Foster's (yes the beer company from down-under) has quite a stable of U.S. based wineries under its umbrella, ten to be exact; and we're not talking tiny little no-name wineries here:  Beringer, Chateau St. Jean, Stags’ Leap, Greg Norman (California Estate) and Etude, just mention half.  That's ten wineries that opt out of the big California show in March, so as not to get swallowed up in the throng, and instead stage their own winemakers tour a month later.  But even with only ten wineries banding together that’s still a whopping 72 wines being poured … below I pick my top eight, by varietal.  For those looking for whites, sadly you'll have to go elsewhere, most of the whites poured at the show were Chardonnay (with a few Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Gris) and nothing stood out to me here; though if I remember to do so, I’ll let you know which was my favourite white in the room in some kind of offhanded comment (look for it).

Cabernet … Top Cab honours at this event go to ... (Read more)

To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.