Wine Reflects the Taste of a Woman

Article and photo by Frank Mangio
I saw it coming shortly after I started covering wine events and writing about wine developments four years ago. At first it was a curiosity, then it was a realization that women were beginning to become the dominant force in the shape of wine events and wine sales. The latest numbers show anywhere between 57% and 60% of the wine buying choices are made by women.

Forget about the stereotype that women only like sweet or light wines and they are hanging around wine bars to giggle and get picked up. I have found that wine intelligence is not gender-bound. Many more women are becoming sommeliers, winemakers and owners of wine businesses.

Surprisingly, Italy’s most revered wineries, and considered one of the oldest and most traditional of wine countries, are handing control over to female members of these legendary vineyards. Antinori, the most famous of these families, now is operated by daughter Alessia who is scheduled to appear at the Four Seasons Aviara on October 7.

Angelo Gaja scaled the heights of winemaking in Barolo country. He now leaves the story to his young daughter, Gaia. Then there is the Banfi wine empire in Montalcino, now in the capable hands of Cristina Mariani-May who was quoted in a leading wine publication as saying “one strength of women is that they’re more prone to open conversation and building relationships; a bonding experience encouraged all the more by wine.”

A typical weekend tasting at La Cereza Winery in Temecula finds women at the bar for their tasty “Girlfriends” lineup of whites and now a Syrah-Petite Sirah blend.

Then there is Karen MacNeil, the author of Wine Bible, the first book about wine that ever made sense to me, who states that “women are more comfortable giving their opinion and giving a longer opinion about a wine than men. They are not keeping score or making it into a challenge.”

Terri Pebley Del Hamer was making a good living as a commercial property realtor some five years ago, when she called on an owner and winemaker in Temecula about listing his 13 acre property. She wound up purchasing what is now Keyways Vineyard and Winery.

At first it was simply an investment but when the winemaker who was leasing the property left town, Terri had to desperately turn to her innate business wisdom to make a go of it. In 2006, she assembled management who happened to be women, and fashioned a winery that emphasized the celebration of women in wine. “I realized that no one was featuring a winery that catered to women and that to my knowledge, I was the only female winery owner in Southern California, she said. “I set out to make Keyways a comfortable place where customers could take their time, stretch out in easy chairs by a fireplace and feel at home. Then I branded a line of wine called Femina Vita, or the life of a woman. I contracted with a Napa Valley artist for relaxed female poses and marketed the wine under such names as: First Crush, Sweet Surrender, Spellbound and Contentment. We offer varietals from Chenin Blanc to the Rhone Blend in Contentment, which earned gold for the 2007 vintage at last year’s California State Fair.”

Keyways now has a wine club just for women called “Brix Chix” and drew over 50 to its first meeting recently. “They came wanting to know more about wine, get inspired, entertained and empowered,” asserted Terri. “We meet once a month and they pick up a bottle of the wine of their choice. A speaker program is in the works.”

As if we need any more proof of wine being in a woman’s world, the #1 wine in the world last year according to the leading trade magazine, Wine Spectator, was Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta, a Chilean 2005 blend. It was made by Andrea Leon…a woman.

Wine Bytes
 Women and Wine are celebrated weekly at Friars Folly in San Marcos. Wednesday nights are “Girls Nights” with wine bottles half price, and Tami Ridley the owner has been known to create wild surprises with live entertainment. Call 760-736-8035 for the latest.

 From Vine to Glass in Oceanside holds its Art and Wine night on Sat. June 27 at 6pm. Entry fee is $10. including appetizers. 760-757-1037.

 Bacchus Wine Market in San Diego’s Gaslamp District has a high-end Premier Cru Burgundy event on Fri. and Sat. June 26 and 27. 7 wines tasted for $35. Call for times at 619-236-0005.

