by Sandra Crittenden

 In the October issue of Galveston Monthly magazine, I recommend some of my top picks for wine tasting and other things to eat and do while on the Texas wine trail. 

 As originally seen in the August issue of Galveston Monthly magazine. In this month's issue, I write about Schramsberg Vineyards which sits on Diamond Mountain in the Napa Valley. This historic property has been owned and operated by the Davies family since the 1960s. I met Hugh Davies at a dinner in 2015 at the Meritage Resort so I am sharing the link to that story below but this feature was inspired by a tour of the caves I did this past May when my husband and I took a short trip to Calistoga. Schramsberg was the ideal place to take a bubble break after all the Cabernet Sauvignon. http://www.sancrittenden.com/2015/09/schramsberg-dinner-at-meritage-resort.html

With tours, tastings, a coffee shop, full restaurant, and a store, Mazzetti d’Altavilla is the most tourist friendly Grappa distillery that we visited. This family business has everything that a Grappa lover could want.   Elisa Belvedere Mazzetti met our group and offered us coffee in the coffee shop before we started our tour. She then led our group outside to what they refer to as Pomace Square where the deliveries of marc or pomace arrive from the wineries and are conserved in tubular containers that look like well fed giant white snakes. Inside of these tubes, the pomace is temporarily preserved in a vacuum to protect the freshness. Next, we went into the distillery where the wine grape pomace begins its journey to become Grappa. Mazzetti d’Altavilla Distillery uses the discontinuous method which involves distilling in pot stills. They operate from September to January and are sustainable using solar energy for fuel. Grappa meant to remain c...

The first stop on the Grappa tour involved getting a lesson in how Grappa is made at the Bonollo Distillery  located in Torrita di Siena in the heart of Tuscany. Bonollo owns five distilleries located throughout Italy that distill 200,000 hectoliters of alcohol per year which is equal to 50 million bottles. Grappa is an alcoholic beverage of Italian origin and it is their most important product. They also produce acquavitae and brandy. We arrived just as a truckload of pomace which is also called marc arrived at the plant. Pomace is the used grape skin and seeds leftover after winemaking. Our tour was taking place during the wine grape harvest so the distillery was operating in full swing. The distillation season is only about three months long. In addition to alcohol production,  they also collect the grape seeds during the production process to make grape seed oil, used both for cooking and in the cosmetics industry. The pomace must come from Italy, grapes from ...

Abruzzo is located east of Lazio and north of Puglia on Italy's east coast along the Adriatic Sea. I went for a wine media trip to this region in May and learned that this is another one of those many places in the world that should have been on my destination bucket list to try to visit far sooner. I didn't know what I didn't know until I went and saw. There are seaside cities with beaches and seafood and mountain towns with sheep and cheese. There are medieval castles and ancient hilltop towns. There are beechwood forests inhabited with wolves and bears and huge national parks. There are water sports and snow skiing. The Gran Sasso mountain looms in the background while the blue Adriatic cools down the coast. Montepulciano is the most important red grape in the region. It is the second most planted red grape variety in Italy after Sangiovese. It makes a robust juicy red wine that has always been considered as a great wine with pizza. Abruzzo has long been known ...

In the Beychac-et-Caillau commune in the Gironde in southwestern France, you'll find  Planet Bordeaux  which is both the headquarters for the winemakers association and a recommended place for you to begin your tasting tour of the Bordeaux wine region. I visited there in the fall and was surprised to discover that behind the nondescript entrance was a unique and thoroughly modern wine experience waiting for me. In addition to housing the association, Planet Bordeaux is also the tourist center for the wines from the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur wine appellations. They have guides to help out visitors and can do tours in several languages. They offer attractions like educational exhibits and audio/visual installations covering a range of wine-related subjects along with wine tastings and cooking classes. The center can help with the planning of visits to local chateaux as well.  It is not just for wine consumers and tourists, it is also a hub for visiting w...

I have written about each Paso Robles winery stop that I made in May on Wine-Thoughts. I am including that link here . Each one has something unique to offer from zip-lining to concerts to wine and food pairings and each is worth checking out if you plan on visiting the area. Read more on my Paso Robles visits at  www.Wine-Thoughts.com

During my visit to Paso Robles, I didn't just taste wine, I also went for a tour and tasting at Pasolivo   Olive Oil Ranch . Located in the heart of Paso Robles' western hills, the scenic 45 acre ranch has 6,000 trees planted, mostly Tuscan varieties. I was interested to learn more about olive oil production. I've read numerous articles in recent years about mislabeled and counterfeit oils that are imported and sold in America. I had not realized that neither the FDA nor the USDA enforces labeling rules for extra virgin olive oil. Since learning this, I have been purchasing California olive oil that has the California Olive Oil Council or COOC seal on it. Pasolivo Olive Oil Ranch carries that seal and is in the process of becoming certified organic. After the tour of the orchards, the mill and the production line, I went into the shop for a full tasting of their oils, vinegars and seasoning. The olive oils were all big and bold, some were more peppery, some fruitier an...