Author Archives : dslocicero


About dslocicero

David is an author and architect living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He writes about wine, food and travel. His first book is Pour Me Another: An Opinionated Guide to Gold Country Wines, now one of the highest rated books about California Wines.


Counoise Varietal

Yesterday I tasted Holly’s Hill’s 2009 El Dorado Counoise. Counoise? you wonder. Indeed.  As did I.  It seems that the Counoise is an obscure Rhone varietal, one of 13 which is allowed in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend.  It is use almost exclusively in blends, and not in very large quantities. Holly’s Hill grows and uses Counoise […]


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Cover Image?

I’m thinking about the cover image for Pour Me Another. Two pictures I took this past weekend are, I think, contenders. Both were taken at Gold Hill Winery. With some judicious cropping, I think this is a good one. Although lacking a foreground, I think that this second option would be good. I’m trying to […]


Three Kinds of Wine Drinkers?

The Washington Post recently postulated that there are three kinds of wine drinkers: Casual drinkers, Explorers and Aficionados.  The Casual drinker likes wine, but for them it is just a beverage.  Explorers are looking for obscure and undervalued wines.  Aficionados demand the best.  Personally, I think they left out a type: the Enthusiast…who is kind […]


Rocks and Rhones 2011

The Pleasant Valley wineries in El Dorado County are putting on their annual Rocks and Rhones wine event this May 28 and 29.  For a small fee, you are treated to wine and food pairings at each of the participating wineris. The wineries are Holly’s Hill, Sierra Vista, Mira Flores and Narrow Gate.  They all […]

Rocks & Rhones

Alzante Nebbiolo

Friday evening my partner and I joined a friend for wine and conversation.  We sat on her deck with a sunset view over the San Francisco Bay and over the course of a couple of hours had two different wines. The first was a 2006 Mt. Aukum Syrah.  I believe that all of this wine […]


Fernwood Cellars Syrah

Granted this is not an Amador or El Dorado County wine.  That said, however, this wine was so remarkable that it couldn’t go uncommented upon. This 2008 Syrah, from Fernwood Cellars is quite good.  We were at a restaurant and ordered it off their menu because it was reasonably local, not Napa, and priced right.  […]

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Vinifera Wine Grapes Cards

I encountered these cards at an Amador County winery.  One of the people pouring the tastings got it out when I asked about the Semillon grape varietal, as I was not familiar with the Semillon grape.  (The wine they’d made from the grape was very yummy.)  Unfortunately, the winery didn’t sell the deck. A little […]


Social Media Frenzy

I now have a “Fan Page” on FaceBook!  It can be found here. With the new Fan Page on top of the new Twitter account there has been just a frenzy of social media activity this weekend.  It’s all in support of getting the word out about Amador and El Dorado County wines. In the […]