Books and Publishing, Entertainment, Free News Articles

Master Sommelier Writes Definitive Wine-Tasting Guide for Professionals and Novices

RIO RANCHO, N.M. -- Master Sommelier Tim Gaiser has released an updated version of "Message in the Bottle: A Guide to Tasting Wine" (ISBN: 978-1955750479). The book is a valuable resource for professional tasters, as well as an outstanding guide for the casual enthusiast who wants to learn more about how to appreciate a glass of wine.

"Message in the Bottle" is a compilation of Gaiser's 30-plus years of international wine-tasting and teaching experience. After working on the text for over ten years, Gaiser finally had the opportunity to put the manuscript together during the 2020 COVID pandemic. On release, the wine-tasting guide quickly surged to the top rankings on Amazon.

"The original intent was to write something for 'Jedi Knights in training,' as a colleague calls students in the wine certification programs," Gaiser says. "However, a dear friend and fellow Master Sommelier colleague pointed out that once the book was released, consumers just getting into wine would also be interested it. I realized that I needed to make the text as user-friendly as possible."

With that, Gaiser went back to the drawing board and rewrote all the chapters to include introductions and recommendations on how to use the information. The result is a comprehensive resource for the serious wine student, as well as a clear-cut guide for anyone who wants to learn the secrets of tasting wine.

As Emily Wines, Master Sommelier and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Court of Master

Sommeliers, Americas, states "For all of those who've struggled with the art and technique of blind tasting, this is the ultimate guide."

Peter Marks, Master of Wine, agrees, stating "'Message in the Bottle' should be another standard in anyone's wine library along with 'The Oxford Companion to Wine' and 'The World Atlas of Wine.'"

A Decanter Magazine review states that, "This Guide to Tasting Wine compiles strategies and insights gained over more than 30 years of teaching and working as a sommelier. While many sections are aimed at helping sommeliers pass the tough MS exam, there are useful tools for wine novices through to those wanting to brush up on blind tasting skills."

Somm Journal publisher, Meredith May, wrote, "Applying his three decades of experience in tasting, teaching, and writing, Gaiser divides and conquers concepts both objective and subjective. For those prepping for exams, Message in the Bottle may be one of the most valuable tomes in your arsenal."

Beyond requisite skills, the "Message in the Bottle" includes an entire section on strategies for improving focus, concentration, and smell and taste memory-all using visualization. It also features a list of suggested producers for tasting practice, instructions for writing tasting notes and wine tech sheets, and a series of essays on wine, making it not only the go-to reference for aspiring sommeliers and wine professionals, but an enjoyable read about one of life's greatest, most enduring pleasures.

"Message in the Bottle: A Guide to Tasting Wine" was published by Networlding Publishing in December 2022 and is available in both eBook and paperback formats from major distributors.

For more information, images, interviews, or review copies please contact tgaiser@earthlink.net.

About Tim Gaiser, MS:

Tim Gaiser is an internationally renowned wine expert and lecturer. He is one of less than 300 individuals worldwide to ever attain the elite Master Sommelier title. He is the former Director of Education and Education chair for the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, and an instructor for the Napa Valley Wine Academy.

Over his 30-plus year career, Tim has taught thousands of students in wines and spirits classes at every level as well as developing wine education programs for restaurants, winery schools and wine distributors. He has experience in all phases of the wine industry: online, wholesale, retail, winery, and restaurants.

Tim has written for several publications including Fine Cooking Magazine and the Somm Journal and also writes for numerous wine and spirits clients. He has served as the author and lead judge for the Best Young Sommelier Competition and the Top Somm Competition.

Prior to developing his wine expertise, Tim received an M.A. in Classical Music. He played classical trumpet as a freelance professional and as an extra with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. He currently lives with his family in New Mexico.

Learn more at: https://timgaiser.com/

Related link: https://timgaiser.com/

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Business, Free News Articles, Regional Events

Domaine Carneros Announces New Iteration of Popular ‘Bubbles & Bites’ Experience

NAPA, Calif. -- Founded in 1987, in the Carneros appellation of Northern California by the Champagne Taittinger family, Domaine Carneros is a grower producer of ultra-premium sparkling wines and limited production pinot noirs. As of May 1st, the winery is pleased to announce a new menu for its popular Bubbles & Bites tasting experience, first launched in 2018. Since its inauguration, it has been a special offering for visitors who wish to explore the versatility of sparkling wine with different cuisines. To date, the winery has focused on Asian, Mexican and Moroccan pairings and now announces its next cuisine of focus...Spain!

