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ANNA MARIA KNAPP
One of the most common questions that customers ask is how I choose
wines to send to wine club members. The short answer is that I taste, taste,
taste and then select those wines that I consider the most outstanding.
Having developed Celebrations Wine Club eighteen years ago, I've become
acquainted with hundreds of winemakers and have learned who the leaders
are in various appellations throughout California and Italy. I also
attend trade tastings where winemakers present their wines, and I
sometimes become aware of certain winemakers through the wine press. My objective is to make sure our wine clubs are the best possible - our wine club members agree!
GIFTED WINEMAKERS
Whether from California or Italy, I'm always looking for gifted
winemakers from small family-owned wineries, who are hand-crafting a
wide range of wines in small quantities that are world-class no matter
where they originate. Wines made on an industrial scale have their
place at the table because they can be inexpensive, predictably
consistent, and always available. But such wines are simply beverages,
not much different than Coca-Cola or 7 UP. They will never express the
place where the fruit grows or the winemaker's passion or judgment. Nor
will they have layers of flavor and aroma or the balance of components
that melts into a gloriously integrated whole.
N A P A & S O N O M A / T U S C A N Y & P I E D M O N T
While everyone is aware of the Napa and Sonoma wine regions in
California or those of Tuscany and Piedmont in Italy, members of our wine clubs are are shown the full range of wines that come from all of the
important wine areas in both California and Italy. For instance, the
Sierra Foothills is an older wine region than either Napa or Sonoma,
and today the area is producing remarkably delicious wines. In Italy,
the spotlight is now on the south, which is producing spectacular wines
from the ancient grapes that the Romans prized.
I W R I T E T H E S O N G S
Much of what I learn, I write about. In 2001, Citadel Press published
The Cheapskates' Guide to Wine, which I wrote with Vernon Jacobs. The book examines how wine shoppers can find the best values.
Ask the Wine Witch appears on this site as well as in various newspapers and magazines around the country. And I write the
Vino Veritas column for PRIMO Magazine and articles on wines and wineries in other venues. Click here to read my latest
Vino Veritas
column. But my most satisfying writing is for the newsletters that
accompany the wines sent out with each of our wine clubs. I do an extensive interview with each California
winemaker whose wines I send to club members. These are the winemakers
who make the news, so you'll know their concerns and enthusiasms before
the media does. Normally, I don't have consistent access to the Italian
winemakers, so the newsletters are simpler but nevertheless
informative. Wine is much less a part of our cultural heritage here in
the United States than beer, coffee, or soft drinks. So the more we
know about the wines we drink, the more members of our wine clubs learn to appreciate them.
Enjoy!
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