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November 10, 2009

Hardy Takes Healdsburg, Plus: Murphy Goode / Top Chef / Relish!


I was lucky enough to be included in an absolutely fabulous dinner @ Relish Culinary in Healdsburg Nov 3, where host Hardy Wallace of Murphy Goode's (in?)famous Really Goode Job search rapped with current season Top Chef contenders Eli Kirshtein and Kevin Gillespie over multiple courses of foie gras-esque fabulousness paired with - what else? - Murphy Goode wine. Enjoy this intro clip of Hardy at said meal introducing the top toques and welcoming us to the occasion. I really, really love MY job. :)

October 02, 2009

Announcing: Champagne Wishes and...Botox Dreams!

bb3.jpgThurs. Oct 15, 6-8pm
TICKETS

Calling all ladies and skincare conscious gentlemen!! In just two short weeks I'll be co-hosting "Beauty & Bubbly," a fabulous evening of sparkling wines from the world over and incredible deals on medi spa services (which include, of course, Botox, as well as the likes of microdermabrasion, facials, peels, products and much more). It'll be at Union Street MedSpa - a gorgeous space in Cow Hollow - and I'll be on hand serving the bubblies, natch.

Best part? Your ticket scores you a signed copy of my book, Hip Tastes: The Fresh Guide to Wine ($20 value) and a rockin gift bag including product samples and a coupon for a FREE microdermabrasion ($100 value). That's like $120 in value - plus awesome international sparklers (some bubbs will hail from as far away as Argentina and Israel), light bites, fab music and stylish peeps to mingle with.

So what are you waiting for?? Reserve your spot today - it's all very limited, of course. :)

Tickets

September 04, 2009

Jason Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards Shares the Secret (No Ego!) to Truly Great Wine

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with The Eyrie Vineyards' second generation winemaker, Jason Lett, who clearly takes following in his father's footsteps very seriously (his father founded the Willamette wine industry back in the 60s). He strikes as a bit of a sage - plus wears this very cool hipster hat - and so I asked him to share his philosophy on making great wine. Enjoy.

Oregon Odyssey: Willamette Video Series: Scott Wright Gets Riteous About His Pinots

I join Willamette's Scott Wright of Scott Paul Wines as he talks about his passion for Pinot Noir and the magic in his 2006 La Paulee and 2007 Audrey (my fav wine from the trip!) bottlings. Filmed on location at Scott's Carlton, OR tasting room.

Oregon Odyssey: Willamette Video Series: David Adelsheim On "Why Worry?" In Oregon

I meet with David Adelsheim, Willamette wine pioneer and all-around nice guy (plus he's wicked good with maps, but more on that later), and can't help but ask - "why are people so laid back around here?" I'd just driven past a street called "Why Worry Lane," and been slowed to a near standstill by the unbelievably slow drivers in the area, so I wanted to know. David's answer is sweet, and his candid stories about the founding of the Willamette wine industry as we know it are even better.
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Oregon Odyssey: Willamette Video Series: Lynn Penner-Ash Talks Names & Nuance

Check out my video of celebrated winemaker (and Cali transplant) Lynn Penner-Ash outside her gorgeous winery in north Willamette's Yamhill-Carlton district. Neighbors aren't too shabby: Lynn points out nearby Beaux Freres, among others, and chats about her winemaking philosophy and the perks of Oregon wine country living.

Oregon Odyssey: Willamette Video Series: Jesse Lange On Hot Wines In the Dundee Hills

Just back from the gorgeous Willamette Valley and excited about video using my new Flip cam! The sound quality is not what it ought to be (sorry, folks), but the scenery and people are divine - I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch!
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Second generation winemaker Jesse Lange of Lange Estate Winery in the Willamette talks about his family's dedication to the vinous way of life and how Oregon Pinots are beyond doubt the next big thing.

June 25, 2009

What People Drink: Celebrities

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Lord I love Mutineer Magazine. Just in from their uber hilarious drinks blog, this photo montage featuring the likes of Piven, Spidey (yuk), La Lohan (train wreck?), Shia and Megan Fox and...what they like to drink. It's eeeeeexcellent. Enjoy! PS don't miss the Jesus Juice feature they ran today, too - it's pretty fab.

