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There are two things my wife would never leave me alone in a room with: a bottle of Barbera and Linda Fiorentino – because she knows I'm crazy about both of them.
Barbera is the second most planted grape in Italy; only Sangiovese is more heavily planted. Although it is a fantastic wine with unique characteristics unlike most red wines, it has just never made it as number one.
Similarly, Linda Fiorentino has been fantastic in many movies but has never reached the associated “star power.” Nebbiolo and Dolcetto grapes aren’t as widely planted as Barbera but tend to be more popular. Italy has wine appellations named for the grape and even different styles of Barbera wine making. There is Barbera D’Asti (dry and full bodied, 85 percent Barbera grapes) and Barbera D’Alba (medium bodied and acidic, 100 percent Barbera grapes), just to name a couple. Both are different appellations in the Piedmont region of Italy and both wines must have a minimum alcohol content of 12 percent just to be called a Barbera.
Barbera grapes have been grown in Italy since at least the 13th century. In the late 20th century the Piedmont region (Barbera’s home region) was rocked by a scandal when it was found that Barbera wines of the area were being spiked with methanol to raise the alcohol content. The deplorable deed left many people blinded and there were several deaths. This caused the popularity of the grape to decline and thousands of acres of vines were ripped from the ground, but in recent years it is finding its popularity again. In her time Linda Fiorentino has had her scandals that also have fallen to the wayside. And if it wasn’t obvious, Linda Fiorentino is Italian also.
Barbera grapevines thrive in hot weather and can develop a very high sugar content which leads to a wine with a high alcohol content. I think one of the reasons that I like Barbera so much is that it is (to me) very reminiscent of port. The fruity taste with the high alcohol burn makes Barbera seem like a mild port. Barbera grapes are fairly disease- and pest-resistant and the grapes are small but intense … I’ll steer clear of any Linda Fiorentino comparisons or jokes at this time.
Barbera is a unique flavored wine that to some people is very welcome but others find offensive. For many years it was used mainly as a blending wine to balance the acid levels or used in the “jug wine” milieu. It isn’t as complex in flavor as the heavier reds, and can be too acidic for the average person. Linda Fiorentino’s character in “The Last Seduction” wasn’t exactly a likeable person either, and though I wouldn’t call her acidic, she sure was toxic. Barbera’s acidity can turn some people off, but I find it very interesting and refreshing. Tannins are typically low to medium and are offset by the acidity.
Most experts think that Barbera should be consumed within six years of harvest for it to be its best. Many movie critics think that, although Linda Fiorentino has made numerous movies and been stellar in all of them, “The Last Seduction” was her best work even though it was her first (when she was younger, just like the wine).
Some Barbera do age very well, so you can buy them and throw them in the cellar for a few years and they tend to get better. Just like, guess who? Come on! Have you seen Linda Fiorentino lately? She’s several years older than me, yet I would still knock Britney Spears to the ground to get near Linda Fiorentino. Cellaring the bottles will soften any tannins that might be harsh, however cellaring should be reserved for the heavier stronger Barbera, not the lighter fruitier ones. Cellaring ones that are lighter and fruitier can cause them to become bitter and brown colored with age. So be sure to know the wine before you choose to put it up.
The flavors in Barbera fairly simple and straightforward, filled with red and black berries, blueberries, raspberries, rhubarb, cherries, dried fruit, fruit jam, minerals, orange peel, plum, spice, tamarind, violets, and watermelon. Aging the wine in oak (often toasted oak, i.e., scorched on the inside) gives it flavors of brandy, brown sugar, caramel, cinnamon, coconut, dark chocolate, dead leaves, earth, mocha, mushrooms, smoke, toast, tobacco, toffee, and vanilla.
Barbera screams to be eaten with steaks, a big hunk of red meat right off the grill, or something with lots of tomato sauce. It would not be at all suitable to drink it with a salad. The acidity of the wine would not pair well with any salad dressing. It would be like putting a hot pink disco suit on Linda Fiorentino - someone might like it, but most people would agree it’s in bad taste.
