Winery Articles

26th ANNIVERSARY AMERICAN WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL SERVES UP WORLD-CLASS CELEBRATION FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Wolfgang Puck, Barbara Lazaroff and friends unite for a weekend of food, fine wine and festivities benefiting Meals On Wheels

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 24, 2008 – It’s the epicurean event of the year. The one place that puts world-class chefs at your service for a weekend of delectable dishes, superb libations, fantasy auction items and amazing entertainment. The 26th Anniversary American Wine & Food Festival (AWFF) returns to Los Angeles for a star-studded gathering benefiting the Los Angeles Chapters of Meals On Wheels.

Kicking off Friday, September 26, the weekend of festivities features three spectacular events, an estimated 40 celebrated chefs, and fine wine and spirit purveyors. For the second year, AWFF will start the weekend with the sizzling Red Hot @ Red Seven party at the Pacific Design Center. Saturday, internationally renowned chefs serve palate-pleasing plates at the signature AWFF event on the Universal Studios’ back lot. The Chefs Grand Tasting Dinner wraps up the weekend with an exclusive dinner event at Spago Beverly Hills Sunday evening.

Tickets for all three events go on sale July 1. Last year’s events sold out, so be sure to mark your calendar! Please visit www.AWFF.org for tickets, sponsorship opportunities and Festival details.

Red Hot @ Red Seven
Date: Friday, September 26, from 7 to 11 p.m.

Location: Red Seven by Wolfgang Puck

A new event added to the line-up last year, Red Hot @ Red Seven kicks off the AWFF festivities. Set at Wolfgang Puck’s chic West Hollywood restaurant Red Seven, this searing hot celebration open to the public draws in Hollywood’s hottest for a night of spectacular beef, smooth wine & spirits and sizzling musical entertainment. With the ambiance of the Pacific Design Center’s famous fountains blazing red, this truly is a night to remember.

Taste delicious morsels of mouth-watering beef served by Red Seven, CUT and sidebar Beverly Hills, CUT and sidebar Las Vegas, Lawry’s The Prime Rib, La Brea Bakery and more.

Red Hot @ Red Seven tickets are available through the Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation for $150 per person, parking is included. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.AWFF.org.

American Wine & Food Festival

Chefs Grand Tasting Dinner

About the American Wine & Food Festival

Since its inception in 1982, the Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation has supported the American Wine & Food Festival, raising more than $14 million for the Los Angeles Chapters of Meals On Wheels. This organization serves thousands of meals each day to Los Angeles’ homebound senior and disabled citizens.

As a result of their efforts on behalf of Meals On Wheels, the Austrian-born Puck, renowned for feeding Hollywood glamour at the annual post-Oscar extravaganza, and leading restaurant designer Lazaroff, are also celebrated for their philanthropic spirit.

Participating Chefs (To Date):

Alex Stratta, Gino Angelini, Robert Del Grande, Mark Peel, Luis Diaz and Rene Mata, Tom Colicchio and Matt Accarrino, Ari Rosenson, Matt Hurley, Dean Fearing, Frank Ostini, Paul Prudhomme, Lydia Shire and Mario Capone, Cal Stamenov, Nobu Matsuhisa, Michael Mina, Michelle Bernstein, Nancy Silverton and Matt Molina, Joachim Splichal, Francois Payard, Julian Serrano, Michael Tusk, Jimmy Schmidt, Matt Bencivenga, Richard Reddington, Roy Yamaguchi, Sam Choy, Kerry Heffernan, Sherry Yard, Lee Hefter and Thomas Boyce.

