(Photo above - Courtsey of Cobie Scott) 

Kurt Russell, Ampelos Cellars, and History Team Up! 

Actor Kurt Russell, along with actress Kate Hudson and Muse singer Matt Bellamy have teamed up with Ampelos Cellars over the past few years to produce local world class wines (in Sta Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County). The relationship began with Russell's GoGi label in 2008 and a beautiful Pinot Noir to be followed by the elegant GoGi 'Goldie' Chardonnay soon after. More recently, the collaboration produced a Rose under the Hudson-Bellamy label. I have yet to taste the Rose; however I have no ...

Throughout the year I drink wine at dinners, various wine events, festivals, tasting rooms, and have samples submitted for review. In most cases it can be difficult to properly review a wine without bottle submission, however, there are moments when a wine seems to hit all cylinders even with a small pour. These are the wines that immediately say "Hello!" 

Some wine media produces publications with wines that are too scarce or soldout. Their 'Top 100' in my view often becomes much like going to a restaurant and looking at pictures of the food and then going home. 

Wines That ...

The movie "Sideways" seems to be a beaten dead horse amongst the wine industry, so much so, it could be called the "S-word."  They say perception is reality and many people's knowledge base sometimes falls on a simple  movie. As exasperated as the discussions might be, the impact has been a lasting one. A well known winemaker called it the "Sideways bump." The Santa Barbara region was heavily blessed with a lot of wine travelers seeking the much talked about Pinot Noir with cash in hand.  While Santa Barbara county may produce some of the best Pinot Noir in ...

Wine and Fire was a fantastic celebration of 10 years of the Sta Rita Hills AVA and recognized a legend in the industry, Richard Sanford. It was 3 days of open houses, panel discussions, wine dinners, and several other special events with the grand tasting held at the La Purisima Mission in Lompoc, California. There was llive music, lots of BBQ including the Hitching Post banging out some amazing grilled sliders topped with grilled onions & mushrooms and seared ahi tacos with fresh salsa and slaw. Rooney's Irish Pub in Orcutt took their sweet time smoking whole pigs all ...