One of the most delightful new people I met - virtually, via Facebook in this case - in 2011 is Nikki Nelson of Liquid Farm. Nikki runs Liquid Farm - a 100% Chardonnay project - with her husband in Los Angeles, with the wine made in the Lompoc wine ghetto. She was kind enough to share with Hip Tastes these pics of her "Wine Nerd Wedding" with Jeff, a longtime rep for Henriot Champagne. After the jump, more on their in-the-vineyard nuptials (I so love this pic of them holding grapes in the vineyard, which they captioned "Chardonnay and Us") and the startup label, which takes inspiration from the whites of Burgundy but equally channels the richness and purity of the Santa Rita Hills. Onward, to wine geek fabulosity!

Continue reading "Liquid Farm: Insanely Cute Wine People, Liquid Gold, Santa Rita Score" »

Posted by Courtney at 03:18 PM • Comments (0)

Last week I paid a visit to the affable Steve and Marilee Shaffer at Urban Legend Cellars, their Oakland-based vinous outpost that strikes quite the appropriately urbane mold. I'm working with Steve and Marilee to create the next Hip Tastes blend, a red featuring Amador County fruit to be released March 31, 2012 at a splashy HIP TASTES Event at the winery (mark your calendars!!).

At their website, Steve and Marilee describe themselves as: "Husband and wife, serial entrepreneurs, high tech alumnae, flavor junkies, and, likely, moderately crazy, but in a nice, togetherness sort of way (would that be a folie a deux?)." Check out the Flickr album for more on their technicolor tasting room, cool mechanical pipettes for blending (srsly high tech!), our method and the day that was. Oh, and there's also a pic of my cool new cowboy boots for a hit of fashion flair. ;)

AND: Stay tuned for more on what's shaping up to be quite the exciting collaboration!

Posted by Courtney at 10:21 AM • Comments (0)

Now that there are numerous urban wineries in Dogpatch, a natural wine bar, several excellent restos, myriad catering companies, ice cream and chocolate purveyors (Recchiuti just opened YESTerday) and droves of hungry workers in the area's booming industrial spaces-cum-offices/workshops, Dogpatch has become an "it" 'hood bar none - especially for the gastronomically inclined. Tomorrow, Hip Tasters who come to Mix It Up! (2-5pm @ Sutton Cellars) will get an intimate look at more than a half dozen of these cool neighborhood haunts courtesy of our scavenger hunt, which will take place during the event. What could be better than a social media-powered 'hunt through this sweet emerging 'hood?? PRIZES.

That's right, there are quite a few of these to be had, including gift certificates for prime butcher cuts, ice cream, wine tasting and brunching. Oh, and an art class and made-to-order messenger bag, both of which are valued at a cool $100. Read on after the jump for a bit more on the businesses we'll visit. And, for goodness sakes, if you haven't bought your ticket yet, it's high time! Here's that link, and another to the full Flickr album for the businesses.

Continue reading "Gastro Highs, Cool Haunts & Hot Prizes for Hip Tasters in Dogpatch Tomorrow!" »

Posted by Courtney at 09:43 AM • Comments (0)

I had the good fortune to enjoy a gorgeous mid-July lunch in the Russian River with DeLoach owner and bon-vivant-extraordinaire Jean-Charles Boisset, his affable and talented chef, Michel Cornu, bulldog Frenchie and a few other lucky scribes. The occasion was a tasting of DeLoach's brand new - as in first release ever, the 2009 vintage - Marin County wines. We were accompanied by winemaker Brian Maloney and consultant Dan Goldfield, Mr. Coastal Pinot himself, a real treat. It all got me wondering: what could be more chic for a Nor Cal-er keen on all things local??? Pretty sure you can see where this is going...

Click here to view my Flickr album from the day. After the jump, my fav wines and more on what I learned about Marin wines.

Pictured, on top: Chef Michel Cornu, myself, J-C Boisset; below, I make friends with J-C's mega cute pooch Frenchie (how apropos).

Continue reading "Marin County Wines: The Ultimate Accessories for Your Nor-Cal Local Lifestyle" »

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

Fresh Up: My latest at SF Eater, where I dish on consuming 19 dishes plus food truck fare at last Friday's unforgettable Street Food Fest preview dinner hosted by La Cocina. Before, I hit up nearby Off the Grid for food truck fare - suffice it to say I'm still full, but enjoyed every bite!

Pics:
Moi, "micro-entrepreneur" Azalina Eusope & La Cocina's Caleb Zigas sporting La Cocina logo tattoos
Daniel Hyatt, manager of The Alembic, greeting guests at Off the Grid
Tasty and lovely libations by Rye on the Road at dinner
FULL FLIKR ALBUM

via Eater:
Friday night saw food business incubator La Cocina host a smashing preview dinner at Fort Mason for its upcoming Street Food Festival (Aug. 20). Our very own Courtney Cochran - author of the Hip Tastes blog and La Cocina volunteer advisor - checks in with highlights from the hedonistic soiree attended by some 150+ members of the food media, friends and fans of La Cocina...

click here to read the full piece

Posted by Courtney at 11:44 AM • Comments (0)

This spring I found myself heading into downtown's Da Silvano, a New York institution, for a late weekday dinner. I was with one of my best pals, and another - always late - was making her way to meet us at an unknown time we hoped wouldn't be too late, as we had been instructed to order on her behalf. As I ducked through the door and into a room popping with lively diners, my friend asked if I'd been there before. No I had not, I said, but reminded her we'd enjoyed way too much wine on the patio of Bar Pitti, next door, a couple of years before.

