Little Barrel's "Things We Love"

San Francisco Chronicle Rec's Little Barrel

2009-12-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

We've received some good press over the last year, but the latest blurb about Little Barrel carries some pretty heavy weight. Jon Bonne, a very famous wine editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, has recommended Little Barrel for their annual holiday gift guide. We couldn't be more humbled and flattered.

Here's what they had to say:

"Tasty, Tasteful holiday gift ideas"
November 29, 2009

Having wine on your tie can telegraph your grape love in a klutzy way. Or you could opt for the wine-themed silk prints ($68) from Little Barrel Clothing. They range from festive and subtle (circular wreaths of grapes) to somewhat more literal, like the pattern depicting slightly off-kilter stemware. Consider it a preppy visualization of your annual holiday party. Unlike so much wine-themed garb, Little Barrel has kept it classy, which means you can wear these with equal ease to the office or as a signal to your sommelier as to who gets the wine list.

The ties are available from Mario's (1223 Main Street, St. Helena) or from littlebarrel.com for $68.

Click here for the full article to see what other gifts they recommend.

LB Featured in Destination Wine Country Magazine!

2009-09-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Check out the article about our wedding in Santa Barbara wine country. This is where Little Barrel began!!

Check out the magazine website here: http://www.destinationwinecountry.com/

Spottswoode Family Estate - Napa, CA

2009-06-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

How refreshing it is to find such a distinguished winery in Napa Valley that offers complimentary tastings. We're talking $60-$130 wine and there's no guilt walking away with only a good memory. (Although, it's definitely money well spent.)

Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon is one of our favorite wines from Napa. It's a rarety to have a winery pour such an exceptional wine during a tour - especially for a bunch of total strangers. They poured the '05 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($130), '08 Sauvignon Blanc ($36) and the '06 Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon ($60).

An incredibly nice woman named Erica Wallenbrock gives a great tour that includes the wine making facility, barrel room (built pre-prohibition), vineyard, and a walk around owner Mary Novak's historic Victorian house. We were also joined by two special and fury guests (see pic below).

Spottswoode is family owned and everyone involved is incredibly dedicated to making great wine. They were also among the first to introduce organic farming practices in the Napa Valley over 20 years ago.

Make sure to book your tasting/tour well in advance. Due to local regulations Spottswoode has to limit the amount of visitors they can host. Call 707-963-0134 or email tours@spottswoode.com to make an appointment (open Mon. - Fri.)

Little Barrel in Today's Santa Barbara News-Press!!

2009-06-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Read the article here.

Our Wine Getaway Rec's on KCRW's "Good Food"

2009-06-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

We've been huge fans of Evan Kleiman's radio program "Good Food" for years, so we were deeply honored when they asked us to provide some suggestions for wine getaways in the Southern California region.

See what we have to say here.

We're Featured in Today's Santa Barbara Independent!

2009-06-04T09:31:00.001-07:00

Check out the article and a little history on where it all started here.

Richard Hedrick of Bremer Family Wines (Napa, CA)

2009-05-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

We read about Bremer Family Wines in one of Eric Asimov’s blogs so, we decided to seek them out. When we couldn’t find Bremer on any of Napa’s tourist maps, we had a feeling we were onto something good.

At first we thought we were lost when our GPS “drove” us to an unassuming house along Deer Park Road. Fortunately, our U-Turn was cut off by a look from the friendly and gregarious Richard Hedrick that said – No, you’ve come to right place.

Once inside their intimate tasting room, Richard was curious about how we learned about Bremer Family. “We don’t advertise or do any marketing,” said Richard. Bremer’s a place that lets their wine do the talking. (Rumor has it that the Bremers will ask map publishers to remove their winery from the map.)

We loved hanging with Richard as much as we enjoyed drinking the wine. His job is to pour the wines and educate his guests. He’s an exceptional storyteller and a gifted teacher – as we discovered after asking questions about their wine making process.

As we sat with Richard and drank their fabulous wines, we asked what brought him to Napa. A retiree, he explained that this is his third career, and even though he loved working in education and the corporate world, Richard decided to finally relax and enjoy the slow pace and rewards of living in the Napa Valley.

