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…
On the Wine Oh TV Wine Club: A New Label for Mat Kearney
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…
#NapaQuake: How You Can Help Keep #NapaStrong
Bottle shock. Crushed. Shaken, not stirred. Whatever word you choose to describe it, the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Napa Valley early Sunday morning has left behind more than spilled wine. More than 100 homes and buildings red-tagged. The facade of the beautiful Vintner’s Collective building gone. Homes shaken off foundations, cracks in walls, chimneys toppled. Countless glasses, plates and other personal possessions shattered. Gallons and gallons of wine lost. All this happening as harvest is underway. Winemakers who lost tanks and barrels are scrambling to find ones they can borrow or rent so they can press, ferment and store the new wines coming in as we speak. Some producers lost freshly made wines from the current vintage, but they also lost library wines — collections of wine going back years, if not decades. Wineries also lost wine in barrel that hadn’t made it to bottle yet, as barrels…
A Progressive Food and Wine Pairing Journey at Jordan
Jordan Winery and Vineyards, located in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley just north of Healdsburg, is a vast 1,200 acre property, boasting not just 112 acres of vineyards but a cattle ranch, vegetable and flower garden, olive tree groves and a lake that’s a habitat for all sorts of fish and birds. But visitors to the winery rarely get a glimpse of this sprawling estate. Until now. “We never wanted to be a belly up to the bar wine bar,” says John Jordan, CEO of the winery his parents founded in 1972. In fact, John was born in Denver on the same day Tom and Sally Jordan closed on the property for their first vineyard, May 25, 1972. The estate property was bought in 1974. Today, this land is also home for John, with his house overlooking the vineyards and lake. For him to invite visitors to tour his backyard, the…
Sophia Loren Brings the Stars Out in Napa Valley
Photos by Jon Orlin On Saturday night stars were shining at Far Niente Winery for an evening of Bella Italia! A Tribute to Sophia Loren, the most coveted ticket at this year’s Festival del Sole. This just may be the most star-studded night in the nine seasons of the of festival. Napa Valley is used to its share of celebrities. But not many events can hold a candle to Whoopi Goldberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Redford, and the ultimate star, Sophia Loren, under one tent. I’ve been to my fair share of special nights in wine country, but this evening tops them all. I got to shake hands with Sophia Loren. The grande signora of the Italian silver screen was in Napa Valley for the world premiere of Sinfonietta per Sofia, a tribute in her honor. The work, composed by Daniel Brewbaker, was performed by the LA Virtuosi, a…
Rosé – The New “It” Wine
Move over Moscato. You are so over. Rosé is having its moment. Everyone is writing about it, from Eric Asimov in the New York Times, Lettie Teague in the Wall Street Journal, Jon Bonné in the San Francisco Chronicle and countless wine bloggers. Everyone is drinking Rosé. Sales are on a rising trajectory, and everyone it seems, is making a Rosé now. I remember a time, not too long ago, when we were writing articles called “Don’t be Afraid to Drink Pink,” or “Pink wine is for Real Men.” Now Rosé is a serious contender all its own. We don’t have to say Rosé is dry, not sweet and that it is not White Zinfandel. We’ve all learned that good Rosé is dry, crisp, fruity and refreshing, but it still has a little structure which makes it great for pairing with all kinds of food. Good Rosé is not sweet…
Breaking the Taboo of Wine and Perfume
For eons, perfume has been banned from any place where wine is being tasted, consumed, enjoyed. As a wine professional, it is taboo for me to wear perfume to a trade tasting, a wine dinner or other wine related event. The same goes for people working in the wine industry, whether they are working in the winery as a cellar rat, enologist, winemaker or pouring at the tasting bar. Wine and perfume together…not allowed! Forbidden. Until now. I’ve been on a mission to break the taboo of wine and perfume together. As a Certified Sommelier, I love to pair wine with perfume. Both are aromatic experiences. In fact, without your sense of smell, wine (or any food or beverage) would not be as enjoyable, because your sense of taste really comes from your sense of smell. The tongue can’t distinguish floral from spicy, but your nose can. And, it’s that ability…
E-Cep: An American En Primeur
Ask a wine lover or a serious wine collector what one of their biggest gripes is about the wine marketplace and the answer is often not being able to get their hands on that cult Cabernet from California rated 98+ points. Equally frustrating is having to wait to get on a winery’s mailing list to have a chance at getting an allocation of a highly rated, in demand bottle of wine. What if you could get the wine you want before it hits the marketplace? That’s what E-Cep founders Serge Marquie and Sally Wilkinson set out to discover. As both of them will tell you quite often, “we are not wine people we are finance people,” Serge says. “But we love wine.” Coming from London, the historical birthplace of the en primeur system, Serge and Sally were surprised that there was no formal wine futures market in this country. Once…
WineFashionista is a Finalist in The Wine Blog Awards! Please Vote!
I am super humbled and honored that this blog WineFashionista is a Finalist in the Wine Blog Awards for Best Writing on a Wine Blog. The Wine Blog Awards are given out each year at the Wine Bloggers Conference. I am in great company in my category with some of the best wine writers in the country. This is my first time being a finalist. To be named a finalist, my blog had to be nominated. There were 100+ nominees in my category. Then a panel of judges, basically a panel of wine writing peers, voted for the top six blogs. Somehow mine was one of those six. I was quite surprised and thrilled. Now the general public gets their say. This is where you my dear readers, come in. Click on this link, then click on the big red VOTE button. Voting ends June 19th at 11:59 pm. I would…
Dress to the Vines is Back!
For the second year, Jessup Cellars in Napa Valley is bringing style to Wine Country. That’s right, the fabulous event, Dress to the Vines, is back! And I’ll be joining in once again, pairing the wonderful wines from Jessup Cellars with artisan perfumer Sarah Horowitz Parfums amazing fragrances. This is an olfactory experience you don’t want to miss. “Our belief is that the Napa Valley has more than just influenced the culinary landscape of America, it’s also setting trends for style and fashion from coast-to-coast,” says Joel Quigley of Jessup Cellars. “This is what we’re celebrating!” Yountville, in the heart of Napa Valley and home to Jessup is fashion central for three days and nights June 26th to June 28th. On June 26 the Dress to the Vines weekend kicks-off poolside at the Bardessono Hotel & Spa with the hotel’s Dive Bar Fashion Party2, from 6-8 pm. This is where…