Sa-Ra-Da wine review

Let's take a trip south east Spain to check out the Sa-Ra-Da...Here's our Decant review and tasting notes.

*What is it? ~ “Forehead”
Winery: AGRICOLA AGUAZA
Vintage: 2008
Label: Sa-Ra-Da
Varietal: 60% Garnacha Tintorera, 30% Monstrell, 10% Petit Verdot
Country: Spain
Region: D.O. Almansa (South East Spain)

*Sight or Appearance ~ “Eyes”
Brightness: Bright,
Intensity: Med Plus
Color: Ruby with shades of Purple (Caused by the Petit Verdot)
Rim Variation: White Rim, with a Purple Haze leading to a dark middle
Viscosity: Medium

The perfect holiday wine???

As Christmas Day approaches and you prepare for your dinner or party, you might be asked to bring the wine…and you might wonder…what should I bring? You stumble through the aisles searching for that perfect bottle. To add to your dilemma, there might be ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry, stuffing, green beans, salad, rolls, macaroni and cheese, desserts, etc. etc, etc right? At most holiday gatherings, there is a plethora of food. A spread as wide as the eye can see so not only do you have to find a good wine; you have to find something that pairs nicely with most things.

Great gifts for your vino lover

We googled, you tubed, binged and yahoo’d to search for the best, unique and practical gift ideas for the wine lover in your life. Many of these items we use in our business or at home. The bottom line is, there are lots of great gifts out there for wine lovers…we just focused on ten. Happy wine shopping.

Wine Review: Monte Valonga 2008 Tempranillo

Based on my "Think while you drink" tasting class, let's review a Monte Valonga 2008 Tempranillo...

*What is it? ~ “Forehead”

Winery: Monte Valonga
Vintage: 2008
Varietal: Tempranillo
Country: Spain
Region: Valle del Cinca

*Sight or Appearance ~ “Eyes”
Brightness: Bright
Intensity: Medium
Color: Ruby
Rim Variation: Yes
Viscosity: Medium

Candy and wine and everything’s fine

Does wine go with candy….yes it does. In my mind, anything goes with wine. The key is finding the right wine or wines to pair with “anything”. As you prepare for Halloween this year, whether it’s a party or just dishing out the candy at home, have some wine. There are a few general rules when pairing wine with food and candy can easily fall into these rules.

For the most part, lighter food pair well with lighter wines and richer foods pairs well with bigger, bolder, richer wines. When it comes to candy, which is obviously sweet, I would pair with a sweet or dessert wine.

For candies like Skittles, Candy Corn or Starbursts try Canadian Ice Wine or Late Harvest Riesling. As we said, richer foods pair well with bigger, bolder, richer wines so for candies that contain chocolate like candy bars, M&M’s and Kit Kats, I would pair a Tawny Port or even a rich Napa Cabernet.

So for fright night this year, sit back and enjoy your candy and wine and don’t worry about the calories…it’s a holiday.

Wine and cat pee: a great pairing?

I know what you’re thinking. How could we even talk about wine and cat pee in the same sentence, in the same paragraph? How could these two things be apart of the same story? Surprisingly, cat pee and wine, can be a good thing. Well not actual cat pee (whew right?) just it’s aroma. I know most of us can’t stand the smell of cat pee anywhere let alone in wine, which is why I found this so fascinating. I had to investigate this crazy pairing.


First of all how does this work? Let’s start at the beginning: wine aromas. How are aromas created? The chemical compounds in the grape and the terrior (the land) react to create an aroma. These aromas vary based on a number of factors such as, the grape, the region, the climate, the wine maker’s technique, etc... And different combinations of these factors result in the distinct taste of wine. So how do we get to cat pee? Well, it’s only found in one varietal and only in a few regions. More importantly, what’s the chance you’ll encounter this elusive cat pee essence? Well if you are drinking a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand or France…there is a very good chance.

The cat pee characteristic is usually developed in young, less ripe grapes in cooler climates and in mineral driven soils such as limestone and sandstone that are found in the Marlborough region of New Zealand and the Lorie valley in France. Some other unpleasant yet descriptive words for this same aroma are armpit sweat, musty, canned asparagus, snow peas and green beans.

I know this still sounds crazy but not only is this characteristic unique it’s also very popular. It is the core aroma of New Zealand’s world-leading sauvignon blanc according to a six-year study by a team of lucky wine scientists. The scientific team spent more then $12 million dollars defining the flavors of the country’s most popular grape varietal. They concluded that cat pee, sweaty passion fruit and asparagus created the winning combination.

