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PLANET GRAPE’S GUIDE TO STARTING A WINE COLLECTION
Do you ever wonder what it might be like to step into a room chock full of your favorite wines, pick up a few bottles that are in their prime drinking range, and step back into your dining room? For many of us this is no more than a fantasy. Unlike the classic homes of […]
100 YEARS OF FREIXENET – CASA SALA GRAN RESERVA CAVA LAUNCH
Glass of Bubbly, Champagne & Sparkling Wine Magazine Issue 5, February/March 2015 Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava, or “Black Bottle Bubbly,’ is the world’s number one imported sparkling wine. And for good reason – it is easy on the wallet, available everywhere, and has the recognizable and innovative black glass bottle. In a similar vein, […]
COL D’ORCIA – AN ORGANIC ISLAND IN MONTALCINO
Elegant, regal, and silver haired Count Francesco Marone Cinzano, owner of Col d’Orcia in Montalcino, Tuscany, greeted a small group of San Francisco area wine experts, reviewers, sommeliers and press as we sat down in Sociale’s private dining room last Thursday. Sociale is a gem of an Italian bistro hidden down a narrow alleyway in […]
SAUVIGNON BLANC REGIONAL TASTING PROFILE – ARROYO SECO-MONTEREY
Summertime in a Glass Resident Master Sommelier, Catherine Fallis (a.k.a. grape goddess), gives us a nice overview of the Sauvignon Blanc found in the Arroyo Seco AVA located on California’s Central Coast in Monterey County. Here, some world-class Sauvignon Blanc is being produced in this unique, cool climate growing region. She explores several excellent wines […]
SAUVIGNON BLANC REGIONAL TASTING PROFILE – LIVERMORE VALLEY
SIAG Resident Master Sommelier, Catherine Fallis, aka grape goddess®, explores the Sauv Blanc from one of the New World’s oldest wine regions, Livermore Valley. Though it’s place in history undeniable, many have not had the good fortune of tasting and exploring this important wine region. It’s profound connection with Sauvignon Blanc dates back to the 19th […]
SAUVIGNON BLANC REGIONAL TASTING PROFILE – LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE
This is our first installment in an extensive series of “Sauvignon Blanc Regional Tasting Profiles” authored expertly by our Resident Master Sommelier, Catherine Fallis (a.k.a. grape goddess.) These pieces are meant to highlight the world’s major Sauvignon Blanc producing regions and provide you with an overview of the styles, flavors, and characteristics of wines they […]
SAUVIGNON BLANC REGIONAL TASTING PROFILE – LODI, CALIFORNIA
One of the many lovely vineyards in Lodi. Photo Courtesy of the Lodi Winegrape Commission. Our second Regional Tasting Profile by Catherine Fallis, grape goddess, of Planet Grape and our Resident Master Sommelier. This time she tackles Lodi, California. Most may think “Zin” when it comes to Lodi, but like so many other varietals, Sauvignon […]
THE LADIES OF VINO NOBILE
A select group of sommeliers, wine merchants and journalists were invited to a presentation yesterday at St. Vincent Tavern & Wine Merchant in San Franciscohonoring “The Ladies of Vino Nobile,” Virginie Saverys, the new owner of Avignonesi, and her winemaker Ashleigh Seymour. Belgian Virginie Saverys was an investor in this well-known Tuscan estate since 2007, […]
FRANCE AND THE WINES OF BORDEAUX
Winemakers around the globe look to France as the benchmark; Burgundy for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the Rhone Valley for Syrah, Bordeaux for Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, the Loire Valley for Sauvignon Blanc, and Champagne. France encompasses an extraordinary range of terrain and weather patterns. In the north, grapes sometimes […]
SAUVIGNON BLANC REGIONAL TASTING PROFILE – NAPA VALLEY
Summertime in a Glass Resident Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis In this Sauvignon Blanc Regional Tasting Profile, Resident Master Sommelier, Catherine Fallis aka grape goddess of Planet Grape, takes a look at the iconic Napa Valley – a terrific place for Sauv Blanc… Sauvignon Blanc is grown in many sub-appellations around the Napa Valley. Map courtesy […]
RIOJA IN THREES
Understanding Rioja is as easy as one, two, three. There are three wine-growing regions—Rioja Alta, Alavesa, and Rioja Baja; three types of wine—white or “blanco,” rosé or “rosado,” and red or “tinto.” And there are three main grape varieties for the red Rioja—Tempranillo, Garnacha and Mazuelo. There are three quality levels for red rioja as […]
FIESTY SPANISH REDS FROM LA RIOJA
Wine Adventure Magazine Fall 2005 Photo by Rioja DOCa Savvy women understand the power of red. While wearing it one exudes confidence, power, and femininity. Even a small statement such as a pair of fire engine red shoes, or a handbag, emphasizes feminine power and sexiness in ways pink only dreams of. Bullfighters too […]
