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Hitching Post Wine is here tonight at Marina Kitchen in San Diego it is going to be a delicious night... The man in the background smiling is Gray, one of the owners of the winery (Did I mention I love somms? Especially my friend Wendy Shoemaker who is the resident somm here?)

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And this is the best part of coming to special events at Marina Kitchen in San Diego (it's downtown and you really need to come here and meet their Advanced Sommelier, Wendy Shoemaker (on IG at @madscientess), who really knows her stuff, but is SUPER down to earth)... They have a free raffle for bottles of wine and I totally scored tonight!!! #partyatmyplace

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Wendy Shoemaker, Advanced Sommelier at Marina Kitchen, with Gray Hartley of Hitching Post Wines. We had a really nice evening in a side room with incredible tasting plates that went with the wine. Wendy was very helpful, along with Gray, to explain what was so unique about their pinot, which was really really delicious. I've never really been a fan of pinot noir, except for ones I have had in France from small vineyards that my beloved father-in-law has taken me to. When I told Wendy about this, she took the time to explain what makes a great Pinot and how it is actually a quite finicky grape. She recommended only buying a Pinot that was on the more expensive side (if you are buying it in the States) because it will be more likely to be as delicious as the ones as you can get in France (for considerably cheaper, I might add). Gray, the winery owner, told me about his passion for Pinot and how his goal was to make it more accessible in California. He told us about the layers and subtleties and love that he puts into the wine he makes. It was a very nice evening.

Getting my pour of the 2001 Hitching Post Julia's Vineyard pinot noir from the somm in training at Marina Kitchen: