The just-completed WBC10 was an outstanding compilation of Washington Wineries, eastern Washington AVA vineyards, and capable and passionate wine makers from the  Walla Walla , Yakima Valley, Red Mountain, Prosser and Spokane regions. Wine tastings were offered from other areas including the Columbia Gorge , California wines, and Spanish wines to name others.

Pre-Conference tours of the Yakima Valley AVA (Barb Glover and the board on the Wine Yakima Valley association), and wines included Airfield Estates Winery, Barnard Griffin Winery, Chandler Reach Vineyards, Chinook Wines, Cote Bonneville, Cultura Wine, Desert Wind Winery, Grenache Vintners, Gilbert Cellars, Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards & Winery, Kana Winery, Kestrel Vintners, Knight Hill Winery, Mercer Estates, Mibrandt Vineyards, Naches Heights Vineyard, Owen Roe, Steppe Cellars, Thurston Wolfe, and Two Mountain Winery.  The Prosser area features a unique collection of wineries and tasting rooms named (Prosser)  Vintner Village.

The Post-tour to Red Mountain AVA (hosted by the wineries and grapegrowers of the Red Mountain AVA Alliance and Tri-City Visitor and Convention Bureau. was both enjoyable and informative including wines from Col Solare, Hedges Family Estate, Kiona, Terra Blanca Winery, and other wineries of the Red Mountain AVA Alliance.

Centered at the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel in Downtown Walla Walla, the event included practical and technical presentations on Web 2.0 technologies and techniques, wine tastings, food pairings (Chef Jeffrey Saad), Washington state wine geology (Professor of Geology Kevin Pogue of  Whitman College)  and valuable field trips including vineyard walks, winery visits,  and winemaker-lead tasting and discussion panels. An after hours Downtown Walla Walla tasting room walkabout provided an urban touch.   A fortunate few on the self named (Twitter) @jackpotbus toured the vineyards of,  met, and shared wine with – Washington’s winery icon Gary Figgins of Leonetti Cellar and toured the beautiful and eclectic  Basel Cellars Estate Winery.

In closing, the conference provided us an excellent insight into the the grape growing potential of the area, as well as the high quality wine offerings by the universally passionate winemakers/ winemaking staffs of the region.

We have always been cheerleaders of all wine regions and Washington state is no exception.

If you ever get the opportunity to direct your personal wine tourism towards the Northwestern-most corner of the Continental United States,  try Washington and its wines and don’t forget the neighboring Columbia Gorge wines including both the Washington and Oregon offerings.

Col Solare Estate Vineyards, Red Mountain AVA, Washington (Click for larger image)

Over 30 judges from around the United States evaluated via blind tastings, and scored nearly 2,000 total entries and awarding medals to wines worthy of merit.

This is a rigorous, professionally conducted wine competition where experienced judges award medals to less than one in four wines entered. Congratulations are in order for all winning International and US wineries!

The full listing of the 2010 competition can be seen/searched at this SDIWC link.

Presently 100% of our 2007 & 2008 releases of Estate grown Wines & Ports are Gold, Silver & Bronze medalists, and 88% of our total 2007 & 2008 releases are medalists – in highly credible National, International, and Regional wine competitions since last year.

Eagles Nest Winery, (TWITTER @EaglesNestWine and Facebook click here) a leading Boutique Winery located n the Ramona Valley AVA near San Diego, California was honored as one of only four medal winning San Diego County wineries in this year’s 201o competition including Fallbrook , Orfila,  and Shadow Mountain.

When you consider the large number of multi-million dollar national and international winery operations that participated in this professional competition, this showing reflects very well on Eagles Nest as a small, family owned and operated winery producing quality wines from locally grown wine-grapes.

Eagles Nest Winery’s winning wines were 2008 Estate Picpoul Blanc White-Port Styled Dessert Wine 100% grown and produced on the Estate from a unique Rhone varietal features a delicate tropical fruit nose and smooth character.

Eagles Nest 2007 Private Reserve Merlo t made from 100% Merlot, this is a rich full bodied, deeply colored with dusty tannins produced from high quality San Diego County Merlot grapes.

Both these wines scored Silver medals reflecting “wines that are well made, absent flaws, and expressive, reflecting good viticultural and winemaking standards..”

Michael Franz, Editor of Wine Review Online, returned for his third year as Chief Judge. The SDIWC was held at the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego for the seventh consecutive year. The Westgate is a premier hotel property in the heart of San Diego, and provides an elegant and functional backdrop for visiting judges.

The Director is nationally syndicated wine columnist Robert Whitley. Judges for the 2010 San Diego International Wine Competition were hand-picked by Whitley, whose experience at managing wine competitions is second to none.

Robert also serves as Director of the Critics Challenge, the Sommelier Challenge, the Winemaker Challenge and the Monterey Wine Competition, which he co-founded with the Salinas Valley Fair in 1994.

SDIWC judging guidelines were as follows:

1.  The San Diego International Wine Competition is a blind tasting. Wines will be evaluated absent information about producer, vintage or price.

2.  Because wines have been submitted from the world over, judges may ask questions pertaining to origin so that wines can be evaluated in context.

3.  Judges should take into account the fact that winemaking styles vary. A wine that is well made within a legitimate style for the grape and category should be judged accordingly, regardless of any personal preference for an alternative style.

4.  Judges may compare notes with others on the panel, but each vote should be independent and reflect the personal opinion of each judge.

5.  Votes will be taken at the conclusion of each flight and recorded by the table monitor.

Silver Medal

A silver medal should be awarded to wines that are well made, absent flaws, and expressive, reflecting good viticultural and winemaking standards.

Gold Medal

A gold medal should be awarded to wines exhibiting outstanding intensity of flavor and/or complexity. While palate weight can be a positive factor in the evaluation, more delicate wines that possess exceptional nuance should not be overlooked for gold-medal consideration. Mineral-driven and fruit-driven wines should be given equal consideration. A gold-medal wine should leave the judge with an extremely positive overall impression.

Best of Show/Platinum

Any wine the judges believe would be competitive for best in its class should be put forward for the “Sweepstakes” round of judging to determine Best of Show in its category. All wines nominated for Best of Show will automatically be elevated to a Platinum medal.

Thanks go out to the judges and the volunteer staff of this year’s competition – Your hard work made this event a resounding success.

Adam’s Back, Wins SDIWC Best of Show Red
With LaZarre 2007 Central Coast Pinot Noir

By Robert Whitley
Creators Syndicate

There was a time, not that many years ago, when a brash young winemaker at Hahn Estates ruled the wine competition world from Los Angeles to London.

Under the skillful direction of Adam LaZarre, the Monterey County winery scored major trophies at big wine competitions around the globe. And they did it with modestly priced wines, such as a $16 Cabernet Sauvignon, a $14 Merlot and a red Bordeaux-style blend for less than $20.

For a time, it seemed a week couldn’t go by without a LaZarre-inspired wine winning best of show in Los Angeles or San Francisco or London, or some other important wine competition venue. LaZarre is no longer at Hahn, having moved 75 miles down U.S Highway 101 to Paso Robles, where he is running the promising start-up winery Villa San-Juliette. He also makes a number of wines under his own LaZarre label.

