Bartending-World.com BIASED review: Mint Julep A sure winner for the "most heard of drink you've never tried", the Mint Julep is surprisingly good. It is the only drink known to simultaneously cause good breath and a southern drawl.

Bartending-World.com BIASED review: A Piece of Ass Perhaps a bit sweet for our taste, then again, we'll drink anything. The name of this ice-breaker cocktail pretty much says it all.

Bartending-World.com BIASED review: Alabama Riot Now THIS is what we're talking about! A virtual buffet of tasty high octane spirits! Be warned however, your customers will love you as you serve them but will hate you in the morning if you serve too many. The sugar content in both the Southern and the Schnapps combined with the mixer can leave you with a hang over to write home about.

Thousands of Americans travel to Napa Valley each fall to "see, swirl, sniff, swish and spit" the hundreds of wines the Valley offers. But many visitors are intimidated by the implied complexity and lofty attitudes surrounding wine tasting.

But for visitors of Goosecross Cellars, located in Yountville, Napa Valley, there's no need to be intimidated. To demystify wine tasting techniques and etiquette, Goosecross offers classes for visitors every Saturday morning during harvest.

Sitting on the lawn facing the vineyard for 90 minutes, class attendees will learn about tasting techniques, structure and components of wine, winemaking preferences and styles, industry jargon, serving hints and proper storage. Although full of information, the class is presented in a light and humorous style, engaging the novice without jargon and industry pretension.

Space is limited to 30 attendees per class. To find out more information and register for classes through October 2005, go to the Goosecross website

Our 2006 Class schedule will be posted online by April, 2006

Goosecross Cellars celebrates the release of the 2003 ÆROS with an exceptional afternoon of wine, food, fun and education. Set on the estate lawn and rose garden, with breath-taking vineyard views, the ÆROS Garden Party, will be held on September 17th from 3:00-7:30pm.

"We want to offer something significantly more than just another wine and food event. We see this as an opportunity to get to know our Goosecross Cellars and ÆROS enthusiasts better, and to offer something of educational value at the same time. We have a tradition at Goosecross Cellars of providing a friendly, educational experience and unsurpassed customer service." explains Proprietor Colleen Topper. "Producing wine as remarkable as our ÆROS line of wines takes not only great passion, but also keen viticultural and winemaking skill and talent.

Our winemaker and the whole family will be on hand to share an inside look at the viticultural factors and winemaking skills required for production. Attendees can participate in everything, be selective, or just sit back and enjoy the wine, food and live music! Our hope is that our guests not only have a marvelous afternoon, but also that their appreciation of fine wine is enhanced by an event such as this. It's something that will enrich our guests' wine experiences not only here in Napa, but at home for years to come."

Included in the festivities will be a rare vertical tasting of three past ÆROS vintages, as well as barrel tastings of the ÆROS wine components. Each guest will leave with a complimentary bottle of the recently released 2003 ÆROS Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy at home. And, for the first time ever, Goosecross will offer its limited Library wines for exclusive sale at this event.

To ensure personal attention and an intimate experience, only a limited number of guests will be admitted. Tickets are being pre-sold on a first-come, first-served basis. To find out more about this event, go to www.goosecross.com

Napa Valley wineries release several new vintages and varietals each year, but each takes special pride in the wines grown in their own backyard.

This is especially true at small family wineries, where hand-picking, sorting and blending is still part of the process, and there is personal attention to quality and detail not seen at more commercial, mass-production wineries.

Goosecross Cellars is one of those small family Napa Valley wineries. Located on State Lane in Yountville, they are now releasing their third vintage (vintage 2002) of 100% Zinfandel grown on the vineyard lot located across the street to the winery production facility and tasting room.

Winemaker Geoff Gorsuch stated, "We are proud of our home within the Yountville appellation, where so many varietals thrive in the volcanic alluvial soil." Gorsuch added, "I've often heard it said that Yountville is the combination of all that is possible in the Napa Valley."

Elegant and stylish, this single-vineyard Yountville "State Lane" Zinfandel sweeps across the palate with rich and ripe flavors of wild berry jam, white pepper and cherry spice. Intriguing  Black cherry and pungent spices round out the middle picking up a pretty touch of raspberry and watermelon which mingle with a touch of vanilla oak on the finish. You won't want to miss this very limited-production gem from this small, family winery.

To find out more and order this wine, go to www.goosecross.com