We discovered a new tasting room in Livermore! Yes, a new tasting room, but not actually a new winery! How is this possible? In the fine Livermore tradition of winemakers supporting winemakers, the San Francisco Bay Winery started pouring in the Rios-Lovell tasting room. With the change of ownership taking place at Rios-Lovell, it was […]
Like most things in life, there is a right way and a wrong way to visit a winery’s tasting room. OK, there isn’t JUST ONE right way, and we’ve all seen a wide range of wrong ways, too, but the point is that a little thought and empathy for other people can go a long […]
We have been big fans of the Eckert Estates Winery for many years. We mourned the loss of their first tasting room, then celebrated their new space. Owners Vickie and Mike Eckert provide amazing wines and a fun tasting experience every time. So our joy was unmatched when their multi-year battle with the various (and […]
Our second venture into the Lodi wine district was drawing to a close. We had great dinner reservations (on Valentine’s Day, no less) but felt that we could properly visit one last winery. What to choose, what to choose? Based on some research and Yelp reviews, we gave the nod to Riaza Wines in downtown […]
Valentine’s Day can be stressful. The bar is set pretty high, romance-wise. Luckily we had a pretty iron-clad plan for the entire Valentine’s weekend: wine tasting in Lodi and a lovely dinner on Saturday followed by a Darcie Kent wine club release party on Sunday. What a way to avoid the stress of Valentine’s Day […]
The Oscars are kind of a big deal for our family. Over the years, our interest in the awards show grew and grew. Then I got a job in the film industry, and things got really interesting. My wonderful wife took on the challenge of making Oscars night special. Even though I left the industry […]
Omega Cellars in Lodi is a tasty bundle of contradictions. For example, it is a destination winery, yet it isn’t located where our GPS sent us. The tasting room is small, but the ambiance is huge. The wine list is carefully curated, yet we had a new blend prepared right before our eyes. Is it […]
Wine tasting is great, but competitive wine tasting? That just might be taking things a little bit too far. Add in some collegiate competitiveness, and blind wine tasting becomes something truly unique. Enter the Oxford vs. Cambridge Varsity Blind Wine Tasting Competition. Who knew? More that 60 years ago, competitors from the British colleges of […]
This past weekend, I went to visit an old friend that I hadn’t seen in over 20 years. Now, it just so happens that this friend also owns Loma Prieta Winery in the Santa Cruz mountains. Here is where I ask myself (as a wine lover… nay… passionate wine adorer), what has taken so long […]
Our second venture into the Lodi wine district began with a visit to d’Art Wines. We didn’t know very much d’Art Wines before we arrived, so we had no idea what to expect. A colorful and exuberant tasting room, plus some amazing wines equaled a great kick-off to a fun day. The d’Art tasting room […]
We adore the lovely labels and creative cork seals that accompany many wine bottles. Some wine bottles are elevated to true art. Consider the bottles at Steven Kent, Ruby Hill, John Evan and Darcie Kent (just to name a few local examples). The artistry that creates the wine extends to the bottle that contains it. […]