Cuda Ridge Wines moving to new location on Arroyo Road

Cuda Ridge Wines, producer of handcrafted, small lot, Bordeaux style wines, will celebrate the opening of its new tasting room and winery at 2400 Arroyo Road in Livermore the weekend of August 10-11.  This move marks a major milestone in the short history of this fine Livermore Valley winery.  The new facility, along the Livermore Valley wine trail as you proceed from Las Positas Winery to Rodrigue Molyneaux, will provide a beautiful wine country setting in which guests can experience award-winning  wines. 

Cuda Ridge 2010 Merlot was recently awarded 89 Points by Wine Enthusiast; and the 2010 Petit Verdot and 2010 Cabernet Franc  both received 88 points.  In addition, Cuda Ridge received 5 medals at the 2013 SF Chronicle Wine Competition.

Located on Arroyo Road across from the historic Ravenswood site, the new Cuda Ridge winery is in the heart of Livermore Valley with views of the surrounding olive trees and vineyards.  The estate vineyard is being planted now with Petit Verdot and will be used to make Cuda Ridge Wines Estate Petit Verdot when the vineyard starts producing fruit in about three years.  The larger 1500-square-foot tasting room will have a standup bar, plus a seating area for enjoying a tasting flight or bottle of wine.  There will be a separate club room for private and winemaker tastings. 

As you taste the wines in the tasting room you can enjoy the art on display.  They will be supporting local artwork in the winery.  Large glass doors will allow guests to view the barrel room and the working part of the winery.

Along one side there will be an area where guests can purchase picnic foods, such as artisan cheeses, salami’s, and crackers.  Have a picnic in the designated outdoor picnic area while enjoying the vineyard views.  You will still enjoy the well-known Cuda Ridge music events, BBQ and car shows around the outside of the winery. 

The move to Arroyo Road marks a significant milestone for Cuda Ridge Wines, which was founded by Larry and Margie Dino in 2007. 

"Cuda Ridge started in a garage as a hobby business.  In the first phase of our winery endeavor, our production was only 300 cases and we did not have a tasting room,” says Margie Dino.   

In 2009, Larry and Margie moved their winery to the East Avenue location to open a tasting room and increase production.  Now in 2013 Cuda Ridge production has grown to about 1600 cases, including Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. With the move to Arroyo Road in August, Cuda Ridge will have a premier winery setting to accompany its award-winning wines. 

"We are excited about the customer experience that we will be able to offer our guests with the new location. There are many amenities that will make us a destination winery in Livermore Valley,” says Larry Dino. 

Larry loves his vintage bright purple 1970 Plymouth Barracuda muscle car, also known by its nickname, ‘Cuda!  As we all know, winemakers are a passionate bunch, and Larry’s passion for his purple ‘Cuda lead to the name of the winery, Cuda Ridge.  As you look at the label, that background is not an image of a ridge, but rather, a stylized image of the ‘Cuda!

You are invited to the Cuda Ridge Grand Opening at the new location at 2400 Arroyo Road on August 10-11, Noon to 4:30 both days.  Stop by and stroll through the new Petit Verdot vineyard, check out the new tasting room, sample some award winning wines and examine the new facility.  Larry and Margie Dino will be there to greet you and show you around. 

The new Cuda Ridge Winery will open for the Livermore Valley popular Harvest Wine Celebration on Labor Day weekend, at the new Arroyo Road location.  Information on the new winery, Grand Opening weekend and the other winery events can be found at www.CudaRidgeWines.com.

See the full photo show at the Examiner.com website.

Livermore Valley Taste Our Terroir wine & food pairing event

This year the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association has expanded their Taste Our Terroir event to spread over four days.  However, the premier event continues to the Food and Wine Pairing classic on Thursday, July 18 at Casa Real.  This year over 650 visitors enjoyed the 28 Livermore wineries 20 Tri-Valley restaurants for a great wine and food pairing event.

The Judges for this year’s Taste Our Terroir are:

• David Glancy – Founder and CEO of the San Francisco Wine School
• Ethan Fletcher – Food and Wine Writer for Diablo Magazine
• Jude Affronti – Chef at Sur La Table and Owner/Founder of Affronti Food + Wine Bar

Everyone had a great time working their way through the 20 Food and Wine pairings and then sampling an additional four wineries on the patio and tasting the fine ports and dessert wines in the dessert room from an another four wineries. And US Foods provided and extensive layout of great desserts to go with those dessert wines.

