Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Wine Poetry: How an Ancient Persian Legend Gave Birth to a Petaluma Gap Winery

“As a child growing up in Persia I heard the story of the discovery of wine,” says Pari Azari, “but it is also documented in my Persian cookbook. In fact Omar Khayyám referred to the story in some of his poetry.” Kamal Azari, Pari’s husband and co-owner of Azari Winery, nods in appreciation as he listens to his wife. “Yes, it is this story, plus the fact that I was born in Shiraz, the ancient city in Persia thought to be the birthplace of the syrah grape, that inspired us to start our winery.” Pari then proceeded to tell the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-02T13:26:36-08:00November 28, 2011|

The Unique Refosk Grape of Slovenia in the Fairytale Port of Koper

Sept. 2011 - Our first port of call was Koper, Slovenia. It was delightful to wake up in the morning on Royal Caribbean and have coffee on the balcony while we watched the shoreline of Slovenia come into view. Koper is a small city and there is no need to pay for transportation from the ship. It is only a five minute walk into the charming old town - albeit you do have to climb a hill. The city has cobble stone streets, an old castle with high walls, a beautiful old church which we ducked inside to attend part [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T20:46:53-08:00November 16, 2011|

Williamson Winery Wows Millennials

Over thirty Millennials showed up to taste the award winning wines of Williamson Winery this past week. Located in Sonoma County with a tasting room on the Healdsburg Plaza and their famous Home Ranch Vineyard in the Dry Creek AVA, Williamson is primarily known for big reds, such as syrah, zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon. However, they also source fruit from other locations and it was these wines that appealed most to the Millennials tasters. Favorite white wine of the evening was the Williamson Winery Joy Sauvignon Blanc ($28) from the North Coast. It had a fresh grapefruit nose with some [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-02T13:26:57-08:00November 2, 2011|

The Ancient Connection Between Women and Wine

Originally published in Wayward Tendrils Quarterly (Vol 18, No. 2, April 2008), Liz Thach, Ph.D. Posted here by request. Most historians now agree that wine was most likely discovered by a woman. However what is often left out of the history books are the ancient stories of the goddesses of wine – most who came into being centuries before Bacchus and Dionysus. Modern technology and carbon-dating has helped us prove that wine from cultivated grapes was being made in what is now modern-day Georgia, in the Caucasus Mountains around 6,000 B.C. There are also reports of wine remains in Armenia, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-02T13:27:18-08:00October 26, 2011|

The Mystery of the Missing Pinot Noir Grapes

Professor Musings: I have a small hobby vineyard in Sonoma County with 90 pinot noir vines and 30 sauvignon blanc. The vineyard is located in the Petaluma Gap region of the Sonoma Coast AVA which is a cooler climate ideal for pinot noir. Every year it produces a nice crop with the pinot always ripening before the sauvignon blanc. This autumn, however, when I walked down to check on the sugar level of the grapes, I was astounded to see that something had eaten 90% of the pinot noir crop. The sauvignon blanc, which was still rather tart tasting, was untouched. I called my neighbors with [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T20:23:20-08:00October 17, 2011|

White Burgundy and Non-ML Chardonnay Top Scoring Wines at Millennial Tasting

Distinctive chardonnays came out on top at the first SSU Wine Sense Club tasting of the semester. Imagery Winery’s “2009 White Burgundy ($29)” received the most votes as the favorite wine. A full-bodied chardonnay with a small amount of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Meunier in the blend everyone enjoyed the tropical fruit flavors and bright crispness. Other Imagery wines tasted included a Malbec, Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc. Imagery Winery, located in Sonoma Valley, is renown for its artistic blends and beautiful labels featuring a different California artist each year. For more information see http://www.imagerywinery.com/. The SSU WineSense Board had to [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-02T13:28:11-08:00October 8, 2011|

Visiting the Wineries of Sedona Arizona

(July 13 - 21, 2011) Ironically, the most difficult issue with winegrowing in Arizona is frost. Most people find this surprising because Arizona is known for very hot temperatures, but since most of the vineyards are located in the high desert at 4200 to 5200 feet in elevation, it can get quite cold at certain times of the year. In years where the frost arrives during bud break, a large percentage of the crop can be at risk. Arizona now boasts 45 wineries, and though I had visited wineries in the Sonorita region south of Tucson several years ago, imagine [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:22:34-07:00July 23, 2011|