Linda Fiorentino is a hottie for connoisseurs. You won’t find her in a swimsuit poster on a teenage boy’s wall like Farrah. She does the slow low burn, seducing your mind more than your body. Similarly, Barbera is a wine for someone who really wants something different and completely opposite from the everyday. Barbera is the anti-blonde wine; it won’t sit there and giggle in your glass. It has a warm and husky voice like Linda Fiorentino that just lounges in the glass and purrs ... What? Is that too colorful of a description? Try a Barbera and you’ll understand.
Even the color of Barbera isn’t like other reds. While Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots are typically blackish red and densely colored, Barbera is a dark ruby. The color causes you to stop and take a second look as if you are looking at a liquid gem.
Barbera is sometimes made in a rustic manner and is left unfiltered so sediment can be present in the bottle. This is considered perfectly normal and proper, so don’t think there’s anything wrong with the wine if you wind up with solid bits left in the bottom of your glass. My general rule for Barbera is to not drink the last half cup in the bottle unless I have checked it for the little chunkies or decanted the bottle.
A strange thing I came across while researching this article is that, while you can Google Linda Fiorentino’s name and it will suggest a related search “Linda Fiorentino’s Legs,” oddly enough if you Google my name the consequent search results don’t mention my legs at all – but there is a medical doctor out there that probably shakes his head when he thinks of the karma of sharing a name with me. Barbera, however, can definitely have its legs talked about. When you swirl the wine around in the glass and the wine makes long streaks down the side of the glass, those are called the legs. While the legs of a wine are an indication of the alcohol content they don’t actually indicate anything terribly significant, but just like Linda Fiorentino’s they’re still frequently looked at.
I hope this gives you a desire to try a bottle of Barbera, and maybe rent “Men In Black” to go with it.
Lake County Barberas:
Robledo Family Winery
Rosa d’Oro Winery
Shannon Ridge Vineyards and Winery
Shooting Star
Zina Hyde Cunningham (Boonville winery, made with Lake County Grapes)
Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community. Follow him on Twitter, http://twitter.com/Foodiefreak .
On Wednesday a jury convicted 45-year-old Patrick Dewin McDaniel Sr. guilty of attempted voluntary manslaughter and assault with a firearm of the charges. He was found not guilty of attempted murder.
McDaniel was found guilty of shooting 42-year-old Patrick O’Conner Sr. on Nov. 26, the day before Thanksgiving, according to the Lake County District Attorney's Office.
He also was found guilty of possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of ammunition by a felon, and carrying a loaded firearm in public.
In addition, the jury found true special allegations the defendant personally used a firearm in the commission of the crime, intentionally discharged a firearm and caused great bodily injury to the victim.
William Conwell, McDaniel's defense attorney, said he could not comment on the case.
“I think the jury reached the right result,” said Deputy District Attorney Sharon Lerman-Hubert.
Lerman-Hubert said McDaniel faces a maximum of approximately 18 years in prison when he's sentenced on Nov. 7.
The confrontation that led to the shooting took place outside a home on Second Street in Clearlake Oaks, where McDaniel, his younger brother, Cecil, and some others were visiting.
According to the original investigation reports, Patrick McDaniel and O'Conner had exchanged words earlier in the day when the McDaniels arrived at a neighboring home. Witnesses stated that prior to the shooting McDaniel was argumentative, and was bragging and flashing a small semiautomatic pistol.
McDaniel went outside where he and O'Conner – who was in his yard with his 23-year-old son, Patrick Jr. – again had a confrontation. The O'Conners approached McDaniel, who was alleged to have pulled a gun from his coat pocket, struck Patrick O'Conner Sr. with in the head with the pistol and then shot him once in the chest.
After O’Conner Sr. was shot, he managed to run back to his house next door, where he was assisted by family members until medical personnel arrived. Deputies found him seated in front of his house.
Patrick O’Conner Jr. testified that he heard one shot, and then two more clicks as he and his father fled, the District Attorney's Office reported.
