Beneath our souls
The Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range are part of the American Cordillera, a continuous range of mountains that runs along the west side of the New World from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. [...]
Columns
Palate thrills
Laura Ness is an accomplished freelance writer offering travel tips and commentary on the California wine industry.
Latest posts by Laura Ness (see all)
- Kinship Center to hold 65th Wine & Food Tasting - July 27, 2021
- La Vie Dansante reflects on changes - June 18, 2021
- Gold medal dreams come true - April 9, 2021
The Santa Clara Valley isn’t known for this grape, but in the case of Sarah’s Vineyard, chardonnay does indeed have history. The newly released 2016 Estate Chardonnay, $32, is a study in restraint. Although the nose gives away its barrel-fermented origins, the oak, 25 [...]
Savoring sips
Laura Ness is an accomplished freelance writer offering travel tips and commentary on the California wine industry.
Latest posts by Laura Ness (see all)
- Kinship Center to hold 65th Wine & Food Tasting - July 27, 2021
- La Vie Dansante reflects on changes - June 18, 2021
- Gold medal dreams come true - April 9, 2021
Get ready to “Party Like It’s 1979,” as the Garlic Festival celebrates 40 years of family fun Friday, July 27 through Sunday, July 29. Genuine Iron Chef Michael Symon hosts the Garlic Showdown on Sunday, and there’s a new kids’ cooking competition, plus an electronic [...]
50 Shades of Pink
Laura Ness is an accomplished freelance writer offering travel tips and commentary on the California wine industry.
Latest posts by Laura Ness (see all)
- Kinship Center to hold 65th Wine & Food Tasting - July 27, 2021
- La Vie Dansante reflects on changes - June 18, 2021
- Gold medal dreams come true - April 9, 2021
Rosés are here to stay. Rosés of all hues can be found in Santa Clara Valley, from pale pink to hearty red. Most are made using the saignée, or “bleeding off” method, where the free-run juice from just-picked reds is collected and fermented before the reds are de-stemmed [...]
Days of Joy
Laura Ness is an accomplished freelance writer offering travel tips and commentary on the California wine industry.
Latest posts by Laura Ness (see all)
- Kinship Center to hold 65th Wine & Food Tasting - July 27, 2021
- La Vie Dansante reflects on changes - June 18, 2021
- Gold medal dreams come true - April 9, 2021
Tim Slater has been making wine at Sarah’s Vineyard for long enough now, he feels he’s figured it out. An engineer by trade and an artist at heart, he’s a rocket-science level brain, with the capacity to simultaneously carry on multiple conversations on various topics, [...]
Martin Ranch
Laura Ness is an accomplished freelance writer offering travel tips and commentary on the California wine industry.
Latest posts by Laura Ness (see all)
- Kinship Center to hold 65th Wine & Food Tasting - July 27, 2021
- La Vie Dansante reflects on changes - June 18, 2021
- Gold medal dreams come true - April 9, 2021
Martin Ranch is the perfect love story. If wine is bottled poetry, Thérèse and Dan Martin have written many sonnets to one another, and to their fellow wine lovers, each with their own voice and pen. His style, under the JD Hurley label, is fresh and consumer-friendly, with [...]
Bicycling Without Bicycles
Latest posts by Curt Hentschke (see all)
- Saluting Cyclists - June 18, 2021
- An austere anniversary - March 31, 2021
- Valentine’s, Velocipedes and Verdant Ventures - February 5, 2021
We’ve had this discussion before. Remember? There are so many cool summer festivals and festivities coming up; you should never use “Parking is such a hassle” as an excuse for not attending. If the event is close enough, just cycle on in! If distance makes this impossible, [...]
Rancho San Vicente
Ron Erskine is a local outdoors columnist and avid hiker.
Latest posts by Ron Erskine (see all)
- After 10 years, Ron Erskine hangs up pen - January 9, 2020
- A Coe Park classic - August 15, 2019
- South Valley responds to annual summer hiking trek - July 31, 2019
At the bottom of the Almaden Valley, the hiking trails of Calero County Park crisscross the slopes above the park’s namesake reservoir. If you have recently traveled McKean Road, you may have noticed some construction hubbub a half mile below the reservoir dam. Work at the [...]
Wine tips
Laura Ness is an accomplished freelance writer offering travel tips and commentary on the California wine industry.
Latest posts by Laura Ness (see all)
- Kinship Center to hold 65th Wine & Food Tasting - July 27, 2021
- La Vie Dansante reflects on changes - June 18, 2021
- Gold medal dreams come true - April 9, 2021
We’re blessed with so many wineries—each focusing on something unique. I love discovering new sips from the Valley to share. 2017 Aver Family Grenache Blanc, $35 Part of the Family Album series, the label bears a photo of Carolyn’s parents on their wedding day in 1953. A [...]
Charity vine
Laura Ness is an accomplished freelance writer offering travel tips and commentary on the California wine industry.
Latest posts by Laura Ness (see all)
- Kinship Center to hold 65th Wine & Food Tasting - July 27, 2021
- La Vie Dansante reflects on changes - June 18, 2021
- Gold medal dreams come true - April 9, 2021
The South Valley Wine Auction held Friday, May 11, at the Morgan Hill Community Center was a great success, with more than 250 attendees. Although the final numbers are not yet in, more than $30,000 was raised for local charities. Pamala Meador, president of the Morgan Hill [...]