Archive for December, 2014
RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT Alexander’s Steakhouse, Cupertino, California
The Sommelier Journal May 2009 Catherine Fallis, MS A passion for wine, a sophisticated menu, and a knowledgeable staff are the hallmarks of this Bay Area steakhouse. I first met JC Chen, owner of Alexander’s Steakhouse in Cupertino, Calif., at La Paulée de San Francisco last year. He was a guest at my assigned station […]
SPECIAL REPORT Argentina
The Sommelier Journal April 2009 Catherine Fallis, MS Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world—and the largest of all Spanish-speaking countries—in terms of land mass. Thanks to the majestic Andes Mountains, brilliant year-round sunshine, and plentiful pure, clean water, Argentina is also home to some of the finest and most pristine grape-growing […]
INTERVIEW Gary Pisoni, Pisoni Vineyards & Winery, Gonzales, California
The Sommelier Journal March 2009 Catherine Fallis, MS Gary Pisoni is larger than life. Meet him once, and you’ll never forget him. Apparently, I had the same effect on him. As we sat on the shaded deck and barbecue terrace at Pisoni Ranch in the southern Santa Lucia Highlands, he and his son Mark […]
Crystal Vision: Choices in today’s glassware
The Sommelier Journal February 2009 Catherine Fallis, MS In the past, sommeliers basically had two options for stemware—a durable budget choice, such as the popular Schott Zwiesel Mondial, or the blue-chip standard, Riedel. Considering the wide disparity in cost, many sommeliers had to dole out the nice stemware only to the guests who ordered high-ticket […]
INTERVIEW Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Winery, Sebastopol, California
The Sommelier Journal November 2008 Catherine Fallis, MS A few days before the summer solstice, during an early northern California heat wave, I was on my way to meet Merry Edwards in her new, multimillion-dollar winery. Driving along Gravenstein Highway in the central Russian River Valley, I kept my eyes peeled for a sign. Although […]
TERROIR Cole Ranch, Mendocino, California
The Sommelier Journal October 2008 Catherine Fallis, MS Ask any sommelier certification candidate about Cole Ranch, and you’ll likely get either a smile or a grimace, depending on the test results. Cole Ranch pops up frequently in test questions because it is the nation’s smallest American Viticultural Area (AVA) and because one family owns the […]
SPECIAL REPORT Chianti Classico
The Sommelier Journal August 2008 Catherine Fallis, MS Tuscany is one of the world’s most established and aristocratic wine regions. Because its reputation is never in question, winemakers here can afford to look at the big picture—where they want to be for the next several generations—unlike those in up-and-coming areas, where the pressure to make […]
The Shifting Landscape of Champagne
The Sommelier Journal July 2008 Catherine Fallis, MS The Champenois are considered the best marketers in the world. They’ve had to be—at least until recently. The emerging middle classes of India and China and the nouveau riche of Russia are inhaling Champagne faster than Baby Phat designer Kimora Lee Simmons, who apparently prefers the […]
INTERVIEW Heidi Peterson Barrett, La Sirena, Napa Valley, California
The Sommelier Journal June 2008 Catherine Fallis, MS For a woman who changed the face of California wine, Heidi Peterson Barrett is decidedly unassuming. As we sat chatting on the deck of a coffee house in St. Helena, Calif., the light in her dazzling green-blue eyes danced with excitement. She was coughing from a second […]
IN SERVICE Serving the sommeliers
The Sommelier Journal April 30 2011 Catherine Fallis, MS Service goes a long way, even for sales representatives. As wine director for a prestigious fine-dining establishment in the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District, I enjoyed better service from my wine, liquor, water, and beer reps than many of my peers. The larger distributors had […]
IN SERVICE Service with style
The Sommelier Journal June 15 2010 Catherine Fallis, MS Service technique is more than just presenting, opening, and pouring wine. Here are some tips on performing wine service with style. Body Movements and Presence: Guests pick up on things like the pace of your gait, the sweat on your brow, and the terseness of your conversation. […]
IN SERVICE Sommelier selling skills
