Dover Canyon Winery

'Rare, Reserve and Estate' Shipment

2009-06-15T18:27:33-07:00

As many of you know, in addition to our twice annual wine club selections, we also offer an optional third shipment of 3 bottles chosen from our smallest and most select productions. The 2009 'Rare, Reserve and Estate' shipment includes 2 bottles of our 2007 Reserve Zinfandel ($38), an exlusive blend of westside Paso vineyards, including our own head-trained, dry-farmed estate fruit. Production of this special blend was only 200 cases. This shipment also includes 1 bottle of the 2007 Carmenere ($36) from Colbert Vineyard. Carmenere is a rare grape in the central coast, but this long-forgotten Bordeaux variety thrives in the mistral climate of San Miguel and produces layered wines with overtones of chocolate and garden herbs. Only 50 cases produced. If you would like to receive this special offering or sign up for the annual RR&E shipments, please let us know! We'll be happy to fill your order.

Love is in the Air

2009-05-15T07:00:00-07:00

Katie Zelman sent us this photo of Katie swinging barefoot in her wedding dress on the swing under our 100-year-old black walnut. Although the Zelmans did not get married here, Katie stopped by the day after the ceremony on her way to the beach, where she planned to jump in the surf in her wedding dress. The wedding photographers were in tow, so Katie climbed on the swing, kicked off her shoes, and love was literally in the air.

Bottling Montage: The 2009 March Bottling

2009-05-09T16:17:39-07:00

The night before our scheduled bottling date, the bottling service delivers the "truck"—the mini-factory that will bottle the wine. A courageous driver backs the semi and trailer down our steep vineyard road and up to the wine barn. Early the next morning, the line crew will show up before dawn to run water through the hoses and equipment, sterilize the line with hot water, and prime the fill bowl for the pump which will gently pull the wine into the bottles.

Facebook Top 50 — Dover Canyon is #1!

2009-05-08T07:00:00-07:00

For those of you on Facebook, check out the list of Facebook's Top 50 Blogs on Wine. Yes, Dover Canyon is Number One!! With a healthy lead on all the other wine blogs at this point in time. And I'd like to point out that these are not just winery blogs—the list includes wine reviewers, industry insiders, wine-and-food blogs, and wine travel blogs. In the meantime, we'll be trying to keep our lead by writing regularly, posting photos of the winery and vineyard, adding more videos, and looking at life from our own uniquerky perspective. Thank you for helping us become Number One!!

Charlie's Future

2009-05-06T15:06:34-07:00

Charlie Lepore is a big fan of the Benito Dusi Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel. Charlie, like some other Dover Canyon fans, asked for an opportunity to buy futures. "Charlie, I don't have a program set up for that," I explained. "We do take pre-orders a few months before release." Charlie, however, was not to be put off so easily ...

Mikey and the Farm Cats

2009-04-15T10:10:23-07:00

It sounds like the name of a band, but it's the name of my very first YouTube video. I'd like to say that it's a video about vineyard technique, or cleaning barrels, or bottling wine--but it's not. It's a stupid pet video, and it happened entirely by accident, from start to finish. Somehow winemaker Dan got snookered into babysitting a 9 week old long-haired chihuahua. Inexplicable, but there you have it. So the poor little tyke arrives, unnanounced and unnamed, for a 2-week stay. "I always wanted a little dog," Dan said. "That's not a little dog!" I protested. "That's a ... a... microdog!" And so his temporary name became "Mikey."

WindowWeather.com

2009-04-14T08:53:50-07:00

We are enjoying some gentle April rains, welcome for several reasons. As many of you know, our 2008-09 rainfall is about half of what we normally receive, at just 11" as opposed to our average of 22". Another inch or two of rain will be gratefully accepted in the water banks that underlie our hills, and supply our wells. The cool, cloudy days encourage the ground moisture to leach downward into our water aquifers instead of burning it off as evaporation. And most importantly, this warm, rainy weather means no danger of late killing frosts like the ones we had last year!

Spring 2009 Wine Club Selections

2009-04-09T13:57:46-07:00

We are very excited about the 2007 vintage wines! Our spring releases include three new 2007 zinfandels and one syrah. We hope you will visit the winery soon to try the new wines.

