Dr. Liz Thach, MW

A Magnificent Tasting at Penfold’s Magill Estate Winery

(Feb. 20, 2016) On our last day in Adelaide, we were fortunate to obtain a private tasting at Penfold’s Magill Estate with winemaker, Jason Barrette, and Hospitality Director, Jane Gibbs. This was organized by famous Australian photographer, Milton Wordley, who is good friends with Peter Gago. When Milton learned I hadn’t visited Penfold’s since 2003, he insisted on setting up the visit for us. We are very glad we followed his advice. Old Vines Saved from Bulldozer by Winemakers The Magill Estate is located in a suburb of Adelaide, and boasts 12 acres of old shiraz vines. It is the only [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:01:05-07:00March 23, 2016|

One Day Wine Tasting in the Barossa Valley, Australia

(Feb. 19, 2016) At the end of our 3 day conference, we signed up to attend the one-day private wine tasting tour in the Barossa Valley. Just like the McClaren Vale, I had visited Barossa several times previously, but this time there were some new wineries on the agenda. Previous Evening Dinner at Hill of Grace Restaurant Given the fact that we had enjoyed a 5-course dinner paired with wine at the Hill of Grace Restaurant in the Adelaide Oval Stadium the evening before, the 8am departure was a bit challenging. Especially since our dinner had started at 7:30pm with [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:01:05-07:00March 9, 2016|

Three Delightful Days in McClaren Vale, Australia

Reunited with my Australian Relatives in McClaren Vale (February 14 – 16, 2016) Our plane touched down in Adelaide around noon, but it only took a short time to pick up our rental car at Hertz and drive the 45 minutes to McClaren Vale. We reached our private cottage around 1:30pm and after a shower and power nap, went to visit Hugh Hamilton Winery (see other post), before driving up Marshall Road to visit my relatives who live on top of the hill. As usual on this remote road, we passed at least 8 kangaroos jumping in the yellow grass. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:01:06-07:00March 9, 2016|

SSU Millennials Wowed by the Flash and Fun of Buena Vista Wines

Contributed by Itze Monserrat Peña-Andrade) A huge crowded gathered at the recent SSU WineSense tasting, lured by the “flash” of the flamboyant Buena Vista Winery, and the “fun” of tasting its newly released wines. The meeting was led by Hospitality and Tasting Room Associate, Amber Lesniewski, who wowed the audience with stories about the winery’s amazing history, as well as the products they offer. Buena Vista Winery – The Oldest Premium Winery in California The history of Buena Vista Winery is quite interesting to say the least. Self-proclaimed “Count of Buena Vista,” Agoston Haraszthy, a vivacious immigrant from Hungary and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T20:06:40-08:00March 9, 2016|

A Visit to the Cartoon Decorated Molly Dooker Winery

(Feb. 15, 2016) I must admit that I’ve never been a fan of cartoon wine labels, but at the same time recognize that they have helped Molly Dooker to differentiate itself on the global wine scene. However, given the fame of their wines now, I’m not sure that the cartoon labels are still necessary. And indeed, they have dispensed with this custom on their high-end Black Velvet wine, which comes in a simple black bottle. On the other hand, the cartoons are part of what attracts many of my Millennial wine students to this winery. We arrived around 11:30 in [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:01:06-07:00February 25, 2016|

Visiting the Black Sheep Winery of Hugh Hamilton in McClaren Vale, Australia

(Feb. 14, 2016) The entrance to Hugh Hamilton Wineryis stunning, with a curved gray wall at the beginning and then a long driveway lined with tall green cypress trees. Along the drive, there are four “sheep dips”, which are upside down speed bumps, each marked with a cute sign with a sheep.” At the far end of the driveway is a tall circular building set on a hilltop and surrounded by vineyards. An imposing flight of steps leads to the building, and sitting in the center of the staircase is a statue of a sheep. The whole effect is both [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:01:06-07:00February 24, 2016|

SSU Wine Sense Club Welcomes Korbel – The Oldest California Champagne Cellar Dating from 1882

(Contributed by Itze Monserrat Pena) The SSU WineSense Club kicked off the Spring 2016 semester with a delicious tasting of sparkling wine and port to celebrate the romantic month of February. Obviously Korbel Champagne Cellars was a “natural” choice to invite to campus for an educational and fun tasting. A Little Bit of Korbel History Korbel & Bros. Inc. has an interesting tale that dates back to 1862 where believe it or not, the three Korbel brothers: Francis, Anton and Joseph founded Korbel to make cigar boxes in San Francisco, California. It was an immediate success, which led them to [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:47:48-08:00February 24, 2016|

