LA SERENISSIMA VINEYARD AND WINERY

La Serenissima Vineyard and Winery does not have a tasting room but winemaker Tony Tiso gladly hosts visitors. We made an appointment with no idea what a treat was in store: a personal tour of nearly the entire winemaking process, with tastes straight from the barrels. Tony and his father John learned winemaking in the Piedmont region of Italy, the land of their roots. They started planting in 1998; once the vines were producing Tony left his high-pressure Silicon Valley job and moved his family southward. He describes La Serenissima’s style as “100-percent old school, like Italy in the 1920s.” All of the wines come from the estate’s 20 acres of grapes. They’re vertically fermented and aged, unfiltered, in French, American, or Hungarian oak. It was amazing to taste how three different barrels impacted the taste of a 2008 Cab-Merlot blend! When the wine is ready to bottle Tony will mix the contents of all three to balance the tannins, bouquet, and aromatics. 

Tony believes that a good wine should be “the sherpa” of food, adding to its enjoyment but not overpowering it. He makes a couple of blends: a popular “entry level” Claret and the Cab-Merlot. With varietals he aims for “true representation” of the grapes, well reflected in his 2007 Cabernet Franc, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 Merlot and a citrusy, unfiltered Arneis white – a Piedmont grape we’d never encountered. The first Tempranillo harvest is on the horizon and Tony plans to plant Albariño next year.

La Serenissima's Underground Barrel Room

Visiting La Serenissima is a distinctive learning and tasting experience. The winery does not charge for tasting or sell individual bottles; its business model is wholesale only, with many San Diego County retail and restaurant clients. Visitors may purchase mixed cases of wine at the wholesale price.

La Serenissima is open by appointment. 951.326.0205

HAWK WATCH WINERY

Mike with the Press

 Mike and Lisa Schnell began planting their Warner Springs vineyard in 2001; in 2008 they opened Hawk Watch Winery to the public. We’ve always liked their wines, but were especially impressed on our visit over Labor Day weekend. Mike started us off with a crisp 2010 “Vortex” blend (90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon, 5% Viognier) from the estate’s grapes. Next we tried a 2010 dry Muscat that would perfectly complement a fruit tart; the wine’s fruit is all in the nose. Before moving on to the reds we happily tasted the 2010 “Sequoia” dry Zinfandel rosé – a perfect picnic wine named after the Schnells’ oldest cat. They donate $2 from every bottle to a local animal shelter. Now for the reds… The 2008 Cabernet Franc is redolent with cocoa and spices. There’s a 2008 Estate Syrah made in Côte Roti style with a little bit of Viognier and a delicious 2008 Signature Reserve Cabernet with grapes from Rolling Hills Vineyard in Temecula.  But the day was won by a fabulous earthy, spicy 2006 Signature Reserve Syrah. 





Alpha-Cat Zena

  The Schnells dabbled in winemaking at home before it became their vocation.  Eventually Mike quit his day job and started pouring at a winery in Temecula, where in time he became assistant winemaker and cultivated valuable connections with the best vineyards in the area, which now supply some of Hawk Watch’s grapes. Mike’s winemaking philosophy is that wines need to stand on their own, and his certainly do.

Hawk Watch’s wine club is currently closed to new members; interested parties can join a waiting list.

Hawk Watch is open Friday 12-5, weekends 10-5. 951.326.4692

Link to first Hawk Watch post

WINE IN LAS VEGAS

A conference brought me - April - to Las Vegas for the very first time, and for five (yes five) days. Gary’s parting words: “Check out the wine bars!” Of course. I did a bit of online research and queried every waiter/bartender I encountered. Many upscale Vegas restaurants have first-rate wine lists but my focus was on tasting, not committing to a bottle.

Three off-the-Strip places stand out: Hostile Grapes at the M Casino, Sunset and Vines on the shores of Lake Las Vegas, and Marche Bacchus in Summerlin. The only dedicated wine bar on the Strip is Double Helix in The Shoppes at The Palazzo. Their list is excellent but without surprises other than quite respectable private-labeled Chardonnay and Merlot made by Sort This Out Cellars in Solvang, CA. The atmosphere is warm and congenial, mall location and behind-the-bar sports TVs notwithstanding.

A few inviting restaurants with notable wines by the glass:

     Mon Ami Gabi (French, easy on the wallet)

     La Cave (Eclectic, wine flights available)

     D.O.C.G. (Italian, generous pours, avoid if you’re noise-averse)

SOME TASTING GLASSES, SAN DIEGO COUNTY & TEMECULA

VACUVIN WINE SAVER

We've been using these for years, but wanted to know how well they really work. Our experiment involved two identical bottles of 2009 Old Vines Carignan ($6.99 each at Whole Foods) and a Vacuvin Wine Saver. After drinking exactly half of each bottle we sealed Bottle One with the Vacuvin and simply recorked Bottle Two, leaving both at room temperature.

After two days both wines still tasted good, though Bottle Two's flavors had developed more nuances. But after four days Bottle Two was clearly beginning to go off, whereas the wine in Bottle One still tasted fresh. After eight days, Bottle One was drinkable; Bottle Two was not.

Vacuum-sealed or not, we don't recommend keeping open wine around for eight days. But we're convinced that the Vacuvin does make a difference.