Recent Blog Posts
NAPA VALLEY VINTNER JOHN SHAFER DIES AT AGE 94
Press Release Long-time Winery Owner and Innovator Left His Mark on Wine Industry and Napa Valley Charities The Shafer family is deeply saddened to announce the death of their father, longtime vintner, philanthropist and winery founder, John Shafer on March 2, 2019. “The world of wine always inspired Dad and he loved nothing more than […]
BEST WINE FOR YOUR VALENTINE
Flowers, chocolate, jewelry, or fragrance are always good choices to please your intended, but what if you had a personal sommelier to pick out a nice bottle of wine? Consider it done. Here are a few of our Valentine’s Day favorites, and if you want to get a leg up on the ten most important […]
GREEN LIQUID GOLD – THE BEST OLIVE OIL
Green Liquid Gold: The Best Olive Oil Home Entertainment Food and Wine Green Liquid Gold: The Best Olive Oil Share Food and Wine Green Liquid Gold: The Best Olive Oil Catherine Fallis Mon Feb 4 With over 1,000 years of history in Tuscany, the Frescobaldi family is known the world over for fine wine […]
CLASSIC NEGRONI
Go old school. Make a classic cocktail like the Negroni, with No. 209 Distillery Gin, Campari, and Partner Sweet Vermouth California in equal parts. http://planetgrapewinereview.com/newworldwine_reviews/partner-sweet-vermouth-california/ Partner Sweet Vermouth California USA 90, 17.5%, 375 ml, $25, made with Merlot, Petite Sirah, Tartarian cherries from Lodi and herbs and spices. It is bold and bittersweet with notes of rich red cherry, cardamom […]
TURNING THE TABLES ON FRED SWAN – WINE INDUSTRY ADVISOR INTERVIEW
By Expert Editorial January 14, 2019 0 Comments Read More → Turning the Tables on Fred Swan By Carl Giavanti, Carl Giavanti Consulting “Turning the Tables – Interviewing the Interviewers” is a Q&A series profiling Wine Writers. We hope you’ll discover more about the wine writers you know, and learn about many others. The objective of this […]
VEGANUARY – ONE OMNIVORE’S TAKE ON GOING VEGAN
Books and TV Vegan-uary: One Omnivore’s Take on Going Vegan Catherine Fallis Fri Jan 4 January is the time many of us reflect on the previous year and think about what we can do better in the new one. Should we exercise more, reduce screen time, or go on a diet? What about going vegan? […]
WOMEN AND WINE IN THEIR PRIME
Interested wine? Check out PLANET GRAPE WINE REVIEW panelists article archive here: https://primewomen.com/?s=fallis HOLIDAY WINE GIFT GUIDE BEST ROSE WINES FOR THE HOLIDAYS BEST WINES UNDER $20 HIDDEN NAPA VALLEY WINERY STEALS THE SHOW, by DR. LIZ THACH MW EXOTIC SUMMER WINES FROM ALL-AMERICAN LODI NOTABLE WINES – A NEW WINE BRAND SIMPLIFYING THE WINE AISLE BEYOND […]
PLANET GRAPE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
Happy Holidays to you! This is a great time of year to reflect upon the good things, to be grateful and to be generous. Donate, volunteer, smile and be kind! To make your life easier, we have curated a short list of well-priced, widely available wines and spirits to help you through the gamut of […]
NEW WINEMAKER FOR EHLERS ESTATE NAPA VALLEY
By Dr. Liz Thach, Master of Wine With over a decade of experience producing luxury wines in the Napa Valley for such well known names as La Jota, Mt. Brave, and Cardinale, Laura Díaz Muñoz is perfectly positioned to take the helm of Ehlers Estate as new Head Winemaker. Recruited to the position in June […]
FRENCH-AMERICAN GASTRONOMY & WINE SHOW
Come to La Soirée Couture Garden Party, The French-American Gastronomy & Wine Show, on November 16th at the SF Design Center. Boisset Collection will celebrate their Franco-American spirit at the French-American Chamber of Commerce’s 37th annual gastronomy and wine event with their Haute Couture French Bubbles, JCB wine, JCB Spirits and delicacies from Atelier Fine Foods. Register […]
CALIFORNIA WINE CELEBRATION
San Mateo Thursday, October 18, 2018, 6:30 PM $95.00 Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis and Chef Kara Robinson Taste five California wines and explore their geography and complexity alongside food pairings. Catherine Fallis is the only person in the world to hold both the Master Sommelier and Advanced Certified Wine Professional credentials. Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc—warm […]
TWENTY UNDER $20
Twenty Under $20 While it is easy enough to find wines under $20, how often do they really deliver? This category is packed with mass-produced commercial products without a lot of character. Here are some well-crafted and still widely available wines from around the world that we at Planet Grape Wine Review highly recommend. […]
CIAO ITALIA! SUMMER WINES FOR THE BEACH & GRILL
