What A Tasting!
…well I made it home from the Family Winemakers of California tasting event in Del Mar safe and sound, thanks to the Amtrak Surfliner… And what a tasting it was!
We shot lots of video (webisodes will be coming soon!), and met lots of great folks. Oh, and we tasted lots of great wines too! Some of my favorite moments:
-Saying hello to Richard Alfaro of Alfaro family vineyards and drinking some of his wonderful Lindsay Paige Chardonnay.
-Talking to Mike Viheula of Vihuela Winery and tasting their Incendio red wine.
-Saying hello to Natalie from Hall and tasting their always lovely Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet.
-Talking to Craig from Sojourn and tasting some of their AMAZING pinot.
-Meeting the Vanni brothers from the Solis Winery and trying their wonderfully floral viognier-like Fiano wine.
-Talking to Mike from Mantra wines (their Syrah is RIDICULOUS).
-Tasting two great Cabernet vintages from Murphy Vineyards.
-Learning about the rich Napa history of Lail Vineyards from Erin Lail and having a taste of their infamous J. Daniel Cuveé.
-Tasting the great wines of Elizabeth Spencer Wines, deftly poured by Skip from the Napa winery.
-Visiting with Bill from Joseph Family vineyards, and tasting their delicious Cabernet.
-Discussing Cabernet with Keith from Bennet Lane Winery, and when I say discussing Cabernet I mean tasting their flagship Maximus…. WOW.
-Talking with Steve from Justin Winery and drinking some of their incredible Isosceles.
There must have been 1,500 people there and EVERYONE was having a blast. At the end of the day as we collected ourselves and went back to the station to wait for the train, we were joined by a group of happy wine tasters- apparently we weren’t the only ones who had the smart idea of taking the train.
I gave my ticket to the conductor and shut my eyes for a while; with a smile on my face and any wine splashes on my shirt hidden by the black fabric. I raise my glass to the Family Winemakers of California for putting on a five-star event.