Although Richard is unique, his story is not. The one thing we hear over and over in wineries all over the world is that people are there because they have finally decided it’s time to do what they love. And you can see it in their relaxed, cheery and warm body language. These people are infectious.

You can schedule a tasting with Richard by calling 707-963-5411. Or, you can visit him at his regular hangout – Bistro Jeanty restaurant in Yountville.

As for the wine… our favorite was their ’04 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. We especially love its description as being “rugged and manly” and “ready to drink, but willing to wait.” ($85)

-Taylor

Santa Barbara's Urban Wine Trail

2009-05-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

So you’ve traveled up to Santa Barbara for the weekend with your friends and you’re staying somewhere posh. Before you went out on State Street Friday night, you had every intention of traveling up to wine country the next day. Saturday morning, er - afternoon, rolls around and you’d rather stay around town. The beach, the weather, the people watching… we get it. It’s impossible to pull away.

Thank God there are TWO CITY BLOCKS of winery owned tasting rooms, right on the beach!

Here’s a list of our recommendations:

Stearns Wharf Vintners (Stearns Wharf) – There’s a picnic deck with views of the pacific.

Kalyra Winery (212 State Street) – Popular in Santa Ynez, Kalyra just opened their second tasting room; open daily 12pm-7pm (‘til 8pm weekends).

Santa Barbara Winery (202 Anacapa Street) Great quality by the county’s oldest winery; open daily 10am-5pm.

Oreana Winery (205 Anacapa Street) An abandoned tire shop turned winery collective. Hip vibe. Open daily.

Carr Vineyards & Winery (414 North Salsipuedes Street) Housed in a 1940's Quonset Hut cave, it’s like going from the beach to Burgundy. Open daily 11am-5pm.

Whitcraft Winery (36 South Cesar Chavez) They’re all about non-interventional winemaking. Open Friday-Sunday 12pm-4pm and by appointment.

Coquelicot Vineyard (813 Anacapa Street, Intermezzo Cafe) Organically farmed from the Santa Ynez Valley. Open Saturdays & Sundays, 11am-3pm, by appointment only (805-966-9463).

Need directions? Just hit the beach and plant yourself at Cabrillo Blvd. (runs along the ocean) and Anacapa St., in downtown Santa Barbara. Or download a map here.

Follow Little Barrel on Twitter!

2009-05-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

You can now follow all things Little Barrel by visiting us at http://twitter.com/littlebarrel.

Not only do I love Twitter for allowing us to develop new relationships and keep people informed of LB, but there’s a ginormous wealth of (real-time) information relating to wine.

Have a question about the wine making process? Hit up the nice wine makers at @MountsFamWinery. Looking for a new bottle of wine to try? Read what @vinography or @sonadora have to say. Want to get "in" on a special bottle tucked away in Sonoma, exclusively for Twitter users? Follow @RidgeLS. Curious about wine events in your area, visit @wine.

There are tons of wineries, wine makers, wine writers, wine shops, or just plain winos you can follow and learn from. Feel free to poke around our peeps, er - “followers” page, and discover hundreds of other great wine related “Twits.”

Oh, and in the coming months, pay extra close attention to our feed. We will be offering some great deals exclusively for our Twitter followers.

Taylor & Andrew

Corkz

2009-05-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

I’m obsessed with my iPhone. I can’t imagine life without it. Thus, I was especially pleased to come across a new app called Corkz.

The program is connected to the CellarTracker system and community. You can get a large assortment of reviews and ratings from ordinary drinkers, as well as price comparisons between the wines.

I spend a lot of time in wine shops and it definitely comes in handy when I want to know more information about a label I’ve never seen before. I can check if I’m getting a deal and I can see what others before me have thought about a particular wine.

Now, if only someone can create an app that will cut me off when I’m buying too much.

The application is available on iTunes for $4.99.

2nd Annual Santa Barbara Wine Futures Event

2009-04-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

If you ever get the chance to attend a wine futures tasting – Go!

For those who don’t know, a futures tasting is where winemakers let you sample their wine well before they’re released and can purchase whatever wine you like in advance.

