It was time to pick up our quarterly wine club release from Crooked Vine Winery. We are members at a number of wineries, but we especially enjoy our membership at Crooked Vine. It’s no secret why we love them; their spring release party is amazing! Who doesn’t love an aloha party? Plus, there are plenty of tables for sharing a quick snack while sipping the first wine of the afternoon. This weekend was not graced with a party, so we spent some time working our way through the wine tasting menu. Since the tasting room serves both Crooked Vine and Stony Ridge wines, there was something for everyone.
As usual, the tasting room was full of happy tasters and friendly staff. A nice level of hustle and bustle without making us feel crowded out. We surveyed the joint Crooked Vine and Stony Ridge wine list and selected a few to reexamine.
Of the white wines, the Crooked Vine Viognier is a favorite with our group. Crisp and fruity, this is a wonderful wine for sipping after a long Monday at the office or served with a chicken in lemon sauce.
Crooked Vine / Stony Ridge
4948 Tesla Rd.
Livermore CA 94550
(925) 449-0458
Mon- Sat 11:00am – 4:30pm
Sunday 12:00am-4:30pm
$5.00 tasting fee
On the red wine side of the ledger, we love the Crooked Vine Petite Sirah. Not too much tannin, but with enough punch to stand up to a BBQ’d tri-tip. It was our lucky day, because they were having a case sale on this lovely wine! We couldn’t resist adding to our cellar since it worked out to only $10 a bottle. Is it any wonder our wine fridge is nearing capacity? Another good reason to wine taste with good friends; splitting cases of wine is a great way to stretch the wine budget.
After checking out the newly released wines and, of course, rechecking their port for quality (once again outstanding), we ventured off to our next winery!
—John
About the Author: John grills a mean steak and is always in the market for another wine fridge. Believes that if a winery has more than 10 employees, it's probably too big. Buys wine faster than he drinks it, but who cares?
