Santa Clara Wineries are finally being allowed to open without the burden of having to serve food. Let’s hope that lasts.  “Our winery members have patiently waited out one of the longest shelter-in-place orders in the state,” said Calerrain Winery’s Geoff Mace, [...]

The Sunset International Wine Competition attracts wines from all over, with great depth in Oregon and Washington; even Arizona and Idaho. This year, the 2018 Gracianna Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley took Best of Show, and the 2019 Brecon Estate Albarino (Central Coast) [...]

If you miss relaxing with wine in the vines, head to Fortino, where they’ve begun table service on the Redwood Terrace, by reservation, Friday through Sunday, from 11am-5pm. Guests can enjoy wine by the glass and by the bottle; no wine tastings as of yet.  Regulations [...]

Tasting rooms are starting to reopen in California, but it’s a county-by-county situation. Initially, wineries were required to serve a “full meal” in order to reopen, but that was fortunately scrapped. According to Geoff Mace, president of the Wineries of Santa Clara [...]

When reading the May issue of Wine Business Monthly, I smiled when I saw Dan Martin of Martin Ranch featured as part of their “Winemaker of the Month” series. His story of how he transitioned from grocer to winemaker is worth a read. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake had [...]

We can all agree that “Wine Country” in California pretty much applies to nearly everywhere that grapes are grown. No matter where you live in this great state, many wine tasting rooms are within easy reach, except right now.  This pandemic has certainly put the kibosh [...]

You may not be able to book a table at one of San Francisco’s famed eateries, but Carolyn and John Aver are making it possible for you to take cooking lessons from the renowned chef at one of them, right in your own home.  On Sunday, May 3, at 4pm, the public is invited [...]

We gotta look for some good news here. Let’s celebrate the good results for local wineries that entered the Monterey International Wine Competition, held March 14 in King City.  Alara Cellars scored Gold for the 2017 Cabernet Pfeffer, and silvers for the 2017 Barbera, [...]