Food, Wine and Friends
On Friday, I drove an hour south to Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, picked up my friend Shannon, and together we drove the half hour or so west to the coast. I love the ocean, and living so close to the...
View ArticleA visit to Murphy-Goode, past and present
Today, I had to drive from my home in Ukiah to Santa Rosa to pack up and be ready for my 3:45 AM wake up and trip to San Francisco to set up and work the North Beach Festival (of really cool...
View ArticleMy letter of Thanksgiving thankfulness
Okay, last night I watched Showtime’s Dexter say he was thankful for yams when sharing Thanksgiving dinner with the Trinity killer’s family; then I watched Lauren say she was thankful for canned yams...
View ArticleFriends don’t let friends Vacu-Vin
One of my wine industry jobs was with the Wine Appreciation Guild, one of the industry’s largest publishers of wine books and a one stop distributor of both wine books and accessories. My job was to...
View Article2005 Toad Hollow Merlot Reserve, Richard McDowell Vineyard, Russian River Valley
While I wanted to save my reviews of Toad Hollow’s wines for a featured winery piece to come soon, I have to take advantage of a recent picture I took of the Raven Theater Marquee in Healdsburg, CA. I...
View ArticleFeature Spotlight: Toad Hollow Vineyards
A few weeks ago, I met Joe Nagan of Toad Hollow Vineyards at Costeaux French Bakery & Cafe for a morning chat over cups of coffee just a few doors down from the Healdsburg tasting room undergoing...
View ArticleSonoma-Cutrer, marrying the best of Burgundy and California
Some movies are shot with more than one ending so that only the director knows the real ending, helping to thwart those who seem intent on spoiling the plot, twists, and ending of the movie. Often,...
View ArticleWine Tasting in March
John On Wine – Wine Tasting in March Originally published in the Ukiah Daily Journal newspaper on March 6, 2014 by John Cesano This Saturday, Hopland celebrates St. Patrick’s Day a little early with...
View ArticleSpotlight winery: McNab Ridge Winery
John On Wine – Spotlight winery: McNab Ridge Winery This piece will run in the Ukiah Daily Journal weekly wine column on Thursday, January 29, 2015 Rich Parducci has a famous name, not just in...
View ArticleFloating on a sea of Zinfandel
ZAP. For Bay Area wine lovers, especially those with a fondness for Zinfandel, those three letters forming that one little word bring an automatic smile. ZAP is short for Zinfandel Advocates &...
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