The Art of Sparkling Wine Pairing: Bubbles & Bites

Experience the versatility of sparkling wine in this unique food & wine pairing specially curated to highlight the flavors of Spain! The fourth showcase menu in the winery's popular "Bubbles & Bites" tasting experience transports guests on a palatal journey throughout Spain with five "bites" - four savory, one sweet - each of which is thoughtfully paired with a vibrant Domaine Carneros sparkling wine:

Pan de Pisto

A slice of toasted baguette is topped with a classic Spanish stew of tomatoes, onion, eggplant, green & red peppers, and shaved Manchego cheese

Paired with 2017 Ultra Brut

Tortilla Espanola with Mojo Rojo y Verde

Omelet of egg and potato served with a vibrant sauce of garlic, chili, smoked paprika and cumin

Paired 2017 Estate Brut Cuvée

Gambas al Ajillo

Sauteed shrimp in garlic and Spanish olive oil

Paired 2018 Brut Rosé

Solomillo with Romesco Sauce

Juicy pork tenderloin accompanied by a classic Romesco sauce of tomato, roasted red pepper and toasted almonds

Paired 2017 Vermeil Demi-Sec

Tarta Vasca with Rosemary Caramel

Rich cheese tart with a rosemary-scented caramel

Paired 2017 Vermeil Demi-Sec

Led by their most seasoned wine educators, this experience will open palates to a new side of sparkling wine.

DETAILS:

Appointments begin May 2nd

60-minute experience

$95 (cost does not include gratuity or sales tax)

Reserve online or by contacting the winery directly: 707-257-0101 x 150 or reservations@domainecarneros.com

This unique tasting experience is available for groups sized 2-6, guests 21 years and older. 48-hour cancellation. The winery does offer specialized versions of this experience for parties of 7 or more. Please call for more details.

NB *dietary restrictions can be accommodated, please call the winery to discuss any specific needs.

ABOUT DOMAINE CARNEROS:

Founded in 1987, Domaine Carneros reflects the hallmark of its founder, Champagne Taittinger, in creating a vision of terroir-driven sparkling wine and preserving the quality tenets of the traditional method production. Located entirely within the Carneros AVA, between Napa and Sonoma counties, the six estate vineyards total approximately 400 acres with 150 acres planted to Chardonnay, 250 acres planted to Pinot Noir, with the remaining acres currently in development. The winery focuses on making ultra-premium Carneros sparkling wines largely estate grown and limited production Pinot Noirs.

Domaine Carneros' château has become a landmark and symbol of the region. The architecture and interior design were inspired by the 18th century Château de la Marquetterie owned by Taittinger family in France's Champagne region. In March of this year, the San Francisco Chronicle named Domaine Carneros one of the top 25 Best Bay Area Wineries to Visit.

The winery also places a high value on preserving the environment and has been a leader with respect to a vast array of environmental undertakings. The roof of the pinot noir winery adjacent to the château hosts a solar array that was the largest on any winery in the world when it was installed and this year, a new state-of-the-art microgrid system will help the winery with 85% of its energy needs. The winery has a continued commitment to creating a lighter footprint on the earth. Two of its most recent environmental awards were the California Green Medal for Domaine Carneros' demonstration of "Smart Business through efficiencies, cost savings and innovation from implementing sustainable practices," and in 2020, the Napa Climate Now Climate Champion in the Business category.

Learn more: https://www.domainecarneros.com/

Related link: https://www.domainecarneros.com/

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Business, Free News Articles, Product Launches, Software

Wente Vineyards offers the First Ever Voice App Wine Tasting Experience

LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Wente Vineyards, the longest continuously owned and operated family winery, and a company of many firsts throughout its 137-year history, nationally launches today an interactive home wine tasting feature with both Alexa and Google home devices. A wine industry first, this ability to experience a guided wine tasting with one's smart device will bring the wine country experience straight to the home. Wente Vineyards has always thought in terms of bringing the family together through cookbooks, concerts, restaurants, tasting rooms and this opportunity is next level.

Wente Vineyards has a portfolio of "go to" wines accessible for a many wine lovers, which offers a unique position to bring the pleasure of learning about wine to many households. Particularly at time when education and e-learning are at an all-time high with online offerings of workouts, cooking, academia...a guided home wine tasting is an opportunity to make time for wine, connection, and learning.

