May in Ireland is somewhat rainy, a bit chilly but oh, and I’m not kidding, spectacularly beautiful! We had barely stepped out of Dublin on previous visits. This trip we were adventurous and criss-crossed the country exploring some amazing countryside, cities and villages thanks to our daughter who was undaunted driving on the left and circling a million roundabouts backwards! Yes, it’s Guiness country and … Continue reading A Wine Store in Ireland…….
We could not have received a warmer welcome at Villa Creek from these guys! The tasting room is nestled in the 60 acre Maha® Estate that straddles the Adelaide & Willow Creek Districts of Paso Robles. It’s a family owned and operated winery with its share of Turkish Boz dogs, dog dogs, pigs, goats, and chickens all contributing to the sustainability of the estate. Camille … Continue reading Villa Creek………
Los Olivos and Los Alamos are quite possibly my favorite small towns to visit outside of Paso Robles in Central California.They are 15 minutes apart making it doable to plan a wonderful trip around the wineries and incredible restaurants in just these two towns. Los Alamos is on a redevelopment roll with old structures under renovation and new infill popping up. The town has attracted … Continue reading Los Olivos – Los Alamos……..
San Luis Obispo is brimming with neighborhoods filled with historic fabric. It’s a quintessential college town with a high energy level – busy sidewalks, shops, restaurants and parks. We had an afternoon tasting appointment at Dunites Wine Company in the heart of the downtown. It’s located in a small storefront in a row of charming, renovated old buildings just off the main street. We were … Continue reading SLO California
Located in Napa’s Soda Canyon with a stunning view back to San Francisco is Relic. It’s the love and passion of Mike Hirby and Schatzi Throckmorton. They have been making their wine since 2001 when both Schatzi and Mike were working for Behrens & Hitchcock (now Behrens Family Winery). They continued making wines for 14 years before opening their own facility / winery in Soda … Continue reading Relic
Ridge Vineyards is the producer of some of our favorite wines. We’ve enjoyed them since the 1980’s getting their shipments in Florida and coming out to visit initially at their first estate – Monte Bello in Cupertino. Today Ridge has three estates – Monte Bello, Lytton Springs, and the newest in Paso Robles. Ridge’s Lytton Springs estate outside Healdsburg is closest to us and among … Continue reading A Monte Bello Cabernet Tasting…..
From land that has been producing grapes since 1880 in the Napa Valley, one of the world’s greatest wineries has called it theirs since 1972 – Shafer. Robert Parker is responsible for giving the winery that title. I know many would agree! We visited the winery just after Christmas. It’s wise to book your visit well in advance. Tasting appointments are very limited to enable … Continue reading A Taste of Shafer…….
The Garagiste Wine Festival was a great excuse, not that you need one, to spend a long weekend in Paso Robles. The rainy season has already begun in Northern California. Heading south to Paso Robles gave us a break from the rain and some terrific sunny, 80 degree weather we happily soaked up! Serial Wines tasting room is just off the square in downtown Paso … Continue reading This Fall in Paso Robles…..
This was the 15th year The Garagiste Wine Festival was held in Paso Robles. In the world of wine festivals, these festivals are one of the best. Participants are from small wineries in this select area of California who are making less than 1500 cases per year. 50 micro-wineries poured at this years festival. 11 of them for the first time in Paso and 5 … Continue reading Paso Robles Garagiste Festival……..
Napa Valley wines have a well known reputation for being rather pricey. When there is so much terrific wine to be had in California it is difficult to spend the high price tag to taste and to purchase. We were over on Howell Mountain to taste Jon Jones’s newest releases at Paravel and arranged for an afternoon tasting in Yountville at Elyse. Elyse’s tasting room … Continue reading Napa’s Elyse
John's Wine Cellar 