Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard, Photography by Ian Andreae

Call him what you will: Wild man, prognosticator, “Defender of Misunderstood and Underappreciated Doon-trodden Cépages of the Earth…” Randall Grahm is also a radical “terroirist”; no matter what else you get from his wines, he wants you to get where they come from.

To this end, Grahm is really digging in the dirt for his latest project – his attempt at a legacy and a true American vin de terroir. He’s hybridizing his best-adapting vines and planting the resulting seeds, without any idea of what will actually happen, in his new vineyard in San Juan Bautista, California. Continue Reading »

On an incomparable August eve, Mayo Family Winery threw one of their famous industry mixers at their Glen Ellen tasting room. Peeps from many a tasting room attended, sipping everything from the Barbera, to highly heralded Mayo Zinfandels. They only produce about 7,500 cases total per year, limited distribution.

Mayo President, Jeffrey Mayo, was at his own bar, carving up tri-tip for sandwiches, while Rich and Bill were pouring on the other side of the room. There was also a staggering array of yummies cooked up by Mayo’s own chef, Max Porter-Elliot, on a table just a skip to the right. These tables, the entire night, were swarmed by the famished winery troops, who enjoyed Chef Porter-Elliot’s applauded cuisine while visiting the Mayo Reserve Room for a pleasantly altering wine-food pairing adventure. Continue Reading »

Rick Bakas and St. Supery Winery are hosting another installment of their virtual tasting series on September 2nd. The idea behind #Cabernet Day is that anyone, anywhere in the world, can contribute to the conversation simply by including the hashtag #Cabernet in their posts on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Gowalla, personal blogs, and all other forms of social media. People are encouraged to drink Cabernet the day of, and engage others doing the same with conversation, tasting notes, and suggestions. Continue Reading »

Just when you thought Sanrio had exhausted the world market by putting its Hello Kitty label on anything and everything possible, the Japanese cartoon character has finagled its way into the realm of fine beverage. And in true Hello Kitty fashion, the company has put its face on a simple and basic commodity (water), and turned it into a cash cow. Continue Reading »

When most Americans think of sherry they think of the cheap-ass bottle their mom kept next to the stove for soups or (in my case) the dreaded sherry creams. Lately the tides have begun to change and their current has begun to flow towards Jerez, Spain and the insanely delicious sherry being produced.

The good people at the Sherry Council of America are doing their best to change our general apathy towards the drink. One way is by hosting one of the coolest contests ever; Copa Jerez, a food and sherry pairing competition. Competitors from around the world will claw and scrape their way to Jerez for what will likely be an epic struggle of gastronomy pitting teams comprised of chef and sommelier against one another. Continue Reading »

Today marks the official start to SFChefs 2010, San Francisco’s “premier food, wine and spirits week.” Presented by Visa Signature and produced by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, SFChefs supports the Golden Gate Restaurant Association Scholarship Foundation, a foundation that grants need-based scholarships to Bay Area students requiring financial assistance to pursue an education in culinary and hospitality programs. Continue Reading »

There’s a winery in Washington State that’s trying to rock the boat so hard, you can damn near surf off the waves created by said boat rocking. This winery is Hedges Family Estate, based out of the Red Mountain AVA, which is centered on Benton City. Continue Reading »

Jamie Peha of Peha Promotions and Table Talk Radio, who brought us recent events such as Seattle Food & Wine Experience and Merlot Gone Mad, is at it again with an event focused on, you guessed it, Blends. BLEND will feature 40 top producers from Washington State, Sonoma County and Portugal all showcasing their best blends. Amazing wines juxtaposed with the culinary stylings of numerous boutique restaurants in the Columbia Hospitality family of properties which includes the time honored Salish Lodge. Continue Reading »