Grilled Oysters, Sushi and Sashimi

2009-03-03T07:00:00-08:00

In January, we had a sushi party at our house. The weather was gorgeous and warm and we were joined by an interesting mix of friends--my son Colin and his friends Marin, Cullen prepared the sushi and sashimi. We were joined by the rest of the winery crew from Four Vines, where Colin works as cellarmaster. Colin's girlfriend Kelly (a waitress at Villa Creek) also brought her family, and my friend Linda Baehr, assistant winemaker at Peachy Canyon also joined the chaos.

Cover Cropping: Naturally Maintaining Soil Health

2009-03-02T13:49:32-08:00

At Dover Canyon, an annual cover crop of rye, barley, clover, pea vetch,and mustard is mown several times during the spring. We leave the mowings on the ground as mulch and green manure to improve the tilth, biodiversity, and moisture-retaining properties of the soil. The cover crop is then tilled under in the summer after it has gone to seed, and the ground is neatly ring-rolled. Bare summer earth prevents moisture competition while the grapes are developing, and keeps the vines warmer. A lack of summer vegetation also discourages gophers. The cover crop begins growing again during the fall rains—the new growth prevents erosion, and by spring provides ready habitat and nectar for predator insects, when many insect pests are at their most prolific. Every spring the composition of our mixed cover crop changes a little, depending on growing conditions for that spring and which plants reseeded most vigorously the previous year. This spring, our early cover crop is an explosion of purple and yellow as mustard and pea vetch enjoy the soft winter rains and early warmth.

CQ3: How will California's drought crisis affect you?

2009-03-02T11:25:31-08:00

Part of our vineyard is syrah, trellised and 'stress-irrigated'. That means we have drip lines installed, but we rarely water the vines, mainly only a gallon per vine just before severe heat spikes—this keeps the vines hydrated and cool, they can continue to transpire which keeps the plant cool and nutrients flowing. Our zinfandel and our walnut orchard are dryfarmed. No irrigation is installed, and the plants rely on natural ground moisture. The zinfandel is also headpruned low to the ground and gives the fruit and the trunk a 360° shade canopy. To date, our vineyard has received only 9 inches of rain over the winter. Ordinarily we would get 22-24 inches. Because our vineyard needs very little water, I am sure it will weather this third year of drought in fine condition. Dan and I, however, may need to go without daily showers!

Rainy Day Reading: Practical Demonkeeping

2009-02-18T14:25:28-08:00

Desperate to ride himself of his demons, or in this particular case a people-eating demon named "Catch," Travis O'Hearn arrives in the sleepy coastal town of Pine Cove, looking for the talisman that will finally allow him to finally banish Catch to hell. The sleepy village of Pine Cove is nestled in a evergreen grove on California's Highway 1. Just north of a college town called San Junipero, Pine Cove bills itself as the "Gateway to Big Sur" as it is the last food/gas/hospitality stop until at least Gordo. Its eclectic and very fake Tudor facades host a main street filled with kitch, art, sculpture and very little in the way of practical goods. Shopkeepers may open at 10, or 11, or after lunch, or not at all.

Wine Berserkers

2009-02-16T12:33:57-08:00

About two years ago, I discovered the small universe of online wine boards. These are forums where wine denizens gather to share tasting notes, arrange offline parties, and discuss all manner of wine topics. For wine professionals, it's a good way to stay informed on customer trends, such as what consumers want in terms of pricing, customer service, shipping, and other issues. I try to check in on several boards at least once a week, and I generally choose one board on which I participate more frequently. My favorite wine forum is Wine Berserkers. It's a friendly, well-moderated board, with a wine subforum, a food subforum, an offline planner section, and a silly section called 'The Asylum' . What makes Wine Berserkers unique is . . .

Abalone's Revenge, Revisited: Cayucos Abalone on FoodTV Monday Night!

2009-02-15T16:43:31-08:00

Our avid readers may remember our article on the abalone farm in Cayucos, California: Abalone's Revenge. On Monday night, the Ocean Rose Abalone Farm will be featured in an episode of FoodTv's new series, Will Work for Food. Brad Buckley, who has managed the ab farm for 20 years, will put series host Adam Gertler to work raising abalone, from harvesting kelp to sorting the mature abalone by size.

2009 Vintage Begins: The Soft Blessings of Rain

2009-02-05T12:43:39-08:00

Our fall and early winter vacillated between warm, springlike weather which encouraged the cover crop, and crisp, cold, dry weather which is subsequently hard on the tender cover crop. The dry weather made it easier for workers to cut canes and clear the vineyards in anticipation of pruning, but we really need water. We were glad to hear the soft patter of rain all night.

