Over here at Wine Predator, last month was hectic with twitter tastings  and Champagne Day plus reviewing The Divining Rod for Halloween.

This month we’re harvesting wines like crazy and RSVPing to tastings and other events! I’ve got lots of exciting samples to review including the very festive Enza Proseco ($15) and a number of twitter tastings and events on the calendar. Remember, for these twitter tastings, all you need to do to participate is check out the hashtag# for the event on twitter. (And no you don’t have to be ON twitter to check out what’s happening on twitter!

Fri. Nov 2 5pm Bonterra TODAY!!

Thirsty Girl Twitter Tasting #TGTaste
Bonterra’s Twitter Feed

Tasting 2011 Chardonnay & 2010 Merlot with the winemaker and head Thirsty Girl Leslie Sbrocco. Find out more about Bonterra wines on the Thirsty Girl site here: http://thirstygirl.com/blog/2012/10/18/tgtaste-november-2-bonterra-vineyards/

Sun. Nov 4 & 11 1-4pm The Cave’s Annual Holiday Wine Tasting and Customer Appreciation Event
$35 call for tickets (805) 642-9449

Nov. 4, hustle to Carpinteria’s Wine Company and Nov 11, head to Ventura Wine Complay to taste over 100 of wines carried regularly at Ventura Wine Company, plus appetizers prepared by The Cave’s culinary team and live entertainment by the Tom Collins Trio. I’ve attended this twice in Ventura and while the food runs out quickly, it’s a great way to discover new ones and meet wine makers without driving too far away! This year, it’s a bit more expensive so perhaps there will be more food. Also, the event is held mostly outside so be sure to be prepared!

Th. Nov. 8 Tempranillo Day

Grab any bottle of Tempranillo from anywhere in the world and join us in celebrating this varietal! The fourth most planted wine grape in the world with 500,000 acres, Tempranillo is indigenous to Spain and found in the great Rioja and Ribera del Duero wines. #tempranilloday Here’s a blog post about it from last year’s inaugural event.

Sat. Nov. 10 Garagiste Festival, Windfall Farms, Paso Robles

I’ll be joining the industry tasting from 11:30-1:30; the public event follows as part of several days of incredible opportunities to taste wine from up and coming winemakers, small lots, and unusual varietals. According to organizers, “Garagistes (gar-uh-zhe-stuh) is a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their “garages” (anything considered not a chateau), who refused to follow the “rules,” and is now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world.”

“The 2012 Garagiste Festival comprises four days of wine tastings, winemaker seminars and events during Garagiste Festival weekend November 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th in Paso Robles. It is the first and only festival dedicated to discovering and promoting artisan ‘garagiste’ winemakers and showcases high-quality, cutting-edge, small production wineries that produce fewer than 1,200 cases a year.  The Garagiste Festival was named one of the ‘Top Nine Incredible Epicurean Vacations’ in the world by ABC News. The non-profit festival benefits the Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture Program.”

Last year’s festival sold out and so will 2012: buy tickets http://garagistefestival.com. Follow the  buzz on Twitter @PasoGaragiste.

Tues Nov. 12 5-7pm Vouvray

Last month we tasted five bottles of Vouvray from France’s Loire Valley as part of a #TasteLive #Vouvray event. I hadn’t really tasted much in the way of Vouvray before and this series of two events is doing an amazing job of introducing me to this delicious, lively, affordable under $15  wine made from chenin blanc grapes. The wines last month were all pretty dry but this month, we have a sparkler, some sweeter wines, and a Botyrtis one to total five! Watch for a more detailed post this months on all the Vouvray action!

Weds Nov. 13 5pm Skinny Vine

#TGTaste http://thirstygirl.com/
Skinny Vine Mini Moscato
Skinny Vine Thin Zin
Skinny Vine Slim Chardonnay

Honestly, I’m not too sure about this one, but these are fairly new ones and we will be some of the first people to taste them so curiousity got the better of us, and we said yes to participating in this second November Thirsty Girl Twitter tasting.

Fri. Nov. 19 4-6pm Planet Bordeaux

I’ve been fortunate to participate in a number of #PlanetBordeaux twitter tastings over the years and I’ve gotta say, they have all been fantastic values. Last month, we tasted four whites, mostly sauvignon blanc, and two roses, and we were thrilled–especially since they all retailed at around $10. Blog post to come! These are the wines we’ll be tasting:

·         Chateau Bonnet 2009 “Reserve” Bordeaux Rouge
·         Chateau de Lisennes 2009 “Cuvee Tradition” Bordeaux Superieur
Moulin de Ferrand 2009 Bordeaux Superieur
·         Chateau Marechaux 2009 Bordeaux Superieur
·         Chateau de Bel 2009 Bordeaux Superieur
·         Chateau Penin 2009 “Grande Selection” Bordeaux Superieur

Fri. Nov. 30 4-5:30pm Don Sebastiani & Sons Appellation Brands
hosted by winemaker Greg Kitchens and Donny Sebastiani
Twitter Tasting of 50 ml bottles

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