Participating Vintners (to Date):

Ancien Wines, Au Bon Climat, Bakerlane Vineyards, Beckman Vineyards, Beringer Vineyards, Bernardus Winery, Bonaccorsi Wine Company, Bonny Doon Vineyard, Chalone Vineyard, Cielo Malibu Estate Vineyards, Cobblestone Vineyards, Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., Dr. Loosen, Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery, Frank Family Vineyards, Hendry Wines, Havens Wine Cellar, J. Jacaman Estate Wines, Justin Winery, Kalin Cellars, Laetitia Vineyard & Winery, Lancaster Estate, LIOCO Wine Company, Malibu Family Wine, Melville Vineyards & Winery, Miner Family Vineyards, Peju Province Winery, Pride Mountain Vineyard, Qupé Wine Cellars, Raymond Vineyard & Celler, Rosenthal-The Malibu Estate, Summerland Winery, Whitcraft Winery

Event Sponsors (To Date):

MasterCard, Southern California Gas, Belvedere Vodka. Barilla, La Brea Bakery, Patrón Tequila, American Airlines, Republic Master Chef, Integrated Transportation Services, Southern Wine & Spirits, Classic Party Rentals, Mansour Travel, Clear Channel Outdoors, EvansHardy+Young, Jacob Maarse, Universal Studios, Fiji Water, Moët-Hennessy, Idaho Potato Commission, Wolfgang Puck Coffee, KJAZZ 88.1 and Acteva Online Ticketing.

This article is a high high level overview about making wine and wine processing. It is mostly from the point of view of the consumer making their own wine. Apparently now people can go to a local wine processing place and create their own wines. This is already rather popular in the beer industry where consumers can make their own beer. You get an idea of what you should consider and what you would need when you are going to make your wine. Read on for more!

Tags: make wine - wine processing

For many people, wine is the elixir of life. It has depth, beauty, complexity, and it requires craftsmanship and exacting standards to produce. The process of making wine involves a heritage that has evolved through the centuries, and today this results in a wide of choice for consumers. We can enjoy deep, complex red wines that have been aged for years, or light, fresh whites that are new and meant to be consumed young.

Today, even the casual consumer can purchase or make affordable and delicious wine. It is the potential to make wine one's own that we are discussing today, since it brings easy-to-make, affordable wine to a multitude of people who enjoy the craft as well as the finished product. The industry which enables this has grown from a cottage industry to a full-fledged consumer product producer with many competitors. This competition has been good for the consumer, as companies fought for market share by creating a variety of new offerings and improving the quality and user-friendliness of the kits needed to make wine. Innovation and quality have been the hallmarks of the leaders in the industry, and the top kit makers guarantee the results of their products.

As an individual, making quality wine offers more choices and is easier than ever before. With today's top-notch kits and the easy-to-follow instructions that come with them, any adult can craft fine wine.

The Process

The first step is to ensure you are buying quality ingredients; juice or concentrated juice sourced from reputable wineries, additives packed with care and little or no sugar added. Essentially, the steps involving missing the original ingredients and adding yeast, which will begin (and complete) the fermentation process. Other enhancements may be made during the process, such as the addition of oak or other flavor enhancements.

You will need a set of basic fermenting equipment, which is generally sold in kit form as well, just like the initial ingredients required. Once the fermentation is complete, you will then take steps to clear your young wine, and at the desired time, you will bottle it. Each step is well laid out in your kit instructions, and there are tools available to help with each of the manual labor steps, such as filtering and bottling. At the end of the process, you will have crafted approximately 30 bottles of your choice of wine, at a fraction of the price for similar wines at retail. Most home winemakers take great pride in their wines, and these days the quality and innovation behind the kits makes their friends and family want to share!

Speaking of Innovation...

The latest innovation in the home winemaking industry is in-store wineries. For a fee, customers can now process their wines using state-of-the-art winemaking facilities in their local wine store. There is no equipment to buy" from mixing to bottling, all equipment is available in the winery and the wine itself goes through the process in-store. While not all wine kits stores offer this service, it is a growing trend and those that do are reaping the benefits of loyal and happy customers.

This article is brought to you by Wine Kitz Moncton, a full service wine kit store in beautiful Moncton, New Brunswick.

Shauna Arthurs is a writer, business owner and investor who is passionate about helping others achieve financial freedom and pursue their dreams. She owns and contributes to a network of websites and blogs dedicated to this passion, including Follow Your Path and Women & Money.

