Taste of Wine TV Profile: Cameron Hughes, Wine Entrepreneur of the Year

by Frank Mangio
Every so often I am granted an interview with a wine owner and personality that I really look forward to unwrapping. Such was the opportunity to spend some time with Cameron Hughes of Cameron Hughes Wine at the San Diego Press Club holiday party in Point Loma.

“We buy grapes on the spot market and got the company going in 2007,” he began. “We really began to make a lot of wine with various partnerships like COSTCO and that enabled us to grow quickly and flexibly, by focusing on vineyard districts with an established reputation that were having quality harvests. The identities of the vineyards selected are a closely guarded secret to protect their price points.”

Photo: Cameron Hughes

Cameron Hughes bottles and sells the wine at significant discounts. He rightly chose Napa Valley Cabernet to establish a name and early success. “The focus is on fantastic pricing and staying true to the business model. We move quickly to buy at the right wholesale price to fuel growth,” he declared. “We don’t own vineyards. We store, process and bottle at large warehouses, or partner up with a leading winery for their facilities. We look at appellations that have excess capacity and that can take off in sales.” Cameron Hughes pricing sweet spot is the $10. to $25. range. This is a good spot to be in. The low end with a similar model is owned by Fred Franzia and his Bronco Wines of Modesto, founder of boxed wines and the famous Charles (Two Buck Chuck) Shaw with wines at Trader Joes for $2.

A small amount of grapes in this brand come from Napa Valley but most are from the San Joaquin Valley, never a quality choice. (Hughes is also from Modesto, but that’s where the similarity ends.)

Recently Hughes has applied his formula for success to other districts in California like the Santa Ynez Valley, Sonoma, and now Oregon and Chile. “We want to bridge the gap between the producer and retail seller,” he revealed. “We provide cash flow to the venture for a percentage and take the wine up the ladder of success. Our goal is always to provide the best high-end wines for a very reasonable price point. I am watching the wine grape market every day.” A prime example of Cameron Hughes quality would be the Lot 200, 2008 Napa Valley Rutherford/Oakville/Stags Leap Cabernet. Hughes calls it “the best deal ever.” Check it out at COSTCO or the website www.www.chwine.com.

Pinot Noir Wineries Pop the Corks in L.A.
Pinot Days comes to Southern California with a Grand Festival on Saturday January 15 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica from 2 to 6pm.

Thursday and Friday, January 13 and 14, a “Table Hop” dinner and a Meet the Winemakers”dinner , both in Los Angeles, will complete the extended weekend of Pinot Noir entertainment, food and world-class wines.

Pinot Noir is a Burgundy-inspired wine of French birth. It thrives in the coastal elevations of California and Oregon. Most are hand crafted with great care. I am a huge lover of great Pinot.

Photo: Jim Bernau.

Two California brands showed up in my Top Ten Tastes for 2010 and Oregon Pinots have made the list in the past. Jim Bernau purchased what is now Willamette Valley Vineyards in the fertile Willamette Valley of Oregon in 1983. Now the vineyard has expanded to 250 acres of rich, red soil and sits on slopes with about two tons per acre picked for highest quality. Their 2008 new release Pinot Noir will be a spotlight wine at the Pinot Days Grand Festival.


The producers have kept the price at a very reasonable $60.00 per person base price, plus a complimentary Burgundy-style glass. For tickets and other options, go to www.pinotdays.com, or call 415-246-2967 for further information.

Wine Bytes
Bacchus Wine Market downtown San Diego presents Wines from Spain, Fri. Jan. 14 from 4 to 8:30pm. 7 wines from regions like Rioja, Jumilla, Rueda and more. $15. pp. Call 619-236-0005.

Scott’s Restaurant in Orange County hosts the 8th annual Wine Stars of Santa Barbara produced by Learn About Wine, Tues. Jan. 18 from 7 to 9:30pm. 40+ wineries will be pouring. Advance tickets are $89. Call 310-451-7600 for details.

Meritage Wine Market hosts a Burgundy tasting on Fri. Jan. 21 from 6 to 8pm. Cost is $20. More info at 760-479-2500.

Callaway Vineyard & Winery in Temecula kicks off a series of winemaker seminars Sat. Jan. 22 from 10 to 12:30pm. Winemaker Craig Larson will begin with A Taste of Winter. A bottle of wine is included. Cost is $88.50 per seminar, with a discount for club members. Call 951-676-4001.

Vigilucci’s Ristorante in La Jolla has a North to South Wine Dinner Sat. Jan. 22 at 6pm. $65. ea. for a three course dinner paired with regional Italian wines. For an RSVP and details, call 858-454-9664.

