Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Feb 7, 2012, 12:45 pm
“Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me.” – Sarah Bernhardt With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I thought I’d talk to you a little about love. …And the Spanish company, Freixenet (known for it’s Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Oct 10, 2011, 12:32 pm
I recently had the great pleasure of watching Maximilian Riedel give a spirited and enlightening demonstration of the impact that glassware can have on the beverage inside it. The lecture was a little bit life-changing. Wanting to share my excitement[.....] Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Oct 4, 2011, 5:41 pm
Being a founding member of a Seattle based wine group titled “Cork Dorks,” it should come as no surprise that I have fallen in love with a brand that talks nerdy to me.
Wines of Substance is a Washington winery stationed Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Aug 1, 2011, 12:30 pm
For all of its culinary popularity, Italy’s wines seem to struggle to enjoy the same kind of international obsession. It’s not that they aren’t loved – quite the contrary; after several thousand years of fermenting grape juice, the Italians have[.....] Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Jul 8, 2011, 12:15 pm
This summer, I’m all about the Italians. I recently wrote a post about Gavi, that you may or may not have seen on Palate Press. In it, I asked readers to think about moving away from their more familiar Chardonnays[.....] Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Jun 27, 2011, 12:15 pm
Soledad, California was founded as a Spanish mission in 1791. It’s the backdrop of John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel, Of Mice and Men. It’s also the home of Soledad State Correctional Facility – a large prison filled with scary criminals. Big[.....] Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Apr 14, 2011, 12:02 pm
Being a resident of Washington state, I have the opportunity to try some of the best wines that the state has to offer. One winery that I am super excited about right now is Syncline Winery. Syncline, (a trough of[.....] Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Mar 2, 2011, 12:15 pm
Sometimes a person needs a bottle of wine they can buy and open immediately and just enjoy. A bottle that doesn’t require cellaring or decanting or pairing with a rich, juicy steak. Sometimes what a person really needs is something fresh and approachable at a[.....] Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Feb 24, 2011, 12:30 pm
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (well…France), there lived a man named George DuBoeuf. Actually, there lives a man. At 77, he’s still very much alive – in a region of the land they call Beaujolais.[.....] Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Feb 21, 2011, 12:30 pm
I recently had an instant message conversation with a friend that went something like this: Her: Wearing big, goofy grin cuz Match guy emailed me back Me: U met him yet? Her: Going out Sat!! Me: U been emailing him[.....] Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Jan 11, 2011, 5:23 am
From the time Vertical Wine Bistro opened in the fall of 2006, they have been recognized as a refreshing infusion into Pasadena’s somewhat staid restaurant culture. Founder Gale Anne Hurd stocked her bar with an extensive wine collection, and the[.....] Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Nov 21, 2010, 9:00 pm
Last week I wrote a review of Corkbar, one of LA’s many new venues for vinophiles.
This week, I’m writing about Bodega. Bodega is a night club wine bar with locations in Santa Monica, Hollywood and Pasadena. Bodega’s website describes their Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Nov 12, 2010, 5:00 pm
Almost overnight – kind of like those neighborhoods one passes while driving on the I-15 to Vegas – wine bars have popped up all over LA. Although this is merry news for those of the drinking persuasion, it’s understandable that Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Nov 10, 2010, 6:57 pm
If you scan any bar or restaurant wine list, it’s immediately apparent that there is a huge discrepancy in price between wine by the glass and the same thing by the bottle. Because of this chasm, many people – especially Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Oct 19, 2010, 12:18 pm
If you happen to live in Southern California, and you find yourself in a Whole Foods, you have an opportunity to purchase wine as part of an effort to celebrate a partnership between Whole Foods Market and Santa Barbara County Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Oct 7, 2010, 5:52 pm
[Editor's note: This Halloween post is an updated version of last year's Halloween post]
It may seem early to be talking about Halloween, but if I had to guess, a fair number of you are planning your costumes already. If you’re Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Sep 14, 2010, 12:44 pm
Hi there! Remember me? This summer was beyond the pale with too many balls in the air but I’m back! Since blogging had been set aside for a while, so had drinking all of the lovely wines I’d received over Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Aug 27, 2010, 5:30 pm
The Rhône wine region is an AOC (Appellation d’origine controlee) in Southern France, probably best known in the US as the homeland of Châteauneuf-du-Pape—a popular wine that can contain as many as 18 different grape varietals (even white).
