La Cuadrilla means the crew in Spanish. You’ll see these words printed on one of the Stolpman wines, a wine that’s the pride of their vineyard crew. Each year since 1994, the Stolpmans’ vineyard manager, Ruben Solorzano, gives his crew a two-acre block of land to farm on their own. By withholding any instructions for [Read more...]
Each year I plan a November visit to the wine regions of the Sierra Foothills to photograph the amazing vistas of fall color and visit some of my favorite winemakers in California. Harvest (and the few weeks following) is the most romantic time of year to be in a vineyard; the vines are heavy with [Read more...]
When I first met Brandon Sparks-Gillis, he was speaking passionately about rocks. He was holding one in his hand – a grayish green-colored rock called Serpentinite. It came from the vineyard where he grows his Sauvignon Blanc in a new appellation called Happy Canyon (sounds like a great place, right?). Brandon often carries rocks around [Read more...]
It’s easy to lose orientation in the Santa Cruz Mountains, looping through miles of thick redwood trunks on narrow, winding roads that rise and fall in elevation. Despite the fact that one of my favorite vineyards is on Memory Lane, I can never remember how to get there and get lost every time I go. [Read more...]
When you think of summer wine festivals, does your mind go to sunshine? Of course it does! Well, leave it to me to recommend wine festivals in August that take place in two of the coldest, foggiest summer climates in the world: the Sonoma Coast and San Francisco. Cold weather is not a guarantee; I [Read more...]
Ivo and Claudio Nardi run their family winery in the hills of Veneto in the northeast of Italy. Encouraged by their father and mother, in 1985 they converted the family’s vineyard to organic and became leaders in organic and biodynamic farming in Italy. Ivo says that during his agricultural studies, he became aware of the [Read more...]
I had a near-perfect day on Sunday. I attended Big Basin Vineyard’s Spring Release Celebration in the Santa Cruz Mountains, one of just two days a year owner Bradley Brown opens his winery to the public. Bradley’s vineyard is just up the road from the Big Basin Redwood State Park. The views of the tree-covered [Read more...]
Bulmaro Montes says that he and his brother have more than 90 years’ experience growing grapes. He means 90 years combined, of course. Still, there aren’t many grape growers who can make such a claim. Bulmaro and Manuel are 63 and 72 years old, two of the oldest active growers in the Napa Valley. They [Read more...]
Spring has arrived and it’s time for a road trip. Some of my favorite wine regions are stunning at this time of year. Places like the Sierra Foothills and Santa Cruz Mountains offer endless opportunities for adventure from wine tasting to hiking to zip-lining through a redwood forest. You won’t want to rush. Take the [Read more...]
Walter Georis takes multi-tasking to a whole new level. He owns a winery, a vineyard, three restaurants and a record label. He is an artist, musician and grape grower. Fortunately he had the sense to hire a winemaker as he couldn’t possibly master one more thing! And it’s an interesting story how he found his [Read more...]
