4. Running along the Ahr River in Germany. Albeit not a wine moment, wine is what got me to this very remote spot in a northern wine region. A fortunate Saturday off when importer Rudi Wiest had to attend a wedding made it possible for us to have the day; I decided to spend the earliest part of it enjoying a solitary run along a most beautiful river.
5. Running along the river that runs through Santa Rosa in Sonoma Country. There's a pattern here. Running along a river that runs through a wine region. This run I did with my husband; a fun run, an attempt to shed some of the fuel accumulated from the rich meals consumed in Healdsburg and Winsor. The run was as enjoyable as the rest of the wine exploration trip through Sonoma.
6. Tasting a line-up of Compte de Vogue Musigny's. Here is what happened. I discovered an Oregon winemaker named Greg Sanders. He owns White Rose Vineyards and Winery, and makes a super Pinot Noir called Quiotee's Lair. I voted the 2004 Quiotee's Lair as our Wine of the Year, and it actually wins. A great feat. This is a great wine, well deserved. The following week, he invites me and a coworker to a great Burgundy tasting. We convene at a restaurant in Orange County and taste through an amazing line-up of wines, blind. They turn out to be all Grand Cru wines from the Musigny vineyard, all from Vogue. Fantastic. An opportunity I would not have if it were not for my unique position.
7. A Vancouver wedding reception. We were officially married in 2006 in Los Angeles, but in February of 2007, we did a wedding reception for the family in Vancouver in Canada. This was a great occasion. We held this at a Chinese restaurant, had a banquet, showed a video of the wedding, served British Columbian wines and some Calvados from France and Brandy from Northern California. Everyone had a great time and we were all happy with the occasion. Wine didn't play a huge role but it was there.
8. When 6 German growers came with Rudi Wiest and Allie Mitchell to The Wine Country for a special tasting of German dry wines. This was probably the best tasting I put on for the year. As part of the German dry wine tour, we were included, so our humble little store hosted Max von Kunow from Hans Wirsching, Fritz Becker Jr. from F. Becker Estate, Hansjorg Rebholz from Okonomierat Rebholz, Felix Burklein from Franz Kunstler, Sebastian Furst from Rudolph Furst and Christophe Graf from Reichsrat von Buhl. What a night! 30 wines floored our audience (who are consumers, not trades folks). It was a great showing and solidified why we love Spatburgunder, dry Riesling, dry Scheurebe, and Silvaner.
9. The week before Christmas when husband and I had 3 Champagnes. We indulged in three good to great Champagnes prior to leaving town to spend time with family for Christmas and New Years. They were: 1996 Duval-Leroy Brut, 2000 Agrapart Mineral Blanc de Blancs, and 1999 Gosset Brut. We confirmed that (1) we love vintage Champagne, (2) we love Blanc de Blancs, and (3) we love 1996. So in order of which Champagnes of these three we enjoyed the most: (1) Agrapart, (2) Duval-Leroy, and (3) Gosset. Which surprised us because we had high expectations of the Gosset. Additionally, I confirmed that it is enjoyable to watch French movies in French while drinking Champagne. We enjoyed the Agrapart with La Vie en Rose.
10. Giving Riedel Vinum Bordeaux glasses to my parents as a gift. This was fun. I enjoyed it.
5. Running along the river that runs through Santa Rosa in Sonoma Country. There's a pattern here. Running along a river that runs through a wine region. This run I did with my husband; a fun run, an attempt to shed some of the fuel accumulated from the rich meals consumed in Healdsburg and Winsor. The run was as enjoyable as the rest of the wine exploration trip through Sonoma.
6. Tasting a line-up of Compte de Vogue Musigny's. Here is what happened. I discovered an Oregon winemaker named Greg Sanders. He owns White Rose Vineyards and Winery, and makes a super Pinot Noir called Quiotee's Lair. I voted the 2004 Quiotee's Lair as our Wine of the Year, and it actually wins. A great feat. This is a great wine, well deserved. The following week, he invites me and a coworker to a great Burgundy tasting. We convene at a restaurant in Orange County and taste through an amazing line-up of wines, blind. They turn out to be all Grand Cru wines from the Musigny vineyard, all from Vogue. Fantastic. An opportunity I would not have if it were not for my unique position.
7. A Vancouver wedding reception. We were officially married in 2006 in Los Angeles, but in February of 2007, we did a wedding reception for the family in Vancouver in Canada. This was a great occasion. We held this at a Chinese restaurant, had a banquet, showed a video of the wedding, served British Columbian wines and some Calvados from France and Brandy from Northern California. Everyone had a great time and we were all happy with the occasion. Wine didn't play a huge role but it was there.
8. When 6 German growers came with Rudi Wiest and Allie Mitchell to The Wine Country for a special tasting of German dry wines. This was probably the best tasting I put on for the year. As part of the German dry wine tour, we were included, so our humble little store hosted Max von Kunow from Hans Wirsching, Fritz Becker Jr. from F. Becker Estate, Hansjorg Rebholz from Okonomierat Rebholz, Felix Burklein from Franz Kunstler, Sebastian Furst from Rudolph Furst and Christophe Graf from Reichsrat von Buhl. What a night! 30 wines floored our audience (who are consumers, not trades folks). It was a great showing and solidified why we love Spatburgunder, dry Riesling, dry Scheurebe, and Silvaner.
9. The week before Christmas when husband and I had 3 Champagnes. We indulged in three good to great Champagnes prior to leaving town to spend time with family for Christmas and New Years. They were: 1996 Duval-Leroy Brut, 2000 Agrapart Mineral Blanc de Blancs, and 1999 Gosset Brut. We confirmed that (1) we love vintage Champagne, (2) we love Blanc de Blancs, and (3) we love 1996. So in order of which Champagnes of these three we enjoyed the most: (1) Agrapart, (2) Duval-Leroy, and (3) Gosset. Which surprised us because we had high expectations of the Gosset. Additionally, I confirmed that it is enjoyable to watch French movies in French while drinking Champagne. We enjoyed the Agrapart with La Vie en Rose.
10. Giving Riedel Vinum Bordeaux glasses to my parents as a gift. This was fun. I enjoyed it.
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