Category: <span>Wines</span>
Wild Weather Wine Tasting
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. [caption id="attachment_789" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Stormy Aftermath"][/caption] Read More >> [Read more...]
A Tasty Training
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. [caption id="attachment_773" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Our tasting training center"][/caption] We began by blindly testing our sniffers on a line-up of wines enhanced to smell like an individual characteristic... [Read more...]
Schooled…in Cooking
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! [caption id="attachment_754" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Of course, a wine from SIP Certified Tolosa[/caption] The evening was great, filled... [Read more...]
A Rockin’ Harvest
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. [caption id="attachment_743" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Featuring Central Coast Wine & Cuisine![/caption] SIP Certified vineyards and wines were in abundance at this event. Ancient Peaks, Baileyana, Chamisal, Claiborne &... [Read more...]
Glamour Shots
It was like Fashion Week came to Paso Robles: perfect lighting, stage settings, cameras flashing...OK, not quite. But it was a very glamorous affair for a few SIP Certified wines featuring the SIP seal on the label. With the expertise of Juice we created a fabulous photo portfolio of great wines made from healthy vineyards. [caption id="attachment_716" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Photographer Steven Gould in action[/caption] [caption id="attachment_717" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The artist's point of view[/caption] After two days of arranging, tweaking, shooting, color correcting, evaluating, and selecting we are thrilled with our picks! [caption id="attachment_718" align="aligncenter" width="300"]... [Read more...]
A Very “Pithy” Evening
[caption id="attachment_655" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Love the stemless glassware![/caption] If you've been in downtown San Luis Obispo recently, you may have noticed the quaint little tasting room on Chorro Street. This oasis of goodness is Pithy Little Wine Company and on Monday night I stopped by their Wine Industry Open House for a taste. [caption id="attachment_678" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Felicia, owner of Pithy Little Wine Co., and me![/caption] Amy Bakes vegan cupcakes, Joycups gluten free, organic peanut butter cups, Vivant cheese platters, and of course a plethora of Pithy wines left me in taste bud lala land.... [Read more...]
SIP Wines Shine at Atascadero Wine Festival
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! Here are some SIP wine tasting highlights … Ancient Peaks: ’09 Sauvignon Blanc (which just won Best of Sauvignon Blanc at the Mid State Wine Competition) had honeydew notes... [Read more...]
Saxum a BIG Treat at Earth Day
Aaahhhh, sigh … just now coming off my cloud of bliss following the 2010 Earth Day Food & Wine Festival on April 17. Great weather, great food, great wine, great venue, great attendees … okay, okay you get the point. One of the big highlights this year was the chance to taste “The Wine” – the wine that recently snagged 100 Parker points, Saxum Vineyard’s 2007 James Berry Vineyard Proprietary Red. Produced by Justin and Heather Smith, this label is near and dear to Central Coast Vineyard Team since Justin’s dad, Pebble Smith, was a... [Read more...]
Artisanal Winemaking on Display from Santa Lucia Highlands
The Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans proved true to their moniker at a recent tasting in San Francisco. Over two dozen labels were represented from this distinct appellation in southern Monterey County – including SIP members Hahn Family Wines, McIntyre Vineyards, and Paraiso Vineyards. 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... [Read more...]