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Hangin’ at Halter RanchDec 21st, 2011 by Beth  We have long loved Halter Ranch with its 250 acres of winegrapes nestled into a 900 acre ranch teeming with wildlife, a giant coastal oak deemed Ancestor, and, of course, the lovely pond. With the new winery up and running this harvest, we decided to make a trip out to the ranch for a little tour. Halter’s own winegrower Mitch Wyss never disappoints.  Halter Ranch Winery Reserva, Riserva, ReserveAug 17th, 2011 by Beth A nearly random group of wine facts from Halter Ranch. From KJ’s KitchenJul 21st, 2011 by Beth I always love food so here is a great share from Kendall-Jackson! At Kendall-Jackson, not only are we known for our amazing wines, we are also known for our heirloom tomatoes. We have been saving heirloom tomato seeds for the past 15 years and now have over 400 varieties of seeds saved. Each year, we plant approximately 175 heirloom varieties in our culinary gardens and invite chefs from all over to come and cook tomato-inspired dishes to pair with our wines at the annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival. I’m a Fan of Hahn Family WinesJun 16th, 2011 by Beth A little belated on the Cooking for Solutions blog post, but the whole weekend is worth more than just a mention. Of course the main event was fabulous as usual; great wine, incredible seafood, wonderful crowd. But this year SIP got in the driver’s seat (literally) with a weekend food and wine adventure hosted at Hahn Winery. Our sustainability adventure began at the estate with a four-wheel ATV vineyard tour. Director of Vineyard Operations, Andy Mitchell, shared insights about how climate, soils, and sustainable farming practices contribute to Hahn’s award-winning wines.  The adventure begins! VeggiliciousMar 29th, 2011 by Beth It never fails to amaze me how much better fresh produce tastes! I have done my share of gardening but my current residence is, to say the least, less than hospitable to edible plant production. Now I do love farmers’ markets, but never seem to execute a trip before a desperate run to the grocery store is made. So, I have turned to the CSA box. For me this is the best of both worlds; farmers market freshness on a schedule plus a little forced variety. Recently I was turned on to Rutiz Family Farms, a local Arroyo Grande sustainable ranch and market stand that I am practically giddy over. One of the coolest things about the Rutiz program is that you do not need to prepay a subscription. An email is sent out each Tuesday listing what will be in the box that week (plus cooking suggestions, announcements, and prices of other stand produce). You simply need to decide by Thursday evening whether or not your fridge needs stocking, email in the affirmative, and pick up on Friday.  Local family farming Vineyard Tour with RiverbenchMar 24th, 2011 by Annie I never shy away from the chance to learn something new and Saturday was no different. Sporting my new SIP hat**, I cruised down to Riverbench Vineyard & Winery in Santa Maria for a vineyard tour compliments of Central Coast Winegrowers Association (CCWGA).  Made it to Riverbench Vineyard & Winery! Wild Weather Wine TastingMar 3rd, 2011 by Beth Snow in Paso? NBD. It is not like we were all standing outside in the freezing weather gawking at the little snowflakes as they touched down…and immediately melted.  Stormy Aftermath A Tasty TrainingFeb 4th, 2011 by Beth Here at the Vineyard Team we spend most of our time on the farming side of wine making so we thought that we would get into the cellar and learn a little about tasting the fruits of our farmers’ labors. The Team loaded up for a trip to Firestone Vineyard in Los Olivos where the fabulous Amy Freeman offered to be our wine tasting teacher for the day.  Our tasting training center Schooled…in CookingDec 22nd, 2010 by Beth At the 2009 Earth Day Food & Wine Festival my friends (stellar, silent auction bidding event volunteers) won the auction package “Cook’s Nook” which included a cooking class at Central Coast Culinary and Catering. Having wanted to attend a class with chef Debbie Duggan for years we figured that this would be the final incentive to sign up. Eight months later (ok, we were not highly motivated) we finally booked, just in time for the school’s last class!  Of course, a wine from SIP Certified Tolosa A Rockin’ HarvestNov 18th, 2010 by Beth A little rain didn’t stop anyone from having a Rockin’ time at the 20th SLO Vintners Harvest Celebration. Yours truly was stoked to be pouring SIP wines in between Rays Own Brand sausage and Sextant Wines. The SIP booth got to taste each sausage variety (Bratwurst, Hot Italian, Linguica, Pork Apple Honey) hot off the grill and I have a new favorite Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands.  Featuring Central Coast Wine & Cuisine! |
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