Sostevinobile

Finally! A reason to journey to San José! 😅

Tickets are still available through Sunday

There’s still a ticket waiting just for you. Be there tomorrow at the Monterey Winegrowers Celebration in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea.
https://montereywines.org/event/monterey-winemakers-celebration/

You still have time to sign up for the wine event of the summer: Festa Italia di Healdsburg. Tickets available at festaitaliahbg.com.

WTF does this even mean?

“A wine redolent of graphite, grilled seaweed, black currants and peaches on a muscular body ”

Join Sostevinobile in Santa Rosa on Saturday June 15th for California’s premier North Coast Wine & Food Festival. All wines have received 90+ points! Plus enjoy select dishes from 25 iconic Wine Country chefs.

Use discount code NORTHCOAST to receive $15 of your tickets.

Press Democrat Presents North Coast Wine & Food Festival - Luther Burbank Center for the Arts The Press Democrat presents the North Coast Wine & Food Festival, featuring 25 of the region’s top chefs and 90+ gold medal-winning wines from the North Coast Wine Challenge.

HOW TO SPOT A PHISHING ATTEMPT

1) I am a one-man show at Sostevinobile. We do not have a webmaster or even an email box designated for one.

2) It’s 5:24:19 pm here on 5/7/2024. Unless this Webmaster is utterly prescient…

3) Office 365 is the most execrable software ever published. I have eschewed the use of any and all Microsoft products since 1989.

Apart from that, it seems perfectly legit.

I’m up at Oakville Grocery, quite possibly the most upscale minimart on the planet. As befits my friend Jean-Charles Boisset, the wines here are not for the faint of heart—or slight of wallet. Curiously, however, both Bond’s Quella and the Melbury are $849.95, while the St. Eden is an even $850.00. Is this wine that demonstrably better than its siblings?

Why can’t wine organizations communicate with each other and coordinate events?

April 27. I have to choose between Garagiste Sonoma, the Discover Coombsville Grand Tasting, the Santa Lucia Highlands Sun, Wind, and Wine Festival, and Paso Robles Wine Fanatics’ "Meet Your Makers, Live & In Person." What’s an inveterate œnophile to do???

Come discover more than 40 wineries at the Santa Cruz Mountains Grand Wine Tasting at The Mountain Winery on Sunday, March 24! Take in breathtaking, panoramic views of Silicon Valley while you sip award-winning wines and bid on more than 50 exciting silent auction items–including rare wine releases, magnums and VIP vineyard tours.

Grand Wine Tasting Winery Events in the Santa Cruz Mountains Grand Wine Tasting Saratoga Events Grand Wine Tasting Aptos Events Grand Wine Tasting Santa Clara EventsGrand Wine Tasting Cupertino Events Grand Wine Tasting Summit Events Grand Wine Tasting Capitola Events Grand Wine Tasting Los Gatos Events Grand Wine Tasting Santa Cruz Events Grand Wine Tasting....

CLUB DELLE BARBE BIANCHE

White beards rule!

Save 20% on the perfect Turkey Day Wine. 2022 Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay is just $60/bottle on BlueStream Wines. Plus 15% more for orders of 6 bottles or more!

https://bit.ly/ShaferChard

My new affiliate wine store is open! Please come to our first event!

Silicon Valley isn’t simply computer chips and purloined San Francisco football teams. It’s also home to some of California’s oldest and most distinguished wineries. On Saturday, November 4th, you can taste dozens of these wines, along with gourmet bites and desserts, at the Wineries of the Santa Clara Valley’s 3rd Annual Vine to Wine festival

Come join us at the historic Mountain Winery in Saratoga for this most festive gathering. Along with the tastings, Vine to Wine will feature a marketplace with barrel furniture, wine-related décor, and other crafts while enjoying music by the Alex Lucero Band.

Not to be missed: VIP ticket holders will also be treated to tasting six reserve wines, along with a seminar led by renowned Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein.

This event is sure to sell out, so purchase your tickets now at https://VinetoWine_2023.eventbrite.com. From now until October 15, Sostevinobile Friends & Subscribers, can get $10 off any ticket with our discount code v2w_2023.

For more information on Vine to Wine, please visit https://www.santaclarawines.com.

Pourquoi do they call Burgundy “the Healdsburg of France?” Once again, you will have a chance to find out, with 60+ wneries pouring California’s best Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Sparkling Wines at our annual Healdsburg Crush, benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin.

Join us Sunday, October 15 from 12-4pm in picturesque Healdsburg Square. Use Sostevinobile’s discount code SVB23 for $15 off any tickets.

BARBERA FESTIVAL

Ciao paesani! There are more than 70 Italian varietals produced in California, but none has a more storied history than Barbera. Originating from the Piemonte region, this food-friendly grape has been grown here extensively since the 1880s and has long been the backbone of “Spaghetti Reds.”

