On a beautiful summer day, wine tasting can best be enjoyed in the great outdoors. Luckily, there are a lot of wineries offering tastings al fresco. We were able to combine a beautiful afternoon with some beautiful wines when we recently visited Page Mill Winery.

Ah, summer in Livermore! Sunny days and cool nights, just perfect for ripening wine grapes. Nothing is better for building anticipation of the coming harvest like a summertime wine club release party! We were excited to see that next on our schedule was the summer release party at Darcie Kent Vineyards.

Launching and growing a winery is not for the faint of heart! There are so many challenges to overcome, just to survive from year to year. To flourish for ten years is a real achievement. We were thrilled to be invited to the celebration of Eagle Ridge Vineyards’ 10th anniversary.

One of Livermore’s (and California’s) oldest wineries, Murrieta’s Well continues to be a premiere purveyor of fine wines and an outstanding venue for wine tasting. A recent sunny, Friday afternoon seemed to be perfect for another visit to their tasting room. With such a gem just around the corner, why not?

One of the fun side-effects of Livermore’s annual Taste Our Terroir weekend is being reminded of the amazing local wineries that we haven’t visited in a while. That was exactly what happened when we tasted at the Dante Robere Vineyards table during the Quest for Pairing Excellence. We agreed that we had been away far too long!

The Livermore Valley wine industry is growing! New wineries are sprouting up, established wineries are growing, positive changes are everywhere. Several wineries have recently moved to new and larger tasting rooms. Following a fun tasting at the McKahn Family Cellars‘ new tasting room, we kept with the theme and visited the new tasting room for Wood Family Vineyards.

The Livermore Valley wine scene is constantly growing and changing. An exciting part of the experience is watching a fledgling winery transition from birth to establishing a reputation, to growing in every way, as the marketplace discovers their unique offerings. It has been great to watch as McKahn Family Cellars developed awareness and then appreciation as a new winery. Their latest transition: moving into a new tasting room that better represents the stature and popularity of their wine.

Although the Quest for Pairing Excellence is the kick-off event for Taste Our Terroir, it is by no means the only highlight. The rest of the extended weekend is chock-full of educational and entertaining events. One highlight capping off the weekend was the brunch at Retzlaff Vineyards. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning!

The premier weekend of the Livermore Valley wine scene had arrived: the Taste Our Terroir weekend. The kick-off event, the Quest for Pairing Excellence, showcased 20 local wine makers and chefs and their very best collaborations. It was an evening not to be missed.