Which Wine Changed the Way you think about Wine?

I was talking to my friend Carol (a longtime friend and neighbor) at a mutual friend’s 4th of July party. She tells me that she liked this website (which is very encouraging). However, one thing about I know about Carol is that she’s been living in this area since 1978. She has quite an interesting perspective. I love talking with her.

Anyway, going to parties around here exposes me to a selection of wine that you’d never see on the store shelves or even in high-end, exclusive wine shops. More often than not, the wine I see is the wine from people’s private cellars. What can I say? Healdsburg has a population density of wine makers.

I think we were talking about 1984 (the year Carol and her husband started their own personal harvest). But as we were talking, she said something about the 1978 Clos du Bois Merlot. And just the way she said it made me wonder what she was talking about. So I asked.

“It’s the wine that changed my life. It changed the way I thought about wine.”

Now, I’m a wine enthusiast-not an aficionado. I mean. I enjoy good food, good wine, and good company. (Can I be any more lucky living in Sonoma County?) I know if I like a wine, and living here in Healdsburg has exposed me to some really awesome wine, but, for the life of me, I can’t remember which wine was the one that changed the way I think about wine.

Can you?

Some Things We Like About the Palette Art Cafe

Just a bit of a shout out here to the Palette Art Cafe. We have started to meet there for coffee a few mornings a week just to get things done for this magazine. So today, we thought we’d make a quick list to say what we like about it.

The atmosphere in general. It’s light, bright, and open and often playing jazz. Not to mention the live music events, art displays, and art openings. Soon, too, there will be Open Mic night on Wednesday nights.

The friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Fast, public WiFi.

According to my friend Julie–great chicken soup.

According to Shana, the fact they have fondue on the menu. Cheese fondue. Dessert fondue.

According to the three people at the counter the other day the chicken, pesto sandwich.

Find out yourself. Check it out.

Palette Art on foot: 235Healdsburg Avenue, suite 105 (behind the LaCrema tasting room).
Palette Art online: www.palette-art.com.