Healdsburg Survives Too

Tasting Tour .... While Santa Rosa took it in the teeth in the recent fires, it’s important to remember that a lot of Sonoma counties were relatively untouched, including much of Santa Rosa. Let wine lovers know it’s perfectly safe and welcomed abundantly to come back and taste some Sonoma wineries. In that vein, the [...]

By | January 12th, 2018|Sonoma Wineries|Comments Off on Healdsburg Survives Too

Check Please

Leslie Was Delightful... To the T-Vine Winery we go where Leslie Sbrocco, host of PBS’ Check Please, is hosting a tasting of Calistoga Wineries finest. A Petaluma resident, don’t know if this should go under Napa or Sonoma, ha ha, doesn’t matter… But it was fun to get the ebullient TV host to do the [...]

By | September 12th, 2017|Napa Wineries, Sonoma Wineries|Comments Off on Check Please

Comstock Wines

Bocce, Pizza, Wine ... Bob and Sandy Comstock have been selling grapes for over a decade. But they always wanted their own tasting room. So in August 2015, they opened a nice, expansive facility and tasting room, debuting their own wine label at the same time.  Complete with an outdoor pizza oven and bocce ball court, visitors can book [...]

By | August 23rd, 2017|Sonoma Wineries|Comments Off on Comstock Wines

Limerick Lane Wines

 Wine Man, Family Man... You want some kicks?? How about a walk thru of a 100-plus-year- old winery, 10 minutes from downtown Healdsburg? We’re talking Limerick Lane Wines. If you love Zinfandel wines like the Insider does, then you owe it to yourself to go down to Limerick Lane Wines and may be lucky enough to partake in some very nice [...]

By | August 15th, 2017|Sonoma Wineries|Comments Off on Limerick Lane Wines

Tenth Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival

Notes from the 10th Pebble Beach Food and Wine Fest... Thurs night was a total blast with great food snacks and awesome after party where the booze was flowing like water... Friday afternoon, a return to The Inn at Spanish Bay, where gorgeous fairways and greens line right up with the Pacific Ocean… so gorgeous, [...]

By | April 26th, 2017|David's Travels, Napa Wineries, Sonoma Wineries|Comments Off on Tenth Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival

Pebble Beach Festival

Extravaganza's Engaging Co-founder.... It was a kick to converse with David Bernahl, Monterey’s Restaurant 1833 owner and co-founder of the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival which is coming up on its 10th anniversary next week.  David was bubbling over with the enthusiasm about food and wine that I try to bring to the Insider. [...]

By | April 16th, 2017|David's Travels, Napa Wineries, Sonoma Wineries|1 Comment

Pebble Beach Sommelier

A Fine Wine Lounge .... With the 10th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival coming up next week, the Insider thought it’d be cool to check in with sommelier Jeffrey Birkemeier of the Stave Wine Lounge at the Inn of Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach. Last night’s dinner? Nice rack of lamb [...]

By | April 12th, 2017|David's Travels, Napa Wineries, Sonoma Wineries|Comments Off on Pebble Beach Sommelier

Ledson Winery

Let's Talk With An Aussie Winemaker To the LedsonWinery and Vineyards in Kenwood we go to talk to head winemaker Andrew Bilenkij, an Aussie native who has been collaborating with Steve Ledson the last five years in turning out a very nice range of tasty wines. Last night’s dinner? Mongolian lamb and Agadashi tofu. A [...]

By | March 1st, 2017|Sonoma Wineries|Comments Off on Ledson Winery