We had a blast Saturday night at the 2nd annual event hosted by one of our favorite restaurants Elements at the SB County Courthouse.

There are three reasons why we tend to love futures events more than others:

First, it’s a chance to learn more about wine itself. It’s not often you experience wine in its infancy and you begin to understand how it evolves. Regardless of your palate’s experience, you will recognize and appreciate the subtle differences between the wine you normally drink and wine that is still maturing.

Second, the winemakers are usually the people pouring the wines. Who doesn’t want to know the person behind their favorite wine or hear THE story about why someone devoted their life to making wine.

Finally, these are great events to discover new talent. We were surprised how many new winemakers were showcasing their barrels and how incredibly talented everybody was. We thought we knew this area well, but there’s a lot more going on in Santa Barbara County than most people know about.

Here’s a list of the wines that blew us away. (Just give us credit when some of these people become HUGE!)

'07 Ampelos Syrah/Grenache "Syrache"
'07 Pisoni Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands (Arcadian Winery)
'07 Stolpman Syrah (Arcadian Winery)
'07 Blair Fox Syrah, Purisima Mountain
'07 Demetria Cuvee Papou (Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier)
'07 Demetria Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills
'06 Demetria Syrah
'07 Dragonette Cellars Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills
'08 Dragonette Cellars Sauvignon Blanc
'06 Happy Canyon Vineyards Piocho (Cab Franc based Bourdeaux blend)
'06 Happy Canyon Vineyards "Ten-Goal" (Cab Sauv based, Cab Franc, Merlot)
'05 Jonata El Corazon de Jonata (the kitchen sink)
'08 Municipal Winemakers Bright Red (Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah)
'07 Municipal Winemakers Best Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon

Your Itinerary for Santa Barbara's Wine Country

2009-04-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

A LOT of customers and friends ask us for suggestions for a perfect day of visiting vineyards – and we’re always happy to oblige. Below are our recommendations for a great day in Santa Barbara’s wine country (click here for map):

First, we grab a carb heavy breakfast and hit the road (always with a designated driver or hired service)…

Stop 1: Star Lane/Dierberg Vineyards

Our favorite wine in the area, especially their “Astral” Cabernet. We like to drink the best wines early in the day because our palates get destroyed after a couple of tastings.

Stop 2: Foley Vineyards

Foley makes remarkable Pinot Noir and Chardonnays. We like this place because of its sweeping views of the valley, a very comfortable tasting bar, and a remarkable barrel room that’s sometimes open to visitors. Granted, we have a soft spot for Foley because we got married here!

(Disclaimer: They sell Little Barrel)

LUNCH

We always grab a sandwich at Panino, in downtown Los Olivos, and take it on the road. It’s more fun to eat out at the vineyards.

Stop 3: Lincourt Vineyard

Our favorite place to eat our picnic lunch. The tasting room is an old farmhouse that overlooks one of their vineyards. Best wine in the area for the price. Their peppery Syrah is our favorite.

(Disclaimer: They sell Little Barrel)

Stop 4: Qupe Tasting Room

It’s in downtown Los Olivos and it’s on our way between Lincourt and Demetria. Their wines are some of the best and most famous from the area. Selection always changes.

Stop 5: Demetria Estate

Our new favorite “find.” The 10 minute drive from the Foxen Canyon Trail to the tasting room is absolutely breathtaking. You drink and eat around the island of the villa’s kitchen, usually with the owners and winemaker.

Stop 6: Firestone

By this point our palates are shot, so we usually finish our day here. It’s typically the most crowded, especially with young people, and certainly the most festive.

DINNER

We always eat at one of the following...

Mattei's Tavern - Foodie favorite since 1886 (and the location of our rehearsal dinner). Good celeb spotting.
Los Olivos Cafe - Made famous by "Sideways" but a favorite among the locals.
Trattoria Grappolo - Amazing Italian food. Very romantic.

