Hannah Nicole Winery: Growing their Own Identity
With over a million residents and a bustling suburban scene, it’s understandable that wine isn’t the first thing people think about in Contra Costa...
Wine Country and Sunsets: Escaping in Carmel
The moment before sunset, when the sky is filled with softening streaks of red and orange and the calm of dusk starts to settle on the land, can be strikingly beautiful...
Preserving a Sense of Place with Pinot Noir
Place and wine are quite intimately connected. The plot of land where the grapes are grown has a great part to play in the ultimate expression of the resulting...
Thinking with his Heart and not his Head
Mitchell Katz isn’t your typical winemaker. He wanders out from the back room, in sandals, a navy t-shirt, and most noticeably, an ice bag on his shoulder....
Steven Kent Mirassou: A Master of Literature to a Master of Wine
Steven Kent Mirassou didn’t always want a career in wine. He went to school on the East coast, got a Masters in Literature, and was considering the pursuit...
Coming into Their Own: Page Mill & the Livermore Valley
Page Mill Winery Dane Stark, owner and winemaker at Page Mill, doesn’t remember a time when the wine business wasn’t part of his life. Dane was just...
The Many Faces of Mendocino: Part Three – Ukiah & the North
When it comes to organic farming, perhaps the classic image is of a farmer in a straw hat and overalls with lots of dirt under his fingernails, sweat on his brow,...
The Many Faces of Mendocino: Part Two – Hopland
Hopland is a very quiet town before 9am on Friday morning. Sure, the occasional truck will rumble through and disturb the stillness, but that hardly takes away from...
The Many Faces of Mendocino: Part One – The Yorkville Highlands
Mendocino County, like any wine-growing region, has great variety to offer. There’s a range of personalities, philosophies, and, of course, wines to try. The...
Limestone, Pinot, and a bit of Batman.
Talking to Adelaida Cellars winemaker Terry Culton is almost like chatting with an old friend. Perhaps part of the feeling is that he’s been to my hometown...