I was honored to be invited to judge this year’s LA International Wine Competition, an 80-year-old tradition based at the Fairgrounds in Pomona. We kicked it off by introducing ourselves, and I quickly learned I was among some greats—some true veterans of both the industry and of this competition.
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May 24, 2019 - Megan Greene
When Ryan Woodhouse stops a tasting and tells you, “Now this is a winemaker to keep an eye on,” you listen. In this case, he was referring to Samuel Louis Smith, a young winemaker out of the Central Coast. Smith, who is currently the winemaker at Morgan, also has his own eponymous, private label that he started in 2014. Currently, he makes three wines, a Pinot Noir, Syrah and Chardonnay, from vineyards in Monterey, Santa Cruz and Santa Rita Hills (respectively). Although very small production, each of them are outstanding. I managed to catch up with Sam this week to ask him a few questions.
Among the sub-regions of Armagnac, Bas-Armagnac is the most known and respected, and bottles from there proudly tout the region. Due east of Bas-Armagnac, the Ténarèze is the upstart sibling, not as flashy or well known but loved by aficionados for earthy brandies like Pellehaut, Aurensan and Pouchegu.
What is the oldest bottle of whiskey in existence? According to a recent listing by the folks at Guinness, it’s a bottle of Baker’s Rye, an 1847 Monongahela Rye owned by Los Angeles Whiskey Society founder Adam Herz. Yes, you read correctly; this whiskey was distilled during the Polk administration. The fact that this bottle exists is pretty mind blowing, and its mere existence makes it a central piece of American whiskey history. You can read Adam’s extensive history of this bottle on the LA Whiskey Society website.
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Today on our blog: behind the scenes at the LA International Wine Competition, in which we taste wines, think about wines, talk about wines, and eventually drink all the wines! Link in bio. #klwines #klwineshollywood @keithinjura #lawinecomp #toughjob #winelife
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On Judging Wines https://t.co/FzTviPCzD0 -
This week, I caught up with Winemaker Samuel Louis Smith, an exciting young talent out of the Central Coast. To find out more about this rising star, check out our blog - and stop by our Domestic Wine Tasting tomorrow to try some of his wines. https://t.co/oHJohrH1Mn
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RT @KLDavidOG: Amazed this barrel of Ben Nevis is still up for grabs!!! Last year’s was truly one of the biggest surprises of Whisky Season…
