In some ways, it’s almost embarrassing to heap lavish praise onto my favorite Napa wineries. I often feel as though I might be coming across as some sort of Napa Valley rah-rah, gushing with unbridled hyperbole, like one of those degenerate Yelp reviewers. For me, Yelp represents the absolute lowest of the low in online [...]

I have all kinds of stories simmering on the back-burners right now, including my first impressions of Long Meadow Ranch’s Farmstead Restaurant in St. Helena (this restaurant review will be the very next item published on this site — stay tuned). Also, before we get too far into springtime, I want to share my own [...]

The smartest thing I’ve done this year was to attend the Certified Wine Educator (CWE) Preview this week, a good six or seven months before I’m scheduled to actually sit for the CWE exam. The preview has not only proven motivational, as I realize that I’ve become rusty in several areas, but it also allows [...]

The last time I had been to the Moscone Center was about 20 years ago, back when it was the site of one of the biggest sportscard conventions in the world. In those days, I was real heavy into baseball, and Moscone had it all; there were even a few tables that offered the infamous [...]

I continue to receive hundreds of searches per day regarding the Farmstead Restaurant, which is set to open in St. Helena next month. To that end, I’m working on scheduling an interview with proprietors Ted and Chris Hall very shortly, so hopefully I can uncover a few more details about this new project. In the [...]

During the heights of harvest and crush, I’ll often promote Calistoga as a potential refuge from the Napa Valley’s tourist congestion (of course, it requires a trip up to Mendocino wine country to truly leave everything behind). But even in the winter, when things around the entire valley go calm, Calistoga still has its merits. [...]

With the harvest of 2009 quickly winding down, I’ve made this winter my time to catch up with a few winemakers. Among the folks I most wanted to meet, Matt Taylor certainly topped my list, not only as the winemaker for the cult-favorite Araujo Estate, but also as a BioDynamic vineyard manager and the proprietor [...]

For those who have never been confronted with the almighty Double-Double “Animal Style” from In-N-Out Burger, this is what you have been missing. Notice how the melted cheese captures the light — I had to snap a photo.

You can say what you want about Napa. I happen to live there. But for me, Mendocino County is Northern California’s true paradise. I spent the better part of the day in the Anderson Valley today, driving past dozens of miles of vineyards that have all slipped into fall colors. All of Mendocino County looked [...]

I’ve decided to let my subscription to Wine Spectator lapse once it runs out this year. Those who read this blog know that I often poke fun at the magazine and that I occasionally deride it for its undue influence on wine drinkers. There are many factors that have brought me to this current decision, [...]