Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

Over many years I have traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Loreto, and Cabo as a food & beverage/travel writer and it has been interesting to watch this industry grow so quickly and experience how well received and enjoyed it is by wine lovers.

My recent trip to Puerto Vallarta gave me a whole new look at several successful restaurant owners who have developed their own wineries and now have labels of their own that are simply delicious and pair perfectly with their menus, thanks to their talented sommelier's.

Two of these chefs include Master Chef Thierry Blouet of Cafe des Artistes creator of Rose' Thierry, Sauvignon

blanc, Zacatecos Mexico and Roland Meterey, Chateau de Rolland, Sauternes, Semillon, Sauvignon of Muscadelle, France. Both these talented men are co-founders of Festival Gourmet International, now in it's 27th year.

Other wines that seem to be hot on pairing menus with fine cuisine in Mexico also include Le Poussin Rose', 100'1. Grenach Franch, Casa Medero, Chardoney from Mexico, Kim Crawford, Sauvinon blanc from New Zealand, Errazuriz, lateharbest from sauignan blanc, Chile and Altotinto, late harvest Petit Syrah from Mexico.

All of these vin selections are delightful and pair very well with seafood or vegetarian plates, as well as final sinful endings.

WineLA announces in-person wine tastings in Santa Monica! When the pandemic shuttered all live events, WineLA.com pivoted to virtual tastings on Zoom. While we are not out of the woods yet, we are slowly planning our return! We too miss the community we serve and hope that we can find a path back to health, for without health nothing else matters. To do what we do, we need the city to be healthy, wealthy, and active. The wealth comes in the form of activities, safety, and overall confidence--and we see Los Angeles positively flourishing in some areas and deathly ill in others. Small businesses like ours have been decimated, so we are trying our best to restart and hope to find a few partners that can benefit from our promotion, and positive energy.

We start at Board & Brush in Santa Monica, a creative studio for private events and painting/art classes. We think you’ll enjoy the discovery of this small business and support the owner’s vision. They even serve wine at Board & Brush so they are able to host amazing private and corporate events. We encourage other businesses to come forward, we do the work, we pay the bills, and help your business get discovered.

SCHEDULE - BOARD & BRUSH SANTA MONICA Wine Camp: An Introduction to WineA™ - Our #1 class with over 100,000 served Sunday, July 31 from 2pm-4pm The Champagne Challenge - Blind taste the best bubbles in the universe Saturday, August 7 from 2pm-4:15pm Wine, Cheese & Charcuterie - 6 wines, 3 cheeses, 3 charcuterie--and many more discussed! Sunday, August 8 from 2pm-4pm The Cabernet Challenge - Blind taste some of the best in Cabernet, three wines at a time, up to 21 total; find out what you love! Saturday, September 11 from 2pm-4pm Our calendar of events can be found at www.learnaboutwine.com

Being a wine anything wasn’t part of the original plan - and when you're raised in a military family, drinking wine may not be the first idea that comes to mind, either. Ian discovered the wine industry at the ripe age of 21 and didn't consider it a career option, but working for top chefs in the formidable dining rooms of early 1990s Los Angeles blew doors open - leading Ian to a career in wine education. Working with and around great wine brands for most of his adult-life, and leading wine tours and culinary adventures around the world - Ian loves to share his story and his passion. When Covid shut down his wineLA.com event business, Ian pivoted full circle and restarted LearnAboutWine.com and launched ZoomIntoWine.com as a way to bring his version of wine education and entertainment to a limitless audience. With his family’s wine store Merchantofwine.com, virtual wine tastings with wine delivered "at home" is the latest chapter in the evolution of Ian’s dedication to wine education, edu-tainment and the wine lifestyle. This bio and life is a work in progress…let's see what the next vintage provides