My First Bottle of Muscato Wine Named Pinay

Main fountain at the Rubicon Estate Winery

Last month during my 80th birthday party, Ditas my youngest daughter gave me a bottle of expensive wine called Pinay. The word Pinay for those of you who are not familiar with it is the feminine form of Pinoy. Pinoy is short term for Filipino.

The wine I got was a 2006 Pinay Muscato. It was created by winemaker Tondi Bolkan. Her creation was inspired to suit a Pinoy's palate thus its aptly named Pinay. The wine was perfect as far as my wife and I are concerned. We loved it very much.

Bolkan was born to Filipino parents but grew up in the US. She left her hometown Chicago to study at the University of California at Davis. Her passion for wine evolved during her years at Rubicon Estate

The Rubicon Estate Winery (formerly Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery and once again Inglenook) is located in Rutherford, California, USA. The winery sits on a portion of the historic Napa Valley property first acquired in 1879 by a Finnish Sea Captain Gustave Niebaum, founder of the Inglenook Winery.

In 2011, owners Francis and Eleanor Coppola acquired the Inglenook trademark and renamed the winery Inglenook.

In 1975, Francis Ford Coppola and his wife Eleanor, purchased Niebaum’s Victorian home, along with 1,560 acres (630 ha) of surrounding land. In 1995, Coppola reunited the two original Inglenook parcels by purchasing the grand Inglenook chateau and 94.5 acres (38.2 ha) of surrounding vineyards (neighboring vineyards include Heitz Wine Cellars Martha’s Vineyard and Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour). The winery was named Rubicon Estate in early 2006, and held that name until 2011 when it was renamed Inglenook. Coppola's longtime winemaker was Scott McLeod, a UC Davis alumnus with wine making background in Tuscany. McLeod left the winery in 2009, and esteemed wine consultant Stephane Derenoncourt came on board shortly thereafter. In 2011, Château Margaux's Philippe Bascaules became Estate Manager and Winemaker.


Thank you Ditas for your gift. May we have some more in the future?