Mexican Wine, Beer or Tequila: The Amazing Resilience of Mexico’s Wine Industry

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T18:49:47-08:00February 1, 2016|

Keller Estate and Muscardini Cellars Join SSU in Ugly Holiday Sweater Wine Tasting

Contributed by Sophia Fish - SSU Wine Sense Club ended the semester with a bang, hosting Keller Estate and Muscardini Cellars for an Ugly Holiday Sweater Wine Club meeting! Ugly Holiday Sweater Wine Tasting at SSU About Keller Estate - A 25-Year Love Affair The development of Keller Estate has been a 25-year love affair of Arturo and Deborah Keller. The two first fell in love with the estate while driving through Sonoma County. They soon decided to make it the site for a world-class vineyard, as well as their home. The La Cruz vineyard took [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:48:09-08:00December 10, 2015|

A Glimpse into the Life of Bordeaux Buff Dewey Markham

Dewey Markham Contributed by Itze Pena-Andrade - This past Thursday, the WineSense club was very fortunate in that Dewey Markham Jr., an author and wine scholar, lead the club through a wine tasting of fine Bordeaux wines. It was an enriching and educational experience! Dewey Markham’s Wine Journey Dewey was born and raised in New York City where he attended and graduated from New York University, with a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master's degree in Cinema. During his late twenties, Dewey's professional direction turned to cuisine. After having worked as a cook for some time, he [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:48:31-08:00November 23, 2015|

A Tasting With Boutique Wineries Three Sticks and Hamel Family Vineyards

Contributed by Sophia Fish – The SSU Wine Sense Club was honored to host two unique boutique wineries this week – Three Sticks and Hamel Family Vineyards, both located in Sonoma Valley. Even better was the fact that both wineries have hired SSU wine business students. Katie Boyer now works at Three Sticks Winery and our Wine Sense President, Rachel Minor, works as an intern at Hamel Family Wines. Overview of Three Sticks Winery Three Sticks is a winery that succeeds with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Bill Price purchased Durell Vineyard in 1998, and went on to found [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:48:52-08:00November 10, 2015|

Enriching Wine Tasting with La Crema and Murphy Goode Wineries

Halloween Wine Tasting Cheers to our fourth WineSense Club meeting of the Fall 2015 semester! We were very excited to welcome back alumni Kate Hansen from La Crema and Emily Creaven from Murphy-Goode to come speak with us about what their wineries offer. A Little Bit of History on La Crema and Murphy-Goode Wineries La Crema Vinera meaning the “Best of the Vine,” founded in 1979, is a family owned and operated winery that focuses exclusively on the exploration of premier West Coast cool-climate appellations. When La Crema was first founded, the Russian River Valley had yet to [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:49:30-08:00November 2, 2015|

Raving about Rare Cat Wines at SSU WineSense Meeting

Contributed by Sophia Fish - The name of Rare Cat Winery was inspired by an ancient Carthaginian coin dating back to 320 BC, with a beautiful picture of a majestic lion on one side and the Goddess Tanit on the other side. Since the goal of the winery was to make “exquisite wines, something truly beautiful and a little hard to come by: in short something of a ‘rare cat’” this was a perfect symbol and name. Rare Cat Wines – The love of wine began in Bordeaux Sharon Harris is the owner and director of winemaking, and her passion [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:50:39-08:00October 27, 2015|

Passing Around Passaggio Wines at SSU WineSense Meeting

Contributed by Sophia Fish - Four generations ago Cindy Cosco’s family ventured from Italy to America. In 2004 Cindy, who spent 15 years developing a career in law enforcement, left to pursue her passion and create a new generation of wines. She then started Passaggio Wines, which in Italian translates to ‘passage’ or ‘pass from’. Cindy has three labels, one of which is her goodwill bottling, a small label is called Unmarked Wines. The name comes from her career in law enforcement, aspiring to be a detective and drive an unmarked car. She put these aspirations aside to pursue her [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:51:02-08:00October 19, 2015|

SSU Wine Grads Start SommSelect and Conduct Wine Tasting at Alma Mater

Contributed by Itze Pena-Andrade - Cheers to our second WineSense Club meeting of the Fall 2015 semester! We were very excited to welcome back Brandon Carneiro and Tyler Wedeking from SommSelect to come speak with us about what SommSelect is and offers. A little bit of History Ian Cauble and Brandon Carneiro, the co-founders of SommSelect, first met at Sonoma State University in 1999 where they quickly became friends during their time as undergrads. Ian majored in international business and Spanish; Brandon studied economics. Years later, they reconnected in Las Vegas where Brandon was working as a fine wine salesperson [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:51:34-08:00October 12, 2015|

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