San Ramon Valley Newcomers Club
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Archive for Wine Club
September 18, 2012 at 7:21 am · Filed under Wine Club
September Wine Tasting
On Sept. 15th the
met at the Rossis’. The guests were able to sit outside in the garden and enjoy the sundown that extended into evening.
The wines were selected for a western theme. Names such as Iron Horse, Frontier Red, Fess Parker and Dynamite were enjoyed. Dynamite seemed to be a favorite.
There were some new faces in the group which is always nice to see.
Tracey Harper is the chairperson for this group. They meet every month. It doesn’t have to be in a home; as events have been held at wineries and local restaurants.
Check the newsletter for upcoming dates.
April 11, 2012 at 4:38 am · Filed under Wine Club
San Ramon Valley Wine Appreciation
When: Saturday, April 28th
Time: 6:30 pm
Hosts: Karen & Dennis C.
Cost: $15 per person
Bring: A hearty appetizer to share and a wine glass.
RSVP: Karen C.
Participate in the iconic insights of an award winning local wine maker. Carl Lyle has been making wine for over fifteen years and was the proprietor of Deer Ridge Winery in Livermore, recently purchased by Ruby Hill. Carl won several awards for his Cabernet Sauvignon before devoting his time to wine making fulltime. Listen to some of the secrets of a successful winemaker and discuss what makes you like each wine.
March 22, 2012 at 7:31 am · Filed under Wine Club
San Ramon Valley Newcomers’ Wine Appreciation
New Mexico, Texas, New York and Colorado wines were featured at a “shamrock” wine tasting event hosted by Rich & Vel Osborne along with 26 guests. Rich & Vel discovered these wines areas on various trips across the United States and wanted to share our discoveries with the group.
Some highlights of the evening were a Pinot Noir from New Mexico (Gruette Vineyards), a Tempranillo from Texas (Perdenales Cellars), a Pinot Noir from New York (Coyote Moon) and a Cab/Merlot blend from Colorado (Eames Cellars).
Looks like California is not the only place making good wines!
December 15, 2011 at 7:29 am · Filed under Wine Club
Tamas Estates, Wente Vineyards, Rios-Lovell Winery and McGrail Vineyards
The wine appreciation group celebrated the season in the Livermore Valley Wine Country by visiting four wineries that included Tamas Estates, Wente Vineyards, Rios-Lovell Winery and McGrail Vineyards & Winery. We met at the Alcosta Park & Ride and car-pooled together so we could have a limited number of designated drivers…if you know what I mean.
Most every location was packed as this was the weekend for the annual “Holidays in the Vineyards” celebration in Livermore. On our way to the first Winery we passed by the downtown park where a large number of people had gathered and they were having all kinds of fun events, even man-made snow for the kids to play on. We finished the tour at McGrail Winery where a band was playing and they had lots of vendors selling Christmas & other merchandise.
“And you could hear us proclaim as we flew out of sight, a fun time was had by all and to all a good night!”
September 28, 2011 at 12:37 pm · Filed under Wine Club
WINE APPRECIATION
When: Saturday, October 22, 2011
Time: 6:30pm
Host: Tracey and Craig Harper
Where: 42 Prentiss Place, San Ramon, 94583
RSVP: Send check for $15.00 per person to Tracey, at the above address.
Come sip the blood of the vine, if you dare. Costumes welcome, but not required. Please bring an appetizer to share and your own wine glass.
May 23, 2011 at 5:51 am · Filed under Wine Club
Cline Cellars Wine Presentation
It was a beautiful evening at Rose & Ron’s home in Danville and based on the attendance and how long everybody stayed, it was a great success. They had Eric Hansen, Tasting Manager of Cline Cellars, there to introduce us all to the history of Cline Cellars and their wonderful wines.
Cline Cellars is known for its distinctive Rhone-style and Zinfandel wines. Fred Cline, the owner and founder of Cline Cellars, developed the Greenstring method of farming that promotes “sustainable practices” (the reduction of a reliance on chemical pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizer) and Sheep and goats are routinely used to weed the vineyards.
The winery has also installed a solar electric system that provides 100% of its Carneros facility’s annual electricity needs.
March 22, 2011 at 10:06 pm · Filed under Wine Club
Napa Valley Wines Featured in Alamo Wine Tasting
Jim & Christine Ripley sponsored the SRVNC March Wine Tasting event at their beautiful new home in Alamo which they purchased recently (with the help of SRVNC Club members Tracey & Craig Harper) after relocating here from Scottsdale Arizona and, based on the attendance and the smiles on everyone’s faces, it was a great success.
Jim and Christine went to “The Vine” wine shop in Danville and found the people there to be very helpful in arranging their wine tasting. They told them they wanted a good selection of blended red wines from Northern California and they spent considerable time going over the list that Jim & Christine had prepared in advance. They suggested comparable wines they could supply at a reasonable cost and, to be sure they were satisfied, they arranged a tasting of each wine selected and provided information about the vintage, aroma and taste of each. They also gave advice on food pairing as well as the order the wines should be presented. According to Jim, “they took the worry out of our selection and we could highly recommend the wines and their shop to others, which we did during the party”.
W h i t e W i n e s:
#1 Ceago Vinegarten – Sauvignon Blanc with Aromas of white peach and melon with hints of grapefruit. Kathleen’s Vineyard Taste of well balanced fresh fruit flavors. Lake County 2009.