City Winery - New York City

2009-04-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

For Easter, my brother and I broke bread (flat, with olive oil & sea salt) and sipped our communion ('05 Bonny Doon Syrah 'Le Pousseur') at the City Winery in New York City. The City Winery is a music venue, functioning (custom) winery, restaurant and wine bar in the middle of Soho in Manhattan.

City Winery is a perfect blend of quality music, delicious food and a very smart wine list. The place is the brainchild of The Knitting Factory’s famed owner Michael Dorf – which means you can always count on a substantive lineup of musical acts.

The vibe was refreshingly unpretentious and the size of the place is almost half a city block. And while we only spent a quiet afternoon here, I'm anxious to get back for a show (when is David Byrne coming back?).

Here are some bad pics I took from my iPhone:

- Andrew

Spring is coming!

2009-03-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, we're a little embarrassed by how long it's been since our last post. Taylor and I have been very busy preparing for the launch of our spring tie collection. I posted a picture from the warehouse to give you a sneak peek of what's about to come...

You can also visit our site to see the new colors and patterns.

Finally, don't forget to sign up for our newsletter. We're going to announce a CRAZY DEAL the day we release our new ties.

Andrew

Qupe - Los Olivos, CA

2009-03-05T00:48:00.000-08:00

Cult favorite in the Santa Barbara area. Qupe has FINALLY opened a tasting room on the main street of downtown Los Olivos. We usually avoid the tasting rooms in town because we prefer to be out at the vineyards. But we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try a stellar line up of Qupe wines.

This particular Saturday, Qupe was pouring four of their own wines and three from their Spanish inspired label called Verdad. We have been huge fans of Spanish varietals since a trip to Spain in 2006 and were pleased to see that they’ve hit the mark as close as anyone can in the states (sorry, it always tastes better in Spain).

Legendary winemaker Robert Neil Lindquist founded Qupe in 1982 while working as a tour guide and cellar worker at Zaca Mesa Winery. Like most, he started out by simply buying a few barrels and some grapes. Robert now sources fruit from the best vineyards in California. His wines brought serious attention to the valley well before the movie Sideways.

We love Syrah from the county and our favorites from Qupe were the ’06 Syrah from Stolpman Vineyard and the ’06 Syrah from the Bien Nacido Vineyard. (If I ever get the chance to create my own wine, I’m getting my grapes from Bien Nacido. I don’t care what it takes.)

The tasting room changes the wines every week so there’s always a reason for repeat visits.

Here’s what they poured:

‘07 Verdad Rose
‘07 Qupe Marson
‘07 Verdad Alberino
‘06 Qupe Los Olivos
‘05 Verdad Tempranillo
‘06 Qupe Syrah Stolpman Vineyard
‘06 Qupe Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard

- Andrew

Nom's Announced for American Wine Blog Awards

2009-02-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

We're HUGE fans of Tom Wark's "Fermentation " blog. He's a really good writer and our "go to" blogger for all things wine industry related. Every year he hosts the American Wine Blog Awards and people in the wine world take it very seriously. Tom has announced the 2009 finalists over at his site.

If you don't follow wine blogs, these finalists are a good place to start (including Tom).

Good luck everybody!

Melville Vineyards - Santa Ynez Valley, CA

2009-02-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

Andrew’s friend Melissa of Boa in LA recommended we visit Melville Vineyards. We love their wines and had never been to the winery. Unfortunately, we arrived one month too early to try the really good stuff. Drat!

On March 20th, they are releasing the following wines, which typically sell out:

2007 Estate Pinot Noir - High Density
2007 Estate Pinot Noir - Indigene
2007 Estate Pinot Noir - Terraces
2007 Estate Pinot Noir - Carrie's

We’ll have to plan another trip.

- Taylor

Dierberg & Star Lane Vineyards - Santa Ynez Valley, CA

2009-02-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

I have a soft spot for the owner Jim Dierberg because he’s from Missouri (my home state), grew up on a farm and entered pig competitions at country fairs – just like my dad. Jim, his wife Mary, and winemaker Nick de Luca are also making some of the best wines in the entire valley.

When the Dierbergs bought their vineyard in 1996, everyone told them the land was too warm. So like most smart winemakers, they planted grape varietals that were best suited for the climate – and that meant Cabernet Sauvignon. Lucky for Jim because this was the grape varietal he had always dreamed of making. It only took 10 years until his first bottling.

