Vineyards in the Russian River Valley

Russian River Valley! #winesky #sommintraining

Certificate of knighthood into the Medieval Order of the Knights of Good Wine - Orden Medieval de Los Caballeros de Buen Vino from 1985.

My Dad passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago. In going through some of my Dad’s certificates, we came across his knighthood into the Medieval Order of the Knights of Good Wine in Spain from 1985. Like father, like daughter. 🥰 #winesky #ordendebuenvino #sommintraining #wine

Single glass of red wine on a glass tabletop, reflecting the sunset and shoreline

Sunset. Wine. Waves. #winesky #sommintraining #getaway

Several wine glasses with wine sitting on pieces of paper with writing.

Guided wine tasting today with the incredible Master Sommelier, Tim Gaiser and Master The World. It’s one thing to read about what makes a wine special and another to have a master guide you. #sommintraining #sommelier #wine #winesky

Two wine glasses with red wine, pieces of paper, pencils and books on a white countertop.

Studying for wine certification is much more fun in person with fellow students!
#wset #sommintraining #rioja #riojareserva #beaujolais #winetasting #winesky #lenezduvin

Glass filled with red wine beside a bottle of red wine on a white counter top

Today’s tasting: 2022 Grand Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon - Carmen - D.O. Maipo, Chile. Good balance & complexity with pronounced ripe black cherry, black plum & eucalyptus notes. Silky vanilla, mocha & sweet tobacco flavors round things out. Yum! $18 @ Total Wine. #sommintraining #winesky #winetasting

Two glasses of red wine flanking a green-hued wine bottle with black and gold labeling. Set on a green cloth in a sun filled room.

Well now, this is a very lovely Barbera wine from Boeger Winery in Placerville, CA. Savory, meaty aromas that transition to ripe red and black fruit with clove and cedar on the palate. $15 at Trader Joe’s and new regular for me. #winesky #barbera #boegerwinery #ElDorado #sommintraining

Textbooks on a table

Here we go, officially! Slightly different designations on the WSET deductive tasting grid than what I have memorized from CMS. Wine + food pairing, and storage + service is a review. Monday is my first Zoom tasting. Looking forward to it! #sommintraining #wset #lifelonglearner #winesky

2021 Belhara Estate - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina bottle of Malbec with a full glass, with wine key and cork on a counter top.

Had a real difficult time in doing my deductive tasting on this one. Strong compost & rubber aromas at the start, leaning towards raspberry & cola once it opened up. Red currant, juniper, mocha & limestone on the palate. Dry with medium tannin, acid and alcohol. #sommintraining #malbec #winesky

2017 Poggio al Casone Toscana IGT wine bottle on a countertop with a wine glass of red wine and cork nearby

I haven’t had enough Italian wine in my tastings, and this super Tuscan caught my eye. Flinty minerality on the nose. Off dry, with strawberry, balsamic and resinous herb on the palette. Did much better after an hour decant. $11 at Traders was a bargain. #winesky #italy #sommintraining #tuscany

Vials near colored flash cards and notes.

Two wine glasses with red wine with a bottle of wine and cork

Training: Selected scents typical of Cabernet Sauvignon. 1. Blind smell & made notes 2. Find out what the vials are scented like 3. Pour a Cab Sauv to experience the smells & flavors. What are similar and what other notes are there? This is fun, but challenging!

#SommInTraining #wine #winesky

Two vintage glasses with amber colored liquor and three bottles of spirits.

Hubby and I may be childfree, but we are godparents to two amazing humans. Tonight we nodded to that with our choice of drinks. The Godfather and the Godmother. 😁 #sommintraining #cocktails #amaretto #vodka #whisky #mixologist #queenslusterware

Colorful bottle of wine with a red wine glass and handwritten notes.

Picked up some Trader Joe’s wines after watching Andre Mack on Bon Appetit. I really enjoyed this 2021 Carmenere from Maule Valley. It’s fun to do my notes and then see what others smell/taste. $8 is a value! #winesky #sommintraining #carmenere #chile #traderjoes #andrehuestonmack #bonappetit

Two glasses filled with red wine on a wood table with closed menus in the foreground

Lunch at Linn’s kicked off with 2022 Tablas Creek Patelin, from Paso Robles. Lovely and bright, and just what I was in the mood to drink! #winesky #tablascreek #sommintraining #pasorobles #cambria

Scene at a wine room with two glasses, several wine bottles and a piece of paper.