But Barbera can show amazing complexity as well, which is why you should join us on September 9 for the return of Barbera Festival in Amador County. Over 45 wineries from around the state will be pouring at the acclaimed Terra d’Oro Winery in Plymouth, along with live music and sumptuous catering.

Please visit BlueStreamWines.com to obtain our special Promo Code “wine” for an additional discount on all tickets. Ci vediamo lì!

Think Napa has a monopoly on California Cabernet? Think again. For more than 50 years, the Alexander Valley in Sonoma County has given its eastern neighbors a run for their money.

Join Sostevinobile for Access Alexander Valley, the amazing annual showcase that kicks off Labor Day weekend festivities on September 1. Enjoy artisanal foods, our premium Oyster Bar, live music, and world-class wines from over 17 Alexander Valley wineries.

This year, Access Alexander Valley is being held at the new Acta Winery in Healdsburg. Tickets are available at https://alexander-valley-winegrowers.ticketleap.com/access-alexander-valley/details. Be sure to use our special discount code Bohemian10 for your purchase.

Access Alexander Valley Kick-off your Labor Day weekend in the picturesque Alexander Valley and enjoy our world-class wines, delicious cuisine from our food truck court, winemaking demonstrations, barrel tastings, live music, and breathtaking views. Each ticket includes wines from all participating Alexander Valley winerie...

I am seriously contemplating quitting the wine biz. My justification for returning to this sector some 15 years ago was that it aligned, intellectually and culturally, with what I hoped to achieve as a writer. But last night’s Zinfandel tasting at Gravenstein Grill in Sebastopol may have unalterably changed that.

Upon being poured a taste of Martinelli’s Zinfandel Lo**ta Ranch, I quipped, “you shouldn’t release this until it’s twelve years old.” No one got it.

The woman next to me remarked that you had to be extremely well-off financially to hold a wine back for so long. Regrettably, I stooped to explaining the allusion and how Nabokov’s book was arguably the greatest novel of the second half of the 20th Century. Judging by her reaction, you’d think I was Humbert Humbert personified…

Martinelli Winery - Products - 2020 Zinfandel Lo**ta Ranch 750 ml 2020 Zinfandel Lo**ta Ranch Appellation Russian River The inviting aromas of black plum, baking spices, and a hint of blood orange make up the nose. Sweet entry with flavors of black plum and barrel spices in the palate. A hint of stone fruit is found in the mouthwatering long finish. Add To Cart $6...

https://www.bigtickets.com/events/bgccsc/healdsburg-crush/

The thermometer is expected to top 100°F in Healdsburg/Geyserville on Friday. Sure, you could cool down with a chilled Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, but will that really be enough to beat the heat? Or you could join us at the only winery that features its own swimming resort and celebrate Access Alexander Valley.

This celebration brings together music, cutting-edge cuisine, and, of course, world-class wines from 20 leading producers. Come dance and dine under starlight at the wine country’s premier oasis, Geyserville’s Francis Ford Coppola Winery Friday, September 2, from 7-10 pm.

Tickets are still available, and if you act now, Sostevinobile can offer you a 20% discount code: AccessCOPPOLA

Participating wineries include:

• Acta
• Alexander Valley Vineyards
• Carpenter
• Dot Wines
• Ferrari-Carano
• Foley Sonoma
• Francis Ford Coppola
• Hawkes
• Hoot Owl Creek
• J Rickards
• La Cienega
• Lancaster
• Mercury Wines
• Pech Merle
• Robert Young
• Rodney Strong
• Seghesio
• Silver Oak
• Sutro
• Trione

Tickets can be purchased at:

Access Alexander Valley A Grand Tasting of Alexander Valley wines held poolside at Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Enjoy live music and an array of local cuisine.

So I stopped into a popular cocktail lounge in San Francisco Friday night and was pleased to find a favorite Grenache of mine being poured by the glass. For a wine that retails at $32, $16 for a glass is within reason. But then things gets sticky…

First, they automatically added a 20% service charge: $1.20

Then they added an SF Healthcare Mandate of 5%: $0.80

Incredibly, the ENTIRE $20 total is taxed at 8.625%: $1.72

I’m pretty sure most people will find taxing add-on charges an effrontery. But what was truly galling was the skimpy 4 oz. pour. I know bars & restaurants are struggling to make ends meet in this sagging economy, but by no means is shortchanging customers an acceptable solution. Charge $18, if you must—these days, I am acclimated to paying more for everything than I did in 2020. But afford me the pleasure of a full drink (God knows, we all have reason for needing one).

And note: I am not a cheapskate, but no short pour merits a 20% tip!

https://nypost.com/2022/06/23/youre-not-crazy-wine-pours-are-shrinking/

You’re not crazy, wine pours at restaurants are shrinking All over the city, from taverns to fine restaurants, diners are doing double takes as they receive reduced pours of wine at increased prices.