2009 Amgen Tour of California

2009-01-14T16:00:00-08:00

For the first time, Paso Robles will be a featured city in the 2009 Amgen Tour of California. Scheduled over nine consecutive days from February 14-22, 2009, the race will once again have a world-class field of competitors, including two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer and seven-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong. On Thursday, February 19, 2009 the fifth stage of the race will leave Visalia and follow a challenging route toward Paso Robles for a sprint finish.

The Season We Call Crush: The Book

2009-01-07T07:07:00-08:00

I am working on a couple of book projects in my spare moments. And one of them is a compilation of essays called "The Season We Call Crush." The book will be a collection of essays divided into three parts: 101 Other Uses for a Vineyard (vineyard and viticulture), The Magic of Crush (harvest and winemaking), and ... a part on wine enjoyment and evaluation yet to be titled. I'll also be throwing a good deal of autobiographical essays, mostly humorous I'm afraid, about learning the wine business, the colorful people I've met, and working in our vineyard and cellar.

Accuvin Wine Analysis for the Home Cellar

2008-12-28T09:51:58-08:00

I recently ordered some Accuvin test strips to play with. These little strips test wine for pH, sugar, acidity, lactic acid, malic acid, and free SO2. They don’t display an exact number, but a "color" that is matched to a range of measurements. I tested some against wines from our production and they were reliably accurate. They’re designed for the home winemaking market, but I also recommend the pH, residual sugar, and acidity test kits to serious wine aficionados.

The Economy and Sound Decisions

2008-12-26T08:56:30-08:00

Our business model is designed to absorb economic shock. When income falls, luxuries like expensive wine are one of the first casualties. This causes a chain reaction—it hits retailers first, so they tighten their belts and buy less from distributors, who in turn buy less from wineries. Retailers and distributors focus on budget-conscious selections, and drop some brands altogether. Brand positioning takes a lot of time and effort, so at this point it’s too late for wineries who positioned themselves as expensive collectibles to drastically revise their pricing and presentation. In times like these, retailers remain loyal to those wines that are affordable, delicious, and reasonably priced. We’re pleased to report that our retail distribution is still strong and that we released the 2007 Cujo Zinfandel ($19) three months early in order to meet demand!

A Letter to Santa

2008-12-24T20:28:02-08:00

I grew up on a Christmas tree farm, and my dad was born on Christmas Day, so Christmas has always had an extra-special place in my heart. This week as I was going through some boxes of photos to make a family scrapbook for my son, I came across a letter I wrote to Santa when I was a long time ago.

Tyler Florence's "Classic Clam Chowder"

2008-12-23T19:00:00-08:00

With rain in the forecast, and Dan gone to Santa Cruz for a few days, I decided to build a roaring fire and make a big pot of heary clam chowder. I used FoodTV chef Tyler Florence's Classic Clam Chowder recipe but with a few adds of my own.

Customer Comments and Reviews

2008-12-17T07:00:00-08:00

I'd like to share some recent comments from our fans and customers. Thank you so much! From Rich Lappo in San Diego: "Just wanted to pass along some props. We had our monthly foodie cook-fest Saturday night. One of the guests this time was a chef-friend that originally trained and worked New Orleans, so he obviously knows his stuff! Among other things, I brought a bottle of the 2005 Tre Noce. There were several "heavyweight" wines during the evening including a 1999 Brunello di Montalcino, 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape, and a 2000 Barolo. Our chef friend proclaimed the Tre Noce his wine of the night and praised it effusively. It WAS really good! Great combination of black raspberry and pepper with a nice but not overpowering heft to it." From John Moon in Honolulu: "Just thought I would tell you that last nite my friend Harry opened a 2003 Dover Hansen's Vineyard cab and it was just fabulous! Still wonderfully earthy and spicy with a beautiful smoky finish...thank you!"

Tom Hill, aka Zorro of Zin, Joins the Pepper Rebellion

2008-12-15T17:03:25-08:00

Tom Hill, known for his stream-of-consciousness tasting notes, is the newest member of the Pepper Rebellion, the secret society of pepper partisans who celebrate and defend pepper and spice in zinfandel. Tom, a self-confessed wine geek, is a computational physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Nevada, doing numerical neutron transport and large scale code development. Tom has been tasting wines seriously since 1971, and has been an early and outspoken proponent of Paso Robles wineries. Other serious passions include competitive sport fencing (foil and epee), biking, cooking. basketball, skiing, backpacking, and mountain climbing. Tom has a grand vision in life of becoming Superman, but has settled for now to just be Clark Kent, a mild-mannered computer jock at LANL!