This is a great article on the Temecula Balloon and wine festival that is held annually in southern California. It gives a brief history of the festival, what goes on at the festival and covers the history of the Temecula festival. It's a big event and nationally recognized, so if you are planning to be in the area in May during that time, it's worth a swing by to check it out and experience. It has become a great way to showcase the wineries of Temecula.

While the Temecula Balloon Festival allows you to take advantage of the open skies, many locals and visitors to this popular annual event prefer watching the majestic balloons take to flight with their feet planted firmly on the ground. The colorful displays of hot air and steady baskets are usually considered the most unforgettable part of this Southern California celebration, but there are most certainly plenty of other things to keep your attention just as well.

There is definitely something for the entire family when paying a visit to the Temecula Wine and Balloon Festival, which presents the refreshing blends of chardonnay and merlot; sweet treats; kid friendly activities; and music that easily energizes the soul. In the end, participants and visitors leave with extraordinary fun on their mind and cherished memories tucked inside their pockets.

Brief History of the Temecula Balloon Festival

In 1983, the first Temecula Balloon Festival entertained the masses with the vision of commercial airline pilot and balloon enthusiast, Walt Darren and the help of event organizer and fund raiser, Evelyn Harker. A combination of wine tasting, entertainment, and other culinary delights was all the Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival needed to attract the public.

In the beginning, only a few wineries and vendors participated, but the coming years would soon see various venue changes and musical performances, such as the Beach Boys and the Coasters.

Event Details

Before you can enjoy entrance to the Temecula Balloon Festival, tickets are required. There is no need to worry about purchasing your admission early, as there are plenty to go around and no one is turned away. Participating locations about town can provide you with festival tickets if you do not want to wait for the entrance ticket booth. Typically, the cost for entrance into the Temecula Balloon Festival is between $15 and $18 for adults, which generally depends on the day of attendance. Other ticket prices will see children (ages 7 to 12) pay $5, whereas kids under the age of 12 are admitted free of charge.

With the price of admission, guests will enjoy all of the basic features of the festival (with the exception of food, beverage, and other outside purchases). Event features typically include:

Balloon Launches

When the weather allows it, hot air balloons will launch into the air around 6:30am and touch back down to earth about 8:30am. The excitement of soaring through the air in a pre-arranged balloon ride is made possible with an advance reservation.

Wine Tasting

Wine and beer are served at booths situated in the main stage arena or at the location of the wine garden. In the past, enjoying seven chances to wine taste, as well as take home a souvenir glass cost only $15.

Food Court

The Temecula Balloon Festival is also filled with a collection of treats that will bring you back to memories of childhood enchantment and amusement park dreams. Hot buttered popcorn, invigorating scoops of ice cream, and a variety of culturally diverse dishes (including Mexican, Chinese, Italian, and Greek cuisine) are more than willing to appease your appetite.

Kids Faire

As for the younger guests that attend the Temecula Wine and Balloon Festival, a section to call their own greets kids under the age of 14. Inflatables, rock climbing wall adventures, friendly faces at the petting zoo, face painting transformations, and other child friendly outlets are just some of the things typically available. Parents should keep in mind that some of these entertaining activities for the kids may require a small fee to enjoy.

About the Author

Rikki Quay supplies locals and visitors with great suggestions and detailed information on exploring the ins and outs of Temecula, Southern California by continuously updating her site with information on attractions, accommodations, singles, weddings, wineries, and real estate. To learn more about this Southern Californian gem, please visit her website at best-temecula-guide.com.

Apparently, the Charlston food and wine festival has been a success. This is the 3rd year it has been running and it had over 13,000 guests in attendance. This isn't as big as some of the other wine festival events such as the Aspen Wine Festival, or the South Beach Wine Festival, but they are making a name for themselves in the south east.

They were actually able to attract media from all over the country, and 47% of the people in attendance came from outside of Charleston, a good stat to have for a wine festival.

To catch this event next year, it is scheduled for March 5-8, 2009. Buy your tickets early in August of 2008.

Tags: food and wine festival - charleston - wine - festival

Looking for winery tours? Here is some info I received from a new wine and vineyard tour company in New York.

