Wine in the New Year

Over the past few weeks I have been exploring the wine scene in Shanghai.... It started with a wine tasting at the Kathleen's 5 on Nanjing Lu near the Shanghai Art Museum and sponsored by Discover California Wines:   http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/.
This event was packed... at one point they even ran out of tasting glasses. The Via Pacifica table stayed busy with David Duckhorn and Tony Wang pouring and explaining all of our amazing California wines. It was clear that people in Shanghai are not only interested in drinking wine but also interested in learning more about wine...how inspiring!

Later on in the week I went to the newly renovated and recently opened Pata Negra located on 913 Julu Lu and Changsu Lu. From the moment I entered the space I knew I could sit back, relax and catch up with my friends.
                   We tried several Spanish wines including:  el perro verde (one of my favorites)

 Our food was amazing especially the ham.  The pig is KING here. If anything, come here with a group of friends for a bottle of wine some cheese and ham and see where the night takes you. The owner, Miguel Johnson,  knows quality and it is clear from the melt in your mouth food to the inspiring artwork on the walls.

Until next time..

Cheers!

Saturday found me at the beautiful Corral de Tierra Country Club in Salinas, CA. I was pouring our 2009 ETC Chardonnay and 2009 Manu Pinot Noir for the Wine, Women and Shoes gala...what energy! Imagine over 300 women thrown together for the sole purpose of shopping to benefit charity. The vendors were amazing...of course, the signature items are hand crafted shoes. Original, sexy, inspiring and gorgeous.

To complete the great afternoon, I ended up with my trusty sidekick, Auntie Vicki, and we tasted great wines from Adam LaZarre at Terranova Fine Wines. Adam ran around the corner and brought back excellent sushi from Sakana Sushi Bar, for all of us...what better way to spend a Saturday?  

Drinking wine really comes down to a moment in time...this week, I've enjoyed many small moments of wine time punctuated by great family, friends and of course, food! I'm in Ashland, Oregon, and yes, it is raining and has been for 3 days. I started the week at the upbeat and enjoyable Chateaulin Restaurant with a nice wine tasting hosted by our Oregon distributor, Vehrs, Inc. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the local wine buyers and found that I wasn't too out of place with my California offerings from our ETC and Et Cetera brands...Oregon wines are incredible, including those served at the table next to me by Sam Coelho from Coelho Winery.

Dinner followed with Bill Nichols (our sales manager from Vehrs) at the fabulous Dragonfly Restaurant. My Auntie Vicki joined us at the bar and though fits of laughter and excellent service from the staff, we had a most memorable evening!

Yesterday found us shopping at the local clothing boutique, Thread Hysteria, and then off to recover at Liquid Assets Wine Bar! Finally, another amazing meal at The Peerless with family.

I've been able to balance all of this fine wine and food with a long run through Lithia Park and two very early morning swims at Southern Oregon University with the Rogue Valley Swim Masters. There's no better way to spend an early morning after a late night...time now to jump in the car and head south on I-5.