CQ2: What does it mean to 'filter' or 'fine' a wine?

2008-12-13T07:00:00-08:00

Why Filter? Filtration makes a wine brighter and clearer by removing excess sediment and haze. Some wineries may decide not to filter their wines because they feel that the unfiltered wines taste better and have superior mouthfeel. There is no single correct answer; winemakers decide for themselves what is right for their product. Some of our red wines are filtered; some are not. Our wine labels and our website wine profiles indicate when a wine is unfiltered and unfined.

Tasting Room Bread Recipe: Safflower-Coriander Loaf

2008-12-05T09:00:00-08:00

We've gotten several requests for our tasting room bread recipe. People even want to buy loaves from the tasting room! We provide our fresh-baked loaves strictly as a palate cleanser, but we're happy to share the easy recipe.

Food & Wine: Top Regions, Top Red Wines

2008-12-01T08:30:00-08:00

In the Holiday issue of Food & Wine Magazine, F&W chose just TWO red wines and producers from each of their "favorite" regions—wines and producers that they felt illustrate the best and most interesting red wines from that region. Their choices for Paso Robles are (drumroll, please!)

Porsches and Picnics

2008-11-30T09:25:00-08:00

Every year on the third weekend of October, the wineries of Paso Robles host a Harvest Wine Tour. For us, it is a pleasant break from the routines of crush, a chance to get together with friends and customers. As usual, we fired up the coals and grilled some lamb ribs and duck breasts as appetizers.

Our Goose is Cooked!

2008-11-27T10:00:00-08:00

For Thanksgiving, we decided to cook a goose. Dan stuffed the bird with coarse chopped white onion, carrots, celery, whole cloves of garlic, and fresh bay. The skin was rubbed with grey French sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, then dusted with paprika. The grand old bird also gave us goose frittata and later in the week, homemade goose stock, simmered with more mirapoix (onions, celery, carrots), caramelized onions for darker color, garlic, ginger root, asparagus ends and Italian parsley.

The Ins and Outs of Tank Cleaning

2008-11-25T16:26:00-08:00

The other morning I was cleaning out the last tanks of the season, which involves clambering into the stainless steel tank barefoot by worming through an 18" opening, and then water-blasting and scrubbing the walls, seams, fittings and ceiling of the tank. It's boring but satisfying work. With a water rifle in hand, one's imagination runs toward Star Wars scenarios, so I was gunning down my enemies with the pressure washer. And then for some reason, I began thinking about how other winepeeps get in and out of a tank.

CQ1: Attack of the Drosophila! Do Fruit Flies Ruin the Taste of Wine?

2008-11-24T09:30:00-08:00

Welcome to the first in our 'Customer Question' series. Today's question: Do fruit flies ruin the taste of wine?

Return to Wine Blogging

2008-11-21T09:43:00-08:00

My apologies for the lack of current articles this fall. It's been a busier harvest than usual. First, our harvest was even more time and labor-consuming than usual . . . I have some great ideas for 2009 that I am anxious to implement! We will soon have a Featured Customer series, customer polls, an adopted vine, instructions on how to make your own aroma kit, and other activities.

End of 2008 Harvest

2008-11-19T07:00:00-08:00

Between the late freezes, searing spring heat, and unforgiving Mojave heat in August, vineyards across much of California suffered crop losses of 30% to 50%, sometimes even more. According the wine press, what this means is the quality of the remaining crop was very high. But this is not entirely true.

Just Desserts: Serving Stickies for the Holidays

2008-11-17T07:00:00-08:00

Many people just pour it over some high-quality vanilla bean ice cream with some fresh berries or shaved dark chocolate. But a quality dessert wine is so much more than just a sweet pick-me-up. At the end of a meal, a complex, layered dessert wine is both dessert and digestif, particularly when served with some crisp fruit and mellow cheeses. Some dessert wines, particularly the whites, are mellow enough to be served with roasted quail and other savory treats. During the holidays, a good dessert wine makes an instant course for a quickly pulled together dinner, and can even be used as part of the preparation.

