Halter Ranch Winery

The new winery is nothing short of impressive. My favorite feature is all of the stonework. Turns out that those beautiful rock walls are made with stone from the property! Mitch has been stacking up rocks throughout his years farming and now they have been put back to good use.

Ancestor

After the winery tour we capped off the day with a trip to the coastal oak tree named Ancestor and the pond. A fantastic day at the ranch complete with good friends and incredible scenery.

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.

It is an awesome event that usually attracts 2,500 guests who love heirloom tomatoes and wine.  And the best thing is, it’s not just a fun day of eating tomatoes and wine tasting, the event also benefits a wonderful charity, The School Garden Network.

The Tomato Festival is always fabulous and this year promises to be better than ever.  Some of this year’s highlights include:

• Tomato-inspired tastings from over 50 gourmet food purveyors
• Educational seminars on organic gardening, growing tomatoes and wine & food pairings
• Live music by the Carlos Herrera Band
• Chef’s competition featuring celebrity chefs from the popular television show, Top Chef
• Tasting of 175 varieties of heirloom tomatoes
• Tomato growing contest – Bring in your home-grown heirloom tomatoes to be judged by professional tomato growers.

We would love to see you at this year’s festival.  Be sure to purchase your tickets as soon as possible as this event sells out every year.

We’ve been so excited about the Tomato Festival this year that we couldn’t wait for the tomatoes to get ripe, so we just added fried green tomatoes to our Wine & Food Pairing.  We serve them with the new Avant Chardonnay and the pairing is exceptional.  The green, sour flavor of the early tomatoes and the refreshing acidity and long, fruit finish of the Avant Chardonnay makes an incredible pairing.  Below is our recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes with Tarragon Buttermilk Ranch.  Enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes with Tarragon Buttermilk Ranch
Serve with Kendall-Jackson Avant Chardonnay
Serves 4

For the fried green tomatoes:
Ingredients

• 2 large unripe green tomatoes, sliced ½ -inch thick
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup neutral flavored oil
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. good sea salt, for plating

Method

1. In a medium sized bowl, soak the tomatoes in the buttermilk and set aside.
2. Heat a 12-inch cast skillet over medium-high heat and add oil.
3. In a large bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients, except for the sea salt.  Using tongs or a fork, remove the tomato slices from the buttermilk and coat with the cornmeal-flour mixture.  Place the tomato slices in the cast iron skillet with the oil and fry until golden brown on both sides.
4. Place the fried tomatoes on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with finishing salt.  Serve immediately with Tarragon Buttermilk Ranch on the side.

For the Tarragon Buttermilk Ranch:
Ingredients

• ¼ cup buttermilk
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. chives, minced
• 2 Tbsp. parsley, minced
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp. granulated garlic
• ¼ tsp. celery salt
• ¼ tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. tarragon, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper

Method

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Refrigerate until ready to use.  This dressing can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Made it to Riverbench Vineyard & Winery!

I was immediately impressed with the turnout (all ages and backgrounds) and the desire to learn from the other attendees. Jim Stollberg, Vineyard Manager for Riverbench and owner of Maverick Farming Company, led us into the vineyard first. Jim was the perfect tour leader. He’s extremely knowledgeable and down to earth, allowing attendees to interrupt with all kinds of questions about what goes on in the vineyard during the spring. He talked about bud break (which is in full force at Riverbench), pruning styles, and how to protect your fresh, new buds from frost.

This bud already has all the fruit inside it for 2011 harvest!

Did you know that by turning on sprinklers during frost, the freezing of the water droplets creates heat which in turn protects the fragile buds from being frozen? I didn’t!

Jim also talked about the importance of getting SIP Certified and how it challenges them to become a cohesive company working together towards a common goal of sustainability and promoting a healthy environment.

Listening attentively!

No vineyard tour is complete without a wine tasting of the final product. Jim stuck around and chatted with all the guests as we sipped Riverbench’s fabulous Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the patio. It was the perfect day and I loved all of the intelligent questions and education. Everyone left confident that they had learned something new!

