Cloudline Pinot Noir is by far my favorite wine. I first tasted it almost ten years ago when I was working for a restaurant as a bartender in downtown Los Angeles. We sold it for $13.00 per glass. One day after work the other bartender let me try it. It was delicious! Light and fruity. So it became my favorite and I was on the hunt to purchase bottles for my home. This was not easy at all! The only store I could find it at was a Whole Foods in North Hollywood, CA for $24.00 per bottle (and the restaurant was selling it for $13.00 per glass! Sheesh!). But soon they stopped selling it and I couldn't find it anywhere. Not even BevMo! In fact, they had never even heard of it.
I was very disappointed and other than going to Willamette Valley, Oregon myself there was no way for me to get it. But I never gave up. Every time I went grocery shopping I would search the wine aisle for it only to come away empty handed.
Until one day a couple years ago I found it in a Vons in Simi Valley! I literally said out loud "NO WAY!!!" I bought three bottles that day just to have stock on hand. Now I can buy it at my local Ralphs in Burbank so I am a happy girl. I just hope they don't decided to stop selling it again.
I can't tell you what the bouquet is or anything about the tannins or whatever else real wine tasters can talk about. I'm the kind of wine drinker that if it tastes good I drink it and that's it.
Showing posts with label Wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wine. Show all posts
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
South Coast Winery in Temecula, CA
Last August I took my mom to Temecula for wine tasting and relaxation for her birthday. My aunt suggested South Coast Winery so we decided to follow her recommendation.
The wine country of Temecula is tucked back in the hills away from the freeway and it is quite lovely. Different topographically from Napa Valley. It's much more open with low rolling hills as opposed to the mountainous green valleys of Napa. Napa feels much more spread out and can be overwhelming for a first timer. Temecula is more compact and easier to navigate as there are only a few wineries.
South Coast Winery is about in the middle, and is quite impressive. It is a resort and spa as well as a winery. The winery is in the front and a hotel sits behind it with luxury villas tucked in the back amongst the vines. We stayed in the Villas and it was wonderful. Each Villas is a stand alone building with private patios, some of the Villas have patios that overlook the vineyards but ours did not. The rooms are suites with eating area and sitting area equipped with a gas fireplace, mini fridge and the basic hotel room amenities. The bathroom is glamorous with marble flooring, a Jacuzzi tub and large shower with multiple shower heads. Luxurious. The beds were super soft and comfortable.
Our first morning we decided to order room service and eat on the lovely patio. The only problem I had with our stay was the room service took a VERY long time to arrive and when it did the food was cold. We sent it back, got a refund and decided to eat at the restaurant. The food was delicious however and sitting on the outside patio of the restaurant was great so it wasn't too bad. Great food in the restaurant, large portions and very tasty.
We planned our wine tasting to go to four wineries nearby and then end up at our own hotels winery that way if we were feeling the wine we could just head back to our room and crash. I bought one bottle of wine at two different wineries that we visited but when we got to South Coast the wine was exceptional and I decided to join the wine club. The vibe of the tasting room was much more fun and laid back. The Sommelier was funny and gave us extra tastings. We felt much more at ease and welcome at South Coast.
Since I liked the wine so much I decided to join the wine club. It was better priced than the other wineries and since the winery had a resort and spa attached to it there were extra benefits to being a wine club member that the other wineries didn't offer; such as discounts on hotel stays, restaurant visits, spa packages, gift shop, free tastings, and member exclusive events. It was more bang for your buck and for good wine. Definitely worth it.
Every quarter there is a new selection of wine ready for pick up or delivery. I had not picked up my November wines and the February wines were ready for pickup so this past Sunday my friend Catherine and I took a trip to South Coast to pickup my wine and do some wine tasting. I got my three bottles for November, 3 bottles for February and my one Holiday bottle so I walked out with 7 bottles of wine! Oh my! My wine fridge is loaded up. Better get drinking to make room for more wine.
If you are ever in the Temecula area I highly recommend South Coast Winery. Wilson Creek winery was also good but South Coast was the best.
The wine country of Temecula is tucked back in the hills away from the freeway and it is quite lovely. Different topographically from Napa Valley. It's much more open with low rolling hills as opposed to the mountainous green valleys of Napa. Napa feels much more spread out and can be overwhelming for a first timer. Temecula is more compact and easier to navigate as there are only a few wineries.