We strolled into the Dierberg tasting room around 11am – fresh from a 2 1/2 hour car ride. We’ve been here before and knew we needed to hit this winery early – not at the tail end of a day full of drinking (when our taste buds are shot and everything tastes great). The wines are all bright with fruit, flowerful noses, and lingering finishes – all with their own unique personalities.

Every time a new wine was poured, we immediately declared it our favorite until the grand finale – the ’05 Star Lane “Astral.” It’s a pretty powerful Cabernet and it no doubt ranks up there with the best we’ve tasted from Napa. The wine had a nice silky texture on the palatte and the taste was laced with red berries, vanilla and just the right amount of earthy tones.

I’m a pretty impatient person, but if I were the wine maker responsible for the Astral ($80), I’d say it was worth the 10 years of waiting.

We also enjoyed spending time with Amy – the woman pouring our wine. Not just because she was responsible for giving us the Astral, but because she noticed Taylor’s Little Barrel Purse Tote the moment we walked through the door. Her enthusiasm caught the attention of the entire room and we found ourselves talking up our company.

It’s definitely a blessing and a curse to start our day with such incredible wine.

-Andrew

Valentine’s Weekend in Santa Barbara Wine Country

2009-02-16T20:30:00.000-08:00

We’re coming off a very exciting (and much needed) vacation in Santa Barbara and Paso Robles wine countries. I usually go a little “Clark Griswold” when mapping out my itineraries but, Little Barrel was slammed last week (in a good way!) and we decided to let other people’s recommendations guide our way. This weekend proved that there is always more to discover no matter how much you think you know about wine.

We were also fortunate enough to stay at our friend’s cabin that’s perched on a hill overlooking the Santa Ynez Mountains and the green foothills that roll across the valley. This has been home base to a couple Little Barrel photo shoots and we’ll name our first born after Eli – who keeps letting us indulge in his slice of the vineyard lifestyle.

Here’s a list of the wineries that we visited. Some are places we frequently visit and others were recommended by people we met along the way.

Dierberg/Star Lane
Melville
Qupe
Demetria
Firestone

We also toured Paso Robles yesterday. Here’s a list of the places we stopped by:

Tablas Creek
Zin Alley
Booker
Terry Hoage
Linne Calodo
Grey Wolf

People write us for recommendations – which we love – and we'll send you a more thorough list of suggestions. Andrew@littlebarrel.com

- Andrew

Trailer Tasting in Napa, CA

2009-02-11T14:16:00.000-08:00

Recently, we crammed our friends into this little vintage 1940's Westcraft trailer. It's the new tasting "room" at the Behrens & Hitchcock Co-Op in Napa, way up on Spring Mountain. Not many wine lovers are really after that hole-in-the-wall experience when it comes to wine tasting. Especially in Napa. But we drank some of Napa's best bold reds right off the kitchen sink in this old movie studio trailer (bought off ebay).

Some of our favorites/purchases included:

Relic’s Mourvedre and Grenache based ‘07 “Ritual.”
Erna Schein’s ’06 Homage to Ed Oliviera Syrah, ’06 Spare Me Cabernet, the cab based ’06 Cemetery, and the ’04 Erna Schein Red Wine.
Behrens & Hithcock’s ’04 Herrick Moulds Cabernet and ’05 Ode to Picasso.

- Andrew

Celebrate Valentine's Day & Tie The Knot!!

2009-02-05T00:19:00.000-08:00

Make it count this Valentine's Day and give your wine lover something special from Little Barrel. Sign up for our newsletter and we'll send you a code to get 20% OFF any order between now and Valentine's day.

- Taylor

The Old & Rare Wine Company

2009-02-03T23:20:00.000-08:00

Our “go to” guy.

I’ve been torn about whether I should share this because I’m afraid you’ll buy out all my favorite wines. But, Little Barrel is all about spreading the love.

