Winery News

Winery events
  •  Vineyard Grant James has just announced their Sommelier series wine classes.   First is with Molly Brooks on February 2nd.  This is an important one because there will be a person of great reknown in attendance -- namely, me!  Second one is March 1st with Lindsay Pomeroy, and the third March 29 with Brigita Williams Rasmusen.
  •  Cougar has it's 5th Annual "Bottle Shock" wine tasting event January 16th, pitting their Italian varietals against Italian equivalents.  Attendees get to vote along with judges.  $75 per person.  Day before they have a showing of the movie "Bottle Shock", complete with unlimited popcorn (and a glass of wine) at $30 per person.
  • Europa Village is running a cruise in the Med, led by their level 3 Sommelier Dr. Doug.  See picture below.
  • Wine club change at Orfila:  Wine club members now get 8 tastings per month rather than the 2 or 4 tastings per visit.
  • ​​Hatfield Creek is running a series of Second Sunday Supper wine/food pairing events with a guest chef.
  • Casi Cielo is now open for private events.  They've also introduced some fruit wines made from, surprise!, fruit they grow on their property.  And the Alpacas -- Ginger, Mary Ann, and Gilligan -- are doing just fine.​
  • Vineyard Grant James is now taking people on a river cruise in Europe this summer (August), with lots of wine!  See winery for details.
  • For those of you who like cruises, the San Diego County Vintners Association is sponsoring a wine-cruise going from New Zealand to Australia.  The trip will run from February 24 to March 8, 2020.​
Wine releases
  • Principe di Tricasse just released their 2017 vintage Nebbiolo.  It is fabulous!  It will sell out very quickly, so get yours ASAP.  I did -- bought a half case.
  • Vineyard Grant James has some new releases, including a Cabernet Franc, their Phoenix (Petite Sirah/Petite Verdot blend), and, much as I hate to admit, a Tempranillo that I actually did not hate.  Also tasted two wines that they will release soon -- the Spanish white wine Albarino and their Zinfandel.
  • On the bad news side, Chuparosa is all out of their Albarino.  Fortunately, they'll be releasing a new vintage soon.
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