• Entertainment ⊕
• Sports ⊕
• Fashion ⊕
• Health & Beauty ⊕
• Home Improvement ⊕
• LA History ⊕
• LA Resource Guides ⊕
• Dining & Wine ⊕
• Shopping! ⊕
• Tech Stuff ⊕
• Travel & Adventure ⊕
• About Us ⊕

A bit about me:
I don’t profess to be a wine expert along the lines of Robert Parker or James Laube or even the sales guy at my local wine store. I prefer to call myself a wine evangelist who, over the course of the past 25 years, has spent ample time visiting wineries as part of my job, which grew into an enthusiastic hobby. Family, colleagues and friends can attest to my fervent recitations of wines that strike me as particularly unique.

My very first foray into fine wines occurred in 1988 when I was managing fundraising events for the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco. Prior to my arrival at ACT, the only wine I drank was Taylor Jug Wines because it was cheap and didn’t require much thinking to buy. The unforgettable chairwoman of my first black-tie event was Erika Hills. Her husband Austin, of the Hills Brothers coffee family, had recently partnered with winemaker Mike Grgich in 1977 to form Grgich Hills Cellar (now Grgich Hills Estate). I felt completely out of my element when Erika and the committee were discussing food and wine pairings to serve at the dinner.

Dear wonderful Erika sensed my discomfort and literally took me under her expansive wings to teach me about the world of Napa. She invited me to their home in the wine country where we tasted a variety of Grgich Hills wines.

Over the course of the time that I knew her, she increasingly introduced me to the many wonderful wines in the Napa Valley region. It was comparable to earning your driver’s license and being handed the keys to a Ferrari showroom. My life moved into a wonderful direction after I “graduated” from Erika’s tutelage and thus began my wine passion.

I’m grateful to long-time friend Deb Shadovitz for inviting me to contribute my thoughts and recommendations on wines. I look forward to sharing with you my wine discoveries from wineries that are consistently excellent so that you can add this to your “can’t go wrong if I order this” list. With all wines — and with food and art — it’s all subjective, so I invite you to send in your feedback and thoughts as we go through this journey together.

Continue with next column

View Larger Map

Grgich Hills' Fume Blanc

I’ll lead off with a Grgich Hills, of course.

I always order with confidence when I see a Grgich Hills label but in particular, I have not gone wrong with a Fume Blanc.

It’s consistently reliable; easy and refreshing on the palate with aromas of citrus and melon. I don’t care for wines that are over-oaked which makes me partial to the delicacies of this Fume Blanc. I’ll drink this with grilled chicken or seafood (shellfish is a winner with this wine) or as my aperitif.

You can expect to pay about $30/bottle which, divided by five glasses per bottle, is an economical $6.00/glass. Grgich Hills can be found in most wine shops and supermarkets in California. You can also order from their website.

Grgich Hills advises that since this peaks within 2-3 years, it’s best to drink it while it’s still young. There’s no need to deep cellar this, but do serve it nicely chilled to get the flavors going.

Organic and biodynamic

Grgich Hills has been organically farming its vineyards since 2000 and all of its acres are certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers. In 2006, the winery converted to biodynamically farming its vineyards, making it the largest biodynamic grape grower in the US.

What is biodynamic farming?

At its simplest terms, biodynamics is a holistic farming practice that treats the vineyard as a living organism and uses the earth’s natural cycles (phases of the moon and positions of the planets) and organic preparations to grow balanced, healthy vines.

Visiting and Tasting

The Grgich Hills Estate winery is located on St. Helena Hwy in Rutherford, CA (about 383 miles from LA's City Hall).

The tasting room can get crowded and uncomfortably congested since it is smack dab in the heart of Napa Valley. A fun time to go is during harvest (late summer through late October) and they’ll let you stomp grapes for a nominal fee.

Their tasting fees are on the high side but you get to keep a commemorative glass. The glass is fun while you’re a newbie, but the more you go on these wine-tasting expeditions, the last thing you’re likely to want is another glass to take home.

You can always check your local wine shop to see if they’ll offer up a free tasting for you.