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So often there are two approaches when drinking wine. We order a glass and just drink it, not thinking much about it but enjoying it as we eat a meal or talk with friends. Or we sit and analyze a wine, assessing its aromas and tasting notes. But have you ever tasted wine with intention? Have you ever meditated and drank wine? This past week I attended a Medi-Tasting Experience and tasted wine in a new way. That is why Tasting with Intention is the Please The Palate Pick of the Week. Sitting at the Malibu Beach Inn, overlooking the ocean and listening to the sound of the waves crashing, chef, author and meditation teacher Cassandra Bodzak guided us through a meditation following by a tasting of the wines of Champagne Henriot. Through meditation, the goal was to be more in tune with our bodies. Our senses are optimized which leads to a deeper tasting experience.
If you like to find the unknown winery, the small production winery or just meet new winemakers, then the Garagiste Festival is for you. Throughout the year, Garagiste Festival takes place in Paso Robles, Solvang, Los Angeles and now Sonoma. For the second time, Garagiste Festival returns to Sonoma on April 13th and I wrote about what you might and why you might want to go in my recent column in the Napa Valley Register which you can read here. Everyone knows the riddle: “How do you make a small fortune in the wine industry? Start with a large one.”
The dream to own a winery and make wine can seem like a fantasy. Land costs in Napa and Sonoma are prohibitive when a vineyard in Napa will cost anywhere from $120,000 to more than $370,000 per acre and a vineyard in Sonoma can cost $70,000 to more than $150,000 per acre.
Even if you do not own a vineyard, buying quality fruit in Napa and Sonoma can be costly. In 2016, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon averaged $6,829 per ton and Sonoma Pinot Noir averaged $3,678 per ton. But, despite these costs, there are small winemakers out there who are striving to make the best wines possible, even without a venture capitalist behind them.
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