Drink

Whether you are entertaining a client over a meal, celebrating a special anniversary or hosting a Valentine’s wine tasting party at your home, serving wine is much easier when you are comfortable with the protocol. Here are a few wine tasting tips that will dazzle your Valentine and you can use all year around:

Bringing a Bottle of Wine as a Valentine Hostess Gift

  A bottle of wine makes a great hostess gift, but avoid bringing a chilled bottle as it will send the impression that you expect it to be opened and consumed at the party.

Founded by Steven Kent Mirassou from the fifth-generation of the famed Mirassou winemaking family, The Steven Kent Winery is a standard-bearer for the Livermore Valley wine region. Although he grew up in a family that has been making wine for six generations, it wasn’t until 1996 that Steven Kent Mirassou brought his love of great Cabernet Sauvignon to the Livermore Valley and started The Steven Kent Winery, with the singular focus of crafting the very best possible Bordeaux wines.

Named to honor Joaquin Murrieta, who first discovered the historic estate in the 1800s, Murrieta’s Well specializes in terroir-driven, limited production wine blends. The estate was purchased in 1884 by Louis Mel, who built a gravity flow winery into the hillside and planted a vineyard with cuttings from the famed Chateau d’Yquem and Chateau Margaux. In 1930, Mel sold the estate to Ernest Wente and the property has been part of the Wente family’s estate ever since.

Since its founding in 2001, family-owned Maryhill Winery has won more than 2,500 awards including Wine Press Northwest’s 2015 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year, the San Francisco International Wine Competition’s 2014 Winery of the Year, the Indy International Wine Competition’s 2013 Winemaker of the Year, and Seattle Magazine’s Best Destination Winery.

Maryhill Winery is the answer to an entrepreneurial dream shared by owners Craig and Vicki Leuthold who saw great potential for a winery in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, perched on the northern side of the Columbia River, in the southern tip of the Columbia Valley. Through the years, Maryhill has built a stunning portfolio of more than 50 wines of exceptional quality and surprisingly affordable price points. Under the direction of Winemaker Richard Batchelor, who has fostered relationships with some of Washington State’s most highly regarded growers in eight separate AVAs, the portfolio features many rare and unusual varietals, as well as award-winning classics, including a standout Single Vineyard Series collection for wine club members.

Sonoma is a shining jewel of the wine world that deserves your attention and a visit. Aside from the beauty of the region you'll find friendly families and wineries ready to serve you. Here are three you should add to your itenerary.

Ledson Winery & Vineyards

The Ledson family spans five generations of farming and winemaking in Sonoma County with more than 150 years of tradition.

The name Treana symbolizes a trinity of the sun, soil, and ocean—the elements needed to produce premium wine grapes. Treana was introduced in 1996 when Austin Hope became the second generation Hope to lead the family business as they began producing their own wine. Austin’s father, Chuck Hope, planted one of the first vineyards in Paso Robles in 1978 and was instrumental in establishing the region’s solid reputation for high-quality grape growing.

For more than 150 years, grapevines have flourished in Lodi on farms that have rarely changed hands. Instead, they have been proudly passed from grandfather, to father, to son and daughter.

Through the years, these multigenerational farming families have crossed paths in many ways, tightly weaving the legacy that stands behind Lodi wine. Lodi enjoys a classic Mediterranean climate. For decades, it has been quiet, but far from a sleeping giant, producing an astounding amount of grapes for countless wineries throughout California. Quality, not quantity, is what draws savvy wine tasters here.