The winners for this year are:

• Most Innovative Pairing:
  Team: Cuda Ridge Winery and Beets Hospitality Group
  Pairing: Cuda Ridge Winery 2010 Malbec from Livermore Valley paired with a house-made Steamed bun, black plum Char Siu, spice-cured and charred pork belly with pickled root vegetables, cilantro and green onion.
  Judge David Glancy said, “This pairing was yummy, taking me back to the Tenderloin with Vietnamese comfort food”
•  Best White Wine Pairing and People’s Choice Award (People’s Choice was selected by the visitors in attendance):
  Team: Page Mill Winery and Piccola Casa
  Pairing: Page Mill 2012 Chardonnay from Chandler Vineyard in Livermore Valley paired with a WonTon shell topped with a lightly blackened Scallop with an avocado Pico di Gallo and Chipotle Aioli
  Judge Jude Affronti said, “A nice buzz in the mouth with rich flavor and not overcooked”
• Best Classic Pairing:
  Team: Rodrigue Molyneaux and Castlewood Country Club
  Pairing: Rodrigue Molyneaux 2009 Estate Sangiovese from Livermore Valley paired with a lightly crusted Dutch Valley Veal Scallopini with tomato coulis and fresh Mozzarella on citrus infused focaccia.
  Judge Ethan Fletcher said, “This combination makes me happy, content and satisfying.  It is a milder dish paired great with a mild wine.”
  
• Judge’s Best Award:
  Team: Concannon Vineyard and Underdog Wine Bar
  Pairing: Concannon 2011 Reserve Righteously Rose from Livermore Valley paired with “Off the Hook” seafood sausage with a Rose Cream Sauce.
  Judge Jude Affronti said, “Loved the wine and loved the food and the pairing worked great.”
  

 There were other great pairings at this event, showing the skills of the chefs and the winemakers.

• Occasio Winery served their 2010 Del Arroyo Vineyard Zinfandel with a Kobe beef Carpaccio Lollipop from Mangia Mi.  This was a thinly sliced Kobe Beef, wild arugula, capers, stone ground mustard and Pecorino Cheese.  I felt that this pairing just popped and the food really mad the wine full and delicious

• Eckert Estate Winery paired their 2010 Petite Sirah with a house cured Cherry Wood smoked California Angus beef brisket from The Compass Star.  It is was crusted with Peppercorn and Coriander, topped with mashed Sunchokes and Mascarpone Cheese, with a drizzle of Petite Sirah Demi and an Italian style.  The pairing not only looked delicious but came together well with some nice flavors.

• Mitchell Katz Winery served their 2011 Chardonnay with a dish from Handles Gastropub.  It was green heirloom tomatoes from Terra Bella Farms in Pleasanton, breaded and fried, fresh Mozzarella, grilled corn salsa and basil Aioli.  The acid and flavors of the tomato, plus the roundness of the Mozzarella really brought out the flavors of the Chardonnay.

Taste of Terroir is produced by the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association and sponsored by Dublin Toyota, City of Dublin, Amos Productions, Image Setters, Livermore Valley Florists, Faye Champlin Studio and US Foods.

Funds raised at this event benefit the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association.

For more info: Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association

See the full photo show at the Examiner.com website.

Tasting the 2010 Rutherford Cabs at Day in the Dust 2013

When you think of the great Napa Valley Cabs that have been loved for decades you will learn that many of these Cabs come from the Rutherford district in the heart of Napa Valley.  Many of the most famous vintners and viticulturists in Napa Valley history have been from Rutherford including Andy Beckstoffer, Andre’ Tchelistcheff,  Georges de Latour, Gustave Niebaum and more. In fact the Rutherford AVA has greater representation in the Vintners Hall of Fame than any other appellation.  The headline of this article is a quote from Andre’ Tchelistcheff as he told of what made Rutherford special for Cabs.

