Please The Palate |

San Antonio Winery celebrates 100 Years

This story was originally published in the Napa Valley Register. There was a time when Los Angeles was the winemaking capital of California. This was back in the late 1800s but today there is still a living link to Los Angeles’ winemaking past. Located in Lincoln Heights on the east side of downtown Los Angeles, San Antonio Winery is celebrating their 100th anniversary.

Grapevines from Bordeaux were first brought to Los Angeles in 1833 by French winemaker Jean-Louis Vignes, the founder of California’s wine industry. As Italians migrated to Los Angeles, many started to make wine. In 1917, Santo Cambianica founded San Antonio Winery, dedicating it to his patron saint St. Anthony.

26 October, 2017

2016 Antonella Corda Vermentino di Sardegna Sardinia, Italy

26 October, 2017

Mt. Beautiful – beautiful wines from New Zealand

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.

I was sitting in an outdoor patio in Healdsburg on a classically beautiful early afternoon. The sun was shining, a nice breeze was blowing and I ordered oysters. With the briny, delicate oysters, a natural pairing is a crisp, acidic sauvignon blanc.

Although I was in Sonoma, I found myself sipping a sauvignon blanc from Mt. Beautiful from North Canterbury in New Zealand. While it is not uncommon to find New Zealand wines throughout the U.S., there is a connection between Mt. Beautiful in New Zealand and California.

David Teece, founder of Mt. Beautiful, is a New Zealand native who lives in Berkeley, California. Raised in Lower Moutere along the Tasman Bay on the South Island of New Zealand, Teece’s father started a trucking company that transported items from outlying farms to the cities. His father also purchased a fallow quarter-acre lot next to their home, which Teece and his brother cultivated crops.

24 October, 2017