SPAIN’S PRIVATE VINTNERS CLUB – GRANDES PAGOS DE ESPANA
Finca Sandoval owner and journalist Victor de la Serna and Carlos Falcó Fernandez de Córdova, Marquis de Griñon, presented a selection of two white and six red single estate wines yesterday at Absinthe in San Francisco that was well-attended by SF Bay area wine trade and media. Grandes Pagos de Espana, or GPE, was formed […]
IT’S ONLY NATURAL. SUSTAINABLE, ORGANIC AND BIODYNAMIC WINES ARE BECOMING THE NORM
THE SOMM JOURNAL OCT-NOV 2014 Sustainable, organic, and biodynamic, known and discussed by the trade now as SOB, are three tiers of natural wine production. The health of the land, the plants, the animal and human community in and around the land, and the end-users are all taken into consideration. Sustainable farming takes a […]
CALIFORNIA MEETS MEDITERRANEAN – RICH REDS THAT ARE RIPE AND REFRESHING
THE SOMM JOURNAL FEB-MARCH 2015 One night this past fall I was advising a group of bankers about wines and the topic of Old Vine Zinfandel came up. Though they had selected an Amador Zin, I couldn’t help but rave about the hidden treasures in Lodi, where growers have something special yet they don’t […]
BLACK BEAUTY – SICILY’S SIGNATURE NERO D’AVOLA COMES IN A RANGE OF STYLES & PRICES
THE SOMM JOURNAL DEC-JAN 2014/2015 Lovers of esoteric grapes have plenty to choose from in Italy. One of those grapes, however, is enjoying a popularity that puts it squarely in the ranks of Italy’s top reds. Nero d’Avola, Sicily’s prime red grape, is now in the country’s top five, joining Nebbiolo (Barolo), Sangiovese (Brunello), Corvina […]
DIGGING DEEPER – NEW THOUGHTS ON THE BIRTHPLACE OF GRENACHE
THE SOMM JOURNAL OCT-NOV 2014 Any student of Sardinian wine will discover that the island’s beloved Cannonau grape is actually Grenache, or Garnacha. The common thought was that Cannonau was Garnacha brought from Spain to the island of Sardinia 500 years ago. But seeds tested from archaeological ruins of Sardinian Nuraghes – megalithic fortresses from […]
ROSY PICTURE – IT’S TIME TO THINK ABOUT EXPANDING PINK WINE OPTIONS
THE SOMM JOURNAL AUG-SEPT 2014 At a private beach club in Ramatuelle, under the shade of pine, feet nestled into soft Provencal sand, I learned about wine in the best possible way. I observed a pack of playboys moving in on a bevy of beautiful women who were busy nibbling on seafood and sipping rosé. […]
TAP IT – PRODUCERS AND BUYERS AGREE: KEG WINE IS HERE TO STAY
THE SOMM JOURNAL JUNE-JULY 2014 During my almost 11-year tenure as Adjunct Instructor at the CIA’s Rudd Center for Professional Development in Napa Valley, I witnessed the birth of wine on tap. Wine Director Traci Dutton was an early adapter, offering a local Sauvignon Blanc on tap at $5 a glass. She was thrilled to pass along cost […]
Wine and Dine Your Valentine
After New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day is the second worse night to dine out. Expectations are high, menus are fixed, everyone is rushed and stressed, and overall quality of food and experience is diminished. To make matters worse, this year it falls on a Saturday, already one of the busiest nights for many establishments. As […]
Why Somms Love Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir, “peeno nwaahhr”, is a favorite of sommeliers and winemakers alike. Why? First of all, this noble red variety from France’s Burgundy region makes an intensely flavored, complex, high acid wine with incredible longevity. As the climate gets warmer, the fruit becomes riper and more obvious, and the acid softens a bit. The net […]
Origins of the Sommelier
The word “sommelier”, or wine waiter, may have stemmed from the old French words “sommerier”, “somier”, and “bête de somme”. In this old French language, a “bête de somme” was a “beast of burden” and the “sommelier” was its herdsman. Later, the word became more specialized and referred to the official responsible for the transport […]
Planet Grape’s Top Ten Champagnes of 2014
Glass of Bubbly, Champagne & Sparkling Wine Magazine Issue 4, December 2014/January 2015 Planet Grape sends me out to host private and corporate wine events, which often include a Champagne sabering performance (see picture with black French silk hand-feathered gown styled by Material Goods as I saber Krug Champagne for Sinegal Estate Winery’s Harvest Party […]
Sabering at Sea
Glass of Bubbly, Champagne & Sparkling Wine Magazine Issue 3, October/November 2014 As Guest Wine Lecturer on HollandAmerica’s MS Maasdam recently, a week-long cruise sailing from Montrealto Boston, I had the pleasure of presenting a flight of wine to guests in the Rotterdam Dining Room with Cellar Master Sasa Grujicic. The theme was “Francevs America,” […]
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