Almost as soon as we'd crossed the threshold, the words "I know you! I know you!" were shouted over the din, unmistakably directed at me by an Italian waiter walking briskly my way. Flummoxed, I was sure this stranger was going to embrace me, which he did, after which I found myself being kissed on both cheeks by the spot's affable owner. My pal looked at me, incredulous. Somehow - though I had never been there before - I was the recipient of one of the warmest restaurant welcomes in history, whereas she was ignored, though she had been to the spot dozens of times over half a decade. Having recovered from the onslaught of attention, I shrugged weakly and simply said, "Italian men. They ALL think they know me."

Continue reading "New York Stories: Encounters of a Vinous Kind (Checking In at Da Silvano)" »

Posted by Courtney at 10:07 AM • Comments (0)

My April visit to NYC was made so much more superb thanks to Buvette. Wine vixen Alice Feiring sent me there, so I've her to thank (her note praising Buvette can be found near the bottom of this post speckled with bottle reviews - but beware some conclusions drawn, Cali Pinot lovers!!). Billed as a modern "gastroteque," Buvette is tucked into a quiet corner of the West Village but has already - no doubt thanks to mucho good press here and here, for example - started drawing major crowds. And while I love love love the simple and delicious plates at Buvette, I love the spot's ethos even more: chef-founder Jody Williams captures just this when she says "we think of our kitchen as a workshop; we think of ourselves as craftsmen more than cooks." With workaday tools and luxe embellishments alike right at home in the spot's luminous interior, it's easy to anticipate the honesty, quality, character and - dare I say it? - craftsmanship coming out of the kitchen. Kibbitzing with Jody about her new boite over a bottle of Bugey-Cerdon (her personal fav at the moment) was just icing on the visit.

Read on for more on Buvette, and don't forget to check out my Flirk album from the visit here.

Continue reading "New York Stories: Gastronomes, Bugey-Cerdon and Bliss at Buvette" »

Posted by Courtney at 02:12 PM • Comments (0)

My April visit to New York was superb for many reasons, some of them gustatory and wine-inclined (more later, there), others more extracurricular. Among the best of the extra's was the exhibition Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt design museum way uptown. The museum itself is a feast for the eyes: a stunning, four-story park-adjacent mansion famously built by Andrew Carnegie, it's worth a visit to see the interiors alone. But the Delaunay exhibit was captivating, in part because it was so visually amazing but also because her story was so nuanced (it helped, too, that there was a diamond exhibit downstairs ;)). In a way, it was the perfect sensorial feast (appetizer?) to prime my senses for a trip to new West Village "gastroteque" Buvette - equally enchanting - the same weekend.

Continue reading "New York Stories: Sonia Delaunay Steals My Heart" »

Posted by Courtney at 10:49 PM • Comments (0)

As you can easily imagine, I was tickled when an expat princess - or some sort of Germanic royalty, for that matter - phoned me up recently and asked if I would like to meet the head of Champagne uberpowerhouse Krug (AKA Ms. Krug). Though I'm short on German words for "hell yes" - okay, downright bereft - I managed to accept and immediately commenced planning my outfit for the interview. I felt, you see, as though I needed to get dressed for the Champagne as much as for the woman. Two things that, depending on how you look at them, are more or less the same thing in this case.



Hey, Champagne: There's a New Gal In Town
Turns out Margareth "Maggie" Henriquez is not your typical Champagne house CEO. For starters, she's not French. But not only is she not French, she is - mon dieu! - Latin. As in, Venezuelan. Though unmistakably elegant, Maggie's is a subdued elegance that probably strikes the insanely-turned-out Parisian women she bicycles past as inadequately outree.

Continue reading "Krugtastic Fabulosity Starts Here" »

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

Last night I headed to newly Michelin-approved (read: starred) SF gustatory haunt Saison to pay respects to the French Culinary Institute as it celebrated the launch of its first-ever Cali branch. More on the location (on the Peninsula) and courses offered here (per Inside Scoop: we can expect more "uniquely Californian" classes at the CA campus that take advantage of local produce, seafood, wine, dairy etc.). And while the school's arrival is great and all, the real news to me is that the FCI - at its campus in NY and SF - has become the first teaching organization to be officially "approved" by the American Court of Master Sommeliers. FCI, in fact, will offer a specialized education program that dovetails with the Court's Certified Sommelier exam, which I took and passed back in 2006. The conjoining of this practical step with a curriculum is a good one. Well done, FCI.

