It’s May, and we’ve decided to go to California with an aching in our bellies.  This month NosVino is indulging in the greatness of California wine, and we have two enchanting dinners coming up that will highlight some of our favorites from the Golden State.

Not just full of swimming pools and movie stars; California has been growing wine grapes since the late 1700s and after overcoming such traumatic challenges as phylloxera and prohibition, this fine piece of America is responsible for approximately 88% of the country’s wine production.  Having 139 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), there are five “Super AVAs” which encompass most of the other smaller areas.  They are: the North Coast, Sierra Foothills, San Francisco Bay, Central Coast, and South Coast.  We are hanging in the North Coast for now and tasting what it has to offer–spectacularly rich, vibrant, elegant, and sophisticated wines.

The North Coast AVA includes Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Lake Counties.  We all know Napa, and for most of us wine drinkers, the mere mention of the word evokes dreamy thoughts of lush and bold Cabernets or rich, full-bodied, golden Chardonnays.  Why not; they’re delicious and impressive–it is never difficult to find consistently high-quality coming out of Napa or the entire North Coast for that matter.  California wine country is chock full of farming history and loads of land owned by families who have been making brilliant wine for decades and decades.  Whether a family has tended to the same vineyard for generations and made their own wine from it, or a family starts a winery and sources the best grapes from the best vineyards in the North Coast, the end result is pretty much the same—love, care, optimal climate and soil, and the right winemaker will produce a bottle that will ultimately find its way to a dinner table where you are seated, and bring joy to your evening.

We begin with Hendry Vineyards from Napa.  The Hendry family has owned and farmed their vineyards for over 75 years.  That may seem like the blink of an eye to Europe who has been doing it for thousands, but hey, California is still the new guy…and very popular, handsome new guy when it comes to wine.  Hendry is world-renowned and synonymous with unsurpassed class where their wines are concerned.  If you’ve never tasted a Hendry Cab or their Zinfandel, or their Chardonnay, you are doing your mouth a disservice.  As it happens, we are hosting a Hendry Wine Dinner at Sweet Waters Steakhouse on Thursday, May 2nd where five Hendry wines will be present. What better way to enjoy fine wine than at a fine steakhouse?

Another family we’d like to introduce you to, if you aren’t already acquainted, is the Bonannos.  Vintner, Matthew Bonanno and his family started BonAnno wines in 2004, sourcing the best grapes from artisan growers throughout the finest areas in Napa, and in the North Coast for Matthew’s companion wine company, Matthew Fritz.  Founded on a few simple principles, Matthew BonAnno believes in order to achieve the beauty and structure he commands of his wines he must seek out and source only from top North Coast and Napa vineyards.   Let the fruit stand on its own through a pure, clean winemaking process, and ensure every bottle is a true representation of both the variety and appellation.  If you’d like to sip for yourself, join us on Wednesday, May 22nd at Limani Seafood Grill for a Spring Gourmet Food & Wine Pairing featuring BonAnno and Matthew Fritz wines—Matthew Bonanno will also be in attendance to present his remarkable selections.

Welcome to May and a month of tasting California wines and eating amazing food with NosVino.  We hope you are as thirsty and as hungry as we are.