He may have moved, but LaZarre hasn’t changed all that much. He’s still brash, still prolific, and Sunday afternoon he returned to the winner’s circle at the 27th annual San Diego International Wine Competition.

“I’m back!” LaZarre exclaimed as it was revealed that his 2007 Central Coast LaZarre Pinot Noir ($35) had been voted Best Red Wine of the show. It was no small feat. Among the contenders for best red honors were the 2006 ZD Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($125), the 2007 Bell Clone 6 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($90) and the 2007 Spoto Napa Valley Syrah ($70), platinum award-winners all.

The venerable SDIWC attracted nearly 2,000 entries, bestowed more than 1,000 medals and crowned five best of show winners, including the LaZarre Pinot. Value-seeking consumers should be encouraged to note the 31 judges — winemakers and wine industry professionals — handed out one of the top awards, best of show sparkling, to the relatively inexpensive Korbel Brut Rose ($11). The sleek 2004 Domaine Carneros Le Reve Blanc de Blancs ($85) was in the running for the top honor, but the judges opted instead for the refreshing, bright berry fruit of the Korbel bubbly.

Other best-of-show winners included the 2008 V. Sattui Early Harvest White Riesling ($18.75) as best white, the 2008 Penman Springs Two Roses Syrah Rose ($15) as best rose, and the 2008 Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Finger Lakes Vidal Blanc Ice Wine ($40 per half bottle) as best dessert.

The weekend was not short on stellar performance, and I have duly noted some of the more impressive efforts.

Fallbrook Winery, which produces fewer than 50,000 cases of wine a year in the far northeast corner of San Diego County (that’s in Southern California, merely 500 miles but light years from the epicenter of American wine, the Napa Valley) saw two of its wines advance to the finals. Though neither won the big prize, Fallbrook’s 2007 33 Degrees North BDX, Gracie Hill Vineyard ($30) was awarded the title Best Meritage and its 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve ($14) was named Best Sauvignon Blanc. Quite an accomplishment for a small Southern California winery few had ever heard of.

On the other hand, Frank Family Vineyards, a well-known Napa Valley producer, made a good deal of noise on Sunday afternoon with three wines in the finals — 2008 Carneros Pinot Noir ($35), 2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay ($32.50) and 2007 Napa Valley Zinfandel ($36.75).
To reach the finals, a wine had to be awarded a Platinum medal, which would be the equivalent of a double gold at other competitions.

Bargain hunters might want to take a close look at the Cycles Gladiator wines. These are produced by Hahn in Monterey County and are uniformly priced at $10 a bottle. The 2007 Merlot was voted Best Merlot, and the 2008 Syrah took gold. The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio all received silver medals.

Cameron Hughes was another big winner from the value category, claiming 11 medals, including a platinum and two golds. Cameron Hughes purchases small lots of leftover wine from prestigious wineries, bottles them under his own name without identifying the winery, and sells them for a fraction of the price they would otherwise fetch.

Cameron Hughes won its Platinum with a 2008 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, Lot 159 at $15. His golds were for the 2007 Lot 116 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($22) and the 2007 Lot 164 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon ($22). These wines can be found at Costo nationwide in states where stores are permitted to sell wine.

Concannon Vineyard of California’s underrated Livermore Valley was equally impressive in the value arena, winning seven medals, the most expensive of which was the gold-medal winning 2008 Limited Release Central Coast Pinot Noir at $16. The 2008 Conservancy Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($14) earned platinum.

The East was well represented by Jefferson Vineyards of Virginia. This Charlottesville-area winery grabbed a platinum (2009 Monticello Pinot Gris, $18) and a gold (2007 Monticello Meritage, $30) along with two silvers.

Tiny Opolo Vineyards of Paso Robles earned three medals, but two of those were platinum: 2006 Serenade ($30), a red Bordeaux-style blend, and 2007 Paso Robles Tempranillo ($24).

California’s Amador County, in the Sierra Foothills, got a string showing from Renwood with a platinum, two golds and four silvers. The Platinum was a delicious 2007 Barbera at $23 and the golds were the 2007 Jack Rabbit Flat Zinfandel ($30) and the 2008 Amador Ice Zinfandel at $35 a half bottle.

And the Umpqua Valley of Oregon never had it so good. Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyard rounded up nine medals, including a platinum for its 2009 Gruner Veltliner, Revelation & Rorek Bloc at $24. Reustle Prayer Rock also scored golds with its 2008 Reserve Pinot Noir ($38), its 2008 Reserve Syrah ($38) and its 2008 Reserve Tempranillo ($38).

Of course, the big dog of the competition was V. Sattui of the Napa Valley, as usual. Sattui racked up 19 medals. Among the 19 were the best of show white wine, a platinum award for its 2007 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon ($40), and golds for four other wines.

Sattui wines can only be purchased at the winery tasting room in St. Helena, Calif., where there are expansive picnic grounds and a well-priced selection of all of its award-winning wines.

Many of the award-winning wines will be available to taste and for purchase at the annual Wine & Roses charity wine tasting, June 13, 2010, at the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego, where the competition was held. Tickets to Wine & Roses may be purchased at www.WineAndRoses.net.

2010 SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION JUDGES

CHIEF JUDGE

Michael Franz, Editor, Wine Review Online

JUDGES

Thrace Bromberger, Gustavo-Thrace
Richard Carey, Winemaker, Vitis Research
Jac Cole, Winemaker, Spring Mountain Vineyards
Kimberly Charles, Charles Communications
Etienne Cowper, Winemaker, Wilson Creek Winery
Mark Deegan, Henry Wine Group
Traci Dutton, Sommelier
Gary Eberle, Winemaker, Eberle Winery
Bob Foster, California Grapevine
Patty Held, Winery Consultant
Linda Jones-McKee, Wines & Vines
John Larchet, Winemaker, The Australian Premium Wine Collection
Adam LaZarre, Winemaker, Villa San-Juliette
Tim McDonald, Wine Spoken Here
Kate McHugh, Quintessential Wines
Neil McNally, Rosenthal Estate
Jon McPherson, Winemaker, South Coast Winery
Linda Murphy, Decanter
Rebecca Murphy, Dallas Morning News
Ray Pompilio, Wine Appreciation Guild
Nick Ponomareff, California Grapevine
Ron Rawlinson, WineSmith
Lisa Redwine, Sommelier
George Riffle, Sommelier
Roman Roth, Winemaker, Wolffer Estate
Eric Runyon, Southern Wine & Spirits
Jeff Siegel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jennifer Simonetti MW
Bob Small, Los Angeles International Wine Competition
David Stevens, Winemaker, Davon International
Mark Stuart, TheCorkHead.com
Paul Wagner, Balzac Communications
Kevin Walsh, Henry Wine Group
Duncan Williams, Winemaker, Fallbrook Winery
Wilfred Wong, Beverages & More



Back in December of 2009 we were so disappointed to hear that Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher were no longer working for the Wall Street Journal and that their long running Tastings Column was no more.

Below is a summary of their recommendations for a quality winery experience – typically at a small winery is where you can have an unsurpassed, personal experience – and in the words of our favorite Boston Globe Travel writer – Tom Haines: (please read his eloquent article)  “You may never return so buy one wine.”

