Wednesday, October 26, 2016

ITALIAN WINE SCHOLAR PROGRAM RECEIVES ENDORSEMENT FROM THE ITALIAN TRADE COMMISSION

Press Release


The Wine Scholar Guild’s Italian Wine Scholar Program received official endorsement from the Italian Trade Commission (ITA).

The Italian Trade Commission is a governmental body whose role is to promote the internationalization of Italian companies in line with the strategies of the Italian Ministry for Economic Development. It identifies and connects Italian and foreign businesses and provides support and advice to both.

Wine Scholar Guild President, Julian Camus, stated, “The Italian Trade Commission works to position Italy in a bestfoot-forward framework and we are proud that our Italian wine education program has made the cut. Having an official endorsement from this governmental organization is a wonderful reward for all of the hard work we have put into this program.”

Maurizio Forte, Trade Commissioner and Executive Director for the ITA in the USA stated, “We are delighted to support the educational program dedicated to the wines of Italy whose study manual, reviewed by industry leaders and wine professionals, was praised for its comprehensive coverage of the diverse wines and wine regions of Italy, its well thought out structure and its easy-to-follow format.”

“To show our support for this endeavor,” continues Forte, “the Wine Scholar Guild is authorized to proudly display the Italian Trade Commission logo (ITA) on all materials relating to the promotional and educational activities that will be carried out by the Wine Scholar Guild in connection with the Italian Wine Scholar program.”

This endorsement follows the official support and endorsement of three wine consorzi: Consorzio Vini Alto Adige, Consorzio di tutela vini del Trentino, and Consorzio Barbera d'Asti e Vini del Monferrato.

The Italian Wine Scholar: Wines of Northern Italy program launched in May of 2016 to the Wine Scholar Guild program provider network around the globe. Unit Two, Italian Wine Scholar: Wines of Central/Southern Italy will launch early in 2017. 

The Wine Scholar Guild offers wine study and certification programs for serious students of wine. These programs are offered by 50 program providers in 15 countries on 5 continents. Educational programing is also available in distance learning formats. 


About the Wine Scholar Guild: The Wine Scholar Guild (www.winescholarguild.org) provides outstanding educational programming for the professional development of wine industry members and committed students of wine. It offers innovative and multi-faceted instruction through print, webinars, study trips and classes with tutored tastings.

To learn more about Italian wines to try, check out our Planet Grape Wine Reviews here:
http://winereview.planetgrape.com/category/old_world/italy/

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

MOVE OVER BACCHUS, AND MAKE ROOM FOR THE GRAPE GODDESS

hotelie-fall-2016-cover209x274
Hotelie Magazine, Fall 2016
By Sherry Negrea
Read this interview with Planet Grape's trailblazing Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis here:

http://pubs.sha.cornell.edu/i/738678-hotelie-fall-2016

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

YACHT CRUISE CELEBRATING FERRARI-CARANO'S 35TH ANNIVERSARY

bay-area-women-in-wine-media-boarding-the-eldoradoLast Thursday a small group of wine merchants, wine writers and wine bloggers was invited aboard the Eldorado, a luxury yacht belonging to the Ferrari-Carano winery in Sonoma, to celebrate the winery’s 35th anniversary. We set sail for a two-hour tour from Schoonmaker Marina in Sausalito, and made our way into the San Francisco Bay under sunny skies.
blue-angels-practice-run-in-sf-bayAs it was Fleet Week in San Francisco, the Blue Angels, the United States Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, soared overhead, cavorting and frolicking dangerously to the delight of us all. It was hard to concentrate on the bevy of beautiful wines being served, or the lavish array of appetizers, with so many distractions, not the least of which was quality conversations across the diverse group.ferrari-carano-tasting-in-the-galley
Planet Grape Wine Review panelist Deborah Parker Wong, @winesavyy, brought her husband Robert along to help celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. I had the pleasure of seeing my former student Emily the Jetsetting Fashionista, @JSFashionista, and Ziggy the Wine Gal, @ZiggyTheWineGal, and meeting Amy Lieberfarb, @amylieberfarb, who hosts #SonomaChat on Twitter and Instagram and blogs at Sip On This Juice.@SipOnThisJuice.ferrari-carano-2013-reserve-chardonnay-napa-valley-carneros

Here are reviews of the wines I actually took notes on, a major coup in that setting:
2015 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc Sonoma

