The Legend of Tommy's Bottle

A few of our friends have asked us to write about whiskey and beer on this blog. After all, wine isn’t the only type of bottle we share.

I won’t promise this will become a habit, but here’s a story. It’s the Legend of Tommy’s Bottle. Ok, it’s not really a legend, but it’s still a story.

Last summer, Sally and I traveled to Scotland and Ireland. One of the reasons for our trip was to tour some Scotch and Irish Whiskey distilleries.

It turns out that wine and whiskey have a lot in common. They’re both made from a few basic ingredients. A master craftsman then takes those ingredients and coaxes out different flavors through careful processing. And, just like wine, when you go tasting you always angle for a bonus pour of something special.

Our “house” Scotch is Chivas Regal 12 year old. It’s a smooth-drinking blended Scotch Whisky made up of several single malts including approximately 22 percent Strathisla. Naturally, we had to make a stop at the Strathisla distillery, the oldest operating distillery in the Scotch Highlands.

We met a man there named Tommy who had worked in the distillery for many years. He loved his job so much that he took a job in the visitor center after he retired from making Scotch. Tommy was such a cool guy that we took a picture of him holding a bottle of Strathisla 12 year old that he had likely made.

It’s now hanging above our liquor cabinet.

We were told that so much Strathisla went towards Chivas production that they didn’t have enough to export it to the United States. This was too bad because Strathisla was really, really good.

In April of this year, Sally and I spent a week touring several California wine regions. Our trip included a few nights at the Albion River Inn, which is perched on top of a cliff overlooking the Albion River, about 10 miles south of Mendocino in Northern California.

Their restaurant features a bar with 150+ different Scotch Whiskies. With friendly and knowledgeable bartenders and a room within stumbling distance, it’s hard not to get into a little trouble.

We made friends with one of the bartenders, Megan, on our first night there. She gave us a tour of some of their more interesting and exclusive Scotches. One that stood out was a 1976 Strathisla single malt that was aged 27 years. It was incredible.

 

Drinking leads to stories. We told Megan about meeting Tommy at Strathisla and she shared a few stories of her own. I’m sure we raised a glass to Tommy at some point since we were probably drinking his Scotch.

Flash forward to last Wednesday night. Sally and I decided to hit up K&B Wine Cellars since they sometimes have some interesting and unusual items in their inventory.

Sally was scanning their liquor wall when she spotted a bottle of Aberfeldy. This is a single malt Scotch that’s one of the main ingredients in Dewar’s blended Scotch Whisky. It’s also another bottle we were told couldn’t be found in the States.

It was an exciting find so we decided to take a closer look at their Scotch collection. And what did we find? Sitting next to the Aberfeldy was a lone, dusty bottle of Strathisla!

We headed straight home, opened the bottle, poured ourselves a dram or two, and raised a glass to Tommy!

On the road in California wine country

Sally and I recently took a weeklong road trip through several of California’s wine regions, including Paso Robles, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Napa. We’ve assembled this short guide in case you’re thinking of embarking on a similar adventure.

Paso Robles

We stayed at La Bellaserra, which is one freeway exit south of downtown. The upscale accommodations are about half the cost of the one or two similar hotels in Paso Robles, and La Bellaserra has the added advantage of being right off both the 101 Freeway and Highway 46, giving you easy access to area wineries.

We dined at Artisan on our first night, which is an excellent farm-to-table style bistro. Habaneros was perfect for a casual Mexican dinner while the French cuisine at Bistro Laurent hit the spot one day at lunch. 

Unfortunately, our wine choices on this trip were much less exciting that our 2011 visit. It could be due to the individual wineries we visited or a particularly challenging 2010 vintage that most wineries were pouring. Whatever the case, the only one that truly stood out was Herman Story, which was already one of our favorite wineries and one of only two wineries where we’re club members.

Enjoying a good time at Herman Story

Mendocino

The Albion River Inn, located approximately 10 miles south of the town of Mendocino, is paradise for those seeking unvarnished relaxation. Perched on the cliff above the Albion River, you can view the ocean from your private deck or retreat inside your room to warm up by your fireplace.

Dining options in this area are a bit limited, so we had dinner two out of three nights at the Albion River Inn’s outstanding restaurant. A great lunch spot is the Little River Market & Deli, which doesn’t look like much from the outside, but serves up an outstanding variety of deli options for take-out or dine in.

