Call it wine country appreciation. Or, call it self-appreciation. In either case, if you would choose to truly benefit from a vacation in the California wine country, here are five guidelines for enjoying a memorable, and responsible, California wine vacation.
A. Plan your day around visiting the wine country, not just its wineries.
There are a whole […]

I think Rod Snapp, winemaker at Javelina Leap Vineyard and Winery, enjoys the best of two worlds. After all, he lives in one of the most striking countrysides in North America: the high red-rock desert lands of Sedona in northern Arizona. But Sedona and the Yavapai County area experience temperature extremes not particularly conducive to […]

From the GreenOptions.com blog: suggested reading for people who wish to know more about sustainability and green living. Tip: start with Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.
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A nice note from George Troquato, winemaker at Cinnabar
Winemaker George Troquato of Cinnabar Vineyard and Winery responds to my post of yesterday.
(tags: cinnabar winery vineyard wine zinfandel medal winner winemaker winehiker californiawinehikes.com)

Just received an email this morning from George Troquato, the winemaker at Cinnabar Vineyards and Winery, in response to a follow-up email I had sent to him announcing my post yesterday. Among other things, I had inquired the following:
I find myself curious about the story behind the Zinfandel that won the double gold recently. I believe my […]

Cinnabar Winery wins double gold and set to become new wine country destination.
Cinnabar Winery won double-gold at the recent SF Chronicle competition and is also planning to open a long-awaited tasting room in late April.
(tags: cinnabar winery pinot noir zinfandel wine tasting room news double gold medal winehiker californiawinehikes.com)

Luxist.com’s blog entry from the The United Grape & Wine Symposium about the screwcap vs. cork debate. Is this the end of the use of cork in wine bottles? Would most of us even notice if our bottle of wine was affected by cork taint?
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The company I work for regularly hosts a “Friday Beer Bash”. Fortunately these beer bashes also include wine, and the folks who put these events on – good colleagues all – really seem to know their wine, having made a number of great picks thus far.
 
I received a back-channel email from one of my colleagues […]

The 2007 ZAP Festival: a winehiker’s impressions
Saturday’s experience at the 16th annual ZAP Festival media/trade tasting in San Francisco was delightful, entertaining, educational, and harrowing.
(tags: zap festival zinfandel wine san francisco fort mason winehiker impressions californiawinehikes.com)

Top Five Zinfandels of the 2007 ZAP Festival
A list of what I consider to be the top five zinfandels poured […]

Imagine how easy it is to taste 100 wines.
Yes, maybe it isn’t so easy to imagine; you’ve really got to love wine and be willing to psyche yourself up for the challenge of it.
But if you can imagine how it is to taste 100 wines, then imagine how difficult it might be to choose from […]