Deputies arriving at the scene searched for a reported five hours seeking the McDaniel brothers, as Lake County News reported last year.
Officials said the gun believed to have been used by Patrick McDaniel was found the next morning in a yard three houses west. The .380 caliber Walther PPK was picked up by a 5-year-old boy playing in his yard. The gun was jammed with a round in the chamber.
The McDaniels fled, with deputies arresting Cecil McDaniel on Dec. 3 in Clearlake Oaks.
Patrick McDaniel was arrested on a fugitive warrant by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police on Dec. 17 and extradited by the US Marshals Office to San Quentin State Prison before being returned to Lake County.
After his arrest, Sgt. Det. Jim Samples of the Lake County Sheriff's Office interviewed McDaniel in Nevada, at which time McDaniel admitted to the shooting, but claimed it was an accident, and that he was defending himself and his brother, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Lerman-Hubert also prosecuted Cecil McDaniel, who in April was found not guilty of felony battery with serious injury for breaking O'Conner's son James' jaw just after the shooting occurred.
Patrick McDaniel's trial was a long one, beginning on Aug. 18 and Oct. 7, with Judge Stephen O. Hedstrom presiding.
The trial's length was due to a large amount of evidence, 20 witnesses and numerous delays, said Lerman-Hubert.
During the trial, Lerman-Hubert called to the stand a Sutter Lakeside Hospital doctor who worked on Patrick O'Conner, and who testified that the injury he suffered was life-threatening.
The seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated on the case for approximately five hours in Department Four in Clearlake, according to the District Attorney's Office.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The fire, which occurred along New Long Valley Road within a mile of Highway 20, was dispatched at 12:26 p.m. Friday, according to Cal Fire, which had joint command of the incident.
A passing United Parcel Service driver reportedly stopped to empty his fire extinguisher on the car as firefighters and California Highway Patrol responded to the fire, which blocked traffic in and out of the valley.
The fire then moved up a nearby hillside. “We took care of the vehicle fire an part of the wildland fire, and Cal Fire took over from there,” said Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Ken Petz.
Northshore sent an engine and a medic unit to the fire, said Petz, while Cal Fire sent five engines, a bulldozer that was used to create a fire break and aircraft.
Cal Fire said the blaze was contained at 12:54 p.m. The blaze was estimated to be about a half-acre in size.
Petz noted that, despite the dry conditions, there hasn't been much fire activity recently.
The only other fire activity of note in the area was reported by the Mendocino National Forest.
Late Thursday, a small fire just over an acre in size was reported in the Rice Valley area of the Mendocino National Forest, according to spokesperson Tamara Schmidt.
Cal Fire reported that it sent engines, dozers and hand crews to assist in fighting the fire, located in the vicinity of Lake Pillsbury.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office advises voters that a consolidated general district election is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
At this election, voters who reside within the city of Lakeport will have the opportunity to vote for or against Measure C (use and sale of fireworks within the city).
In addition, voters who reside within the boundaries of the Mendocino-Lake Community College District, Upper Lake High School District, Upper Lake Elementary School District and Lucerne Elementary School District will have the opportunity to elect governing board members for each of the school districts.
Please be aware that new residents of Lake County, and registered voters who have moved to a new address, changed their mailing address within the county, or changed their name, that you need to reregister in order to be eligible to vote in the upcoming consolidated general district election.
Don't delay – the last day to register to vote for the Nov. 3 consolidated general district election is Monday, Oct. 19.
The completed voter registration form must be either personally delivered to the Registrar of Voters Office on or before Oct. 19 or, postmarked on or before Oct. 19 and received by mail by the Registrar of Voters Office.
Please be aware that pursuant to Section 2101 of the California Elections Code: "A person entitled to register to vote shall be a United States citizen, a resident of California, not in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony, and at least 18 years of age at the time of the next election."
Residents may register to vote at the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office, Room 209, Courthouse, Lakeport or may phone the Registrar's Office at 707-263-2372 for information.
