Sine Qua Non California Cult Rhone Wine Tasting

"I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury.  On the contrary, it is a tax on the health of our citizens." - Thomas Jefferson

If only a modern-day politician could contribute as much to the quality of our life as the late great Thomas Jefferson.  He was one of the first advocates of wine in the United States and he is one of the reasons why we have the greatest selection of wines from all around the world in the U.S. today.  So, remember...no matter how bad it gets, we still have great wines here in the U.S. of A.

In a few weeks we will be continuing the party with some GREAT wines from the U.S.A…. I need a few good men or women to help me drink some really fine wine on this occasion- our annual Sine Qua Non California Cult Rhone wine tasting.

What makes a "cult wine"? Do the producers pick the grapes at night under the full moon? Do they make it under a secret oath or while sacrificing a small farm animal? These ultra expensive, hard to find wines from California, Oregon and Washington State just have more customers than they do bottles to go around.  The simplest factor in the economy kicks in with these wines, good old supply and demand.  

This evening you can taste 9 different wines from Sine Qua Non for less than the cost of a single bottle in most cases!  And the price of this event includes dinner!!  The fee for this tasting is $395 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Sine Qua Non California Cult Rhone Tasting

Saturday, February 22nd

7:30 PM

2021 Sine Qua Non Distenta III White California

2010 Sine Qua Non Five Shooter Grenache, California, USA

2014 Sine Qua Non Capo Dei Putti Syrah Eleven Confessions Vineyard Santa Rita Hills

2015 Sine Qua Non Syrah Trouver l’arène

2016 Sine Qua Non Dirt Vernacular Grenache

2018 Sine Qua Non Grenache Profuga California

2020 Sine Qua Non Distenta I Grenache California

2020 Sine Qua Non Distenta I Syrah California, USA

2022 Sine Qua Non Distenta IV Syrah California

Menu

Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie

Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Sauteed Wild Mushrooms and Grilled Brioche Toast

Seared Ancho BBQ King Salmon Served over Black Bean Puree with Roasted Pepper Salsa

Colorado Rack of Lamb with Mongolian BBQ and Sweet Potato Au Gratin

Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee with Raspberry Coulis

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $395 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have issues and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.

A bit about Sine Qua Non from their web page:



"an essential condition; a thing that is absolutely necessary."

Our wines were born of pure passion and a wishful dream – to make something that is so distinctive and so delicious as to make it indispensable to wine lovers the world over. Clearly a rather lofty, even unrealistic notion, but one we decided to pursue anyway. And so with the 1994 vintage  started Sine Qua Non, made a whopping four and a half barrels of Syrah that we called “Queen of Spades.”

That first wine was a much greater hit than we could have ever imagined and it literally changed our life. What started as a hobby, more or less on a whim, has become not only our full time occupation, but indeed our life. It is now a part of just about everything we do.

These first four and a half barrels have grown into four different vineyard sites (see our Vineyards section please), a good number of wonderfully dedicated and hard working employees, a new winery building and a simply amazing number of loyal wine lovers the world over. In fact there are so very many lovely folks interested in our wines that we don’t have enough to go around and instead had to create something as annoying as a waiting list.

We are humbled by all the positive feedback we continuously receive by people like you as well as critics and journalists from all corners of the earth. We take that as our mandate to forever strive to get better, to never compromise and to stay true to ourselves and by extension to all those who have supported us and believed in us since those first 100+ cases of wine left our cellar…now so many years ago.

Although at heart we are a Rhone (Ranger) house where Syrah and Grenache play top fiddle… supported by Mourvedre, Rousanne and Viognier, we have an aversion to labels and dogmas or mindless ritual that are sometimes called tradition. And so we also grow non-Rhone-origin grapes such as Petite Manseng, Touriga Nacional, Graciano and Petite Sirah. Varieties we believe can work well on a Rhone canvas.

We are not working on a grape growing or winemaking THESIS. Instead we want all of our efforts to be reflected in every glass of SQN. And so our goal has been and always will be to understand Mother Nature’s often oblique ways and (re)act accordingly so that we may create wines that express all that Nature has so generously given us. And all that this beautifully warm and sunny place called California has to offer. Wines that speak to the heart and the mind both. Wines that are ripe and flavorful, but also graceful and balanced. Wines  that are perfectly enjoyable and delicious young, but  that will age and show a new and interesting personality with each passing year. Wines that surprise with each sip and where the last drop – not the first sip – was the best one. Wines that make you smile and happy and appreciate all that is lovely.

Wines that make you sense they were crafted by people who loved making them.

With that we hope you’ll join our vinous family and thanks again for looking us up.

In vino veritas,

Elaine & Manfred Krankl