Pics: watch for the inimitable Jacques Pepin, honorary chef/instructor for FCI, and Saison's FCI-trained Josh Skenes, a Food & Wine Mag Best New Chef of 2011 inductee! Congrats, Josh.

See pics from the event here

Posted by Courtney at 10:16 AM • Comments (0)

This just in from The Swill, my beverage gossip column at Eater SF. It's my coverage of this week's Taste of Mendocino here in SF - lots of great pics and insider tidbits on this northerly region. Watch for dish on Navarro Vineyards, Phillips Hill, Trinafour Cellars, Philo Ridge, Elizabeth Spencer, Toulouse, Goldeneye & Roederer Estate. On the food front: Shamrock Artisan Goat Cheese, Mendocino Sea Salt and Seasoning Co., canner/blogger Caroline Radice and Wicked Bon-Bon Chocolatier.

***Via Eater:
Mendo likes to hang its hat on being green--as in, the "greenest wine region in America." The area boasts the greatest percentage of certified organic vineyards of any wine region in the US, so there's some truth to the claim. But let's talk about what else is hot about Mendo: pot and people...

Continue reading at Eater

Paparazzi PS: View my entire Flikr stream from the event here.

Posted by Courtney at 11:50 AM • Comments (0)

The author and my dear friend Caille Millner will soon depart our fair shores for Berlin, where she'll be doing a fellowship for the year. I want to wish her the very best, and to offer my first suggestion for her immersion: find the nearest wine bar, find a few fav pours and send word! I'll be on my way out to visit soon. Warmest, CC

Which means: all of you can expect a full wine-diary-from-Berlin report, in due time. ;)

Snap: This pic was taken at my birthday last year - Caille is pictured here as a guest - by my pal Gari James, whose now-you-see-me-now-you-don't persona makes the shot. Or maybe it's his stylish ensemble??

Posted by Courtney at 11:32 PM • Comments (0)

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. :)

Posted by Courtney at 10:29 PM • Comments (0)

My recent trip to Willamette (gosh, I still can't get over how lovely it is there!) included a stop over at the super cute new Inn at Red Hills in Dundee. Operated by FELLOW BRUIN Kendall Bergstom-de Lancellotti, it's a comfy, wine country-chic sleep spot that couldn't be more centrally located when it comes to touring and tasting. Check out the video (shot by yours truly ;)), which takes you inside the Inn and tours through the Farm to Fork restaurant, Press Wine Bar and the retail space that makes up the heart of the hotel. Enjoy!

PS and click here for a compilation of my discoveries and recommendations following the trip - including itineraries and top wines tasted

Posted by Courtney at 09:44 PM • Comments (0)

"Wine hasn't been big in Oregon's bucolic Willamette Valley for long - in fact, it was only in the 60s that the first plantings were made in what is now considered by many to be some of the most hallowed ground for wine production in the world. With a cool, moist climate that favors Pinot Noir in particular, the region just an hour's drive from Portland has fast turned into one of the most exciting places to swirl, sip and savor your way through wine country. Read on for my top ten wines tasted on a recent visit."

Continue reading at WineCountry.com

TOP 10 WINES
Number 10: 2007 Penner-Ash Willamette Valley Riesling ($18)
Number 9: 2007 Adelsheim Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($32)
Number 8: 2007 Adelsheim Caitlin's Reserve Willamette Valley Chardonnay ($40)
Number 7: 2007 Lange Estate Winery "Three Hills Cuvee" Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($40)
Number 6: 2006 White Rose Estate White Rose Vineyard Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($75)
Number 5: 2007 Penner-Ash Dussin Vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($60)
Number 4: 2007 The Eyrie Vineyards Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Gris ($16.75)
Number 3: ???
Number 2: ???
Number 1: ??? --> check out the article!

Posted by Courtney at 09:45 AM • Comments (0)

Yours truly in the vineyards at Domaine Drouhin Oregon, giving a rundown on what to expect when in Willamette (hint: I'm wearing a scarf in August). It's short, sweet, and meant to be an intro to the other videos I've posted today. Enjoy! The trip was lovely - a full rundown including tasting notes, itineraries, lodging tips and more coming over soon in my newsletter - so be sure to sign up if you haven't already at courtneycochran.com. ;)

Posted by Courtney at 10:38 PM • Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Courtney at 10:25 PM • Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Courtney at 10:11 PM • Comments (0)

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.
***

Posted by Courtney at 01:28 PM • Comments (0)

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.

Posted by Courtney at 01:17 PM • Comments (0)

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!
***
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.

Posted by Courtney at 01:12 PM • Comments (0)

Just back from a whirlwind visit to NYC and thought I'd share some snaps I took around the city. More on what I did and where I went (with an emphasis on wine-inclined activities, of course) in an upcoming column for WineCountry.com I'll post here. Meanwhile, enjoy these pics. I sure enjoyed taking 'em. :)

FLICKR STREAM

Posted by Courtney at 02:31 PM • Comments (0)

Rather like the sexes, Napa and Sonoma sometimes seem worlds apart. Farmers are from Sonoma, people often say, while the technology barons and other members of the monied set call neighboring Napa home instead.

