In yesterday’s blog we told you about the 100th birthday toast planned for legendary vintner California Robert Mondavi this June. What we didn’t mention was that Mondavi, who was an acclaimed winemaker, also was quite a philanthropist. Asthis story details, he was among…

According to the website Just Call Her, “You don’t go on three dates with just anyone. It’s a milestone. The third date is the end of dating and the beginning of an unofficial relationship, whereby both people involved begin to…

You can’t stop by the Lewis Cellars tasting room to sample the winery’s current releases of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. That’s because there is no tasting room. Lewis Cellars also does not welcome guests by a…

The winery makes limited quantities of hillside estate red wines from its own sustainably-farmed vineyards. It’s a family-owned estate in Healdsburg, within the beautiful Dry Creek Valley. The wines are aromatic, complex and elegant. And the name …

Anyone who has ever taken piano lessons is familiar with the etude. In classical music, an etude is a composition, usually short and quite difficult, with a technical focus that allows the musician to practice a particular technique. Chopin piano …

“Too cold.” That was one of the comments Robb Talbott heard about his desire to plant a vineyard on a mountaintop in California’s Carmel Valley. “Too difficult to plant,” was another. “Too challenging to grow on.” The truth is that the site Talbot…

From its Sonoma Coast cuvees to its vineyard-designated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bottlings, the Patz & Hall name has become synonymous with excellence in the world of wine. Patz & Hall was founded in 1988 by Donald Patz, James Hall (who serves as…

Wineries get their names in any number of ways—most commonly, from the name of the owners. But in the case of Sylk Cellars, it’s a bit more complicated. Each of the four letters in Sylk is tied to the winery’s geographic location in California’s N…

I have to be honest: I’ve never been comfortable with the idea of riding a bike around “wine country.” The combination of winding country roads with numerous blind spots, and drivers who have been imbibing at the tasting rooms, just seems like a r…

Before his passing in 2010, Art Finkelstein had many conversations about the “romance” of wine—or, rather, the lack of romance. Finkelstein founded Judd’s Hill Winery in 1988 with wife Bunnie, and named it after their son. It’s located in the east…