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Fleeing from Fires in Napa Valley

Art · Career · Design

Fleeing from Fires in Napa Valley

October 13, 2018October 3, 2020

It’s 11 pm. My sister and I are on the outskirts of a vineyard, watching an…

Read More Fleeing from Fires in Napa Valley

@oliviadrinkswine

Sippin wine at the @lawinefest yesterday in Long B

Sippin wine at the @lawinefest yesterday in Long Beach.
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Took a quick trip down south this weekend to check out this fun event. With over 40 wineries and breweries, there’s a little something for everyone. The backdrop is gorgeous too as it’s hosted in the water right next to the Queen Mary.
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My favorite booth was probably @mariettacellars. The had a delicious and refreshing old vine Riesling that I really liked and a selection of Zinfandel and other varieties. Will hopefully be able to visit them in the near future as they’re based in Sonoma.
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Also loved hanging out with @cynthiasrosereview and @overpouredandscrewed throughout the event. Lots of dancing and live music at the end to top off a fun afternoon. Thank you for inviting me again @lawinefest.
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📸 by: @gnarman
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#wine #wineexperience #wineevent #lawinefest #lawine #longbeachwine #longbeach #longbeachevents #longbeachcalifornia #longbeachca #longbeachlife #losangeles #la #southerncalifornia #southernca #california #californiaevents #visitcalifornia #visitca #visitlongbeach #winelover #winelovers #winelife #winelifestyle #winetourist #winetravel #winetrip #winetraveler #winetravels #vino

This #FunFriday goes out The Wine Vault at Restora

This #FunFriday goes out The Wine Vault at Restoration Hardware.
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@barberabarb_ and I visited this lovely spot a few weeks ago and it’s been on my bucket list for years. If you’re feeling fancy and want to be surrounded by chandeliers in an enchanted garden, then this is the place for you. Located on the same property as the iconic Restoration Hardware restaurant in Yountville. the Wine Vault is offers luxe lounge seating with individual little cabanas complete with your own chandelier. They have various wine flights to choose from showcasing small wineries throughout Napa and Sonoma. You also have the option to add on a charcuterie/cheese plate, which we gladly took them up on. We both got the red wine flight and they were kind enough to bring out a few extra white wines to taste as well. Another great thing about this place is that it’s open till 8 pm on Fridays so you can kick off the weekend here after work or stop by after the wineries have closed. Definitely want to come back to check out the restaurant as well as I hear it’s beautiful at night!
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Have you ever been to the RH Wine Vault?
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#wine #winetasting #yountville #napavalley #napa #visitnapavalley #visitnapa #visitcalifornia #california #californiaadventure #californian #napavalleywine #restorationhardware #rhwinevault #rhyountville #wine #winetime #winetraveler #winetravel #travel2021 #lifestyleblogger #winery #winelover #winetime #wineandtravel #gardenparty #chandelier #winetour #restaurant #napatour #winetourism

To Decant or Not to Decant? 🍷 Why do you decan

To Decant or Not to Decant?
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Why do you decant a wine in the first place? The purpose of decanting is to expose to oxygen, thus allowing the wine’s flavors and aromas to develop more quickly. The few moments it takes to decant a wine is roughly equivalent to hours spent simply leaving the bottle open and letting it “breathe”.
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It all comes down to preference, but here are some instances where it’s generally beneficial to decant.
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1. Young, robust red wines: Many young, red wines are heavily tannic, meaning this can mask the fruit. Decanting softens these tannins, allowing fruit flavors to emerge more fully.
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2. Complex wines with moderate aging: Some fine wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo based reds are able to age for decades. These type of wines may be improved with decanting for about an hour, allowing the aromas to open and expand. However, be careful with fully aged and mature wines. These wines are more fragile and too much splashing can cause the aromas to dissipate. Personally, I just pour my older vintages straight from the bottle to the glass.
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3. Wines with sediment: Sometimes you can remove sediment by placing the bottle upright for an hour or so, enough for the particles to sink to the bottom. Then, slowly pour into the decanter and stop when you see the sediment reach the neck of the bottle, visible with a light source under the bottle.
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At the end of the day, the decision whether to decant or not decant is up to you. I would recommend airing in the side of caution and tasting the wine as soon as you open to gauge where the wine’s at before making a decision. On the flip side, it’s also fun to experience the evolution of a complex wine opening up in your glass (without decanting). You might miss an interesting phase if it goes straight to the decanter.
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Do you typically decant your wines or pour them straight from the bottle to glass?

Corks vs Screw Caps: Which is the superior wine cl

Corks vs Screw Caps: Which is the superior wine closure?
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The truth is, no closure is 100% perfect as they each come with their own pros and cons.
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Cork Pros:
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Great for long term aging: Because corks are elastic, they expand inside the bottleneck to keep liquid in and oxygen out. However, tiny amounts of air do pass through the cork pores to interact with the wine and develop with complexity over time.
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A renewable resource: Corks are created from the bark of the cork oak tree, grown mainly in Portugal and Spain. An average tree has a lifespan of up to 200 years and can be harvested once every decade, providing corks for thousands of bottles.
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Cork Cons:
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Cork Taint: In a small amount of cases, your cork can become tainted with TCA, given it mostly affects wood products. This causes your wine to smell like wet dog or wet cardboard. Yum! However, there are some composite corks like DIAM that have a special seal that guarantees their corks to be TCA free for many years.
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Variability between corks: Since cork is a natural product, each cork is slightly different. Thus their porousness can range, allowing different amounts of oxygen into each bottle.
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Cost: Corks are definitely more expensive than screw caps, sometimes 3X more expensive.
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Screw Cap Pros:
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Easy to open: You don’t have to worry about wine openers or any other equipment, just twist.
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Affordable: as mentioned above, sometimes 1/3 of the cost compared to corks
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Limited TCA concerns: Since there’s no wood involved, that pretty much eliminates TCA issues in the bottling process.
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Screw Cap Cons:
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Reductive Wine: In some cases, there might be too little contact with oxygen in the bottling process causing wine to be reductive. This is typically characterized by a rotten egg smell. Again, yum!
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Variable Manufacturing Quality: There’s often quality concerns with the seal, resulting in cases of damaged or leaking wine.
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Not eco friendly: Processing aluminum produces tons of waste and the material itself is non-biodegradable.
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There’s more pros and cons that I could list but I’ve hit the max word count. What’s your preference for wine closures?

