WINE

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
Tasting wine uses all our senses. We use our eyes, our nose and our palates. But most of the time, we see the bottle first and conjure up pre-conceived notions of what we will find in the glass.
Too often, we make assumptions about a wine based on everything we have ever tasted, and before we even taste a wine, we jump to conclusions. If it is a sauvignon blanc, we might expect notes of green grass and citrus; if it is a pinot noir, we might expect cranberries, cherries, mushrooms and earth; if it is a cabernet sauvignon, we might expect aromas of dark black fruits, tobacco, chocolate and brown spices.
But what happens if we do not know what is in the glass? What if we just see a white wine or a red wine? Can we make an educated guess as to what is in the glass based on how it looks, smells and tastes?
At Pebble Beach Food and Wine last month, four Master Sommeliers stood in front of a room full of wine enthusiasts as we all tried to guess the eight wines we had in front of us. Master Sommelier Shayn Bjornholm explained that this was not a magic parlor trick, but rather a way to help us be better tasters.
18 May, 2017
This story originally appeared in California Winery Advisor. Spring is here. The vines are coming back to life and soon the grapes will start to develop. It is the perfect time to head to Sonoma. But why stand inside a tasting room or head into a barrel room. Put your feet on the ground and get up close and personal with the vines by taking a hike through the vineyard. This is the best way to understand how important “place” is to wine. Now, you cannot just pull off the side of the road and walk into any vineyard you like. But luckily a handful of wineries in Sonoma offer guided and self-guided hikes through their vineyards. So, put on your hiking shoes and get walking! Of course, as these hikes are in wine country, wine tasting is typically part of the hike.
16 May, 2017
This story originally appeared in Wine Industry Advisor. The wine industry has traditionally been a male-dominated industry that has followed a patriarchal line from generation to generation. But women have been working in wine throughout history. They run the business, work in the lab, are the spokesperson, marketer and consummate host at the winery. As we celebrate Mothers’ Day, we honor our mothers who are our rocks and our role models. They are the ones who have always been there for us, have cheered us on and encouraged us. In the four wineries profiled below, daughters reflect on their relationships with their mothers while working together in the wine industry. Trombetta Family Wines While her parents met at Hewlett Packard, Erica Stancliff grew up in wine. Her mother, Rickey Trombetta Stancliff, and her father Roger began making wine in their garage in the 1990s before Rickey began working for Paul Hobbs. With encouragement from Hobbs, Erica went to study at Fresno State and in her senior year, her mother decided to start her own label. Just before she graduated from college, Erica got a call from her mother to come home and harvest her first vintage in 2010 and then return to school. Today, Erica and Rickey run Trombetta Family Wines, producing chardonnay and pinot noir from the Sonoma Coast.
14 May, 2017

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register. The bi-annual Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône took place on April 10-13. Over four days, wine professionals...

09 May, 2017
The month of April flew by and I spent most of it traveling. But, nothing would stop me from my monthly visit to Maude. Just before the month ended, I made it in for the April menu featuring walnuts. Walnuts, a rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, are commonly found on a cheese board or baked into pastries. But, as they do each month, Maude took the walnut and utilized it every way, shape and form that one could think of for another unique and tasty menu. In addition to the menu, we opted to do the wine pairing menu as well. Champagne Tarlant Zero Brut Natural - A bone-dry, crisp Champagne was perfect to start the meal. Spring Pea Tart - Sitting on a bright green pad of inedible greens, the spring pea tart was filled with pecorino cheese aged in walnut leaves and spring peas dressed in walnut oil. One quick bite and we were on our way.
04 May, 2017
When you think about pinot grigio, you might think of water and lemon. You might think of a wine that does not really express anything. But pinot grigio made well can have real character - aromas of fresh apple, minerality, balance and aging potential. My tasting of the Valter Scarbolo pinot grigios from Friuli, Italy are beautifully expressive wines. As Lara Scarbolo explained, "pinot grigio is the wine of our heart." And that is why it is the Please The Palate "pick of the week." Scarbolo is located in Friuli in the Northwest of Italy, a region is bordered by Austria and Slovenia. Friuli is the door to the Balkans and influenced by the Alps, hills, flats, beach and Adriatic sea. All of these influences contribute to the complexity of the area that consists of sand, clay and stone soils. The winters are cold, with eastern wines from the Balkans and marine breezes from the Adriatic. The Alps, like big shoulders, protect the region from the northern winds. The summers are warm with diurnal shifts that give the grapes good acidity. Being located at the same parallel as Bordeaux, although the area is known for white wines, they also produce red wines.
29 April, 2017
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
Italy is made up of 20 regions, each of which produce wine. Three of the most well-known regions are Piemonte, Tuscany and Veneto and within these regions are the famous areas of Soave, Barolo and Tuscany.
When I was invited to lunch to meet three winemakers from these regions, I could not think of a better trio of wines to take us through a meal — from the crisp whites of Soave, to the earthy elegant wines of Barolo to the bold fruity wines of Tuscany.
And while these three regions are independent, as are the winemakers who were in town, what they share is a connection to history, a passion for flavor and a story to tell.
27 April, 2017

This story originally appeared in ATOD Magazine. My interest in food and wine began when I was living in Italy. Every town I traveled to, I...

20 April, 2017
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