Fabulous evening with Bob Pepi, wine consultant and founder of the Eponymous brand of California Reds. Wine Spectator called Bob's first Cabernet Sauvignon "a Cellar Selection.". Some preferred the very elegant Syrah with steak, others the Petite Syrah or Full-bodied Chardonnay with pasta. with their ripe, meaty flavors. MORE >>

The theme, apparently, was California wines with ties to Mexico. Given that, here’s the range of California wines they could choose from: almost all of them. The California wine industry would produce few bottles of wine if it weren’t for the work of Mexican viticultural laborers. alcohol Chardonnay! MORE >>

2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Modus Operandi, Napa Valley, California. ? 2007 Granache, Beckmen Vineyards, Santa Ynez, California. ? Sparkling Chardonnay, Thibaut Janisson Brut, Monticello, Virginia. ? Right now, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Dr. Manmohan Singh, prime minister of India, is being feted at a state dinner! MORE >>

Concha y Toro produces several different wine styles including a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc made from grapes the Maule Valley. They also produce a barrel fermented Chardonnay and a single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon named after the winery's founder, Don Melchor. It's been a few years since I tasted Carmenere. MORE >>

At Backsberg you will find wines in various quality levels, with whites including Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and sparklers as well including Viognier. They even have a Kosher range (sparkling brut, Chardonnay, Pinotage, Merlot). And of course I love “The Welder,” Arco’s signature sweet late harvest Chenin Blanc. MORE >>