South Coast Winery is about in the middle, and is quite impressive. It is a resort and spa as well as a winery. The winery is in the front and a hotel sits behind it with luxury villas tucked in the back amongst the vines. We stayed in the Villas and it was wonderful. Each Villas is a stand alone building with private patios, some of the Villas have patios that overlook the vineyards but ours did not. The rooms are suites with eating area and sitting area equipped with a gas fireplace, mini fridge and the basic hotel room amenities. The bathroom is glamorous with marble flooring, a Jacuzzi tub and large shower with multiple shower heads. Luxurious. The beds were super soft and comfortable.
Our first morning we decided to order room service and eat on the lovely patio. The only problem I had with our stay was the room service took a VERY long time to arrive and when it did the food was cold. We sent it back, got a refund and decided to eat at the restaurant. The food was delicious however and sitting on the outside patio of the restaurant was great so it wasn't too bad. Great food in the restaurant, large portions and very tasty.
We planned our wine tasting to go to four wineries nearby and then end up at our own hotels winery that way if we were feeling the wine we could just head back to our room and crash. I bought one bottle of wine at two different wineries that we visited but when we got to South Coast the wine was exceptional and I decided to join the wine club. The vibe of the tasting room was much more fun and laid back. The Sommelier was funny and gave us extra tastings. We felt much more at ease and welcome at South Coast.
Since I liked the wine so much I decided to join the wine club. It was better priced than the other wineries and since the winery had a resort and spa attached to it there were extra benefits to being a wine club member that the other wineries didn't offer; such as discounts on hotel stays, restaurant visits, spa packages, gift shop, free tastings, and member exclusive events. It was more bang for your buck and for good wine. Definitely worth it.
Every quarter there is a new selection of wine ready for pick up or delivery. I had not picked up my November wines and the February wines were ready for pickup so this past Sunday my friend Catherine and I took a trip to South Coast to pickup my wine and do some wine tasting. I got my three bottles for November, 3 bottles for February and my one Holiday bottle so I walked out with 7 bottles of wine! Oh my! My wine fridge is loaded up. Better get drinking to make room for more wine.
If you are ever in the Temecula area I highly recommend South Coast Winery. Wilson Creek winery was also good but South Coast was the best.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Wine Tasting in Napa Valley
Since my blog is called "Quilts, Books and Wine" I figured I should actually post something about wine.
Over the holidays I took a trek up to San Francisco to see the 49er's play their last season home game at Candlestick Park. Such an amazing experience and I am so glad I went. The following day I drove up to Napa Valley to do some wine tasting. My family is from Napa and have lived there my whole life but I have never done any wine tasting there, pathetic I know. So I made an effort to do it this time.
Our first stop was Beaulieu Vineyards, otherwise known as BV coastal. A standard winery with a basic tasting room. Wines were very pricey and tasted "OK". Nothing exceptional. My friend liked it and bought a bottle for herself. It just wasn't that great, I thought.
Next stop was Beringer. The Beringer property is absolutely beautiful and has been there since the late 1800's. I have driven by the property my whole life so I wanted to be sure to see it. The property was all that the winery had going for them unfortunately. Both my friend and I did NOT like the wine. Even their special reserve was not that good. But we had a blast anyway and had to leave fairly quickly to make our appointment for the tour at Castello di Amorosa.
Ah, the Castle. The Castello di Amorosa was built to look like a castle from Europe. Every stone and every piece of wood actually came from Europe. It has been 14 years in the making and is still in process. It even has a moat! Simple beautiful property! Our tour lasted about 45 minutes and ended in the cellars where they keep the barrels. We even got to taste wine straight from the barrel. The wine was not expected to be ready until 2015. But it tasted good even now. Our tasting happened in the cellars as well and was exceptional! I paid a little extra to do the reserve tasting and I am SO glad I did. The wine at the Castle was less expensive than BV or Beringer, if you can believe that. The Castle does not sell in retail stores so you can only buy it online or in the Castle itself. And it truly was some of the best wine I have ever tasted. So smooth and rich. I bought 3 bottles. 1 of their standard Pinot Noir, which was some of the best I have ever tasted. And 2 of their reserve La Castellana "The Lady of the Castle" which I will be saving for a special occasion. I could not have been happier with our visit to the Castle. The tour was amazing and the wine was superb. Highly recommend visiting this castle.
http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/
One nights where I just want to enjoy a simple glass of wine I drink my $6 bottle of Castle Rock. :) It's smooth but tends to go bad pretty quickly so I have to finish the bottle within a couple of days before we starts to go bad. But oh well. Cheap can sometimes be just as good as the better bottles of wine.
