s home, where she’s gathered a small group of friends for a wine tasting. Betty Kaufman is pouring a sparkling wine. While my friend is the host for the evening, Betty is our wine guide and will be taking us through five wines, all paired with a small bite. But she’s not a sommelier and doesn’t work for a winery. Betty is an Independent Consultant for WineShop At Home, a company with a mission to take the intimidation out of learning about wine and the wine buying experience by holding a casual tasting in the comfort of people’s homes. Think of it as a Tupperware party for wine. Yes there is a sales pitch, but it’s a soft sell. You get to try before you buy. No one is judging your knowledge about wine or what you’re tasting in the glass. It’s all about…
One of Napa’s Best Dining Experiences Isn’t At A Restaurant – It’s At A Winery
Signorello Estate is a boutique family-owned winery that sits on a west facing hillside overlooking the Napa Valley. It is nestled between the appellations of Stag’s Leap District and Oak Knoll on the Silverado Trail and is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery owns 100 acres of land, of which 45 acres is planted to estate vineyards. Signorello is also becoming known for the culinary experience it offers visitors. The estate winery takes food and wine pairing seriously. They are partners with Snake River Farms in Idaho which produces American Wagyu Kobe-style beef, and Signorello offers tastes of it during its various epicurean experiences. A winery creating food and wine pairings for guests is nothing new, and Napa Valley certainly has plenty of wonderful restaurants. But I have to say that I was blown away by the pairing that the winery calls Enoteca Signorello. Usually…