Our last visit to this wine region was a bit disappointing because many of the wineries’ current releases were of very poor quality due to a 2008 fire that caused a lot of the wine to taste like smoke. The wine was better this time around, with favorites including the unusual varietals and spectacular view from the seaside Pacific Star Winery and the fantastic sparkling wine at Scharffenberger Cellars.

Enjoying sun, ocean views, and wine at Pacific Star Winery

Sonoma

We were just passing through, so no suggestions for accommodations, but we did enjoy some nice sandwiches from the Dry Creek General Store in Healdsburg.

Winery stops included Raymond Burr Vineyards, a limited-production winery named after the late actor that keeps their lineup of varietals focused and tasty. We also dropped by Ridge Vineyards, an old favorite that is responsible for our oft-used phrase, “You can’t go wrong with a Ridge Zin.”

Napa

The Napa River Inn is one of our favorite hotels and their location in downtown Napa provides ready access to a number of restaurants within easy walking distance. Walking to dinner is always a great idea after a day of wine tasting.

Except for a small indulgence at Cole’s Chop House, our dining in Napa was casual. The Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ is a great place to soak up the local vibe and enjoy some tasty and unpretentious barbeque. If you want to go really casual, try the Oxbow Public Market, where you can eat your way through the food stands. Of course, no trip to Napa would be complete without a lunch stop at the iconic Oakville Grocery's deli counter.

A few of our favorite wineries from this trip were several small-production wineries off the crowded, limo-trodden Napa trail including Beneserre Vineyards, Robert Biale Vineyards, and Elyse. Of course, no trip to Napa would be complete without sampling the incredible wines at Cuvaison Estate Wines.

Black Chicken the name of is Biale's famous Zinfandel

Herman Story - a winery you need to know

The Share the Bottle ethos is "shared bottles are the best bottles," which happens to be how we discover most of our wine. A friend shares a great bottle of wine with us, we end up visiting the winery to learn more, become hooked, and then tell you about it. One of our favorite wineries that we've discovered this way is Herman Story.

Sharing Herman Story wine with Gaby and SteveA few years ago, our friends Gaby and Steve shared some Herman Story wine with us. They had their own great story to share and wanted to serve the wine that went with it.

Gaby and Steve had recently made a trip to Paso Robles and went out for a day of wine tasting. There were several wineries on their itinerary, but they ended up spending their whole day drinking wine and swapping stories with Russell P. From, Herman Story's owner, winemaker, and sole employee.

Did I mention the wine was outstanding?

Of course we had to go, so we made plans to visit Herman Story when we made a trip to Paso Robles in 2011 (First Impression: Paso Robles Wine Country). 

We had such a great time that managed to take just one picture:

Hank, Herman Story's winery dog

Sally enjoying a bottle of On the Road at Antica TrattoriaWe learned there's a lot to like about this winery beyond the outstanding wines. It starts with Russell, who makes you feel like you are drinking wine with a buddy, albeit one who knows an awful lot about winemaking. When we visited his tasting room, we spent two hours chatting with Russell and his girlfriend, trying different wines and talking about everything from the wine industry to camping.

Everything he sells is the same price (currently $42 per bottle), and he pretty much sells out of whatever he makes. You can join the wine club, but there's a wait list, so getting your hands on a bottle feels like winning a prize. Despite the exclusivity of his wine, his casual approach is refreshing. The last wine club shipment announcement we received contained an offer to have him come to your house and pour wine for your friends as long as you let him crash on your couch.

You can also pretty much guarantee that Herman Story won't be on your local restaurant's wine list. Which, of course, is another great way to start a conversation and perhaps share a bottle.

The Saga of the Most Shared Bottle

(as written by Jeff)

A number of years ago, my parents received a bottle of Maurice Car’rie Sara Bella blush wine from a dinner guest. Blush wine isn’t on the menu in their house, so the bottle made its way into our Yankee swap (i.e. white elephant) gift exchange at Christmas. Somehow, I ended up with the bottle. And thus began the saga of the most shared bottle.

It started innocently enough. I didn’t want to be saddled with it, so I snuck it into my parents’ wine rack when they weren't looking. They vowed revenge and the bottle wound up in the bottom of a gift basket my parents gave us for Christmas the next year. This escalated into a tit for tat exchange where the couple with the bottle re-gifted it to the other at the next Christmas in increasingly surprising ways.