In some ways these stereotypes ring true: I'm yet to spot a Ferrari in Sonoma but am rarely in Napa for more than 15 minutes before one or even two of the slick machines whiz by me en route to brunch at Bouchon or gallery hopping in St. Helena.

But disparate Ferrari populations aside, become a little better acquainted with these areas and I think you'll find they've got more in common than first meets the eye. And, as is the case with men and women, they can even get along alright on the same trip - albeit with a little extra planning and flexibility.
***
Don't stop there! Continue reading my piece on making the most of both counties in a single trip at WineCountry.com

pictured: the historic Rhine House at Beringer Vineyards on Highway 29 in Napa Valley

Posted by Courtney at 01:55 PM • Comments (0)

My latest at WineCountry.com is a fantastic read for anyone looking for an excuse to jet away (okay, drive away) for a one-day trip to the city of Napa. Seriously: there's so much to do there now! And in this economy, we can all use a little fun that doesn't break the piggy bank. Enjoy.
***

With the economy bumping along as uncertainly as the box office receipts for latter-day Lindsay Lohan pics, it's no surprise Americans are embracing staycations in record numbers. An amusing portmanteau of the words "stay" (as in stay-at-home, or near home) and "vacation," the staycation offers Wine Country travelers an escape that's long on pleasure but short on planning and out-of-pocket expenses. And with its convenient location just 50 minutes north of San Francisco, the city of Napa makes an ideal destination for Bay Area staycationers of all stripes. So read on for the low down on top spots for sipping inside the Napa City limits, and click here for more on the dos and don'ts of staycations - including tips on how to make yours a smashing success.

Featuring:
Olabisi Wines
Vintner's Collective
Oxbow Public Market
Gustavo Thrace

Read on!

Posted by Courtney at 06:25 AM • Comments (0)

What's the word? Andiamo! Andiamo Italia, that is. Now through June 24 I'll be in Puglia (though I took the pic in a SF parking garage some months ago - how cool is this plate?!) - that's the heel of the boot for those of you unfamiliar with the place, which the New York Times recently dubbed "the next new Tuscany." Read all about it (and watch a very cool slide show from the Times' resto critic Frank Bruni called "The Heel Is Rising") here.

Ciao for now!

And click the "continue reading" link for pics of my boyfriend (yes, he's Pugliese) and I enjoying one of our first lunches in Puglia.

Continue reading "Sono in Italia" »

Posted by Courtney at 09:21 AM • Comments (0)

WHAT: Bardessono: The New Mecca for Wine Country Luxury
WHERE: Napa Valley

Just in from my column at WineCountry.com:

"Every once in a while, a destination comes on line that not only exceeds the current standard, but redefines it as well. Such is the case for Bardessono, the new Napa Valley resort that combines cutting edge design with the highest standards in hospitality and unparalleled sustainability.

Aesthetic Achiever, Sustainable Star
Open since February 2009, the 62-room hotel, spa and restaurant ascribes to the most rigorous guidelines for LEED..."

Read on!

Posted by Courtney at 04:47 PM • Comments (1)

Hey all you New York readers out there - great news is just about to fall on your winter-embattled doorsteps. That's right, if NY Gov. David Paterson's revenue-raising proposal passes the state's legislature, you'll soon be able to buy wine at grocery stores - just like the rest of us in the 35 states that already allow it. Yay! The move is expected to bring in $100 to $200 million additional in franchise fees each year from merchants, and it should also make wine prices more competitive across the board (note: a slight tax increase on wine will accompany these changes). Your wine buying options will also swell from an estimated 2,400 retailers (liquor stores) to nearly 20,000 as supermarkets come on board with the booze sales. Bravo!

Posted by Courtney at 09:00 AM

Those of us living here know it's been positively FREEZING the past few days in San Francisco, but little did we know it's actually been SNOWING in wine country. Check out these pics of soon-to-be-opened, Gold-LEED certified winery (word has it it'll be the only one in Cali), Cade. A new venture from the PlumpJack Group (Go Gavin & fam!), Cade is slated to open its eco-friendly doors to invitation-only guests beginning in March 2009. Their PR team sent me these snaps of snow that fell on the gorgeous winery earlier today, and I just had to share. Clearly, the Juan Carlos Fernandez/Lail Group-designed facility - which is being billed as "one of the architectural showplaces of Northern California's wine country" by PlumpJack's PR machine - is a stunner. Can't wait to check it out myself - albeit in better weather.

Click "continue reading" for another snap.

Continue reading "Sexy New Winery Dubuts In the Snow" »

Posted by Courtney at 06:17 PM • Comments (0)

I just finished reading one of the best pieces of wine writing I've ever read, in no doubt because it's one of the rare pieces that actually lends real world perspective to wine instead of just playing up the "romance" that's so frequently associated with all things vinous.

