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Let the games begin! Off to California and the Sonoma coast for 8 days of food, wine & fun and you get to hear all about it on this Saturday’s show as well as November 14th. I’ll be doing LIVE shows on both days and look forward to sharing our trip with you.
This show will be coming to you from “Rivers End” an amazing location and perfect place to start our trip.
According to proprietor Bert Rangel “River’s End Restaurant & Inn is perched on a bluff overlooking the mystical Russian River entering the great Pacific Ocean. The vistas are breathtaking and beaches endless. Located one hour and 45 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, this haven for lovers of the Sonoma Coast and wine country has been around since 1927. Originally built as a restaurant and inn for the loggers and fisherman; today the River’s End serves guests looking for the ideal romantic dining experience or just searching for renewal in one of our cabins. Our property features the LUXE UNPLUGGED experience, no celll, no internet, no dataports and no New York TImes at your doorstep. We are the ideal place for rediscovery, renewal or just celebrating life. Cheers!” www.ilovesunsets.com
I’ll also be talking to the folks from Fort Ross winery just North of Rivers end and the town of Jenner California.
Fort Ross Vineyard is the closest vineyard to the Pacific Ocean in California. It is the first and only tasting room along the Sonoma Coast in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. High on the coastal ridges, the Fort Ross Vineyard produces limited quantities of Estate grown, single vineyard, cool climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinotage. Husband and wife, Lester and Linda Schwartz proprietors of this coastal winery are from South Africa but now have deep roots in California.
The vineyard project began in 1991 with Lester ordering two dozen dormant rootstocks. When these initial plantings proved successful, Linda enrolled in the Viticulture Program at Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County and attended classes at U.C. Davis. Linda discovered she had a green thumb and an affinity for heavy machinery. She bought an old backhoe, a bulldozer and other heavy equipment and, with Lester as the operator, they decided to plant a test vineyard with 16 different varieties, three different trellis systems, assorted clones and different rootstocks. After four years, they concluded that the area was ideal for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and in 1994 began installing the first seven vineyard blocks. Fort Ross Vineyard strives to produce wine of purity and elegance that reflects the cool maritime climate and challenging terroir of the steep Sonoma Coast Ridges. www.fortrossvineyard.com
Sommelier Morgan Harris joins us to tell you all about a new TV series starting next week called “Uncorked.” Learn more here!
UNCORKED, a new television show based on the documentary “Somm,” will premiere on the Esquire Network on Tuesday, November 10th at 10/9c. The show follows a group of talented sommeliers (Jack Mason, Yannick Benjamin, Jane Lopes, Dana Gaiser, Josh Nadel, Morgan Harris) as they prepare to take the Master Sommelier exam. Along the way, the 6-episode series is full of passion, drama, excitement and lots, and lots of wine.
Morgan Harris works as a sommelier at the Michelin-starred Aureole restaurant in New York’s Times Square.
November 10th, 10/9 Central no the Esquire Network
Good Life Guy’s WINES of the Week:
The coastal wines of Fort Ross Winery! 🙂
There is a constant flow of information between Winemaker, Jeff Pisoni, and Owners/Vineyard Managers, Lester and Linda Schwartz. Each harvest, the three repeatedly walk the vineyard, carefully taste the grapes from each block and harvest the fruit based upon flavor development.
This Chardonnay is made from a quartet of cool, Sonoma County vineyards. Three are perched on Sonoma Mountain and influenced by cool ocean breezes, rocky soils, and high elevation. The fourth is a Russian River Valley property bearing 30+ year old vines that grow a wine both rich and mineral in texture. From its engaging nose of raw vanilla beans, apple crisp and fresh pear, to its lemon zest and precise palate, Nancie is a noble Chardonnay that remains food friendly and thought provoking all at once. WA94 eRobertParker #216
This rugged parcel perched high above Knights Valley produces a masculine Syrah. Aged for 20 months in 43% new French oak, with minimal whole-cluster inclusion, the 2012 Obsidian commands attention with its seriously volcanic nose that delivers aromas of wet stone, raw leather and gunpowder. The mid-palate supports flavors of roasted coffee bean, sarsaparilla and dark chocolate. The finish marches on long after most wines have tired. WA97 eRobertParker.com #216
If you made a trail of popcorn from New York City to Los Angeles, you would need more than 352,028,160 popped kernels.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Scouring the countryside, Chef Craig Priebe, highlights stellar examples, including a white bean puree, asparagus, and Parmesan pie from Seattle’s “Serious Pie”, a squash blossom and burrata selection from Los Angeles’ “Pizzeria Mozza”, a red onion, rosemary, and pistachio pie from the legendary “Pizzeria Bianco” in Phoenix, along with an exceptional crawfish étouffé pizza from none other than the “Louisiana Pizza Kitchen”. Also included are the blueprints for every type of dough imaginable (from Sicilian and sourdough to New York and gluten-free), a range of adaptable base sauces, and an address book for all the pizzerias featured. The United States of Pizza shows that the country is not so much a melting pot, but a giant pie bubbling over with a fabulously diverse array of creative flavorings.
Experience a wine as rich, soft and elegant as red velvet. The Red Velvet blend delivers over-the-top aromas of chocolate, deep dark blackberries and luscious red fruits that follow through to the palate. Finish with a hint of coconut and creamy mocha that shows unmistakable intensity and length. Red Velvet combines Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. Each varietal adds distinct characteristics and lends structure, aroma and depth of flavor. We ferment each varietal separately before blending. Finally, a unique oak regime infuses creaminess. ABV13.5%
1st up is Dan Termini, Head Distiller at Wicked Dolphin. Started in 2012, Wicked Dolphin Distillery is located in Cape Coral, just miles from the fertile sugarcane fields of Florida. Wicked Dolphin Rum was born out of an idea for a true Florida Rum. Using 100% Florida Sugar and local ingredients our rum is handcrafted in small batches using an American copper pot still, the largest in South Florida. Our award winning rum is then aged in American White Oak once used bourbon barrels that held premium aged Kentucky Bourbon for a minimum of 3, and up to, 14 years.
dock where the boats unload. If your plans don’t take you to the Florida Keys soon, no worries. You can order on line and Key Largo Fisheries will ship directly to your door step. Remember it’s seasonal so check the web site often. Stone crab season just opened, and if you haven’t had fresh claws lately you don’t know what you’re missing. 
The 2007 Clos des Andes is 100% Malbec sourced from an 80-year-old vineyard in Lujan de Cuyo and aged for 12 months in 60% new French oak for 16 months. Dark ruby/purple in color, it offers up an alluring bouquet of pain grille, pencil lead, spice box, and black cherry. This leads to a wine with excellent density, layered fruit, and spicy black fruit flavors nicely concealing enough structure for 2-3 years of further development. This rich, well-balanced effort will be at its best from 2011 to 2019. Bodega Poesia is owned by Bordeaux proprietors Helene Garcin and Patrice Leveque, with Leveque doubling as winemaker with consultation from Dr. Alain Raynaud.