Further below we share some insights into Wine Tourism, this from a University of Iowa study. Opponents of wineries and tasting rooms are blind to the fact that small winery operations and the insignificant traffic they generate are beneficial to local economies and that wineries are among the most generous and desirable of charitable venues – after all how bad of a mood can community benefactors be in when you are around winery hosts and other wine lovers!?!?

At Wineries Small is Beautiful:

WSJ: DOROTHY J. GAITER AND JOHN BRECHER

Visiting wineries anywhere in the world is a joy and excites many people into a lifetime love affair with wine.

• Visit the small winery you’ve never heard of. You will not be disappointed.
• When people ask us about visiting wineries… they’re simply looking for someone to meet with intimate knowledge of the wines, some interesting wines to taste, and a welcoming environment in which to taste them. This is all most likely to happen at that little winery with the unfamiliar name.
• There are thousands of wineries all over the world that you’ve never heard of. They’re small, family-run and charming. Those are the ones we target.
• Our goal was simply to identify those that were open to the public and drop in. Many wineries are open by appointment only… We prefer to be spontaneous, so we rarely visit those…
• Our own favorite visits, however, are the ones where we’re surrounded by the vineyards and the tanks.
• That’s our kind of winery: small, quirky, friendly and passionate about wine.
• To feel the passion of wine and winemaking, it’s important to seek out the smaller places where you can really spend some quality time with the people behind the bar.

Fifteen (15) Steps to a Successful Winery Visit

Boutique Wineries Offer a Premium wine Experience

Sharing a CLASSIC, time-proven list of sage suggestions from two of our favorite wine writers. This list is  sure to make all your future wine tastings visits a huge success!

We recommend you review before, or take this list with you on each wine outing until you have it committed to your wine appreciation routine.

Fifteen Steps to a Successful Winery Visit ‐‐‐ Go Early, Ask Questions, Don’t Get Carried Away;  The Empty Box Rule

WSJ: 15 Steps to a Successful Winery Visit

June 29, 2007

By DOROTHY J. GAITER AND JOHN BRECHER

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118306817695252069.html?mod=Tastings

There has never been a better time than now ‐‐ right now, this week ‐‐ to go visit a winery near you. All over the U.S., more wineries than ever are open and eager for you to drop by. Many of them plan special events during the summer and entire regions now are heavily promoting their wine trails. (If you missed Weekend Journal’s recent cover story about the spread of American wineries and wine tourism, drop us a note at wine@wsj.com and we’ll send it along.)

Winemakers and winery owners are among the world’s most charming and interesting people, and they often give away samples of their art for free. Why wouldn’t you go? If you do, here are some tips on how to visit wineries, with some suggestions for winery etiquette. We’ve focused here on visiting wineries in newer wine regions, where tourism might not be as well advanced as places like Napa and Sonoma.

‐‐ Get an empty box for wine. Grab one at your local wine store, or think about buying a Styrofoam wine carrier from the shipping store. Trust us on this. You are going to start buying bottles of wine that will rattle around in your car unless you’ve brought a box. You’ll thank us for this advice when your box is full (and this might have an added benefit; see below).

‐‐ Hire a car or have a designated driver. Chances are you will taste more wine than you expected to ‐‐ those little tastes add up. Not only that, but if you’re not used to drinking wine early in the day, it could catch up with you fast. In many of the newer wine regions, the wineries might be spread out, so you have some driving ahead of you. Various tour companies are popping up in wine regions all over the country that are happy to chart your visits to wineries and take you to them.

‐‐ Take the kids, but, if you do, find something for them to do. Wine regions are very pretty around now, so green and lush, and winery people are nice, so it’s a shame for children to miss the experience. But tasting rooms can be boring for children, so ask right away if there are cookies or crackers, animals to play with or anything else for kids to do. Some, though not nearly enough, have basketball nets, bocce courts, coloring books or Play‐Doh. Take along a Rubik’s Cube, which did the trick for our kids for a while.

‐‐ Go early, especially on weekends. The thing that’s the most fun about a winery visit is chatting with the people behind the bar, who are often the owners or winemakers, especially at smaller wineries. They won’t have time to talk with you if it’s busy.

‐‐ Focus on the smaller places. There is something comforting and unintimidating about the larger places with big parking lots, T‐shirts for sale and lots of hired help. But to feel the passion of wine and winemaking, it’s important to seek out the smaller places where you can really spend some quality time with the people behind the bar.

‐‐ Be polite. Yes, this seems obvious, but we’ve visited hundreds of tasting rooms over more than 30 years and we’re always amazed how rude people can be. In a smaller winery, you are likely to be in part of someone’s home and possibly talking to the owner. And you’re probably getting wine free, or for a small charge. Be nice, and show them the respect they deserve.

‐ Try new, unfamiliar things. In many parts of the country, the grapes that grow best are native American grapes or hybrids. Perhaps the winery makes a Chardonnay, but it’s not as good as its Vignoles. If you stick to grapes you know, you could miss out on the regional specialties.

‐‐ Have an answer to the question, “What kind of wine do you like?” Tasting‐room personnel tend to ask this reflexively as an ice‐breaker, but many people who aren’t totally comfortable with wine find it hard to answer on the spot. In any event, we’d be hesitant to answer it directly because we don’t want to try only the kinds of wines we already know we like. Even if you think you only like dry wines, you should try some that are sweet, and vice versa. Think about saying something like, “I enjoy all kinds of wines. Which would you start with?”

‐‐ Ask where the grapes were grown. Many wineries these days all over the country make wine from grapes grown in California or someplace else far away. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but when we visit a winery in, say, Connecticut, part of the fun of the visit is tasting wines made from grapes grown in Connecticut, near where we’re standing. If you don’t want to ask, just peek at the label. If it says “estate bottled,” that’s a sign that the grapes were probably grown right around the corner.

‐‐ Ask questions. Don’t be shy. If you ask simple questions like “Does this look like it will be a good year?” or “What food goes best with this wine?” the person behind the counter will appreciate your interest. Don’t try to show off with questions like, “Did this get any ML?” unless you really, really care about malolactic fermentation. There are no stupid questions ‐‐ and, in any event, you can’t do worse than the visitor who once asked a tasting‐room pourer whom we’ve known for years, “How long does the wine stay in caskets?”

‐‐ Remember that it’s a tasting room, not a bar. If you want to drink a big glass of wine, buy a bottle and have a picnic. And even if you are not driving, be very careful about how much you’re drinking. People who have had too much to drink ruin the tasting experience for everybody.

‐‐ Be careful how much you buy. It’s a nice gesture to buy a bottle or two, but you shouldn’t feel pressured to. Still, we tend to get carried away at wineries and buy more bottles than we intended. You’ll be amazed how quickly those bottles add up. Many wineries now can ship across state lines, so you can probably call and get those wines after you get home if you have non‐buyer’s remorse later.

‐‐ Keep wines out of the hot car. A car that’s sitting in the sun will cook your wines in no time flat. Find a way
to avoid that.