Winning Wisconsin Wineries

(June 24-28, 2011) Did you know there are now 42 wineries in Wisconsin? This was one of the amazing facts I learned during my four day visit at the invitation of my good friend Peg. In addition to touring three wineries, we had a wonderful time sight-seeing in downtown Milwaukee. I was very impressed with the bustling businesses, the amazing architecture of the Milwaukee Art Museum, the historic mansions along Lake Michigan and the charming Third Ward. Peg also treated me to great food and wine, boat rides, and the chance to meet her fascinating friends. We obtained a copy [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:22:34-07:00July 5, 2011|

Moseying Around Monbazillac – a Mini Sauternes

June 15, 2011 – On Wednesday morning we had a lazy breakfast, then packed and cleaned our apartment before checking out. We headed towards Bergerac and the Monbazillac AOC which was only a 30 minute drive from Le Bugue. On the way we passed an amazing site of over 100 white swans on the Dordogne River. We stopped to take photos and marvel at their beauty. They appeared to be feeding in the river, and were in a section that was covered with the tiny white flowers that grace the river in such an exotic fashion. An artist was sitting [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:10:25-07:00June 29, 2011|

The Wines of Bergerac – A Mini-Bordeaux

During the four delightful days we spent in the Dordogne, the main wine region represented in every restaurant was Bergerac. Each “verre de vin blanc, rouge, or rose” we ordered was always from a Bergerac appellation, but since the 13 AOC’s in the Bergerac region are part of the department of the Dordogne, that makes sense. Before leaving home, I checked my wine atlas to verify the types of grapes allowed in Bergerac wines, and they are identical to Bordeaux – for the most part. Bergerac reds are a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc (Bordeaux is also [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:10:26-07:00June 29, 2011|

Visiting Cahors Malbec Wineries – The Black Wine of the Middle Ages

June 14, 2011 –We took the back roads from Le Bugue to Cahors arriving in the city via D9 through the little towns of Espere and Mercues. On the way out of Le Bugue we were sidetracked for an hour when we ran into the weekly open air market on Tuesday mornings. It was a wonderful market with plenty of food – olives, foie gras, cheeses, truffles, wine, etc – as well as clothes, jewelry and household items. When we finally got back on the road it took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to drive to Cahors, passing through [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:10:26-07:00June 29, 2011|

Delightful Dordogne – Land of Foie Gras, Truffles, Medieval Cities, Castles and Caves

June 12 – 15 – We departed Bordeaux around 10am on Sunday morning taking the toll way to the Montignac exit – one of the entry points to the Dordogne region. We arrived just before noon and were completely enchanted with the charming little town decorated with flower streamers above the streets. We found a quaint restaurant with outdoor tables along the river, and proceeded to order a foie gras salad and a half a carafe of Bergerac Blanc – made primarily of sauvignon blanc and muscadelle. After lunch we wandered around the town and found an ice cream shop [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:10:27-07:00June 29, 2011|

Excellent Time at Bar a Vin and Le Mably Restaurant in Bordeaux

June 11, 2011 – After our field trip in the Medoc, we arrived back in Bordeaux around 6pm and immediately walked to the Bar a Vin for happy hour. This is a great wine bar in downtown Bordeaux which is sponsored by the CIVC. It is a good introduction to the wines of Bordeaux with all regions represented and excellent prices – with many of the wines only $2 euros per glass. Very modern and eclectic décor; it is a great place to hang out. Eventually about 20 wine business professors congregated at Bar a Vin, and around 7pm 15 [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:10:27-07:00June 24, 2011|

Field Trip to Chateau Gruaud-Larose and Chateau Maucauillou

June 11, 2011 – We slept in on Saturday morning, then drove to downtown Bordeaux to park in their underground parking structure. Then we had brunch at a charming sidewalk café before boarding the bus which headed to the Medoc for a tour of two wineries. When we saw the names of the wineries – Gruaud Larose and Maucauillou – people laughingly said they must have selected the two most difficult winery names to pronounce. Most marketing textbooks recommend selecting a product name that is easy to spell and pronounce, but this is not always the case in Bordeaux. Chateau [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:10:27-07:00June 24, 2011|

AWBR Conference at Bordeaux Business School Plus Dinners at Chateau Giscours and Millesima

June 8 - 11, 2011 – Another Academy of Wine Business Conference (AWBR) with the location this time at the Bordeaux Business School. This was my 4th visit to Bordeaux and I always enjoy the city because it reminds me of a “little Paris.” With just over 1 million people including the suburbs, Bordeaux has an amazing downtown that was renovated with the UNESCO World Heritage grant to bring it back to its 18th century glory. Sidewalk cafes, fountains, statues, and beautiful buildings enchant along the Garonne River. The conference was enjoyable with over 80 academic wine papers spread over [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:10:28-07:00June 24, 2011|

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