James Yobski, who owns The Old & Rare Wine Company (www.oldandrarewineco.com), is one of those passion guys who quit a lucrative law career to pursue his love for wine. After time spent in Burgundy and working as the wine buyer in some highly esteemed wine stores in LA, James has opened his own online shop specializing in exactly what the name of his company says – old and rare wines.

But don’t let the idea of “old and rare wine” scare you in these recessionary times. He’s got plenty of highly rated, quality rarities for under $25. Check out James’s site often as his inventory is always expanding due to high demand.

- Andrew

The Bike Racks in the Showers at Frog's Leap Winery - Napa, CA

2009-01-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

Ever had a dream house only to discover that someone has already built it? This happened on our last trip to Napa when we toured the Frog’s Leap Winery.

When you drive onto the property there’s a sign that gives you two choices. Go left to “work.” Go right to “play.” Although we chose “play,” I imagine their version of work would be just as fun.

The inside of the house (Hospitality Center and Administrative Office) is something to be marveled both from a design perspective and environmental achievement. Frog’s Leap winemaker John Williams achieved a “Gold” LEED certification in 2005 and they are setting the standard for sustainable farming and winemaking.

I was absolutely inspired by the design of this house by the way it looked and how the place made me feel. I would love to describe the inside, but I’ll save us both the words and post a few pictures:

Lisa (our tasting guide) explained how the different wood features around the house (chairs, tables, floor, ceiling, etc.) were all made from barrel staves, recycled corks, etc. But you couldn’t tell. I was amazed at how tasteful and stylish everything looked. Now, I’m sure someone from Frog’s Leap might read this and get insulted. But when people reuse barrels for furniture they look like, well… barrels.

This leads me to the bike racks.

In addition to using certified and composite wood for the house, there are other aspects one must use to get LEED certification, such as: installing non-PVC piping throughout the house, using all low emitting materials, heavy use of renewable energy sources such as geo-thermal and solar, and lots of other expensive upgrades. Each area only earns you one point. The more points you get, the higher the level of certification (Platinum is the highest "Al Gore" level).

What’s great is that you also earn one point doing smaller things like installing bike racks (encourages workers not to drive), stuffing the walls with used jeans (great insulation), and building a shower for your employees (saves on water if everyone does it together!). This makes everything equally important and easily achievable.

- Andrew

Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley - Yountville, CA

2009-01-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

Newly opened, and right across the street from The French Laundry, Ma(i)sonry is a “living gallery” for those looking to experience a little more aesthetic and intimate tasting than you might typically find at your usual tasting room “bar.”

Ma(i)sonry was founded by Blackbird Vineyards proprietor Michael Polenske who restored this beautiful 104-year-old private stone residence in Yountville. There’s plenty of great art ranging from 16th century European craftsmen to contemporary artists and designers. There was a pair of vintage leather club chairs that I was very tempted to walk out the door with. But instead, we got to sit in these chairs for our tasting. There are many cozy nooks throughout the space (and some great one by an outdoor fireplace – but it was a little too chilly in late Dec.) where you can enjoy their wine.

You get your own private “pourer” who provides all the wine and answers your questions about the place. Our tasting expert was Anthony who poured us wines from Lail Vineyards and Blackbird Vineyards. Here’s the list of wines:

Blackbird Vineyards
’06 Arise (100% Merlot)
’06 Illustration (86% Merlot, 11% Cab Franc, 3% Cab Savg.)
’06 Paramour (48% Merlot, 44% Cab Franc, 8% Cab Savg.)
’06 Contrarian (38% Cab Franc, 34% Merlot, 28% Cab Savg.)

Lail Vineyards
’07 Blueprint White (100% Savg. Blanc)
’05 Blueprint Red (71% Cab Savg., 25% Merlot, 4% Cab Franc)
’05 J. Daniel Cuvee (100% Cab Savg.)

Lail and Blackbird were the only two labels available to taste, but Anthony explained that, in the coming months, Ma(i)sonry will showcase a rotating collection of limited wines from boutique wineries such as: Brown Estate, Joel Gott, Pedras and Renteria.

