Dr. Liz Thach, MW

The Innovative Wines of Delicato Family Vineyards

Liz Rice of Delicato The Wine Sense Club had the honor of welcoming back Elizabeth Rice, an SSU alum and one of the founding members of the club, from Delicato Family Vineyards. She has worked at Delicato as their Director of International Marketing and Operations for the last 13 years. She has had the opportunity to travel all over the world representing the various brands under the Delicato portfolio. Delicato Family Vineyards – 3rd Generation Family Growers in California Delicato Family Vineyards is a 3rd generation family owned business with over 90 years of grape growing in California. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:54:59-08:00June 9, 2015|

Which Foods Are Most Challenging to Match with Wine?

The right wine with the right dish can be heaven, but there are a few foods that are challenging to match with wine. What are they? According to a new infographic chart prepared by CorrChilled, the answers are: Artichokes Asparagus Brussel Sprouts Green Beans However if you have the right seasonings, sauces, or cheese, even these more bitter tasting vegetables can pair well with wine. CorrChilled's Infographic on Food & Wine Pairing Check out the infographic below, which illustrates a simple way to pair your favorite wine style with food. For example, if you have a dry white wine, the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:55:35-08:00June 2, 2015|

Do You Know Where to Buy WineGrape Vines to Start Your Vineyard?

Inside Novavine Nursery (Contributed by Erica Schreckenghaust) - The SSU Winesense club knows where to buy wine grape vines because they recently took a field trip to Novavine in Sonoma County. Novavine is a nursery near Santa Rosa, California that is dedicated to helping people plant successful vineyards including grapes and olives. The tour was led Ernie and Ophelia, both employees of Novavine. They explained the complete process of grafting, growing, and packaging winegrape vines, as well as installing of vineyards. Novavine was started in 1996 by Ellen and Milton Heath because they wanted to create a knowledgeable and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:55:55-08:00May 26, 2015|

Do You Know Where the Only Sparkling Meadery in the World is Located?

First of all, you may be wondering what a "Meadery" is. The actual definition of "Meadery" is a winery that produces wine made from honey. This is an ancient technique, and mead can be found in many countries of the world. It is often a sweet thick wine, or can be made thinner with the addition of water, and take on the taste of a sweet beer. The Location: Heidrun Winery in Point Reyes, California However, hidden in the coastal hills of Marin County, California in the small town of Point Reyes is the home of the only sparkling meadery [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:22:33-07:00April 23, 2015|

Shopping in Panama City’s Casco Antiguo, Albrook Mall, and Visiting the Frank Gehry Biodiversity Museum

Old Section of Panama City March 2015 - On our last full day in Panama we drove to the old city to do the walking tour and some shopping. Again it was a bit challenging traversing the slums and one-way streets, but easier in the daylight than in the nighttime as we had done previously. Using a tourist map, we managed to find the paid parking lot at the end of the peninsula on which the old city is situated. It only costs 30 cents per half hour, so 90 cents for our total visit. We wandered the streets and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T14:32:00-08:00April 20, 2015|

Learning How to Build Wine Barrels with Yann, Master Cooper with Barrel Builders

(Contributed by Erica Schreckenghaust) In the second installment of our field trip series, we had the honor of going to Barrel Builders, a barrel cooperage, in St. Helena. About Barrel Builders Barrel Builders was created in 1972, by a handful of French coopers who were sent over to assist Robert Mondavi’s people in the assembly, finish and care of the barrels. At the time Mondavi was one of the few people to begin using French oak barrels and soon after, their popularity spiraled. Barrel Builders were the pioneers within the industry as they were the only cooperage represented in the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:56:22-08:00April 19, 2015|

Visiting the Soberania National Park and Gamboa Rainforest Resort, Panama

March 2015 - Another day we drove from our resort to the Soberania National Park. It took about 35 minutes from the Intercontinental Playa Bonita Resort and was not that difficult. What was challenging was trying to figure out where the park started. There is no visitor center, but instead small signs listing the name of the hiking trails. Therefore, you must check the names of the hiking trails first. We stopped at the El Charco Nature Trail (Sendero Natural El Charco) and parked in the dirt parking lot. As we approached the trailhead, a smiling young man stepped out [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:00:16-08:00April 13, 2015|