Over the holidays I took a trek up to San Francisco to see the 49er's play their last season home game at Candlestick Park. Such an amazing experience and I am so glad I went. The following day I drove up to Napa Valley to do some wine tasting. My family is from Napa and have lived there my whole life but I have never done any wine tasting there, pathetic I know. So I made an effort to do it this time.
Our first stop was Beaulieu Vineyards, otherwise known as BV coastal. A standard winery with a basic tasting room. Wines were very pricey and tasted "OK". Nothing exceptional. My friend liked it and bought a bottle for herself. It just wasn't that great, I thought.
Next stop was Beringer. The Beringer property is absolutely beautiful and has been there since the late 1800's. I have driven by the property my whole life so I wanted to be sure to see it. The property was all that the winery had going for them unfortunately. Both my friend and I did NOT like the wine. Even their special reserve was not that good. But we had a blast anyway and had to leave fairly quickly to make our appointment for the tour at Castello di Amorosa.
Ah, the Castle. The Castello di Amorosa was built to look like a castle from Europe. Every stone and every piece of wood actually came from Europe. It has been 14 years in the making and is still in process. It even has a moat! Simple beautiful property! Our tour lasted about 45 minutes and ended in the cellars where they keep the barrels. We even got to taste wine straight from the barrel. The wine was not expected to be ready until 2015. But it tasted good even now. Our tasting happened in the cellars as well and was exceptional! I paid a little extra to do the reserve tasting and I am SO glad I did. The wine at the Castle was less expensive than BV or Beringer, if you can believe that. The Castle does not sell in retail stores so you can only buy it online or in the Castle itself. And it truly was some of the best wine I have ever tasted. So smooth and rich. I bought 3 bottles. 1 of their standard Pinot Noir, which was some of the best I have ever tasted. And 2 of their reserve La Castellana "The Lady of the Castle" which I will be saving for a special occasion. I could not have been happier with our visit to the Castle. The tour was amazing and the wine was superb. Highly recommend visiting this castle.
http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/
One nights where I just want to enjoy a simple glass of wine I drink my $6 bottle of Castle Rock. :) It's smooth but tends to go bad pretty quickly so I have to finish the bottle within a couple of days before we starts to go bad. But oh well. Cheap can sometimes be just as good as the better bottles of wine.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Wine
My family is from the heart of Wine Country, Napa Valley, CA. I grew up with a general understanding and appreciation for wine but didn't like it until I was in my mid to late twenties. It was an acquired taste and it has taken me awhile to find the type of wines I like.
I started out with white wine and loved Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio. Then I started to develop headaches anytime I had white wine so now I have to drink it in moderation. I then moved on to Cabernet Sauvignon and found a few that I liked. I still have a heard time with Merlot. There are a few that I like but those are few. When I worked at a restaurant bar in LA I tried a Pinot Noir, Cloudline, and fell in love with it. It is to this day my favorite Pinot Noir but extremely hard to find.
During the Temecula wine tasting trip with my mom as mentioned in my first post, I joined a wine club. South Coast Winery. They have a beautiful resort there too.
http://wineresort.com/
It was the last winery on our tasting tour since it was where we were staying and I really liked their wine. It's very smooth. So I joined the wine club where every 3-4 months I will get a new shipment of wine. My next delivery is available for pickup, need to find some time to go get it!
I am not the type of wine drinker who comments on the bouquets or the tastes or the lines that form on the glass after you stir it up, etc.. It either tastes good to me or it doesn't. It's that simple for me. :)
“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”
― W.C. Fields
I started out with white wine and loved Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio. Then I started to develop headaches anytime I had white wine so now I have to drink it in moderation. I then moved on to Cabernet Sauvignon and found a few that I liked. I still have a heard time with Merlot. There are a few that I like but those are few. When I worked at a restaurant bar in LA I tried a Pinot Noir, Cloudline, and fell in love with it. It is to this day my favorite Pinot Noir but extremely hard to find.
During the Temecula wine tasting trip with my mom as mentioned in my first post, I joined a wine club. South Coast Winery. They have a beautiful resort there too.
http://wineresort.com/
It was the last winery on our tasting tour since it was where we were staying and I really liked their wine. It's very smooth. So I joined the wine club where every 3-4 months I will get a new shipment of wine. My next delivery is available for pickup, need to find some time to go get it!
I am not the type of wine drinker who comments on the bouquets or the tastes or the lines that form on the glass after you stir it up, etc.. It either tastes good to me or it doesn't. It's that simple for me. :)
“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”
― W.C. Fields
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