The New Year always brings a great set of intentions: go to the gym regularly, eat better, call friends more often. Now don’t get me wrong, I would love to have my skinny jeans fit just a little bit better (bye-bye muffin top!), but what I really want for 2015 is to Live A Little More.
What a year it has been! From drought to flood, it seems that Livermore Valley has seen its fair share of extremes, but one thing has stayed constant: our loyal, fun, wine loving friends coming into the valley week after week to sip, savor and enjoy award winning wines. To you, we want to express our heartfelt thanks and as the year closes out, we raise a glass to you.
Livermore Valley winemakers share a deep passion for making quality wines in our historic region, but their paths into the wine industry are as varied as the wines we love to sip.
Scientist John Kinney had a career with Lawrence Livermore Lab and was a bioengineering professor at UC Berkeley before focusing his talents on wine. “My work allowed me to travel, and I found myself in some of the world’s great wine growing regions where I discovered the wines that influenced my approach to terroir winemaking,” says John. “I saw firsthand how the culture and the history of a region, under the hands of an artist, become reflected in the wines.”
Welcome to one of California’s oldest wine regions and a wine region that helped shape the California wine industry that we know and love today. The Livermore Valley planted its first wine grapes in the 1760′s and has been making wine history ever since. Livermore Valley won America’s first international gold medal for wine in 1889 at the Paris Exposition and put the California on the world wine map. Livermore Valley wineries were the first to bottle varietal labeled Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Petite Sirah and Nearly 80% of California’s Chardonnay vines trace their genetic roots back to the Livermore Valley.
Plan your Livermore Valley Wine Country visit here or print the driving directions here.
1 Perched atop the Sunol Grade on Sheridan Road, just a half-mile from Interstate 680, Nella Terra Cellars Winery and Event Center is the newest addition to Livermore Valley wine country. The grounds offer a fantastic backdrop and intimate experience for special events, with vibrant green hills in the winter and flourishing vines in the summer.
Nestled into the canyon along Arroyo Road in the heart of Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is a premier wine country destination. Visitors to the historic property can enjoy wine tasting, tours of the sandstone caves, fine dining and championship golf as well as world-class concerts and private events.
I’ve been going to Livermore Valley’s food and wine pairing competition, Taste Our Terroir, since I moved to the Bay Area 10 years ago. As a guest or wine judge, I’d taste my way through that packed Thursday night event, deeply aware of how much thought had gone into every team’s lip-smacking entry.
We are always excited to have new restaurants participate in Taste Our Terroir. We couldn’t be more curious to try 1300 Fillmore’s executive chef and owner David Lawrence’s pairing with Longevity Wines. David grew up in London with Jamaican parents, was French-trained and southern-inspired. So you know the food will be as dynamic as he is. His San Francisco restaurant is a testament to fresh food that brings an experience of warmth, vibrancy and a sense of belonging to its guests. Here we learn more about his inspiration and the man behind the iconic restaurant.
Chef Chris Corey has lived in eight different states and worked every position possible in the restaurant industry. His experience in wine bars, catering companies, family restaurants and bars has brought him to his newest position as the Executive Chef of Underdog Wine Bar and Lounge. Now he is enjoying the view and the bountiful produce of the Livermore Valley Wine Country terroir. His experimentation and passion for the quality of the vegetables, grapes, meats, and seafood that comes from the area is sure to shine at this year’s Taste Our Terroir and we are anxiously awaiting to taste.
The guy behind the hottest new restaurant in town is no newbie to the Livermore Valley dining scene. Posada’s Catering has been serving his delicious food at Livermore Valley wineries since they opened in 2005. With all of Eduardo’s catering popularity, it is no surprise he has opened a new Southwestern-themed restaurant. It is one of the only restaurants of its kind in the Bay Area. Here we discuss his inspiration and experience.