SSU Wine Sense Club Students Take Field Trip to Hamel Family Vineyards

Hamel Family Vineyards (Contributed by Erica Schreckenghaust ) - One of the main goals of the Wine Sense Club is to create connections between wine professionals, wineries, and students. We appreciate all of the people who have come to visit us on campus over the years but wanted to create an organic way for students to get the all-encompassing experience of a brand. In attempt to do this the Executive Board have organized fieldtrips all over Sonoma and Napa Valley during the Spring semester. Hamel Family/ Brand History: To kick off our series of field trips we had the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:56:43-08:00April 13, 2015|

Renting a Car in Panama City and Visiting the Panama Canal

Simulation Room at Panama Canal March 2015 - Renting a car in Panama City was an unusual experience. We reserved with Hertz and the check-in at the airport was normal, but the nice touch was they brought the car to the curb for us to climb in. No need to get on a rental car bus. The downside was that when we returned the car to the airport, there are no signs about where to return it, and we had to circle 3 times. Eventually, after asking several police officers, we were told that we should bring the car to [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:00:34-08:00April 6, 2015|

Which Do You Prefer? Dry Creek Valley AVA or Alexander Valley AVA

SSU Wine Sense Board and Guests (Contributed by Erica Schreckenghaust) - Which do you prefer - Dry Creek or Alexander Valley? This was the question on the minds of the more than 40 students who attended the SSU Wine Sense tasting last Thursday. In the end it was impossible to choose a favorite, because they were both excellent! But everyone learned much about these two distinctive and different AVAs located in Northern Sonoma County. Dry Creek Valley Wine Association Location in Northern Sonoma County on the West side of 101, the Dry Creek Valley Wine Association was created [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:57:04-08:00April 1, 2015|

Relaxing at Playa Bonita and Watching Panamanian Dancing

Beach & Pool at Playa Bonita Resort March 2015 – In between attending conference sessions, we managed to explore several parts of Panama City. The first full day we enjoyed the beauty of the Intercontinental Playa Bonita Resort, which is located 15 minutes north of Panama City just over the impressive Bridge of Americas. The resort is situated on a beautiful blond sand beach on the Pacific, with a view of the massive ships lining up on the horizon to wait their turn to enter the Panama Canal. There are many different types of seabirds that come to the resort [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:00:51-08:00April 1, 2015|

Wine and Food in Panama

Empty Red Wine Glasses in Panama March 2015 – There are no wineries in Panama, but there are plenty of wines in the restaurants, bars, grocery stores and occasional liquor store. Due to its location, linking Central America to South America, it is not surprising that the majority of the wine is from Chile and Argentina. However, we also found a large selection from Spain, and a few bottles from Australia and California – primarily Yellow Tail and Gallo brands, such as Barefoot and Apothic. A positive is that the price for wine in Panama seemed quite reasonable, and you [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:01:32-08:00March 30, 2015|

How I Fell In Love with Wine: Romance and Hoppy Beer

Chris Driving Through the Vineyards (Contributed by Christopher Harrison) - Look at how happy that guy looks! That picture was taken on my 1 year Dating Anniversary to the woman that 7 months ago became my wife. I planned a romantic getaway in the heart of the California Wine Country and she never had a clue it was coming. At this point in my life I was much more a lover of beer. I had just started working for Pyramid Breweries and had become a full on Hop-Head. I wanted the biggest, baddest, hoppiest beers possible and I [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:57:25-08:00March 30, 2015|

How I Fell In Love with Wine: Family and the Beauty of Sonoma County

Matt Helping With Harvest (Contributed by Matt Medeiros) - I fell in love with wine when I was a teenager because we owned a family vineyard. Growing up around grapes, a vineyard located in the Russian River Valley AVA, with high quality Pinot Noir grapes was a great privilege. I got to see a lot of the work, time, and effort that goes into growing quality grapes for a well-known highly praised wine family. My dad basically managed the vineyard, and oversaw all vineyard operations, which gave a very intimate hands on opportunity to see what goes on. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:57:44-08:00March 26, 2015|

A Tasting of Wines from Yarimada Winery in Azerbaijan

Wine Tasting at Art Garden Restaurant January 2015 - Several days after arriving in Baku, I received an email invitation from Ibrahim Abdulrahimov, the Commercial Director of Yarimada Winery. He invited me to a private wine tasting and lunch at the Art Garden Restaurant in the Old City of Baku. Ibrahim was kind enough to pick me up from my hotel, and as we drove to the restaurant, he explained more about the winery. The name, “Yarimada” means “peninsula” in Azerbaijani. The winery is named this because it is located 40 minutes from Baku on the Absheron peninsula in the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:01:55-08:00March 25, 2015|

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