Last night I got together with a friend to plan my first book signing / book release party. We look just like the picture. I swear. My friend has very generously offered to host the event, which I appreciate immensely. As is our wont, there was wine involved: An ’05 Mount Aukum Syrah. She had […]
When I tell Bay Area people that I write about Gold Country Wines, almost everybody thinks Napa and Sonoma Counties, even when I have clearly said “Gold Country”. Then I’ll say, “No, Sierra Foothills wines.” This generates blank looks. “Placerville,” I’ll say, “on the way to South Lake Tahoe.” At this point, astonishment will render […]
Having lived for a while in London, I heard and started using the word “plonk”, which is generally considered a pejorative term meaning “cheap wine”, usually not very good. It is also true that it was often used in conversation to simply mean “table wine” or “vin ordinaire” which is the way I and my […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
