Archives
Earth Day | No Tie Dye Required
[caption id="attachment_1013" align="alignright" width="200"] No Tie Dye Required | Andrea from Chamisal Vineyards[/caption] When I hit the radio "tour" for our first Earth Day Food & Wine Festival in 2007, I was pretty excited to get the word out to try and sell tickets. Prepped with all the relevant event info, I brought my enthusiasm to the studio to promote our little party that celebrates farmers and the environment. One of my first interviews went something like this: Him: So, I've never really heard of anything like this. Are there going to be be hippies... [Read more...]
Fondue Recipe With Smoked Gouda and Porter | Courtesy Artisan of Paso Robles
[caption id="attachment_969" align="alignright" width="200"] Fondue Recipe With Gouda - Photo Credit Rob Stark Photography[/caption] Although bell bottoms have come and gone out of style since the 1960's, I think that long forks loaded with toasted bread and a communal pot filled molten cheese should never be passé. Fondue will always have a place on our table. And no one makes this retro delight better than chef and co-owner Chris Kobayashi of Artisan in Paso Robles, California. Their fondue recipe with porter and smoked Gouda fondue served with garlic toast, andouille sausage, and broccolini is a... [Read more...]
Halter Ranch | Great Wines, Beautiful Vineyards
[caption id="attachment_946" align="alignright" width="264"] Halter Ranch Wine[/caption] Halter Ranch is one of my favorite places on the planet. I adore Mitch & Leslie, their chickens, their crazy dog, and their commitment to the land and people. And you can never go wrong with a bottle of Halter Ranch anything. As many of you know, we just moved our office. It was brutal, but the fun part of it was rediscovering some old treasures and files. During the move, I found this Dave Eckert (Culinary Travels) DVD. He did a great job with this piece, and... [Read more...]
The Bellagio | SIP Spotting
I'm a bit obsessed. I tend to get lost in the wine aisles, for... a while. That would be me, scanning the shelves, looking for our brands, and turning around bottles to see if they have the seal. And of course, I take pictures. This little side trip always takes time and requires quite a bit of patience of anyone with me. (Thank you to my friends and family for indulging me in this exercise.) So I was on a splurge vacation at the Bellagio. I popped into the hotel shop to pick up a... [Read more...]
Earth Day Food and Wine | How It All Began
[caption id="attachment_929" align="alignright" width="200"] Our First Earth Day Postcard | A Little Treasure I Discovered During Our Recent Move[/caption] Our "roots" have always been with the work that we do with farmers. Tailgate meetings, workshops, research, farmworker education - these programs are the core of all of our work. We are a farmer group. Period. But a few years ago (actually it was probably more like 8 or 9 years ago), we thought, "Hmmmmm - I bet there are other folks who would be interested in learning more about our group and mission. In fact,... [Read more...]
Hangin’ at Halter Ranch
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. 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... [Read more...]
From KJ’s Kitchen
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. Read More >> [Read more...]
I’m a Fan of Hahn Family Wines
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. [caption id="attachment_829" align="aligncenter" width="300"]... [Read more...]
Veggilicious
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,... [Read more...]
Vineyard Tour with Riverbench
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). 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... [Read more...]