What experiences have defined your wine path?

When I met my amazing hubbie in 2007, I already had a general knowledge and love for wine. However, as I made mention in my first post, my palette had not yet had the opportunity to taste and experience a variety of varietals, both costly and not-so costly.

We received the opportunity to move to Southern CA in early 2010 and jumped at the chance. Lucky for us, our wonderful family friends, the Warburton's, lived in beautiful Manhattan Beach and opened up their home to us as our first place of residence in sunny CA. Now, their blending into our family started almost 10 years earlier when Gary and his wife, Terry, met my parents and were left to drink from the vines of France for a week after 9/11 but, for now, we will focus on our story.

Gary was already what he called a "garagiste" wine maker. He would travel to places all over CA for the best grapes, bring them home to Manhattan Beach and bring the wine making process to life in his garage. Gary and Terry were famous for their Paella and bottling parties. 20-30 people would show up to their home, bottle wine all day and end with a fabulous feast and wine-apalooza. Still, to this day, the best parties at which I have ever been.

Our first "be able to drink and know what is truly good wine" came when Gary and Terry left us to watch their home for them for a month. Before he left, Gary took us to his wine cellar and, pointing to a large collection of wine bottles, he said "You can drink these while we are gone."

Um, OK.

And we did. All of them.

It was one of the greatest wine education months of our lives.

Not only did I find out that Gary was, in fact, an amazing wine maker (his Tempranillo to this day is still one of my favorites and a Magnum of it signed by him sits in my home) but we enjoyed those kid-free and worry-free first weeks in CA learning about our palettes and wine.

Now, Gary had a birthday this past week and I miss him and Terry tremendously and I suppose I am a bit sappy today. But, I am so grateful for their hospitality and probably unbeknownst to them, their hand in our love for wine.

                                                                   Phifer-Pavitt Wines

                                                                    Gary and Suzanne

Today, Gary and his wife are a key part of one of my favorite wineries, Phifer-Pavitt. Terry's son, Shane, and his beautiful wife, Suzanne (a fellow Southerner - woo hoo!), own and manage the winery in Calistoga and, as a team, they are helping to preserve a sophisticated level of wine making in Napa and stewarding the wonderful grapes from that region. They make a dynamite Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. If you live in South Alabama, their Cab can be found at Southern Napa in Daphne. Their wines have a great tag line - "Date Night."

Now, Gary has a wonderful interview about a year ago from another wine blog and you can read it here.

Gary and Terry, thank you for your part in growing our love and education of wine.

Now, friends, what experiences in your life have defined your wine path?

Cheers!