I’m pretty sure that most of us think this is crazy but apparently the Kiwi’s love it and according to some experts, the phenomenon is catching on. Who knows, soon enough you might be drinking and enjoying cat pee.



by Jennifer Guran
contributors: Wes Kollar & Elyse Guran

Meet Ryan Hill from Hill Family

If you haven't yet, its time to meet Ryan Hill from Hill Family Estate Winery as we prepare for our upcoming wine dinner at Wildfish with Ryan and the Hill Family wines.  So instead of hearing it from us, we thought we'd sit down with Ryan (interview style) so you can get to know Ryan and his families wine.

DW: Hi Ryan, how are you?
RH: I'm great. And you?

DW: Good. Ryan, tell us about the Hill Family and their wines.
RH: Hill Family Estate was formed in 2001 by Doug (my Dad), Darci, Ryan and Carly Hill. The patriarch, Doug Hill, started growing grapes in Napa during the early 80's. Over the last 33 years, Doug has managed over 1,000 acres of vineyards and grown grapes for 50 different winemakers. Today, the Hill's craft 10 different wines that range from $22-$150 per bottle.

DW: What makes the Hill Family different from others?
RH: We are 100% family owned and operated! Our wines are crafted in an elegant style (we have a female winemaker) and she expresses the terroir from each vineyard site that is farmed by Doug Hill.

Grape meets Olives

Decant & The Wine Artist announce another great event: Grape meets Olives.


Sample Tijeras Creek Winery wines and Maya Trade Corporations Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil harvested and hand picked from the area known as highest quality olive oil producing region in Burhaniye in Western Turkey.

Each olive oil is unique in its own way and very tasty. Infused with Garlic, Lemon, Bergamot, Rosemary, Thyme, Bay Leaves, Basil, Tangerine, Orange, Red Pepper and Hot Red Pepper in 250ml bottles.

All wines and olive oils are available for purchase

$20 pp
Date: Friday, March 19, 2010


Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: The Wine Artist, 21064 Bake Parkway, Lake Forest

Intro to Wine Class

Intro to wine class: Are you an old wine lover or new wine lover, or both? That's what we want to know. This is part one in a series of classes. The premise of this class is to introduce the most important building blocks of wine knowledge. Taste and experience five different wines. Light appetizers served during recess. $20 pp. We'd love to have you!!


Class takes place on March 10 from 6pm to 9pm at The Wine Artist in Lake Forest.
Reservations are not required. For more information, call Wes Kollar at 714-240-2318. Hope to see you there.

Shaky Bridge 2006 Pinot Noir: A kiwi delight

When you think of France you think of Bordeaux, when you think of Napa you think of Cabernet Sauvignon and when you think of New Zealand you think of Pinot Noir.


I love tasting wines that are from a region that excels in that varietal but often not all wines from the region are good. Every once and awhile however, you find a great example of one.

I came across Shaky Bridge 2006 Pioneer Series Pinot Noir. This wine is primarily comprised of fruit harvested from the Pioneer Vineyard on Dunstan Rd in New Zealand. The wine exhibits a rich dark ruby color, exotic aromas of spice together with primary fruit flavours of raspberry, rhubarb and blackcurrant. The wine possesses a wonderful intensity of flavor, characterized by rich fruit, ripe tannins and earth. The finish is long, even and smooth. This wine is great on its own or served with a variety of foods such as chicken, lamb, venison or salmon.

This wine’s characteristics scream New Zealand Pinot Noir. It’s a Decant Favorite and we recommend you give it a try.

Mosby Wine Tasting- Meet the Winemaker

You are invited to the Mosby wine tasting at the Wine Artist in Lake Forest on Saturday February 27 with winemaker, Gary Mosby of Mosby Winery located in Santa Ynez.


Come experience Mosby wines and appetizers hosted by Decant Wine Events & The Wine Artist. We'll be raffling off bottles of wine signed by winemaker, Gary Mosby and free home wine tasting events by Decant Wine Events & Wes Kollar.

