wine

Three Days of Wine Judging in Shanghai China

(May 2017) This past week I flew to Shanghai to participate in the Wine 100 Competition. In its 6th year, the competition includes both Chinese and international wines. This year there were over 900 entries, up from the original 50 entries submitted the first year of the competition. Organized by David Jiang, a retired McKinsey executive who loves wine, the competition is designed to help Chinese consumers to find quality wine in their market. Each year he brings in several MWs and MSs to round out the cadre of top sommeliers and wine experts in China. All together there were [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T12:36:54-08:00May 28, 2017|

3 Days in Burgundy

Originally published in the Huffington Post as A New Reason to Visit Burgundy. After several days in Paris, when you begin to long for the beauty of the French countryside, head south to Burgundy. In addition to legendary wine and gourmet food, there is a new reason to visit – the recent UNESCO classification of the ancient vineyards laid out by the monks, called “climats”. This is unique because the climats and tiny wine villages that link them are considered to be a “living cultural landscape.” Visitors can experience this by walking through the vineyards, tasting the wines, and visiting [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T12:51:05-08:00May 23, 2017|

Working Harvest in Burgundy

Originally published in the Huffington Post as How Harvest in Burgundy is Different. (Fall 2016) Even with ten years of harvest experience under my belt from stints in Napa, Australia, and my own small vineyard in Sonoma, I was still not prepared for how different harvest time is in Burgundy. While working there this past autumn, I encountered some very unique differences, with Polish pickers, pick-up truck parties, and hovering helicopters, as just a few of the unusual occurrences. WORKERS HARVESTING GRAPES IN BURGUNDY. PHOTO CREDIT: L. THACH Since I moved to Burgundy at the beginning of September, it was [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:01:18-08:00May 19, 2017|

How to go Winetasting in Burgundy – 6 Tips for Wine Tourists

Due to its long history as a top growing wine region for chardonnay and pinot noir, Burgundy is obviously a place where many tourists want to go winetasting. However, unlike many New World wine locations, such as Napa and Sonoma, it is not always possible to drop by a winery to taste wine without an appointment. There are some exceptions, with more domains opening cellar door operations in the past several years, but in general, it is necessary to do some advance planning. Wine Tasting at Chateau Mersault According to the Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB), there are 3890 [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:01:52-08:00May 1, 2017|

Hiking and Yoga in the Vineyards of Burgundy: My Favorite Trails in Vosne Romanee

(Autumn 2016) Probably one of the best things about living in the tiny village of Vosne Romanee in Burgundy was the opportunity to hike through the famous vineyards. Instead of going to the gym, as I would have in California, I took time each day to do some yoga in my small rental house (gite) and hike through the vineyards just outside my door. Sometimes, I also did yoga poses in the vineyards, and took the time to meditate in such beautiful surroundings. Roading Leading to Romanee Conti Vineyard and Hillside Trails Leaving my house, I would turn [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:02:17-08:00April 26, 2017|

Visiting the Unique Cellars of Philippe LeClerc in Gevrey-Chambertin

(Sept. 2016) Hidden off a narrow road in the tiny wine village of Gevrey-Chambertin is the entrance to a Burgundian winery called Domaine Philippe LeClerc. Located in a 13th century building with yellow limestone walls covered with flowing baskets of colorful flowers, the domain is not only the home to some very excellent pinot noir wines, but also houses a cellar crammed with antique winemaking equipment and a bizarre collection of taxidermy animals. Entrance to Philippe LeClerc Winery in Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy I visited here twice with relatives during my three months in Burgundy, and both times we were [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:04:54-08:00April 18, 2017|

Three Months in Burgundy

(Autumn 2016) The opportunity to live in France for three months was a dream come true – part of a bucket list item I’ve had for years as something I would do “someday”. However someday came much sooner than expected after a doctor told me I only had one year left to live. Five days later another doctor told me it was a misdiagnosis, but during those five days – which were some of the longest of my life – my husband and I had deep talks about how we would spend that last year together. Beautiful Vineyards of [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:05:19-08:00April 9, 2017|

Amazing Wine Selection on Oahu, Hawaii at ABC Island Country Markets

(Jan. 2017) As Californians we usually take advantage of inexpensive airplane flights to Hawaii at least once every other year for a relaxing vacation. Only a 4.5 hour flight from San Francisco, you can fly direct to Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island, and enjoy the year-round warm weather. However as wine lovers living in the Napa/Sonoma region, we usually bring our own wine – packing 6 to 8 bottles in the special wine airline case my husband gave me for my birthday several years ago. This is because the wine selection in the islands is usually sparse and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:05:46-08:00March 26, 2017|

