Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Matching Music & Wine – What Music Makes Your Wine Taste Better?

You’ve heard of food and wine pairing, but have you heard of music and wine matching? According to an informal focus group of 42 Women for Wine Sense members and guests at Nicholson Ranch Winery, the right type of music really can impact what you taste in the wine. We experimented with two wines – a chardonnay and pinot noir, and matched them to different music genres. Focus group members were asked to vote on their favorite. The results were amazing! The 2007 Estate Chardonnay on its own has a lovely nose of orange blossom with peach and butter on [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:28:17-08:00June 26, 2009|

Millennials Add Salt to Their Wine – Experimenting With the 5 Flavors and Chateau St. Jean Wines

(By guest author, Matt Lapides) The last wine club of the 2008-2009 school year celebrated by tasting a flight of reserve wine from Chateau St. Jean and enjoying the dynamic of a food and wine pairing hosted by the wonderful Tammy K. Wight. Tammy opened the meeting with a taste of the 2005 Sonoma County Reserve Chardonnay. It took four different private vineyards of chardonnay grapes from the best parts of Sonoma County to create the multi layered complexity of this glass. It had a finish that tasted like crème brulee. The 2005 Sonoma County Reserve Malbec was next. This [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:28:57-08:00June 15, 2009|

Favorite Millennial Tasting Room – Ferrari-Carano

(Written by guest author, Nyk King). I have been all over Sonoma County from tasting room to tasting room and there is one place that stands out in my mind as being the pinnacle of the Sonoma County wine experience. That tasting room is Ferrari-Carano, which is located at the north end of Dry Creek road. The tasting room has you in awe before you can even finish parking your car. There are huge swinging iron gates at the entrance. After you follow the road down to the parking lot, you will walk up the long path to the tasting [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:29:19-08:00May 18, 2009|

Chateau Figeac, 1st Grand Cru Classe B, St. Emilion

We were welcomed by Audrey, the PR director and discovered that we were part of a scheduled tour with two other couples. However I asked so many questions about clones, types of yeast, and fermentation temperatures that she fetched the enologist and the viticulturist to meet with us as well. Chateau Figeauc is unique in that it is one of the oldest chateau in St. Emilion, tracing its roots back to the 2nd century AD when a Roman gentleman named Figeacus lived there. It is also unique in that it uses more cabernet sauvignon in the blend than is normal [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:11:02-07:00May 18, 2009|

Lunch at Restaurant L’Enver du Deco. St. Emilion

Caroline had made lunch reservations for us at the charming L’enver du Decor restaurant in St. Emilion. Lori accompanied us and helped us select our lunch and wine. We all ended up ordering the Prixe Fixe lunch menu – which I think is always a good deal in France with fresh seasonal dishes. It started with a creamy white asparagus soup, and we each selected a different glass of wine to accompany this and then compared. Mike, my husband, had the local rose; I ordered a white Graves; and Lori had a white Pessac-Leognan. Next course was steak, potatoes and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:11:02-07:00May 18, 2009|

Chateau Petite Village – Pomerol

We awoke to slightly cloudy skies, but by late morning they faded away and we were treated to another sunny blue sky with a high of around 68 F. After a pleasant breakfast with Bernard, we packed our luggage and said good-bye, but not before buying 2 bottles of his wine – 2003 to drink now and 2005 to save – as well as 2 of the boxed bottles of merlot salt he was selling. We then headed towards our destination in Pomerol, passing Ausone and Cheval Blanc along the way – both estates I was privileged to visit last [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:11:20-07:00May 18, 2009|

Another Sunny (and Lazy) Day in St. Emilion (Sunday, May 3, 2009)

We slept well and enjoyed listening to the crickets and frogs outside of our window. Breakfast is included in the rate of $98 Euros per night to stay at Chateau Monlot, so we headed downsides to the charming dining room where we feasted on good coffee and too many fresh and heavenly croissants of every type. Bernard, the owner, joined us and invited us to join his family for lunch at 1pm, as well as a tour of the wine cellars. What a friendly place! We gladly accepted. Next we wandered around the sunny grounds of the chateau taking pictures, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:11:20-07:00May 18, 2009|

Join the Party at Chateau Monlot, St. Emilion, France (Saturday, May 2, 2009)

