Somm Journal | April 2015

We had a very busy spring and 3 different eiotirial shoots in the April issue of the SOMM Journal.  The first was a shoot of Master Sommeliers Robert Bath and Tim Gaiser at the Culinary Institute of America In St. Helena.  They tasted and evaluated 47 different Australian Sharaz’s.  Next was a story the amazing food an wine event Flavor Napa Valley that featured among many other Iron Chef Morimoto.  The third was a blind tasting event featuring Andrea Robinson one of only 21 female Master Sommeliers in the world.

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Napa Valley Life

Take a look at the cover shoot I recently photographed for Napa Valley Magazine’s 13th annual Most Intriguing People issue.  For the story I photographed the founder of Luna Vineyards Michael Moone and Andre Crisp the President and CEO of Luna.

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The Tasting Panel | October 2014

September was a very busy month for ​Rubin Photography!​ Along with a number of commercial shoots​, ​ we had 3​ ​photo shoots for the October issue of
The Tasting Panel Magazine.  The first shoot was at Hahn Winery​, located​ in the Santa Lucia Highlands in ​beautiful ​Monterey ​W​ine ​C​ountry. We spent the day photographing​ ​and touring the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards with the president of Hahn Family Wines​,​ Tony Baldini and the ​D​irector of ​W​inemaking​, ​
Paul Cliften. The ​second​ shoot was at ChalkBoard Restaurant in​ ​downtown ​Healdsburg, C​alifornia,​ and featured specialty cocktails ​made ​with Charles Goodnight bourbon. The third shoot feature​d​ ​Jennifer Gomez​,​ the ​Wi​ne ​D​irector for San Francisco’s Jardiniere Restaurant, and Graham’s Six Grapes Old Vine Special Edition​.​

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The SOMM Journal | October 2014

​Last month, I​ had the fortune to shoot at the esteemed Jardiniere Restaurant, home to culinary legend Traci Des Jardins​​​, f​or ​the upcoming edition of ​The SOMM Journal.  ​The article features ​Jennifer Gomez​,​ the ​Wi​ne ​D​irector for San Francisco’s Jardiniere restaurant and Graham’s Six Grapes Old Vine Special Edition​.​

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Sicily, Italy

Below is a selection of my favorite images from a recent shoot ( and tasting !) at Benanti Winery , located near Catania,  in Sicily . The winery has a long history and dates back to the late 1800’s.  Benanti’s vineyard sits on an ancient and volcanic crater  near the slopes of Mt. Etna , one of the oldest vinicultural areas in eastern Sicily.  In fact, some of the oldest D.O.C’s are from this area.   The rich volcanic soil and high temperature variation give these grapes amazing flavor. The primary grapes grown near the base of Mt. Etna are Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccino, but Benati is known for it’s production of non-indigenoius grapes.  As a Napa wine photographer, I have tasted many different varieties of wine, but the “vino” I drank in Sicily ranks among the finest!  The wine was so delicious, my wife and I sent a case back home to California!

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Tuscany Italy

In May I did a shoot for Branca International in Tuscany, Italy.  Branca International is the maker of Fernet Branca, which many of you foodies out there have sipped on after a delicious meal.  Villa Branca is in the heart of Tuscany’s Chianti Region.   Branca makes Chianti Classico and hearty Tuscan Olive Oil.  The Villa’s history is long by american standards- the cellar dates back to the 1300’s and was previously owned by the Medici family!  The vineyards and wine cellar are just spectacular.  I had am amazing time working with the winemaking and management team of Stefano and Anna Serbakova.  So in addition to an incredible photo shoot, I gained new friendship that day in Tuscany.

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BR Cohn Winery

The spring is a very exciting time in California wine country.  After the rains of winer, the vineyard springs forth into life.  The vines begin to wakeup and mustard blooms all of the valleys.  Below are a few images of BR Cohn winey on a very foggy spring morning.

BR Cohn Vinyeard in sprint with mustard by Napa Wine and Commercial Photographer Rubin Photography in  Sonoma_0001 BR Cohn Vinyeard in sprint with mustard by Napa Wine and Commercial Photographer Rubin Photography in  Sonoma_0002 BR Cohn Vinyeard in sprint with mustard by Napa Wine and Commercial Photographer Rubin Photography in  Sonoma_0003 BR Cohn Vinyeard in sprint with mustard by Napa Wine and Commercial Photographer Rubin Photography in  Sonoma_0004 BR Cohn Vinyeard in sprint with mustard by Napa Wine and Commercial Photographer Rubin Photography in  Sonoma_0005


Chateau Montelena Winery

Below are a few images from a shoot at ​one of my favorite wineries, ​Chateau Montelena​.​  Montelena ​and it’s owner, Jim Barrett​​, are ​known​ worldwide.   They make a variety of incredible reds and whites and the property has an extensive history. ​ ​Barrett, with the help of Steven Spurrier, owner and founder of then Academie du Vin in Paris, played key roles in bringing a new generation of California wines that could stand up to France’s finest. ​ Ch​ateau ​Montelena​’s ​1973 Chardonnay won first place in the “Judgment of Paris” wine competition.   ​The four winning wines were Chateau Montelena ’73 from Napa, French Meursault-Charmes ’73, Chlaone ’74 Monterey County, California and Napa’s Spring Mountain ’73. ​A fictionalized version of Chateau Montelena’s victory was featured in the 2008 film Bottle Shock ​, which I suggest watching if you enjoying learning about wine.​ T​he historic win at the Judgement of Paris clearly called attention to the lesser known and valued California wine industry and firmly planted Napa Valley on the map.  If you happen to be in the Calistoga area, Chateau Montelena is well worth the trip.

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