The sun is out and the beach beckoning. Sweet corn is here. Heirloom tomatoes are here. Mealtime prep should be easy and so should selecting wines. Make a beeline for the Italian section. Italian wines are so easy to enjoy (if hard to select), and their naturally high acidity is just the ticket for warmer […]
HIDDEN WINERY’S CABERNET GET HIGHEST BID AT NAPA VALLEY WINE AUCTION
By Liz Thach, MW For wine lovers, getting a chance to attend the famous Napa Valley Wine Auction is often a bucket list item. The festive atmosphere, music, delicious food and wine, and the chance to rub elbows with celebrities is part of the allure, but also being first on the scene to discovery which Napa Valley […]
SUMMER WINES FROM LODI
Lodi grape growers and winemakers produce some of the best Zinfandels in the world. Two hours inland from San Francisco, temperatures climb and the sun shines bright all summer here, allowing grapes to ripen perfectly year after year. But thanks to cooling effects of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, running from the Central Valley directly to […]
DOCTOR WINE’S ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ITALIAN WINE 2018
Daniele Cernilli, also known as Doctor Wine, presided over an Italian wine tasting at San Francisco Wine School recently to promote the launch of his THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ITALIAN WINE 2018. Cernilli was one of the founders of Gambero Rosso, the famous Italian food and wine publishing group, and for 24 years edited the Gambero […]
FRANK FAMILY VINEYARDS CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY
By Liz Thach, MW Twenty-five years ago, when he was still President of Walt Disney Studios, overseeing movies such as The Lion King and Aladdin, Rich Frank spent many vacations in the Napa Valley. It was there that he fell in love with the wine industry and began searching for a winery to purchase. As […]
ROMBAUER FOUNDER REMEMBERED
From the office of Julie Ann Kodmur Napa Valley, California, May 11, 2018 —- Koerner Rombauer, the founder of Rombauer Vineyards and a beloved figure in the Napa Valley over the last four decades, died on May 10. He was 83. Koerner is survived by his wife, Sandy, and children Sheana Rombauer and K.R. Rombauer […]
TANGY RIESLING FOR SUMMERTIME SIPPING
Raimund Prum and his wife Pirjo recently visited San Francisco to showcase their Grand Cru family Rieslings from their home in Mosel, Germany. The S.A. Prum family goes back to 1156, making it one of the country’s oldest winemaking dynasties. Today Raimund’s daughter Saskia A. Prum is in charge. The family estate sits on the banks of […]
PASSION FOR WINE
Jean-Charles Boisset was born into a winemaking family in the tiny village of Vougeot, in Burgundy. The Boisset Collection today includes prestigious brands in France and California, including the historic Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma and Raymond in Napa Valley. Jean-Charles and his wife Gina Gallo travel in high society. Marnie Old, born in Winnipeg, Canada […]
CELEBRATING SAUV BLANC DAY SF STYLE
Springtime and Sauvignon Blanc – what could be better? Today is Sauvignon Blanc day and to celebrate, New Zealand Wine Growers hosted a tasting of delicious wines and shellfish at Farallon Restaurant in downtown San Francisco. Rock star sommelier Peter Palmer led us through a tasting of fourteen delicious Sauvignon Blancs, 13 of the lot from […]
FASCINATING PEOPLE IN THE WORLD OF FOOD AND WINE
NAPA VALLEY, CALIF., APRIL 24, 2018 – James Beard Award-winning Napa Valley vintner Doug Shafer, long-time insider in the world of food and wine, has launched a new podcast series, “The Taste with Doug Shafer.” The podcast launches with three episodes featuring entertaining, informal conversations with James Beard Award-winning chef Cindy Pawlcyn whose background […]
REDISCOVERING THE PLEASURE OF NEW ZEALAND SAUVIGNON BLANC
by Liz Thach, MW New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wine is famous around the world for its tropical flavors of kiwi, mango and refreshing grapefruit finish. However, when visiting New Zealand several years ago, I was pleased to be able to taste many of the other white wine varieties they produce, such as exquisitely dry Rieslings, […]
THE MASTERS CHOOSE THE BEST ROSE FROM AROUND THE WORLD
The Masters Choose the Best Rosé Wine from Around the World Tricia H. Conover April 11, 2018 Food and Wine Dry rosé wines are produced around the world in many wine regions using countless varieties of red grapes. Rosé wines have been the fastest growing category of wine consumption in the last few […]
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