CHECK IT

What Do Millennials Want From Wine?

moinyc2.jpgAs a 30-year-old sommelier and owner of HIP TASTES EventsTM, I field this question constantly. I've spoken on panels about it and written extensively on the topic. And while I can hardly speak definitively on the needs and desires of an entire generation simply because I'm one of their ilk, I can throw into the ring what I feel are some halfway decent ideas about what they want from wine, based on personal experiences, winemaker input and some top notch research. (For those of you who are still cloudy about who the "Millennials" are: they are Americans who've turned 21 after the turn of the new Millennium).
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Continue reading my latest feature at AppellationAmerica.com on just what makes 20-something wine buyers tick. Includes highlights on wineries doing the following right:

Collaboration
DIY Spirit
Core Values
Gourmet Savvy

Including coverage of Twisted Oak Winery, Municipal Winemakers, Sutton Cellars and more. Get the full story here!

pictured: moi in NYC (just back) - enjoying a glass at City Winery

March 27, 2009

Why Can't We All Be Gangsters? Or, What Lil Wayne Can Teach Us About Wine

LilWayne.jpgIn this, my first column for terroir-evangelizing site AppellationAmerica.com, I explore how a diminutive rapper's take on life can inspire the best in winemaking (seriously!!). Here's an excerpt - be sure to click through (below) the read the whole thing. I had a lot of fun putting it together. Cheers! - CC

Making great wine, like any creative pursuit, calls for great inspiration. After all, winemakers - like other artists - don't operate in a vacuum. Hardly. Over the years, winemakers the world over have gleaned inspiration from the likes of art, jazz, classical music, cuisine, and even films in crafting their blends.

And so, given this penchant for looking to the arts for ideas, I wonder why winemakers can't also look to rap for inspiration? It is, after all, an art form just like the others; its creators also artists searching for a means of expression.

Take Lil Wayne, for example. When the 26-year-old rapper sat down with Katie Couric last month to dish on everything from his name to his music to his unabashed love of weed, the New Orleans native and eight-time Grammy nominee offered up this choice summation...

Continue reading

Photo: MusicRemedy.com

January 20, 2009

Ingenious Wine Impession #1: "Riding horseback while smoking a cigar and eating a bacon sandwich"

EmilyWines.jpgEmily Wines, the world's 15th female Master Sommelier and wine director for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants as well as the critically acclaimed Fifth Floor Restaurant, recently related her impression of a certain wine in this way, and I have to say: AWESOME. Wines wrote as much in a very amusing article in the most recent tablehopper, a weekly e-column on all things food put out by my pal and SF food maven Marcia Gagliardi. Besides the horseback reference, Wines (her real last name, how cool is that?!) talks of finding impressions of GAJR, which stands for Green Apple Jolly Rancher, in young German Rieslings; rubber a la dodge balls in South African and Chilean wines; pencil shavings in Chateau Latour (and hence thoughts of second grade sharpening (mis)adventures); sweet tarts in young high-acid whites; and so on. As a sommelier, I too, am frequently struck by nostalgic scent references - sometimes even super wacky-sounding scent references like Wines' - in the wines I'm trying, and so I couldn't agree with her more. Even more cool, until now I've never seen a super credible somm relate such "non-scientific" - but absolutely delightful - impressions in such a public way.

Cheers to breaking new ground. Read Wines' full article here.

October 23, 2008

Wine Wunderlady Heidi Barret Talks Harvest


Deciding when to pick from Adopt A Grape 2008 on Vimeo.

Dubbed the "first lady of wine" by one Robert Parker, Heidi Peterson Barrett makes damn good wine (think Screaming Eagle) in Napa, and now you can listen to her talk about how she decides what and when to harvest in this video just posted by one of her winery clients, Fantesca. Filmed on October 2, Heidi discusses not only Fantesca's harvest but that of the region as a whole, so it's a nice 3-minute primer on what's happening in the vineyards in and around Napa about this time. Personally, I was super lucky to meet Heidi earlier this year in Napa at a fantastic gathering of women in wine, and if you click the link to "read more" you can check out a pic of the two of us. Not my best pic - but then again, that hardly matters when one is so close to Ms. Hallowedness of Wine. Cheers!

Continue reading "Wine Wunderlady Heidi Barret Talks Harvest" »

October 10, 2008

Emergency Room Doc Saves Lives, Palates

laura.pngLaura Catena is hardly your average emergency room doc. The Argentine native - who came to the US with her professor dad to attend high school and wound up staying to attend Harvard for undergrad and then Stanford for medical school - "moonlights" from her job as an ER physician at UCSF by making wine, and on another continent at that. That's right, the married mother of three (yes, she has a nanny) successfully holds down TWO glamorous jobs and apparently has energy to burn, as I witnessed when I interviewed her in San Fran's homey Cole Valley several weeks ago. But besides her fascinating resume and seemingly boundless energy, I was most intrigued by Catena's commitment to making small batches of totally world-class wine from Mendoza's top low-yield, high-elevation vineyards. And though you may have heard more about her family's OTHER winery, Bodega Catena Zapata (considered by many the preeminent winery in all of Argentina), I predict her own label, Luca, has a bright future all its own.

