We've done Green. We've done Grill. Heck, we've even done Saints & Sinners, Salty & Sweet and All White. But we've never rocked like this before.

Join a whole bunch of Hip Tasters at vintage-cool SF night spot Pink as we party to the sounds of updated arena rock (think Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On It) while noshing on sushi rolls and sipping summer-appropriate whites, pinks and bubblies. And with our first-ever dance party going down from 9pm-10pm, this will be a Hip Tastes you definitely won't want to miss. PS: the 3 best dressed (as in rock dressed) Hip Tasters will go home with Best Dressed honors and a free gift. Booyah! See you there.

Tickets & 411

Posted by Courtney at 06:28 PM

Hey folks, if you're in or around Napa tomorrow please come out and join me along with four other wine authors as we chat and sign our wine books published in '07. Part of the St. Helena Public Library's 1st Annual "Books on Wine Festival," the event will be the first of its kind for St. Helena, and I'm totally tickled to have been included! Refreshments start at 6, author presentations are at 7 and author signings begin at 8:15. Besides Hip Tastes, other titles featured include "A Moveable Thirst," "New Classic Winemakers of California," "The Art of Terroir" and Small Plates, Perfect Wines." More info at shpl.org - I'd love to see you there!

Posted by Courtney at 09:05 AM • Comments (0)

Merlot lovers, rejoice! A new documentary film made in response to the post-Sideways Merlot backlash (read more on that here) is about to debut. That's right, Merlove, made by Napa filmmaker Rudy McClain, is set to screen Tuesday, May 27th at COPIA in Napa. The film apparently includes footage of renowned Merlot makers from...

Continue reading "Looking for Merlove In All the Wrong the Places" »

Posted by Courtney at 03:52 PM

A sell-out crowd of Hip Tasters gathered last Friday eve @ Sugar Cafe downtown to partake of The Salty & Sweet Tasting, this year's first official HIP TASTES event! Enjoy these snaps of the crowd, including this first of me (right) with my sis Claire, the original Hip Taster. Cheers ;)

View Album

Posted by Courtney at 11:43 PM

After what may seem an eternity to the most dedicated Hip Tastes fans, I'm thrilled to report that A BUNCH of terrific new SF events are up at hiptastes.com! I'll be posting more in the upcoming weeks about our brand new lineup of Saturday School and (*new*) Night School classes at two fabulous new venues in SoMa, but meanwhile, I want to share the custom illustration I had created for the next Friday night soiree, The Salty & Sweet Tasting! It'll all go down Friday, March 28th @ Sugar Cafe, and all the dets are available at hiptastes.com.

Get your tickets before this one sells out!

Posted by Courtney at 06:44 PM • Comments (0)

There's tons of stuff to do in wine country around V-Day, including romantic treks in seaside botanical gardens in Mendo, tango lessons in Temecula and wine and food pairing in Placerville. Now, if I wasn't single myself I might've been a little more enthusiastic about penning my latest Top 10 List at WineCountry.com, Top Ten Class Acts for Valentine's Day.

But still, it's done and - if I do say so myself - there's some pretty sweet stuff on the list, so check it out if you're still looking for something to do with your honey this weekend. Just please - don't go and tell me about how great it all was later - I think that might be overkill for this singleton. Anyway, I'll probably be incommunicado, holed up in my apartment with a bottle of insanely good wine - there's got to be something good that comes from this holiday, after all.

Posted by Courtney at 03:34 PM • Comments (0)

Fresh back from NYC, must say I'm exhausted but WOW - what a trip! Thanks to everyone who came out to support the book at the fab party at Hollywould in NoLiTa - it was an incredible night. More pics coming soon, but for now, here's a pic of me with some of my best gal pals from UCLA undergrad - was amazing to have you all there!!

Cheers, CC

Posted by Courtney at 10:32 PM • Comments (0)

Please excuse this ridiculously brief entry, but I've just touched down in NYC and am in a flurry of activity getting ready for a little soiree I'm throwing here tomorrow night. The first two "legs" of the tour were a lot of fun, and saw me in five cities inside five days, wow I can barely believe it. I'm now willing a cold to stay at bay so I can be fresh for the remaining stops, and also for a segment on Martha Stewart Radio this Friday morning. The Sirius station is available all over and past guests on the morning show have included Cynthia Rowley, Kate Spade and Chef Mario Batali. Not bad company - should be fun!

Read on for a more detailed description of the show, and hope you'll tune in!

And - check out this pic of me with a bunch of cute gals at my Sonoma County release party! More pics coming soon.