If you have any questions about the dinner please contact Wes Kollar at Drink@DecantWineEvents.com


When: Feb 27

Website: www.mosbywines.com

Time: 6:pm

Cost: $30 per person



The Wine Artist, Lake Forest

21064 Bake Parkway

Lake Forest, CA 92618

(949) 297-3656


With: Winemaker ~ Gary Mosby of Mosby Winery

Raffle: Signed wine bottles by Gary Mosby

Wine Homework: Adesso and Chestnuts

ADESSO ~ Cagnina


This is a wine that's easy to fall in love with "Adesso" (which means "now" in Italian).
Area of Production: Rimini, Italy ~ Located on the east coast of Italy
Grape Variety: 100% Refosco

This is a pleasantly sweet wine that is great with dessert or on its own. Last week when I visited with the Italian wineries I met a local winemaker from Rimini and he explained how to drink the Cagnina. He was so excited to share this with me because he has never met anyone in the US that knew the wine. He explained that the proper way to enjoy the Cagnina is accompanied with a chestnut. Split the chestnut in the center leaving a small opening meaning do not break them completely in half. On a hot skillet, roast the chestnut (shell still intact) until its hot in the middle. Once hot, split the nut wide open and scoop out the meat and eat. While you have the roasted chestnut in your mouth pour a small portion of the wine in your mouth at the same time. It’s a dessert for the locals of Rimini and is enjoyed by all including the young. Ah, to be Italian!

Italian wine tasting

By Wes Kollar

As you can imagine, I was really anticipating this tasting, yes for the wines but more because I would get to reconnect with many of the wine makers I met in Italy last summer. And, I would be tasting some of the best of the best from all around Italy in one spot on one day. Here are some of the wines that topped my list: Collosorbo 2004 Brunello di Montaclcino, Tenuta Vitanza 2004 Brunello di Montalcino, and Vignalota 2005 Rosso Riserva from Colli Euganei. I know, it’s a mouth full but just give it a try or a taste, if you get a chance. Prosciutto and burrata (fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream) were served as well and were delicious companions. I was pleasantly surprised to see a few wines from Austria, a Zweigelt, Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir), and my very favorite of the day, a Blau Frankisch. I could have had these wines all day long. One day….I just might!

Five easy steps to understanding what you are tasting

By Wes Kollar

(contributors: Elyse Guran & Jennifer Guran)

If you’re like my fiancée, who loves wine but doesn’t exactly know why, you might want to take a look at a few tips I developed when I first started drinking wine. These steps helped me to define my taste and expand my knowledge of wine. In essence, it’s the “think while you drink” method. I like to use this mantra in my 101 classes for new wine lovers.

Having a blast while learning wine 101

Saturday we hosted a great Wine 101 class for a private party. This was a birthday party for one of my oldest and dearest friends so when she inquired about adding Decant, I was really excited. We partnered with Xanh’s Bistro in Fountain Valley owned by Haley Nguyen for catering. Haley developed a fresh and contemporary flare for the event including:

Mosby Wine Dinner

You are invited to join our group at the Wine Artist (www.thewineartist.com) in Lake Forest, CA on Saturday February 27 for a wine dinner with winemaker, Gary Mosby of Mosby Winery located in Santa Ynez.


Come experience Mosby wines paired with the culinary delights of Lamron Catering (www.lamroncatering.com) hosted by Decant Wine Events (www.DecantWineEvents.com) and Wes Kollar. You'll enjoy Mosby's Italian varietals paired with some of Italy's finest foods. The space is limited to just 50 people so reserve your spot today. We'll be raffling off bottles of wine signed by winemaker, Gary Mosby and free home wine tasting events by Decant Wine Events & Wes Kollar.

For questions, please contact Wes Kollar at Drink@DecantWineEvents.com

When: Feb 27
Who: Mosby Winery Wine Dinner
Time: 6:00pm
Cost: $75 per person (Note: RSVP is required with Credit Card to the Wine Artist)

The Wine Artist, Lake Forest
21064 Bake Parkway
Lake Forest, CA 92618
(949) 297-3656

An Aerator…To use or not to use, that is the question. What do you think?

A few days ago I was at a local wine shop and noticed that a few customers purchased some expensive bottles of wine and requested the wine be poured through an aerator.

Right away I will tell you that I don’t like aerators. Rather, I don’t like the “idea” of them. Here’s my beef. Winemakers make their wine the way they want you to experience it and then someone puts their wine through a device that completely changes the structure, the nose, the balance, everything about the wine. It just feels wrong to me.

So tonight I’ve decided to experiment with an aerator.