 Vintage Wines on Miramar Rd. in San Diego offers a Sauvignon Blanc tasting on Sat. June 27 from 11 to 3:30pm, from New Zealand to domestic. Cost is just $5. Contact them at 858-549-2112.

 Escondido’s Holiday Wine Cellar has a Grenache event on Mon. June 29 from 5:30 to 7pm. It's a blind tasting, and another for only $5. 760-745-1200.

 3rd Corner in Encinitas brings an Austrian and Australia tasting in on Sat. June 27 from 2-5pm. Fee is $10. for ten wines. $15. more for a 3 course lunch. For more info, call 760-924-2104.

 Falkner Winery in Temecula celebrates its 9th Anniversary with a weekend blast Fri. July 3 to Sun. July 5. Enjoy jazz music, tours and huge discounts. Their Pinnacle restaurant offers deep menu discounts. Call 951-676-8231 for more.

Wine and Cigars Pair Well at La Cereza Winery

Article and photo by Frank Mangio
The big buzz in the wine world has been wine and food pairing. A new appreciation of the relationship of a fine wine with a menu item that will bring out its ultimate characteristics has had chefs and winemakers trading flavor ideas, with the diner the big winner. Five course dinners pair up with five elegant wines, from white to the dense bold reds, usually offered with the main course.

Enter La Cereza Winery in Temecula Wine Country with a new idea that’s causing a lot of interest with wine lovers, some of which may surprise you. But first a little background. Buddy and Cheri Linn came from the trade show world and burst on the Temecula wine world a few years ago when they purchased not one but two side-by-side wineries: Maurice Carrie, primarily a maker of white wines, and what is now La Cereza Winery, featuring Spanish reds, but with a niche of fine whites that have taken some important awards in recent competitions.

These two entrepreneurs have changed the landscape of wine in Temecula. They are both gifted in the sense that they understand and act on the next big trend in the industry. When they purchased the wineries, they made sure they secured the services of Gus Vizgirda, a premium winemaker in the valley, and one who could keep up with the innovations of the Linns, which included a move to feature Spanish wines.


Buddy and Cheri Linn at their La Ceraza Winery and Hemingway’s Cigar Bar

Grape varietals like Tempranillo and Garnacha have rocketed in sales and awards with the 2005 Garnacha grabbing gold in the recent Dallas wine competition. The couple have created a Spanish art gallery atmosphere in their tasting room and recently opened Hemingway’s Cigar and Wine Bar, a kind of Havana hideaway atmosphere. Customers can kick back on the soft leather oversize chairs and trade stories at the old world style bar under the portrait of “Papa Hemingway” and Cuban style portraits that characterize the fun of La Cereza.

All this of course leads up to the latest turn by Buddy and Cheri, into the new line of five premium La Cereza Cigars, carefully paired with their wines for maximum flavor and enjoyment.

“Fine cigars with fine wine are finally the missing ingredient to complete wine relaxation and the Hemingway experience,” Vizgirda said.

Buddy Linn added “we searched in several different countries for over a year to find the right blend of tobaccos, while finding the master rollers to create these extraordinary cigars.”

It starts out with the mild “Girlfriends” cigar that matched up with the light and fun “Girlfriends” white wine, popular with ladies at the bar.

The top of the line is the “Presidente,” made in the Dominican Republic and aged for 5 years. The rich earthiness matches up with the winery’s 2006 Tempranillo.

Fine wine, food, art and music have all made their imprint on the bloodline of La Cereza. Now, you can add premium cigars to the pedigree. For more, see www.lacerezawinery.com.

San Diego County Restaurant Week Sets Record
It started with a pep rally featuring San Diego’s Mayor Jerry Sanders, with some 50 participating restaurants in attendance at Tom Ham’s on Harbor Island in January.

The Restaurant Week promotion eventually brought 180 restaurants together countywide for up to 90% increases in diners and sales, attracted by the values of $20. to $40. for gourmet three course dinners.