‐‐ Ask wineries how to ship your wine back. If you have bought a case or so at various wineries, you might find it easier to ship it back, so ask if there is a local shipping place that specializes in this. This might not be possible, depending on various state laws, so this is where your Styrofoam carrier comes in: Just pack it and check it on the plane with you. There are obviously some risks involved, but we have done this for decades without incident. (Check with your airline to make sure it has no rules against this.)

‐‐ Finally, keep this in mind: The wines you bought at the winery will not taste as good at home as they did at the winery. We’re sorry to end this list with a downer, but it’s true. When you’re there, surrounded by the wondrous sights and smells of a winery, with the winemaker across the bar, pouring wine in pristine condition that has never traveled, the wine tastes special. You simply can’t replicate those conditions at home. But this is exactly why you should go taste wine at a winery this week.

WSJ: 15 Steps to a Successful Winery Visit

June 29, 2007

By DOROTHY J. GAITER AND JOHN BRECHER

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118306817695252069.html?mod=Tastings

Boutique Wineries Offer a Premium wine Experience

Sharing a CLASSIC, time-proven list of sage suggestions from two of our favorite wine writers. This list is  sure to make all your future wine tastings visits a huge success!

We recommend you review before, or take this list with you on each wine outing until you have it committed to your wine appreciation routine.

Fifteen Steps to a Successful Winery Visit ‐‐‐ Go Early, Ask Questions, Don’t Get Carried Away;  The Empty Box Rule

June 29 2007, The Wall Street Journal. by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher (Copyright (c) 2007, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)

There has never been a better time than now ‐‐ right now, this week ‐‐ to go visit a winery near you. All over the U.S., more wineries than ever are open and eager for you to drop by. Many of them plan special events during the summer and entire regions now are heavily promoting their wine trails. (If you missed Weekend Journal’s recent cover story about the spread of American wineries and wine tourism, drop us a note at wine@wsj.com and we’ll send it along.)

Winemakers and winery owners are among the world’s most charming and interesting people, and they often give away samples of their art for free. Why wouldn’t you go? If you do, here are some tips on how to visit wineries, with some suggestions for winery etiquette. We’ve focused here on visiting wineries in newer wine regions, where tourism might not be as well advanced as places like Napa and Sonoma.

‐‐ Get an empty box for wine. Grab one at your local wine store, or think about buying a Styrofoam wine carrier from the shipping store. Trust us on this. You are going to start buying bottles of wine that will rattle around in your car unless you’ve brought a box. You’ll thank us for this advice when your box is full (and this might have an added benefit; see below).

‐‐ Hire a car or have a designated driver. Chances are you will taste more wine than you expected to ‐‐ those little tastes add up. Not only that, but if you’re not used to drinking wine early in the day, it could catch up with you fast. In many of the newer wine regions, the wineries might be spread out, so you have some driving ahead of you. Various tour companies are popping up in wine regions all over the country that are happy to chart your visits to wineries and take you to them.

‐‐ Take the kids, but, if you do, find something for them to do. Wine regions are very pretty around now, so green and lush, and winery people are nice, so it’s a shame for children to miss the experience. But tasting rooms can be boring for children, so ask right away if there are cookies or crackers, animals to play with or anything else for kids to do. Some, though not nearly enough, have basketball nets, bocce courts, coloring books or Play‐Doh. Take along a Rubik’s Cube, which did the trick for our kids for a while.

‐‐ Go early, especially on weekends. The thing that’s the most fun about a winery visit is chatting with the people behind the bar, who are often the owners or winemakers, especially at smaller wineries. They won’t have time to talk with you if it’s busy.

‐‐ Focus on the smaller places. There is something comforting and unintimidating about the larger places with big parking lots, T‐shirts for sale and lots of hired help. But to feel the passion of wine and winemaking, it’s important to seek out the smaller places where you can really spend some quality time with the people behind the bar.

‐‐ Be polite. Yes, this seems obvious, but we’ve visited hundreds of tasting rooms over more than 30 years and we’re always amazed how rude people can be. In a smaller winery, you are likely to be in part of someone’s home and possibly talking to the owner. And you’re probably getting wine free, or for a small charge. Be nice, and show them the respect they deserve.

‐ Try new, unfamiliar things. In many parts of the country, the grapes that grow best are native American grapes or hybrids. Perhaps the winery makes a Chardonnay, but it’s not as good as its Vignoles. If you stick to grapes you know, you could miss out on the regional specialties.

‐‐ Have an answer to the question, “What kind of wine do you like?” Tasting‐room personnel tend to ask this reflexively as an ice‐breaker, but many people who aren’t totally comfortable with wine find it hard to answer on the spot. In any event, we’d be hesitant to answer it directly because we don’t want to try only the kinds of wines we already know we like. Even if you think you only like dry wines, you should try some that are sweet, and vice versa. Think about saying something like, “I enjoy all kinds of wines. Which would you start with?”

‐‐ Ask where the grapes were grown. Many wineries these days all over the country make wine from grapes grown in California or someplace else far away. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but when we visit a winery in, say, Connecticut, part of the fun of the visit is tasting wines made from grapes grown in Connecticut, near where we’re standing. If you don’t want to ask, just peek at the label. If it says “estate bottled,” that’s a sign that the grapes were probably grown right around the corner.

‐‐ Ask questions. Don’t be shy. If you ask simple questions like “Does this look like it will be a good year?” or “What food goes best with this wine?” the person behind the counter will appreciate your interest. Don’t try to show off with questions like, “Did this get any ML?” unless you really, really care about malolactic fermentation. There are no stupid questions ‐‐ and, in any event, you can’t do worse than the visitor who once asked a tasting‐room pourer whom we’ve known for years, “How long does the wine stay in caskets?”

‐‐ Remember that it’s a tasting room, not a bar. If you want to drink a big glass of wine, buy a bottle and have a picnic. And even if you are not driving, be very careful about how much you’re drinking. People who have had too much to drink ruin the tasting experience for everybody.

‐‐ Be careful how much you buy. It’s a nice gesture to buy a bottle or two, but you shouldn’t feel pressured to. Still, we tend to get carried away at wineries and buy more bottles than we intended. You’ll be amazed how quickly those bottles add up. Many wineries now can ship across state lines, so you can probably call and get those wines after you get home if you have non‐buyer’s remorse later.

‐‐ Keep wines out of the hot car. A car that’s sitting in the sun will cook your wines in no time flat. Find a way
to avoid that.

‐‐ Ask wineries how to ship your wine back. If you have bought a case or so at various wineries, you might find it easier to ship it back, so ask if there is a local shipping place that specializes in this. This might not be possible, depending on various state laws, so this is where your Styrofoam carrier comes in: Just pack it and check it on the plane with you. There are obviously some risks involved, but we have done this for decades without incident. (Check with your airline to make sure it has no rules against this.)

‐‐ Finally, keep this in mind: The wines you bought at the winery will not taste as good at home as they did at the winery. We’re sorry to end this list with a downer, but it’s true. When you’re there, surrounded by the wondrous sights and smells of a winery, with the winemaker across the bar, pouring wine in pristine condition that has never traveled, the wine tastes special. You simply can’t replicate those conditions at home. But this is exactly why you should go taste wine at a winery this week.