Continue reading "Mad Traveling and Book Tour Updates" »

Posted by Courtney at 05:50 AM • Comments (1)

Here's a shot from my book launch fete last night here in San Francisco. Thanks to the well-wishers who came out to say hello and support the book. My hangover is an unfortunate "bonus" from the party, but other than that it was a total blast. I'm pictured here with Caille Milner, another book author and Glamour magazine's new political blogger. Plus, she's got great style.

And now, it's time for a midday drink to stave the intensity of my hangover. Cheers to that.

photo: John Curley

Posted by Courtney at 12:09 PM • Comments (0)

The White Party last Friday was a ton of fun. Stylish Hip Tasters turned up in their best whites, and we enjoyed a great lineup of white wines and all-white bites. Sponsor Riedel came through with some party packs of very hip "O" stemless wine glasses, which we gave out to folks we deemed "best dressed." Check out the album at Ofoto for even more snaps. Cheers!

Posted by Courtney at 12:29 AM • Comments (0)

I'm really happy to anounce my FIRST Hip Tastes party of 2007! After a loooong hiatus for book writing I'm finally bringing it BACK this Friday with The White Party. If you're in SF, come on out and drink & eat all white in the brand spanking new all-white lounge at Fluid in SoMa. We'll have fab tunes for our fabulous crowd, as usual, and hip tasters wearing (sufficiently) all white get a free gift at the door. Hope to see you there!

Learn more & tickets at hiptastes.com

Posted by Courtney at 02:56 PM • Comments (0)

A recent trip to the St. Helena Farmer's Market (located right smack in the heart of Napa Valley!) left a resounding "wow" on my lips for at least several days after. Everywhere I looked at the market - which runs every Friday morning from May through October - there was something to "wow" over - the impossibly bright freshly cut flowers, the unbelievably delicious artisanal cheeses from Raymond & Co. Cheesemongers, gorgeous veggies like this rainbow-stemmed organic swiss chard, and posh, leisurely-looking people strolling along, taking it all in.

Continue reading "WOW: St. Helena Farmer's Market" »

Posted by Courtney at 12:03 PM • Comments (1)

I'm really excited to announce that I'll be taking part in a panel discussion tomorrow at San Fran's Commonwealth Club called "Hot Young Sommeliers: Wine Gurus Tell All." While I can't attest to the "Hot" part, I'm thrilled to be included in a lineup with two impressive local wine talents, Oola Wine Director (and past Michael Mina somm) Mark Bright and Christie Dufault, Sommelier at Quince Restaurant. Leslie Sbrocco, author of Wine for Women and host of "Check, Please! Bay Area" will moderate. Read on for dets and ticket info.

Continue reading "Young Sommelier Panel Tomorrow" »

Posted by Courtney at 06:05 PM • Comments (0)

Some of you will recall my pic-filled account of last year's fabulous Auction Napa Valley. This year I've been asked by the Napa Valley Vintners to tell you more about how you can attend this year's event (June 7-10), something I'm happy to do. This year the NVV has introduced a new four-day package called "The All-American Package" that includes attendance at all sorts of fun events throughout the weekend.

Continue reading "Auction Napa Valley: The American Classic" »

Posted by Courtney at 05:57 PM • Comments (1)

Whew! I spent a fantastic three hours knocking around the San Fran War Memorial Opera House last Thursday at the first ever SF-based Toast of the Town event. Put on by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, the splashy affair featured hundreds of wineries, lots of fantastic food purveyors, live jazz and a pretty good scene, if I do say so myself. Read on for a quick review and some snaps of the swank affair.

Continue reading "San Fran Gets Some Swank" »

Posted by Courtney at 03:55 PM • Comments (0)

Sasha Wizansky is a mighty talented young lady. Not only did she design this blog (props!!), the entrepreneur/designer/all around nice gal also recently launched a new magazine. Dedicated entirely to meat culture - including its alter ego topic - ANTI-meat culture - Meatpaper debuted with a superbly peopled meatfest last Tuesday night at Sugarlump Coffee House here in the city.

Continue reading "A Meaty Issue" »

Posted by Courtney at 04:38 PM • Comments (1)

This Thursday more than a thousand priviliged tasters including yours truly will descend upon San Fran's glam War Memorial Opera House for Wine Enthusiast Magazine's first-ever West Coast Toast of the Town event. Held annually in New York, the wine and food extravaganza's been such a success on the other side of this land that the mag decided to host one here this year, which is music to my ears. More than 500 wines will be poured alongside fab fare from some of the city's top restos (Fifth Floor, Delfina, Bart Tartine & Myth are just a few of 'em), along with live jazz to boot.