My husband and I arrived in Bordeaux on May 2 at 4:40 in the afternoon to a sunny warm 70F degree day. After leaving rainy San Francisco yesterday (May 1) and the long flight to Amsterdam, it was a pleasure to finally arrive at our destination. However, as we exited the plane we were informed that all Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans had to report to security and fill out forms on the swine flu. Despite that small set-back we found our diesel car at Hertz and managed to drive to our hotel, the Chateau Monlot, in less than the hour [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:11:20-07:00May 18, 2009|

Back to Bordeaux – May 2009

I was very excited to get a chance to go back to Bordeaux this Spring of 2009. This was due to a scholarship from the Commanderie de Bordeaux and the MW Program. Caroline, in their main office, organized my schedule and set up all the visits. To her, I am extremely grateful because I know how many hours of work this takes. The following sections of this blog describe the wineries I visited on this trip -- beginning on the Right Bank, then along the Left Bank and ending in Entre duex Mers. I've also included hotel and restaurant information, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:11:21-07:00May 18, 2009|

Truett Hurst Winery – A Favorite Millennial Tasting Room

(Written by guest author, Chris Spradling). Truett Hurst Winery is located in Dry Creek Valley. They are a relatively small winery with an emphasis on Biodynamic farming. I visited this winery during the barrel tasting weekend, and although I visited many on that day, Truett Hurst stood out from the others. The tasting room was nice and not too crowded, and outside was plenty of seating looking at the vineyards. There was a barbeque right outside of the tasting room where delicious samples of tri-tip were being distributed. The employees at Truett Hurst were noticeably proud and enthusiastic about their [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:29:48-08:00May 13, 2009|

Carol Shelton’s Tawny Monga – A Winner

Last week we blind-tasted sparkling and dessert wines in our Bus 305W class. The top California wine was Carol Shelton’s Tawny Monga -- a fortified zinfandel with some lovely residual sugar. The 38 Millennials who attended class that evening agreed that it was a luscious dessert wine and screamed for chocolate as a pairing. At only $33 for a 500ml bottle, this wine is a great deal for a lovely after dinner drink. **** 2005 Tawny Monga Zin, Carol Shelton Wines, Cucamonga Valley ($33, 500ml) Dark berry fruit with amazing spices of clove and cinnamon and hint of dark [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T13:53:50-08:00April 28, 2009|

Lucas Winery – Favorite Millennial Tasting Room

(Written by guest author, Kate Nelson). The most memorable wine tasting experience of the wineries that I have visited in the past few months has been at Lucas Winery in Lodi, California. Lucas offered the best wine tasting experience for me for many reasons. The staff at Lucas was extremely friendly and inviting -- and even for our Designated Driver made the experience enjoyable. We were welcomed right away upon entering. The tasting room was open and bright, and the bar was large and accommodating so that many different groups of people would still feel individual attention and not feel [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:30:41-08:00April 22, 2009|

Millennial Favorite Tasting Room – Benziger

(Written by guest author, Jessica Schmidt). Benziger is a beautiful property and receives much sunlight throughout the day! The tasting room is not right at the entrance as it is laid out to see other nature qualities to notice before the wine! However, when you step inside the tasting room it is well laid out and with plenty of exciting merchandise. The tasting bar is to your left as you walk down the few steps at the entrance. The counter tops and wine racks are all a dark cherry oak to make the focal point of the room. There at [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:31:00-08:00April 9, 2009|

Top 3 Wine Clubs in Napa/Sonoma – Best Picks By Millennials

The 40 Millennial students in WineBiz Class 305W at SSU were asked to analyze wine clubs in the Napa/Sonoma area and to select their top three favorites. Criteria were based on best practices in wine clubs and included the following: 1) Number of different club levels - at least 2 choices is preferable 2) Price ranges for each level – a variety of ranges is preferable from low to high 3) Shipping frequency – every 2 to 3 months is better, because lowers cost or discounted shipping 4) Club level by varietal preference e,g. red wine, white, sparkling, etc. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-06T08:31:26-08:00March 27, 2009|

Merlot Tenderness with Twomey

(By Guest Author: Matt Lapides, SSU Wine Club President) This week the SSU Wine Club was in for a real treat. Twomey Cellers presented their 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir and a three vintage Merlot vertical of 2003, 2004, and 2005. This was the first time the club experienced a vertical tasting. We started with the 2003 and it really represented how a great bottle of wine improves with age. Next was the 2004 and you could already see how the fruit characteristics started to taste brighter and more intense. The 2005 was their current release and definitely was the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T13:53:50-08:00March 19, 2009|

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