AAAV Event - Wine with Soul

People, like grapes, come in all colors. And like grapes, can sometimes be surprising with their personalities, characteristics, and the way that other people perceive them. I wasn’t surprised that people weren’t aware that there are several African-American winemakers in California.

I was surprised at the rich history of these winemakers in the United States. I was also surprised to learn that with the thousands of wineries scattered across the US, less than a dozen are owned by African Americans.

It was quite the event. The tasting was hosted by Brenda Knight, the promoter and marketer for the Association of African-American Vintners (AAAV), and she made sure that it was a lively interchange of information and fun. She knows the winemakers personally, and has been involved with the organization since February of this year.

The beautiful Caylix Jazz Club located at 4760 W. Sahara at Decatur was the setting for the event. The venue was ideal, with a large, lovely gathering room that was spacious enough for all of the people who attended. There was a great cross-section of wine-knowledgeable folks - those who wanted to learn about the winemakers, those who wanted to learn about wine, and those who wanted to learn everything!

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Cruise News

The cruise event took place at MARC’S Italian Steakhouse in Summerlin, and it was terrific. The wonderful patio, with the wines, the incredible food, and, of course, the great company of those who wanted to learn about the winery cruises (yes, that’s a plural) turned into quite the informational social hour. Naturally it was gratifying to see that many of those found out about the event via Vegas Wineaux website and blog (insert “Woo hoo!!” here).

As mentioned above, there are two winery cruises to Ensenada coming up. The first is October 31, and the second is December 8, 2008. And they look like they’re going to be an experience that travelers won’t soon forget.

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AWS pours Paso Robles – Écluse

On Saturday, April 19, at Marché Bacchus, our own Andy Ashbaugh, President of the Las Vegas chapter of the American Wine Society, poured some of the portfolio of Écluse winery of Paso Robles.

OF COURSE I was there!

Before I get to the wines, let me tell you a little about Écluse winery. One of the smaller wineries on the map, they began as grape growers for several wineries. This gave Steve and Pam the opportunity to interact with such Paso Robles wine notables as Linne Calodo and SummerWood. They used the lessons learned in this process to make the decision to craft their own wines, and have gone from grape growers to award-winning winemakers in just a few seasons. Read more

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THE Vertical. Robert Young Estates Winery Scion Shines

The first thing I have to do is to thank Issa and Nura Khoury for introducing me to Scion a couple (or more) years ago. It was in late 2004 that they had a tasting at their store on Eastern – which was their only location at the time – and one of the wines was the Scion. I remember tasting it and being blown away. I promptly ordered a couple of bottles, and the rest, as they say, was history.I had planned for this vertical for quite some time. As a member of the wine club, I was in the unique position of acquiring this wine on a regular basis, and I knew I had to share it with my friends when the opportunity arose. I used Evite to invite a few people who I knew were real fans of great Bordeaux blends and only regret that I was only able to accommodate a small portion of the people I wanted to be there.

So how did the tasting go? You be the judge!

Thanks to Kelly Pafford of Robert Young Estates Winery for supplying literature and Wine Club apps for the tasting. It was wonderful having the winery so involved with their members’ activities.

There were five years served. 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. The first thing that should be stated at the front is that each and every one of these vintages was fabulous. Here are comments from everyone as we poured and paired during the evening:Decanted for little over 30 minutes, the 1999 was a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Franc. Velvety on the tongue, it displayed earth, cigar box, black cherries, plums, and just a touch of smoke. The tannins had integrated well into the wine and gave the wine an old-world character. There were nods all around as everyone sipped away! This almost tied with the 2000 as the second Wine of the Night.

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