Continue reading "I'll Toast to That" »

Posted by Courtney at 06:25 PM • Comments (2)

This is what was shouted across the room from one overly excited wino to another at San Francisco's annual coming together of the wine trade's movers & shakers - the Vienna Wine Company & Terry Theise Estate Selections new release tasting. Held at downtown SF's consummately elegant Fifth Floor restaurant in late January, the event included more than 150 wines, all German or Austrian, and a roomful of swirling, spitting and hob nobbing wine geeks. In a way, it was sort of like the Oscars of wine, with the SF wine world's luminaries all turned out for a healthy dose of back slapping and merrymaking.

Continue reading "Have You Hit This!?" »

Posted by Courtney at 07:04 PM • Comments (0)

For those of you who find traditional wine events a big yawn, consider coming out this Wednesay to Nightlife Napa Valley here in San Fran, where, besides a bouncer, a DJ and sundry other accoutrements usually reserved for the club scene, you'll find fantastic wines from more than 60 Napa Valley vintners to sample. Word on the street is that Kirsten Dunst made a cameo at the sister event held recently in LA at the Roosevelt, so if this one's at all similar it should be a stylish affair.

Continue reading "Napa Wines for the Clubbing Set" »

Posted by Courtney at 05:48 PM • Comments (0)

When I got the invite to attend a rather exclusive opening event for a very hush hush new bar in town I must say my interest was piqued. Now that I've been to Bourbon & Branch and get what all the fuss is about I've got to say I'm glad I went. It's a Speakeasy, sort of, or at least a nod to the era when speakeasies were necessary. Clearly they're not now, which makes this place more about nostalgia and good cocktails than anything else. Oh, and because they plan to operate on a strictly reservation basis, you'll always be able to find a seat when you're there - the best thing I've heard about a bar in this town in a while.

Continue reading "Speakeasy, or Sit easy, as you like" »

Posted by Courtney at 12:10 AM • Comments (2)

For those of you who've been reading my posts about very cool GREEN winery Medlock Ames FYI there is a tasting coming up at SoMa's Vino Venue where you can meet some of the folks from Medlock and - of course! - taste their wines! The focus will be on biodynamic and organic farming methods they use and you'll also get to sample their '02 merlot, '02 cabernet, and '02 red. Learn more and sign up at Vino Venue's site. I'll still be in France but hope those of you who are able to make it enjoy. Cheers!

$10 to taste plus 15% off Medlock wines

Posted by Courtney at 03:40 AM • Comments (1)

The flowers! The sun! The food! The fashion! The wine! Welcome to Auction Napa Valley , a little slice of the Hamptons right here in our own backyard. Everything at last Friday's Auction Napa Valley Festival was posh and gorgeous , a no-excuses display of wealth and bounty and good living. Even the food was ridiculously good-looking. If I ever have the opportunity to push pause on reality and continue living in a bubble for the rest of my life, this would be my bubble of choice. Let the good times roll!

Continue reading "The Hamptons in California!" »

Posted by Courtney at 08:27 PM • Comments (13)

There's nothing quite like a wine tasting on a Monday to get a week started right. Which is the way last week started for me, with a lovely tasting called TASTE Sonoma at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts downtown.

The tasting featured a trade portion open to the press and trade only in the afternoon followed by an "open to the public" session later in the evening. I did double duty and went to both. Call it wine penance. This girl paid up at TASTE Sonoma.

Continue reading "Sonoma In San Francisco" »

Posted by Courtney at 08:16 PM • Comments (1)

For as long as I can remember lovely rural Sonoma county has been eclipsed by its more glitzy neighbor Napa Valley. Which is why I was thrilled to find that Taste of Sonoma SF - a tasting and showcasing of the area's finest wines - will be held in the city next Monday.

Made up of six fertile valleys including the well known Alexander, Russian River and Dry Creek valleys, Sonoma is arguably the most prolific winemaking region in California. And the area is well on its way to achieving a well deserved reputation for high quality as well as high quantity output.

Continue reading "It's About Time" »

Posted by Courtney at 03:34 PM • Comments (0)

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Rhone Rangers trade and public tasting at Fort Mason with my dad. He was in town for his birthday, and while my mother and sister went to lunch and shopped my dad and I followed the call of our palates to the Marina for some good tasting.

And, before I get started, let me also preface everything by saying that it was an absolutely GORGEOUS day in the city, the kind of sunny and warm sparkler that seems, at the time at least, to make up for all the merciless rain we've been pounded with this winter.

Continue reading "Home on the Range in SF" »

Posted by Courtney at 12:24 PM • Comments (0)

This past Tuesday I had the pleasure of tasting a number of excellent wines at the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association trade tasting in downtown San Francisco (subtitled, rather cutely, "Santa Cruz Mountains Wines Are Coming to San Francisco"). I particularly enjoyed the region's Chardonnays, although there were some standout Pinot Noirs and a Syrah to boot.

Continue reading "To Each His Rhone" »

Posted by Courtney at 09:22 PM • Comments (0)