Wine Finders 3
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.
Always interesting, educational and fun.
Wine Finders 3 meets on the third Thursday of the months and we start at 6pm and end around 8:00 PM.
Chairman – Larry McEwen
(925) 939-3216
Scroll down to see recent event reports and photos:
August 2026
On Thursday afternoon, Aug 20, sixteen members of Winefinders III and guests convened in the afternoon at the home of Leo & Gayle Dominguez to sample white wines from the Burgundy region of France. This was an educational opportunity for all to expand our knowledge of California wines to a region in France known best for its red wines such as Chateauf-Neuf-du Pape. The whites from the region are mostly produced from Chardonnay grapes with variations attributed to the many different wineries within Burgundy such as Macon-Villages and Louis Jadot.
Our hosts supplied all their guests with palet-cleansers of sparkling white wines, also from the Burgundy region. The nine wines sampled were priced from $7 to $20 and the judging produced a tie among four winners: Holley Yarberry’s La Vielle Ferme, available at $9 at BevMo; Ron & Amy Rizzo’s ’24 Macon-villages Chardonnay, available at BevMo for $16; Cobb & Diana Bennett’s ’23 Bourgogne Chardonnay, available for $13 at Grocery Outlet; and Peter Jordan and his guest Jenna’s ’23 Antech Chardonnay, available at Total Wines for $14.
A plentiful array of snacks were arrayed including caprese salad, turkey sandwiches and wraps, meat balls, two types of Chinese noodles, endless supplies of shrimp, stuffed eggs, chutney and various finger foods. The hosts culminated the food courses with a dessert of various flavors of mini bundt cakes and vanilla ice cream.
Following the festivities some guests admired Leo’s back yard garden which was a testament to his recently achieving the status of Master Gardener. Things broke up before 7 PM affording the revelers the luxury of heading home before dark.
The next meeting of winefinders III will occur during the 3rd week of October at the home of Roger and Mardi Lockwara featuring a yet-to-be-determined wine.
Larry McEwen
June 2026
Thursday afternoon, June 18, Holley Yarberry hosted a meeting of Winefinders III featuring Malbec wines. Six SIRS and their guests sampled wines mostly from South America with prices ranging from $7 to $20. The winner was a ’23 Donna Paula provided by Thom and Paula Watkins and available for $9 from Costco. Second place resulted in a tie between Jeff and Margo Peckham’s ’24 Alamos Mendoza, available for $12 at Safeway and Jim Sowell and his daughter Lisa Gartland’s La Finca Clos D’angel Valle de Colchagua, available for $20 at Total Wines. Accompanying the wines was a wonderful selection goodies ranging from a jalapeno artichoke dip, meatballs, apricots creme fraiche, a selection of cheeses and finger foods. The hostess treated her guests with a trio of home-made cheese cakes featuring lemon, cranberry and blueberry. Pictures of the snack table and the hostess and her desserts are attached.
April 2026
At 2PM on Thursday, April 16 seven members of Winefinders III and their wives convened on Kathy and Larry McEwen’s patio to sample Old Vine Zins. The hosts provided a palate cleanser of Fly By Sauvignon Blanc, available for $12 at BevMo. The clear Zin winner was Jim Sowell’s ’23 Cline, available at Trader Joe’s for $10. Second place went to Ron & Amy Rizzo’s ’21 Windstorm, available for $7 at Grocery Outlet. A selection of goodies featured Jim Sowell’s Caprese Salad, Amy Rizzo’s special Chinese noodles and Mardi Lockwara’s signature meatballs. Dessert consisted of cheesecake garnished with strawberries and hot fudge. Although the turnout was small spirited conversations reigned, and things didn’t break up until the wind came up around 7 PM.
November 2025
On Thursday afternoon, November 12, 11 members of Winefinders III and their guests convened at Kathy & Larry’s home to sample and judge Cabernet Sauvignons. The hosts provided a palate cleanser of Flyway Sauvignon Blanc, available at BevMo for $24 for 2. As always, a delightful spread of goodies accompanied the wines, including two types of chinese noodles, bottomless shrimp, homemade bread, and caprese salad. The wining wine was a ’22 Bogle Family provided by guests Gene and Marylou Paschal and available at Safeway for $12. Second placed was garnered by a ’23 Sonoma Grove Club provided by Jim Sowell and available for $12 at Grocery Outlet. The finish to the affair was a New York Cheesecake accompanied by rasberries and hot fudge sauce provided by the hosts. The next scheduled meeting of the group is scheduled for February, 2026. The attached photo is from our August meeting at Gayle and Leo Dominguez’s home. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.
August 2025
On August 21st twelve members of Winefinders III met at Roger & Mardi Lockwara’s home to sample sparkling wines. The contestants ranged from $7 to $30 and the winner came in at $17, a Chandon Brut from Napa provided by Gene & Marylou Paschal. As usual, goodies ranged from two Chinese gnoccis, one hot and onemild, bacon-wrapped scallops, home-made cheese bread, stuffed mushrooms and a variety of both cheeses and fruits. Although not necessary, the hosts supplied a Kirkland Sauvignon Blanc palate cleanser and a delighful cheescake and ice cream dessert. In spite of the heat we managed to finish up the evening out on the back deck for dessert and coffee.
June 2025
At 4 PM Thursday afternoon, June 19, fourteen members and guests of Winefinders III gathered at the lovely home of Leo and Gayle Dominguez to sample an array of California Blend Reds. The hosts supplied a palate-cleanser of a Kirkland New Zealand -based Sauvignon Blanc to placate the guests until things got organized. Fortunately, most guests delayed diving into the seven bottles of wine to feast first upon a remarkable array of appetizers. These included Chinese noodles with hot sauce, meatballs, and a wide selection of breads and finger foods (pic included). For many, the highlight was guest Thom Watkins’ world-famous jalapeno artichoke dip. The wining wine was Ron & Amy Rizzo’s 7 Moons Red Blend available for around $7 at Grocery Outlet. Prior to departing around 7, Gayle over-loaded everyone with copious servings of her home-made lemon bundt cake & ice cream.
Our next meeting is scheduled for August 21, with a yet-to-be-determined wine.
Updated 06/21/26 by MLF
