Dear Friends! Ukrainian need our help right now! Every little donation will save a life and give hope! Donation wallets: Bitcoin: bc1q5jzk5xxez7xke82g4fslk2gaevx2syzyrx8vt9 Ethereum: 0xe8d995F329a2845628D747636738239Aa8A194A6 TRC20 – Tether USDT/TRON/USDC: TFtSZZ1d5FDKs3SXHvZPnTqXkbfvaCmQsb ERC20 – Tether USDT/USDC: 0xe8d995F329a2845628D747636738239Aa8A194A6 Litecoin: ltc1q27envtwjk25lz0pgzafn5ugwgrmp4q5dp3fuql Dogecoin: DJLfx2jvqS7t7DPdkqU39LUeoPP9LvioPb ..read more

Most wine drinkers have, at some point, tried an alcohol-free “wine.” And, if you’re like me, your reaction was not positive. My daughter and I even invested in two bottles of expensive ($35 a bottle) alcohol-free wine, hoping we might like them! But even these pricier options were incredibly disappointing and honestly, not drinkable. Both the sauvignon blanc and the cabernet sauvignon came across as sour grape juice. No aroma, no mouthfeel, not wine! This led us to talking about the role alcohol plays in wine – and why it makes wine “wine.” In the process of researching, I learned that there ..read more

In May of 2019, I attended a wonderful tasting at The Wine House in Los Angeles.  Stolpman Vineyards was there in full force showcasing some of their world class syrahs.  I purchased four bottles that included the 2011-2014 vintages of Hecho Por Ruben, made by their vineyard manager, Ruben Solorzano.  Tom and Virginia Stolpman purchased their vineyard in 1990 and soon after, hired Ruben as their vineyard manager.  In 2009, the Stolpman’s son Pete and his wife and business partner, Jessica, took over day to day management of the vineyards.  Ruben, in the meantime, had e ..read more

Joe Ginet One of the most unique visits during our excursion in Southern Oregon was to Plaisance Ranch, founded in 1898 by Joseph Jean Ginet, who immigrated to America from Savoie, France.  His family grew grapes in France and Joseph went in search of land that he could farm. Near Jacksonville, Oregon, he found an abandoned orchard and was able to salvage the trees, planning to bring grape vine cuttings from his native France.  Joseph was engaged to a woman from his village in France, but her parents would not permit her to move to America.  Failing to find a wife in his new h ..read more

Have you ever visited Southern Oregon?  I had my first opportunity recently as part of the 2021 Wine Media Conference.  As a bit of geographical backgrounding, the southwestern quadrant of the state is considered Southern Oregon and it encompasses five major regions.  Our travels were primarily in the Rogue Valley.  Water is abundant and hugely important in the area for both recreation and agriculture.  The Willamette River and the Rogue River flow through the region and it is home to the famous Crater Lake. The second day of our pre-conference excursion began at Cowho ..read more

Sunstone Winery is one of my favorite properties, located just southwest of Solvang, in the Santa Ynez Valley.  They have a large portfolio of wines available in an accessible price range.  Just celebrating their 25th anniversary, the winery buildings were designed and built to look like a Tuscan estate.  Since the weather is good most of the year, guests prefer sitting on the patio or at tables in the expansive yard, enjoying the fragrant lavendar and mountain views. Many of the Sunstone staff have been with the company for years and are very knowledgeable.  Tastings are p ..read more

Brave and Maiden Estate is one of the newest wineries to emerge in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Vines were planted on the property in the 1990’s, but the grapes had never been used to make single vineyard wines.  The current owners acquired the property in 2010, named their winery Brave and Maiden, and released their first wines in 2011.  Their name comes from a Romeo and Juliet like legend about a native American brave and maiden from different tribes who fell in love and chose to jump from the nearby Nojoqui Falls rather than be separated. Brave and Maiden specializes in cabernet s ..read more

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 River Valley, Napa Valley, and the Central Coast. Chardonnay is believed to have originated in the Burgundy region of France.  Cuttings were brought to the United States in the late 1800s and by the late 1970s, approxim ..read more

Since the inception of Pursuing Pinot in 2011, content has been focused on experiences – travel, wineries, vineyards, tastings, and restaurants.  All of these have been in short supply during the past 11 months of pandemic.  Therefore, I thought it might be interesting to explore some of the most popular wine varietals, starting with Sauvignon Blanc.  My daughter, Hilary, and two other friends joined me for an informal tasting of three Sauvignon Blanc selections. Sauvignon Blanc grows in many regions around the world including New Zealand, California, France, Chile, Washington S ..read more

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 tasting rooms continue to operate under different protocols because of the pandemic and Laetitia was offering wines by the bottle or glass, but not tastings.  We each enjoyed a glass of sparkling – Hilary chose the d ..read more