Longoria

I'm a very lucky guy. Mostly lucky to have a brother with close ties to the Longoria family. No, I'm not talking about Tony Parker and Eva Longoria, I'm talking about Rick and Diana Longoria. In case you're unaware, Rick is the founder of Longoria Wines, and one of the pioneers of Pinot Noir in the Santa Ynez Valley.
While I was out in California, I had what I would consider the honor of spending 2 days with the Longorias. While in Solvang, they pointed us to wineries, fed us, and gave us a very personal tour of Longoria Winery. We tasted through bottles of finished wines at the tasting room, and even got a few samples from barrel at the tasting room. Insider tip, Rick is releasing a rose this season that is going to be absolutely wonderful.
The biggest treat of all was tasting alongside Rick. Anyone who has been making great wine as long as he has must have a phenomenal palate. It was very interesting to form my opinions of the wine, then have him rattle off a series of descriptors that hit the wine to a T. At one point I remarked that the wine we were tasting seemed very tanic. Rick politely disagreed, saying simply "I didn't get that". I replied that "my gums are dry". Rick thought and said, you're tasting the accumulation of the tannin, not the tannin from this wine. Aha!
All in all, it was a wonderful time. I don't know that I could thank the Longorias enough for their wonderful hospitality.

Missing Posts

I've been neglecting thirdcoastwine lately. Settling back into work, as well as trying to get another blog off the ground, has taken its toll on my free time. I have been writing, and if you are clamoring for more of my witty writing (and who isn't) you can check out my other project at razmaspaz.com. razmaspaz.com is my first foray into wordpress (technoblogger speak for blogging software) so hopefully I'll be able to migrate third coast to it soon, and get off blogger.

Razmaspaz is more about life and my ramblings in general. It gets a little wine talk, but mostly tech, fly fishing, photography, and all other things me.

Back from Vacation

I'm back from vacation. I've got all kinds of news and stories. From rain in LA and a winery visit at Longoria, to cruise food and some fantastic and not so fantastic California Restaurants. Stick around for all the new stuff. It should be an exciting week.

On Vacation!

Tomorrow marks the start of a 9 day absence from civilization. Well unless you consider LA civilized. I will be on vacation until Jan. 8th. Stay tuned, because there will be lots to share when I return. Tasting Room Visits, Cruises, and New Year's Eve Champagne Boycotts.

Have a Happy New Year! See you in a week.

A Jewel in Cedar Rapids Iowa

Past experience has shown me that wine shops in the Rural Midwest can be hit or miss. And so it was that Christmas dinner part one found me hunting for a couple of wines in the town of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Not content with the supermarket selection that never fails to disappoint, I headed to the web looking for another option. I found it in The 1st Avenue Wine House.

This is an old house converted into a wine shop, and what a wine shop it is. 3 stories of wines, and not just any wines, but carefully thought out selections of very good stuff, paired with a generous helping of knowledgeable sales staff. I love that it seems like they have tried every wine in the shop on multiple occasions and can steer me to the perfect bottle.

On top of being well versed and well stocked, they were offering a tasting when I walked in the door. A range of wines were open, with no particular theme. The distributor was on hand full of interesting tidbits about the wines, and he was more than willing to share information about all kinds of stuff.

I came home with a mediocre bottle of Chardonnay, which was my fault since I got exactly what I asked for, and should have known better. I'm beginning to understand why Napa doesn't produce subtle Chardonnay, its too damn hot. I found redemption in a bottle of Italian Chianti that paired like a champ next to a plate of homemade lasagna. All I can say is, mmm. Unfortunately I can't recall the producer, so I'm gonna have to research that.

What I was most pleased about though was a connection I made while tasting. On my trip to Tango Sur a couple weeks ago, I had a bottle of BenMarco Malbec. The salesman at Sam's mentioned that it was produced by a husband wife team. While at 1st Ave Wine House, the distributor mentioned another Malbec under a different label, with the same addendum. I inquired, and sure enough, it was the same producer. I'll say it now, the wines of Pedro Marchevsky and Susana Balbo are worth seeking out. I'm obviously late to this party, but I've arrived.

It looks like that resolution is getting easier to keep. Maybe this year will be my year to discover Argentina and all it has to offer.