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SANTA MARIA’S RIVERBENCH FINDS ITS RHYTHM
Riverbench Wines Sing to Me by Fred Swan People often ask me what kind of wine I like. I taste so many different ones, very good ones, that I can’t narrow answer with a particular variety, region or style. In the end, the wines I gravitate toward and really want to drink are those that […]
MASTER SOMMELIER CATHERINE FALLIS LAUNCHES WINE REVIEW
Prime Women, March 19, 2016 Food & Wine by Tricia Conover The First Women-Led Wine Rating Panel Aims to Take the Guesswork out of Wine Purchasing (KA-thuh-rin FAH-lis) Catherine Fallis, MS, the 5th woman in the world to be named a Master Sommelier, has launched a new women-led wine-rating panel. In a Q&A last […]
VALLEY FIRE RELIEF AUCTION AT THE VINTNERS HALL OF FAME
A Message from Paul Wagner, President, Balzac Communications and Debra Sommerfield, President, Lake County Winegrape Commission We’d like to ask a favor of you—in the hopes that you might be willing to help the people of Lake County whose homes and families were destroyed by the Valley Fire. Would you please check out this link and look at all […]
AUSTRIA’S WALTZING VARIETAL – THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF RIESLING
Planet Grape The SOMM Journal February/March 2016 Benchmark old world Riesling is one of the world’s great vinous treasures, and Austria delivers it in spades. Supremely intense, rich, pungent and dry, quite different from the lacy, low alcohol, delicate, minerally, acidic and lightly to very sweet German Rieslings, and the corpulent, tangy, often sweet Alsatian […]
GAMBERO ROSSO VINI d’ITALIA 2016 SPECIAL AWARDS
Gambero Rosso, the 29-year old multimedia firm serving as a direct filter to the best of Italy’s food and wine, selects the countries best wines each year with its Tre Bicchieri ratings (three glasses) and guide book, Italian Wines. The guide includes reviews of 20,000 labels from over 2,400 wineries, and was compiled from the work of over […]
SEGURA VIUDAS GETS MANLY
Glass of Bubbly August September 2015 Issue 8 Catherine Fallis Master Sommelier Cava, Spain’s excellent contribution to the world of sparkling wines, is a no brainer when looking for bubbly at bargain prices. They range in quality from manufactured, mass produced and non-descript to artisanal and world class in quality. For me, the secret is […]
TOM GORE’S FARM FRESH RECIPES FOR SPRING
Tom Gore and his wife Erin own a micro-farm in Healdsburg, California, which he works on when not tending vines for the family business. They keep honey bees, chickens, olive trees and over 60 fruits and vegetables, including 15 varieties of tomatoes. Tom and long-time friend Chef Tiffany Smejkal created a set of seasonally inspired […]
PLANET GRAPE WINE COURSE – Introduction to Wine
by Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis, aka grape goddess Introduction to Wine Welcome to the PLANET GRAPE WINE COURSE. In this introductory section, we’ll learn about senses and how to put them to use right away with Sensual Experience exercises, what grapes make the best wine, the best place to grow grapes, basic geography of […]
ROSE CHAMPAGNE FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
“With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, more and more U.S. consumers are turning their attention to the pink bubbles of Rosé Champagne,” as reported by the Champagne Bureau, USA. “Over the past decade, the shipments of rosé from the Champagne region of France have enjoyed significant growth in the U.S.—just last year 2.8 […]
ZAP ZINFANDEL TASTING EXPERIENCE 2016
The World’s Largest Single Varietal Wine Tasting Event February 25 -27, 2016 Meet the makers — the legends and upcoming rock stars of the Zin world. Zinfandel Experience is a three-day wine and culinary extravaganza attracting wine lovers from around the world. Experience the classic character of Zinfandel at five extraordinary events featuring a diverse selection of […]
BORDEAUX BY THE BAY – INSPIRED REDS FROM A LITTLE PACIFIC ISLE
Planet Grape The SOMM Journal December January 2015/2016 While the Chinese have an unquenchable thirst for blue chip wines, especially Bordeaux – they are the number one buyer of the 42% exported share of its annual production of 685 million bottles – they also purchase a lot of wine from Gimblett Gravels, a warm rocky area […]
THE MONK’S ELIXIR – Unique Sagrantino DOCG is Ripe for Discovery
Planet Grape The SOMM Journal October November 2015 While tourists flock to artistic, medieval Perugia and Assisi, landlocked Umbria’s bucolic green rolling hills provide idyllic growing conditions for spicy olives, lentils, wheat and spelt, and the tartufo nero (black truffle) di Norcia. Black pigs roam the verdant hills and lush forests, along with deer, sheep and cows. […]
