I’m sitting down to compose my first entry with a glass of 2005 BV Rutherford Cabernet close at hand. When I first began cutting my chops in the wine industry, before the release of their acclaimed 1984 vintage, BV offered three Cabs: Beautour, Rutherford and Georges de Latour. The Rutherford was their mid-range offering, produced in large batches, and selling for $7.98. Today, BV has more Cabernet selections than I care to count and the Rutherford—you’re lucky to find it under $35.

Still, it’s nice to launch my wine blog with an old friend by my side. After all, the name Sostevinobile is a bit more than a mouthful, although you’ll find it goes down quite smoothly once you can handle its mellifluous pronunciation. Sostevinobile is my original portmanteau, a fusion of the Italian word sostenere, vino, and nobile—respectively, to sustain, wine and nobile (as in noble grapes). It’s also the working name for my latest venture, a rather expansive wine bar opening later this year with an exclusive focus on wines from California, Oregon and Washington.

I should clarify that and note that we will only be serving sustainable wines from the West Coast, although that will narrow our selection to around a mere 98% of the wines produced here. The irony, though, is that virtually every restaurant these days boasts a menu culled from local, sustainable ingredients: produce, meat, fish, cheese, bread, etc., then features a wine list that’s 75% imported wine—or more. Sostevinobile promises to be the first full-service wine bar that addresses this inconsistency.

I’ve been an impassioned proponent of the wine we produce here ever since I migrated West, following my stint in a graduate Creative Writing program somewhere back East. One thing I and Sostevinobile can promise is that there will be no shortage of intriguing variety and excellent quality in all the wines we will be serving.

Let the journey begin here.