Lining up to taste some fabulous wines!

Stay tuned for the next Vineyard tour with CCWGA at Laetitia Vineyard on May 21 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. RSVP with John Burke, Executive Director for CCWGA.

**SIP hats are available for purchase for $15! Email info@vineyardteam.org to purchase yours today!

Stormy Aftermath

But I suppose that any day is a good day for a little wine tasting. We had a nice trek on the East side starting in Templeton to taste at Clavo Cellars then off the Wild Horse (hence the inspired “Wild Weather” phrase), and a final stop at Sculpterra. If you have not been to the latter, you must make a trip! I had heard tales of sculptures in the gardens around the tasting room but had not imagined how striking these pieces would be in real life. There are numerous large, no, huge sculptures around the property and when you get in side there are miniature replicas to pour over!

The Cat's Meow

The Little Mermaid

Despite, or maybe because of, the weather a good time was had by all trying out a few new wineries. With so many wineries here in our backyard I look forward to trying a few new places on the next trip.

Our tasting training center

We began by blindly testing our sniffers on a line-up of wines enhanced to smell like an individual characteristic found in that wine.

The line up

Dry grass? Red fruit???

Then we tasted four solutions (bitter, sweet, astringent, and sour) so that we could feel where these flavors hit our taste buds. And the grand finale…an official tasting of four Firestone wines.

Another lovely day on the Central Coast

We ended the day with full senses and a homework assignment to smell everything. I look forward to improving my sensory memory and wine evaluation. As they say, practice makes perfect and there is no better place for wine than right here on the Central Coast.

Fall Veggies

September seems like an interesting time in the world of agriculture, especially on the Central Coast where the lines between seasons are often blurred. On this late September day it feels like summer but there are signs of fall in the air. (The weather on this day can fluctuate easily between the two seasons. Record high for September 21st: 106 degrees, record low: 38 degrees.) So, I decided to head to the Paso Robles Farmers’ Market, held each Tuesday in the City Park downtown from 3-6pm to see what is being grown locally this time of year.

Gourds

At the market, the types of produce offered turned out to be just as mixed as the day’s weather. The stands lining the sunny park under the slowly-turning trees offered everything from summer berries and watermelons to fall squashes. And, this sampling of the Central Coast has everything in-between.

Lemongrass

One friendly local farmer posed with lemongrass, and another explained the process of turning squashes into hardened gourds: let the squash sit until it gets moldy, scrape the mold off, let it sit until dried then scrape skins off and let it dry some more. Each gourd is finished with a coating of polyurethane and some shoe polish to bring out the color.

A quick inventory of the fruits and vegetables available at the market would put most grocery stores to shame:

melons
dry farmed watermelons
lemongrass
beets
tomatoes
cherry tomatoes (red, yellow)
lettuce
carrots
lemons
limes
prickly pears
asian pears
avocados
squash
zucchini
strawberries
raspberries
walnuts
almonds
grapes
onions
greens
cabbage
bell peppers
peppers
plums
peaches
eggplant
sweet potatoes
garlic
winegrapes

Winegrapes

Looks like the Central Coast is the place to shop for produce in September.

Did you know?

• Falcons dive at 250 mph (that is FAST!)
• Falcons are used to protect municipal water sources
• You might see Jim and the falcons at Pebble Beach Resorts before the big tournament

I was thrilled to be invited by Hahn Family Wines to their demo of the avian abatement program in their Monterey County Santa Lucia Highlands vineyard. Jim and Kathleen from Tactical Avian Predators are amazing and taught us tons about the raptors,  their training, and diet (quail – yum).

Later in the year, starlings can be a bit of a problem in vineyards, snacking on the sweet berries and grapeseeds which can affect yields and open the fruit up for disease. This time of year, you might see the green bird netting draped over the vines to exclude the birds. Or you might hear loud “booms” from the bird cannons in hopes to scare the starlings away.