In Michael Franz's poignant portrait of South African wine at WineReviewOnline, he speaks frankly - and eloquently, I might add - about incredibly troubling things going down near the cape...,

Continue reading "Like, Get It Together, South Africa!" »

Posted by Courtney at 06:26 PM • Comments (0)

Texas has long been known for many things - BBQ, the Alamo, Dynasty, a fantastic music festival called South By Southwest (to name just a few) - but until recently something the Lone Star State most certainly was not known for was its wine. On the heels of this year's well-attended Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, however, that's all changing.

Continue reading "Under the Texan Sun" »

Posted by Courtney at 04:13 PM

If the flurry of construction that's been underway along the waterfront in downtown Napa is any indicator, the once-sleepy city is on the brink of becoming a major tourist destination. And the Oxbow Public Market - at just three months' old one of the newest additions to the downtown area - may be one of the city's most promising new arrivals. Read on for the scoop on our favorite purveyors in this venue that looks poised to become the next big thing in a whole new Napa.

Continue reading "Oxbow Odyssey: A Taste of the Options at Napa's Newest Market" »

Posted by Courtney at 10:51 AM

The dating life is tough. Take, for example, an unfortunate coincidence that came up between two good friends of mine not long ago. Both ladies were living in Manhattan, working hard by day and - unbeknownst to each other - enjoying romantic dates with same dashing bachelor by night.

Both believed her relationship was "getting more serious," when in reality the guy was more interested in dating most of Manhattan than moving closer to any sort of commitment. It wasn't until said gentleman went on vacation to Brazil and sent both women flirtatious text messages signed, "Kisses from Rio" that they made the connection...

Continue reading my latest article at WineCountry.com

Posted by Courtney at 07:59 AM • Comments (1)

Every time I get back from wine country I feel incredibly relaxed, rejuvenated, inspired and, well, happy. Not surprising given my affinity for the good stuff and the people and places behind it, but I DID find it a little odd to see it spelled out in broad daylight on this last trip.

Check out this hilarious message from an empty storefront just off the plaza in Sonoma's ridiculously cute hamlet, Healdsburg. That the spelling of "happieness" recalls hippies is all-too-perfect for this laid-back spot. (For the record, I've chosen to ignore the darker implications behind "buying" happiness; life's too short to dwell on the dark stuff :))

Can't wait to get back.

Posted by Courtney at 09:55 PM

I'm absolutely certain someone is going to give me grief for this post, but I just can't resist. I went to a fantastic and - I must say - eye-opening tasting of Brazilian wine here in SF last week, where I couldn't help but note that not only were some of the wines quite delicious, a couple of the pourers were extremely easy on the eyes. Exhibit A. I'll spare this guy the grief of mentioning is his name, but he actually poured some terrific sparkling wines and was super pleasant. Check out my full report on my fav Brazilian wines in my article at WineCountry.com.

Posted by Courtney at 12:26 AM • Comments (1)

Time was, a routine visit to a winery involved a few tastes, a brief chat with a bored-looking tasting room employee and an uneventful "tour" of the spot's garish gift shop. Deluxe tours might've involved slightly more animated interactions with employees, the occasional glimpse into a barrel room or winemaking facility and, for a suitably hefty additional price, tastes of "reserve" or "limited release" wines.

But please, people: these cookie cutter visits are SO last year.

Nowadays, not only is it possible to score WAY more personalized perks such as face time with elusive winemakers, you can also go behind the scenes to explore the vineyards and grounds of some wineries courtesy of custom programs they've designed to show off their operations. There's just one caveat: you've got to work for some of these perks... Continue reading my latest article at WineCountry.com

Posted by Courtney at 12:14 AM

Whoever 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.

Posted by Courtney at 05:48 PM

Musing over an impeccably prepared Thai Boxer cocktail in the lounge at Healdsburg's Cyrus Restaurant, I couldn't help but notice a skinny jean-clad hipster type sitting alone at the end of the bar. Were I back in San Francisco, the presence of a mega-stylish patron would be mundane, but the fact that we were deep in wine country made his presence there remarkable, even improbable-seeming. To make matters even more interesting, he was clutching a sleek, futuristic-looking device that made my Blackberry look like a clumsy, oversized calculator circa 1950...

Continue reading my latest article at Winecountry.com

Posted by Courtney at 12:05 AM • Comments (2)

My first trip to the Hamptons was incredibly memorable, but not because of the wine. A college student out from California for a summertime visit, I'd barely landed in scorching Manhattan before I was whisked away to the cushy comfort of the Hamptons, where a stylish bash at a sprawling Southampton estate seemed to fit the mold of many social events I'd attended. That was, until uber-socialite Nikki Hilton struck up a conversation with me and - much to everyone's delight - Puff Daddy began passing around bottles of bubbly at the after-party...

