Ram’s Gate is the first winery you see driving north into Sonoma. It’s just past the Sonoma Raceway. Roche Winery was formerly located on the site. Ram’s Gate opened in 2011 in a stunning facility designed by architect, Howard Backen. The building is contemporary, barn like in appearance but detailed like a 5 star hotel. Orlando Diaz-Azcuy is responsible for much of the interior. We had the pleasure … Continue reading A Destination Winery…….
We had the pleasure of visiting three of Sonoma’s oldest family vineyards on this trip – Mauritson’s, Gundlach Bundschu and Seghesio. In the Sonoma wine region these are the vineyards started by of the grandfathers and great grandfathers of the grape growers and winemakers of today. For generations they have farmed and made wine. In Mauritson’s case the winemaking is a recent addition. The … Continue reading Sonoma’s Old Guys…………
Summer vacation – Yes!! It was kind of a ying and yang trip. We spent a week or so on California’s northern Pacific Coast at a favorite place of ours – Sea Ranch and a second week inland around Healdsburg. Both are in Sonoma County but as different as night and day. Sea Ranch is a visual sensation of seascape views when the fog holds off, and … Continue reading The Two Sides of Sonoma……..
This is such a terrific wine and extremely hard to come by in Florida. The Wine To Buy has a case or maybe two!!!! Don’t miss grabbing a few bottles before its gone! A while back I wrote about Isenhower Cellars and the very special family behind the wine. You might find it an enjoyable re-read. Road Less Traveled is their Cab Franc. It is such a treat! … Continue reading Walla Walla Wine………….
A dinner with good friends this past Saturday brought together some delicious wines. Sea Smoke from Santa Barbara, a Sonoma spectacular, Kistler and an especially fun, but seriously crafted Walla Walla Washington wine – Sleight of Hand. They all paired well with the cheeses and the entree of Shrimp Étouffée. Thank you to our hosts. Great night! Salud! Debbe Continue reading Saturday Night Dinner…..
Amazing prices!!!!! If you like this, don’t miss an opportunity to grab some! Bella One of our very favorite wine stores is The Wine to Buy in Sarasota at 2140 Gulf Gate Drive. Bella often greets you at the door and the owner, Mitch is always on hand. Its a small shop but it is brimming with domestics and imports at sensational prices. And if … Continue reading The Wine to Buy………..
Sunday January 25th, 12 noon at the John and Mable Ringling Art Museum in Sarasota……. The 2015 Forks and Corks was a sellout, an incredible one. In exactly 8 minutes, last November, all 1500 tickets for the event sold. We took an Uber taxi ride to and from the event Sunday which allowed us to be more liberal with tastings for the afternoon and have … Continue reading 2015 Forks and Corks……….
We took a spur of the moment overnight to neighboring St. Petersburg last weekend. Its a city that has been working to transform itself over the last twenty plus years experiencing some starts and stops in the process. It appears to have yet another positive start going on……….. I have long thought of Downtown St. Pete as one giant retirement home catering to a very elderly population. While some of that … Continue reading Old and New in St. Pete, Florida
November in Florida is special. The weather turns almost fall-like and it is finally cool enough across the country to safely ship wine to the gulf coast. This year November was an early Christmas for us with the arrival not only of our regular orders but also of the wines we selected in August in Walla Walla, WA and from the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Arterberry Maresh Willamette Valley, Or (photo- … Continue reading Holidays brimming with wine……….
One of our favorite relaxing dinners at home is fondue. I admit to using a packaged (prepared) cheese fondue which I magically doctor with an addition of white wine and spices. With a good, crusty baguette, an apple, pear and some smoked sausage, this is a heavenly simple dinner. Ahhh……a good bottle of wine to accompany the meal is a must. Friday night’s was Linne Calodo’s 2009 Booker Red … Continue reading A favorite Friday night dinner……….
John's Wine Cellar 