The two things we liked most about Ma(i)sonry:

1. They’re open until 9PM every night. We’re not always ready to be done when the wineries close at 5PM so, if our palates aren’t completely destroyed, it’s nice to have a quality place to lounge and taste after hours.

2. The personal taster. At first we were a little skeptical because we hate being pressured into buying anything just because you show up. But Anthony was cool and everyone working there seems proud – which always creates a good vibe.

We took a few bottles home of both vineyards.

- Andrew

P.S. Anthony’s wife owns Xroads Sea Salts (www.philippineseasalts.com). It’s a family owned company and we like to support husband and wife businesses whenever we can! (For whatever it’s worth, Michael Mina and Thomas Keller use it too.)

New Years at Domaine Chandon

2009-01-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

Every New Years party tends to be a let down. We always want to be at the hub of whatever fun is going on, but for some reason, the night never pulls through.

Not this year.

We danced out 2008 and swaggered into 2009 at Domaine Chandon’s black tie “Roaring 20’s” New Year’s party. So much so that I might have “celebrated” enough to last until 2019.

We went with Andrew's brother, his friend Lindsay, and our friends Jay and Dana (pictured kissing on our homepage). The guys had a great excuse to wear our Little Barrel ties and the girls had no problem matching scarf belts to their dresses.

I gotta say, seeing Andrew's brother and my friends THIS dressed up in Little Barrel got me a little emotional. This time last year our company seemed like a pipe dream and, tonight, everyone wore OUR designs!!

As soon as we arrived, the dance floor swallowed everyone up and I barely saw my friends halfway through the first bottle (apparently Jay took it dancing). There was plenty of champagne and the live band kept everyone moving for hours. The best part about the crowd was there we so many people of different ages! I swear I saw the spitting image of my uncle doing the Charleston. People were in a festive mood and it was easy to make friends. Nobody wanted to stop.

Nobody really remembers what time our driver took us home, but we all had plenty of stories the next morning. I’d share them with you but a) you will judge and b) you just have to experience it yourself.

- Taylor

Holidays In Napa

2008-12-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row we rented a house with some friends for the last week of December and New Years. We’re up here for meetings, but we’ve also scheduled plenty of time to do what we do best - trying some new wineries and visiting some of our favorite places.

Some of the wineries we’ll be visiting:

Behrens & Hitchcock Co-Op Tasting Room
Spottswoode
Bremer Family
Corison
Frog’s Leap
Von Strasser
Viader
Anomaly
Silver Oak

We’ll be posting about our experiences in the coming weeks.

Happy New Year!

-Taylor & Andrew

RECESSION FRIENDLY WINES FOR THE HOLIDAYS ($15 OR UNDER)

2008-11-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

Every year we visit Taylor’s family in Boston for Thanksgiving and she cooks the entire meal for 30+ people. It’s an insane day and we buy everything at the local grocery store in one big trip – including the wine. Since it’s a group of 30, it’s hard to splurge on the good stuff, so here are our “best bets” on easily accessible wines under $15:

2006 Lincourt Sauvignon Blanc ($15)

This crisp and fruity wine will pair perfectly with your turkey, salad, and any salty foods you might serve. And don’t be afraid to drink this during cool weather. The lingering aftertaste will have you longing for summer.

2005 Grans-Fassian Riesling ($12)

A quality Riesling for the price. Not only does it pair naturally with poultry and fish, but it’s a great example of how wine and food truly enhance one another.

2008 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau ($14)

Beaujolais Nouveau is made specifically for the holidays. It’s purposely released on the third Thursday of November and it’s only good until just after the New Year. It’s soft, fruity, and goes with just about everything you would serve during the holidays.

2007 Francis Coppola Diamond Label Pinot Noir ($14)

For the price, this is a wonderful pinot noir. The wine is soft with red berry flavors and a smooth aftertaste. If you’re stuck on red, this wine will pair well with turkey, goose, duck and fish.

2006 Steele Zinfandel Pacini Vineyards Old Vines. ($14)

We love it for the price, the taste, and because it’s a wine you don’t have to think about. It’s a soft, fruit forward wine that adapts to any dish with medium to strong flavors.