Fair Use Statement: This site contains both original and copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, health, wine and wine industry issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. If you are the copyright holder and feel that this use does not fit under the clause mentioned above, then please let us know and we will remove this from our site. Please consider that your material is cited or hyperlinked to you URL improving your site’s search engine rankings and your Internet presence. We appreciate link backs for this same reason. Thank you.

We recently rounded up a bunch of wine loving associates and friends to visit the beautiful and relaxing Paso Robles  wine country of Central California. This started up as a Twitter wine “tweetup” event and was renamed a “Twamping” event (Twitter+ camping) – by-the-way we’re currently the #2 winery on Twitter – please follow us at @eaglesnestwine

Paso wine country is centered off Highways 101 and 46, the Paso Robles wine region includes 26,000 vineyard acres, producing more than 40 winegrape varieties – from Spanish to Italian, Bordeaux to Rhône, including the area’s heritage variety Zinfandel.  There are over 130 wineries in the region.

Our group stayed at the Wine Country RV Resort off Air Port Road. Wine tasting and wine making research aside, we spent several evenings enjoying the company of new and old friends and culinary delights including fresh grilled oysters,  chicken, and beef, ravioli soup, clams and linguine, and spaghetti with red sauce, fajitas, and assorted salads and desserts – and of course wine.

We visited wineries including Caparone Winery a small father and son operation that makes only red wines including Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Aglianico- all were smooth and very enjoyable. Several cases were purchased. See the YouTube video here.

The owner Dave Caparone was gracious and informative. He also showed us his private collection of restored and in-restoration antique autos.

Next was Jada Winery – a newer winery that focuses on Bordeaux and Rhône-style blends.  Their swanky tasting room was quite a contrast to Caparone’s minimalist approach (but isn’t it all about the wine?)  and they pair some excellent cheeses with their wines.  We paired up on the tastings to remain within their limited industry complimentary tastings policy. A few bottles were purchased.

A late noon tasting and picnic was planned at Justin Winery. Justin features  “left bank” Bordeaux style blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, named ISOSCELES, and JUSTIFICATION, it’s “right bank” Merlot and Cabernet Franc cousin, along with varietal bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and limited amounts of Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Malbec, Petit Verdot, OBTUSE (Port wine), Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Viognier. The tasting room had a warm rich feel, and the picnic area under old walnut trees providing  shade and a view of the surrounding vineyards.  Several bottles were purchased.

We then proceeded to Tolo Cellars’ historic 1800′s farm house tasting room where Josh the wine maker explained his approach to winemaking in a YouTube video we posted to the Internet.

Tolo features Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and exotic Rhone blends. Tolo’s wines are fermented on native yeast and in Josh’s words ” allow the robust and wild flavors of the vines to exude in the wines.” Several bottles were purchased.

We wrapped up the day with a delightful visit to Tablas Creek Vineyards the source of Eagles Nest Winery vineyard’s Picpoul Blanc vines used in grafts from Santa Rosa’s  Nova Vine nursery.  Megan Buss was our knowledgeable and enthusiastic tasting room host featured in this YouTube video.
Megan and John (tasting room manager) also introduced the winery to our group and discussed the Picpoul Blanc grape in this YouTube video.   Several bottles were purchased.

The following day we visited Jeff Pipes at his family’s Pipestone Vineyards. Jeff is a former environmental engineer and lawyer. His small family operation is 100% solar as of a year ago and is an organic operation. He even used draft horses to plow his vineyard rows to reduce his use of petroleum.  A couple of cases were happily purchased.

We talk with Jeff in this YouTube video.

Our  group also visited several other wineries in the Paso Robles area. We encourage wine lovers to visit the many wine regions of California and support the many smaller family and boutique wineries that need your business and love!

Paso Robles located in California’s Central coast is one of our favorite wine destinations. Napa and Sonoma are “King” and rightfully so. They benefit from their proximity to the San Francisco and Sacramento metro areas.

In October the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is sponsoring CRAVE distinctive event, now in its second year, blends wine tasting tradition with a stylish format geared toward younger millennial wine enthusiasts.

Guests at CRAVE 2008 Paso Robles

Please see below press release

CRAVE – A Paso Robles Wine Experience, Slated for Friday, October 23, 2009

Sunday, 27 September 2009

Paso Robles Wine Country satisfies all your cravings this October with the popular wine tasting event,

CRAVE – A Paso Robles Wine Experience! The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance announced tickets are available at www.pasowine.com for CRAVE, slated for Friday, October 23, 2009 from 7:30 – 10 p.m. This distinctive event, now in its second year, blends wine tasting tradition with a stylish format geared toward millennial wine enthusiasts.

According to the Wine Market Council, the millennial generation exhibits the same receptivity to wine as leading edge baby boomers and offer the wine industry the kind of growth potential not seen in more than thirty years. With wine consumption among this age group on the rise the Alliance recognizes the need to focus marketing programs on millennials. CRAVE targets the next generation of wine consumers, educates in a fun way and positions Paso Robles as the choice wine region.

“CRAVE attendees are encouraged to join us in Paso Robles Wine Country during the harvest season to experience wine country,” said Stacie Jacob, executive director of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. “CRAVE is the ideal way for millennials to familiarize themselves with Paso wines. November and December is the perfect time to take advantage of wicked wine steals in preparation for the holiday season.”

Don't see this sign... Get tickets on-line

CRAVE takes place at the Veterans Hall in San Luis Obispo (801 Grand Avenue). Various Paso Robles wine varietal bars are featured and paired with the finest fare of San Luis Obispo County. More than 60 Paso Robles wineries showcase a single wine from their portfolio allowing attendees to focus on each varietal presented. CRAVE is the ultimate Paso Robles wine tasting experience complemented by music in a relaxed, lounge-like atmosphere. Visit www.pasowine.com for a complete listing of the nine varietal bar descriptions and food pairings to be showcased during the event.

Thanks to The Wine Wrangler (www.thewinewrangler.com), various safe rides will be offered free of charge. A safe ride from Downtown Paso Robles, to and from the Veterans Hall in SLO will be available. In addition, three drop-off spots will be offered throughout the evening, including to the Cal Poly Student Union, Laguna Shopping Center and Downtown SLO. Responsible tasting is also an important element of CRAVE. Practice of the Four Ss of responsible tasting — swirl, smell, sip, spit — is a valuable way for wine enthusiasts to experience and understand each wine from first taste to last. This practice is encouraged and is essential to make the most of this Paso Robles Wine Experience.

Tickets are $40 presale and $50 at the door, and include an evening of unlimited tasting, food pairings, as well as a commemorative glass made by Riedel. Be sure to follow Paso Robles Wine on Twitter and become friends with Paso Robles Wine on Facebook to stay updated CRAVE enhancements, exciting offers as well as pre parties and after parties.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.pasowine.com or at 800.549.WINE (9463). Photo identification verifying age will be required at time of entry. Tickets are limited, and advance purchase is highly recommended, as CRAVE sold out in advance in 2008. Free parking will be available at the Veterans Hall Parking lot. For a complete list of wineries participating, to purchase your ticket, or for more information about CRAVE, go to www.pasowine.com.