Did a tasting at Fermentations in Cambria. I’m enjoying honing in my sense of smell and taste. Not exactly blind tasting, but I’m still such a novice at knowing typical varietal characteristics. Cheers! #winesky #sommintraining #wine #Cambria #pasorobles

Bottle of Merlot with two full wine glasses on a table.

Doing an unexpected getaway to Cambria this week. First wine of the trip is a nicely balanced estate reserve 2019 Merlot from San Simeon, Paso Robles. Rich dark plum, baking spice, tobacco and vanilla notes. A nice complement to our dinner #winesky #sommintraining #pasorobles #sansimeon #merlot

Bottle of Merlot with a glass and tasting notes.

Opened a 2020 Merlot from Garré, Livermore Valley this evening. Interesting red cherry, plum, chocolate, violet and vanilla candy notes. Wish it was a bit better balanced as the acidity was pretty strong. Should have waited to pop it open for a bit. Ah well! Cheers! #winesky #sommintraining

Two glasses of red wine on a countertop with a wine bottle.

First bottle of 2025! Nice, easy drinking, fruit-forward, very enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon by DAOU. #winesky #cabernetsauvignon #sommintraining #redwine #daou #californiawine

Freshly brewed butterfly pea flower blue tea garnished with a lemon twist on a metal cocktail pick, served in a clear glass mug.

Freshly brewed butterfly pea flower purple tea garnished with a lemon twist on a metal cocktail pick, served in a clear glass mug.

I’ve been having such fun with butterfly pea flowers. I will be making a simple syrup with them at some point, but in the meantime I’m playing with presentation. I love the color change once lemon juice is added! #butterflypeaflower #yayscience #cocktail #sommintraining #tea #teatime #drinks

Bottle of Pinot Noir beside a filled wine glass. A paper with written notes is on the table to the right.

Thanks to Covid, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve been able to sit down a do a tasting. I think my taste buds are still off, but it was nice to enjoy a nice Pinot. #angeline #pinotnoir #winesky #sommintraining #gabrielglas

WSET level 2 wine workbooks on a white background.

Super exciting! My printed materials for WSET came in for my February class. Just flipping through them, it’s interesting to see the difference between their teaching as opposed to CMS. Looking forward to this next chapter in the journey! #winesky #wine #wset #sommintraining

Glass of red wine surrounded by birthday cards, bouquets of flowers and a bottle of wine.

Celebrating another year around the sun with a lovely local red. 2016 Cooper-Gerrod with 80% Syrah and 60% Cab Sauv, aged 10 months in French oak. Just me drinking, so thank goodness for my trusty Coravin! Cheers! #winesky #sommintraining #santacruzwine #wine #birthday #celebrate

Fresh and dried persimmon fruit displayed on a countertop.

Sliced persimmon fruit on metal racks of a dehydrator.

Finished cutting up and putting my last batch of Fuyu persimmons from our tree into the dehydrator. It was a small, but delicious harvest this year. What cocktail should I garnish with these beauties?
#persimmon #harvest #bounty #sommintraining #california #cocktail

Bottle of Cote du Rhône Laurent Dublanc with a filled glass in front of an ikebana floral arrangement.

Getting ready to make dinner on a gloomy, stormy night. Simple drinking. #sommintraining #cotesdurhone #traderjoes #valuewine #chillout #quietevening #gabrielglas #laurentdublanc #redwine

Handwritten wine education notes and Zraly’s Windows on the World wine course book.

Signed up for WSET 2 classes in February, but that doesn’t mean I’m not continuing my studies until then. Cracked open Zraly’s book this week and here we go! #sommintraining #sommelier #wine #CMS #WSET #winetime #keeponswimming #wineeducation

Celebrating a day of my husband interviewing completed. Searching for a new gig can be exhausting yet exhilarating. #sommintraining #sommelier #wine #darbywineestates #petitverdot #pasorobles #californiawine #celebration