All posts by christopher

Sommelier Stars @Sonoma Wine Country Weekend!

Start getting ready for Labor Day Weekend! There will be 15 wine professionals, including myself, at Sonoma Wine Country Weekend this year: We will all amplify the experience for you, while we serve as guest all-star wine guides at key events throughout the three-day, charitable event.

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Don’t miss the exciting adventure with me and my sommelier buddies!
  • Benjamin Appleby, Abe & Louis Steak House, Boston, MA
  • Cassandra Brown, Hakkasan Restaurants, Las Vegas, NV
  • Mark Canak, The Metropolitan Club, Chicago, IL
  • Joy Cushing, Nick & Stefs, Los Angeles, CA
  • Seamus Dooley, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada
  • Chuck Herrold, Dolce Pane e Vino, Rancho Santa Fe, CA
  • Leslie LaMont, Leña Brava, Chicago, IL
  • Steven McDonald, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Houston, TX
  • Patrick Olds, Louie’s Wine Dive, Clayton, MO / St. Louis, MO
  • Nadia Pavlevska, Darrens, Manhattan Beach, CA
  • Chris Reid, 101 Steak, Atlanta, GA
  • Christopher Sawyer, SawyerSomm.com Consulting, Petaluma, CA
  • Steve Steese, Shanahan’s Steakhouse, Denver, CO
  • Lindsay Thomas, Camerata at Paulie’s, Houston, TX
  • Tyler Wesslund, Edison: food + drink lab, Tampa, FL

See you there! Christopher

Heritage Fire @Charles Krug Winery – August 21st

If you are interested in a whole animal fire roasting experience then set your sites for this event! 2016 Heritage Fire Napa, by Cochon555, will feature heritage and heirloom foods including dry-aged beef, whole pigs, lamb, goat, squab, rabbit, duck, fish, chicken, artisan cheeses, oysters, and heirloom vegetables. So set your sights on Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena next Sunday August 21st, and plan to please your palate!

Wine Bloggers Conference: August 11-14

I am getting excited for my first time at the Wine Bloggers Conference, this year in Lodi, CA from August 11-14.  Hopefully much of it will be indoors as the Central Valley can get pretty toasty in the summer!

Wine Bloggers ConferenceIf you happen to attending as well, then make time on Friday evening for a Charles Communications event with me spinning vinyl on the Klinker Brick patio!  RSVP to Greer Shull at rsvp(at)charlescomm.com or 415-701-WINE to save your space.

Virginia Dare wine brand rekindled by Coppola

We’ve all seen the billboard driving north on Hwy 101, right?  Well Virginia Dare has returned thanks to the direction of Francis Ford Coppola Winery.  You can read my brief article about it in Napa Sonoma Magazine, published February of this year.

Classic Virginia Dare white wine label.
Classic Virginia Dare white wine label.

Virginia Dare Winery
22281 Chianti Road, Geyserville
(707) 735-3500
virginiadarewinery.com

Mt. Veeder Tasting on Saturday, August 6th

mtveeder080616Here is a great opportunity to taste amazing wines from 25 Mt. Veeder wineries!  There will also be food pairings from Hess Executive Chef, Chad Hendrickson and live high-energy blues from The Hummingbirdz. More fun to be had when you peruse the Silent Auction and participate in the Raffle.  Best of all, take home limited production Mt. Veeder gems from participating wineries!

Mt. Veeder Appelation Wine Tasting
Saturday, August 6
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
The Hess Collection Winery
4411 Redwood Road, Napa

Purchase $75 tickets at MtVeederWines.com
or call 707-266-1296 ($100 Tickets at the Door)

PARTICIPATING WINERIES
Anthem Winery & Vineyards
VGS Chateau Potelle
Fontanella Family Winery
Godspeed Vineyards
HALL Wines
The Hess Collection Winery
Howell at the Moon Winery
Lagier Meredith
Marketta Winery
Mayacamas Vineyards
Mithra Winery
Mount Veeder Winery
Mt. Brave
O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery
Paratus Vineyards
Progeny
Random Ridge
Robert Craig Winery
Rubissow Wines
Sky Vineyards
Vinoce Vineyards
Y. Rousseau Wines
Yates Family Vineyard

Sawyer Somm Newsletter Wins Accolades!

First of all, thanks all of you for reading! We have worked hard to make this a universally legible format, that accommodates multiple email programs. Hopefully you like what you are seeing.

As it turns out our template designers at Mail Poet are in agreement and recently chose The Sommelier Files to be featured on their Showcase page! Check out the creativity of all the winners and read more details at the Mail Poet Blog.

Cheers! Christopher

Last St Francis Outdoor Film Evening! Visit Jurassic Park on July 28

The 7th Annual “Stars Under the Stars” Outdoor Film Festival at St. Francis Winery finishes off the season with an evening at “Jurassic jpark2Park”! Perhaps not the scariest film of the season following last week’s political fare but definitely a freak fest for the whole family.  I will be there as your festival sommelier to pair St Francis’ world class wines with world class films. Starts at 7pm.

Jurassic Park
Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern & Jeff Goldblum (1993)
Pre-show concert by: Band Camp
Thursday, July 28, 2016

Featured Wines
$10 per glass (Includes a keepsake St. Francis logoed glass) | $8 Refill
2014 Chardonnay, Wild Oak Vineyard, Sonoma Valley
2014 “Old Vines” Zinfandel, Sonoma County

Admission & Popcorn are Free!
Wines and El Coyote Mexican Food will be available for purchase.

Tapas, Wine & Music at Gloria Ferrer, August 4th

Is your mouth watering yet?  Don’t miss the last chance this season to attend Tapas on The Terrace at Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards on August 4th, 5:30-7:30.

Unwind, relax and join in at the end of your day for award-winning wines, tasty tapas, and live Spanish entertainment from Duarte Music!

Ticket price includes a glass of wine upon arrival,
plate of mixed tapas, and live entertainment.

San Francisco International Wine Competition 2016: Exciting Results!

The results are in! Check out the wines that won at SFIWC 2016 this year. Also, enjoy a few pics from my days judging at Hotel Nikko while you are at it. Cheers! Christopher

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Pink Out! The start of a colorful flight of Rosé on Day 1;  (clockwise from left); Taking a break with my fellow judges, wine guru Jeffery Stivers and New Orleans-based wine and spirits radio personality Tim McNally; #StrengthInNumbers: Selfie Deluxe with my fellow judges sommelier Eduardo Dingler of Morimoto Napa; wine educator Ian Blackburn of LA-based WineCloudInc; sommelier Tonya Pitts of One Market SF, author, wine personality and star of Check Please Bay Area Leslie Sbracco, and author, sommelier and proprietor of A16 and RN74 in SF, Shelley Lindgren; The magnificent menu for the Judges Dinner at Hotel Nikko International, with dazzling wines provided by Gloria Ferrer and Jaimeson Ranch wineries.