Lifestyle

A few weeks ago, I went wine tasting for the weekend in California. I did not go to Napa or Sonoma. I did not go to Paso Robles or Santa Barbara. I did not go to Temecula. I went wine tasting in Ramona Valley in San Diego. Yes, the Ramona Valley is a quickly growing wine destination that I wrote about in my recent column in the Napa Valley Register.

Living in California, we are lucky that no matter what city we live in, there is a wine region in our backyard. San Francisco has Napa and Sonoma, Los Angeles has Santa Barbara, Orange County has Temecula and San Diego has the Ramona Valley.

Yes, there is a wine region in San Diego County. In 2006, the Ramona Valley AVA was the 162nd area to be designated as an American Viticulture Area. It was only the second AVA to be designated in San Diego County (San Pasqual Valley was designated in 1981) and the third in Southern California (Temecula Valley was designated in 1986). These three AVAs all fall within the large South Coast AVA, which covers all of Southern California south of Santa Barbara.

31 July, 2018
Two things that go well together are wine and music. And for ten days each year, wine and music come together for Festival Napa Valley. Epitomizing the elegance of wine country life, Festival Napa Valley is the Please The Palate pick of the week. Every July, for ten days, more than 200 artists, wineries, resorts, theaters, restaurants and vintners participate in Festival Napa Valley. Extraordinary performances in breathtaking locations make up many of the experiences for guests. There are vintner luncheons, winemaker dinners and most importantly, the concerts. The arts are such an important part of our lives. Research has found that learning music facilitates learning other subjects. Music helps with language development, spatial-temporal skills and increased IQ. Music makes us happier and less stressed. I grew up in a family of professional classical flutists and started playing at a young age. I played in orchestras my entire childhood and went to music camp each summer. Music has played such a significant part in my life and gives me great pleasure to see other young people experiencing the same.
28 July, 2018
Recently I was heading up to Paso Robles to be a judge at the Central Coast Wine Competition. On my way, I went to meet with winemaker and owner David McGee of Monochrome Wines. His tasting room is located in Tin City, an super-hip wine tasting destination in Paso Robles. But, Tin City has more to offer than just wine tasting some of the best boutique wineries in the region. There are a few other surprises. You can read all about it in the story that I had written for California Winery Advisor. So what is Tin City Paso Robles and why should wine lovers care? Fifteen minutes south of the town of Paso Robles, an unassuming industrial park is home to an unexpected experience: Tin City. While pool supply companies, auto body shops, and air conditioning distributors are still located here, there is no mistaking that Tin City is Paso’s hippest wine tasting destination. Add in a brewery, cider maker, and distillery and it is clear that Tin City is a drinker’s paradise!