Interested wine lovers can order wines by visiting https://wentevineyards.com/ or the experience landing page and receive a trio or six pack of current releases of Morning Fog Chardonnay, Riva Ranch Vineyard Chardonnay and Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon delivered to their home. Later in May, orders through Instacart and Drizly! can be activated using the smart home devices so that buying wine becomes a 1-step process. The experience includes a brief history of this storied winery along with tasting notes and a pacing that can be dictated by listeners.

The Wente family is known for an exceptional hospitality experience at their home vineyard in the historic Livermore Valley, and through experiencing this virtual tasting, one can taste and learn from the comfort and safety of one's own kitchen, dining room or living room. Since the onset of the COVID crisis, 73 percent of consumers have turned more to their streaming devices, social channels and television to manage their boredom during social distancing (Note1), and since many are home cooks for the first time, learning about wine is complementary.

To learn more about the ease of the interface, simply click here for more details: https://wentevineyards.com/wente-vineyards-virtual-tasting.

Pricing is $60 plus tax for a trio of wines and a discounted $100 for six bottles, two of each designation representing a 20 percent discount along with a flat $10 rate for shipping. A great way to get the adults in the home learning and interacting, this experience can be dialed at one's leisure.

Wente Vineyards Vice President of Marketing and Head Storyteller Lisa Kalfus states, "The winery has had a historic set of firsts, first to varietally label wines in the 1930s, first to cultivate and distribute Chardonnay around the state at the turn of the century, first to bring enriching hospitality experiences to the winery visit, among the first to pilot a statewide sustainability certification, so offering a tasting via a technology that is in so many homes, makes complete sense as a next level evolution for us."

Brand Manager and 5th generation family member, Aly Wente jumped at the chance to reach out more to her demographic as well as those of all generations who enjoy the smart devices in their homes. She states, "We are also finding ways to engage with wine lovers - most recently with our weekly Wine Wednesday experiences - and now we're excited to bring the Wente wine tasting experiences to life in homes across the country through the app on Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. This is also a natural extension of our #MakeTime movement that stands for what we care about in life and sharing the core belief of my family with wine lovers." More about #MakeTime here - https://maketime.wentevineyards.com/.

Participants can tag @wente in their posts about their wine tasting experience on their social channels.

About Wente Family Estates

Founded in 1883, Wente Vineyards has been resoundingly celebrated for its industry-wide contributions to innovation as the longest continuously-operated, family-owned winery in the country, now owned and managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family.  The company portfolio is comprised of Wente Vineyards, Murrieta's Well, Hayes Ranch, Ravel & Stitch, entwine and Angel's Ink brands. The winery draws from certified sustainable estate vineyards in the Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay and Arroyo Seco, Monterey appellations to create an outstanding array of fine wines that are distributed in all 50 states and in over 70 countries worldwide.  

In 2010, it joined the top 4 percent of  California wineries who meet all three tiers within the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing codes & designation. In 2011, Wente Family Estates was named American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast and is among the top 30 wineries in the United States according to Wine Business Monthly, (February 2020). 2012 marked the 100th anniversary of the Wente family bringing Chardonnay cuttings to California from France. Today, the Wente clones of Chardonnay are the most widely planted in California.

Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is recognized as one of California's premier wine country destinations. In 2018, the winery took a leadership role in its longstanding mission to inspire employees and guests to make time for what really matters, as realized through Wente Vineyards' best practices, outstanding wines and wine country experiences.

The property features wine tasting, world-class concerts, award-winning fine dining and championship golf. Wente Vineyards is also proud to have 100% estate grown wines and have the Certified Sustainable designations across their vineyards and winery through California Certified Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.

For more information, visit https://wentevineyards.com/

For media inquiries, interviews, images, please contact Kimberly Noelle Charles of Charles Communications Associates at 415|701-9463 or press@charlescomm.com.

* Note 1: State of the Consumer, Part Three, Research study by Suzy April 2020

IMAGE link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0505s2p-wente-virtual-tasting-300dpi.jpg

Related link: https://wentevineyards.com/

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Business, Free News Articles, Product Launches, Regional Events

Hudson Valley Cabernet Franc Coalition Hosts Inaugural Barrel and New Release Tasting Event

MARLBORO, N.Y. -- The wineries of the Hudson Valley Cabernet Franc Coalition will tap their barrels, uncork new releases, and share some gems from their cellars in their first-ever tasting event.

The Barrel & New Release Tasting will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, 2019, at Nostrano Vineyards, 14 Gala Lane, Milton, NY 12547.

