Wine Finders 1
One of several wine tasting groups for couples or single SIR. Host picks a wine varietal to be tasted, and each participant purchases a bottle of his choice of the same varietal. We do a blind tasting of all wines and vote on the winner. All in fun. Not real serious..
Members/spouses volunteer to hold the tasting at their home and they select the month they would like to host and the varietal to be tasted. So the venue moves around and we taste different wines from all over CA and the world. If you live in a small condo or apt. you can participate but are not expected to host.
Always interesting, educational and fun.
Members volunteer to host and a schedule for the year is produced and distributed to the members.
Wine Finders 1 meets on the 2nd Thursday of the even numbered months at the home of one of the group members. Members volunteer to host and a schedule for the year is produced and distributed to the members. We start at 6:00 PM and usually end by 8:00 PM. If you are interested in joining the group, please contact Ken Stehr.
Chairman: Ken Stehr
925-934-5245
Scroll down to see upcoming event schedules, recent event reports an photos:
August 2026
Our August meeting was hosted by Ed and Vickey Kirschner, The wine selected for evaluation was the generic Red Blend. This wine was chosen for its potential broad appeal and ready availability at inexpensive price points. Several of the tasters commented that there was little difference between the eight bottles being sampled. However, a clear favorite emerged as a 2024 Menage a Trois, which is a blend of fruit from St. Helena and Lodi vineyards. It was purchased at Safeway for $9.99. The second-place wine was a 2022 Priority Red, Bit Wicked from Grocery Outlet at $6.99. The third favorite was a Sonoma Blend, Highway 12 from Costco at $12.99.
While there is always some blending in the production of vintage varietals, these results demonstrate how a decent wine can be crafted by the wine maker when allowed more latitude in the blending process. In the United States, the wine must contain at least 75% of the named grape to be called that varietal. State exemption is Oregon that requires 90% to be called a Pinot Noir. Foreign producers require higher percentages of the named grapes, as much as 85%.
Our next gathering will be October 8, 2026.
Ken Stehr, Chairman
Wine Finders 1
925-899-8531
July 2026
There was no activity in July. The next scheduled meeting is August 13, 2026.
June 2026
The Wine Finders 1 group met on June 11. We had a very nice turnout of 17 participants for a blind tasting of the Chardonnay varietal. We were treated to the gracious hospitality of Doug and Shari Barber in their lovely Danville home. As usual, there were plenty of snacks contributed by the attendees and no one went away hungry.
There were eight renderings of the Chardonnay vintage to judge. The Chardonnay grape is widely cultivated and, as such, there are a vast number of wines produced with slight to huge character differences. The sheer number of variants and commonality of taste has earned the wine the “ABC” designator (Anything But Chardonnay). Some are surprising good, however.
One criterion we use when entering a bottle of wine for tasting is that it should cost no more than $20.00. Listed below are our top three favorites with their price and store of origin so you can pick up one of the winners to determine if you like it, as well.
- 2025 Muirwood un-Oaked Chardonnay, Monterey. $13.99 at Wine & More.
- 2025 Rodney Strong Chardonnay, Chalk Hill. $15.99 at Knob Hill.
- Freakshow Chardonnay. $10.99 at Safeway.
Our next gathering is scheduled for August 13, 2026
April 2026
Our last meeting was held on April 9th at the lovely poolside venue of David Glazer and Helen Choi. David had his pizza oven fired up and the shared appetizers were tasty and plentiful. A wonderful apple pie a la mode topped off the non-liquid portion of the evening.
The varietal selected to be evaluated by the decerning palates of our devoted members was Malbec. This ruby-red, low-tannin and fragrant wine is very pleasant to drink and pairs well with hearty dishes. Of the selections offered by our members, only one was California grown. The rest of the entrees were all Argentinian. In keeping with our charter, the wines should be no more than $20.00. In this case, however, the California wine was a more expensive ringer from a Livermore Valley winery and available from their wine club. Following are the rankings of the top three Malbec wine according to our tasters;
- 2024 Malbec, Alomos, Argentina. $11.95 Safeway
- 2018 Malbec Reserve, Concannon, Livermore. $30.00 Wine Club
- 2023 Malbec, Silverland, Argentina. $5.99 Grocery Outlet
Our next gathering is scheduled to be held on June 11, 2026.
