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East Bay Wine Guide

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January 26th, 2016

1/26/2016

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Picture
(NOTE: Images used here are uploaded directly from the winery website, and will be updated as soon as I have time to get back to take my own.)

This weekend I had the (increasingly) rare privilege of two consecutive days off (of course hubby was off on day two, but we take what we can get).  We had some wine pickups to do, so we ventured out to Livermore for some much needed family time (yes, wine tasting counts as family time round here).  On this particular trip, we decided to try three new (to us) spots, two of which I will talk about later:

* Bent Creek
* Big White House
* The Singing Wine Maker

About the Winery:

Big White House is my kind of winery.  Small lot, big flavor wines in a very unpretentious tasting room with servers who know their stuff and enjoy what they do.  They host two labels: Big White House and John Evan Cellars, Big White House carrying their traditional wines, and John Evan Cellars carrying their premium, small lot wines.

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It is worth noting that there is no “big white house” on the premises, so don’t be looking for one.  The Big White House of its name is the house in which they started making wine. 


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Tasting Tip Tuesdays:  Go on Yucky Days

1/26/2016

4 Comments

 
For those who aren’t familiar with tasting rooms at wineries, they are typically staffed by three kinds of people:
  1. Retired people who enjoy wine, and talking with people
  2. ​Family members of the winery owner/maker/operator who work to help out the family business
  3. People who love drinking wine and the benefits that working at a winery provides

One thing you will notice about all of the above is that none of them are there for the money, because very few of them make higher than minimum wage (plus the very-occasional tip).  Servers are there because, let's be honest, there are worse ways to spend an afternoon.  If you go into a tasting room and don’t like the vibe; leave.  It happens all the time, and no one will be offended!

If you are intimidated by the idea of “wine tasting” or are afraid it would be a snooty experience, I highly recommend going for the first time on a rainy afternoon.  People don’t think of heading to the wineries on rainy days, so the tasting rooms are very likely to be pretty quiet.  Tasting room staff love talking to people and are always happy to answer any questions you have or help you find a wine you like.  If it’s quiet, they will have the time to give you much more time, attention, and information so you will likely leave far less intimidated.
4 Comments

    Emily Daniels

    I am an East Coast girl who moved to the East Bay area in 2006 and immediately fell in love with wine and the wine industry.

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