LI Vineyard Tours is happy to announce that we will be offering trips to the East End of Long Island, NY to visit 3-4 Vineyards, twice a week.

Pick up will be at the Freeport Recreational Center on Merrick Road in Freeport, NY. All fee\'s are $55.00 dollars per person and does not include tasting fee\'s at the vineyards. All trips to the Vineyards will leave at exactly 10:00 a.m. and return at 6:00 p.m. later that evening. Tickets are to be be purchased in advance and will run for a 13 week period every Monday & Tuesday. All Reservations for Wine Tours must be called in advance.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express & Cash. No checks or Money Order\'s will be accepted at pick up.

For Further information please call (718)-WINE-TOURS / 718-946-3868 www.LIVineyardTours.com

LI Vineyard Tours is an associate member of the Long Island Wine Council, an associated member of the New York Wine Council, The Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Long Island Conservation & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission. We can also are be found on the I Love NY website, LongIslandExchange.com & LongIslandTourism.com websites & The Wine Press ( The official guide to Long Island Wine Country ) We are extremely professional and our pricing is fantastic !!

The Epcot Food and Wine festival is an experience in itself that requires an entire day. The festival remains with the theme of Epcot, where you can experience the wines and foods from around the world. I myself didn't have a chance to experience the entire festival as I didn't get there early enough, but I did make it about 3/4 of the way through.

I was able to experience food and wines from Peru, Canada, France, Oklahoma, England, Japan, Australia, Germany, California, Greece and Italy. There were other countries that I didn't have a chance to get to unfortunately.

There were actually 2 different ways to experience the food and wine festival at Epcot. The first way would be the standard Epcot experience, where you would walk around the park and stop at the different countries of your choosing and pick the food and wine you would want to experience.

The 2nd way would be to purchase a special food and wine festival pass that would allow you into a building where you could eat and drink all the food and wine from the entire festival that you could handle. If I were to attend the food and wine festival again, I would do it this way. I would come early in the morning, and stay all day. Of course it would be best to come with a designated driver in either case.

All in all, the Epcot food and wine festival is an experience I would certainly have again, as it allows you to experience different kinds of food and wine on a grand scale.

Tags: epcot food and wind festival - wine festival - epcot - food - wine

This is a good article that will really give you some insights on how wine tasting rooms operate and what kind of experience you can have in them. This is article is fairly extensive and pretty much gives it all (save the few odd setups, or "rules"). I learned some things from this article, granted, I don't go to tastings much, but it was still useful.

Most tasting rooms are similar in the way they operate. When entering the tasting room, a tasting room staff member will greet you. Walk up to the tasting bar and say you would like to taste some of the wines. Some wineries charge for tastings and others do not. Occasionally a souvenir glass is included when you pay a tasting fee. You may have a choice to taste all the wines you would like on their list, or to choose a certain number of wines to taste, such as five wines.

Let the winery consultant guide your tasting. We have experienced consultants who pour the wine and tell us what we are about to smell and taste. Others will ask us what we observe about the wines. However, the latter is less frequent. There is a certain risk that winery staff takes if they ask your opinion. I recall a look of disappointment when one tasting consultant asked me what I thought a wine tasted like and I replied, "Leather." The consultant thought it tasted like coffee. I do not drink coffee and now I have a sneaky feeling that it must taste like leather.

If you go to a tasting room on a less busy day (usually in the middle of the week), you will enjoy the opportunity to talk about the wine, winery and vineyards. Most tasting room staff members are knowledgeable about the wines they are pouring. A mere one percent of the wineries we have visited had a staff member who admitted that he just helps on the weekend and pours the wine. He told us he did not know anything about the wines he was pouring.

Most of the time, you will stand at the tasting bar. Some tasting rooms have bar stools next to the tasting bar. This is a very welcome addition if you are tasting at your third winery of the day. Some wineries use tables for wine tastings. At McGregor Vineyard and Winery along Keuka Lake in New York, you will sit at a table. The wine consultant will bring a plate of bite-sized food and will discuss the wine list with you. We also had a "sit down and be served" experience at Gloria Ferrer in California.