A Great Affair: 10 Steps for Easy Entertaining

2008-11-12T07:00:00-08:00

The key to entertaining is to plan ahead. I have organized wine affairs for almost twenty years—intimate dinners for six, winemaker dinners for fifty, and open house hors d’oeuvres for hundreds. I also love impromptu dinners with family and friends, so I’ve refined my entertaining preparations to the following ten steps, and the most important is number ten—have fun.

Harvest Pizza

2008-10-15T07:00:00-07:00

Homemade pizza is one of our favorite harvest dinners. We start a batch of fresh dough in the bread machine, frequently peppered with herbs from the garden. We let it rise while we finish up on the crushpad, and then collect some heirloom tomatoes and baby squash from the garden, and the last few leaves of basil before a frost. A few vegetables and odds and ends from the crisper, we can assemble a loaded up, homemade pizza that is hot, fresh and quickly prepared.

Gazpacho Cordobes with Chilled Dessert Viognier

2008-10-01T14:00:00-07:00

Chef and customer Ilya Zarkhin promised to send us this link to a recipe for Gazpacho Cordobes which he paired at home with a chilled Dover Canyon 2001 Dessert Viognier "The Terraces." Ilya says, "The freshness of cucumbers and tarragon in the soup will couple nicely with the nuttiness and almost sherry-like quality of the aged viognier dessert wine. Let me know how you like it."

How to Cook Without a Plan

2008-09-17T07:00:00-07:00

We love risotto for nights when we need something healthy, satisfying and comforting. Once you’ve made a basic risotto successfully, you will never need to look at a recipe again. The technique is simple and ingredients can be scavenged from the garden or vegetable crisper. We’ve included a basic recipe for risotto, but we also want to share a few simple tips for making risotto the Dover Canyon way.

The Dover Canyon Pantry

2008-09-15T07:00:00-07:00

During our harvest season, which begins in early September and extends into November, we are hit with a double-whammy—no time and lots of visitors. Harvest, or crush as it’s referred to in the wine industry, involves long hours. Working sixteen hours a day for ten days straight is not uncommon. If fruit ripens all at once, the hours can be even longer, and the weather can be brutal. And on some evenings we may have a group of people hanging around at 7 pm--vineyard owners, other winemakers, family and friends--and we'll suddenly realize they all need to be fed.

Fall Wine Selections Ready for Pickup!

2008-09-12T18:31:33-07:00

As many of you know, we release mainly zinfandels in the spring, and Rhone-style wines in the fall. Which means it's time to Rhone up on your wines! This fall's selection includes a grenache blend, a fabulously silky syrah, and another rendition of the Barbarian, a muscular zinfandel-syrah blend. Each of these wines is a production of only 6 barrels. These wines are not distributed to stores or restaurants.

Yellow Jackets and the Sting Pain Index

2008-09-03T07:00:00-07:00

Yellow jackets are a common pest during harvest. They swarm thickly over the bins of arriving fruit, and explore odd crevices in the winery equipment. Spring through summer, yellow jackets (a species of wasp, not a bee) bring insects, meat and fish to feed larvae in their rapidly growing colony. The larvae in turn, give off a sweet nectar that fuels and satisfies the adults. By late summer or early September, the larvae are all grown and the result is about 5,000 hungry adults. Without the larval love juice, an occasional flower nectar or sip of tree sap is no longer enough to fuel their full-flight metabolisms. They are looking for meat and sugar, which is why they are common pests at summer’s end picnics.

2008: The 'Limited Vintage' Syrah

2008-09-01T19:00:00-07:00

Our 2008 vintage began last spring with killing frosts. Two weeks later, extreme heat waves. The first reports of killing weather trickled out of Napa and Sonoma, where many vineyards lost over 30% of their spring growth and potential crop. Ho, we thought, at least we’re safe. But two weeks later, Paso was also visited by extreme cold, with a heat wave to follow. Although the damage in Paso Robles was not as widespread as to the north, many crops were affected by the frost. Our syrah crop was reduced by about 30%—and that is just the start of this season’s saga.

Recent Mentions

2008-08-26T21:27:07-07:00

Wine with Asian Food: New Frontiers in Taste This gorgeous hardbound book by Patricia Guy and Edwin Soon suggests Dover Canyon sangiovese among the US wines to be paired with rogan josh, an Indian lamb casserole. (Page 70) A wine's fruit, says the authors, should "enfold the spices" which in this recipe include saffron, chilies, ginger, cloves and cardamom.