Here are just a few ways the bottle was shared:

It was delivered to my parents as an amenity when they checked into a hotel for a get-away weekend.

My parents shipped the bottle to my in-laws’ house and had them put it under their Christmas tree when we were there for Christmas one year. It totally caught us off-guard.

We hid it in their house at Thanksgiving and waited until Christmas to email them a video that showed where they could find the bottle in their guest room.

Finally, it came to the inevitable end. My parents gave us a really nice bottle of 2008 Gypsy Boots Pinot Noir as a peace offering in exchange for officially retiring the shared bottle. We agreed to accept the olive branch under one condition – we had to open the bottle and try it. 

It wasn’t good.

Chatting it up in the tasting room - 3 fun stories

One of the many things to love about the wine industry is the people who work for wineries are generally a lot of fun. The next time you visit a tasting room, be sure to bring your good humor, ask a lot of questions, and maintain a spirit of adventure. If you do, you'll be sure to have a great time!

Here are three quick stories from our recent winery adventures.

Andrew Murray is our Cheers!

Sally and I were eating lunch in Los Olivos at Panino, which is across the street from Andrew Murray's tasting room. We were planning to meet my parents in an hour at another winery and then work our way back to Andrew Murray later in the day, so we decided to play a little trick after finishing our meal. The two of us went into Andrew Murray's tasting room and introduced ourselves to Tracy and Stephanie who were pouring wine that day. We told them we'd be back later that afternoon with my parents and asked them to greet us like long lost friends. Of course, they agreed.

We returned an hour or so later with my parents and strolled into the tasting room. Right on cue, Tracy and Stephanie greeted us like we were Norm walking into Cheers. "Jeff! Sally!" At the same time, we were surprised to see our friends Alisa and Ken at the counter tasting wine. They turned around, saw us, and exclaimed, "Jeff! Sally!" My parents were a little speechless, but so were we. Alisa and Ken were there at our recommendation, but we had no idea they would be there on that day and time.

Needless to say, we all had a great time! My parents are also now convinced Andrew Murray is our Cheers.

Getting cozy at Cheers, er, Andrew Murray

Why Cuvaison is our favorite winery

Our trip to Napa earlier this month focused on our ten favorite wineries, so naturally Cuvaison was on the list. Not only do they make outstanding wine, but everyone who works there always makes us feel like an old friend.

When we arrived we were greeted by Gabe, the Tasting Room Manager. Gabe is a very outgoing guy who also knows his wines. He's also the reason we joined the wine club and now buy entirely too much of their wine. Damn him.

Patty was our host that day, and she kept our glasses full of many outstanding current releases. Bob, another favorite, also made sure we didn't go empty when Patty was busy serving other guests. At one point, Suzanna (their marketing guru) came out to say "Hi" and snap our picture for their Facebook page.

We joked that other guests might be wondering who we were why we were getting our picture taken. The explanation is actually pretty simple. We keep in touch with the many awesome people who take care of us when we visit Cuvaison. If you visit a winery more than once, I highly recommend you get their business card and drop them a note from time to time. There's a good chance they will keep in touch and treat you to a special time on your next visit.

Showing off our purple teeth while overlooking the vineyardConnecting with locals always pays off

Skip the tour guides - talk to the locals. We've lived by that advice ever since we started visiting wine country and it's consistently led to outstanding experiences. 

Our latest adventure started in the tasting room at Miner Family Vineyards. We were enjoying many of the great wines poured by our host, Steve, while we chatted about wine with Steve and another guest. It turned out that the other guest, Bob, worked at Rombauer Vineyards and was visiting Miner Family on his day off. We were all clearly enjoying the wine and had similar tastes, so Bob gave us his card and invited us to stop by if we had a chance.

That Saturday, we were in the neighborhood, so we decided to pay Bob a visit. The tasting room was packed, but Bob immediately recognized us. We hung back to wait for the crowd to clear, but Bob soon approached us with a couple of glasses of wine. "I figured you'd enjoy our reserve wines," he said. "Let's start you with the Merlot."

The Merlot was amazing, as were many of the other wines we tasted. And, we had a terrific time with Bob as our host. Despite the large crowd, he made time to answer our questions and kept us engaged. We even met another couple from San Diego, proving it is a very small world indeed. 

Rombauer wasn't originally on our list, but thanks to a chance encounter at another winery we ended up having an amazing time there! (And we bought some awesome wine, but that's another story.)

If only this door would open, I could get to the wine!