The wine country around Solvang, southern California

Fess Parker Winery


And speaking of vineyards, Solvang is also surrounded by more than 125 wineries producing some of the world's best vintages and many accepting visitors for tours and tasting; among of the most popular are half-century-old Firesto

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Discovering wine and more in New York State's Finger Lakes region

Luke Petrinec/Steuban County CVB

As a member of the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), I was fortunate to attend a webinar on the Corning and the Southern Finger Lakes presented by Kevin Costello, president and CEO of

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Saying 'G’Day' to some fine Australian wines

 

 

Some weeks ago, our Southern California Wine Council greeted 2022 with a tasting of five wines from the Land Down Under which are exported to the United States.  Four of these wines are produced by Eight at the Gate in the Wrattonbully wine co

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Prost! Munich's beery Oktoberfest is back!

Holzijue/Pixabay


From September 17 to October 3, the legendary celebration of German beer, cuisine, and culture in Bavaria's capital is returning after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unsprprisingly, it's necessary to make your ar

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A toast to a European beer powerhouse: the Czech Republic!

Jekurantodistaja

Ach, du liebe! It’s that sudsy time of year again, as Germany’s Oktoberfest begins anew later this month. When many of us think “beer”, Deutschland naturally springs readily to mind – and for some, perhaps also Belgium, known

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The climate crisis is hitting the wine industry hard

 

 

A sobering look at how frosts, heatwaves, and wildfires are having a devastating effect on wine regions in various countries from The Guardian. To read, click here.

 

 

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All is bright for Southern California Wine Council's holiday tasting

 

Our Southern California Wine Council welcomed the holiday season by tasting and pairing four whites and four reds from the Livermore Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA), just over an hour east of San Francisco.  With a climate consisting of wa

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Southern California Wine Council greets fall with delectable wines & comfort food

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Rosé and Summer - a perfect summer pairing

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Tasting Italian wines from Italy & New Mexico

Our Southern California Wine Review Council recently enjoyed wines made with Italian grapes from both Italy and New Mexico.  Reviewers were assigned wines and then tasked with creating food pairings to share with the group (we often find food pairi

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Wines deep in the heart of Texas: Becker & Fall Creek Vineyards

Becker Vineyards

It all began when the Becker family began searching for a log cabin to renovate for their Texas Hill Country getaway from their main residence in San Antonio. Inspired by travels abroad where they developed a passion for wines, t

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A dazzling display of Verdicchio by Italy's Garofoli Winery

Garofoli Winery, one of the oldest family-owned winemakers in Italy's Marche region, dates back to 1871 and still specializes in 100-percent single vineyard Verdicchio, a drier white varietal ranging from still to sparkling renowned for distinctive

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2 winning wineries of California's Livermore Valley

I’ve been going to Livermore California for more than 25 years. My sister lived there and worked at Livermore Labs, where a lot of winemakers actually come from. We would pack a picnic and head out to the wineries. Back in the 90’s,  Livermore was

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A southern California wine council gathers for an end-of-summer review

The lovely tropical garden of two of our members’ home in San Diego was the recent setting of Wine Council’s end of summer review of wines.  We tasted a Pinot gris and a rosé from Cameron Hughes and a Pinot gris and a rosé from Mount Beautiful, plus

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A tale of two reds from the USA's West Coast

Southern California's Temecula Wine Review Council, of which I am a member, recently gathered for a food pairing and wine tasting of two red wines, Zinfandel and Gamay Noir, from two wine regions, Lodi in northern California and Willamette Valley in

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A terrific tasting of wines from Missouri

I am a member of the Temecula (California) Wine Review Council, and at a recent council tasting of Missouri wines, I was surprised to learn that the first officially recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA) was Augusta, Missouri, dating back to 1

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The winning wine country of Paso Robles, California

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The lovely, little known wine country of Brazil

        

When even wine connoisseurs think of Latin America and the fruit of the vine, Argentina and Chile of course immediately spring to mind. But to their east, in Brazil’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul, lies a slightly smaller and les

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Ice wine - how sweet it is!

For the most part, we quite rightly associate wine grape production with fairly temperate climates, whether in Europe, North America, Africa, Australia, or wherever. But those few wine-growing regions which can still count on freezing temperatures e

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Celebrating Georges Duboeuf's Pay d'Oc wine lineup

The Duboeuf family has been producing wine in the south of France for more than four centuries, but it wasn't until 1964 that Georges Duboeuf launched Les Vins Georges Duboeuf.

Duboeuf's perpetual quest for high quality grapes adheres to his ances

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