Hoopster Who Loves Wines …

To the Yao Family Wines Tasting Room we go where they were celebrating the dog days of summer with a barbeque that featured ribs, sausage, chicken and all the sides, along with your choice of Napa Crest Rose, Sauvignon Blanc or Red Blend. The tasting also featured the very first preview of the 2014 YAO MING Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The Insider got Tom Hinde, President and Director of Winemaking for Yao Family Wines, to the do Insider quiz.

What was last night’s dinner? Barbeque ribs in Lake Tahoe.

Favorite music? Sixties rock n’ roll and classic blues.

Favorite drink? A short chuckle… You’re kidding right? Wine, wine and more wine. There are thousands of wines out there waiting to be explored, why drink anything else?

Any brush with celebrity? Yao Ming.

Best thing about living in Napa? It’s one of the best places in the world to make wine. It’s such a pleasure to make consistent vintages.

What makes a great winery? Great grapes. It’s as simple as that. You got the grapes, you can make a great wine.

Final thoughts? Just a shout out to Yao Ming. He really does care about the quality of his wines. He loves Napa and I couldn’t ask for a better collaboration.