What a weekend! Talk about hidden gems…I was fortunate to visit the Lodi appellation over the weekend.

Home of Robert Mondavi,  Lodi, CA, situated approximately 25 miles south of Sacramento,  is respected for its Zinfandel varietal.  However, on this wine trip, I found not only Zin, but a whole lot more.

First stop on the tour was Peirano Estate Vineyards.  Located  at 21831 North Hwy 99 in Acampo,  Peirano boasts Shiraz,  a proprietary blend  that they call Red Shorts,  and my personal favorite Old Vine Zinfandel.

Peirano’s 1999 Old Vine Zinfandel gets its name from the 106 years old vines from which its produced.   Dry with a bit of a smoky taste, Old Vine has its own uniqueness that’s better experienced via the palate.

Honorable mention: 2002 Shiraz

While tasting, I was referred to a couple of new wineries in the area, D’Art and Harney Lane.  

D’Art was an especially goo d find! Located at 13299 Curry Avenue, D’Art is owned by artist, Dave Dart and his wife Helen. Dave’s artwork is prominently displayed throughout the tasting room.   D’Art has an excellent line up:  2007 Petite Sirah, 2007 Zinfandel  (including Old Vine),  2007 Dog Day Red,  2005 & 2006 Cabernet, and Port.

My personal favorite, Dog Day Red, blends just the right amount of dryness, oak, and sweetness to make it simply divine!

Actually, you can’t go wrong with any of D’Art’s wines…its all an art form.

As for the Lodi region as a whole, you cannot go wrong with Old Vine Zin and Petite Sirah!

Note: June 13  & June 14, 2009 Peirano Estate Vineyards is having  a summer sale featuring 2004 Autumn’s Blush, 2002 Shiraz, 2004 Barbera, 1999 Old Vine Zinfandel, and 2006 Muscat Canelli at half off prices.  Stop by and pick up a case or more!

        

Your Personal Sommelier

Judging by all the parties over the last few weeks, it's not a stretch to say that there's a lot of wine to work through out there.   And since about ten percent of it is actually worth drinking, we think weeding through it all is a chore best left to an expert.   Which is why you'll want to bookmark Brix26, a personalized online wine recommendation service helmed by Peter Langenstein, a French-schooled California wine expert who swigs the juice day and night to bring you obscure, limited-production California gems right to your doorstep.   Think of Peter as your at-home sommelier. Say you're cooking up some steaks (in other words, a romantic dinner) Friday night and need help pairing a few bottles of wine to set the mood. Give Peter a call (or email him), and he'll hand-select just the right cult cab from his library that'll make your rib-eye pop. He can even get his hands on hard-to-find wines, like the obscure, artist-labeled 2006 Eric Kent Pinot that tastes as good as it looks.   Once he has you figured out, you might consider joining the Insider Club, a hybrid wine club that ships you a constantly changing personalized assortment of up-and-coming wines, before they've been discovered by the masses.   After all, membership has its privileges. Brix26, 866-427-4926

        

