February 24, 2013
A longtime winery just outside of Murphys, CA in Calaveras County is up for sale. Chatom Vineyards, established in 1981 by San Franciscan Gay Callan, boasts 13 grape varieties planted on across 65 acres, all in the small and picturesque valley of Esmeralda of the Sierra Foothills. In 1990, Callan built the estate winery and tasting room along Highway 4, nicely situated only 2 miles outside of the wine tourism center of downtown Murphys. The winery makes 3 whites, 8 reds, and one very tasty dessert wine.
More after the jump, including an intro video by First Choice Business Brokers!
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January 27, 2013
I have some very exciting news to share with my happy and wine-loving Vinopanions! While I hinted at this news earlier this year, I can now announce the official Kickstarter campaign for the fantastic new wine store and web destination, Block122 (Twitter, Facebook, WineLog). Founded by four BOULEVARD restaurant employees, Block122 will showcase the finest, small production producers of wine from the left coast, much of which lies along the meridian 122° west of the Prime Meridian. These boutique wineries are those that many times, only produce wines for 1-2 small stores or restaurants, have no distribution, and can’t even provide an online web store. It is these vinous finds that Block122 will revel in sharing with you on their website with stories, videos, and a retail store; all inclusive, with all snobbery excluded.
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January 11, 2013
Or rather, *I’m* back at ZAP this year! But what is ZAP you say; what is this electric onomatopoeia? Why, it is the annual ritual to celebrate the grape of Zinfandel; as performed by the masters of Zin, the Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (Twitter, Facebook).
The ZAP organization puts on a week-long festival of Zin every year and this year’s ZAP 2013 Festival runs from January 31 until the ZAP Grand Tasting 2013 on February 2, in San Francisco. Four major events are slated for this year’s run, but many smaller events are happening across the city and the bay, in the weeks leading up to the main events.
It is for you lucky readers that I have procured a special discount for tickets to the Grand Tasting, an event that I’m excited to attend again, after a couple years away. More info after the break!
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January 1, 2013
Welcome, Year 2013 of the Gregorian Calendar! I am normally not one to set New Year’s Resolutions…if you want to accomplish something, just DO IT! Don’t wait until the arbitrary date set by a Pope to change your life. On the other hand, I happen to have a number of things in flux at the moment and today just happens to be the best day to start doing them, following some weeks of drinking wine contemplation.
First off, and perhaps most importantly for all of you Vinopanions, look for a much higher frequency of postings, including many shorter ones. While I have been rather prolific at reviewing the many wines that I taste and receive as samples, I have not been so good lately at doing actual Vinopanion posts. This will change and as such, the Vinopanion Facebook page will also be a lot more active.
Find out more, after the jump!
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October 22, 2012
This Wednesday 10/25/12, from 5-7pm PST, I will be a part of another very cool online wine tasting courtesy of the great folks over at Wines of Chile (WineLog, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube). Chilean wines have had tremendous success in the US over the last decade and a half, with much of that market penetration coming from their tasty, but value-driven brands. Their discovery of the long lost Bordeaux grape variety of Carménère has further cemented their status in the US drinking game, with that grape becoming their signature wine. Our tasting will be of a different sort however, as Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer (Twitter, Facebook) will be leading the tasting of 12 wines, live from Santiago, Chile. The point of this tasting is not only to drive home the value that can be found in these wines, but to also show off their burgeoning sense of place, as the Chilean wine industry continues to come into its own as an winegrowing nation of international quality.
I will also be writing about this event in a different manner than the norm, here at Vinopanion. Much like a WBC Speed Tasting, I’ll be writing most of my educational and tasting notes in real-time, as I follow Fred Dex and interact with all of the other bloggers tasting from around the world. You can preview the wines after the jump. Check back in on 10/25/12, from 5-7pm PST and join in the fun using #BlogChile!
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August 2, 2012
Following the great success of the Wine Riot (#WineRiot) events in Boston, Washington D.C., & Chicago, Second Glass (Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo) is bringing their riotous event to the great cities of San Francisco & Los Angeles. I will be front and center at both with our newest Le Wine Buff, Sam Klingberg (Twitter, Facebook), by my side as we sling the tastiest of affordable Bordeaux (Twitter, Facebook, WineLog) to the vinous masses. The Bordeaux crew have already hit up the first three Wine Riot events this year, with my boy Sam getting his kicks in before me, repping his home ChiTown. So what exactly is a Wine Riot and how does one partake in this wine drinking tasting event? Leave it to the crazy peeps at Second Glass to provide a riotous guide for the multitude of activities in which each vinopanion can partake.
More deets after the break!
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May 20, 2012
It is with great excitement that I can announce a new media trip, close on my Vinopanion horizon, to the venerable and very historic Tuscan wine region of Chianti Classico DOCG (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WineLog). I will start my trip to Florence, Italy to rendevous with the traveling #ChiantiClass12 group this Thursday, May 24, 2012, with the official start of the trip on Friday the 25th. Much like my previous adventures across the pond, I will be posting a lot of microblog content in real-time, including Twitter (#ChiantiClass12), Flickr, and through my Facebook profile & on Vinopanion‘s. Learn more about this fascinating wine region after the break, cin cin!
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March 24, 2012
I attend a large number wine events. That might even be an understatement, to which my fine readers can attest! Thus, I feel that it’s saying something to describe an upcoming wine event as one of my favorite series of wine events, ever. The San Francisco Vintners Market (Twitter, Facebook, WineLog) wine tastings are those exact events: totally fun, onsite wine purchasing available, and of course, fantastic wines to taste in unlimited amounts. And lucky readers, for round 5 (DING) of the #SFVM, I now have a fat discount so you cats can partake!
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February 16, 2012
It’s not everyday that you can walk around and try wines from a bunch of countries, all in one nifty location. OK true, Walt Disney World’s Epcot World Showcase is a pretty dang good time, regardless of whether you try wines from each country. But I can’t think of another fully awesome wine experience that can compare to over 600 wines from 12+ countries, all for one single ticket price. The 5th Annual New York Wine Expo is your portal for crazy, round-the-world, like-a-G6-style wine tasting!
What does that actually translate to in actual wineries on this fine weekend of March 2-4, you might ask…how about 150+ vintners, along with tons of gourmet food booths, and numerous wine seminars with which to treat your favorite Vinopanion. Now, it’s only because I like you, but I have a special gift: type in the code VINOPANION for $15 off Friday night’s festivities!
Get the full deets after the break:
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January 24, 2012
TasteLive! (WineLog, Twitter) is back at it again, with yet another great online Twitter tasting for us wine and chocolate grubbing fools. On the night of 01/26/12 at 6pm PST, we’re taking in another seasonally appropriate wine and food pairing by pre-tasting some of the wines and chocolates that will be at Rodney Strong’s 23rd Annual Wine & Chocolate Fantasy event, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
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