The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance represents wineries, growers and businesses in Paso Robles Wine Country. Centrally located between San Francisco and Los Angeles, along California’s Central Coast, Paso Robles Wine Country is California’s fastest growing wine region. It encompasses more than 26,000 vineyard acres and more than 180 wineries. For more information, visit www.pasowine.com

Shared below is SF Chronicle’s Karola Saekel article on Lodi

Lodi: Markus Bokisch sees potential for Lodi in Spanish varietals

Lodi wines get a chance to shine

Karola Saekel

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/28/WIF21939NQ.DTL&type=wine

Friday, August 28, 2009

When fourth-generation grape grower Lance Randolph decided in 1992 to make his own wine, it was not unusual for him to be asked by potential customers, “Lodi where?”

The owner of Peirano Estate would patiently respond with a brief history of his San Joaquin Valley city and extol its potential to produce wines of excellent quality at competitive prices.

More than competitive, in fact. When you don’t have the draw of a name like Napa or Valley of the Moon, he says, you have to entice customers with exceptional value.

Today, not even two decades later, those questions about Lodi’s location are far less likely. With their newfound dedication to not just growing great grapes, which in many instances their grandfathers and great-grandfathers already did, but to also making wines that do the fruit justice, today’s Lodi winegrowers display true pride of place: They put the name Lodi prominently on their labels, a tribute to their thriving little town.

For the record, it’s a city of about 60,000 roughly halfway between Sacramento and Stockton, and the 550,000-acre winegrowing area around it produces more grapes than Napa and Sonoma combined.

At the very least, people in the wine business now are familiar with old-vine Zinfandel from the Lodi appellation, established in 1986. And many know Lodi Rules, a particularly stringent regulation of sustainable practices. As Markus Bokisch of Bokisch Ranches points out, certification is handled by a third-party nonprofit panel, Protective Harvest – not the growers themselves, as is customary in most areas.

Not only do the grapes have to be grown and handled properly, but the farmer has to commit to preserving the environment, from water quality, oak growth and bird habitat to the utilization of human resources.

Bokisch and wife Liz have found their own special niche on the Lodi wine map. Drawing on his heritage – from what is now the Czech Republic on his father’s side, to Spain’s Catalonia on his mother’s – he specializes in Spanish varietals like Albarino. Bokisch produces about 2,000 cases annually, retailing between $16 and $26 per bottle.

That’s a typical price range for local wines, and there are some very drinkable bottles that sell for less. Randolph makes 60,000 cases of 14 different varietals under the Peirano label, retailing for $10 to $15 per bottle.

None of the 70 or so wineries, mostly smaller operations, tries to go head to head with one of the San Joaquin Valley’s biggies, Bronco Wine Co. and its famous Two-Buck Chuck. Other nearby mega-producers are Woodbridge, the bargain Mondavi spin-off (Robert Mondavi grew up in Lodi), now owned by Constellation, and still family-owned Gallo in Modesto.

Despite its long history of growing grapes that made some prominent wineries their loyal customers, Lodi growers have gotten little public recognition. The growers-turned-winemakers of the last 20 or so years aim to get a little respect. Organizations like the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission bolster individual growers’ efforts.

A burgeoning hospitality industry – restaurants, B&Bs and other accommodations – aid the change. It offers wine touring at a price well below what glamour spots like St. Helena or Healdsburg might cost.

Lodi’s economy looks relatively bright. Unlike many prominent wine regions, it doesn’t have a monoculture. The area still supports extensive orchards and grows some of California’s best asparagus. This versatility stood Lodi in good stead during Prohibition, when it also supplied grapes for home winemaking, which was legal. Lodi shipped ton after ton of fruit to the East Coast.

In an odd twist, even the current recession has had a silver lining. Pressure to convert agricultural land to subdivisions for Sacramento and Stockton has eased. It has made life easier for people like Bill Stokes of Benson Ferry Vineyards, another third-generation grape grower, who also plants alfalfa. Stokes says the climate of Lodi’s seven distinct subregions, approved in 2006, allow great flexibility.

He is a major advocate of old-vine Zin, which is distinguished by open growth – no trellises, no wires in these vineyards. It is, he says, an extremely food friendly wine for both fancy and simple dishes. With a laugh, he compares it to a pair of khakis: “You can dress it up or down; it’s always great.” –

____________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains both original and copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, health, wine and wine industry issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. If you are the copyright holder and feel that this use does not fit under the clause mentioned above, then please let us know and we will remove this from our site. Please consider that your material is cited or hyperlinked to you URL improving your site’s search engine rankings and your Internet presence. We appreciate link backs for this same reason. Thank you.

Range a bit further in Californis and you think of Paso Robles, Monterey, Santa Ynez Valley, Lodi, Amador,  Calavaras, Placer Counties. Get our of California and you think Washington State’s Walla Walla region, and Oregon’s Willamette Valley, New York’s Finger Lakes region, Texas’ wine country, and Northern Virginia.

Northern Virginia you ask?!?! Why yes What great place to share the wine lifestyle have a winery outside of California!

Consider these demographics – A large population of highly educated professionals, generally with weekends off, and that earn the lion’s share of Virginia’s personal income. And you have the potential for a great little wine country experience.  Have Prius will drive to mini-wine country!

Shared below is Lavanya Ramanatha’s (Washington Post) piece on Northern Virginia Wineries http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/08/27/ST2009082701653.html

If you’re visiting Southern California please consider Eagles Nest Winery San Diego County’s  Gold Medal winning winery

Eagles Nest Award Winning Winery and Vacation Lodging

Getting a Taste of Virginia Wines

By Lavanya Ramanathan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 28, 2009

Sniff, sip, swish, spit.

It may be the ritual of wine tasting, but it can be a major turnoff for those of us who are best described as lay wine-drinkers. Who can wax poetic about notes of pear and grapefruit when the only note our untrained palates can make out is “wine”?

Leesburg VA Tarara Winery

For us, there is a friendly training ground, less than an hour’s drive from our doorsteps, where we can sip, swish and definitely not feel obliged to spit.

Oh, yes, we’re talking about Virginia. Advances in grape-growing the past few years have helped nurture a Virginia winemaking boomlet. Last year, Loudoun County added a handful of new tasting rooms, and the year before that a handful more, for a total of nearly 25 wineries.

Fall harvest and the busy season for wineries is just around the corner, so we decided to check out some of the biggest and buzziest in search of gems. (If you’re skeptical about the caliber of the wines, we got experts to point us to the ones worth trying.)

There are wineries that specialize in music and provide breathtaking views of fall colors. Families can find kid-friendly activities at festivals and take fruit-picking excursions, while budding oenophiles can sip and taste in private sessions with winemakers and experts. There are even dog-friendly events.

Bluemont Vineyard's spectacular views

And the snobby rituals? They’re practically taboo. There are hardly friendlier folks than the sommeliers, winemakers and tasting attendants we encountered in Northern Virginia and Maryland. Tastings are typically about $5 and feature just a sip or two of five to seven wines; the secret to enjoying them, we discovered, is to ask questions: Ask which wine is your pourer’s favorite and which is the bestseller; ask about the history of the place as you’re doing your sipping.

On the following pages find four reasons you have to visit Virginia wineries this fall.