Dan Aykroyd is on a mission from god...to launch an SF-based series of wines called TheDan Aykroyd Discovery Series, in conjunction with DeLoach Vineyards. We sat down with the Renaissance man, Blues Brother and SNL alum to chat about wine, women and Ghostbusters III... UD: You're an actor, comedian, writer, musician, restaurateur, spirits distributor and now wine producer…why wine? DA: I've turned the whole thing around—I don't buy wine to complement food. I walk into a steakhouse, I'll order the biggest boldest red, and then I'll look at the steaks. UD: Red or white? DA: Red. But give me an ice-chilled white and a couple of chicken wings. It's not that I don't drink white, but my last bottle—the death house bottle—it would be a red.   UD: Chicken wings, eh? Which wine goes with four whole fried chickens? DA: Definitely Chardonnay.   UD: How about white bread toast, dry? DA: Cabernet Franc Icewine from Niagara.   UD: What kind of wine would Jake drink? DA: Jake would drink Stone's Green Ginger Wine...If you ran out of antifreeze, you could put this in and the car would run.   UD: How about Elwood? DA: Elwood would be a Manischewitz guy. He had a lot of Jewish girlfriends.   UD: Would Joe Friday even drink wine at all? DA: Joe Friday's a whiskey man. He's about good company, good clean streets.   UD: In your opinion, what are the five top wineries in California, after DeLoach of course? DA: Coppola, Turley, Diamond Creek, Kendall Jackson. UD: Would you rather make a movie with Francis Ford Coppola or a wine? DA: That's a very good question. I'd love to maybe make both—a movie about wine with Coppola called Noble Rot. It was one of Jim Belushi's projects. Noble Rot is a story of the fungus that looks horrible and smells horrible, but it produces the best wine...   UD: Speaking of movies, which of your past movies would you like to see updated? DA: Spies Like Us, no question about it. I would reprise my role, Chevy would reprise his, and we'd train a bunch of new pups—the best of the best. UD: Any chance of a Ghostbusters sequel? DA: A very good chance, in fact. Two years ago I couldn't have told you this. We have writers working on it right now. I hope to see a script at Christmas, and maybe shooting by the summer if you can believe that. UD: Do you still watch SNL? DA: Diligently. Every week. I think Kristin Wiig is a genius...an empire-builder, and Fred Armisen. I think we're seeing talent that's just as good right now. Today's cast is as good as we were.   UD: You've played everything from Jimmy Carter to a Wild and Crazy Guy on SNL. Any one favorite? DA: Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute, absolutely...It's a fantasy I could never live. The fantasies that never come true are the best ones. UD: After working together on three films, Jamie Lee Curtis called you the best onscreen kisser. DA: On or off, you know. UD: What's your secret? DA: You'd have to ask the women. I don't know. UD: When it comes to women, is it better to be a comedian or a musician? DA: Comedian, no question about it. It's laughter first, then conversation, good food and wine, and then a hot tub... Dan Aykroyd will present the Dan Aykroyd Discovery Series Thursday from 4-6pm at the Jug Shop, 1590 Pacific Ave (at Polk), 415-885-2922

        

Kobe and Cab at Your Front Door

When other people think delivery, they think pizza and chow mein. But you, you dream bigger. You think huge shipments of kobe beef and Napa estate wine. And now you can finally live it. Say hello to the Kobe and Cabernet Club, maybe the best thing to hit the delivery world since the milkman. The Club is a joint venture between two of your favorites, Snake River Farms and Signorello Vineyards. It pairs the Idaho ranch's richly marbled, super-tender kobe-style meat with the Napa winery's lush, full-bodied wines. (We know—some matches were made in heaven.) They'll deliver both to your front door three times a year—around Christmas, Valentine's Day and Father's Day—and all you do is pay per shipment (no signup fees here). Expect deliveries like the holiday package—a rib-eye roast that serves ten, paired with three bottles: the Estate Cabernet, the Padrone Reserve Cabernet and the club-exclusive Meta (50 percent syrah, 50 percent cabernet). For Valentine's, you'll get four tenderloin filets, a bottle of the club-only Uvaggio (a cab-merlot-cab franc blend) and two bottles of cabernet sauvignon. (If this doesn't satisfy you and your sweetheart...you might need a new sweetheart.) And if you're jonesing for a buttery filet or a hearty cab come July, you can place additional orders year-round. They'll even cut you a deal. After all, membership has its privileges. Kobe and Cabernet Club from Signorello Vineyards and Snake River Farms, $390 per shipment, sign up here

        

Cork-Barrel Spending Beer and Wine on Fountain Avenue

For the barbecues you'll be hitting this weekend, you need: Beer. Wine. And a little something extra. All of the above can be found in one spot at Venokado, the sleek new shop open today on Fountain Avenue. You'll have to pay attention to find the place—it's in that oddly triangular building between La Brea and Fairfax that used to house a random, divey market. Once inside the modern (but still oddly triangular) new incarnation, head left for the wall of rare but mostly affordable bottles selected by the trio of wine-loving women—your favorite kind—who run the place. They got their hands on a few bottles of Sea Smoke Pinot Noir, as well as some biodynamic Domaine Olivier Pithon (we hear you can taste the dirt...in a good way). You'll also find some rare brews like Bohemia, Hitachino's Red Rice Ale and that rarest of specialties, PBR in a can, inside the beer cooler at the back. And unlike any wine shop of note you've ever entered, you can also head over to the right for piles of unique design-y goods, in case you need a suede baseball or trippy money clips from Copenhagen to go with your Merlot. They're big into unusual gift boxes here, to keep your status as VIP Party Guest intact. Not that there was any question. Venokado, 7714 Fountain Ave (at Spaulding), West Hollywood, 323-850-1600