Read on for an exclusive interview with Laura, including her ruminations on pursuing multiple careers, living on two continents, and generally being fabulous (okay, that last part is totally my conjecture, but I have to say she's impressive). Enjoy!

Continue reading "Emergency Room Doc Saves Lives, Palates" »

May 19, 2008

RIP Robert Mondavi (1913-2008)

rmw2.jpgJust a little shout out to the great man who worked so hard - and did so much - to make a name for California wine. Not only did Mondavi run his eponymous winery for decades, he helped introduce Americans of all stripes - not just the snobs! - to the modern wine lifestyle. For more on this legend, check out Alan Goldfarb's recent article on Mondavi at Appellation America.

What a fantastic guy. We'll miss him.

Click here to read my list of his top contributions to wine at WineCountry.com

May 11, 2008

Buff Women, Drink Those Blubbery Dudes Under the Table

fatman3.jpgEnjoyed this new article at DivineCaroline about women's physiology vis a vis that of men and how this impacts our ability to compete with guys in, oh say, a drinking contest. The results aren't in our favor (sorry, ladies) unless you happen to be a very buff woman paired off to compete with a fat guy of roughly your same height. Here's a brief excerpt from the piece, and link to check out the rest:

"Winning a drinking contest, or just being able to gauge how many drinks you can have while still remaining vertical, depends on numerous factors, including regularity of drink, that day's food and sleep intake, and genetics. But based just on gender...,

Photo Credit Simone Van Den Berg | Dreamstime.com

Continue reading "Buff Women, Drink Those Blubbery Dudes Under the Table" »

March 17, 2008

Hip Tastes Photogs Rock!

traci.jpgjohn.jpg
Just want to give a shout out to the fabulous photogs from my San Fran book launch party last fall. Lensman-about-town John Curley - I swear this guy is everywhere! - did a fantastic job and is as entertaining as he is talented. Check out his Flickr page here - his Burning Man pics are especially cool. And Curley's pal Tracy Bugni - who goes by MS Trouble on Flickr - is terrific, too. Check out her shots here - the portraits in her Favorites section are incredible.

And you can see all the snaps from the launch party at the Picasa album. Thanks again for the support, John & Tracy!

February 22, 2008

Hey, That's Impressive!

winedrinker.jpg
Just stumbled upon this video of another interesting young guy (already a good theme) doing something - er - different with wine. Can't really say this stimulated the sommelier in me, but it's good for a quick laugh, as is the "About" page on the guy's site, SundayDrinker. What's the point? According to the site, "If we at Sunday Drinker can get 10,000 members we can finally be recognised as an official religion and take steps to have every Monday morning off as a religious holiday [for drinking]."

Not a bad idea, if you ask me. Watch the video here at sfist; the title you see above the pic is also theirs.

February 14, 2008

Saboring Under the Eiffel Tower - Um, Yes!

olivier_pink_blog.jpg

Not sure how this guy escaped my notice until now, but I was just tipped off to his site, WineRendez-vous, and I must say AWESOME! Everyone, meet Olivier Magny, a hilarious young French certified sommelier and entrepreneur (some of that sounds familiar...) who's started up what can best be described as the French version of WineLibraryTV. In this episode, he sabors a bottle of bubbly in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower (seriously). There's a great intro with him in some sort of rapper-cum-somm getup, then really cool French music before the saboring. Plus, he's wearing pink. (!!) Love it. Other videos show him in cool Parisian locales (e.g. Place de la Concorde, Luxembourg Gardens), so each short is also like a little window into Paris.

Check it out, and apparently he's got a book in the works, too, so I bet we'll be hearing a lot more about him before long.

October 07, 2007

Jude Law As Wino

judelawnot.jpgOkay, okay, so this is NOT Jude Law, but my new pal Sharif looks so much like the actor I couldn't resist. And, as an amusing aside, I actually HAVE had a tete-a-tete with Jude Law once upon a time at a small Malibu bash, although I doubt he remembers me (sigh). But back to this pic - last night Sharif came along with some friends to keep me company (and eat my leftovers) as I tasted through the entire menu at a SF resto where I'll be giving the wine list a face lift in the upcoming months. More on that later, as the list comes to fruition. For now, cheers, and thanks for being a good sport, Sharif!

