(This bottle was a sample provided by Cellars of Sonoma) 

Baseball and Cellars of Sonoma are in full swing! Each week on TV-Tuesday nights at 6 PM, Scott Jordan from Cellars of Sonoma pops the tops of some of the highest quality small producers. In most cases the winemaker joins on live stream and we taste the wines and ask questions via twitter.

Kicking things off was the James Family Cellars Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast. This Chardonnay was loaded with fresh lemon peel, minerality, pineapple, carmel, vanilla with a touch of French oak and beautiful bright acidity. It was ...

(This wine was a sample provided by R.Stuart) 

When it comes to food and wine, most of us gain some type of excitment when we see things like: that special dish that only your grandmother makes at Thanksgiving, or when someone brings me guava jelly from Flordia or Hawaii, or a Pizza from a 50+ year old Italian restaurant that is 35 miles away. These types of special things that you only have once in a while, but when you even just see or hear the thought of having it simply gets you excited, and may even make your ...

(Full disclosure, sample provided by Blendz - Tom and Sandy. I offer the wine segment on their radio show.)

Remeber (before answering machines) when you called somebody, and if they weren't home, you had to call back? How about when you wanted to find a number you pulled the phone book, and used your phone with that 50 foot cord on it so you could move around?

Funny how in today's society, everything is so different. I discovered Four Brix winery on Twitter. We started a conversation, and then I learned they were pouring out of a local wine ...

For the '805' there has been some big news in the wine world within the past couple of weeks. Ballard Canyon is the newest recognized wine region inside of Santa Barbara County. 

What does this mean? 

A couple of things, starting with wine labels likely will show off the new AVA name, Ballard Canyon. In my view, on some level there is a science to this, and on the other hand, it becomes marketing.

(Above Single Photo - Taken by Lee Tomkow with my camera)

As Ballard Canyon is noted for producing stellar Rhones (like Viognier,Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache ...

Chef Michael Voltaggio was one of the many celebrity chefs at Sunset Magazines' Savor the Central Coast. Savor CC for short, is an annual food, wine, and cooking event held in September at Santa Margarita Ranch in Paso Robles. (More event details) 

It really is so much more, with four days of events, winemaker seminars, gardening demonstrations, live music, cooking demos from celebrity chefs, cookbook signings, and all loaded with wineries/breweries/restaurants from all over the central coast. 

The best analogy just might be a real life experience from the pages of Sunset Magazine, or maybe just a Disneyland ...

If you are familiar with wine from the Santa Barbara region, no doubt you have some familarity with Mr Rhone, otherwise known as Andrew Murray Vineyards. Andrew Murray has been a posterboy for high quality Syrah and other Rhone varietals for more than 20 years. 

(Sample Provided by Andrew Murray Vineyards)

It might be difficult for some outside of the region to talk about Santa Barbara without the mention of Sideways, Merlot, or Pinot Noir. Some may recall a scene in the movie that mentioned the lone Syrah that the Pinot Noir loving Miles was excited about.....if you guessed ...

Civil unrest for #CabernetDay 

Today is Cabernet day. As I sit in my home currently over 90 degrees and contemplate which bottle to drink for this Summer day, I cannot over come the heat element. Who doesn't love the king of grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon? I dig it, but cannot bear the thought of drinking Cabernet without sitting on a block of ice or at the very least leaning my head inside the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

While many will undoubtedly be sitting poolside basking in the Summer sun sipping Cabernet today in celebration, well, maybe not. So ...

When it comes to wine, it is often thought to be part science (chemistry), part farmer (viticulturist), and part art (creative). Wine blending may fall more in line with the latter. Blending wine is something I have often thought about and something I have had the humbling privilege to participate in. Personal results are what can be even more humbling, but do not take away one bit from the fun experience.

(Gwendolyn Alley) 

Recently I was invited by my 805 local wine blogging friend, Gwendolyn Alley AKA @artpreditor. Gwendolyn put out the word with many others in social media from ...

Sample supplied by Kandarian Wine Cellars 

I have heard some wine experts mention various number of wine varietals in the world. Some have said the number is unknown and new discoveries continue. I have also heard other winemakers suggest 7,000,10,000, and even 14,000+ different varietals. That means if  an adventourous wine lover wanted to try two new wines a day, it would take them nearly 20 years  just get through them all with no sick days.

When it comes to Rhone's, there are many that I would call, "Rhone to the bone." Those Rhone hounds ...

(Recently shared in my wine segment on air (1590 News-Talk) with the Tom & Sandy show)  (Riverbench mentioned on air, but not listed below) 

Visiting wine country in Santa Barbara County and Edna Valley, California, may fulfill wine tasting dreams for any wine fan. One can drive up the sun-filled coast in a convertible or at least lower the windows a bit. Not only is there great diversity in regions and wine, but the Central Coast has some of the most picturesque wineries. While hitting the wine trail can be so much fun, planning the trip can be almost as exciting ...