#2 Frank Family Vineyards – Chardonnay Aroma of citrus blossom, honeysuckle, white peach, pippin apple. Napa Valley. Taste of stone fruit, kumquat, and Pink Pearl apple Tarte Tatin, 2008.
B l e n d e d R e d W i n e s
#3 Abstract – Orin Swift Cellars Blend of Grenache, Sirah, & Syrah. Napa Valley Aroma are all berry and black fruits with a hint of caramelized oak. 2009, Taste of ripe cherry and strawberry.
#4 Turnbull (Old Bull) – Turnbull Wine Cellars Blend of 48% Cab sauvignon, 24% Syrah, 22% Merlot, 6% Cab. Frank. Napa Valley Aroma of plumb, cherry, blackberry and mocha.
St. Helena, Oakville Taste of Blackberry & Coca. 2008
#5 Machete – Orin Swift Cellars Blend of 49% Petite sirah, 30% Grenache, 21% Syrah. Blended Red Wine Aroma of warm, ripe blackberry with licorice and cedar. Napa Valley. Taste of blackberry and licorice. 2009.
#6 Leviathan – Ace Wine Company Cab. Franc 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 30%, Syrah 16% and Merlot 14%. Blended Red Wine Aroma of currant, plum, spice, tobacco leaf and cedar. St, Helena Taste of blueberry, boysenberry, vanilla cookie dough and holiday spice. 2008, 90 points from Wine Spectator.
February 27, 2011 at 9:00 pm · Filed under Wine Club
San Ramon California Wine Tasting
Tracey and Craig Harper hosted the February 2011 San Ramon Valley Newcomers Group wine tasting party at their newly remodeled home and based on the 34 attendees, it was a great success.
The theme of the evening wine tasting was wines with oak accents. The tasting started with Lockwood Vineyard’s Monterey Chardonnay aged in French oak. It was followed by Napa Cellars’ Napa Valley Chardonnay with hints of toasty oak.
Following the white wines was the first red which commemorates one of Craig’s favorite artists, Elvis Presley. It was a first edition of the Elvis Presley Jailhouse Rock Merlot and boasts a spicy oak accent. The Merlot was then followed by Arrowood Winery’s Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon which was aged at least two years in both American and French oak. Representing Alexander Valley, the sampling continued with lake Sonoma Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon which highlights a rich toasty oak taste.
The evening culminated in the sampling of two exquisite wines from Del Dotto Winery’s Connoisseurs’ Series. Both were the same varietal, a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. The difference was that one was aged in American Oak and the other was aged in French Oak. This allowed attendees to get a true sense of the slightly different nuance of the wine based on only changing one element, the oak aging. Guests were split on which one they enjoyed most but the consensus was that it was a very interesting and tasty comparison.
To top off the experience, Gil Jardine and Bob Skok shared some of their knowledge and insights into the use of oak in wine making and we believe everyone left the party a little more knowledgeable… thanks Gil & Bob.
Next month the wine tasting event will be held at Tracey and Craig’s new clients home, Christine & Jim Ripley, who relocated here from Scottsdale, AZ and will host the event at their gorgeous new Alamo home. If you would like to host one of these wonderful events, please contact Grace Ayers who is looking for hosts for just a few remaining spots this year.
July 14, 2010 at 3:28 am · Filed under Wine Club
July is a no Host Month for Our Wine Lovers
If you are about enjoying our beautiful weather, stop by Draeger’s Wine Bar at Blackhawk.
Featured tastings for July are held from 2:00 until 5:00 P.M.
Saturday, July 17th.- Pink Rules-Draeger’s best Rose picks for this season
Saturday, July 24th.- An Afternoon with the wines from Clos Saron; a unique Vineyard producing wines of distinct character in the California Sierra Foothills.
A flight is generally $8.00 for 5 tastings. Shared tastings are allowed.
After your wine tasting outing, enjoy a late lunch or early dinner at one of the many great restaurants! Wendell & I attended the June tasting-the Wine Stewards are highly knowledgeable and engaging.
Grace A
Draeger’s Markets has been selected as the 2008 National “Retailer of the Year” for Wine & Spirits by the Editors of the Wine Spectator and Market Watch magazines This prestigious award is presented annually in New York to only one retailer in the U.S. for excellence in marketing of Wine and Spirits. The winner is selected from a survey of retailers, distributors, importers and the magazine editors.
Draeger’s is the first wine retailer on the West Coast to receive the award.
Our Wine Department boasts a selection of more than 3,000 of the world’s finest wines, with rare and older vintages kept in temperature and humidity-controlled conditions. We feature a selection of wines chosen for their quality and value and spotlighted in our Wine Newsletter.
March 31, 2010 at 10:04 am · Filed under Wine Club
Wine Appreciation at Giuseppe’s Pasta & Grill
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Giuseppe’s Pasta & Grill (& wine bar) set a delightful ambiance for another nice evening for our wine group. Giuseppe’s provided all the delicious appetizers and we tasted 5 wines from Rodney Strong and J. Lohr. We all toasted long time regulars of the wine group, Beth and Brent, celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary with us that evening. Congratulations Beth & Brent! And, a special thank you to Rose & Ron for finding us such a great new wine bar to enjoy. I’m sure it will be on the list for future events.
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