Garré wins at Taste Our Terroir

July 26, 2014 by Janelle Becerra

Garré’s Charlie Smith and Mona Canen with blogger Janelle at Taste Our Terroir

About Garré Vineyards & Winery

At Friday night’s “Taste our Terroir” at Casa Real in Livermore, we were able to taste many of Livermore’s best wines paired with appetizers from local restaurants. The wines we tasted were all delicious and the food excellent. Among the 700 people attending the event, my cousin Mona was pouring the 2010 Profound Secret from Garré Vineyards. We thought the wine was very good and went by the winery the next day to taste more of their wines. Profound Secret is the name of one of the owner’s thoroughbred race horses, and the colorful label on this bottle is a painting of a racehorse by Robert A. Anderson.

We were delighted that the award for Judges’ Best Pairing went to Garré Vineyard & Winery and Garré Cafe. The appetizer they served was a tomato and olive braised beef short rib with whipped potatoes and panko crust, prepared by chef Robert Sapirman.

The other awards for the evening included:

*Best Classic Pairing: Vasco Urbano Wine Company and Zephyr Grill & Bar
*Most Innovative Pairing: Cuda Ridge Wines and Posada
*Best White Wine Pairing: Longevity Wines and 1300 on Fillmore
*Best Red Wine Pairing: Wood Family Vineyards and First Street Alehouse

Casa Real event center is at Ruby Hill Winery and is a lovely setting for weddings and other such events. We look forward to returning to Taste Our Terroir next year.

Profound Secret – Bordeaux Blend

Santa Barbara Fisherwoman Stephanie Mutz

July 22, 2014 by Janelle Becerra

At the recent Wine Bloggers Conference in the Santa Barbara Wine Country, a small group of bloggers enjoyed a wonderful visit to the Bridlewood Estate Winery in the Santa Ynez AVA. The entrance to the winery is impressive, with its Spanish Mission style of architecture. Our Apple Basket lunch of local sandwiches and salads was served overlooking Bridlewood Lake and was complemented by delicious Bridlewood wines.

Bell Tower at Bridlewood Estate Winery in Santa Barbara wine country

Following the lunch, we had a very informative seminar in the Bridlewood cellar. Rather than the usual panel of winery owners and winemakers, this panel included:

Richard Martin (Moderator), editorial director of Food Republic
Mark Williams, Winemaker for Bridlewood Estate Winery
Jeff Olsson, chef and proprietor of New West Catering and Industrial Eats Restaurant
Jake O’Francis, Pig farmer
Christopher and Johanna Finley, farmers for Finley Organic Farms
Stephanie Mutz, Santa Barbara Fisherwoman

Photo of Stephanie Mutz by Fran Collin, francollin.com

Most interesting to me was the inclusion of Stephanie, a sea urchin fisherwoman. As Stephanie’s website states, she’s been fishing in the Santa Barbara area for 7 years and strives to make fresh, sustainable seafood available to the local population.

Stephanie got her undergraduate degree at UC Santa Barbara and then went on to Graduate School in Australia. Her goal at the time was to become a Community College professor in her field of Marine Biology. While she was writing her Graduate School dissertation, she worked on urchin boats. After a part-time teaching job ended, she decided to concentrate on fishing full time.

Being that most of the people Stephanie fishes with are male, she feels fortunate that they are accepting of her and very helpful when necessary. She usually goes out on her boat alone, unless the weather is bad or she needs extra help getting what she needs for the market. In some cases, she joins other fishermen on their boats for fishing or diving. Stephanie fishes for sea urchins and snails and regularly delivers her catch to local chefs when the weather and the catch are good. There seems to be a fad for sea urchin delicacies in Southern California and that demand is keeping Stephanie very busy these days. She also works closely with Jeff Olsson and his Industrial Eats Restaurant. Stephanie does not always know what her daily catch will be and often she will bring Jeff in something different than he asked for. She praises Jeff for being adaptable and creative in making the best of Stephanie’s haul.

