Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Toasting Trione Winery at Over 100 Years in Sonoma County

(Contributed by Jane Hofmiester) Trione Winery was the most recent guest winery in the SSU Winesense Club educational series. Boasting over 100 years in Sonoma County, the Trione family are true pioneers in the region. The Old Stone Building at Trione Winery About Trione Winery Beginning as farmers and grape growers, the Trione's own over 700 acres of vineyards in the Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, and Sonoma Coast AVAs. They finally started making wine in 2005, and opened a winery tasting room for the public in 2008. Operated by brothers Mark and Vic Trione, along with Mark’s [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T19:54:25-08:00April 11, 2017|

Three Months in Burgundy

(Autumn 2016) The opportunity to live in France for three months was a dream come true – part of a bucket list item I’ve had for years as something I would do “someday”. However someday came much sooner than expected after a doctor told me I only had one year left to live. Five days later another doctor told me it was a misdiagnosis, but during those five days – which were some of the longest of my life – my husband and I had deep talks about how we would spend that last year together. Beautiful Vineyards of [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:13:00-07:00April 9, 2017|

Russian River Vineyards – A Winery with an 1890 Historic Farmhouse Restaurant and Organic Food Garden

(Contributed by Jennifer Schiff) Is it a restaurant, a farm, a tasting lounge, an historic site, or a winery? Well actually Russian River Vineyards encompasses all five of these functions. Established in the 1960s in the heart of the 10,000 acre Russian River AVA, Russian River Vineyards has grown to be one of the premier organic and sustainably farmed grape-growing properties in California. 1890 Historic Farmhouse at Russian River Vineyards This past week a group of Sonoma State University Millennials was fortunate enough to attend an educational session and tasting at the SSU Wine Sense Club Meeting, with [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T19:54:48-08:00April 1, 2017|

Amazing Wine Selection on Oahu, Hawaii at ABC Island Country Markets

(Jan. 2017) As Californians we usually take advantage of inexpensive airplane flights to Hawaii at least once every other year for a relaxing vacation. Only a 4.5 hour flight from San Francisco, you can fly direct to Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island, and enjoy the year-round warm weather. However as wine lovers living in the Napa/Sonoma region, we usually bring our own wine – packing 6 to 8 bottles in the special wine airline case my husband gave me for my birthday several years ago. This is because the wine selection in the islands is usually sparse and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:22:31-07:00March 26, 2017|

Learning About Champagne Riddling at Field Trip to Domaine Carneros

Old wooden riddling racks were set-up around the second floor room of Domaine Carneros, overlooking the winery below. CEO, Eileen Crane, handed everyone a glowing flute of Domaine Carneros Ultra Brut to enjoy as she explained how the riddling process works. "The traditional method was to turn each bottle in the riddling rack by a set amount each day until all of the yeast from the second fermentation in bottle fell to the top lip of the bottle. In this way, it could be frozen and then easily ejected." There were oohhs and aahhs from the thirty SSU wine business [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T19:55:11-08:00March 22, 2017|

Domaine Carneros – Still Enchanting Young and Old Visitors Over the Years

(March 2017) “Mommy, can we stop at the castle winery with the long flight of stairs?” This was the question my 6-year old daughter asked me every time we drove past Domaine Carneros coming or going from Sonoma to Napa Valley. Since she was three when we first moved to California wine country, I have joined many winery wine clubs over the years. One of the first was Domaine Carneros, because I love their delicious bubbly wine as well as the expansive view of the vineyards from the terrace of the massive chateau designed after one in the Champagne region [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:22:31-07:00March 20, 2017|

The Route of the Cathars & Wines of Limoux and Maury, France

June 2012 – Before leaving the US, I read several articles on the Cathars and their unusual and tragic history in the Languedoc-Roussillon area of France. Therefore, I was anxious to visit some of their territory, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the Route of the Cathars coincided with my planned visits to the wine towns of Limoux and Maury. (Wine was introduced into this region in 600 B.C. by the Phoenicians and Greeks.) Lonely Region of France -Route of the Cathars The Cathars were an usual sect of Christians who were vegetarians and believed in reincarnation. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:13:00-07:00March 17, 2017|

Wine in Tahiti

May 2013 – My husband and I decided to celebrate our anniversary in the Tahitian Islands on an 8 day/6 night trip. The reason it was 8 days is because the non-stop flights from Los Angeles to Papeete only fly at night, so we spent two nights trying to sleep on a plane, and the other 6 nights sleeping in beautiful resorts. On the Island of Moorea Naturally we packed some wine to take with us – 3 bottles – but quickly discovered that we should have brought more, or purchased it in duty free as we [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:07:38-08:00March 14, 2017|