Chair and co-founder Ingrid Croce of Croce’s Downtown Gaslamp Restaurant said “we’re thrilled that even with the downturn, this promotion was a great success, so much so we are going to bring it back later this year, September 13 to 18.” Visit www.restaurantweek.com for details.

Wine Bytes
Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas announced their next three Friday wine pourings: the Wines of Spain on March 20, Napa Wines on March 27 and French Wines on April 3. Events are 6 to 8pm. Details on pricing at 760-479-2500.

A new wine bar and restaurant has started up in Rancho Santa Fe at the Ciela community, with a daily menu of unique wines and menu pairings. It’s called Decanter. The owner and sommelier is Jayson Knack. He has stocked over 4,500 wines from around the world. Phone is 858-756-9333.

Bacchus Wine Market on G Street downtown San Diego has Italian whites and French reds at their weekly tasting on Fri. March 20, 4 to 8pm and Sat. March 21, 2 to 8pm. $15. pp. Call 619-236-0005.

An Italian wine dinner is the next event at Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook planned for Thurs. March 26, starting with a reception at 6pm. Vermintino, Sangiovese and Moscato wines are spotlighted. $69. ea. RSVP at 760-731-6805.

Ferrari Carano, one of the premier Sonoma Wineries is presenting their Taste of Spring Event, Sun. Apr. 5 from 11 to 4pm at the winery in Healdsburg. It’s a wine and food pairing with new vintages of their award winning wines. Includes a tour of the beautiful gardens and barrel rooms.

Admission is $25. and includes a souvenir glass. Call 707-433-6700 or see www.ferrari-carano.com.

A Taste of Wine can now also be seen in the glossy magazine, FINE HOMES AND LIVING. Look for it at news stands in San Diego County.

La Cereza Shines Silver

Temecula, Calif. / Feb. 1. 2008

Wine drinkers seeking to explore new and exciting worlds in the vast cosmos called the wine industry often find themselves overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite amount of wines available to them. Add to this conundrum a whole slew of promotional schemes by labels including point systems, critics’ reviews and shelf talkers…all aimed to assuage possible buyers to purchase their bottle of wine instead of the one next to it. Is your head spinning yet?

Well, just like any other competitive market, wineries have the ability to have their products rated objectively each year during a handful of annual wine competitions. One of largest of which is the annual San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Located at the doorstep of Napa Valley, wineries that earn medals during this wine competition consider it a huge feat, a right of passage, so to speak, in the wine world.

La Cereza Vineyard and Winery, located in Temecula Valley, is now the proud bearer of that title after winning silver medals in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for both their Sangiovese and Tempranillo red wines.
Judged next to wines from appellations long-recognized for excellence in red wine-making like Napa, Sonoma and Central Coast, La Cereza considers these awards a great honor as well as a testimony to their desire to produce high-quality wines capable of competing with the best.

The earning of a silver medal for their Tempranillo varietal is especially exciting for the Spanish-themed winery, as this grape is considered to be the quintessential Spanish grape, used to make the world-famous Rioja red wine.
“The choice to produce this wine here denotes the foresight of our winemaker to acquire tempranillo grapes from Guadalupe Valley,“ said Buddy Linn, owner of La Cereza. “This fruit is extremely high-quality and the outcome has been a very consistent and exceptional wine.”

La Cereza’s silver medal award for their Sangiovese is also remarkable, considering it’s the first year that the winery has ever produced this unique Italian varietal.
La Cereza winemaker Gus Vizgirda said he has long been honing in on his winery’s potential to produce excellent wines from Mediterranean grapes such as Tempranillo and Sangiovese.

“We have a very unique winemaking style here in the (Temecula) Valley and particularly at La Cereza,” said Vizgirda. “It’s based on the fact that we have a terroir here that is very similar to the Mediterranean, so although we may not be producing wines like the ones you’ll find up North, we’re confident and proud that we have a style that’s totally different and the quality is just as good.”