Are You My Friend? Find us on Facebook!

2008-08-08T07:28:01-07:00

We now have a profile on Facebook. See our mutual friends, check the latest Dover Canyon twitter, get updates on current activities at Cellar Rats, and send us a wine toast or virtual garden plant. I have also posted "TooDooz" project deadlines for the two books I am currently working on. You can ask questions about my books-in-progress or just check up on me to see if I am meeting my self-imposed writing deadlines.

August Pasta Salad and Old Vine Zin

2008-08-06T07:00:00-07:00

And not just any pasta salad. Customer Cheryl Dean enjoyed her husband's creative pasta salad with a bottle of Dover Canyon 2006 Old Vine Zinfandel. On her blog, Wine, Food and Photographs, Cheryl reports: Sorry, no pics of the pasta! I just forgot! And, we ate it so fast, it was GONE in no time! Hubby made a great pasta salad last night: sliced up radishes, cucumbers, red onions, added small tomatoes and GIANT black olives. Marinated it all in an Italian dressing, then added a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese and pine nuts and VOILA! Served with hot pita bread. YUM, YUM! Oh, and some 2006 Dover Canyon old vine Zinfandel! WOW! Here's a pic of the Dover zin!~Wonderful! This crunchy, summery pasta salad sounds like just the ticket for our warm August evenings.

The Tannin Factor

2008-08-05T07:00:00-07:00

Wine is such a mysterious beverage. We sniff it, quaff it, swizzle it, and then come up with all these wild descriptors: cassis, meadow, leather, mushroom. Where do all these elusive aromas and flavors come from? Partly from the grape, partly from aging in oak, (partly from our imaginations) and partly from tannin.

First Big Crush

2008-08-02T09:59:06-07:00

First Big Crush is a compelling portrait of the wine harvest season—it includes all the real experiences, the injuries, arguments, logistical nightmares and hilarity. It should be required reading for anyone applying for or considering work as a crush hand. And if you’re just dreaming of a working at a winery someday . . . this book is a close as you can get to the real experience.

How to Smoke a Duck: Viognier-Saffron Smoked Duck

2008-07-05T08:37:22-07:00

The Fourth of July is a quiet day for wine touring . . . people are usually heading to the beach or the lake with kids and grandparents in tow, so Dan and I made our first cooperative smoked duck. I have used the Weber smoker before to smoke duck, and I have a total of four smoked ducks under my belt (literally). But this was Dan's first time to be involved in the process. Although it turned into a Chinese circus ("You're in charge!" he kept saying. "But I totally disagree with the way you are doing this.") the duck survived in all its smoky, juicy radiance. Our cooperative recipe goes something like this . . .

The Pepper Rebellion

2008-06-15T13:03:00-07:00

Zinfandel is a challenging wine to grow, to produce and to enjoy. It is an intellectual wine, layered and complex, with a fruit and spice dichotomy. It is a winemaker’s wine, full of mystery and challenge . . . and fun. It is the James Dean of wine. Write a brief treatise on why zinfandel is deserving of respect, or in support of its peppercorn qualities, publish it on your website, blog, or an online forum and we will list you as a member of the Pepper Rebellion.

Zinfandel: King of the Gypsies

2008-06-10T10:30:29-07:00

For many years now, zinfandel has been considered the bastard child of the wine world, a pretender to the throne, incapable of elegance or intrigue. Zinfandel is recommended as a pairing for pizza. Pizza! Tomato sauces and rustically charred meat. Wine critic Robert Parker recently said online that blending zinfandel with syrah gives zinfandel a "nobility" it wouldn't otherwise have. I would like to introduce you to the "new" nobility—wines that are a favorite of chefs and gourmands, wines which are intellectually stimulating, vibrant, and satisfying. Wines with charisma, balance and intrigue. In our next post, we will launch The Pepper Rebellion.

Quick Bright Things

2008-05-20T20:32:41-07:00

I learned that our visitor is a long-tailed weasel. She had shiny chestnut fur, a black brush at the end of her tail, a black and white mask and a bright white blaze on her head. Our pretty weasel ran across the picnic area toward us, and bounced around the flower tubs outside the French doors, completely ignoring the curious humans and dog on the other side of the glass. Finding no food, she bounded away toward the lavender and rosemary bank along the driveway, and slid like a squid into a gopher hole.