As planned, after Green Drinks in Camarillo (where they served an interesting selection of wines form around the world which doesn’t seem to green to me), my friend Sheila and I went to Herzog to sample their fine Kosher wines.
Where we didn’t find a soul or a car in the parking lot. We did find a small sign int eh window which said they closed early that day, at 5pm and would be closed until Sunday April 19.
I poked around a bit but neglected to turn up anything which looked like fine Kosher wine to me so I guess I’m passing on this one, although next Wednsday the winemaker is holding a special tasting and discussion of Kosher wines which I will take advantage of. Just gotta ask one question: why couldn’t they haev done that tasting BEFORE they closed for passover? Am I missing something that maybe had to do with sunset on the day before?
Maybe I’ll get an exception…we’ll see. Anyway, watch for a post about fine Kosher wine NEXT week sometime!
And what is the prompt for the post due by next Wednesday April 15, you ask? Fine Kosher wine, just in time for Passover! Fortunately for me, I love a quick drive down the 101 highway to Herzog, purveyors of fine kosher wine. Now all I need to do is find some folks who want to head over there and taste with me. If we go tomorrow, Weds. April 8, we can also go to Green Drinks in nearby Camarillo. And if we don’t go tomorrow, we won’t go at all because Herzog Wine Cellars will be closed April 9-17in observance of Passover. The winery will reopen on Sunday, April 19th.
According to the official prompt from WBW #56 host The Cork Dork, this month’s theme of Fine Kosher Wine was inspired by an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa that The Cork Dork was later informed to be Kosher.
“I was aware that there were some quality wines out there that were labeled Kosher, but I had no idea what that really meant. I was shocked and amazed,” he writes. “The wine was the 2006 Covenant, by winemaker Jeff Morgan. I have since been fascinated by a world of Kosher wine out there that I had no idea existed. I urge those of you close to a Kosher winery to visit and you’ll be very surprised about what it really takes. Jeff’s site has tons of great information on it as well to get you started on what makes wine Kosher.”
Green Drinks is an informal social gathering/networking event for folks that are environmentally minded. Cross pollinate, make new friends, catch up with old ones, and maybe even sprout an idea or three.
Green Drinks approaches a different host each month who selects the venue of their choice.
Murphys Calaveras County California: think wine, not beer!
So you didn’t know that Murphy’s California is a big name in wine? Check out this article from the Los Angeles Times Travel section for more!
Although the author didn’t mention my favorite Calaveras County winery, Twisted Oak, you can see why this is a fun town to visit! Last time I was there was in 2003 when I gave a featured poetry reading hosted by Nila NorthSun. No wine tasting for me on that trip however–I was 6 months pregnant! We just visited there between skiing Badger Pass and camping in Yosemite and skiing Bear Valley and camping at Calaveras State Park– and I tasted my way through town! More to come on that soon!
“You can literally sip wine from one end of town to the other,” says River Klass, who owns two restaurants on Main Street.
“I think Murphys is just a cool little walking, pedestrian-friendly town,” says Dorian Faught, owner of the Murphys Historic Hotel and Restaurant.
The hotel features nine rooms, each named after the famous guests who have stayed there, including Mark Twain, Ulysses S. Grant and Susan B. Anthony. A short walk from elm-lined Main Street is picturesque Murphys Community Park, which has a white gazebo (also with shamrocks on it) and bubbling Murphys Creek running through.
Sometimes you just gotta have a beer. When we want beer around here, we’re
big fans of New Belgium Brewing Company–Fat Tire Amber Ale is a
standard in our fridge and in winter, I love 2 degrees below. So I was
excited to discover:
New Belgium Mothership Wit.In
its first foray into organic brews, New Belgium Brewing of Fort
Collins, Colorado, struck gold with this Belgian-style wheat beer. The
brewers practice what they preach by incorporating green building
design, using wind power and promoting transportation alternatives;
after a year’s employment, brewery workers get a customized bike.
From Michigan Riesling to Tasmania Pinot Noir, from Spanish Garnacha to Tennessee Chambourcin, there sure were a lot of possible pairings (and threesomes, and foursomes) put together by the 33 participants who took up the challenge.
Here’s the Vino V White Hawk syrah I compared with hazyblur’s Adelaide Plaines. For how other wines fared, check out Remy’s Round-Up including other shiraz/syrah pairings and more here.
Rumor has it next month will be KOSHER wines! Find out more here. Whoo hoo!! I just happen to live a few miles away from HERZOG, which makes buckets of kosher wine! Perfect excuse to get over there and do some serious tasting!
I’m fortunate to live in the prime grape growing and wine producing region of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties–and, until just recently, just a few miles away from the Grateful Palate warehouse facility in Oxnard (it’s now in Fairfield near Napa).
I’ve long been a fan of Adam Tolmach’s Ojai Vineyard from back in the day when I had a print column “The Art Predator” for a weekly where I reviewed art shows, restaurants and whatever took my fancy, and was paid primarily in trade, mostly food and drink (I could never say I was a starving artist.)
We had lots of trade at an Ojai restaurant which carried Adam Tolmach’s wines and I was thrilled to get to know many of them by the glass. It seemed that wine maker Tolmach often dropped off the odd bottle or two of wine that wouldn’t find its way onto a typical list or store. In particular, I remember being floored by one of his syrahs back in 1998.
So when I learned that Michael Meagher was a disciple of Adam Tolmach and was making his own wines under the Vino V label (V as in Ventura), that his limited edition wines (600 cases) are carried by restaurants like Campanile, and that his daughter was in my son’s kindergarten class, I wanted to get my hands on some and try it!
With this Wine Blogging Wednesday hosted by Remy Charest, pitting north vs south, here was a perfect opportunity to put a tasting together using a Vino V wine. Continue reading →
New Belgium Mothership Wit.
March’s host Remy Charest writes:
I’m fortunate to live in the prime grape growing and wine producing region of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties–and, until just recently, just a few miles away from the Grateful Palate warehouse facility in Oxnard (it’s now in Fairfield near Napa).
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 