By Lou Phillips ·
Sandie Hauserman, Lola Brown, Carrie Howard and Gayle Almasi enjoyed the Tahoe City Wine Walk ·
Whew, I’m a little out of breath as I just got back from a major wine tour taking in Sonoma, Napa, the Sierra Foothills, up to Oregon and the Willamette Valley. Coolest part is that I didn’t have to leave the neighborhood as these wineries were at all the Tahoe City Wine Walk.
With 30 tour stops made possible by the generosity of our local businesses along the route, revelers were treated to artisan bites and great quaffs, as well as a spectacular Tahoe summer day.
East to West travelers were greeted at Oliver Luxury Real Estate with a glass of J Vineyards & Winery’s always refreshing Bubbly. A perfect start on a warm day.
The Boatworks Mall was a hotspot with Jake’s on the Lake hosting Handley Cellars pouring their specialty, 2013 Gewurztraminer, and at James Harold Galleries Clarksburg’s Twisted Rivers Wines matched TC’s wonderful chocolates. Twisted Rivers’ owner and winemaker Duke Heringer lit up the room with his smile and energy and offered several wines, the star of which was the 2012 Raven, a Cab-Merlot-Petite Verdot blend that highlighted the top notes of these sometimes bass-heavy grapes.
Jeff Oxandaboure, Allie Stevens, Rob Wyss and Alyssa Huskinson from Sunnyside paired Salmon Crudo with Skinner Vineyard’s Rose.
Live from Sunnyside, West Shore super restaurateur Jeff “Ox” Oxandaboure was on hand with Salmon Crudo bites to complement three Skinner Vineyard pours, highlighted by their 2013 Rose. Crafted from Mourvedre and Grenache grapes in the Provence style, this is no shy flower but rather a Rose full of fruit, flowers, structure and spice.
The ever-vibrant Suzanne Nguyen, new owner of Zia Lina Ristorante, served up Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Crostini with Arugula Pesto, and for the perfect Italian match hosted Single Leaf Winery pouring its spicy, cherry-flavored 2013 Barbera. Mangia.
At Wolfdale’s, chef and owner Douglas Dale delivered his culinary magic in the form of Chicken Vegetable Pot Stickers with Pineapple Salsa. Their wine partner was Cline Cellars, one of the early champions of Rhone-style wines in Sonoma, which brought their 2013 Ancient Vines Zinfandel. The ancient/old vines term you frequently see on labels is not legally defined, and therefore often meaningless. But Cline’s 115 year-old vineyard produces the real deal OV Zin with loads of brambly, peppery and savory flavors.
With an abundance of wineries and winemakers from all over, The Tahoe City Wine Walk is our early summer chance to meet and learn from many of the people who create the wines we love.
Rest assured, the Wine Walk will be back next June, and look at the Events calendar in every issue of Tahoe Weekly or at TheTahoeWeekly.com for more wine and food events in Tahoe and Truckee.
Lou Phillips is a Level 3 (advanced) Sommelier and wine educator specializing in advising private collectors and businesses. He may be reached at (775) 544-3435 or wineguru123@gmail.com. Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com for more wine columns.
