Clos LaChance, the PGA & Original Wine

Yes, yes, yes…I *know*!  It’s been some time since my last post.  Well, that’s just what going on vacay for 2+ weeks to Carmel Valley, Spain and Portugal will do to you.  Actually, I take that back.  It’s what going back to work AFTER that vacay, that will get ya!  Anyhow, I’m back and ready to reengage my fellow vinopanions and boy do I have two cool pieces of vino news to disseminate!

First up, one of the coolest pieces of wine news that I’ve come across in some time, Clos LaChance (Twitter) is the very first winery to be sitting directly on the course of a PGA Tour (Twitter) event.  They are also one of the Frys.com Open‘s main sponsors and have the lucky vantage point overlooking the 15th hole at CordeValle.  This should prove to be a very exciting event and I’m quite interested in seeing how Clos LaChance and the PGA Tour integrate their activities during the week. The golfing should be spectacular, featuring a field that includes David Duval, Justin Leonard, John Daly and Rickie Fowler.  The Murphy family has been making wine in San Martin, CA since 1992, utilizing many members of their family to produce their unique wines.  I’m also fired up to finally get a chance to try some wine from this buzz winery!  Tickets are still available online, so purchase yours today and come and hang with us!

One a completely different note, I’m very humbled to have been picked for the “Spotlight on Bloggers” section of the very cool Center of Wine Origins (Twitter) website.  The hard-working folks at the CFWO have reprinted an article I wrote here awhile back about how much I enjoy sharing wine with my friends (Vinopanion = wine + companion).

The CFWO has taken on the very important job of clarifying and protecting the names of wine regions around the world, through collaboration with similar organizations in the wine countries of the rest of the globe.  This means that they work to ensure that wine labeled “Champagne” is only sparkling wine that comes from Champagne, France.  Or perhaps they lay the smackdown on anyone that uses the name “Napa” on wine that doesn’t come from Napa County, CA.  It seems like a simple enough concept, but it can be quite difficult to define these names and regions globally, and it can be even harder to enforce the exclusivity of these wine naming conventions.  Fortunately, the CFWO has some very competent people to regulate and collaborate!

So come out to CordeValle and Clos LaChance this weekend if you’re in the area and sift through the great content on the CFWO website.  Cheers!