Three weeks from now,  beginning July 25th, I will be sitting in a hotel conference room, surrounded by like minded wine geeks (and I use the term lovingly because I am one myself) absorbing knowledge like a giddy schoolgirl.  Hopefully, this euphoria will not come just from the fantastic wines that I’ll be privileged to taste, but from the amazing symposiums I will attend.

I will take “A Fast & Deep Dive Deep into California’s Appellations”, taste “The Great Wines of Spain”, travel through “Provence: Ancient Roman Roads to Modern Biodynamics” and “Island Wines: Off the Beaten Path”. 

Other session will aid me in transferring all this information to my students with “A Revolutionary Way of Teaching the Wines of France”  and rev-up my seminars by going “Beyond Classes with Glasses: The Wine Educator’s Tool Belt”.

As you can tell, this is an event that I am looking forward to immensely and I can’t wait to meet all the other 381 attendees, spend three un-interrupted days sitting at those  tables with a row of glasses before me and a world of wine to explore. 

“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
John Cotton Dana

There are times in this life when an opportunity presents itself and one would be a fool to look the other way.

Such an opportunity appeared in my inbox recently - an invitation from the French Wine Society to attend a tasting of Chateauneuf du Pape and Tavel, to be held in Los Angeles.

My first reaction was "yes, oui, where do I RSVP' Although I realized would spend more time in my car than at the seminar, I knew that every mile would be worth the experience.

It was described as a "Master Class" to be conducted by Kelly McAuliffe, one of the few, if not only, American Sommelier living and working in France.  Yes, his credentials and experience are impressive, but his complete and total passion for the soil, the grapes, the winemakers and the wines of this illustrious region is awe-inspiring.

In my years spent talking about wine, I know how challenging it can be to keep it fresh and exciting when answering the same question for the zillionth time.

Yes, the wines were magical and I will write about them soon, but I would be remiss in not thanking the Society for this terrific day.

Merci, Monsieur McAuliffe for reminding me why I love what I do!

It's time for another "wine day" and tomorrow, September 24th, will be the 2nd annual Grenache Day.

The joy of having a blog is that it gives one a forum, so in order to promote my belief that to know a grape is to love it, here are some fun and fascinating things you may or may not know about this terrific varietal.

• It is the most planted "red" varietal in the world
  
• Although most of us think of France, particularly the Rhone Valley, when we ponder   Grenache, it's place of birth is Spain, where it's known as "Garnacha".  The Spanish grow much more of it than the French - 3 times more - mostly in Rioja and Catalonia.
  
• It has many aliases - Alicante, Carignane Rousse, Canonau just to name a few
• It is often blended as in the famous "Chateauneuf De Pape!
  
• Grenache has also taken up new homes in California & Australia
  
• The vines enjoy a hot dry climate, but it can 'sunburn' easily
  

Typical Flavor Characteristics may include:

Deep Strawberry
Cherry
Cranberry
Black Pepper
Licorice (Anise)
Soft Floral

So now that you know a bit more about this famous, hard working grape, go ahead an find something "Grenache" for tomorrow.  Perhaps a Gigondas (a terrific area) or something New World - but whatever your tipple, relax, enjoy and don'f forget some tunes to go with it!