The "sit down at a table" theme continued at Schramsberg in California. After a tour of the caves at Schramsberg, the tour group gathered in a small dining room that had three tables set for a group of people. Our tour filled two of the tables. The wine consultant talked about the sparkling wines and then served us at the table. This afforded a great opportunity to talk about the wine with the other people at your table. This intimate approach occurred after group tours at Pine Ridge Winery and Quintessa in California.

Occasionally the winemaker will be on hand and may give a tour and conduct your tasting. Our most memorable tour was at The Lenz Winery on Long Island in New York. The winemaker had us taste his wines from the stainless steel tanks. He asked us what we thought and more often than not agreed with us. His tour proceeded to the barrel room and with thief in hand had us taste the wine from some of the barrels. Tasting wine from the barrels or tanks can give you an idea if the wine is ready or what more aging will do to it. The winemaker at Prince Michel Vineyards and Winery in Virginia has special barrel tastings. He discusses his wines and the stage they are at when you taste them.

One of our favorite tastings was during the tour at Del Dotto Winery in California. The tour led our group through the over one hundred year old candle-lit tunnels. Our guide stopped along the way and had us taste wines from the barrels. If we liked the wine, we took a ticket attached to the barrel. After the tour, we could order any of the wines we tasted. The wine would be bottled and shipped to many destinations.

Visiting winery tasting rooms is a great activity. Try to limit the number of tasting rooms you visit in one day. We try to visit two or three in a day. Tasting rooms are less crowded on the weekdays. Call ahead or check their times on the Internet before you start your adventure.

About the Author

Terry Sullivan is a retired educator and wine enthusiast who designed the website Wine Trail Traveler. He looks forward to relating his travels about wineries to website visitors. Wine Trail Traveler also offers educational modules and wine recipes.

Tags: wine tasting room - wine tasting - wine tour

Nice article about the wineries in the Paso Robles wine country area of california. These wineries give the wine visitor the feeling they are in tuscany. The world class hotel in the area makes for a nice stay for a tour of the region. The 80 some wineries in the area will certainly give the most adventurous of winery explorers a variety to experience.

If you're a wine lover, you no doubt have imagined visiting Tuscany where you'll spend days soaking up sun-drenched scenery and nights enjoying your charming villa.

Now imagine driving just a few hours from Los Angeles or San Francisco and finding much of the same experience. The Paso Robles Wine Country is fast becoming just such an alternative for sophisticated travelers who are often surprised to find such an exquisite getaway so close to home.

To be sure, Paso Robles is not going to become a world-class destination like Tuscany anytime soon – instead of well over a thousand wineries in Tuscany, you'll find just about 80 in the Paso Robles area. And the overnight accommodations in the immediate area are limited compared with, say, the Napa Valley. Still, there are many inns and lodges within an hour's drive in places like Cambria, Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo and, of course, the nearby Pacific coastline is an attraction all of its own.

Happily we discovered the perfect complement to touring the local wineries – an extraordinary hotel called the Carlton that has just been completely refurbished and re-opened for business in March 2005. This hotel is located in the heart of the wine country, taking up the better part of a city block in quaint downtown Atascadero. The town of Atascadero is simple and laid back, so the upscale hotel almost seems out of place.

The Carlton Hotel is a "boutique" hotel, capitalizing on the growing popularity of boutique lodgings both in major cities and – with the Carlton as a case in point – sometimes out in the hinterlands. The term has come to symbolize luxury and a higher level of personalized service than many larger hotels. Like the Carlton, most boutique hotels pay a lot of attention to detail and target business travelers as well as affluent leisure travelers.

The Carlton originally opened in 1929 and was a magnet for celebrities such as Jack Benny, Bette Davis, Fred McMurray and Dick Powell. The aging hotel was recently renovated by local entrepreneur David Weyrich with the idea that it would reclaim its past glory by creating 52 individually designed guestrooms with such features as marble bathrooms, deep whirlpool baths, oversized bath towels, high thread-count cotton sheets – well you get the picture.

