Music in the Malbec?
Violinists in the vineyard?
Songs with Syrah?
Yes it’s the Musikaravan!
Yesterday as we harvested Malbec, Syrah, and Petit Verdot in the Clos des Amis Estate Vineyard on South Mountain, we were serenaded by two Los Angeles area violinists, Continue reading
Are you busy planning where you will go when we can go again?
On a beautiful sunny morning in the Before Time, Gretel Compton and I climbed the windy road up from Santa Rosa past farms, around slow farm equipment, through oak woodland, and beside green vineyards to arrive at Sonoma County’s Balverne and Notre Vue to meet with Alex Holman, winemaker for 5-7k case production for both labels. Continue reading
Last week, I enjoyed watching the sun set, twilight fall, and the glow of the moon in Tuscany, Italy. In front of the house with views of vineyards and the farm of Antonella Manulli, I chatted about sustainability and the Metodo Corino with co-innovators Antonella and Lorenzo Corino and their importer Sheila Donahue of Verovino.
This is one of the oldest places in the world for wine grape cultivation, going back 4,000 years.
As we talked, we all sat outside with our dogs, enjoying the fresh air. Continue reading
Lapostolle Alexander Cuvee Cabernet from 2010 and 2018 paired with the best burger ever
Hard to believe it, but back in November 2008, I started this wine blog, and in December 2008, I participated for the first time in Wine Blogging Wednesday #52’s challenge to write about a Chilean wine under $20 (anybody else remember Wine Blogging Wednesday?) Continue reading
Bruce Freeman picking Zinfandel in upper Ojai CA late August 2020.
“The birds and the bees know when the grapes are ripe,” says Clos des Amis winemaker Bruce Freeman.
It’s 9am on a warm late August morning, and we’re knee deep in thickly trunked Zinfandel wherein large dark clusters of grapes hide bees with a few yellow jackets for good measure. The birds are out too, mostly mourning doves cooing like a daytime owl and acorn woodpeckers making a ruckus.
I’ve asked a silly question: if we’d picked the week before, would the bees be so bad? Would they have taken so much fruit?
Wouldn’t matter, says Bruce.
When the brix is right, the bees know it and they’re right there too ready for the harvest. They snuggle their little fuzzy butts right in there, humping the seeds to get the juicy, seed pulp, leaving hollow hulls and seeds behind.
I’ll write about anything if you’ll pay me!
— Marcy Gordon, panelist
2020 Wine Media Virtual Summit
from our Velenosi Virtual Verdicchio tasting
When the 2020 Wine Media Conference in Eugene was postponed due to COVID, a Virtual Summit sprung up in its place. From Thurs. August 20 through Saturday August 22, 2020, participants from all over the world joined sessions on a range of topics starting as early as 7am Pacific and continuing every other hour until 4pm with wine tastings at 4:30pm for fifteen people registered for the now- postponed 2021 conference.
As mentioned in my post on Day 1, I attended most of all of the sessions, and took as many notes as I could considering my left wrist is broken in two places and with two fingers injured on my right hand — and that there was a lively discussion going on at all times in the comment section!
Here’s a few highlights and an overview of Day 2; next I’ll post Day 3 and finish up with thoughts about the Velenosi virtual tasting pictured above. I’ve asked fellow attendees for their highlights or takeaways, or beverages but haven’t got too much to work with yet. NOTE:. Session images provided by Zephyr conferences; wine images by me. Stay tuned! Subscribe!
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 