California Chardonnay

By Catherine | On Mar 31, 2021 | No Comments

This month, we’ll talk about and taste chardonnay, one of the most well-known and dominant grape varieties in the world.  There are so many countries that produce chardonnay, one could spend months exploring all that this wonderful grape has to offer.  I decided to feature California chardonnay for this post and to focus on three major growing areas: the Russian…

Sensory Paso Robles

By Catherine | On Oct 13, 2020 | No Comments

It was September and time for our quarterly wine tasting trip.  We hadn’t been to Paso Robles since last November and in addition to visiting some wineries, we wanted to visit the fabulous light show called Sensorio.  There is a wonderful winery just south of San Luis Obispo called Laetitia  that specializes in sparkling wines and Pinot Noir.  Wineries and…

Wine Tasting Pandemic Style

By Catherine | On Aug 27, 2020 | No Comments

Pursuing Pinot has been experiencing creative shut down during the pandemic. However, I have encountered two new wineries that I want to share with you. My daughter, Hilary, and I ventured to Santa Barbara County in June to visit several of our favorite wineries and one new to us, Andrew Murray Vineyards. Lots of new rules were in place such…

Chef Michael Manners

Day Two in Orange

By Catherine | On Jan 30, 2020 | No Comments

A Marathon Chardonnay Tasting and a Cooking Class Another absolutely packed day awaited us.  We were collected early by our fabulous tour guide and driver, Brad, owner of Vine Venture Tours, and taken to the Agrestic Grocer for breakfast. The Agrestic Grocer is famous for its delicious coffees and features a beautiful retail store along with the restaurant – how…

Tasting in the Santa Rita Hills

By Catherine | On Mar 23, 2018 | No Comments

Last weekend, my daughter and trusty tasting partner, Hilary, and I headed off for a little getaway to Santa Barbara County for some wine tasting. The day was partly cloudy and the clouds added dimension and interesting lighting as we drove along the Pacific and into the Santa Ynez foothills. Even though California hasn’t seen much rain this season, there…

An Elegant Evening at Thomas George Estates, Russian River Valley

By Catherine | On Jan 3, 2018 | No Comments

  The second day of the 2017 Wine Blogger’s Conference was fast-paced and packed with interesting presentations and tastings.  As night fell, we set off on our dinner excursion to Thomas George Estates. Thomas George Estates, located in the Russian River Valley, was established in 2008 and currently consists of four vineyards.  Production is dedicated to creating small lot, vineyard…

California’s Glorious Central Coast

By Catherine | On Apr 5, 2016 | No Comments

My daughter, Hilary, and I recently returned from a wonderful week in California.  Ever since the 2014 Wine Blogger’s Conference, I have been wanting to return to the Central Coast and this trip presented the opportunity.  After meeting in Los Angeles and spending a relaxing evening in Marina del Rey, we headed up the coast.  Our first stop was at…

Finger Lakes Day Two and Its Viticulture

By Catherine | On Aug 24, 2015 | 1 Comment

This is a complex subject to condense down to a blog post.  Nevertheless, let’s give it a try. Regardless of the growing region, there are hybrid grapes and Vitis vinifera. Hybrids are crosses between two grape, or vitis, species and Vitis vinifera are crosses between the same grape species. The Concord and Niagara are examples of well known hybrid grapes…

Dining in Maryland, Wining in Virginia

By Catherine | On Jun 28, 2015 | No Comments

Last week, I spent several delightful days with my daughter in Maryland.  As always, it involved lots of good food and wine!  Of note was our visit to a wonderful wine bar in Frederick called Vini Culture.  They feature three enomatic systems (also known as “cruvinets”) that dispense more than two dozen wines.  Customers load money onto a card and…

Wine Bloggers Conference 2014 Begins!

By Catherine | On Jul 16, 2014 | No Comments

Some of my friends and I chose to skip the opening reception Wednesday night and instead had dinner at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos.  It is a charming restaurant housed in a building that used to be a stage coach stop dating to 1886. We shared a variety of dishes including grilled avacado, beet and peach salad, grilled wild salmon,…


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