Go for the View

Bluemont and Chrysalis vineyards

Just when you think you’ve arrived at western Loudoun’s Bluemont Vineyard, you come face-to-face with one last stretch: a long gravel road, winding high up the hill. In the distance is the comely cottage winery, so high you could catch a little vertigo just getting there.

Never heard of it? Former AOL employee Bob Rupy and farmer Mark Zurschmeide opened Bluemont in 2007. The wines produced generally are on the dry side, and with names like the Cow (a Vidal Blanc) and the Goat (a Viognier), they reflect the pastoral setting. But what you’re drinking this year comes from grapes grown off-site. Since Bluemont is so new, it expects to serve wines produced from its own grapes (called estate wines) beginning late next year.

Nearly everyone who comes through grabs a glass of wine, a loaf of the house-baked bread, a chunk of cheese or salami and finds a seat out on the deck, where the views are spectacular. Be sure to pack binoculars, the tasting attendant will tell you, because on a good day, you can see the Washington Monument. Dog owners: Leashed pets aren’t just welcome at Bluemont, they’re part of the landscape. The winery’s two dogs, Jack and Becca, are there much of the time.

18755 Foggy Bottom Rd., Bluemont. Tastings, $5. Open Friday-Sunday and Mondays of holiday weekends, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; November-February hours are noon to 5:30 p.m. 540-554-8439 or http://www.http://http://bluemonthttp://http://vineyard.http://http://com.

Nestled between lofty hills, Chrysalis Vineyards — with its quaint farm fencing and sprawling green pasture and pond — offers perhaps one of the most jaw-dropping views of the fiery reds, oranges and yellows of autumn. And that might be one of the reasons the Middleburg winery is a bustling operation on weekends during the harvest season.

Chrysalis is a booster of the Norton, an American grape that the winery uses to create surprisingly light red wines such as Sarah’s Patio Red. You won’t find Norton at many other wineries in the area, so it’s worth a try. Families: The winery keeps a designated family area and has grills and picnic tables, should you want to bring your own picnic spread to go with your wine.

23876 Champe Ford Rd., Middleburg. Tastings are $5 for short tastings; $10 for longer tastings. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. 540-687-8222 or http://www.http://http://chrysalishttp://http://wine.http://http://com.

See the New

Sunset Hills Vineyard's restored 130-year-old barn

Sunset Hills and Notaviva vineyards

Among the new wineries garnering buzz in Loudoun is Sunset Hills, which opened its massive, two-story tasting room last fall. And much of that buzz centers on the 1870s barn that the winery’s owners, executive and race-car driver Mike Canney and his wife, Diane, employed Amish craftsmen from Pennsylvania to renovate. It’s woodsy and elegant, and full of nooks in which to find a little privacy.

The crisply manicured grounds, pond and two-story deck make Sunset Hills an ideal spot to grab a glass of wine and take in the views. As with many of the Loudoun wineries, the Cabernet Franc is the hallmark here, but you’ll also find Viognier, a dry white wine for which Virginia is increasingly becoming known.

38295 Fremont Overlook Lane, Purcellville. Tastings, $5. Fridays 3 to 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays noon to 6 p.m. 540-882-4560 or http://www.sunsethillsvineyard.com.

It took two music engineers, Stephen and Shannon Mackey, to come up with the concept of a winery that blended their love of wine and music, with wines taking their names from musical terms and live performances in the tasting room every weekend. Notaviva Vineyards opened to the public last summer, and wine aficionados have been clamoring to visit ever since.

In June, Notaviva (which is also the couple’s home) celebrated its first anniversary with a pairing event that defied convention; it wasn’t about pairing wine and food, but wine and music. Five wines were tasted as a handful of music clips played, and tasters then rated which notes best complemented the wines. The event will be repeated Oct. 3; tickets are $25 a person.

13274 Sagle Rd., Purcellville. Tastings, $5. Thursday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays-Sundays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Mondays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 540-668-6756 or http://www.notavivavineyards.com.

Hone Your Palate

Corcoran Vineyards and Tarara Winery

Find your way to the tiny Corcoran Vineyards tasting room on a Sunday, and you’ll have your wines poured by a friendly attendant named Lori Corcoran — as in, Lori Corcoran, the owner and winemaker. (There are few other wineries around where you’ll get that kind of service.)

The tasting room, opened in 2004, is a restored space in a 18th-century house, she’ll tell you. Ask which one you just have to try and she’ll suggest the Malbec, one of the winery’s more surprising offerings.

This season, Corcoran is teaming with sommelier Mary Watson-DeLauder for a series of herb and wine pairing nights; the herbs and the wines come from the Corcoran gardens. Come on a Saturday during the harvest season, and you can watch Corcoran in the estate’s barn, getting into the crushing and bottling processes.

14635 Corkys Farm Lane, Waterford. Tastings are $5; herb pairings are $25 and are held sporadically by reservation only. Call or e-mail lori@corcoranvineyards.com for reservations. Saturdays-Sundays noon to 5 p.m. 540-882-9073 or http://www.http://http://corcoranhttp://http://vineyards.http://http://com.

Tarara Winery has been producing wines for more than 20 years, making it the one of the more established presences in the Loudoun wine world. It’s the place to go for big festivals that feature music, vendors and kid-friendly areas with children’s games, as well as a pond where families can kayak and canoe. But for something really special, go in for the premier, nearly two-hour tastings on Sundays. Sommelier Steve Conquer leads tasters through seven wines not on the usual tasting menu, in a private space away from the busy main tasting room. As a bonus, the wines are paired with small bites.

13648 Tarara Lane, Leesburg. Premier tasting, $20 per person; reservations recommended. Sundays at 12:30, 2, 3:30 and 5 p.m. Regular tasting, $10. Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. To reserve a spot, call 703-771-7100 or visit http://www.http://http://tarara.http://http://com.

Make Wines a Perfect Daytrip

Leesburg

A handful of Leesburg wineries offer rural charm and proximity. Start at Tarara, where there’s lots to do, particularly during a special event. Then, move on to Fabbioli Cellars; owner Doug Fabbioli acts as a consultant and winemaker for a number of other wineries, so why not taste his creations on his home turf? Just a couple of miles away you’ll find the adjacent wineries Lost Creek Winery and Vineyards and Hidden Brook Winery, which both serve sweet as well as dry wines (Hidden Brook’s owners are the son and daughter-in-law of Lost Creek’s owners). And you’d be remiss if, on the way home, you didn’t trek back to Route 15 for visits to the adorable antiques shop Lucketts Store and a roadside stand for local produce.

Fabbioli Cellars, 15669 Limestone School Rd., Leesburg. Tasting, $5. Thursday-Monday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 703-771-1197 or http://www.http://http://fabbiolihttp://http://wines.http://http://com.

Lost Creek Winery and Vineyards, 43277 Spinks Ferry Rd., Leesburg. Tasting, $5. Thursday-Monday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 703-443-9836 or http://www.http://http://lostcreekhttp://http://winery.http://http://com.