The Rutherford Dust Society was founded in 1994 by the growers and vintners of the Rutherford AVA to encourage and promote the highest standards in grape growing and winemaking in the Rutherford area and to help wine lovers and wine trade discover Rutherford’s unique expression.  On July 10 the Rutherford Dust Society invited press and trade to “A Day in the Dust”, a tasting of the 2010 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon’s.  I was invited to attend a special event for the press at the beautiful Rutherford House at the Beaulieu Vineyards.

Rutherford House

We learned much about the 2010 vintage Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon.  Famed viticulturist Davie Pina showed us how the 2010 was a cooler-than-average growing season, faced a major heat spike in late August and then had a later-than-average harvest.  The result was fruit with concentrated flavors, higher acid and well structured. 

Then we had a blind tasting of two 9-wine flights of the 2010 Rutherford Cabs from all points of the region.   Later we had the chance to learn more about the individual wines in the blind tasting.  While each of these 18 wines was from grapes grown in different parts of the appellation and produced by different vintners, there was a distinct similarity among the wines reflecting the strength and uniqueness of the area.  Each of the wines showed a bright acidity resulting in a long finish.  Several of the winemakers felt that these wines would age for 15-20 years due to the acidity.  The alcohol level was not as high as you might have seen in the past.  They had very expressive fruit characteristics and, in particular, there was a blackberry bramble quality in each of the wines.  These were particularly charming wines.

One particular point about these wines is that you need to air them for a while before tasting to bring out the great flavors that are in the bottle.  Use a decanter or let it sit in the glass for an hour or more.

In the afternoon we wandered over to the Beaulieu barrel room to sample wines from 35 Rutherford wineries.  Lo and behold that Rutherford also has some fantastic white wines as well as the famous Cabs. 

A few standouts at the tasting are:

Freemark Abbey 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard – has a particularly complex and interesting nose with touch of briary patch and tobacco plus fruit.  But the joy of this wine continues on from there on the palate with black raspberry, black cherry and blackberry and a wonderful blend of spices leading to a long and fruitful finish

Jeffrey Stambor

Beaulieu Vineyard 2010 Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – has a very pleasant nose with ripe dark fruit and oak.  On the palate there is an abundance of rich dark fruit, spices and toffee with a significant earthiness to it.  The great structured tannins and lively spices result in a wine with a long finish that will cellar for a long time.

Flora Springs 2010 Rutherford Hillside Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – the aromas of this wine take you into a deep forest with an earthiness and mushroom qualities.  As you taste the wine you will enjoy the black raspberry and blackberry combined with mint chocolate, coffee, licorice and a complexity of spices.  The great finish with a touch of minerality and soft tannins will make this a great wine for that special dinner.

Alpha Omega 2012 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc – a really nice white wine that combines the old world texture qualities of a Bordeaux-style Sauvignon Blanc with the crisp acidity of the new world.  A nice intensity of fruit and acid with the great aromatic quality makes this s great summer wine.

Talahalusi Winery

Talahalusi Winery 2011 Picpoul and 2011 Roussanne – this is a fairly small family run winery that has only been producing wine for a short time, but has been farmers and grape growers since the late 1940’s.  Their Picpoul is unique for Napa Valley and the wine has a terrific brightness to it with nice acidity and fruit and a very pleasant aromatic quality.  The Roussanne is a delicate floral wine with the acidity and freshness you would enjoy on a summer afternoon.

Chaix Wines

Chaix Wines 2010 Chaix Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon – the Chaix family has been growing grapes in Rutherford for other wineries for over 100 years but are now also producing their own wine as well.  They made 300 cases of 2010 Cab that has a very intense nose of cedar, dark fruit, safe and earthiness to it.  As you taste this wine you will love the bright wild fruit, a blend of blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry.  The sharp acidity, layers of spices and soft structured tannins makes it a delight to enjoy.

12C Wines 2011 Beckstoffer Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon – 12C is named for 12^o Centigrade (55^oF), the optimum storage temperature for Cabernet Sauvignon.   The grapes for this delicious wine come from the famous Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III, definitely top quality fruit.  This wine is a delight from the first whiff of the aromas to the long lasting finish.  In between you will enjoy the aromas and flavors of dark fruit, lavender and chocolate. 

For more information:  Rutherford Dust Society