InstagramLinkedInFacebook

Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Kicking Off with Kenwood Winery – First Fall 2015 Tasting of SSU Wine Sense Club

SSU Winesense Kenwood Winery Tasting Contributed by Sophia Fish - Cheers to a great first Wine Sense Club meeting for Fall 2015! We were very excited to welcome Maxwell Burns and our very own VP of Operations Matt Lopez from Kenwood Vineyards to come speak with us about their fabulous winery. Kenwood Vineyards – Historic & Sustainable Cellar Kenwood Vineyards was established in 1970 formerly the Pagani Brothers Winery, a historic cellar dating back to 1906. Kenwood Vineyards is devoted to producing premium wines truly representative of Sonoma County’s world class vineyards. Kenwood Vineyards is committed to making the [...]

By |2021-02-01T21:51:57-08:00September 23, 2015|
Read More

SSU WineSense Announces New Executive Board and Fall 2015 Tasting Schedule

2015/2016 Executive Board for SSU Wine Sense Club The Sonoma State University (SSU) WineSense Club proudly announces the members of the 2015/2016 Executive Board. In addition, they have developed a very exciting line-up of wineries and organizations who will be visiting campus to conduct educational wine tastings throughout the semester. 2015/2016 Executive Board for SSU Wine Sense President: Rachel Minor Vice President: Taylor Hood Treasurer: Justin Stushek VP of Marketing: Jingmei Su VP of Operations & Culinary Experiences: Matt Lopez Director of Membership: Christian Gutierrez Director of Campus Outreach: Sophia Fish Director of Campus Marketing: Jamie Huerta Director [...]

By |2021-02-01T21:52:42-08:00September 11, 2015|
Read More

Who Knew Southern Indiana Wine Country Was So Beautiful? – A Visit to Huber Winery

Vineyard at Huber Winery, Indiana (Tues., July 28, 2015)Who knew Southern Indiana was so beautiful?  I had flown from San Francisco to Indianapolis and rented an SUV to drive two hours south on Highway 64 to the Uplands AVA of Indiana. My destination was Huber Winery, the largest and oldest winery in Indiana. Situated only a few miles from the Kentucky border, this part of Indiana is graced with gentle rolling hills, green valleys filled with orchards, rows of corn and vineyards. As soon as I turned on State Road 60, I saw charming farmhouses surrounded by large emerald lawns [...]

By |2026-09-14T13:22:32-07:00August 12, 2015|
Read More

Tasting Sparkling Honey Wine at Heidrun Meadery, Point Reyes, California

Visiting Heidrun Winery (Contributed by Erica Schreckenghaust) On a beautiful sunny day a small group of Wine Sense Members visited Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes. We were on a quest to taste “the wine of the Norse gods” – wine made from honey. Mead was the only beverage that the Norwegian god Odin would drink, and it had to be from Heidrun, a special goat that would produce mead in her udder. About Heidrun Meadery Heidrun Meadery is one of the few, if not the only, meaderies, who make their mead in the Methode Champenoise style, which creates [...]

By |2021-02-01T21:54:39-08:00June 29, 2015|
Read More

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 |2021-02-01T21:54:59-08:00June 9, 2015|
Read More

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 |2021-02-01T21:55:35-08:00June 2, 2015|
Read More

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 |2021-02-01T21:55:55-08:00May 26, 2015|
Read More

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 |2026-09-14T13:22:33-07:00April 23, 2015|
Read More

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 |2021-01-23T14:32:00-08:00April 20, 2015|
Read More

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 |2021-02-01T21:56:22-08:00April 19, 2015|
Read More

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 |2021-01-23T15:00:16-08:00April 13, 2015|
Read More

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 |2021-02-01T21:56:43-08:00April 13, 2015|
Read More

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 |2021-01-23T15:00:34-08:00April 6, 2015|
Read More

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 |2021-02-01T21:57:04-08:00April 1, 2015|
Read More
Go to Top