Recent Blog Posts
INMAN FAMILY WINES GO NATURAL
Often referred to as “the barometer of Russian River Valley” as she is one of the earliest to harvest her grapes, owner and winemaker Kathleen Inman is quietly making natural wines that feel alive on the palate. This self-proclaimed “grape groper” picks by taste and feel, not by brix, the accumulation of sugar in […]
STEVEN SPURRIER CELEBRATES 4OTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JUDGEMENT OF PARIS IN SAN FRANCISCO
By Fred Swan In 1976, a competitive tasting of French and American wines was held in France. Steven Spurrier, an English wine merchant based in Paris created the event, now known as The Judgement of Paris, to highlight progress made with French grape varieties in the United States. To everyone’s great surprise, the French judges […]
BIEN NACIDO VINEYARDS – SANTA BARBARA’S GRAND CRU
By Fred Swan In Burgundy, vineyards which have proved to be the very best over an extended period of time are designated Grand Cru. They also have distinct personalities, making it possible for experts to identify their wines when tasting blind. The United States doesn’t have any official designation of quality for vineyards. If we […]
IF ONLY ADDS MASTER SOMMELIER CATHERINE FALLIS AS LUMINARY
IfOnly, a San Francisco start up founded by Trevor Traina, is a marketplace for incredible experiences. From unique everyday offerings with local experts to once-in-a-lifetime connections with lauded luminaries, IfOnly provides access to a curated selection of extraordinary experiences that benefit worthy causes around the world. Members enjoy amazing experiences that help them do […]
Women for WineSense Winemaking Roundtable Hosts Sommelier and Buyer Relations Expert Catherine Fallis, April 20th at Chimney Rock
NAPA, CALIFORNIA: The Napa | Sonoma chapter of Women for WineSense’s (WWS) Winemaking & Viticultural roundtable welcomes Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis, with a long industry history as a salesperson, sommelier, distributor, critic and supplier to discuss how winemakers and viticulturists can best relate to and communicate effectively with sommeliers and wine buyers. The roundtable […]
THE AGEABILITY OF NEW ZEALAND SAUVIGNON BLANC
I love former West End actor Oz Clarke’s description of New Zealand’s brash, pungent Sauvignon Blanc, an iconic style created by Cloudy Bay winemaker Kevin Judd. He calls it a“cloudburst, thrilling, shocking, lime zest, capsicum, love me or leave me” style of Sauvignon Blanc. Kevin Judd, who produced the winery’s first 25 vintages and who now […]
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS WINE ARTISANS
On February 23, 2016 the Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans presented a tasting of their appellation’s wines at Fort Mason in San Francisco. This trade tasting is one of the highlights of the year, with principles and winemakers pouring their rare Santa Lucia Highlands appellated Pinot Noirs alongside the more widely available Chardonnays and Syrahs. […]
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 […]
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