Festivals, Travels, Wine

The Incredible Wineries at Telluride Wine Festival!

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Thank yous go all around to these amazing people for coming to Telluride, sharing their wines and making it a great experience for me and the wine lovers in attendance!  Such spectacular memories, many more than in the pictures below.

  • Bob Iantosca of Gloria Ferrer
  • Dave Phillips of Michael David
  • James MacPhail of The Calling
  • Julia Iantosca of Lasseter Family Winery
  • Lise & Vincent Ciolino of Montemaggiore
  • Michael McCullough of Drew Family Wines
  • Mike Sullivan of Benovia
  • Randall Watkins of Laurel Glen
  • Ryan Solis of Kunde
  • Tres Goetting of Robert Biale Vineyards
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Clockwise: Bob pours Brut at the Sunday Brunch; Tres shares his wares at the Grand Tasting; Some delicious selections from The Calling; On the town with Ryan, Mike, Randall taking an obligatory selfie!

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Clockwise: Myself, Lise, Nadia the Somm and Dave at the Trending Now Lunch; Some Rodney Strong & Davis Bynum at the Grand Tasting; The beautiful view of Mountain Village; The first event, Precious Bites Luncheon with Julia, Bob, Mike and myself.

Film, Food, Wine

Classic Summer: St. Francis Outdoor Film Festival in July

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Heads up for this weeks premiere of the St. Francis Outdoor Film Festival: July 6th is The Breakfast Club!  Plus the special pre-show concert will be Band Camp.

Stars Under the Stars Outdoor Film Festival takes place every Thursday night at the Winery from July 6 to July 27.  Seating on the lawn begins at 7pm with a pre-show concert and wine reception.  El Coyote Food Truck will be serving delicious Mexican food available for purchase. Feature film begins at dusk.  I will be there to pair St. Francis’ world class wines with world class films.

Also mark your calendar for the upcoming shows:

  • Grease on July 13
  • Some Like It Hot on July 20
  • Good Will Hunting on July 27

See you there! Christopher

Event, Music, Wine

Rodney Strong Summer Concerts start July 8th!

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Chris Botti will perform on August 27th!
Chris Botti will perform on August 27th!

Have you been to one of these shows? The last few years my family and I have attended, first to see Chris Isaak, followed by B-52’s last year. It was super fun, plus you have the opportunity to catch Isaak again this year! Rodney Strong is a great outdoor setting with delicious wines to accompany your pleasure.  Here are the details!

July 8th – Chris Isaak
July 23rd – Kenny Loggins
August 27th – Chris Botti
September 9th – Kool & The Gang

Get tickets while you can!
Cheers, Christopher

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Charity, Event, Wine

2017 Great Gatsby Gala Benefiting the HDSA

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Buena Vista Winery will be transformed into a Roaring Twenties destination on Saturday, July 1, 2017 when the winery hosts the Great Gatsby Gala to benefit the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA).

With a goal to raise $100,000 to support the HDSA mission, the event will honor Jean-Charles Boisset, Proprietor of Boisset Collection, which owns Buena Vista Winery, and Dr. Laurice Yang, Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University in the Neurology & Neurological Sciences department. Join us in your Gatsby-themed attire to enjoy live entertainment, a delicious dinner and wine pairing, Buena Vista’s classically retro Bubble Lounge and a fantastic silent auction.

To make donations and purchase tickets please go to: pacificsouthwestreg.hdsa.org/

Appellation, Tasting, Wine

Single Vineyard night in Sonoma County June 30th

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Join Russian River Valley Winegrowers for an amazing tasting experience of Russian River Valley single vineyard wines. More than 40 wineries will be pouring small-lot, single vineyard wines from the Russian River Valley, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. Guests will dine on delicious appetizers, including a grill station with sausages, hanger steak and sliders.

Friday, June 30, 2017
VIP Tasting: 5:30 – 6:30 PM
MAIN EVENT: 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Vintner’s Inn, 4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa
TICKETS!

Food, Varietal, Wine

Join me at the Zin-Zin Din-Din! Gravenstein Grill on June 29th

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Just want to shout out a big THANK YOU to everyone who attended the sold-out Balletto Vineyards & Winery Winemaker’s Dinner at Gravenstein Grill! For those that missed it mark your calendars for this follow up opportunity.

The Zin-Din on June 29th!

It will feature fabulous zinfandels from ACORN Winery, Hartford Court Family Winery, Gamba Vineyards & Winery and more! I will be there again as your happy Sommelier Chris Sawyer. Stay tuned for the menu details at the Gravenstein Grill Facebook page and call 707-634-6142 to make your reservations!

Gravenstein Grill is located at
8050 Bodega Ave, Sebastopol, CA 95472

Food, Sommelier, Travels, Wine

Countdown to Telluride Wine Festival, June 22-25

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Wines are arriving, travel plans stirring, stomachs rumbling for the big event next week! If you are not coming be sure to follow the adventures on social media, but virtual is nothing like the reality of those gorgeous mountains, delicious wines and elegant meals.  Hope you will all be joining me there!
Cheers! Christopher

Hosting a seminar at the Telluride Wine Festival 2016.
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Event, Travels, Varietal, Wine

Get your tickets to Festival of Albariño, June 16-17!

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A cool event in a hot climate!   At the Festival of Albariño in Paso Robles, you will get to interact with as many winemakers as possible from these low-production wineries on the Central Coast.

Three events at three different venues:
-The seminar at Derby Winery in historic downtown Paso Robles, moderated by Doug Wilder of Purely Domestic Wine Report
-Grand Tasting of over 25 different Albarinos at Broken Earth Winery.
-The dinner Friday night at Brecon is limited to only 46 people, with a few places still available. Pairings of Albariños with a gourmet menu.

Get tickets while you can!