Tasting the Wine of Dreams at Domaine Romanee Conti

(May 2014) It is the dream of every wine lover to someday have a chance to visit “the Mecca of Wine” - Domaine Romanee Conti. So when the opportunity finally came for a private tasting at DRC, I couldn’t believe it was actually true. I won’t go into details of how I finally received an invitation. Just know that it took months, and contacting many people – to whom I say thanks to in my dreams every night. Statue of St. Vivant in Courtyard of DRC The Gates of DRC There is no sign announcing the entrance to DRC, but [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:13:00-07:00March 12, 2017|

Searching for Mexican Wine on the Mayan Riviera

(Dec. 2016) The last time I visited Mexico was in Cabo San Lucas where you can buy a glass of Mexican wine in almost every restaurant. This is because more than 80% of Mexican wine is produced there in the Baja Peninsula, south of California. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and cool wet winters, and is ideal for wine grape growing. Beautiful White Sand Beaches of the Mayan Riviera, Mexico However, this time I traveled to the opposite side of the country to the Mayan Riviera located on the Yucatan Peninsula and bordered by the Caribbean Ocean. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:08:55-08:00March 11, 2017|

Wines for the Lawyer and Sicilian in Your Life – Emmitt-Scorsone Winery

(Contributed by Jane Hofmeister) This week, Palmer Emmitt, CEO of Emmitt-Scorsone Winery, visited SSU to share his beautiful artisan wines with us. Palmer and his partner produce two brands: Judge Palmer and Domenica Amato. Emmitt-Scorsone Wines The Judge Palmer Wine Brand This wine was name for Palmer’s grandfather James Palmer. He served as a judge in El Dorado County, California in the 1960s and 1970s. Palmer said this wine is a favorite of lawyers, and also is a great gift for anyone working in a legal environment. However, the velvety and rich taste of this wine will satisfy [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T19:55:32-08:00March 8, 2017|

The Unknown Story of Gloria Ferrer Champagne Cave’s First Venture into the US Market

Contributed by Jennifer Schiff – The SSU WineSense Club’s first meeting of the Spring 2017 semester featured Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves, a prominent bubble house located in the southernmost part of Sonoma. The sparkling wine house was established in 1982 by the same folks who brought us the globally distributed Cordon Negro, Freixenet. However, there is a little known story about their first venture into the US in the early 1930’s. Multiple Wars and Unrest Delay Arrival to California After years upon years of producing cava and becoming the largest producer and exporter of sparkling wines in the world, the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T19:55:56-08:00February 24, 2017|

SSU Wine Sense 2017 Spring Schedule Focuses on Napa and Sonoma Wineries

The Sonoma State University (SSU) Wine Sense Club has announced their Spring 2017 meeting schedule, featuring seven exciting wine education sessions. Each two hour meeting, held from 7:00pm to 9:00pm in the Bennett Valley Room includes a presentation from a winery professional and a guided tasting. Appetizers are served to pair with the wines. Participants must be enrolled as a student at SSU and be 21 years of age or older. The Spring 2017 Schedule is: Feb. 9 – Gloria Ferrer Winery – bubbles, chardonnay and pinot noir Feb. 23 – TBA March 2nd – Russian River Vineyards March 23 [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T20:08:48-08:00February 18, 2017|

Snapshot of the Mexican Wine Industry – Home of Oldest Winery in the Americas

(Excerpts of this post are from an article co-authored with Jorge Covarrubias in Winebusiness.com) (Dec. 2016) One of the distinguishing features of wine from Mexico is that the country is reputed to be the home of the oldest winery in all of the Americas. This winery is Casa Madero and is located in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in the state of Coahuila, about one hour’s drive east of the city of Monterrey. Records show that in the 1520’s after conquering the Aztecs, Cortes had Spanish grapevines sent to Mexico in order to plant vineyards and make wine in this region. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:10:08-08:00December 27, 2016|

A Visit to Villa Margon and a Dinner with Ferrari Winery at Locanda Margon, Italy

(November 2016) On our last evening in Trentodoc we were truly spoiled with a tour and seated tasting at Ferrari Winery, followed by a visit to their historic Villa Margon and dinner at their Michelin star restaurant called Locanda Margon. Entrance to Ferrari Winery Tasting Room in Trento, Italy Ferrari was started in 1902 by Giulio Ferrari, who had a dream of creating world-class sparkling wine in his homeland of Trentino. After studying winemaking in France, he returned and started Ferrari and today it is one of the most well-respected sparkling wines of Italy. See video When we asked if [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:16:21-07:00December 12, 2016|

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