March is the month we celebrate women during Women’s History Month. This year’s theme is women providing healing and promoting hope. That can be interpreted in many ways, and for someone who loves wine, it is a female winemaker who promotes hope by nurturing the vineyard and creating a wine bringing hope as we can
On my recent trip to Australia, I spent 2 1/2 weeks visiting about six cities and three wine regions, including Mudgee. Kind of like a pig in, you know what- immersed in my element because I live for wine, travel, and food. I attended the Wine Media Conference for the first time, and its first
It takes a balancing act to oversee the 50 different wines that compose the portfolio of Lucas & Lewellen Estate Vineyards, a Solvang winery, but winemaker Megan McGrath Gates does it with panache. It began as a friendship in 1975 between Louis Lucas, a viticulturist, and Royce Lewellen, a Superior Court Judge, and moved on
I think of Markus Niggli as the master blender, and after sampling all the red wine blends he now produces, I find like an artist, his palette and technique for combining varieties takes him to a level beyond most winemakers. I first met Markus in 2017 when he was the winemaker for Borra Vineyards in
Greek wines are becoming more popular in the United States, but many varietals are still unfamiliar. With over 300 Greek wine varietals, mostly indigenous grapes, there is a lot to learn. Recently Odyssey, the Cava Spilladis Collection toured many cities in the United States, including Los Angeles and showcased nine family-run wineries that currently comprise
As a wine writer, I always strive to find something new and different. While in Lodi I discovered a winemaker, Markus Niggli that does just that. Not only does he utilize less common varieties but also he creates blends that set him apart from others. The wines of Markus Wine Co. are both unique and
The iconic Different Pointe of View Restaurant sits on the Tapatio Cliffs above downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Besides offering spectacular sunset dinners, an acclaimed wine list, and birds-eye views of the city lights, the Executive Chef combines all three into a monthly chef-led dinner with guest winemakers from around the world. Recently I was invited to
For Erick Allen, the process of winemaking is about the blend. Starting Ascension Cellars in 2008 was about accentuating his blending forte of both the Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. It is Erick’s passion for this process that makes his wines truly exceptional. Erick’s success in winemaking comes from not only his blending prowess but also
You might say it was a spur of the moment trip when the opportunity came to visit San Luis Obispo for the Roll Out the Barrels wine tasting event, I could not turn it done as it gave me a new insight into the wines of San Luis Obispo County. Having visited the area many
Life takes many twists and turns, and for many winemakers, their career beginnings drove them down quite a different path. Besides the approach to winemaking, it is this past that can also define the future of their style of winemaking and especially true for Tony Arcudi, Arcudi Wines. Being of Italian descent, Tony grew up