September 17, 2007

Mendocino Gets Some Ink

mendo_ink.jpgWhoever said hospitality is dead in the wine industry clearly hasn't been to Mendocino. Well, I haven't either (I know, clearly a little embarrassing for someone who gets up to Napa & Sonoma on a regular basis!), but I DID get a great sense for the friendly people and delicious wines of this exciting region at last Saturday's Mendocino By the Bay tasting here in the city. I'll post more on my discoveries - both vinous and lifestyle/travel-oriented - from my regular column at WineCountry.com in the upcoming weeks, but for now I'll leave you with this pic of Mendo man-about-the-vines Casey Hartlip of Eaglepoint Ranch, who shows off his commitment to his award-winning Coro Mendocino wine (very cool story behind this forthcoming) by way of this tattoo. Now that's dedication, ya'll.

September 10, 2007

Snobless Sipping...With Alder!

alder_logo.bmpFor those of you who haven't already seen it, be sure to read the great piece on SF's many unpretentious wine bars in yesterday's NY Times. Even better, SF's own reliable, resourceful and very funny wine blogger, Alder Yarrow of Vinography, has a "starring role" in the article! Wine bars profiled by writer Gregory Dicum include Nectar, Hotel Biron, Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant, and Yield (I STILL haven't been, ugh). Congrats, Alder!

September 02, 2007

Hip Winemaker: Richard Batchelor

rbatchelor.jpgI asked a handful of up-and-coming winemakers, such as Richard of Napa's HALL winery, to answer a few questions about things I thought readers would like to hear about. Read on for Richard's responses, and be sure to check out the Napa Man blog for the scoop on HALL's totally fabulous upcoming collaboration with the one and only Frank Gehry (yes, that means there will be a Gehry-designed winery for you all to visit in Napa before too long).

Interview with Richard Batchelor

Continue reading "Hip Winemaker: Richard Batchelor" »

September 01, 2007

Listen to Courtney at INFORUM's Podcast

inforum_logo.jpgThose of you who keep up with the blog will recall that I took part in a really fun panel discussion called "Hot Young Sommeliers" (I didn't pick the name!!!) held at San Francisco's historic Commonwealth Club not long ago. Author and Emmy award-winning television host Leslie Sbrocco moderated the discussion, and my co-panelists included Christine Dufault, sommelier at the fabulous Quince restaurant, and Mark Bright, sommelier at Oola (and winner of best new sommelier honors from Wine & Spirits magazine at the tender age of 21).

Listen in here!

August 23, 2007

All the Best...for Hip Tastes!

ronda_carman.jpgI'm really pleased to announce that I was profiled this week (with a special shout-out given to the upcoming book launch!!!) on UK-based blog All the Best. Penned by Texas-raised expat Ronda Carman - pictured here, and who lives in Glasgow - the blog chronicles her favorite things, from books to antiques to personalities. She's got quite an impressive global following, and I'm super flattered to be included in her lineup!

Read the interview here

July 30, 2007

Hip Winemaker: Kenny Likitprakong

kennyonbarrels.jpgI asked a handful of my favorite up-and-coming winemakers, such as Kenny here, to answer a few questions about things I thought readers would like to hear about. Read on for his responses, and check out his winery, Hobo Wine Company, if you'd like to taste Kenny's take on the great world of wine.

Interview with Kenny Likitprakong

Continue reading "Hip Winemaker: Kenny Likitprakong" »

July 23, 2007

Hip Winemaker: Ames Morison

Ames_withthief_2.jpgI asked a handful of my favorite up-and-coming winemakers, such as Ames here, to answer a few questions about things I thought readers would like to hear about. Read on for Ames' responses, and check out his winery, Medlock Ames, if you'd like to taste his take on the great world of wine.

Interview with Ames Morison

Continue reading "Hip Winemaker: Ames Morison" »

December 04, 2006

Yes, I'm gloating

Bruinhat.jpg
8 = # of years of trash talking I've endured from obnoxious Trojan acquaintances
4 = # of points we beat those jerks by
1998 = last year I was able to celebrate sweet victory

Priceless = Finally beating #2 team in the nation and - more importantly - cross town rival USC last Saturday

Just remember: you can't spell SUCKS without USC!!!

Ok, back to that wine thing :)

October 02, 2006

You Go Paris, Just Don't Drive

Paris_Aktion.jpgThe Wine Spectator reports that Italian road safety authorities are enraged that hotel heiress and debauchery-prone party girl Paris Hilton is promoting a new Italian bubbly called Rich Prosecco just after she was nabbed for DUI in Hollywood. USA Today counters that the latest in Paris' slip-ups just functions to boost her popularity, and probably won't hurt sales of the bubbly either (may even give 'em a little boost, much as her now famous video did for her own image not long ago). So, which is it - good or bad? Let's weigh in, shall we?