They probably think Olive Garden is Italian food.

There is no better sign that the pandemic is nearing its last lap than the return of a much-heralded annual wine tasting, the Healdsburg Crush, this Sunday, October 17 .

If only everyone could join in these festivities, but tickets have been extremely limited—damned COVID—and are already sold out. But wine lovers can still share in the bounty of the 60 wineries on hand and help benefit the Boys &cGirls Club of Sonoma-Marin throuhg the online auction now through Sunday.

Bid for yuour choice from amazing one-time offerings at https://bgcsm2021.ggo.bid/bidding/package-browse

ENJOY THE WINES OF 21 SANTA CLARA VALLEY WINERIES

Sostevinobile invites you to join the Wineries of the Santa Clara Valley for our inaugural tasting in the open air plaza of Morgan Hill’s Mo|Hi Social at the Granada Theatre. Attendees will enjoy premium wines from our vineyard and winery members, along with small bite tastings from local artisanal restaurants & caterers and entertainment from local favorites, The Lavender Fields Band.

Proceeds from ticket sales go to supporting The Wineries of Santa Clara Valley’s fund providing scholarships and grants to graduating high school seniors planning to major in Viticultural or Enology.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vine-to-wine-tickets-165977682717

I’D RATHER FIGHT THAN SWITCH!

Name two billionaire megalomaniacs with a 5-letter surname beginning with G-A. Most of my professional associates know that I am referring to Ernest GALLO and Bill GATES. Enormous similarities in their business practices abound, but, at their core, both thrived by inundating the market with inferior product, then ruthlessly destroying their competitors cheap, dirty tactics.*

Ever since I started Sostevinobile, I have used the Workday mail client provided with my Web account. A couple of weeks ago, GoDaddy announced they were phasing out this application and switching their customers to Microsoft 365. To me, this was a declaration of war.

I am considered fairly savvy with software and computers, reluctantly serving as the go-to guy for Apple support with all too many friends and family. Although educated as a Creative Writer, I trained myself to be a graphic designer, as well, and have been quite versatile in programs like Quark Xpress, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Keynote, etc. for more than 30 years.

In 1989, I properly concluded that MS-Word was the most execrable, unfathomable piece of software ever published and have since declared that there will be no Microsoft products on any of my or my company’s devices (business-wise, this has not handicapped me in the least). Nonetheless, over the course of the past three decades, I have been intermittently exposed to the current version of their Office suite, and each time I have found it to have become more bloated and obtuse.

And so, my mild-mannered façade took a back seat and I ripped into GoDaddy’s designated Migration Team, letting them know, in a number of expletive-filled tirades that there is no way I would allow them to foist their Microsoft garbage upon me. Over and over, they gave me the same song & dance: Workday was being discontinued, but they were providing two free months of Microsoft 365 before I would have to pay for this subscription. And, of course, they were happy to help me transition my Sostevinobile email over to this vile substitute.

“No,” I informed them. “I want you to provide an alternative platform that will preserve all of my domain plus legacy emails and help me migrate over to that.” Each time their response was like a broken record. Finally, faced with the possibility I might have to derail my business of the past twelve years, I resorted to the demand one should always make immediately when confronted with the faceless apparatchiks that man these help lines: “Let me speak to your supervisor.”

Of course, the migration assistant insisted her manager would only tell me exactly what she had already said, but I persisted. After the usual fifteen minutes of waiting on hold, the manager finally came on line and asked what my problem was. “Well,” he told me. “You can switch to Microsoft or you can simply port your email over to the built-in email that comes with your C-panel account.” BINGO!

He not only walked me through this transition, but helped me link up Apple’s Mail on my computers, iPad, and iPhone with the new settings. Sostevinobile remains intact, with nothing lost, and most importantly, I remain Microsoft-free.

Rest assured I did not celebrate my victory with a Big Mac, washed down with a glass of Hearty Burgundy.

*RIP California Cooler. RIP Netscape. The list goes on…I

VOTE EARLY. VOTE OFTEN.

I am thrilled to be a Finalist in this year’s Favorite Chef competition. To be featured in a national publication will be the height of my culinary odyssey, and I hope I can count on your support.

Please cast your ballot on https://favchef.com/2021/d-marc-capobianco once, twice, even 10⁶ times (if permitted). And share this link with friends, acquaintances, Tinder chats, Facebook groups, long-lost grammar school classmates, past paramours—even that person you secretly wish were not part of your pandemic pod.

I can’t offer to make you a home-cooked meal. That would be wrong.* But I promise to be eternally grateful for your vote and will keep you in my thoughts & prayers.

*unless properly incentivized

Vote for D. Marc Capobianco to be featured inside Bon Appétit Magazine and take home $20,000!