The 4th, Our Friends, and Red, White, and...

 What is better than to sit at the end of the day and drink wine with friends, or substitutes for friends! - James Joyce

The 4th of July has always been a time of getting together with close friends and family. Sharing laughs and catching up. It's a great excuse to throw a party and invite those you care about....Yes even Uncle Calvin who always gets loud and embarrasses the hell out of you! But it's all great fun.

I spent half my weekend up in Los Olivos enjoying some great wine with great friends. Instead of doing our normal tasting room visits we decided to just bring a bottle or 2 of our favorites and sit out on the deck and enjoy the wine and friendship.

I brought 2 of my personal favorites from my cellar: 


2008 Presqu'ille Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley)
With it's rich nose of Fennel, tobacco, & Cola and the superb taste of Plum and cherry.It's complexity will leave you speechless!

2009 Transcendence Parea 
 A magnificent 54% Grenache 46% Syrah. With a nose of Raspberry, Vanilla, and a touch of smoke. Your palette will then experience pure euphoria as you taste it's richness. The dark colors will also please your eyes. You will soon be "transcended" into a Blissful state.




Independence day as it called is supposed to be a celebration of our nations independence. The chance to hang out with our friends and share some great food and wine. It got me thinking about how we wine drinkers may have a different take on the 4th of July. You see for a wine lover like myself every day is like the 4th of July, a chance to share stories and the company of friends and family occur often. All it takes is a nice bottle of wine and a bite to eat and let the celebrations begin!


The wine itself is an integral part of our relationships and the decisions we make. Just look back in history and you will find major battles as well as peaceful diplomatic solutions were planned and executed after sipping a fine wine or spirit.


It's no wonder that our flag has both Whites and Reds!


Have a great and safe Holiday and as always "Keep a corkscrew handy and a glass on the ready!"