From the moment we walked into the hotel, the feeling was more like a swank downtown San Francisco hotel than a country inn. Our guestroom seemed regal – period furnishings decorated the spacious interior while the luxurious draperies and bedding added to the upscale feeling. An oversized bath area offered both the whirlpool bath and shower and a dressing area larger than most. In summary, the Carlton has added the special touches that separate the "nice" hotels from the truly "luxurious" lodgings.

But we digress. The hotel was a pleasant surprise for us, but visitors come to Atascadero and nearby Paso Robles mainly for the stunning combination of wineries and picturesque scenery. We explored the rolling hills of both aras, finding wineries of all sizes. We probably are a bit unusual – we enjoy just visiting the wineries and chatting with the winery employees and do not make a point to taste in every winery we visit. But we did taste a few and found that the wine tastings were often free compared with other regions we've visited where every winery charges for the service.

Local winery maps will help you quite a lot as you seek out the wineries – actually they are something of a necessity considering the rolling hill topography and many country roads. Our preference was to read through the local winery guidebooks and pick out wineries that seemed especially interesting – then go directly to those. Perhaps it would be more efficient to start driving and just stop at the wineries on your way. Either way, there are wineries here of all sizes, from larger corporate entities to Mom and Pop operations that are little more than a spare room with a few wine vats.

One of the smaller wineries we visited was the Casa de Caballos Vineyards where we talked with Scott Tobin, son of the winery's founder Dr. Thomas Morgan. While in residency at the Orange County Medical Center, Dr. Morgan experimented with fruit and berry wines as a hobby. Originally he and his wife, Sheila, just made enough wine for themselves and friends but it soon became apparent that they couldn't drink all that they produced. This winery has now grown from an acre to six acres of grapes and, when you visit, you'll get a bonus: it's also part Arabian horse farm, satisfying one of Sheila's lifelong passions.

Over at Turley Wine Cellars, visitors get a chance to taste what has become a "cult wine" – a wine that is in limited supply and often higher priced than many competitors. We learned that Turley, which produces wines elsewhere in California, bought the old Pesenti Winery in 2001 because David Turley wanted the 80-year-old Zinfandel vines on the property. The winery does small batches of 3,000 cases or so for each of its vineyards, creating an excellent variety and high demand for the product.

When we stopped at Wild HorseWinery, pourer Kyle Coots was more than willing to talk with us about the growing demand for the Wild Horse products. The winery started about 20 years ago and has grown to be one of the top producers on the Central Coast -- seven different wines altogether. Tastings at the Wild Horse are free.

On a previous trip we stopped by EOS Estate Winery just east of Paso Robles on Highway 46, where we watched 82-year-old Stan Meltzer put on what amounted to a clinic on Paso Robles wines. Meltzer's been doing this for 16 years and he was not reluctant to share is expertise and opinions with visitors:

"Certain wines do a far better job of cleansing the mouth for the most important thing – the next food," Meltzer explained. "When you bother to cook something eclectic – using herbs and spices and so on – and all you taste is the wine, then you've worked hard for nothing. You've overmatched your food."

Meltzer calls himself a wine "purest" because he closely matches his wines and foods. For example, the red zinfandels so prevalent in the Paso Robles area are best served with stews, pasta sauces, barbecue, French country chicken – Meltzer offered a long list of options, giving his visitors plenty of food for thought.

After a day of scenery and wine education, we drove back to the Carlton for dinner. As part of the renovation, the hotel has added the fine dining signature restaurant of diVINE, which was closed during our Monday visit, and the Carlton Restaurant and Grill. The latter proved to the perfect conclusion to our day in Wine Country – it's a stylish restaurant with heaping portions of gourmet-style cuisine ranging from steaks to seafood dishes, from sushi to wood-fired pizzas. This closed the deal for us on the Carlton – this hotel definitely is a prime spot for couples who want a romantic weekend in Tuscany but may have to settle for A-Tuscany-dero.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Atascadero is midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco along the Central California Coast. The city has several wineries of its own and is minutes away from wineries in Templeton and Paso Robles.