March 2026
There was no activity in March. Our next scheduled meeting is April 9, 2026.
February 2026
We had a good turnout for our first meeting of 2026 for a Syrah varietal sampling. Special thanks are extended to Rob and Gay Laaback for again being the quintessential hosts. Gay went all out with her Valentines Day theme with a lovely tablescape and some killer chocolate desserts. The appetizers brought were plentiful and delicious. We also had the pleasure of welcoming two new participants, Erwin Johnson and Jennifer Jeffery-Kent.
There was a tie for the first-place wine with Australian vintages being heavily represented. Following are the tasting results:
- 2021 Layer Cake Shiraz, Australia, 2022$15.99 at BevMo
- 2022 Langmeil Barossa Shiraz, Australia, $12.99 at Trader Joes
- 2019 Territory & Chapoulie Shiraz, Australia, $12.99 at Grocery Outlet
- 2022 McClean One Last Syrah, Paso Robles, CA, $19.00 at BevMo
Our next gathering is scheduled for April 9.
Cheers,
Ken Stehr
925-899-8631
January 2026
There was no Wine Finders 1 activity in January. The next meeting is scheduled for February 12, 2026
December 2025
December 11th marked the last meeting of the year for the Wine Finders 1 group. The December meeting has typically been a very relaxed affair that concentrates on savoring bubbly wine, good food and lively conversation. The normal stresses involved in tasting and evaluating a particular varietal are postponed to the upcoming new year when our work will once again begin in earnest.
This year, the final meeting of 2025 was held at the residence of Ken and Linda Stehr in Walnut Creek. Attendance was good with a few members being unavailable due to travel plans and yearly migration obligations. A wide sampling of sparkling wine was available along with an extensive menu of delightful appetizers. Everyone had a fine time enjoying the holiday spirit and leaving with a special gift and perhaps an extra slice of Linda’s tasty almond cake.
The next Wine Finders 1 meeting is scheduled for February 12, 2026.
Ken Stehr
October 2025
Members of the Wine Finders 1 group October meeting were treated to the gracious hospitality of SIR Bill Barber and the always lovely Chloe Laube. While the attendance was a little light, the food and comradery made for a very enjoyable evening.
The varietal of choice under scrutiny was Cabernet Sauvignon. The normal restriction of a purchase price of less-than $20.00 applied with entries from many California wineries submitted. A surprise entry from Israel was also entered for consideration.
Following are the top three picks from the tasting. All three winners were purchased at Safeway:
- 2022 Hess Select, Napa, $15.99
- 2022 Banshee, Sonoma, $17.88
- 2022 Francis Coppola Appellation Series, Paso Robles, $16.99
Ken & Linda Stehr won first place for the second time in a row at our wine tasting at the home of Chloe Laube.
Our next gathering will be an informal soiree in December to imbibe some bubbly cuvee and share holiday cheer. The heavy lifting of grading different varietals will begin again with our February meeting.
Cheers to all,
Ken Stehr
September 2025
Wine Finders 1 next meeting is scheduled for October 9, 2925.
August 2025
Our just-concluded August tasting was graciously hosted by Dan and Lynn Crowley at their summer palace situated on the renowned golf links of Diablo Hills. The event was well attended by 20 members who enjoyed the mild weather, excellent assorted hors-d’oeuvres, and lively conversation.
The assignment for this gathering was to determine the best Petite Sirah procured for less than 20-Bucks. The search for representative samples turned out to be difficult because there is very little of the petite varietal cultivated. The rules were relaxed slightly so that generic Sirah could be substituted. The entries ended up comprising of three Sirah and six Petite Sirah. The experience thus became a trans-varietal tasting challenge. Nevertheless, it always comes down to what pleases your palate, and our members gallantly made their way through the nine entries.
Here are the results for the top three picks:
- 2022 Syrah, Radius Vineyard, Walla Walla, WA. $12.99
- 2021 Petite Sirah, Bogle Family Vineyard. $9.99
- 2020 Petite Sirah, Two Angels. $13.99
Note: Only 1 point separated the number 1 and 2 entries. The number 3 entry lagged number 1 by 5 points.
Our next event is scheduled for October 9, 2025.
July 2025
Wine Finders 1 had no activity in July. The next scheduled get together is August 14, 2025.
Updated 08/15/26 MLF
