Wow! What a great opportunity it was to attend the Hospice Du Rhone. I am so glad we entered the contest for tickets.

We were like kids in a candy store and as you can imagine the greatest challenge
was rationing sobriety. The emphasis was clearly on wine. There were some nice snacks but get something in your stomach first would have been a good idea..
My wife took particular pleasure in finding producers from new and unusual locations, like a winery in Seattle, Arizona and Humboldt County. Take another hit Dude! And yes the grapes were grown in Arizona and the offerings were credible.

There were so many great wines that I am loathe to comment on any of them. My palate was a little ragged from a recent virus and it wasn't until I tasted some jammy fruit forward wines from Kalaidos that I knew my palate wasn't dead I tend to favor that style. I did have to explain to the guy what Retsina was though.

There were so many wineries that I snoozed and lost on getting any Booker or Terry Hogue which I had hoped to sample, They were tapped out and gone before the final buzzer.

One thing that really impressed and bewildered me as well is how many outstanding wines are being made by kids in their twenties. When I was their age I was drinking Spanada and Rhinegarten to take the edge off after a hard day in court and I didn't know the difference. Brian Benson cellars is a good case in point.

Also, if you are ever tasting near San Luis Obispo stop in at Saucelito Canyon wines on Biddle Ranch Rd. and ask to meet winemaker Amy Freeman.  She makes some great wines that are fairly priced and you will want to check her ID. Anyway, I can see us revisiting this event in the future and I encourage every one to give it consideration.

Ciao for now!

Andrew