The Sommelier Journal January 31 2010 Catherine Fallis, MS The savvy sommelier requires selling skills to augment floor presence and wine knowledge. Spending money in a restaurant, unlike a makeup counter or a car showroom, is not an optional decision once the diner sits down. But you can influence just how much spending will occur […]
High Rollers Not FIt for the Table
Wines & Vines, Dec, 2004 by Catherine Fallis On a first date in Napa Valleythis summer, my dinner companion arrived with a bottle of Napa Syrah provided by his host. I gently explained the two reasons I didn’t think it was appropriate to open it. First of all, it was on the wine list. […]
Grape Trivia
One Acre of land Averages: Five tons of grapes = 10,000 pounds 13.51 Barrels of wine at 59 gal ea. 797 Gallons of wine 3,958 Bottles of wine, 25.6 oz. ea. 15,940 Glasses of wine, 6.4oz.ea. One Case of Wine Contains: 12 x 750ml bottles or 24 half bottles 30 pounds of grapes […]
Zinfandel
Many of the benchmark wines, role models for the world at large, are in France. While not American in origin, it is only here that zinfandel has excelled. Today the best zinfandels in the world are, without a doubt coming from the state of California. Possibly migrating from Greece, it turns out that Zinfandel is […]
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is the most ubiquitous red variety in the world. Bordeaux is its heartland, but upstarts in Napa Valley, California, Tuscany and South Australia are staking a claim. As a point of reference, Cabernet Sauvignon is the offspring of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. The patriarch of Bordeaux, even though it is outplanted by […]
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is a very old variety believed to have origins in South West France. It is the overlooked parent (along with Sauvignon Blanc) of Cabernet Sauvignon, and is used quite often inBordeauxblends. It is, along with Merlot, the dominant grape of St. Emilion, on the right bank of Bordeaux, and produces one of the […]
Malbec
Malbec, one of the five varieties used in red Bordeaux, is thought to have originated in South West France, though in Cahors, the appellation it is most famous for today, the local name is Auxerrois, suggesting origins in Northern Burgundy. The grape is sensitive to frost, downy mildew, and rot, and has therefore come to […]
Merlot
Chateau Le Pin, arguably the world’s most expensive wine, is a Merlot. Who knew? Merlot, reportedly named after the ”merle” bird which eats the grapes, is a major player in Bordeaux, where it is actually the most widely planted red varietal and responsible for its priciest wines. Merlot comes to the fore in the Right […]
Bordeaux Blend
In France, where wines are labeled not by their grape type but by recognized geographical origin (appellation), the various grapes grown in that area are conveniently grouped by “family” or “blend.” Thus, a “Rhone blend” is made up of the typical grapes grown in that area. The Bordeaux blend family members are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet […]
Mourvedre
Mourvèdre is originally fromSpain – Murviedro was a town nearValencia-and is today the country’s second most planted red varietal after Garnacha. Known now as Monastrell (or, less commonly, BAlmansa,Valencia,Alicante, Jumilla, and Yecla onSpain’s southeastern Mediterranean coast. obal), it is the principal grape of In France, it is the mainstay of the red and rosé wines […]
Grenache
Grenache is the fourth most planted variety in the world, and the first most planted in Spain, where it is known as Garnacha. Early-budding and late-ripening, Grenache is notorious for producing round, high alcohol wines if not planted in the right areas or cropped back. It loves the Mediterranean climate. In sandy, devigorated soil or where […]
Syrah
Syrah may be the world’s oldest grape variety. Today it is famous for the great Hermitage and Cote Rotie wines of the Rhone Valley in France as well as the great reds of Australia. The Middle Eastern City of Shiraz was thought to be its origin. By one account, the Knight of Stérimberg brought the […]
Rhone Blend
Originating in France’s Rhone Valley, the Rhone blend generally refers to a blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache, the top three grapes of the area. These grapes, along with Cinsault, Muscardin, Cournoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan, and Vaccarese are the allowable varieties for the famous Châteauneuf du Pape, “the Pope’s new castle” […]
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