WINE

When I first met Eric Titus and Titus Vineyards, I was a sales rep selling his wine. Flash forward 14 years, and now I am a writer. Instead of driving around Los Angeles trying to sell his wine, we sat down so that he could share the story of his family and Titus Vineyards, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. I shared the story in my column in the Napa Valley Register and now share it here. Early in my wine career, I worked as a sales representative for Chambers and Chambers Wine Merchants. With a fantastic portfolio of wines primarily from California and France at the time, I was introduced to many wineries and would spend days working with the different owners and winemakers.
One was Eric Titus of Titus Vineyards. It was 2005 when we spent the day together driving around Los Angeles, selling his wine.
Titus Vineyards has grown a lot over the last 14 years. When I was selling the wine, it was a young brand. But, as we sat down together recently to taste through current and library releases, I learned that not only has Titus Vineyards grown, they are also celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.
04 April, 2019
Maude has been open for five years! That means 51 menus and 530 Dishes and for me that means 43 menus and 450 dishes. For their fifth anniversary, Maude ventured to Chef Curtis Stone's homeland with a menu centered around Western Australia. Of course, I did not miss this menu as I have not missed a Maude menu since year one! Heading to Western Australia covers a large area. Western Australia covers an entire third of the continent and encompasses the Outback, beaches in the south and of course wine country. There are nine wine regions in Western Australia, including Margaret River, Great Southern and Perth. Per usual, my dining companions pulled wines out of their cellars to share at dinner. But, the wines they brought, while Australian, were not from Western Australia, but rather the well-known regions of Barossa Valley and other areas of Southern Australia. Of course, we enjoyed these during dinner, but we also ordered some gorgeous white wines from Western Australia. But, before we got into the wine, we started with a glass of Moon Bog Old Mate Pale Ale and house-made chips. Beer and chips definitely let us know that we were heading to Australia.  
19 March, 2019
Homelessness is a major issue in the United States and especially in Los Angeles County where there are more than 53,195 homeless people. Luckily, there are a number of wonderful organizations that are working to eliminate homelessness and one of them is Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c)3 organization. To raise money for Union Station Homeless Services, they host a very fun event called Masters of Taste and that is the Please The Palate pick of the week. I have been involved in charity events where I have heard first hand about people's stories. Homelessness can really happen to anyone of us. Many people live paycheck to paycheck and it only takes missing a paycheck or two and having no support network locally.
16 March, 2019
Studying wine is no task, especially when it comes to studying and really knowing Italian wine! I took a deep dive into Italian wine with Vinitaly International Academy and spent a full week learning about the history, grapes, wines and more. I have studied wine and specifically studied Italian wine in the past but this course proved so much more. To really master Italian wine, it is a life's worth of study, not just a week of classes. But, taking this course was interesting, educational, inspiring and has me thinking about trying the course again if time permits. Want to know more about studying Italian wine and Vinitaly International, check out the story below that I wrote in the Napa Valley Register.
Studying wine is a lofty task. For the wine professional, or for the passionate wine enthusiast, there are the most well-known certifications through The Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) and The Court of Master Sommeliers.
There are also the Society of Wine Educators certifications. Each of these programs provide an in-depth study of wine from around the world. And, while Italian wine is a part of each of these programs, the reality is that none of them take a deep dive into the world of Italian wine. And, that is a world unto itself.
14 March, 2019
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