Plan to join us at the
7th Annual LA WineFest
Saturday June 9th, 2pm to 6pm (12noon-:2:00pm TRADE only)
Sunday 10th, 12noon-5:00pm
2012 Entertainment
Saturday, June 9: Jane Fuller with Mike Gallegos
Sunday, June 10: Sazon
- LAWineFest 2011 at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood
Official Hotel of LAWineFest2012
Special LAWF Friend Rates $169+tax per night – from May 8-11
Call the Hilton Universal City Hotel directly at 818-506-2500 to make reservations - ask for the Reservations Department and USE CODE LWSF to get the special rate.
LAWineFest Recommends
FROM THE GRAPEVINE
BY JOEL M. FISHER
HEAD FOR PASO
Within three weeks, the 10th Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival takes place in Paso Robles, CA.. For those of you able to consider a short trip, leaving home either early Friday or Saturday morning gets you there for a couple of events. If you make reservations NOW, you can get in to the program of the day tasting at the Reserve event when select Paso wineries pick from their library, reserves futures, and from a selection of white Rose samples to educate and enjoy. I’ve made this part of the program a couple of times.
An outstanding event,the festival is put together with care by an experienced group of wine aficionados. There is a major change this year — the steady hand of Stacie Jacob after 7 years will no longer be at the helm, following her resignation, to initiate a new consulting business, and in the interim serving as San Louis Obispo’ tourism director.
I first met Stacie years ago when she helped bring in a flight of Washington State wineries to a tasting in West Hollywood. A year or so later I was invited by the Washington State Wine Commission to visit as many wineries in about a week as I could get to, interview and taste. Aided by my son, Matthew, who returned from the UK to assist, we traveled through Oregon and a visit to one winery, Domaine Drouhin of France and Oregon, and then to Walla Walla where we began a six day trip visiting 22 wineries in those six working days.
When she was in California, we had a chance to meet when I was awarded a 1,000 dollar “scholarship” by Jerry Lohr to attend the 1st Paso Robles Wine University. From then on, I worked to have her Alliance participate with the LAWine Fest, and I wrote about and worked her event. Christopher Taranto was the PR Director,with whom I had the most contact, and we remain on good terms. He has reported very nice things about working with his new boss, Jennifer Porter. who comes from an outstanding background in marketing and organizing major events in the movie and industrial areas. I hope Chris gets a minute to introduce me to Jennifer. and look forward to that.
On Saturday, May 19, if you make it up for even one day, you can traverse through the Grand Tasting from 1-4 PM in the Downtown City Park to taste wines from more than 60 wineries. I cannot predict the weather, but once upon a time, assisting my dear friends now gone from Paso, the Morgans of Casa Caballo (formerly Santa RitaCreek) it became so hot I fled up to the nearest restaurant I could find, probably Chris Cherry’s Villa Creek Restaurant. When I made it into the crowded air conditioned room, I learned the temperature outside was 105 degrees \. I managed to get seated, where I downed two large glasses of water, and then relaxed into (not wine) a soothing cold beer. So, be warned …