AS GOOD AS GOLD
At about halfway through the non-stop eleven day feeding frenzy packaged as the Crystal Harmony Wine and Food Festival, a luxury cruise through the Panama Canal, our bodies had somehow adapted to, even expected now, multiple daily servings of butter, lobster, chocolate, caviar, ice cream, rich sauces, pastries, and so forth. Why on earth would […]
LES CRAYERES SOMM INVENTS GAME CHANGING CHAMPAGNE GLASS
March/April 2016 Glass of Bubbly Issue 11 by Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis What better place on earth than Relais et Chateau Les Crayeres in Reims, Champagne, to birth the Champagne glass of the 21st century? Chef Sommelier Philippe Jamesse, disappointed with how the traditional Champagne flutes masked much of the distinctive aromas and […]
SALON CHAMPAGNE – EXPENSIVE & ELUSIVE
Last weekend after serving white, red, and sparkling wines along with classic martinis at my friend’s Mad Men-themed cocktail party and the house was mostly back in order, we sat down with leftover catered platters and a bottle of Champagne I had gifted her earlier this year. After I poured it into her Waterford Champagne flute, […]
BREAK OUT THE BUBBLIES
It’s time to break out the bubblies. Here are some of my favorites from $15 to $79 to ring in the new year in style. CALIFORNIA Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley California USA PG 90 $23.99 Elegant, understated and dry with a fine mousse (tiny bubbles) and notes of lemon tea, granny smith apple, asian pear, […]
KIM CRAWFORD WINE GEMS – ANNA NEW YORK BY RABLABS
A riff on Whisky stones, this shareable set of six fluorite stone wine gems – they look like oversized marbles – is a chic way to keep your white wine chilled without diluting it. Place in the freezer for a few hours then set three in each glass. When done, rinse with warm water and […]
BETWEEN THE COVERS – MUST HAVE BOOKS ON CHAMPAGNE
A Scent of Champagne, by Richard Juhlin, is by far the greatest reference book on the topic. Juhlin is the world’s foremost Champagne expert and has compiled close to 10,000 tasting notes, 8,000 of which are included in this seventh of his works. (Skyhorse Publishing, Hardcover, 396 pages, 2013, US $75). He is gifted with […]
PINOT FEST 2015 – A PUBLIC TASTING OF SEXY WINE
Billed as “The Great Big Bacchanalia,” Pinot Fest is one of the most anticipated wine tasting events of the year. It is rare to have winemakers and winery principles from some of the top names in California Pinot Noir in the same room (technically 3 rooms, but still). Fifty-eight wineries were present. Organized by Pat […]
LODI NATIVE – PURITY AND VINEYARD EXPRESSION PUT LODI ON THE MAP
Lodi is known for many things, high quality wine not amongst them. Things are changing, though, as a group of local winemakers inspired by sommelier/writer Randy Caparoso have looked to their cherished old vine Zinfandel vineyards, many over 100 years old, to produce pure, unadulterated wines which showcase the personality of the land and grape plant vs. winemaker style and […]
NATIONAL HUGEL DAY – ALSACE FAMILY WINES FOR THANKSGIVING
This Saturday, November 14th, is National Hugel Day, self-proclaimed by this traditional Alsatian wine family to shed light on their new releases, a dry white blend, a dry Riesling, dry Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, all of which are ideal for the Thanksgiving table. Planet Grape Wine Review Recommends: APPETIZERS 2014 Hugel Gentil Alsace $15 PG […]
SUNNY SUD DE FRANCE
Planet Grape The SOMM Journal AUGUST SEPTEMBER 2015 It is time to take a look beyond the quaffable Vin de Pays wines of sunny Sud de France. Languedoc Roussillon is a treasure trove of clean, fruit-forward, food-friendly, value-priced wines to pour and to offer by the bottle well below $100. A common thread of […]
ITALIAN WINE STYLE RETURNS TO ITS ROOTS
“For 30 years we came to you with wines similar to yours. Now we are bringing you wines that are easy to recognize as being from their particular region,” said Niccolo Petrilli, Ambassador for Italian Wine & Style Promotions and Area Manager Americas & New Markets at La Collina dei Ciliegi, a winery in the Veneto […]
RING AROUND THE ROSE
Summer goes so quickly. Why not extend the feeling with a little pink fizz to keep the mood sunny? It is highly appropriate for Fall too, as it is one of the richest styles of bubbly and pairs well with meat dishes such as Lamb or Pork. Here are some top picks from our expert […]
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