The exclusive wine tasting tour will feature a flight of ten wines crafted solely from grapes grown in the Malibu AVA. Pourtal’s high-tech Enomatic machines will be busy dispensing tastes through the month of January. Each wine is priced per 1 oz. pour, and guests are welcome to sample at their own pace. Two additional Malibu wines will be available from Pourtal’s by-the-glass list.

Made in Malibu featured wines include:

• 2006 Hoyt Family Vineyards Chardonnay
• 2008 Republic of Malibu Pink Lady Rosé
• 2007 Cielo Malibu Rouge
• 2001 Semler Cabernet Sauvignon Library Release
• 2005 Semler Syrah
• 2005 Rosenthal Malibu Newton Canyon Merlot
• 2004 Rosenthal Surfrider Red
• 2007 Griffin Family Vineyard Malbec
• 2007 Malibu Vineyards “Vortex” Sangiovese
• 2008 Malibu Sanity Pinot Noir, Schetter Malibu Vineyard

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Made in Malibu debuts on Wednesday, January 6 with a launch party honoring the winemakers. Representatives from each of the featured wineries will discuss their wines as well as hand-pour an additional wine. Pourtal will provide hosted appetizers for guests. Admission to the launch party is free. The hand-poured tastings are free with the purchase of a $15 Pourtal tasting card, which may be used for pours from the Enomatic machines at any time.

Throughout the month, Pourtal will also host select Malibu wineries for a special series of hand-poured tasting events. Each winemaker will present several off-the-list wines to taste, as well as have a few bottles available for purchase. The tastings are free to guests with the purchase of a $15 Pourtal tasting card.

NOTE: Dates and times for the special tastings are subject to change. For the full schedule of tasting events, please visit Pourtal’s website.

Made in Malibu
Wine Tour and Tasting Series
Jan. 6-31, 2010
Available any time during regular business hours.

Launch Party: Wednesday, January 6th, from 7-10pm.

Pourtal
104 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 393-7693
www.pourtal.com

Update 1/19: Tonight, you can support the Haiti earthquake relief effort by drinking wine. From 7pm to closing, Pourtal will donate 25% off all tasting sales on Tuesday night to the Santa Monica chapter of the Red Cross specifically for the earthquake relief in Haiti.

Dan’s business savvy has proven to be the equal of his comedic talents. Most people know that Dan is the co-founder of the House of Blues chain. He’s also the Canadian importer and co-distributor of Patron tequila, and the principal owner of Crystal Head Vodka. As if all that isn’t enough, Dan also has a long-standing interest in wine. This love affair began while he was working on SNL and The Blues Brothers, when musician Steve Cropper introduced Dan to Premier Cru Bordeaux and other world-class wines. Dan then immersed himself in the wine world, launching his own brand in Canada in 2007 to rave reviews. In 2008 Dan partnered with Sonoma County’s DeLoach Vineyards to create a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chardonnay in a style that reflects his passion for entertaining family, friends, and fans.

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On Thursday, October 8th, Dan is hosting an intimate gathering at the Whole Foods on 3rd and Fairfax. Dan will sign bottles of his new Discovery Series California wine, and fans will get to sample the wine. There’s no RSVP necessary, just show up and enjoy! All the info is below, as well as the details on a special giveaway after the jump.

Dan Aykroyd Wine Tasting
Thursday, October 8th
4pm to 6pm
Whole Foods Market
6350 W. 3rd St. (at Fairfax)
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Win a bottle of Discovery Series wine, signed by Dan Aykroyd!

(CONTEST IS CLOSED)

Whole Foods Market has graciously donated a bottle of Discovery Series wine, signed by Dan Aykroyd, for one lucky fan to win!

We’re doing a little contest to see who gets the bottle, and it couldn’t be easier to enter (assuming you’re on Twitter, of course). Just retweet the message below, with your favorite Dan Aykroyd movie between the quotes:

RT @ThirstyinLA @WFMLA Dan Aykroyd #DiscoverySeries Wine Tasting 10/8: “MOVIE”

We’ll randomly select a tweet and post the winner here and via Twitter.