For more information and to purchase tickets, interested attendees can click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hudson-valley-cabernet-franc-barrel-new-release-tasting-tickets-60641451213.

A free trade tasting for press only will take place that afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m.; for more information, please call or email the press contact listed below.

Only 50 lucky wine aficionados will have a special opportunity to engage with winemakers and owners as they offer their bounty of Hudson Valley-grown Cabernet Francs from both sides of the historic river. Attendees will be the first to experience last year's harvest right from the barrel: 20 Cab Francs, including rose and flights, from the Hudson Valley's award-winning Legacy wineries.

In addition, there will be light bites at the mezze table and crostini bar, all in a gorgeous, rustic vineyard setting with expansive views of the Valley.

The Legacy members featured at the celebration will include: Benmarl Winery, Fjord Vineyards, Glorie Farm Winery, Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, Milea Estate Vineyards, Nostrano Vineyards, Robibero Winery, and Whitecliff Vineyards.

"We're excited to host this inaugural barrel tasting to showcase our legacy wines," said Doug Glorie, a founder of the Hudson Valley Cabernet Franc Coalition. "All of our members have been honing their craft, and this event will feature the best fruits of their efforts."

About The Hudson Valley Cabernet Franc Coalition:

The Hudson Valley Cabernet Franc Coalition (HVCFC) was formed in February 2016 to coordinate efforts to promote the signature grape; the coalition is co-led by Doug and MaryEllen Glorie of Glorie Farm Winery in Marlboro, N.Y., and Robert Bedford and Linda Pierro of Hudson Valley Wine Magazine, Coxsackie, N.Y. The coalition has been organizing activities to help establish a Cabernet Franc identity in the region, create awareness of Cabernet Franc wines produced in the Hudson Valley, and to promote a long-term initiative to consumers.

The HVCFC is a group composed of Hudson Valley winery owners, grape growers, wine makers, and wine industry supporters. The HVCFC's mission is to establish a Cabernet Franc brand identity for the Hudson River Region; encourage more vineyard plantings of Cabernet Franc; promote Hudson Valley Cabernet Franc wines to the broader regional area; and increase the visibility of the Hudson River Region appellation, and the wineries within it.

Learn more at: http://hvcabfranc.com/.

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HVCabFranc.
On Instagram: @hvcfcoalition.

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Free News Articles, Regional Events, Restaurant, Hotel and Hospitality

Kief-Joshua Vineyards Wine Tasting Room Grand Opening in Willcox, AZ

ELGIN, Ariz. -- Kief-Joshua Vineyards (KJV) is officially opening its gates and inviting the public to join them on September 16, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at their Willcox tasting room, located at 4923 E. Arzberger Road. The grand opening will feature wine flights, wines or sangria by the glass, small bites pairings and a local pistachio farmer.

"We had a seriously need for more fruit," says winemaker, Kief Manning. "Since Willcox grows seventy-four percent of Arizona's wine grapes, and is the source of the most highly rated Arizona wines by Wine Spectator, I felt this property would grant us the most opportunity for fruit quality and abundance."

The Willcox area was recently granted AVA (American Viticultural Area) status, meaning this area is now recognized as a unique and distinctive wine-growing region in the United States. The Willcox Wine Consortium consists of at least ten different wineries and tasting rooms, and is a perfect day trip for wine tasting.

Tasting fees:
$10 grants customers a souvenir glass and 5 (1oz) pours Or $7 if you bring a wine glass. Wine by the glass is discounted to $5 and Sangria $3.

For more information, please visit http://kj-vineyards.com/ or call 520-455-5582.

DIRECTIONS:
From Phoenix or Tucson: From Highway 10, take exit #336 - Take Haskell Avenue to Maley St, head south on 186. Turn right on Kansas Settlement Road. Make a Left on Arzberger (A "paved" road). At Mile marker 3 turn right into Wayward winds and Kief-Joshua Vineyards will be on your left.

Save the dates:
* Magdelena Bash Harvest Festival, featuring new wine releases, two bands, food, vendors and more on Aug. 26, 2017, 11-5 at Kief-Joshua Vineyards-Elgin.

* Kief-Joshua Willcox, October 27-29, 2017 Hallowine: Grapes and Goodies.

* The Southeast Arizona Wine Growers Festival, featuring 15 AZ Wineries on March 10 & 11, 2018 at Kief-Joshua Vineyards-Elgin.

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