Somms Under Fire–comes to the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on the UT campus January 29th at 6 PM. Somms compete to impress the judges with their wine knowledge, service and pairing expertise. Slow Wine 2017 Austin–comes to the Fair Market from 1-5 PM on January 30, 2017 1-5PM. This is an industry tasting […]
Drink
Guildsomm Austin Holiday Party 2017
The 2017 annual Guildsomm Holiday Party was hosted at June’s All Day and again sponsored by the wonderful Napa Valley Vintners. Winemakers and reps from Napa highlighted their wines while the sommelier community gathered to wrap up the holiday season in style. June and her staff hosted a swanky and super fun event with a […]
Kunin Tasting Room-Santa Barbara, California
My apologies in advance regarding the detail and the accuracy of this post. Kunin was the last of an entire day’s tasting starting at noon in Santa Barbara. It also happened to be within the 4 days after the 2016 election which had significantly traumatized both myself and my best friend and travel companion, Shannon. […]
Kalyra Tasting Room-Santa Barbara, California
Kalyra’s tasting room exists in perhaps the funkiest corner of Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone. Just across the train tracks, you are greeted by a surfboard sporting the Kalyra logo. Inside, the ceilings are low and the lights are dim. Patrons gather around the central, almost round wine bar in the tiki themed tasting room. I […]
Sanford Tasting Room, Santa Barbara-California
Sanford’s tasting room is on a cute little square off of State Street. Bronze sculptures greet you at the entrance to their wood paneled tasting room. Katie expertly guided us through our tasting beginning with a 2014 McGinley Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. A steely minerality underneath a citrus palate with bright acidity made this a […]
Stolpman Vineyard Tasting-California
The highlight of my trip to Santa Barbara County was a visit to Stoplman Vineyards and their estate courtesy of Peter Stolpman, son of the founding partner, Tom Stolpman. Peter is managing partner and his wife, Jessica, who has an extensive wine background, is partner as well. Their property is a 220 acre plot with […]
Bridlewood Estate Winery-California
Bridlewood Estate Winery is an absolutely stunning one hundred and five acre property in the Santa Ynez Valley, just minutes from Los Olivos. The Estate was originally an Arabian horse breeding facility which was later converted to a horse rehabilitation facility in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the property was purchased by an entrepreneur and […]
Los Olivos, California
Our first venture into Santa Barbara County began after the drive from LAX up the coast along Highway 101. Los Olivos is a tiny, charming town in the Santa Ynez Valley. Numerous tasting rooms, boutiques, cafes and inns are situated mostly along the main thoroughfare of Grand Avenue. Several sommeliers that I had contacted on […]