Continue reading my latest article at WineCountry.com

Posted by Courtney at 12:59 AM

Wow, I was surprised to read in The Wall Street Journal that Cordier Mestrezat Grands Crus, a prestigious French producer of high-end Bordeaux, is making wine in a box...with a straw. Well, with four straws per box, to be exact. But what's even more interesting is the fact that the company is apparently launching the box in an effort to reach out to French "youths" (read: people in their twenties), who are drinking less wine over there than ever before. Hello, IRONY: all this, when at the same time American "youths" are drinking MORE wine than any generation before them. What's next, I wonder - a weird inversion of Franco-American youth culture, with American young 'uns sporting berets and carrying around baguettes in search of charcuterie and Nutella crepes, while - frightening thought - youthful Parisians hang out in Cubs caps fiending for "french" fries and hot dogs?

Decide for yourself here.

Posted by Courtney at 12:01 AM • Comments (3)

The transition from urban oasis to wine country outpost can be a bit bumpy for those accustomed to ready access to their favorite, hard-to-find beauty products. Whether your must-have item is a T. LeClerc lipstick or a Kiehl's lip balm (with SPF 4, thank you very much), until recently your chances of tracking it down in wine country were slim at best.

Continue reading my latest article at Winecountry.com

Posted by Courtney at 07:31 AM • Comments (1)

It's a dilemma perfectly fit for the new millennium: Two adventurous young ladies find themselves living in wine country with a hankering for high-end duds made in an environmentally responsible fashion. Problem is, finding so-called "green" high fashion in rural Northern California is like trying to track down a Michelin three-star in Bakersfield...

Continue reading my latest article at WineCountry.com

Posted by Courtney at 09:50 AM

Seems tasting in the North Fork region of Long Island, NY has taken a - how shall I put this delicately? - raucous turn lately. A frightening but hilarious article in yesterday's NY Times talked of antics like naked drunken romps through vineyards and no-holds-barred drinking (er, pounding) in tasting rooms at some of the area's 30 wineries. Call it growing pains, if you will (New York wine country's only just now really taking off as a tourist destination) - I just call it sad.

pictured: my dear friend Kristin, a dignified bachelorette in Napa

Continue reading "Slobs & Snobs R Us" »

Posted by Courtney at 12:41 PM

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)

It's been a bit of a whirlwind since I got back from Sonoma last month, but I've finally found time to put together some more tidbits from my visit. Those of you who follow the blog will recall that I took off for a much-needed "vacation" to wine country after wrapping the first round of edits to my book. And me being me, and my passion for wine being what it is, I naturally found myself at - where else?! - several wineries and even poking around some vineyards during my stay.

Continue reading "In the Vineyard in Cool Carneros" »

Posted by Courtney at 05:27 PM

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)

Earlier this month I escaped to Sonoma for some much needed relaxation. I'd just turned in the final chunk of my book and was anticipating another round of edits when I just thought "why not?!" Or, perhaps more appropriately, "if not now, when??" Besides winery visits and other adventures, I decided to travel home by way of the Russian River Valley and then down the coast on Highway 1. Here are some of my favorite snaps from that journey.

Continue reading "Hip Pics: Russian River & Sonoma Coast" »

Posted by Courtney at 05:30 PM

Avignon may sound like a sleepy town, but there's actually a very cool sub culture there that I was happy to discover with my tasting companion, ole JC, this past summer in Provence. In my reviews of that trip here on the blog I spent a ton of time talking about the vineyards of Bordeaux and the Rhone, but I didn't cover as much of the other side of things - everyday life - that we thoroughly enjoyed in those areas. Here's an initial taste of that, courtesy of a gnarled old grape vine left out on someone's porch on a side street in Avignon, presumably to be taken away with the next morning's trash. The graffiti was a nice touch, I thought.

Posted by Courtney at 09:52 AM

"I think I smell a soupcon of cat's pee in this wine."
"Come again?"
"You know, pipi du chat."

Um, ok. Whatever you call it - cat's pee or the more sophisticated-sounding French version, pipi du chat - there's no getting around the fact that this is one ugly way to describe a wine. I've heard it used to describe the good stuff time and again and have hated it every time. I mean, can you think of a more unsettling way to describe something you're about to drink? But, I must say that when I attended a recent media lunch for Pouilly Fume's Claude MICHOT, pictured here with me, I really felt like the pipi du chat descriptor suited his wine. And that's not to say it wasn't good wine - on the contrary, it was outstanding!

Continue reading "Bring On the Cat's Pee!" »

Posted by Courtney at 12:53 PM • Comments (6)

If I had a dollar for every time I tried a new Gewurztraminer - the varietal popularly held to be "the spicy white" - and didn't find it even remotely spicy I'd be quite a bit better off than I am now. The fact of the matter is that Gewurz, which literally means "spice" in German, isn't usually all that spicy. It's super aromatic, to be sure: I almost always detect pronounced aromas of lychees, flowers and canned fruit syrup, amongst other things, but rarely the token spice I'm looking for. So imagine my excitement when I came upon what I've affectionately dubbed a Gewurz's Gewurz - one that tastes and smells exactly like the varietal's supposed to! Even better yet: this beauty hails, of all places, from little-known Tasmania.

