UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

Russian River Vineyards Has A Storied Past & Noteworthy Wines

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Nestled in the heart of the renowned Russian River Valley is the picturesque and historic Russian River Vineyards.  Historically speaking, this iconic vineyard is one of the oldest vineyards in the northern Sonoma County wine growing region.  The first vines were planted with Merlot in 1963, a time when the surrounding farm plots were planted with  apples and prunes.

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Surrounded by towering Redwood trees, this eclectic winery was modeled after the many stockades built by Russian settlers in the early 1800’s and the hop kilns that dotted the Sonoma County.  Russian River Vineyards was named long before the Russian River Valley was designated as an AVA in 1983. [Read more…]

High In The Vines At Sta Rita Hills’ Babcock Winery

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After the 2014 Wine Blogger’s Conference in Santa Barbara Wine Country in July, I had the pleasure of accepting an invite from Bryan Babcock, winemaker extraordinaire of Babcock Winery, to tour the vineyards.  Bryan spoke at the closing dinner of the conference about his revolutionary Pedestral Cane Positioning.  Curiosity got the better me, so I decided to check it out for myself.

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When you meet Bryan, there’s a “McGiver” type glint in his eye.  Bryan has been farming grapes in the Sta Rita Hills AVA for over three decades with great success. It is no surprise that he is now pioneering a new farming technique, which he refers to as Pedestral Cane Positioning or Canopy Pivoting.  This innovative technique works with gravity and allows the canopy of leaves to spill toward the ground as it grows, keeping the clusters above the leaves.

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In addition, a shade cloth-type canopy shields the grapes from the sun when needed. This type of trellising system, combined with the wind and gravity has led to substantial labor-saving costs. [Read more…]

Great Rounds Of Applause To The Sponsors Of WBC14!

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WBC14-1.800 I would like to truly thank all the SPONSORS of the 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference who made this event possible.   Thanks to your support and generosity, more than 350 wine bloggers from all parts of the world were able to converge in the pristine Santa Barbara Wine Country for an unforgettable weekend in the vines.

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As a Scholarship recipient, and a   first time attendee of the Wine Bloggers Conference, I must say, that it was far better than I could have hoped for and a little overwhelming at the same time.

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To be in the presence of noted fellow wine bloggers and industry experts and top local wine makers was beyond fabulous!  zephyr

 

 

Looking back, one of my favorite parts of the conference, however, was meeting the Santa Barbara County wine makers.

IMG_6732I must admit that I was literally awestruck mingling among the legendary wine makers only to find out that they’re very genuine, down-to-earth people who loved to share their passion of making wine.  Best of all, there was no pretense or awkwardness as they each shared their humble beginnings and triumphs, only great pride. [Read more…]

Day Three ~ 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference: It’s a Wrap!

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These wine bloggers are a stealthy bunch of writers and wine drinkers!  Between the Wine Discovery breakout sessions, to the speed wine tastings, through the 2014 Wine Bloggers Awards 3-course dinner, Santa Barbara County Wines flowed freely.

IMG_5938Wrapping up the 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference with the coveted Wine Writer’s Workshop where a select group of 45 wine bloggers will have writing samples critiqued. [Read more…]

Day Two: 2014 Wine Blogger Conference In Santa Barbara Wine Country

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IMG_6920So many wines, so little time!  Yesterday was an amazing event-filled day at the 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference.  The highlight of the day was the evening mystery excursion.  WIne Bloggers were loaded on small buses and taken to various undisclosed locations in the Santa Barbara Wine Country.

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I was beyond excited to end up at Melville Vineyards, off Highway 246 in Lompoc.  Chad Melville personally greeted 40 bloggers and gave us a working knowledge of the terroir of the Santa Rita Hills AVA.  I will write a separate blog highlighting this very special evening! [Read more…]