After a day at sea, Stephanie unwinds by sitting in her meadow at home with a glass of wine to recap the day with her boyfriend, also a fisherman. They discuss ways to become more efficient and productive at doing what they love to do. She does her best to promote what the industry is all about to the entire community. She thinks its important to encourage people to have a balanced lifestyle, which includes eating local foods.

For recipes and information on how to find Stephanie’s catch, consult her website: seastephaniefish.com

Appetizers prepared by Chef Jeff Olsson. On the right is sea urchin on avocado

Daou Vineyards in Paso Robles

July 22, 2014 by Janelle Becerra

The view from Daou Vineyards and Winery in Paso Robles

About Daou Vineyards in Paso Robles

This is one of the latest wineries in Paso Robles (2007) and perhaps the winery with the most breathtaking views. Imagine yourself sitting on these chairs with a glass of wine pondering life. This is about as gorgeous as it gets in any wine country. The winery is situated on the west side of Highway 101 in Paso Robles. It sits at an elevation of 2000 feet. It may be hot in Paso Robles during the growing season, but this hilltop site is cooled by the breezes coming from the Pacific Ocean through the Templeton Gap. The soil here is all calcareous, and the Daou folks believe this is the ideal terroir for producing Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals. Although the emphasis is on Bordeaux style wines they also produce some lovely Rhone style white wines, namely Viognier and Grenache Blanc. The winery is owned by Georges and Daniel Daou, two brothers who were successful business entrepeneurs in the medical industry. Daniel Daou is also the winemaker. The vineyards are Sip Certified, meaning sustainable farming is in practice throughout the estate. The tasting room is beautiful, and visitors are welcome to Daou Vineayrds in Paso Robles daily from 11am-5pm. The current tasting fee is $20, but waived with a purchase of wine. There are also food pairings available. Check the Daou Vineyards website for complete visiting details and other details about the winery.

More about the Paso Robles wine country

Wine Bottle Art

June 29, 2014 by Janelle Becerra

Diane Selmi – Wine Bottle Art

If you’re looking for a special gift for one of your wine lover friends, an original wine bottle art painting by Diane Selmi might just be the perfect choice.

Diane started painting unique wine bottles 10 years ago when she retired after a long career as a travel agent. She saw a picture of bottles in a magazine and was taken by the explosion of colors and reflection. She had just added a small studio to her house and was starting to paint other subjects, when she put everything aside and began composing wine bottles. She enthusiastically experimented with shapes, placement, light and color.

Each label is chosen very carefully and is a painting in itself. Diane began giving her paintings as gifts, and as they were seen by others, she started to get requests for commissions. The idea of personalizing the labels came to her very early on. Diane has included the names of family members, pets, boats, favorite places, as well as favorite wine bottles in the compositions.

It’s hard to believe that Diane has had no formal training in painting, but she says she recognizes a future painting when she sees a subject that has the light and color she loves. She has sold many of her paintings and has made notecards to sell or give as gifts.

Diane paints with acrylic and has painted on canvasses 24X24 to 48X60. The paintings are unframed and prices range from $500 to $2500. She does not currently have a website but can be reached on Facebook or by emailing: [email protected]

Kosher Wines – Celler de Capcanes

November 13, 2013 by Janelle Becerra

Cellar De Capcanes and the Kosher Wines

Of all the exciting wineries we visited in October on our European Wine Bloggers Pre-Conference trip to the Priorat and Montsant wine regions in Spain, one of the most interesting to me was Celler de Capcanes. What is unique about this winery is that they produce 3 Kosher wines: Peraj Ha’abib, Flor del Flor de Primavera and Peraj petita. Even though Kosher wines account for only 2% of Capcanes’ production, these wines are highly popular in Barcelona.