Tarara Winery offers evante too

Hidden Brook Winery, 43301 Spinks Ferry Rd., Leesburg. Tasting, $5. Monday, Thursday and Friday noon to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 703-737-3935 or http://www.http://http://hiddenbrook

____________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE

This site contains both original and copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, health, wine and wine industry issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. If you are the copyright holder and feel that this use does not fit under the clause mentioned above, then please let us know and we will remove this from our site. Please consider that your material is cited or hyperlinked to you URL improving your site’s search engine rankings and your Internet presence. We appreciate link backs for this same reason. Thank you.

Amador County east of Sacramento is such a place, as is Murphys Calaveras County to the southeast. I have visited both these areas doing research on land use policies and Boutique wineries. It is a delightful place and we enjoyed talking to Jerry and Pam Notestine, the owners of Nine Gables Winery.

Visit me at Eagles Nest Cottage and I’ll share a story about the Notestine’s Feng Shui mirror on their tasting room porch. I am also a fan of the Lodi wine country one hour south of Sacramento – I’ve posted blogs and videos on Lodi elsewhere Click here!

I must admit visiting these areas is both a joy and a disappointment. San Diego County where we are located, is nationally renowned for it’s lack of vision and business advocacy. When you look at these tiny wineries (look at the photos shared below) operating in harmony with their surroundings, you have to ask yourself – Why not in San Diego County?

Joy And Surprise

By Rick Kushman rkushman@sacbee.com
May 15, 2009 12:43:45 AM

A tractor comes up Shenandoah Rd. past a vineyard in Amador wine country.

What struck me during a tour of Amador County wineries was the beauty of the soft hills, the varied and lush sense of wine country, the mix of vineyards and pasture.

There were classic vistas of vineyards lining hillsides, accenting the curves of the landscape. Sometimes I was in cozy nooks, rolling down a road between an ancient oak and a weathered fence with a couple of horses behind it.

My friend Scott was equally surprised. He didn’t expect the wineries to be so close together, or the variety of wines or the quality to be so consistently good.

“I’m really surprised by the diversity here,” he said early into the afternoon. “We’ve had fruity wines, a few peppery ones, some that seemed thicker and full-bodied, and some that were lighter and more elegant. There are people up here that know what they’re doing.”

Also in the “surprise” category were the wine prices. “I’m amazed at how many really good wines are in the $20 category,” he said. “That’s like the starting point in Napa.”

Scott did expect the tastings to be free. That’s something everyone expects there.

What fit under Scott’s heading of “hoped for” were places like C.G. di Arie on Shenandoah School Road. The wine is varied and good, the winery is owned by Chaim Gur-Arieh, the man who developed Cap’n Crunch cereal — reason enough to love the guy — and the tasting room is in a house by a brook.

What you see when you walk up is a brightly painted garage door. (Actually, this is the tasting room. The winery is a state-of-the-art facility a few miles away just across the El Dorado County line.)

Even more down the eccentric trail is Dobra Zemlja on Steiner Road, where they taste in a cave and the atmosphere at the tasting bar feels like a party, possibly because they have Kikas zinfandel, a port-style fortified wine with 20 percent alcohol.

But the styles of tasting rooms are as assorted as the styles of wine. For instance, Jeff Runquist Wines on Shenandoah Road has a bright, airy, modern building — the wood still smells new — but the same country friendliness inside.

Plus, we kept meeting owners and winemakers. At Terre Rouge and Easton Wines, Scott found his most impressive portfolio of wines. He particularly loved the syrahs. Me, too.

While we were tasting, Doug Bellamy, the tasting room manager, dragged us into one of the regular food/wine pairing exhibitions he runs with Jane O’Riordan, a chef, cookbook author and one of the owners.

Or at Dillian Wines on Steiner Road, the cheery guy pouring behind the bar was Tom Dillian — the young Tom, winemaker and tasting room manager, not to be confused with his father, Tom, the head winemaker. “We’re just a family making wine,” Tom-the-younger told us.

“That’s how it is up here,” Tom said. “Most of us are family places, and we all do a lot of things at the winery. We’re all rooting for each other, too. I love that my neighbors make good wine.”

At nearly the end of the day, and nearly the end of the valley, we were a bit unneighborly, getting to Sobon maybe five minutes before they were closing. We asked tentatively if we could quickly sample a couple of their renowned zins.

A man and a woman had started to straighten the tasting room. No problem, they said. No hurry. They were casual and amiable. It could have been noon. They showed Scott some memorabilia from the winery’s long history and offered stories with the tastes.

At one point, I looked at Scott. “Old-school hospitality,” I said.

“That’s what it is,” he said. “It makes the wine taste better.”

Eagles Nest Winery (Twitter: @eaglesnestwine, FaceBook http://facebook.com/eaglesnestwine) wins two Gold medals in Temecula Wine Society Competition at July 29^th 2009 Awards Dinner benefiting their Oenology Scholarship program. The dinner was hosted at Wiens Family Cellers event center. Other San Diego County award winners are posted at end of this posting, below.

Wiens Family Cellars Event Pavillion

Eagles Nest Winery won Gold Medals for its 2007 Estate Syrah and 2007 Reserve Syrah. The classic wines featured the deep color and flavor extraction so characteristic of hand-made boutique wines.

Food Pairing: Syrah can handle robust, hearty foods, including grilled or braised meats. Lamb is a classic pairing. Full-flavored dishes, thick stews and herby grilled vegetables are other ideal matches.

Pictured below is a portion of our estate Syrah vineyards that produced the award winning wine.

Listed further below are the San Diego County wineries medalists in the Temecula competition.

View of Eagles Nest Syrah Vineyards

Congratulations to the following San Diego County wineries:

(Listed alphabetically by Winery, Vintage, Varietal, AVA)

Gold Medals

• Eagles Nest Winery – 2007 Syrah Estate Ramona Valley
• Eagles Nest Winery – 2007 Syrah South Coast
• Ramona Winery – Schwaesdall — Non Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon South Coast

Silver Medals

• Cactus Star Vineyard – Scaredy Cat Ranch Tempranillo Ramona Valley
• Hawk Watch — 2006 Synthesis South Coast
• Orrin Vineyards – 2006 Zinfandel South Coast
• Ramona Winery – Schwaesdall – Non Vintage  Merlot South Coast

Bronze Medals

• Hawk Watch — 2005 Meritage South Coast
• Hawk Watch — 2006 Syrah South Coast
• La Serenissima 2006 Cabernet Franc South Coast
• Mahogany Mountain – 2007 Zinfandel Ramona Valley
• Orfila Vineyards & Winery 2006 Merlot South Coast
• Orfila Vineyards & Winery 2006 Sangiovese South Coast
• Orfila Vineyards & Winery 2005 Syrah South Coast
• Orfila Vineyards & Winery Non Vintage Viognier South Coast
• Pamo Valley Winery – 2006 Syrah Ramona Valley
• Shadow Mountain Vineyards 2008 Muscat South Coast
• Shadow Mountain Vineyards 2007 Casignone South Coast
• Shadow Mountain Vineyards 2005 Variation-3 South Coast
• Woof’ n Rose Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc Ramona Valley
• Woof’ n Rose Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc Ramona Valley
• Woof’ n Rose Winery 2007 Merlot Ramona Valley

Link to Temecula Wine Society’s award page here

Wiens Family Cellars, Temecula CA