mymadrona

No, it’s not a one-sided baseball score between the Madroña Bushmen and the Rucksack Hikers. And no, it’s not a count of the tasters in the tasting room. Instead, it’s the number of Open Houses we’ll be celebrating this year on May 25^th and 26^th.

First and foremost, I think you need to absorb in how truly unique this celebration is. We have been hosting an Open House every year at Madroña since 1981. If you can remember that far back, Ronald Reagan was president, the US inflation rate was 10.35%, and the interest rate was 15.75%! And some of you may not even have been born yet! (And if you’re wondering, the 1981 Cabernet Sauvignon is still tasting great!) Continue reading →

Having just finished the Portopia experience (of food and wine pairings) last weekend in the cellar, it’s time to talk about Madroña’s second tasting in our educational series—our 19^th annual Quintet tasting (March 16^th and 17^th). (Already know you want tickets, Click Here!)

Having just returned from a trip through Bordeaux, it’s amazing how much one can learn by being there and by doing. I now have tasted the difference between Left Bank and Right Bank wines and why Merlot-based wines grow one place and Cab Sauv-based wines grow in another. It’s one thing to taste a Bordeaux wine in a restaurant in San Francisco. But it’s a completely different thing to experience the wine in Bordeaux, looking at the trellising system on the vines, smelling the soil, and talking to the winemakers who imagined the wine in the first place.

Now you’re starting to get a sense of what the Quintet tasting here at Madroña is all about. This is an education, an experience, and an opportunity. It’s kind of like learning Continue reading →