One of three kosher wines produced at Capcanes

Kosher wine production inside the gate

Not being Jewish, I knew almost nothing about Kosher wines. I was fascinated to learn of the many restrictions placed on the making and handling of wine to comply with Jewish Law. All aspects of the production and handling of Kosher wine before and after the bottle has been opened must be done by Jewish hands. Even by just looking at a wine, a non-Jew can contaminate it. For that reason, the Kosher cellars at Capcanes are closed to visitors.

Capcanes has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages. Over the years, many people left the area for bigger cities following the devastation to vineyards from Phylloxera and the advent of industrialization. In 1933, five families from the village established a co-operative, so they’d be able to survive as farmers and be able to efficiently sell their grapes. A significant change came in 1995 when the Jewish community of Barcelona, 100 miles away, asked Capcanes to produce a Kosher wine. That required new equipment to be installed. From the popularity of these Kosher wines, Capcanes attracted investors, and much of the winery was remodeled and modernized. The other 98% of Capcanes’ wines now enjoy a distinctive reputation around the world.

Our tour and tasting was led by Jurgen Wagner. He is the co-winemaker and the director of operations at Capcanes. In the photo below he is pictured with an assistant currently interning at Capcanes in the production of Kosher wines.

Jurgen Wagner with the intern

On a side note, one of the wines produced at Capcanes is a wine that we have purchased locally at K&L Wines. It is produced specifically for the U.S. market and imported by Eric Solomon. The wine is Mas Donis Barrica, and the current vintage is 2009. It is a highly acclaimed wine and value priced at $11.99. It is delicious and is a great choice for your Thanksgiving dinner. You can read Joe’s review of the Mas Donis at Wine Values and Bargains.

For more information on the wines of Capcanes, visit their website

Trends in Wine Tourism

December 5, 2012 by Janelle Becerra

We were delighted to attend the Wine Tourism Conference last month held at the Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa. We met a lot of new people in the wine industry, as well as some new winery owners, winemakers and wine bloggers. We especially appreciated the intimate settings of the winery dinners offered as pre-conference visitations.

The Wine Industry Panel discussed the increased interest in visiting wineries in Southern Oregon, the state of Virginia and the Paso Robles wine region of Central California.

We learned that New York’s Finger Lakes is one of the fastest growing wine regions in the country. After having met author Evan Dawson at the European Wine Bloggers’ Conference in 2011, we read his book “Summer in a Glass,” which is a very personal look at winery owners and winemakers in this upstate wine region. We definitely have added that area to our “wish list” of future wine travel.

Wine Tourism in the Finger Lakes wine country

A great read on the Finger Lakes wine country

“The Spirit of the Man” Sculpture Exhibit at Paradise Ridge Winery

November 20, 2012 by Janelle Becerra

Sculpture Exhibit – Spirit of the Man

While attending the Wine Tourism Conference last week in Santa Rosa, we were led by Che Voigt on a guided tour of “The Spirit of the Man” Sculpture Exhibit at Paradise Ridge Winery. The exhibit honors Che’s father, artist Al Voigt, who passed away in 2011.
Al and Judy Voigt founded the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation in 2005. Their passion was to find outdoor venues in which to display large sculptures strategically placed, to allow visitors enough space to walk around each sculpture and enjoy the changes in lighting throughout the day.

This exhibit includes 34 sculptures from local artists as well as artists from other parts of the US. The pieces vary in size, color, and style and are primarily abstract in nature.

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The Voigts’ idea was to combine “food, wine, and art,” and what better location to do that than at Paradise Ridge Winery? This exhibit is perfect for families, as kids would have a great time walking from sculpture to sculpture some of which they can actually play with. The year-long exhibit is scheduled to close in May 2013, but there’s the talk of extending it for another year.

Read our previous post to learn more about the Paradise Ridge Winery.