Before We Get To The Tiny City Wineries

26 July, 2018
Hollywood has a new drinking (and eating) destination. Bar Joe, inside Spoonfed, will satisfy you morning, noon and night. That is right, Bar Joe is an all-day drinking destination. Bar Joe is located inside Spoonfed in the heart of the Hollywood Media District. Spoonfed is a large, bright open space that combines counter service with comfortable seating and lots of natural light. Tucked inside Spoonfed is Bar Joe. Bar Joe offers table service in its dining room and patio. The entire Spoonfed menu is available in Bar Joe and Bar Joe provides all of the drinks for both spaces. The only thing you have to decide is if you want table service or self-service. 
24 July, 2018
Beppe Caviola may not be a familiar name to you. But, in Italy, he is considering one of the most important winemakers in Italy, consulting at more than 30 wineries around Italy, as well as making his own wine Ca'Viola. I met him on a recent visit to Piedmont, Italy and wrote about the famous "Flying Winemaker", also known as the "Dolcetto King" in my wine column in the Napa Valley Register. Sharing the story here.
During my recent travels in Piemonte, I visited winery after winery who told me that their consulting winemaker is Giuseppe “Beppe” Caviola. Known as “The Flying Winemaker” or “The Dolcetto King,” Beppe Caviola is a consultant to more than 30 wineries in Italy, from Piedmont to Sicily and from the Marche to Sardinia, some of which are the most legendary estates in the country. And in the heart of Dogliani, Beppe Caviola has his own winery, Ca’Viola, which in local dialect means “little violet house.”
Beppe Caviola is from Montelupo in the Langhe. He attended the Enological School in Alba and then worked at the Enological Center in Gallo, just outside Alba. He found a small vineyard in Montelupo, called Barturot, and began making wine in the garage of his parents’ house. After some encouragement to bottle the wine, Beppe bottled 860 bottles of Dolcetto is 1991 and Ca’Viola was born.
17 July, 2018
The Beverly Wilshire Hotel, yes the famous one where Pretty Woman was filmed, has been an iconic landmark on Wilshire Blvd and Rodeo Drive for 90 years. Located on the second floor is a rooftop space that overlooks Wilshire Blvd. In the 1960s and 70s it was the Garden Lounge but for the past 30+ years, it has been an empty concrete space used for private events....until now. Just in time for summer, the rooftop has been converted into the Secret Rosé Garden and it is the Please The Palate pick of the week. From the main lobby of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, head up to the second floor and enter room 211 which has been carpeted pink. Through room 211, another door opens to the rooftop.
14 July, 2018

Summer is officially here and with that comes the 7th anniversary of Please The Palate! Seven years have literally flown by and this past Spring...

05 July, 2018
I love ice cream. And this week while on a trip to Paso Robles, I found Negranti Creamery. A family owned ice cream company based in Paso Robles, Negranti Creamery is the Please The Palate pick of the week. Negranti Creamery was created by Alexis and Wade Negranti who met at Cal Poly. Both had good jobs when Alexis decided that she wanted to start a sheep dairy. Neither one of them had milked an animal before. They milked their first ewes in 2011 and got their license in 2012. Today they are the first licensed sheep's milk production facility for ice cream in the US.
23 June, 2018
The story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
I spent the past week traveling around California with Daniele Cernilli, aka DoctorWine.
Daniele is one of the most renowned wine critics and journalists in Italy and he came to California for a series of wine seminars and tastings for both the trade and consumer in conjunction with his book The Ultimate Guide to Italian Wine 2018.
While I was organizing these events, I worked with him to design menus for four meals to pair with the wines. From planning the menus to sitting down for the meals, I absorbed much of the insight he had to share about the importance of food and wine pairing.
Daniele made a point of the fact that Italians eat and drink together. They believe that wine is meant for food and explained that pairing wine and food “is a religion for us.” There are many considerations when it comes to food and wine pairing, and Daniele offered a few key tips.
12 June, 2018
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
When I think of vineyards, I think of rolling hills covered with vines as far as the eye can see. But, recently, as we were driving through the city of Torino, in Piemonte, Italy, we crossed the Po River and drove up a hill and entered a park. There in the park was a large chateau and just to the side of it was a vineyard. This vineyard, Vigna della Regina, is located in the city of Torino and is one of only a few vineyards located in urban settings in Europe.
As I did a little research, I was able to find only a few other urban vineyards in Europe. Historically, there is Montmartre in Paris, the world’s most famous urban vineyard. And there are 1,700 acres of vineyards in the city of Vienna, Austria. More recently, urban vineyards were planted in Thessaloniki in Greece, London in England and the island of Mazzorbo in Venice in Italy.
Vigna della Regina, the vineyard in Torino, has a history of 400 years, dating to the 1600s. Located in the center of Torino, the vineyard is next to the Villa della Regina, a former residence of pleasure for the royal family. Bombing during World War II resulted in the vineyard being abandoned for 50 years. Then, in 1994, the Ministry of Culture began rebuilding the home. It took them 10 years and then they called on the Balbiano family, a famous wine producer in the Torino Hills.
07 June, 2018
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