Twin Oaks Valley Winery is located in San Marcos. This is a little bit unusual considering that most north county wineries are in either Temecula or Ramona, but Jacob Kappeler and his business partner Frank Bons, also neighbors, have found a niche for grapes on their combined lands. Jacob runs T&H Prime Meats & Sausages, an extensive butcher shop that makes a wide array of sausages made from chicken, turkey, pork, beef and even lamb. Frank used to grow roses but was eventually pushed out of the flower market by cheaper imports from South America.

Ermano Salerno & his wife Rose used to run a pizza place in North Park. After many years, they decided to move up to North County and settle in Ramona, an area which has recently received the designation of the appellation "Ramona Valley." Both of Ermano's grandparents grew grapes in the Calabria area of Italy, so winemaking runs in his blood. However, so does pizza making, as I happily found out when I visited their vineyard last month! They welcomed me in like family, gave me a tour of their beautiful property, and I had fun chatting with them a bit in my pretty rusty Italian.

I'm no wine expert, but then again I don't think I need to be. As stated in The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine, "A good wine is a wine that tastes good to you." And we at Sea Rocket Bistro believe this to be the best, and only necessary, test. In spite of the many variables that give each wine its own unique flavors, texture and body, there are some basic properties of any varietal that can be used as a guide to selecting something you might like, or at least inform you of what to expect from, or look for, in a wine.

Basic differences between whites and reds:

Click here for my Wine Cheatsheet.

Don Frangipani tells us how he got into the wine business and about his background in produce and mushrooms. During the conversation, Elena drinks 12 bottles of wine. Enjoy the show!

39750 DePortola Road, Temecula, California 92592, tel: 951-699-8845, frangipaniwine@aol.com, frangipaniwinery.com