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!

But wait, there’s more!

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

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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!

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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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Those of a certain age — and yes, I’ll admit to being one of them — can remember the days of home milk delivery. It was very cool! You’d put your empty bottles out on the porch (or in an insulated metal box about as big as a milk crate with the dairy logo on it) at night and by the time you got up in the morning, there would be full fresh bottles of milk waiting. You know, kinda like trash pickup, but in reverse and a whole lot more appetizing.

Well, turns out, up in the San Francisco Bay Area, they’re utilizing this model for wine … jug wine. Yes, now that you’ve finished gasping in horror, hear me out or better yet, listen to this recent piece from the California Report.

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Thank you to all those who participated in our “Count the Corks” contest at Sunset’s Savor the Central Coast this past weekend!

How many would you guess?

The guesses are in and the corks have been counted! The final count was 465 corks in our vase with the winning guess very close at 468. Congrats to our winner who won two tickets to our Earth Day Food & Wine Festival on April 16, 2010 at Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery!

Our runner up, with a guess of 460, won a bottle of SIP Certified wine.

Thanks again for playing!

It was fun to visit the SIP-certified wineries pouring at the Atascadero Wine Festival – a relaxing, lakeside event that’s now held from 4-8 p.m. to avoid the heat and take advantage of lovely North County summer nights. Local artists and restaurants also participate (we enjoyed paella from 10th Street Basque Café in San Miguel), and it’s always fun to listen to the Mighty Croon Dogs!

But wait, there’s more!

There’s usually good food to be had at wine tasting events, but have you checked out who’s going to be at this year’s Earth Day Food & Wine Festival? Just the list of restaurants alone reads like a Who’s Who of the Central Coast’s stellar spots for pleasing your palate!

But wait, there’s more!