In some cases, it makes sense for growers to employ professional falconers to keep the birds out of the vineyard. The falconers typically start prior to harvest to scare away the “scouts” and keep starling populations low.  Later on, they use a combination of bird dogs along with the falcons to protect the fruit from bird damage.

I was amazed at how well coordinated the trainer, the dog, and falcon were and how their team worked in the vineyard. Using whistles, commands, and physically working their way through the vines, the falcons circle above and react to any birds that are scared out of the canopy. And when the starlings know the falcons are above them, believe me, they get out of the way.

Thanks to Philip Woodrow at Hahn Family Wines for sharing this video – check out their blog for more falcon pics, videos and info. And of course, you should check out their newly released, SIP Certified 2008 SLH Pinot Noir.

Straight off the vine - Beth's got a zucchini and a squash

Mmm...nothing says summer more than a juicy cantaloupe!

These winter squash will make a hearty dish!

Hunting for tomatoes!

Steinbeck Vineyards and Winery is a multi-generational sustainable farm boasting 500 acres of vineyard property and producing 2,000 tons of fruit each year. In 2008, Steinbeck Vineyards introduced the Vineyards Growing Veggies program to their farm. A one acre plot was set aside for a variety of fruits and vegetables and has been producing ever since. All the vegetables go to the local food bank, a whopping 8,000 lbs annually! When Beth and I went out, Steinbeck and its volunteers were harvesting zucchini, squash, watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, and tomatoes. Steinbeck Vineyards and Winery welcomes volunteers who want to get involved and are especially looking for volunteers to help tend the garden (picking, planting, transitioning, and weeding) and start plants.

But wait, Steinbeck does even more to promote a healthy environment and community… they recycle natural, non-synthetic wine corks! Currently, there are 250,000 corks in use around the vineyard and winery. The corks help keep moisture in the soil and prevent unwanted weed growth.

These natural corks have found a second life!

Corks can be mulched or remain whole as seen here.

For more information on the Vineyards Growing Veggies project, visit the following sites…

www.urbanfarming.org

www.winerymusicawards.com

www.steinbeckwines.com

For more information on wine cork recycling, visit the following sites…

www.recork.org

www.steinbeckwines.com

www.vineyardteam.org

Hahn Family Wines gives out seed packets with the same mixture as the wildflower/cover crop they use in the vineyard.

McIntyre visibly touted sustainablity and the SIP Seal in their handout, including noting that Steve McIntyre was a founding member of Central Coast Vineyard Team. Hahn Family Wines had the SIP seal all over their marketing literature, including seed packets containing the same wildflower/cover crop mixture that they use in the vineyard: five percent each of Bachelor Buttons, California poppies, Baby’s breath, and Persian clover, and 20 percent each of Crimson clover, Blando Brome, Buckwheat, and Rose clover. Philip Woodrow, director of marketing communications said “they are wildly popular. Last year we gave out over 2400 packets.”

Among the outstanding wines from SIP wineries and/or wineries using SIP fruit were … (prices are the suggested retail)

Hahn Family Estates: 2007 Estate Pinot Gris ($20) – nice acid with light peach, a good food wine or as an aperitif; 2006 Estate Chardonnay ($25) – smooth luscious mouthfeel; 2007 Estate Syrah ($27) – wonderful balance with a rich structure and hints of tobacco and meat, a classic varietal interpretation.

Hope & Grace: 2007 Hahn Estate Pinot Noir ($45) – very smooth with bright fruit and black cherry

La Rochelle: 2007 Paraiso Vineyard Pinot Noir ($50) – good balance with nice briar and plum

McIntyre Vineyards: 2008 Estate Chardonnay ($29) – beautifully balanced with elegant structure

Paraiso Vineyards: 2007 Eagle’s Perch Chardonnay ($30) – very rich mouthfeel, pair with cream sauces or even serve on its own as an aperitif; 2007 West Terrace Pinot Noir ($40) – earthy with nice notes of plum