This #funfriday goes out to @celadonnapa where I d

This #funfriday goes out to @celadonnapa where I definitely had fun in all the glitter and sequins of BottleRock the other week.
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I snapped this picture right after the event as their greenery archway entrance is always so gorgeous, especially at night. A great spot for cocktails and to grab some dinner. Their patio dining feels like you’re half inside and out as it has lots of skylights, tall ceilings with lots of plants. Check this place out if you’re in the downtown Napa area!
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#napa #napavalley #downtownnapa #naparestaurant #norcal #bayarea #bayareaphotographer #visitcalifornia #winecountry #winecountryliving #winecountrylife #bottlerock #bottlerocknapa #celadon #cocktails #restaurant #restaurants #bayarearestaurants #californiacuisine #visitnapavalley #visitnapa #wineblogger #winebloggers #instawine #vino #winelover #winetime #californialove #californiadreaming

Happy Mexican Independence Day! 🇲🇽 In hono

Happy Mexican Independence Day!
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In honor of the holiday, wanted to share some of my favorite wineries and restaurants from Mexico’s own wine region, Valle de Guadalupe. Personally, I love Valle de Guadalupe and have visited four times at this point. By my first trip, I was hooked. It’s full of beautiful architecture, desert landscapes, interesting wines and delicious food. Definitely a hidden gem and worth exploring before the secret of this special spot gets out.
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Wineries:
@vinoslechuza
@relievevinicola
@vinoscruz
@hilonegrovino
@vinicolaemeve
@trevistavineyards (haven’t actually been to this one yet but it’s been on my list since I heard it’s an amazing experience)
@hotelaguadevid (for cocktails and sunset after tasting)
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Restaurants:
@faunarestaurante
@bura_cuatrocuatros
@primitivo_mx
@faltozano_valle (where this photo was taken)
@kingandqueencantina
@brumawinegarden
@deckmansenelmogor
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Have you ever visited Valle de Guadalupe? If so, what are your favorite wineries/restaurants of this region?
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#vino #vinicola #vinicolas #mexicanindependenceday #mexicanindependence #visitmexico #visitmexico🇲🇽 #mexico #valledeguadalupe #valledeguadalupe🍷 #valledeguadalupe🍇🍷 #ensenada #ensenadamexico #mexicowinecountry #restaurante #restaurantemexicano #degustacion #degustaciones #winery #wine #winetasting #winetasting🍷 #barrel #winebarrel #winebarrels #mexicanwines #mexicanwine #winecountry #wineblogger #wineblog

Here’s to the last few days of summer and a flas

Here’s to the last few days of summer and a flashback to floating down the Russian River with coolers full of wine. ☀️
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As summer concludes, harvest is here and one of the busiest but exciting times in the valley. Driving down the highway at night, you see the vineyards lit up with giant spotlights as crews quickly harvest the grapes in the cooler temperatures for processing in the am. If you’re lucky, you can also get some glimpses of the grapes arriving at the winery and going through production.
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Anyone have a trip to Napa planned this fall? If so, what wineries are you visiting?
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#wine #russianriver #russianrivervalley #floating #summer #summervibes #summervibes☀️ #summertime #lastdaysofsummer #summerdays #sonoma #sonomacounty #sonomavalley #napavalley #napa #visitcalifornia #visitnapavalley #visitnapa #visitsonomacounty #visitsonoma #napawine #instawine #instawines #wineandtravel #traveling #travelgram #winelover #wineharvest #harvest #harvest2021

Wine tasting today with the beautiful @barberabarb

Wine tasting today with the beautiful @barberabarb_ at Barnett Vineyards
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This was my first time visiting Barnett and it’s definitely a hidden gem. The property is absolutely gorgeous with this background as your view during the tasting. It’s a long and twisty road to get to the top of Spring mountain (take some Dramamine if you’re prone to motion sickness like me) but it’s worth it. The tasting is very intimate with a tour of the caves and grounds included. We tried five wines from their collection and my favorites were the Merlot and Pinot Noir. They also have the cutest dogs here too which is plus. Thanks so much for the warm hospitality and memorable experience Barnett!
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#wine #winetasting #winery #winerylife #barnettvineyards #springmountain #sthelena #sthelenaca #napavalley #napa #napawinery #napawine #napavalleywine #winecountry #winecountryliving #vineyard #vineyards #vineyards🍇 #winetasting🍷 #winegirls #wineblogger #winewinewine #winetastings #winetastingoutfit #norcal #california #westcoast #weekendvibes #winetraveler #winetime @whiskeywinewomen @winebabesclub @winebarbies

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