Ten Wine Tastings for 2010

by Frank Mangio
After a long and winding road, visiting wineries, vineyards, wine shops, restaurants, resorts and wine events, at times I asked myself “are we there yet, have we found the ten best tastes for this year?” I hope not. Tomorrow may bring yet another lovely wine that matches the list below. I will keep up the hunt for bigger, better, luscious tasting prized wines.

As we go public with this list, wine lovers are getting more for their money and are seeking the highest value wines available as competition is keen with new wine shops offering ever more wines, events, wine bars and small-bites restaurant components. My ten include: two from Napa Valley, two from Sonoma, two from Italy, and one each from Monterey, Paso Robles, Washington and Spain.

I attended some 300 events, tasting over 3,000 wines from all over the world, documenting their taste characteristics, ranking them on my 1 to 5 value scale, and considering cost point vs. flavor. Prices vary from discount retailers to wine shops to web site “cart” prices, so it pays to compare. The ten are NOT ranked, but appear alphabetically. Web sites follow the wine descriptions for your further research.

Banfi Toscana Chianti Superiore, Tuscany, Italy, 2008. $11.
Seven thousand acres at the base of the fabled town of Montalcino plus legacy vineyards in South America and other districts of Italy, Banfi makes a statement with this select Sangiovese grape varietal at an inexpensive price. www.castellobanfi.com.

Cantina Zallagnina Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo, Italy, 2007. $11.
Comes from the younger vineyards of the Montepulciano district in eastern Tuscany. A splash of fruit flavor complements the gritty, earthy old world taste that accentuates with hard cheese and pasta. www.vivavino.com.

Chateau St. Michelle Dr. Loosen Eroica Riesling, Washington, 2008. $18.
Two of the world’s great makers of Riesling, Germany’s Dr. Loosen and Washington’s Chateau St. Michelle, make this bold and forward varietal, with tastes of mandarin orange and sweet lime. www.ste-michelle.com

Duckhorn “The Discussion” 6 Vineyard Blend, Napa Valley, 2006. $115.
An artful blend of varietals from 6 of Duckhorn’s vineyards. It includes 53% Cabernet, 28% Merlot, 14% Cab Franc, and 5% Petite Verdot. The winery’s highest acclaimed creation. Can you detect Truffle Cassis? www.duckhorn.com.

The highly successful RELM Wine Bar in Carlsbad discovered Triton, a Spanish Tempranillo, and one of Taste of Wine’s Top Ten.

Ferrari Carano “Tresor” Bordeaux Blend, Sonoma, 2007. $58.
Old world classic style with new world California flavor. A closer taste finds: 84%Cabernet, with Merlot, Malbec, Cab Franc and Petite Verdot. Tresor means Treasure in France. Indeed, it is. www.ferraricarano.com.

Fog Head Reserve Pinot Noir, Monterey, 2008. $16.
Strawberry/raspberry on the nose. Silky, soft tannins are a trait of fine Pinot. Sits at the Santa Lucia Highlands, positioned to take advantage of the fog pattern that settles at Fog Head’s doorstep. www.tastemonterey.com.

Frank Family Vineyards Pinot Noir, Napa Valley Carneros, 2008. $32.
Over 200 acres spread over the Valley to choose only the best of estate grapes. Six Frank family members plus two grandchildren pouring their hearts out . www.frankfamilyvineyards.com.

Justin “Justification” Bordeaux Blend, Paso Robles, 2008. $45.
Reduced yields pushed up quality. 10 months barrel time dressed up flavor for an unmatched Cab Franc/Merlot marriage. www.justinwine.com

Lewis Chardonnay, Russian River Valley Sonoma, 2008. $65.
A small-lot passion allows constant development with pruning at every stage, from bud break to veraison (fruit coloration) to harvest. Lewis barrel-stores their Chardonnay in French Oak for up to 15 months. www.lewiscellars.com.

Triton Tempranillo, Douro Valley, Spain. 2008. $24.
Named after the Roman God Neptune’s son Triton, who galloped along great seasides and rivers. The Douro River and its soil components play a large role in the sophisticated, elegant flavor of this Spanish creation, with elements of chocolate and delicate spices; a discovery of RELM, the dynamic wine shop in Carlsbad. www.ambassadorofwine.com

Wind and Rain, and Wine, Oh My!

Taste Of Wine TV host J.T. Meadows and Taste Of Wine TV producer Mike Bragg braved the elements at the Grand Event of the 2010 San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival to get out and chat with some of the dedicated vendors who kept attendees well-fed and well beveraged during a rainy, windy afternoon at the Embarcadero.

Chef Brian Malarkey of Searsucker Does His Own Interview