Here are a few rules:

• You must be 21 to enter
• One entry/tweet per person
• No purchase necessary*
• Retweet must be posted by 12pm PST on Thursday, October 8

The winner does not have to be at the event, but the signed bottle must be picked up at Whole Foods by Thursday, October 15. So, you can enter if you’re from out of town, as long as you plan on being in the L.A. area next week.

*Please note, the winner will have to pay 1 cent for the bottle. Don’t ask me, ask the lawyers.

Good luck everyone!

UPDATE 10/8: The contest is now closed! Congratulations to Stephanie Bayer, who was the only entry who picked The Blues Brothers (not that any movie was right or wrong), and even included the classic “We’re on a mission from God” quote in her winning tweet. Thanks to everyone who entered, stay tuned for future giveaways!

I was invited to attend a very special sneak preview event to sample the competition winners, who didn’t find out they’d won until the awards were officially announced earlier today. Appropriately enough, the preview event took place at McCormick & Schmick’s on tony Rodeo Drive.

In a change from previous years, judges awarded Best of Show red and white wines by price point.

Following are the Best of Show reds:

• Tamari, Malbec, Reserva, Mendoza Argentina, 2007 ($14.99 and under)
• Target Wine Cube, Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Blend, California, 2007 ($14.99 and under)
• Cantina Redi, Briareo Riserva, Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano DOCG 2006 ($15 – $29.99)
• Armida Winery, Syrah, Flora Ranch, Chalk Hill, 2006 ($30 and up)
• David Bruce Winery, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, 2006 ($30 and up)

And the Best of Show white wines:

• South Coast Winery, Muscat Canelli, Temecula Valley, 2008 ($14.99 and under)
• St. Hallett, Riesling, Eden Valley, Australia, 2008, ($15 – $29.99)

Last year, the Wine World of Sports category was created to introduce the wines of sports figures such as Mario Andretti and Greg Norman. Top honors this year went to Los Angeles Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda’s wine, Pinot Grigio delle Venezie IGT, 2008. Not surprisingly, there’s a picture of Tommy on the bottle. I should also mention his wine was really good.

New for 2009 is Music Uncorked, a category for musician vintners that includes everyone from Lil Jon to Barry Manilow. Maynard James Keenan, lead singer for Tool, and his Caduceus Cellars took Best of Show for Red Blends, Shinola, Merkin Vineyards, California, 2007.

A blind taste test of the Best of Show reds.

After making our way around the various tasting stations, attendees were invited to gather at a communal table, where glasses of the Best of Show reds were lined up. The object was to guess the price points of each glass. I have to admit it was both intimidating and educational to be seated at the table with two of the wine judges, Bob Blumer (aka “The Surreal Gourmet”) and Master Sommelier Michael Jordan. While suppressing my urge to eavesdrop on them, I managed to get two right (both of the $15 and under reds) and I wasn’t too far off with the other three. The Armida Syrah was the consensus winner at the table, even before the prices were revealed.

The Spirits display, including Best of Show winner Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban.

The Spirits category was added in 2007, and this year Best of Show was awarded to The Glenmorangie Company, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (Whiskey/Whisky Single Malt Scotch 11-20 years old).

The 2005 Samuel Adams Utopias, a Gold Medal winner.

Winner of the Los Angeles International Commercial Beer Competition was The Bruery’s Berliner Weisse. Among the other beers on display was the 2005 Samuel Adams Utopias (Gold Medal, Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer).

In the Extra Virgin Olive Oil competition (first introduced in 2000), California and Spain emerged as the big winners of the 477 entries.

The public will have its first opportunity to taste the award-winners at Wine & Cars Under the Stars, a fundraising event to benefit the education programs of the Foundations at Fairplex.

The complete list of all the winners is available at the official competition website.