BAZÁN CELLARS: Brand Building Fires Up Vintner Gloria Bazán
by DANIEL MANGIN | PHOTO COURTESy OF Bazán Cellars “What can I say—I like adventure,” laughed Gloria Bazán, explaining her decision to abandon a 15-year professional career in Michoacán, Mexico, to marry a Napa Valley vineyard manager she’d met on the Internet....
601 Cellars: Grenache with Panache
Photo by Lowell Downey, Art & Clarity For many reasons, some vintners and growers in Napa Valley are starting to cast wider nets when determining which varietals to produce, breaking the conventional mold of making Napa Valley Cabernet. Whether it be warmer...
VENGE VINEYARDS Winemaker Kirk Venge Is Having The Time Of His Life
by DANIEL MANGIN | PHOTOS COURTESY OF Venge Vineyards “We’re on the cusp of harvest,” enthused Kirk Venge in mid-August. “It’s going to be busy and exciting and I cannot wait for it to begin!” The winemaker appeared remarkably calm for a guy soon to be juggling...
Fontanella Family Winery: Premium Without Pretense
by Elizabeth Smith | PHOTOS COURTESy OF Fontanella Family Winery In 2005, ambitious young couple Jeff and Karen Fontanella discovered a beautiful and serene 26-acre property nestled in the illustrious Mt. Veeder appellation. Located up one of Napa’s spectacular roads...
Mavericks Builders – Napa’s Woman-Owned Luxury Home Builder
Numerous magazines, books, and television shows have featured award-winning Mavericks Builders and CEO Robin Nielsen not only for their beautiful luxury homes, but for being a women-owned business. She’s also been noted as a leader who was paramount in the...
Finger Lakes, NY: Racy Riesling Reigns
Aptly named for the long, slender lakes that dramatically impact the region’s terroir, New York’s Finger Lakes AVA is a wholly unique place. In the Finger Lakes, two of the sub-AVAs in the region directly flank the lakes on all sides. Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake boast...
Malbec: Napa’s Best Kept Secret
WRITTEN BY MELISSA VOGT Malbec is one of the five grape varieties allowed in French Bordeaux and typically represents tiny fractions of those sought-after wines. It has become Argentina’s most important varietal. But what about Napa Valley expressions? Napa Valley is...
Santa Rosa: Wine Country’s Most Eclectic Blend
A drive on U.S. Route 101 or State Route 12 leads to landscapes blooming with wildflowers and cultivated gardens, rows of olive groves, and, yes… vineyards and wineries in various pockets in and outside of Santa Rosa’s city limits. The historic Railroad Square is the...
