News
ENLARGE
National award-winning authors Ken and Dahlynn McKowen will be selling and signing their newest book “The Wine-Oh! Guide to California's Sierra Foothills” (Wilderness Press, $17.95) at Sierra Starr Vineyards' downtown tasting room during Cornish Christmas festivities, December 18 from 4 to 9 p.m. The tasting room is located at 124 W. Main Street in Grass Valley, next to the clock tower.
The Orangevale couple spent four months visiting more than 120 wineries in five foothill counties (Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras) and they included 83 wineries in the final cut. Stories were written about each winery, all of which offer a behind-the-scenes look at the destination. Wineries did not pay a fee to be included in the book.
The 320-page guide, released nationwide in October, also covers the history of viticulture in the Sierra foothills, as well as side trips and contact information. Two downtown Grass Valley tasting rooms were selected for the book: Lucchesi Vineyards and Sierra Starr
“We're thrilled to be in the book,” said Phil Starr, winemaker and co-owner, along with wife Anne and son Jackson, of Sierra Starr Vineyards. Before moving to Nevada County in the early 1990s, the couple owned a Monterey County farming business, providing specialty-cut flowers to the florist trade for more than two decades. Starr explained the reason for the move: “Life in the fog from May through September was more than I could take — I was tired of never having sun in summer. A high school buddy lived in Nevada County, so we bought a second home there and started building a client base for our cut flowers.”
Soon after, the Starr's purchased a candy/ice cream store in Nevada City, which kept them quite busy. But a farmer at heart, Phil Starr missed working with the soil and one year later they purchased another home on 15 acres in Grass Valley, land that had Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Eventually the Starrs sold the candy store and became grape growers and winemakers. In July 2003, they opened the first tasting room in downtown Grass Valley.
To learn more about Phil Starr, read his in-depth and entertaining interview at the McKowen's Web site, www.WineOhGuide.com. Starr discusses his college days at Chico State University, his son and assistant winemaker Jackson, and the process behind the winery's highly successful holiday offering — Zinjolais. Other Nevada County owners/winemaker interviews featured on the Web site include Mark Henry of Montoliva Vineyard and Winery in Chicago Park and Mark Foster of Nevada City Winery.
Besides signing the Wine-Oh! Guide, the McKowens will have some of their other titles with them, such as “Best of California's Missions, Mansions and Museums,” which won a national award for best travel guide in the country; “Best of Oregon and Washington's Mansions, Museums and More;” “Chicken Soup for the Soul in Menopause;” and “Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur's Soul.” To learn more about the December 18 event, contact Sierra Starr Vineyards at (530) 477-8282 or visit www.WineOhGuide.com.
The Orangevale couple spent four months visiting more than 120 wineries in five foothill counties (Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras) and they included 83 wineries in the final cut. Stories were written about each winery, all of which offer a behind-the-scenes look at the destination. Wineries did not pay a fee to be included in the book.
The 320-page guide, released nationwide in October, also covers the history of viticulture in the Sierra foothills, as well as side trips and contact information. Two downtown Grass Valley tasting rooms were selected for the book: Lucchesi Vineyards and Sierra Starr
“We're thrilled to be in the book,” said Phil Starr, winemaker and co-owner, along with wife Anne and son Jackson, of Sierra Starr Vineyards. Before moving to Nevada County in the early 1990s, the couple owned a Monterey County farming business, providing specialty-cut flowers to the florist trade for more than two decades. Starr explained the reason for the move: “Life in the fog from May through September was more than I could take — I was tired of never having sun in summer. A high school buddy lived in Nevada County, so we bought a second home there and started building a client base for our cut flowers.”
Soon after, the Starr's purchased a candy/ice cream store in Nevada City, which kept them quite busy. But a farmer at heart, Phil Starr missed working with the soil and one year later they purchased another home on 15 acres in Grass Valley, land that had Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Eventually the Starrs sold the candy store and became grape growers and winemakers. In July 2003, they opened the first tasting room in downtown Grass Valley.
To learn more about Phil Starr, read his in-depth and entertaining interview at the McKowen's Web site, www.WineOhGuide.com. Starr discusses his college days at Chico State University, his son and assistant winemaker Jackson, and the process behind the winery's highly successful holiday offering — Zinjolais. Other Nevada County owners/winemaker interviews featured on the Web site include Mark Henry of Montoliva Vineyard and Winery in Chicago Park and Mark Foster of Nevada City Winery.
Besides signing the Wine-Oh! Guide, the McKowens will have some of their other titles with them, such as “Best of California's Missions, Mansions and Museums,” which won a national award for best travel guide in the country; “Best of Oregon and Washington's Mansions, Museums and More;” “Chicken Soup for the Soul in Menopause;” and “Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur's Soul.” To learn more about the December 18 event, contact Sierra Starr Vineyards at (530) 477-8282 or visit www.WineOhGuide.com.