Continue reading "Excuse me, did you say spice?" »

Posted by Courtney at 11:37 PM

A couple of Saturdays ago my sister and I took an impromptu trip to Santa Cruz. It was one of those Saturdays where you find yourself, surprisingly, with some free time on your hands, and so we thought "why not?!" I'd been itching to check out the area, and harvest time seemed the perfect time to do it. All I can say is that we had a simply fabulous time, particularly at very laid-back Burrell School Vineyards in the middle of this mountainous area, where we were lucky enough to sit down with owners Dave & Anne Moulton and hear their personal account of the winery's 30+ year history while looking out over an amazing view and enjoying some delicious food.

* Here we are posing on the Burrell School Vineyards tractor!

Continue reading "Harvest Tales: Chilling in Santa Cruz" »

Posted by Courtney at 07:12 PM • Comments (2)

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

In this last installment from my Postcards from Provence series I'd like to touch on some of the highlights of my trip that didn't make it into other entries, for various reasons. Some are small things, like my opinion on why French ATMs are more sophisticated than ours; some are extravagant and colorful, like my account of hitting the entire St. Tropez social circuit in 24 hours (whew!); and some are so seemingly insignificant you may be wondering why I bother to write about them at all (cue my philosophy on French tans).

Continue reading "POSTCARDS FROM PROVENCE 8:
Je suis bloggeuse!" »

Posted by Courtney at 01:16 PM • Comments (4)

Alright, alright, so it's not what you think! For those in the know out there, Chateau de Beaucastel, one of the most famous estates in France's southern Rhone Valley, is known for having enormous stones in its vineyards.

So large, in fact, that standing amongst them feels sort of like what I imagine being in quicksand would be like. "Like quick sand, but quick stones," is the way the operation's sommelier, Fabrice Langlois, explained it.

Continue reading "POSTCARDS FROM PROVENCE 7:
Stoned at Beaucastel" »

Posted by Courtney at 11:14 PM • Comments (9)

Ever since I arrived at the house here in St. Paul de Vence I've had an intense sense of deja vu. It's probably because I came here and stayed with a French family on the Riviera for a summer exactly 10 years ago, in a little village called Mougins right next door to Cannes. Everything - from the Boules players in the village squares to the yacht-clogged harbors of the port cities to the ubiquitous glasses of rose wine - reminds me of a time past. Fortunately, one slight deviation from the past is that I'm now able to drink much more of the fabulous pink wine than I was permitted to as a teenager the last time around.

Continue reading "POSTCARDS FROM PROVENCE 5:
Extremely Pale Rose All the Time" »

Posted by Courtney at 09:39 AM

Ok, so I know that Bordeaux isn't technically in Provence, but I'm really liking the Postcards from Provence motif I've got going on here so I'll appreciate everyone's suspending their disbelief for one more entry. I'm in Provence NOW, while writing this recap of our fantastic stay in Bordeaux, so hopefully that's geographic rationale enough for all of you.

Speaking of Bordeaux, I was beyond pleasantly surprised at the city and our winery visits. A staunch Burgundy fan who's visited that amazing region several times, I've got to say my expectations of Bordeaux were rather low given its reputation for being a region full of large, corporate-run impersonal estates. I'm happy to say we found the estates - even the big ones, yes - welcoming, the people warm, and the city a surprisingly fun place to hang out. Seriously!

Pictured: us amidst vines at Chateau Lascombes

Continue reading "POSTCARDS FROM PROVENCE 4:
Lynch-Bages, Lascombes & Tepid Tunny In Bordeaux" »

Posted by Courtney at 07:39 AM • Comments (3)

Everyone, meet Rodolphe de Pins, current winemaker-owner at Chateau de Montfaucon, a southern Rhone estate that's been around for just about a Millenium. Davis-educated, world-traveled, and totally down-to-earth, de Pins is in the process of rejuvenating his family's ancient estate and turning out some really excellent wines. In the process, he's beautifully marrying new methods with old locations and philosophies, as evidenced in his outfitting the estate's 500-year-old winery with new equipment and barrels. The result is a totally functional and appealingly harmonious coming-together of old and new, all situated just beneath his family's 1000-year-old chateau on the hill.

Continue reading "POSTCARDS FROM PROVENCE 3
Family Ties:
A Thousand Years Isn't Old in the Rhone" »

Posted by Courtney at 09:32 AM • Comments (3)

"It is a very good day. We got a new tractor and the cicadas didn't start singing until 9AM."

So began our wonderful day at Moulin de la Gardette, a small family-run estate in the Gigondas district of France's southern Rhone Valley about 45 minutes from Avignon. We spent a total of about five and a half hours with Jean Baptiste Meunier, the jovial owner and winemaker, during which time he showed us the grounds, the vines, the winery and the surrounding village before hosting us at a lovely luncheon in the town square. JC and I left with a feeling of total contentment and a conviction that if we are ever reincarnated as grapes, we'd like to be some of Moulin de la Gardette's.