WHAT: The Paso Robles Wine Country is not as well-known as Napa, but coming on strong. In addition, San Luis Obispo County has great beaches and scenic seaside villages.

WHEN: Year-round.

WHY: The area is easily accessible from L.A. or San Francisco and offers some of California's best coastal scenery.

HOW: For more information on Atascadero and Paso Robles area wineries, phone the Atascadero Chamber at 805-466-2044 or visit www.atascaderochamber.org. For more information on the Carlton Hotel, phone 805-461-5100 or visit www.the-carlton.com. For more information on San Luis Obispo County, phone 800-6734-1414 or visit www.sanluisobispocounty.com.

Cary Ordway is president of Getaway Media Corp which publishes websites focused on regional travel. Among the sites offered by GMC are CaliforniaWeekend.com, focusing on California travel, and NorthwestTravelAdvisor, featuring Pacific Northwest travel destinations.

Tags: paso robles - tuscany - napa valley - carlton hotel

Napa Valley, California - September 27, 2007- Beaucanon Estate releases their 2007 Sauvignon Blanc--a mineral wine with blends of citrus, floral aromas and of tropical passion fruit, mango and kiwi flavors.

Produced at Beaucanon Estate in the heart of Napa Valley, the Sauvignon Blanc Bordeaux-inspired blend is sourced from premium grapes grown on the hillside vineyards of High Valley.
Beaucanon Estate wines are born of a family tradition spanning seven generations and are produced by Winemaker Louis de Coninck, who has cultivated a rich background in winemaking over the past 22 years. Following in his forefathers’ footsteps, de Coninck is known for working hard to make all his wines taste earthy, elegant and rich with quality.
This year’s Beaucanon Estate 2007 Sauvignon Blanc is an extremely versatile and drinkable wine and has the capacity to go with seafood and white meats such as chicken, veal, turkey and pork and will hold up nicely to herbal preparations (thyme, rosemary, basil, tarragon, and coriander). This wine has vibrant mineral and fruity flavors that compliment spicy and ethnic cuisines, as well as traditional French fare.
“Our family has always worked to make high quality wines, with the latest vineyard, and fermentation techniques. We knew the quality of this Sauvignon Blanc was impressive when tasting it during fermentation,” said Chantal de Coninck.
Beaucanon Estate is owned by the de Coninck family which has been in the wine business since 1740 in Bordeaux, St Emilion. Expanding by buying their first Napa Valley vineyard in 1987, Beaucanon Estate now has 203 acres spread throughout Napa and St. Helena. Currently the California winery is owned by the Jacque de Coninck family and managed by Chantal and Louis de Coninck.
The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc is one of ten wines Beaucanon Estate produces and will be available for shipment on November 15th 2007.
2007 Sauvignon Blanc Suggested Retail Price $20.00
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Release Date: Available November 15th 2007
Fruit was sourced primarily from vineyards in the cool climate areas of High Valley. Citrus and floral aromas and flavors of tropical passion fruit, mango and kiwi. The wine was 50% barrel, 50% stainless steal fermented and was aged for 2 months in small French oak barrels.

About Beaucanon Estate
Beaucanon Estate Winery, located in Napa Valley California, is part of the de Coninck family holdings. The de Coninck family has a background in the wine business dating back to 1740, and they have garnered many awards since first releasing their wine to the public from their Napa vineyard in 1987. Beaucanon produces premium California Bordeaux style wines which have received national acclaim as "best red wine from USA" in the Japan Wine Challenge and have won several gold medals from the San Francisco Chronicle, the New World International Wine Competition, and Decanter Magazine. For more information, or to purchase Beaucanon Estate wines, visit http://www.beaucanonestate.com.

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Media Contact Information

Erika Kupfersberger
Beaucanon Estate
Sales & Marketing Coordinator
Erika@beaucanonestates.com
707-254-1461

Joanna Laznicka
Phaze-9 Corp (Public Relations Firm)
408-448-3113
Joanna@phaze-9.com ...

Tags: Beaucanon Estate - Sauvignon Blanc Bordeaux - Napa Valley - winery

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