Registration forms are also available at most local post offices, libraries, senior centers, city offices and chamber of commerce offices.
While a person is alive, the person’s estate planning attorney is strictly prohibited from disclosing any information to anyone else without the client’s express consent (authorization). An attorney is not supposed to even disclose that the client came to him for estate planning.
So, as long as the client does not invite other persons to sit-in on the estate planning meeting, or subsequently allow others to read their estate plan documents, then the contents of that person’s will or trust will remain confidential.
That said, if the client later on becomes incapacitated and the named successor trustee steps in during the period of disability, then that other person will naturally read the trust (estate planning document). The trust document can advise the successor trustee, however, to keep the document confidential from other inquiring persons.
At death, the estate plan will have to be disclosed, to one degree or another. If a will is used, it is filed with the county superior court of residence; at which time anyone in the public is allowed to see the entire document. If a trust is used, however, it is not required to be filed with the county court, and so does not become a public record (unless trust litigation ensues). This makes the trust a more confidential document than a will.
Clearly, however, neither a will nor a trust is a “secret” document. That is, after death, one’s beneficiaries and heirs (i.e., those familial persons otherwise entitled to inherit under California Law) are each entitled, upon request, to a copy of the trust and/or will, as relevant. One cannot exclude disinherited heirs (e.g., a disinherited child) from receiving a copy of the estate planning document.
A major distinction between a will and a trust is that you can to a keep matters more confidential with a trust, as it does not become a publicly available document. If a trust is used, then it is best to remove any minor gifts to persons who otherwise are not entitled to receive a copy of the trust; instead, have their gifts pass by way of a will, in order that such minor beneficiaries do not become entitled to receive a copy of the trust. For example, a gift of an antique grandfather clock to a neighbor should not be included in the trust if one does not want the “neighbor” to know the contents of the trust.
Lastly, and importantly, after one dies, all beneficiaries are entitled to receive information about the estate’s assets, liabilities, receipts and disbursements to the extent that such information is pertinent to their inheritance. This usually comes in the form of an inventory and accounting by the trustee or executor to the beneficiaries.
In summary, until one passes on, the estate planning documents can be kept confidential. After death, copies of the estate planning documents are allowed to the heirs and beneficiaries.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 1st St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at
The National Weather Service in Sacramento stated that this storm has the potential to produce a significant amount of rain across interior Northern California, including Lake County, beginning on Monday through Wednesday, accompanied by strong winds.
Typhoon Melor, which blew across central Japan on Thursday with winds of up to 123 miles per hour, caused transportation disruptions and landslides on Japan's southern, according to Reuters.
Rain is expected to arrive in Lake County Monday afternoon and spread over interior Northern California by Monday evening, the National Weather Service predicted. Periods of heavy precipitation are possible overnight into Tuesday, with some areas receiving between 2 and 7 inches of rain.
High winds also will accompany this storm, with sustained winds expected around 40 miles per hour, and gusts up to 60 miles per hour or more at higher elevations in the mountains and foothills, based on the National Weather Service forecast.
Winds at these speeds can down tree branches and cause property damage, officials cautioned.
Because this is predicted to be the first significant storm of the season and water levels are low, significant impact on most rivers and streams is not expected. However, the National Weather Service said that excessive runoff from heavy rainfall could cause flooding issues on smaller streams, creeks and tributaries that have accumulated plant growth through the summer.
Additionally, areas that have experienced fire events and have burn scars could experience debris flow, the agency warned.
Temperatures Friday through Sunday should reach daytime highs near 80 degrees, with overnight temperatures in the low 40s, but as the storm approaches, highs through Wednesday will only reach the mid 60s with precipitation continuing, the National Weather Service forecasted.
Next Thursday, skies will be partly cloudy and daytime temps rise back in to the 70s, with the National Weather Service predicting sunny skies for the remainder of next week.
Residents are advised to make preparations in advance of the approaching storm and monitor weather reports for updated information.
E-mail Terre Logsdon at