Olina Qian

I met Flora Chih in a NTUAC’s private party in Los Altos. That night, I brought my favorite Black mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, and we drinked together. Since I used to study Hotel management in Switzerland, so I got chance to take some courses in wine tasting. I thought I know a little bit about wine, but when I see the way she shake the glasses and the way she smells the wine. I recognized that she is the real master of wine . So I asked her why she is so experienced in it. She told me she took the sommelier course before.

Then we started to talk about wines, and she mentioned that there will be a wine festival during the week of Jun 6&7 and Jun 13&14 in Bay Area. I need to attend my friend’s wedding on Jun 6th, I decide to go with her on Jun 13th. Since she is such a lovely lady, I’d like to hang out with her and learn more about wine.

We got a nice team yesterday, includes Flora, her husband Gorden, a phd candidate in Stanford University. Vamshi, VP of marketing in Various Cloud & SaaS Startups and I. We met around 12:30pm in front of Fleming Jenkins(www.flemingjenkins.com). We got our tickets there, which is a wine glasses we can use to try out all the vineyard participated in this festival. (I like this idea!) Then we started our adventure.

The first wine we tried is Rose. Rose is a kind of wine between Red wine and White wine. Since the only difference between Red wine and White wine is if the skin is leaved in the barrel during the wine making. And Rose is the kind that they will leave a little bit of skin there to get some romantic colors. It tastes like a sparking wine and it’s good to go with some deserts.

Then we tried an red wine there, which is a mix of Cab, Melot and Pinot Noir. (Later I realized that this is the best wine I’ve tried during the day.) I think the portion of Cab is dominant, so it does tastes like a cab. But it’s not heavy at all. I like the taste it leaves in my tone. So wonderful.

The last wine we tried is a pure cab. See, that’s the right order of wine tastings, you want to start with a lighter wine, then goes into medium wine, then followed by something strong. And I should confess that this cav is a little bit strong for me too. Although strong in a good way, but I prefer the 2nd wine better.

I will rate this vineyard 5 out 5. Especially for their mixes, I like the taste. That’s the red wine should be tasted in my image. I want to bring a bottle home and Flora reminded me that they sell it a little bit over price here. So I didn’t. But this Fleming Jenkins is definitely a good start of the wine tasting of the day! I start to feel this is going to be a remarkable day!

The 2nd vineyard we tried is Big Basin Vineyard. What I feel is their wine is little bit acid. No matter their red wine or white wine. It’s way too acid. I will only give it 2 out of 5.

Clos Tina(www.clos-tita.com)is the third vineyard we tired. Their Melot 2005 is pretty cool. Flora said she likes it. But I am a big fan of Cab. I don’t like the taste of Melot. It is a very complicated taste. Usually it takes three years for Melot to be aged. And after it, there is no more potential to gets better. Not like Cab, aging for ten years can make it a great wine. So I decide to give this one 3 out of 5.

Roudon Smith(www.roudonsmith.com) is the fourth vineyard we tired. Pretty good experience. We tried their Chardonnay2007  first, turns out I like it so much. It’s so light, like a berry juice and smells so good. So I immediately give it a 4 out of 5. Their Pinot Noir is good too. I mean, not as good as their Chardonnay, but it’s a nice present of the wine. I will rate it 3 out of 5.

The following vineyard we went is Black Ridge Vineyards(www.blackridgevineyards.com). It is located in the mountain of Los Gatos. It is a very nice area. And they even have a live music show outside of the tasting room and local artist display inside of the tasting room, which makes a very relaxing place. I tried their Viagrie and San Andrea. I feel their Viagrie smells really nice, like a yogurt. But the taste is just so so. So does their San Andrea, smells good, but taste so so too. Although their environment is really pleasant, I will recommend you visit there. But I will only rate them 3.5 ouf 5.

The last vineyard we went is Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards(www.fogartywinery.com). It took us roughly 30 minutes’ drive from Black Ridge to go there. But we all feel it worth it. Beside parking lots, there is a nice pond, which is very beautiful. The tasting room is located in a house built near the mountain, so you can overlook the whole bay area from here. They also have a nice picnic area and you can bring food here to eat and drink. I love this place.

I first tried their 2008 Skyline Monterey Riesling. It’s a pleasant wine, I will rate it 4 out of 5.

The 2005 SCM Estate Chardonnay taste good too. Vamshi said he likes this one. Since it’s little strong, so I told him I still like the chardonnay in Clos Tita better.

The real hero goes to 2003 vallerga Vinyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Of course, Cabernet Sauvignon, my favoriate grape! But it does tastes so good. Worth the score 4 out of 5.

This wine tasting trip is really a fun experience. We even met the Mayor of Los Gatos. His name is Mike Wasserman. He is a nice guy. At that time, he is trying to promote the shops in old town. I passed by, he smiled to me and say hi. I replied hi, then he starts to introduce himself and tell us how this promotion works:

Basically every 2nd Saturday of month, if you go to Los Gatos and shop in more than five shops, collect their stickers and answer a quick survey, you will get a chance to be entered in a raffle to win dinners and other prizes.  Sounds wonderful. I might go back to Los Gatos the following 2nd Saturday too, not because of the raffle, but because the way it present itself: Quiet, friendly, nice and classic. I like it!

Another surprise is a Bakery shop called Fleur De Cocoa. Flora is an expert for Bakery. She suggested that we should go there and take some deserts. Turns out I love their Crossoint and other desserts very much. I even ordered an extra dessert to bring home. Now you know how much I like it. I strongly suggest you to go and check it out yourself. Since this is a wonderful place.

June 13th of 2009, great experience of wine tasting. Thanks Flora, Gorden and Vamshi for the company! Together we made a great experience!