        

        

Marching Orders Wine Bar in Ghirardelli Square Like a true San Franciscan, you make it a point to avoid areas where out-of-towners dressed in Alcatraz fleeces might outnumber locals. So it's been a while since you last visited Ghirardelli Square. We're here to tell you that it's safe to go back. Softly open now, with the second-floor restaurant fully opening Friday, Marché on the Square's gourmet market/wine bar/bistro represents the next phase of the Ghirardelli Square rebirth—into what some are now dubbing, ahem, Lower Russian Hill. With 100 wines (60 French, 40 California and New World, 25 by the glass), five champagnes and soaring views of the Bay, you won't have to try too hard to appreciate the vibe here. The accommodations even include a gluten-free beer from Belgium, "Green's Dubbel Ale," making this perhaps the perfect place to meet up with all your vegan drinking buddies. Take in the airy décor from a stool at the cast-iron-topped bar, or head upstairs for a better view of that island prison—the Cal-French menu is served in both spots. Start with Spiced Sauteed Diver Scallops, then move on to Steak Frites and finish with a made-to-order crepe or cheese plate—you'll like the rich, buttery triple-cream Brillat-Savarin. You'll still be sharing the place with a few tourists, so bring a date, or make it a double date. After all, there's safety in numbers. Marché on the Square, Ghirardelli Square, 900 North Point (at Larkin), 415-359-0365

        

The folks at UrbanDaddy recommend...

        

Bed on It Your New Westside Hideaway

Introducing awelcome new way to beat Westside traffic—get a room. Opening tomorrow, Hotel Palomar aimsto make the notion of actually going home at night seem kind of...outdated. Flee from the office before sundown and start yourrecharging in the modern lobby's living room, where hotel guests will convergefor a gratis wine-soaked happy hour every evening. Once lubricated, you'll bein a better state of mind to appreciate the not-so-subtle nods to Hollywoodthroughout—Industry-ready conference suites are named after film festivals, andclassic movie quotes will soon appear upon your pillow at turndown (hopefullynothing from Psycho). Of course, you don't have to stay overnight toride out rush hour with a glass of vino. Blvd 16, the wheat-coloredrestaurant and bar within, opens Saturday with a list of 125 bottles to go withseasonally minded food that should keep you busy (and by busy we mean devoid ofroad rage). And by the way, nobody says you have to use theroom for the whole night. Hotel Palomar Los Angeles, 10740 Wilshire Blvd (between Selby andManning), Westwood, 310-475-8711 (hotel), 310-474-7765 (restaurant)

        

Experimentation often leads to what the experts call discovery.

We're referring to drinking wine of course, and the proprietors of Vinoteque, a new wine bar-slash-live-music venue now soft-open in Culver City, are creatively uncorking their curious and formidable supply to encourage maximum experimentation (and hence discovery).

At Vinoteque, you can order a glass of any wine in the place—about 500 options from Croatia to Australia to South Africa—and once the bottle's uncorked, its name is displayed on a pair of digital screens so your neighboring protégés know the rest is up for grabs. (Co-owner Adam Fleischman was involved with the launch of the similar—if less high-tech—dispensation technique utilizing an oversized chalkboard at fellow Culver City bar BottleRock.)

When you're through by the bar, aim straight for the larger adjacent lounge, where the cork ceiling from Silver Lake Wine designer Ana Henton both continues the wine theme and acoustically assists the musicians onstage. (The name combines "vinoteca" with "discotheque.") And if you come back in the morning, you'll find pastries and coffee.

But Vinotecafé just wouldn't be as catchy.

Vinoteque, 4437 Sepulveda Blvd (at Braddock), Culver City, 310-482-3490