As part of his ongoing series, François Castelmore has now published his view on the best wines from Ventura County, better known as California’s Wine Country.
San Francisco, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/14/2014 -- Wine is there to be tasted and savored, to add a new dimension to a culinary experience and not merely to take the edge off the day. Sommelier Francois Castelmore is passionate about wine, and is publishing lists of his top 3 wineries from different regions around the world, believing there is merit to be found in every corner of the international wine industry. His latest region is Ventura County, and after careful tasting and assessment of budget, mid-range and premium wines, has determined his thoughts on the best wineries in the region.
His process weights the mid-range, or staple wine as the most important single factor, as this is the one most will have access to and best represent’s the standards the wineries set for themselves. In third place, François praised Labyrinth Wineries for their richness and depth. In second place, the Boccali Vineyards & Winery excelled thanks to their rustic, home-made methodologies.
First place however went to Herzog Wine Cellars, with François describing their mid-range wine as ‘punching far above its price range’ and their award winning premium wine as ‘outstanding’. Even the budget wine was highly praised, explaining ‘award-winning in its category, it’s easy to taste why; clean, flavorful and eminently quaffable.’
A spokesperson for François explained, “François is in a unique position. Having an American father of French descent and a French mother, it’s easy to see why he would love wine, but he is free from any of the elitism or territorial pride that comes from those with a less eclectic heritage. This series is all about giving an honest and frank appraisal of wines from throughout America, South America and Europe and judging them on merit. In this way, he is helping a lot of people who claim to only like wine from a certain region to discover new and delicious wines from around the world.”
About François Castelmore
François Castelmore is a second generation French-American and an avid wine taster, writing his own regular publications on the subject and taking part in wine-tasting competitions. Françoise also conducts wine tasting lectures and enjoys discovering new tastes and blends from the evolving wine industry.