2014 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay Sonoma

2013 Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay Reserve Napa Valley-Carneros

2014 Ferrari-Carano Pinot Noir Anderson Valley

2013 Ferrari-Carano Siena Red Wine Sonoma

2013 Ferrari-Carano Merlot Sonoma

2013 Ferrari-Carano Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley

Thank you so much to Chelsea Kurnick, Account Specialist, McCue Marketing, to Cheryl McMillan, Director Marketing Communications, Ferrari-Carano, and to the crew and Captain of the Eldorado, who didn’t toss me overboard after I was double-dared to toot the ship’s horn.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

BONNY DOON VINEYARD PRESENTS 'GRAPETIONARY A-Z'

Press Release
Charles Communications Associates San Francisco
Wednesday October 5, 2016

Taste 26 wines representing each letter of the alphabet from A-Z at Bonny Doon’s
Popelouchum Estate Vineyard in San Juan Bautista

Saturday, October 29, 2016

WHAT
 
Swirl, Sniff, Savor. Repeat x 26.

Bonny Doon proprietor Randall Grahm invites you to stroll the vineyards, enjoy a harvest feast and taste the world via 26 wines representing each letter of the alphabet from A to Z – most of which you’ve never tasted before and might never taste again.

Oenophiles are eager to explore not only what’s new, but what’s rare, obscure or well under the radar. Bonny Doon Vineyard’s founder, winemaker and resident philosopher, Randall Grahm, and his very special guests will guide you from Albariño to Zibibbo in a sumptuous afternoon of sipping, feasting and vitaceous fellowship.

Featuring Master of Ceremonies, acclaimed epicurean author Jason Tesauro (bio below), and Dr. José Vouillamoz, the internationally renowned Swiss botanist, grape geneticist and co-author of Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavours, who is traveling from his home in Sion, Switzerland for this exclusive event (which is based on his monumental tome).

Grapetionary is equal parts discovery and decadence, a bucket list event for every level, from novice to Master Sommelier. Paired with this eclectic assemblage of wines is a multi-course farm-to-table feast prepared by Chef Alexander Ong (of San Francisco’s acclaimed Betelnut), according to seasonal bounty and the sun-kissed gardens at Popelouchum.

Forbes called Grapetionary “The Most Unique Wine Event I’ve Ever Experienced.”  Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine said of this event: “Looking at the list of wines Jason has assembled, I’m hugely impressed by the breadth of the selection.”

WHO

Dr. José Vouillamoz trained in grape DNA profiling and parentage analyses in the world-famous laboratory of Professor Carole Meredith at the University of California at Davis. Since 2004 he has been an independent researcher at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. He was the first to establish the DNA profiles of Near East grape varieties and to tackle grape domestication from a genetic point of view.

Randall Grahm is the founder, chief-winemaker and “philosopher king” of Bonny Doon Vineyard. He is perhaps best known for his pioneering work with Rhone varietals in California as the original “The Rhône Ranger,” and for his award-winning book, “Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology.” Grahm was an early proponent of transparent ingredient labeling on bottled wines, and has been a prominent advocate of terroir-driven wines and biodynamic practices. Most recently Grahm has focused on his project at Popelouchum Estate Vineyard to discover a new world Grand Cru.

Jason Tesauro is an author/sommelier/raconteur. He’s the recipient of two national writing awards, author of three books and father of five children. Tesauro co-authored The MODERN GENTLEMAN series and currently contributes booze / food/  culture journalism to The New York Times, Travel+Leisure, Men’s Journal and others. His latest feature was selected for Best Food Writing 2016.

WHEN

Saturday, October 29, 2016, 12:00 – 5:00pm

WHERE
 
Popelouchum Estate Vineyard
543 Mission Vineyard Rd., San Juan Bautista, CA
(90 minutes from San Francisco or Oakland; 45 minutes from Santa Cruz, California)


MORE

Tickets are $250 per person (Inclusive of sales tax & gratuity). 21+ years old only, please. To purchase tickets, please visit the Bonny Doon Vineyard store HERE.
(Wine club members receive 15% off the ticket price). Email orders@bonnydoonvineyard.com or call 888-819-6789 and select option #3 for any questions.

Full details at grapetionary.com.
 
Read our reviews of Bonny Doon Vineyard wines here: