May
2017

Book Review: Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

categories: Books

I believe I heard about this book through the Twitter-sphere. As a self-proclaimed wine-nerd, the title obviously caught my attention. Any chance to nerd-out on wine, and I’ll be there in a second. Well Bianca Bosker takes that a step further. Actually she takes it a whole marathon worth of steps further, quitting her steady journalism career to train full time for the country’s oldest sommelier competition. Crazy? Seemingly so. But the way Bianca goes about it — her pure dedication to asking the broad question “what’s the big deal with wine” and then focusing in on every minute detail — makes the journey so much more plausible, realistic, and the goal attainable. I encourage you to take this journey with her…

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May
2017

Day Owl 2016 Rosé of Barbera

categories: Booze, Wine

This epic package arrived at my door. A beautifully emblazoned box holding this radiant rosé. Oh yeah — and two pairs of sunglasses. “Gimmicky?” my partner in wine crime asked, skeptical that the contents of the wine bottle would be no better than the white zin that, in our house, is just called “pink.” “No,” I assured him, “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Spoiler alert: He was.

Meet Mona. She is a monkey.

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May
2017

Julietta Winery 2015 Chenin Blanc

categories: Booze, Wine

Julietta Winery was a cute little surprise during my last adventure into the tiny Clarksburg AVA of Yolo County. The little shack of a venue seems a mirage amongst the vast fields of farmland. Indeed, outside of the Sugar Mill — which boasts several wineries sharing one crush pad — there seems to be a distinct lack of stand-alone wineries. But, as with most boutique experiences, that just means when you walk in, you’re greeted by Julie and her husband and treated like part of the Clarksburg community — even if you are just passing through.

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May
2017

Cooper Vineyards 2013 Estate Barbera

categories: Booze, Wine

The Cooper family has been farming in Amador County since 1919, when “Grandpa Cooper” left his San Francisco medical practice to tend a walnut orchard. Not until current owner Dick Cooper graduated from UC Davis in the 1970s did the Coopers consider grafting grapevines. But they wanted to think outside the Zinfandel box. Friend Darrell Corti, of Sacramento’s famed Corti Brothers grocery store, gave the Coopers a tip. “Mr. Corti pulled his pocketbook out, retrieved a $1 bill and wrote ‘Barbera’ and ‘Nebbiolo’ on it,” remembers Dick Cooper. With no Nebbiolo to be found, the Coopers turned to neighbor Cary Gott of Montevina Winery, who was willing to sell a bit of Barbera rootstock.

Today, Barbera is Cooper Vineyards’s’ flagship wine, the one that customers flock to the tasting room to buy in bulk.

(Read the full Amador County article on SF Chronicle)

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May
2017

Donnafugata Sur Sur 2016 Grillo

categories: Booze, Wine

No, it’s not a Pinot Grigio. Grillo is a white wine grape indigenous to the Sicilian wine region. Though its exact evolution is unknown, it’s believed to be the cross-bred child of Catarratto (one of the most widely planted white wine grapes in Sicily) and Zibibbo (a Muscat grape variety originating from Alexandria, Sicily). The grape’s claim to fame is its ability to withstand warm temperatures and drought — perfect for the hot-blooded climate known to the Sicilian terrain (and people). Grillo is sturdy enough to hang on the vine well past a traditional harvest time, making it the perfect candidate for concentrated, high-alcoholic dessert-style wines (most classically, Marsala).

Interesting factoid: the Italian word grillo literally translates to the English word “cricket.” And that is where the Donfugata Sur Sur 2016 Grillo begins…

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