Not satisfied with Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Aug 2, 2010, 12:08 pm
If you thumb through any magazine or surf most of the food/entertaining websites, you’ll find one idea after another for backyard barbeques and refreshing summer salads. But I have my own suggestion about something cool to cook this season: White Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Jul 22, 2010, 5:00 am
On January 16, 1919 the Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) and the Volstead Act went into effect in the United States. The ratification of these acts of Congress prohibited the consumption of “intoxicating liquors”, except for use in medicine, church rituals Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Jul 7, 2010, 11:45 am
California exports relatively little wine (100 million gallons, half in bulk at just over $4 per gallon; sales in bottle average $11.60 per gallon.) Lapsley pointed out that low-cost wine is made from inexpensive grapes, most from Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Jun 21, 2010, 3:35 am
Rioja. Even the name sounds infused with notes of passion and the warmth of exotic, Spanish summer nights.
Named after the Autonomous Community of La Rioja, the area is a Denominación de Origen Calificada (D.O.C. qualified designation of origin), and records Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Jun 17, 2010, 4:12 pm
It all started with Woot. They took this crazy idea that if a manufacturer or retailer wants to dump a load of merchandise, why not throw it in front of a mountain deal-hungry netizens and make that merchandise go away Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
May 30, 2010, 2:56 am
FOOD TRUCKS, ABSINTHE, POKER… AND PLENTY OF WINE AT 5TH ANNUAL LA WINEFEST
June 5 & 6; $65 day pass, $100 weekend. Tix @ http://www.lawinefest.com
Border Grill, Tasty Meat and The Sweets Truck among those providing meals on wheels at LA WineFest Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
May 28, 2010, 12:36 pm
We’re all about value over here… sometimes that means buying cheap wine that will surprise you, sometimes that means buying mid-priced wine that tastes expensive, and sometimes (today will be one of those times) it means buying Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
May 26, 2010, 2:05 pm
Last month I was kindly invited to a pre-release luncheon for C. Donatiello Winery at the lovely Chaya Brasserie in Beverly Hills. Rarely one to turn down free wine or free food, I gladly accepted the invitation and waited for Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
May 24, 2010, 2:38 pm
My wine cellar is full and I’m currently on a wine-buying furlough or I’d snap up this deal myself! I’m a HUGE Russian River Valley fan, especially Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and J Vineyards is an excellent winery.
Release price is Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
May 13, 2010, 5:40 am
Remember those drunken high school Spring Breaks? You know, the kind with vast bodies of water, cruising some sort of strip, 12 kids packed into a quasi-clean motel room and rampant instances of unsafe behavior – both before and after Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
May 3, 2010, 11:29 pm
I’ve always been a foodie. My father is proud to tell anyone who will listen that, as a baby, I wasn’t given traditional baby food. Instead, my parents would grind to a mash whatever they were having for supper, and Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Apr 29, 2010, 1:02 pm
A few weeks ago I sprinted up the coast for the San Francisco Vintners Market upon the request of a super-duper awesome friend. We SF-newbies found our way to the Fort Mason Center early enough to enjoy the event before Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Apr 26, 2010, 2:42 pm
Every now and again we have experiences in life that either support or challenge our own unique point of view. Most experiences do neither and are therefore not particularly noteworthy. On March 22nd, Julie Brosterman of Women & Wine and Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Apr 19, 2010, 4:26 am
I’ll be gaining a new title this year. With the addition of these extra letters, what I permanently lose is snowy Midwestern Christmases where I giddily stuff myself full of bacon, cheese and mayonnaise hors d’eouvres; the two-parent home in Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Apr 6, 2010, 7:52 pm
On a recent crisp, spring afternoon I met Jess in her sunny apartment to hunker down and taste the latest wine shipment from Gourmet Monthly Wine Club (read more reviews at WineClubReviews.net).
Jess opened the box and set three bottles on Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Apr 1, 2010, 8:46 pm
One of my favorite things about the heady days of summer is the even more hedonistic nights. I grew up in the South, where the humid afternoons gave way to evenings which wrapped themselves like a warm blanket around bare Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Mar 26, 2010, 3:12 pm
If I have ever represented myself as anything other than a neophyte in this overwhelming world of fermented fruit juice – my bad. Let me assure you that I know I have a lot to learn.
For example, before my last Comment - Like
Jessyca F. posted an article on
GrapeSmart
-
Mar 18, 2010, 8:54 pm
For years, kosher wine has been synonymous with syrupy sweet – almost grape jam-like – wine. Some people love it and some people force the stuff down their gullet for the sake of tradition, religion or making grandma’s dry potato[.....] Comment - Like
My friends think I have 12 jobs. Really, I just have a lot of hobbies and some of them make money. I have one job, as a User Experience Ninja at Causecast. I have a money-making hobby, my wine business (GrapeSmart.net blog and self-explanatory WineClubReviews.net), a not-yet money-making hobby (photography), and I am studying to be a Landscape Architect.
Recent Discussions
