SSU Archives - Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Last Night in Paris and a Video Highlighting Our Adventures

Our Group in Paris (May 23 & 24, 2014) The next morning we boarded the bus for the 3.5 hour drive from Beaune to Paris, stopping once along the way at another large French gas station to grabs some snacks. We arrived back at the Mercure in Paris around 1pm, and everyone was happy to be back in a modern hotel with working wifi. The afternoon was free time, so some people opted to take a nap, whereas others took the metro to Versailles, the Louvre, and many other Paris locals. It was our last night in Paris, and everyone [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:04:28-08:00January 26, 2015|

A Foggy Day in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Wine Region – Visiting Bindella Winery

Jan. 8, 2013 – Siena was shrouded in fog when we awoke, and though we were hopeful it would dissipate later in the day, it never did. Our first winery was Bindella, which is located in the hills outside the town of Montepulciano. The view of the surrounding countryside and the hilltop town in the distance would have been spectacular except for the very thick white fog that cloaked everything. Our hostess, Francesca, apologized profusely but no one can control the weather, and in some way, the drifting fog through the winter vineyards and tall green cedars made the whole [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:54:24-08:00February 5, 2013|

A Very Warm and Heartfelt Visit to Fuligni Winery

(Jan. 7, 2013) - The sun had just set as we left Casanova di Neri Winery to drive the short 10 minute distance to Fuligni Winery. The sky had turned to a lovely orange and the tall cedar trees were dark silhouettes against the sunset colors. Unfortunately as we wound our way down the hill, we missed the sharp left turn into Fuligni and had to go to the bottom of the Montalcino hill before we could turn the bus around. Then once we arrived, the bus was too large to enter the narrow driveway without scrapping against the long [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:55:04-08:00January 29, 2013|

Visiting Montalcino – Hilltop City and Bastion of Brunello

Jan. 7, 2013 – As we left Florence to drive the 1.5 hours to Montalcino, the fog was just lifting from the city, and as we crested the hilltop with the bronze statue of David, we could look back and see all of the red-tiled roofs and domes of Florence gleaming in the sunlight. However the blue sky was short-lived as we headed south into Chianti Classico and the fog shrouded the bus again. It was only as we climbed the last twisting turns of the road into the small hilltop town of Montalcino that we burst out of the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:55:49-08:00January 21, 2013|

Badia a Coltibuono – An Organic Winery in an 11th Century Abbey

(Jan. 5, 2013) - Before arriving at our 2:30pm appointment at Badia a Coltibuono, we stopped in the small town of Radda where Janeen had made a reservation to eat lunch at La Botte di Bacco Restaurant. This turned out to be one of the best meals of my trip. Lunch at La Botte di Bacco in Radda We started with a glass of local vermintino and a fresh salad mista. They served this with a big basket of mixed breads, including a very delectable mini-fried bread, which were addictive and hard to stop eating. In general, I usually do [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:56:26-08:00January 14, 2013|

Visiting Castello de Verrazzano in Chianti Classico Italy

Jan. 5, 2013 – The next day, we boarded the bus at 8:45 to drive to Chianti Classico and our scheduled visit with two wineries. On the bus, I provided a brief overview of the DOCG regulations for this region, including the mandatory 80% sangiovese rule with the remainder 20% up to the winery where they can use other grapes such as merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and the traditional caniolo and colorino. As of 2006, white grapes are no longer allowed in Chianti Classico red wine. We also reviewed the production method of the famous dessert wine of the region, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:56:45-08:00January 13, 2013|

Arriving in Tuscany and Walking Tour of Florence Italy

Jan. 3, 2013 – Our group of 28 California wine professionals left San Francisco at 7:30pm on Swiss Air Flight to Florence with a 2 hour stop-over in Zurich. Though a long flight with over 12 hours of flight time, Swiss Air was quite generous in giving us two meals and plenty of Prosecco as well as a house white and red wine. Everyone was quite excited to be going on a 10 day wine tour of Tuscany. We were met at the Florence Airport by our EF College Tour Guide, Linda, who efficiently loaded us on a bus and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:57:13-08:00January 12, 2013|