In our occasional series on places not to be missed this harvest season, the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville definitely makes the cut.

At Saturday's Taste of Sonoma, a cocktail caught my eye. It was at the Cyrus restaurant booth and co-owner Nick Petyon was on hand to serve it, a test run of sorts because this week it debuts on the menu of the highbrow Healdsburg restaurant.

You recall that Cycles Gladiator was banned this summer from Alabama restaurants and retail stores by the Alabama Beverage Control Board, which deemed the label “pornographic.” But the brouhaha has apparently been good for sales, which are up by 26 percent in what is typically a slow time of year, says Head Poobah Bill Leigon, Hahn Family Wines President.

People no longer read, I’m convinced, they skim. In light of that, take in this 60-second sip, this quick-hit of knowledge.

I got a kick out of Harry Bosworth’s reaction to vintner Jess Jackson’s effort to rename Black Mountain to Alexander Mountain. Bosworth said, “Why don’t we just call it Mount K-J and get it over with.”

Chateau Montelena in Calistoga is the star of Bottle Shock, the film about the landmark Paris tasting of 1976. In our occasional series on places not to missed this harvest season, Chateau Montelena definitely makes the cut.

I met a friend last night for a beer at Third Street Aleworks in Santa Rosa, and I was reminded how great it is to live in Beer Country, a frothy oasis of boutique brews.

Sideways, the 2004 film that dissed merlot and praised pinot, has had a lasting effect on pinot according to a respected retailer, who prefers not to be named

By all accounts the Hess Collection has the most impressive collection of modern art north of San Francisco, featuring the works of internationally known artists such as Francis Bacon, Robert Motherwell and Frank Stella. But it also offers class act wine, truly.

  Will you be uncorking lazy Labor Day wines in a hammock? Or will you be rushing off to a party or two? Or better yet, having a final summer romp on the beach with your beasts – your two-legged kids and/or your four-legged pets?   We’re working on a [...]