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Wine Reviews

Family, PathLight, The SOLD Project, Wine Reviews,

Learning From the Poor, Elephant Rides, and Ranch Hands

About twelve hours from now I’ll be boarding a flight to Hong Kong, and then from there heading to Bangkok. I’ll be connecting with my daughter Thailand. She runs The SOLD Project, an effort in Northern Thailand that keeps kids out of the sexual slavery world. My time will be spent learning about this filthy side of the human experience, hearing the stories of those who have been caught up in it, and reflecting on how best to respond to the social, spiritual and economic structures that allow this to happen.

I’m really looking forward to seeing Rachel in …

Wine Reviews,

Barrel Contest Update

My friends either have tons of creativity, or way too much time on their hands. I say that because we had nearly 100 names suggested for the Name That Barrel Contest! Absolutely amazing!

D’Aun and I sorted through the nominees and have narrowed it down. My apologies to all of you who didn’t make the cut, but thanks for your help. Even the bad ideas helped the brainstorming!

So here is the narrowed down list:

“Drink. Enjoy. Repeat.” Suggested by Jolene, this made me smile. Simple, clear, and fun.

“Shortcut.” Suggested by Rachel, this is a classic line in our …

Wine Reviews,

Name That Barrel!

I need your help, friends! Earlier this month I made a deal to buy a barrel of 2009 zinfandel from a wonderful small Napa producer. A barrel means 300 bottles (25 cases). Yes, that’s a lot of zin!

So here’s the thing … I need a name for the wine! It’s not going to be resold so the name is just for fun. In fact, I can’t legally resell the wine, so it’s just for private consumption. I suppose we could just leave the bottles blank. But having a name would still be a lot of fun.

I want ideas. …

D'Oliva Olive Oil, Wine Reviews,

The Laundry Room That Became a Wine Cellar

The first house D’Aun and I bought was a rickety old home built in 1913 that had a most un-californian feature: a basement. After our first wine experience in Bordeaux I built a small rack and collected my first bottles of wine. Eventually we moved and lost that fun basement, but I still kept collecting.

A few years ago the kids moved out and we became an empty nest. Our home had a laundry room in the most ridiculous place — near the dining room in the front of the house. I reasoned that with the kids gone we didn’t …

Wine Reviews,

Mi Sueno … An American Success Story

I grew up around small business owners, and my company works with hundreds of them. Most of them are driven by a love for work and a wish to move beyond their humble beginnings. The hope of “rags to riches” is a huge motivation and is truly an all-American dream.

Rolando Herrera is the living definition of that dream.

Rolando and his parents left Mexico and came to the United States when he was a young boy. Settling in Napa Valley, Rolando was raised around the wine industry. As a teenager he took every job he could find: dishwasher at …

Wine Reviews,

Suburban Day Laborers

A few months ago Stephen Colbert partnered with the United Farm Workers to promote the Take Our Jobs program. It was a hilarious clip about Colbert working the fields and “taking the job” of a farm worker. It reminded me of an experience that D’Aun and I had back in 2002-03.

D’Aun and our friends Gene & Diane talked me into a “weekend getaway to create our own wine.” I was skeptical. Okay, I was more than skeptical … I was grumpy. You want me to pay somebody to pick their grapes and create a few cases of wine? And …

Wine Reviews,

Thanksgiving Taste Test – Tofanelli and Turley

They say you should never buy a wine by its label. Generally, I agree with that. But how can you ignore a wine that has a young 1920’s vintage woman riding a motorcycle in a vineyard on the label? You can’t, so I bought a bottle of Tofanelli Family Vineyard Zinfandel, and I’ve been one of their biggest fans since.

Sebastian DiGiuilo and Irene DalPorto, parents of Pauline DiGiulo Tofanelli, purchased a track of land just south of Calistoga in the 1920’s. They planted Zinfandel and Charbono, among other varietals, and sold their grapes to some of the biggest …

Wine Reviews,

An Educated Guess on the way to Tahoe

The drive from home to Tahoe goes through the town of Auburn. Just off the freeway is a store called Ikedas Country Market. Famous for their pies, they also have a great selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. Adjacent to the market is their burger shack that is equally famous.

I stopped at Ikedas on a recent trip to Tahoe to pick up a few things. Since this is a small country market, I never paid much attention to their wine section. On this recent trip I did take a look and was really impressed. They carry some top …