Tag: Zinfandel

Callaghan Vineyards – Elgin, Arizona

Kent Callaghan listens more than he talks. He’s reserved and unassuming. He’s had his hands in the dirt of his Elgin vineyard since at least 1990. I’m guessing he has learned something about that vineyard every day since. It’s reflected in the wine he makes. If you have visited his winery and tasted his wines, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Zinfandel – Interesting History, Interesting Wine

The Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton featured Zinfandel. We live in the heart of Zinfandel country. Lodi, just 15 minutes north of Stockton, has significant plantings of Zinfandel as do the Sierra Foothills. The tasting included five wines from the Sierra Foothills and one from Lodi. It was our mission to identify the Lodi wine in the group.

Heitz Cellar Winemaker’s Dinner

We recently attended a Winemaker’s Dinner at the Brookside Country Club. The five-course dinner was prepared by Executive Chef Chris Isert and wines were provided for each course by Heitz Cellar. Kaj Hallstrom, Northern California Sales for Heitz Cellar was present to tell us about each of the wines. A long-time employee, and one of only 16 Heitz Cellar employees, […]

The Wines of Howell Mountain

Howell Mountain American Viticultural Area (AVA), located within the Napa AVA, was the first sub-appellation to be designated in 1983. Howell Mountain is located on the northeast side of Napa Valley. The AVA ranges from 1400 to 2200 feet, putting it above the fog line.

Name That Grape

Our Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton was a polite version of “Stump the Chump”. Alan organized the tasting this week and gave us a list of six wines at the beginning of the tasting, each a different varietal. He opened five of them and did not tell us which one he did not open. Our job for the evening was to identify the varietals.

Fall Napa Valley Wine Tasting

On a recent weekday I spent a day wine tasting in Napa Valley with a group of friends. The weather was warm for December, in the mid 60s, and mostly overcast. The drive from Stockton to Napa takes us through the San Francisco Bay Delta.

#LodiLive – Lodi Wines Online Tasting

Usually when you ask someone about wine in California they think about Napa. However, we have many more areas of the state with their own style and varieties. One area the should not be overlooked is the Lodi appellation in the Central Valley.