Continue reading "You Go Paris, Just Don't Drive" »

August 17, 2006

POSTCARDS FROM PROVENCE 6:
Pets of Provence

dogonback.jpgOk, I admit it: this entry is totally self gratuitous. Maybe it's because I miss Tasha Petunia. Maybe it's because I'm just a sucker for pets. Regardless, here you have it: PETS OF PROVENCE!!! My sister and I have been snapping some amazing pet pics throughout our travels and really want to share the best of them with you. I assure you: these are the cream of the cream of Provencal pets! That is to say, la creme de la creme, pour vous qui parlez francais.

Continue reading "POSTCARDS FROM PROVENCE 6:
Pets of Provence" »

July 09, 2006

HIP TASTER of the Month: Co-Dogg

JEN_withWine.jpgEveryone, meet Jen Cohen, my long time BFF and soon-to-be Harvard MBA (Class of 2008, baby). There are oodles of reasons she's a Hip Taster, but the main one is that Jen has never, ever turned down an invitation from me to drink some good wine. Heck, I'll even go out on a limb and let it be known that she's enthusiastically downed tons of totally sub-par vino with me (JC - remember that case of Two Buck Chuck?)

And, besides being obviously very bright and an excellent partner in vinous crime, she happens to have a fantastic sense of humor and general joie de vivre that makes her a perfect Hip Taste-r. Check out this very cute pic of her wearing her Harvard sweatshirt and clutching a glass of vino. She's come a long way since the time back in college when she asked me if they "really put strawberries" in a wine we were drinking.

Continue reading "HIP TASTER of the Month: Co-Dogg" »

July 06, 2006

Entourage's Turtle: Secret Sommelier

turtle.jpgWho knew that Turtle, the unofficial "house manager" of the LA mansion housing the stars of this hit HBO show, could sniff out "lead pencil" in a glass of red wine? I almost fell out of my chair when Jerry Ferrara, the actor who plays Turtle, let this descriptor slide during the show's most recent episode, "Guys and Doll".

The best part was that the rest of the guys were totally oblivious - per usual - to Turtle's subtle genious. You see - Turtle's got a lot going on, he just doesn't get a lot of cred for it amongst this crew.


Continue reading "Entourage's Turtle: Secret Sommelier" »

June 13, 2006

Natasha Petunia, Feline Sommelier

allcorkedup.jpgEveryone, I just have to say HOT DAMN I am so excited - my very own kitty cat, Natasha Petunia, made it onto the illustrious stuffonmycat.com web site with this very attractive picture of her all corked up.

For those of you who aren't in the know, the motto of stuffonmycat.com is "stuff + cats = awesome." I couldn't agree more.

Continue reading "Natasha Petunia, Feline Sommelier" »

March 04, 2006

HIP TASTER of the Week: C is for Claire


Name: Claire
Profession: Litigator
Hometown: Visalia, CA

How sneaky of me to feature my own sister as this week's HIP TASTE-r of the week! She's been an awesome help to me in jump starting HIP TASTES Events and has always been one of my best supporters. But, these are not the only reasons she's a HIP TASTE-r.

Continue reading "HIP TASTER of the Week: C is for Claire" »

February 25, 2006

HIP TASTER of the Week: B is for Barta


Name: Barta
Profession: Project Management
Hometown: Danville, CA

Meet Michelle Barta, one of my all time best buds and one of those people almost everyone calls by her last name. In fact, I'm not even sure I've ever called her "Michelle", something that strikes me as a little odd I suppose but makes her a perfect candidate for this week's HIP TASTE-r of the Week.

Continue reading "HIP TASTER of the Week: B is for Barta" »

February 16, 2006

HIP TASTER of the Week: A is for Alina


Name: Alina
Profession: Artist
Hometown: somewhere in the Ukraine

Alina is a regular at my salon in LA, "Nine Zero Two Two", located at, appropriately enough, 9022 Sunset Boulevard. And when I say regular I mean she's often there when I'm there, sometimes just hanging out.

When I brought my much beleagured stylist, Vanessa, a bottle of wine to share while she styled my 'do last visit, Alina joined us in a little toast to Friday afternoon and not being stuck in the bumper to bumper snafoo just outside the door.

Continue reading "HIP TASTER of the Week: A is for Alina" »