Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Research studies have shown that in addition to dry red and semi-sweet white wines, another favorite category of Millennials is sparkling wine.  With this in mind, the SSU Winesense Tasting Club sponsored a “Battle of the Bubblies” evening and invited Korbel and Gloria-Ferrer to share some of their exciting sparkling wines.   Korbel Champagne Cellars Headquartered in the Russian River AVA, Korbel was established in 1882 and is the oldest continually operating champagne house in North America.  Head winemaker, Erica Mandl, providing fascinating commentary on the history of the winery, as well as production information on the 4 wines she [...]

Another sold out night at SSU’s Winesense tasting this week.  This time the lure was big reds offered by Ridge Vineyards of Dry Creek Valley and Topel Winery, located in southern Mendocino county.  Seven wines were served with some spicy and robust food pairings.  From Ridge Vineyards, the favorite of the evening was the 2008 Buchignani Ranch Carignane ($26).  This was a big earthy wine with dark red fruit and spice.  Everyone also enjoyed the grenache and zinfandels, but the distinctiveness of the carignane caused it to be a run-away favorite.  For more information, see http://www.ridgewine.com/.  From Topel Winery, it [...]

Most wine research confirms that the Millennials have been driving new growth in the US wine industry over the past 5 years.  Research also suggests that they enjoy red wine and sweeter white wines.  This latter fact proved to be true in an informal wine tasting experiment in Bus 305W this semester at Sonoma State University.  Forty-three Millennials tasted 6 white wines as part of our introductory tasting session this semester.  The wines included chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, riesling, gewürztraminer and muscat, and were tasted in order of increasing sugar.  At the conclusion of the tasting, before brands or [...]

When I arrived at SSU’s Winesense Tasting this week, I was surprised to see a note on the door saying “sold-out; no more seats available.”  This was exciting because it was a testament to the wonderful wines that were served that evening from the Sonoma Coast Appellation.   Over 50 Millennials crowded the room to listen to winemakers Darrin Low of Flowers Vineyard and Paul Clary of Clary Ranch.  Both wineries specialize in growing grapes that crave the cooler climates of the Sonoma Coast AVA.  Flowers is situated near the Pacific Ocean and is famous for its pinot noirs and chardonnay, [...]

It’s hard to believe that there are more than 6,000 wineries in the US now.  Of those, more than 50% are small family wineries crafting hand-made wines, contributing to our economy, and providing lovely vineyard landscapes to beautify America.  Larson Family Winery, located in the Carneros and Sonoma Valley AVAs of Sonoma County, is one of these precious small family wineries.   Founded in the 1800’s, the winery only sells direct to consumers via their tasting room, wine club, and online wine shop (http://www.larsonfamilywinery.com/).  They poured 5 wines for a sold-out crowd of more than 40 millennials at this week’s SSU [...]