On Thursday I visited a most majestic wine place. Let’s put it this way - what’s better than drinking wine? Yes, being lathered in it! I heard about Caudalie at the Kenwood Inn and Spa a few months ago, and knew I had to check it out when the time was ripe. Especially because it’s the only vinotherapie spa in the U.S.

It’s like the owners turned their tiny part of the old Sonoma Highway into Aix-en-Provence, with its charming cobblestone corners and ivy-covered walls. After my wine bath and cabernet massage, I indulged in lunch and then paid a facilities fee to stay the remainder of the day, sunbathing and taking advantage of the endless trays of Port at every turn. For more details on the spa and treatments, look for a longer Travel story by me in the coming months.

Sorry I haven’t written for almost a week. I’ve been deeply involved in Hugh Johnson’s autobiography, "A Life Uncorked." The preeminent British author of "The World Atlas of Wine" and "Hugh Johnson’s Wine Pocket Book" is coming to the Bay Area this weekend and I really think you should meet him and hear why he thinks wine should only be compared to music, not other wines.

Here are the details:

Wine Country Luncheon & Book-Signing
Sunday, April 23rd,
11:30 am, Sunday, April 23rd
Wente Vineyards Event Center
5050  Arroyo Road, Livermore
Luncheon $45.00 per person
Call 925-456-2400 for reservations, or online at ticketmaster.com

Need more enticing? Here’s the menu:
        First Course
        Crab Louie Salad with Butter Lettuce,
        Sweet 100 Tomatoes, 8-Minute Egg, Avocados and Scallions
        Wente Vineyards 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, Livermore Valley

        Main Course
        House Smoked Double Cut Pork Chop
        with Red Skinned Potatoes, Asparagus and Spicy Red Onion Marmalade
        Wente Vineyards 2002 Crane Ridge Reserve Merlot, Livermore Valley

        Dessert
        Mocha Meringue with Milk Chocolate Mousse
        and Cabernet Glazed Strawberries
        Wente Vineyards 2003 Charles Wetmore Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon,
        Livermore Valley

Today is Passover, and I implore Jews and non Jews alike to dip into the sophisticated realm of kosher wines. Manischewitz is SO 1999. These days, pareve doesn’t make you pucker. Kosher wines are dry, elegant and come in just about every varietal, even sparklers! Here are some sure things:

Hagafen Napa Valley 2001 Brut Cuvee. It’s got a rose tint. ($30)

Baron Herzog Lodi Old Vine 2002 Zinfandel. Textbook zin. ($14)

Segal’s Galilee Heights 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon. What else are you going to serve with that brisket? ($17)

Bartenura Provincia di Pavia 2004 Moscato. For the sweet tooth. ($14)

L’chaim!

If you’re like me, you’ve been obsessing about how all this rain and snow and hail is effecting the area’s precious grapes, and what kind of vintage 2006 will end up being.

Napa’s Clos Du Val, for one, maker of luscious pinots and cabs, is happy to report no water damage to its vineyards in the Stags Leap District and Carneros. They’re all in bud break and everything looks healthy, according to Al Wagner, the vineyard manager.

Albeit, work is delayed — he’d much rather be planting Chardonnay clones, or rather, an ark with all those old barrels. But what’s a guy to do?

The land of Oz has done it again. This time, they’ve made it possible for me to drink Shiraz, my favorite varietal, during the spring and summer. So, if the sun ever actually comes out, I’ll be quite pleased.

Blackchook Sparkling Shiraz undoes the bad rap sparkling syrahs have gotten for being too sweet or cloying. Blackchook’s is dry and elegant, almost black in color and has an unusual finish. My friend Michaela and I had it last night with a stuffed Zachary’s pizza and we were in heaven. The stuff’s hard to find (supposedly 100 cases were shipped to the U.S.) but it’s worth looking for. Even better, it’s only $16. And if you the sun never comes out, serve it at your holiday meal.

Dig this — Wine author and importer Kermit Lynch of Berkeley was recently named a Knight of the Legion of Honor by the French republic. Julia Child, Robert Mondavi and Robert Parker are the only other non-French, non-military types to receive the honor. Look for a profile on Lynch in our Food and Wine section in the coming months.

In my last wine class, I learned that the first winemaker was most likely a woman, thousands of years ago, somewhere along the Caspian Sea. This thrilled me, and got me thinking about Middle Eastern wines — that conducive Mediterranean climate so much like ours and advances in winemaking techniques and agriculture have produced some fine wines, particularly in Israel.

If I could be anywhere this June, it would be in Tel Aviv, where the Israeli wine community is hosting its first international wine exhibition, showcasing its 150 wineries and expertise in growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvingnon Blanc, Merlot and Chardonnay.

If you need help navigating Israel’s wines, try Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wines, 2005, by Daniel Rogov.

As all things organic continue to flourish, I decided to look into organic winemaking and wines. I interviewed some big names in the movement, tasted some of their amazing wines, and visited an organic winery in our own Livermore valley. Check out today’s story and let me know what you think. Make sure to read the side bar about biodynamics — the future of organic winemaking.

Bev Mo Cellarmaster and wine whiz Wilfred Wong was kind enough to shoot me an email on his way to France, where he will spend weeks sampling new vintages. I’ll post his correspondences here. If you have any questions for him, send them my way and I’ll pass them on to him.

(Thursday, March 30, 2006, over the Atlantic Ocean)
Hi Jessica,

I should be sleeping now while on this jumbo 747 with over
400 people on it as we fly over the Atlantic. Embarking on another journey to Bordeaux to taste the new wines out of barrel (this year marks my 11th consecutive year). The plan is to taste over 400 wines from the highly touted 2005 Bordeaux vintage. The wine world has already been buzzing for months on how well all the red grapes ripened in the entire region.
Only a day away from tasting what could be the vintage of a
lifetime.
Cheers,
Wilfred