2006 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon ($15)

A Chilean wine that’s bold and has well-structured tannins. This means it’s going to taste smooth and silky with a roast, steak, or any other red meat you might serve.

Little Barrel Launch Party

2008-11-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

Little Barrel officially launched with a celebration in New York City. Taylor’s parents (who live in Manhattan) were very generous to throw us a party in a loft in Chelsea. It was the first time we displayed our products in front of a massive group of strangers – including several journalists – and the enthusiasm was worth all the hard work over the last year to get this business off the ground.

As you know, the idea for Little Barrel came from our wedding (we made our first items for our guests) and many people from our wedding were there. It was fun to finally show them how our gifts have expanded into an actual business.

We couldn’t imagine celebrating our launch without serving great wine. So, we teamed up with one of our favorite wineries, Behrens & Hitchcock, and poured their 2003 Merlot and their 2003 Syrah Homage to Ed Oliviera. People were pretty pleased (and relieved) to finally be drinking great wine at a cocktail party.

Check out some of the great press we got from the party, including PAGE SIX!!

Page Six
The NY Observer
Women's Wear Daily
Variety's Stylephile

Erna Schein Winery (aka Behrens & Hitchcock) – Napa, California

2008-10-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Around the the Little Barrel office, Erna Schein is our new phrase for all the reasons why we love visiting Napa.

The tastings are held inside their basement barrel room, which is located high atop Spring Mountain. Although Erna Schein is pretty well known to most wine lovers, it still feels like a mom-n-pop hidden gem. They keep their tasting groups small so make sure you call in advance for an appointment.

Last time we visited, we sampled nine wines. Our favorite was their ’05 Behrens Family Reserve (I bought a bottle for Taylor on our 1 year anniversary, to drink on our 10 year). The wines are so good you’ll be comparing everything else you taste in Napa to their wide selection of bold, inky and highly praised reds.

JUST Inn at Justin Vineyards – Paso Robles, California

2008-10-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

Staying at the JUST Inn is the pinnacle of living the vineyard lifestyle. This bed and breakfast, which is as luxurious as a Four Seasons, is housed in the middle of Justin’s winery deep inside Paso Robles’ wine country. We love that a winery tour and a bottle comes with every room. Oh, and we still can’t get over how the rows of vines come right up to the pool. You’re completely surrounded. We imagine this is the closest it gets to knowing what it’s like to own a vineyard – even if it’s just for the weekend.

And yes, this is the home of the cult favorite Isosceles.

Lincourt Wine Club – Santa Ynez Valley, California

2008-10-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

Little Barrel has been a member at Lincourt ever since we started visiting the area several years ago. Their old farmhouse tasting room and really friendly staff make it the perfect midday stop. Their wine is so good we always bring a picnic and leave with a case.

Aside from the great discounts, as club members, you get additional free tastings (up to 6 people) at both Foley Estates winery and Firestone Vineyard – which makes us very popular when we take our friends on tasting trips.

The Farm at The Carneros Inn – Napa, California

2008-10-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

Our favorite place to camp out for the night in Napa is definitely The Farm at The Carneros Inn.

We like to arrive early so we can enjoy a glass of wine in their outdoor living room. We either sit around a fire pit in the chilly evenings or challenge our friends to a mean game of Bocce ball on the lawn. (I usually lose the first game, but after one glass I start winning!)

Once we drag ourselves into the dining room – we love to share appetizers such as the flatbread pizza with caramelized onions and the butternut squash soup when in season!

Viader Vineyard – Napa, California

2008-10-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

Viader makes some of the best Bordeaux style blends in Napa. Period. If you know a little about wine, you’ve heard of it. If you’re new to wine, you’ll get to know it very quickly.

They’re located on the steep slopes of Howell Mountain and their tasting deck has a view of Napa Valley that only the wine gods get to enjoy. Most wineries you’ll visit in this region are either on the valley floor or at the base of the foothills. This means that most of your vineyard views are sweeping, but flat. It’s not until you visit places tucked up in the mountains, like Viader, where you start feeling like you got your money’s worth.

We visit Viader every time we’re in Napa (recently joined the wine club) and we take our time once we’re there.