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!”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 17^th 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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It’s time to celebrate Mardi Gras at the Rossi’s house on Saturday, February 20th at 6:30 pm.  Wines from Livermore will be served along with Jambalaya and King Cake (Delivered from New Orleans).  Bring your appetizer and glass. Please RSVP no later than February 13th, as wines need to be purchased.  $15.00 per person.  See newsletter for more details.

WHO DAT!!!

Sharyn Rossi 361-6121

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The Wine Appreciation Group met at Tracey & Craig Harper’s house this month on October 9th due to a mix-up at Corks Wine Store where it was originally planned to be held. Seems that their manager left them “high and dry” (no pun intended…well, maybe a little one). Anyway, lots of tricks and treats were had by all with Craig making his ghoulish turkey chili and Tracey’s sumptuous corn muffins not to mention numerous other tasty tidbits brought by all who attended, including a bottle of Bent Creek’s finest provided by Gil as a pre-tasting wine.

And the winner is…

The biggest treat of the evening was our third tasting, Satyrs’ Pond Winery, 2005, Meritage. So you may want to pick up a bottle and treat yourself. It’s available at Corks Wine Store (www.corkswinestore.com).

Only 275 cases produced

Suggested Retail: $56.00

Composition: 51% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petite Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc

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When: FRIDAY!!! October 9th at 6:30 pm (please note FRIDAY)
Where: Corks, 411 Harts Ave. Suite GG, Danville
Theme: Blood Red Bordeaux. Please bring a ghoulish appetizer to share. Glasses will be provided.
RSVP: $15.00 per person. Send check to: Tracey Harper, 42 Prentiss Place, San Ramon, CA 94583

It will be a haunting good time!

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