The Route of the Cathars & Wines of Limoux and Maury, France

June 2012 – Before leaving the US, I read several articles on the Cathars and their unusual and tragic history in the Languedoc-Roussillon area of France. Therefore, I was anxious to visit some of their territory, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the Route of the Cathars coincided with my planned visits to the wine towns of Limoux and Maury. (Wine was introduced into this region in 600 B.C. by the Phoenicians and Greeks.) Lonely Region of France -Route of the Cathars The Cathars were an usual sect of Christians who were vegetarians and believed in reincarnation. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:07:07-08:00March 17, 2017|

Wine in Tahiti

May 2013 – My husband and I decided to celebrate our anniversary in the Tahitian Islands on an 8 day/6 night trip. The reason it was 8 days is because the non-stop flights from Los Angeles to Papeete only fly at night, so we spent two nights trying to sleep on a plane, and the other 6 nights sleeping in beautiful resorts. On the Island of Moorea Naturally we packed some wine to take with us – 3 bottles – but quickly discovered that we should have brought more, or purchased it in duty free as we [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:07:38-08:00March 14, 2017|

Tasting the Wine of Dreams at Domaine Romanee Conti

(May 2014) It is the dream of every wine lover to someday have a chance to visit “the Mecca of Wine” - Domaine Romanee Conti. So when the opportunity finally came for a private tasting at DRC, I couldn’t believe it was actually true. I won’t go into details of how I finally received an invitation. Just know that it took months, and contacting many people – to whom I say thanks to in my dreams every night. Statue of St. Vivant in Courtyard of DRC The Gates of DRC There is no sign announcing the entrance to DRC, but [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:08:17-08:00March 12, 2017|

Searching for Mexican Wine on the Mayan Riviera

(Dec. 2016) The last time I visited Mexico was in Cabo San Lucas where you can buy a glass of Mexican wine in almost every restaurant. This is because more than 80% of Mexican wine is produced there in the Baja Peninsula, south of California. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot dry summers and cool wet winters, and is ideal for wine grape growing. Beautiful White Sand Beaches of the Mayan Riviera, Mexico However, this time I traveled to the opposite side of the country to the Mayan Riviera located on the Yucatan Peninsula and bordered by the Caribbean Ocean. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:08:55-08:00March 11, 2017|

Snapshot of the Mexican Wine Industry – Home of Oldest Winery in the Americas

(Excerpts of this post are from an article co-authored with Jorge Covarrubias in Winebusiness.com) (Dec. 2016) One of the distinguishing features of wine from Mexico is that the country is reputed to be the home of the oldest winery in all of the Americas. This winery is Casa Madero and is located in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in the state of Coahuila, about one hour’s drive east of the city of Monterrey. Records show that in the 1520’s after conquering the Aztecs, Cortes had Spanish grapevines sent to Mexico in order to plant vineyards and make wine in this region. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:10:08-08:00December 27, 2016|

Starving in the Jura and Sipping Vin Jaune in Chateau Chalon

(October 2016) Reminder to self: do not visit the Jura wine region on a Saturday at the end of October. It was Halloween weekend when I decided to visit the Jura wine region, one-hour drive south of Burgundy. For years I’ve wanted to travel here to taste the famous “yellow wines” or Vin Jaune of Jura. In addition, I’ve read repeatedly of the miraculous match of this wine to the Bresse chicken cooked in a cream and mushroom sauce. Little did I know that the week of All Saints Eve is a time when many restaurants and domains decide to [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:23:09-08:00November 26, 2016|

Visit to Marcel Deiss – King of Alsatian Field Blends

(October 2016) The day I visited Domaine Marcel Deiss in Alsace turned out to be a very busy but delicious day. It started with a tour and presentation at the University of Strasbourg in the morning, followed by a lunch with my professor friend, Coralie. She booked a reservation at Restaurant A La Couronnein Scherwiller, where we started with the traditional Alsatian dish of tart flambée (similar to a thin crust pizza with cheese and onions – delicious), and then had three more courses plus a glass of riesling. It was difficult to move afterwards, especially since I had the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:24:22-08:00November 13, 2016|

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