How and Why You Should Decant Your Wines
W hen it comes to serving wine, there is nothing sexier than decanting. The pop…
How Long Does a Bottle of Wine Last?
We get asked this question a LOT and the answer always is – ‘it depends.’…
Wine Headache? Blame the Sulfites
Headache or Hangover? Many of us have been there, you wake up the next morning…
A “Sticky” Problem – SOLVED
A t Koi Zen Cellars, we are constantly trying to make the world a better…
How to PROPERLY Age Wine:
O ne day you find a great Koi Zen Cellars wine that you just love…
Those Little Yeasties
A s the days get hotter, the harvest gets closer and the more a winemaker…
Headaches
L ast week we talked about how sulfites probably aren’t causing your headache – so…
Sulfites – the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
“Contains Sulfites” – this little phrase cases a lot of concern and confusion – most…
Hang Time
We have pulled out of June gloom and now with the temperatures rising, the fruit…
Storing and Serving Wine
Storing Wine: As the weather warms, it is time to think about your wine collection…
How to Blend Wine – Part 3
Aging: Last time I talked about how varietals that grow together go together – most…
How to Blend Wine – Part 2
Review: Last week we talked about how are we going to take 8 barrels of…
How to Blend Wine – Part 1
Blending wine is easy: Gather some barrels of wine, Gather some friends to taste the…
The Fly
I sit by the pond meditating. My body is relaxed, breathing is smooth and easy….
A Walk in the Park
Last Sunday morning a group of us met at the winery and caravanned up to…
Bling and More Bling
About 10 days ago, I was up in Sonoma drinking some fine wine and hanging…
Baby Grapes Have Arrived
I spent last weekend hanging out in Sonoma with some friends planning some really cool…
5 Years Ago, Today…
5 years ago, I stood in the parking lot puffing on what was to be…
Sad Times and Sad People
On Monday, Lisa was opening the winery for a yoga class and discovered that the…
Hurry Up and Wait
I have heard the expression “hurry up and wait” over and over while working with…
We Crushed It!
Earlier in the month, the NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) released the 2018 Grape Crush…
Get The Franc Out!
Pre-dawn one cold morning last November, Steve and I were standing in the Camp Four…
What’s Up Bud?
As the weather warms and the winter clouds begin to fade, the grape vines are…
Rack and Roll
As spring rolls in, it’s time to rack and roll in the cellar. The 2017…
What’s In the Bottle?
L ast week we talked about barrels, but what about bottles? Starting about 6,000 BCE…
What’s That Smell?
A s a winemaker, I smell a lot of wine. Some wines are very aromatic…
Sac or Bust
Next week a small armada of Koi Zen Cellars folks will be converging in Sacramento….
Waiting
The 2018 harvest is about to start and Mother Nature has decided she is not…
I Decant Wait!
We are so happy to announce that we will be releasing our 2016 Syrah during…
Châteauneuf-du-Pape – Say What?
This year we are contracting for 5 tons of Grenache which is a new varietal…
Hurrying and Waiting
[ct_definition title=”def” ] “Hurrying and delaying are similar ways of trying to resist the present”…
Tears of Gettysburg
On July 1, 1863, the Union and Confederate forces met head to head outside of…
Community
L ast night we hosted the Rancho Bernardo Business Association which drew a large crowd…
When Less is More
Our girls have graduated from college and now have their own apartments; however, a lot…
Myriad Minds
I have been meditating seriously for about 3 months now. Once per day, I find…
You are NOT You
O ver the last few months I have put on some weight, well maybe more…
Connections
I was in the winery a few weeks ago and there were two ladies sitting…
Free Range Parenting?
H ave you heard that Gov. Gary Herbert of Utah signed the “free-range parenting” bill…
Does Wine Make You Smarter?
I have met many wine snobs who think they know everything there is to know…
Walking in Your Shoes
T hey say if you want to gain empathy with someone, you need to walk…
Time to Make the Donuts
L ast night Lisa and I got up at 5:00 am and watched the Super…
Happy Buddha Belly
Budai: You can find the Happy Buddha – Budai everywhere in China and it is…
The Cost of Wine
Blame your great-great-great-grandparents for the cost of wine! Between the years of 1920 to 1033,…
A Stroke of Luck
A Stroke of Luck I woke up not feeling very well. My body was stiff…
Wine Ratings – The Good, Bad and Ugly
What are Wine Ratings? If you have been following this series for the last few…
Is it a Hangover or an Intolerance?
My Head Hurts: Is your aching head caused by a hangover or intolerance to wine?…
Wine Tasting – Savoring
So far we have Seen, Swirled, Smelled, Sipped and now we get to Savoring the…
Tannin got your tongue?
Tannins Drying your Tounge Out? Tannic Acid So you sip that…
Just Sip Back and Relax – The Art of Wine Sipping
Many people grab a glass of wine and just chuck it back while in mid-sentence…
Funk in your Wine? How Come?
Bacteria can cause wine to have a Funk Is there a…
Wine Tasting – Smelling
I hope you all had a chance to take a moment to LOOK at your…
Wine Tasting: Look Before You Sip
Photo Credit: Wine Folly If you are wine tasting, or just…
Our Mourvedre & Bottle Shock
Last weekend we had a small bottling run and bottled about 105 cases of Mourvedre…
Its Willamette Dammit
Last week Lisa and I took an afternoon and investigated the northern half of the…
Koi Zen Cellars 1st Anniversary
On April 24th, 2016 Koi Zen Cellars celebrated our 1 year anniversary. We planned 5…
Put a Cork in IT
Cork Production, Sustainability and Carbon Footprint: This week we will be exploring natural corks and…
Are Old World Wines the same as New World Wines?
Last week I wrote about how wine generally can be classified as either Old World,…
Judgement of Paris
Old meets new at the Judgement of Paris 40 years ago. On May 24, 1976,…
Paso Robles and Terroir
Lisa and I just spent two wonderful days in Paso Robles exploring wine country and…
Grapes and Global Warming
Is Global Warming causing early Bud Break? A lot of people ask me how the…
Highlights of some Koi Zen Cellars Parties
During our Parties, we have been having a lot of fun over @KoiZenCellars; here is…
Terroir – Or Not
Terroir is a French word with no literal translation in English and the closes we…
Minerality in Wine
If you haven’t tried our 2014 Pinot Gris from Monterey then you haven’t had to…
2016 Ferrari
Check out our new Ferrari convertible! Our Ferrari is a manual corking machine made in…
Local Artist – Ramon Britton
LOCAL ARTIST GALLERY SHOWING SAVE THE DATE: Friday February 5, 2016 We are so exited…
Meetings, Meet-ups and Networking
We have been having so much fun hosting meetings and meet-ups at the winery. There…
Opening an Urban Winery
We have been so blessed by all of the great people who have come into…
Our Grand Opening
Thank You!!!! We cannot extend enough gratitude to everyone who attended our grand opening week,…
Pre Grand Opening
Hi All: Photography Update: Even though the studio has been completely transformed into an Urban…
Winery Construction – The Transformation of a Photography Studio
Update – Winery Construction Efforts: This is an update on the winery construction project that…
Wine Pairing for Valentines
Today we are all about Valentines, celebrate with a cool wine pairing technique. Wine…
TTB Application Under Review
Hi All, Breaking News: We have just been informed that our TTB federal application is…
Paperwork Reduction Act?
Hi All, This month was all about getting our CA ABC winery license and our…
Monday was De-Pressing
We can’t wait to tell you about the status of our first vintage! Syrah Grapes We just wanted to let you know…