Continue reading "POSTCARDS FROM PROVENCE Part Deux:
Good Vibes & Van Halen in Gigondas" »

Posted by Courtney at 09:51 AM • Comments (1)

Things got off to a very good start today after I disembarked from my red eye from NYC. Amazingly enough, my good pal and travel partner in crime JC was right on time meeting me at the Bordeaux airport, our chosen spot of contact for this leg of the trip. After high fives and mutual congratulations on our improbable promptness, we set out in our rented Peugeot for none other than Chateau Margaux, one of the five illustrious first growths of this great region, and an absolutely gorgeous spot.

Continue reading "POSTCARDS FROM PROVENCE 1:
Blondes Have More Fun At Chateau Margaux" »

Posted by Courtney at 12:35 AM • Comments (4)

I've always thought of wine as the ultimate interpreter. As interpreter par excellence of place, of people, of culture. I think there are other things that also capture time and momentum and the spirit of of an era. Film and music come to mind as the clearest examples of this ability of one thing to encapsulate so many different things cultural and temporal.

But wine, in its abstractness, like art becomes a sort of kaleidoscopic lense to view the world it comes from. What you get from wine, then, is not a pure reflection of things but instead a refracted, reinterpreted and ultimately more adventurous view of reality, one where ordinary things take on extraordinary qualities, and the sum of a thousand tiny influences takes on a new identity at once familiar and totally unique. And you can experience all this in a single glass of wine.

* pictured: Medlock Ames marketing guru Kenneth Rochford, as seen through my glass with the winery in the distance

Continue reading "Through the Looking Glass
The Wine Glass, That Is" »

Posted by Courtney at 09:09 AM • Comments (1)

I visited cult Cab producer PRIDE recently in my ongoing quest to learn more about the somewhat mysterious Spring Mountain appellation. Situated literally on the crest of the Mayacamas Mountains, the range that splits Napa County from its neighbor Sonoma (the break in vines in this pic is the actual county line!), Pride is a bit of a study in dualities. With 52% of its land in Napa, technically speaking, and the remainder in Sonoma, the folks at Pride understandably seem a bit torn between two opposites - the high point-scoring realm of Cult Napa Cabs and all the hoopla that comes with it, and the down-home "aw shucks, we're just farmers" MO of Sonoma-ns.

Continue reading "PRIDE: Split Personality on Spring Mountain" »

Posted by Courtney at 10:41 PM

As an English major in college I was prone to long windedness. Fortunately, they looked fondly on that so long as you got your message across at the same time. Detailed descriptions, colorful but precise verbs and well chosen metaphors were preferred to, say, just saying something. Although a simple phrase like "The woman wept" may have been completely true, penning it as such would never get you Latin Honors at graduation. Instead, you might say something like "having cast off her youthful naivete and accepted that her love would never be requited, the lonely woman wept; in doing so she demonstrated both her vulnerability and her transition to the hard but all-comprehending world of adulthood."

Ok, so maybe that's a little overkill, but you get the point. Along these lines, one of my favorite things about wine is that it, too, can provoke long windedness. And I don't mean the kind that'll annoy your lit professor and provoke widespread eye rolling amongst your companions.

Continue reading "A Long Winded Wine" »

Posted by Courtney at 04:57 PM • Comments (2)

I recently checked in on the mysterious Cain Vineyard & Winery on the same trip that took me to Smith Madrone on Spring Mountain above Napa Valley. I say "mysterious" because, although I've heard a lot about the winery's famous Cain Five Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend, until I was at the winery I'd never actually SEEN a real live bottle of the stuff. It was the much-lauded-but-never-seen wine. And it's bloody expensive. So, you know, I find it mysterious.

And intriguing. So I thought I'd go see what all the fuss is about. Boy am I glad I did.

Continue reading "Rapping & Racking on Spring Mountain" »

Posted by Courtney at 07:33 PM

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)

I recently had the great pleasure of visiting one of the best estates on Napa's Spring Mountain, Smith Madrone. I'd connected with the two brothers who own and run the operation, Charlie and Stu Smith, through Stu's wife, Julie Ann, with whom I recently became acquainted. Julie Ann said that if I was ever in Napa looking for a good spot to visit and taste, I ought to consider her husband's place. When I planned a trip earlier this month, I reconnected and made an appointment. Boy am I glad I did! In going to Smith Madrone I felt like I took a step back in time.

Continue reading "Smith Madrone On My Mind" »

Posted by Courtney at 01:16 PM

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

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

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

His name's not Jim, but Melville winemaker Greg Brewer is about as dandy as they come. I met Greg and his colleague Stephen Janes (pictured, on my left and right, respectively) while at San Francisco's annual gathering of Pinot-philes, better known as Pinot Fest. The three hour tasting featured more than 40 producers of the absolutely fabulous stuff and included, besides Melville, such well known names as Flowers, Marcassin, Domaine Drouhin, and Etude.

Continue reading "Melville to the Rescue" »

Posted by Courtney at 06:47 PM