Wine Stars

Wine Stories and News for the Young at Heart

Passing Around Passaggio Wines at SSU WineSense Meeting

Contributed by Sophia Fish - Four generations ago Cindy Cosco’s family ventured from Italy to America. In 2004 Cindy, who spent 15 years developing a career in law enforcement, left to pursue her passion and create a new generation of wines. She then started Passaggio Wines, which in Italian translates to ‘passage’ or ‘pass from’. Cindy has three labels, one of which is her goodwill bottling, a small label is called Unmarked Wines. The name comes from her career in law enforcement, aspiring to be a detective and drive an unmarked car. She put these aspirations aside to pursue her [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:51:02-08:00October 19, 2015|

SSU Wine Grads Start SommSelect and Conduct Wine Tasting at Alma Mater

Contributed by Itze Pena-Andrade - Cheers to our second WineSense Club meeting of the Fall 2015 semester! We were very excited to welcome back Brandon Carneiro and Tyler Wedeking from SommSelect to come speak with us about what SommSelect is and offers. A little bit of History Ian Cauble and Brandon Carneiro, the co-founders of SommSelect, first met at Sonoma State University in 1999 where they quickly became friends during their time as undergrads. Ian majored in international business and Spanish; Brandon studied economics. Years later, they reconnected in Las Vegas where Brandon was working as a fine wine salesperson [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:51:34-08:00October 12, 2015|

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 Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:51:57-08:00September 23, 2015|

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 Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:52:42-08:00September 11, 2015|

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 Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:54:39-08:00June 29, 2015|

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|

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|

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|

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|

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|

Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir and Sbragia Cabernet Sauvignon Tie as Top Favorites in Classic Red Tasting

Sbragia Wines With Cheese Platter What is a classic red wine grape? It is a variety that has proved it can produce consistently high quality over a long period of time in more than one region of the world. Therefore, though there are more than 120 commercially produced wine grapes, there are only 4 classic red grapes. In California, however, we add Zinfandel as well, because it is one of our most beloved State grapes: Pinot Noir – famous in Burgundy, Oregon, Sonoma, New Zealand and many other regions of the world Merlot– famous in Bordeaux, Italy, Washington, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T13:45:59-08:00March 9, 2015|

Sparkling Wine, Port & Chocolate Truffle Tasting with Mumm and Sonoma Portworks

SSU Wine Sense Club Tasting (Contributed by Erica Schreckenghaust) - Bring on the sparkle, chocolate, and the heady taste of port please! This was the siren’s call of a recent SSU Wine Sense Club meeting, where students were introduced to Olivia Najjar from Mumm Napa and Bill Reading from Sonoma Portworks! About Mumm Napa Most people recognize that Mumm Champagne was started in France, but Mumm has also been in Napa Valley for many years. The founding president and wine maker, Guy Devaux, worked with an architect in 1986 to create the Domaine Mumm facility in Rutherford. Three [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T21:59:01-08:00March 3, 2015|

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