Girls’ Wine Country Getaway to the Napa Valley

August 28, 2012 by Janelle Becerra

The kids are back in school and it is time for a well-deserved break in the action of household duties. The best possible getaway in September is a two-night stay in the Napa Valley wine country. We have done this several times and it works wonders on the psyche. Here are some sure-fire ideas for getting this trip off on the right foot and making sure that fun times prevail throughout the stay.

A morning cup and pastry at Bouchon Bakery

First of all, someone in the group must take the lead in organizing the entire trip. Give the group a name like “Sixth Annual Rejuvenation Wine Country Getaway.” Once the dates are firmed up, make sure you book your Napa lodging and Napa restaurants as soon as possible. September is harvest season and it’s a very popular time of the year in wine country.

Yountville, St. Helena, Calistoga, and Napa all have many choices of wonderful places to stay and dine. A smart idea is to stay in a hotel where you can walk to a choice of restaurants. Why drive or take a cab and when you can take an easy stroll to a restaurant? See our list of best Napa Valley Restaurants.

Bottega restaurant in Yountville

Many B&B’s have a wine reception with appetizers. If that is not the case for your lodging, bring your own wine and goodies for a fun hour before you head out to dinner. Besides some visits to wineries, what other activities will you schedule: golf, spa, massage, mud bath, or boutique shopping?

Plan one day for visiting a set of wineries. Make sure you have a designated driver or hire a limo or van service. One person in the group should take the lead in deciding which wineries to visit. Limo companies can do the planning for you but you will have more fun if you choose which wineries to visit and where to picnic. We have all the planning ideas you need for visiting Napa Valley wineries. You or your driver will need to make reservations for winery tastings if your group is 6 or more. Another consideration is to see if you can arrange for a private tour at one of the wineries. See if you can get an introduction from your local wine shop. A private tour might include a visit with the owner or winemaker, a vineyard walk, a barrel tasting, and a tasting of past vintages of wine.

Silver Oak Winery

Once your trip is planned, make sure everyone gets the itinerary and agrees with all the activities. Then sit back, relax and enjoy the wonders of the Napa Valley wine country.

The Napa Valley Connection to the Barrios of Peru Our Hands for Hope

July 24, 2012 by Janelle Becerra

Our Hands for Hope

What do Peruvian women have in common with Hess Winery, Robert Mondavi, the Spa at Bardesonno, and the chic West End Napa Store? The women’s woven clothing pieces are sold at these locations. It is a win for both, with the Pervian women making a living and the stores featuring a one-of-a kind product. How did this partnership occur?

We recently had a very interesting and informative meeting with Terisa Brooks-Huddleston, the founder of “Our Hands for Hope,” an organization which works directly with abandoned or widowed women from the Andes mountains, who are intent on finding a way to support themselves and their children. These women are motivated, talented and well trained, but previously were only able to sell their handmade outerwear and blankets to visiting tourists.

“Our Hands for Hope” was created out of a partnership with Project New Hope International and Creation Peru. These organizations have helped build medical centers and schools in the area, as these women and their children receive no government assistance. “Our Hands for Hope” purchases the soft alpaca yarn and sends suggested patterns to the women, who are known affectionately as “Peruvian Mothers.” The women knit the products and set their own prices. The products are then sent to Terisa and she locates retail shops which will sell them.

Brabo Wine Tasting Bar in Old Town Alexandria

August 2, 2011 by Janelle Becerra

Following the Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville, we spent a few days traveling around Virginia wine country. While walking around Old Town Alexandria, we couldn’t resist having lunch at the very inviting Brabo Tasting Room, adjacent to the beautiful Lorien Hotel and Spa.

The tasting room offers a nice selection of red and white wines available by the taste, the glass, or the bottle. The list of wines also includes sparkling wines, dessert wines and a wide assortment of beer. The surprise to us was that there was not a single Virginia wine on the list. We mentioned to our server Bryan how delighted we’d been with all the Virginia wines we’d sampled at the conference, and he promised to pass the word on.