Had some wine-centric family visit the Central Coast for the first time in June, so of course, a whirlwind wine tasting tour was in order – especially to some wineries in the SIP program.
Our first stop was Robert Hall Winery, which boldly stated its SIP commitment front and center with a big poster that greeted us as we walked in the door. There was also a SIP placard strategically placed amidst all the fun stuff to browse and buy around the wine tasting room, and they are about to launch a refreshed website ”heavily focused on SIP and all of our SIP wines.”
The next day, we found ourselves at Halter Ranch, where they’ve proudly placed the SIP seal right on their bottle labels. As the tasting room attendant explained, they’ve been longtime supporters of sustainability and the SIP program, so they wanted to get it on their label asap.
As it turned out, though these and other Paso wineries are known for their bold red wines, I found great Sauvignon Blancs – one of my favorite varietals – at both Robert Hall and Halter Ranch. Both wineries let the grape be itself by fermenting it in stainless, instead of trying to make it act like a Chardonnay and putting it in oak … thank you!
Winemaker Don Brady puts a nicely balanced touch on the 2007 Robert Hall Sauvignon Blanc, with a touch of Semillon (7%) that gives it just enough floral fruit to make it stand on its own as an aperitif and enough light acid to make it a great food wine. Think Asian food or a summertime salad of heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. (The 2008 Sauv Blanc was just released in the tasting room, and not only features the SIP info in its tasting notes, but has already garnered three gold medals in three different competitions.)
The Halter Ranch Sauvignon Blanc from Winemaker Bill Sheffer is another refreshing find. A hint of Viognier (4%) helps pop up the citrus profiles on the nose, while the palate delivers notes of stone fruit and spice on its way to a nice finish. This would be a great match with lighter summertime grilled fare such as fish or marinated chicken breasts, or even on its own as you’re tending the grill. As the saying goes: “I often cook with wine … sometimes I even put it in the food.”
In April, Adam the Wine Guy visited the Central Coast to attend the Third Annual Earth Day Food & Wine Festival. We could not let him set foot on the Central Coast without getting his boots out to a SIP Certified Vineyard. Adam was fortunate enough to explore Halter Ranch with Mitch Wyss, Vineyard Manager turned Tour Guide (he actually used to be a river guide back in the day). The two of them looked at insectary gardens, soil types, fish-filled resevoirs, champion oak trees, and of course vines. Mitch even let Adam drive the tractor. Luckily for us, they put it all on video, so let’s take a look…
Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery, located on Union Road in Paso Robles, has found a new home for thousands of recycled natural corks. Steinbeck partnered with Urban Farming’s Vineyards Growing Veggies™ program to use natural cork in a summer community garden.
Did you know over 12 billion natural corks are cast off into landfills around the world each year? What a waste! Natural cork is a valuable, resusable resource that when recycled finds a second life in flooring tiles, playground surfaces, garden mulch, and much more! Plus, there are plenty of creative and practical ways for you to reuse cork in your home! Check out these crazy, innovative creations that use recycled cork.
The Earth Day Food & Wine Festival boasted a head count of 1,000 people. Among those? Adam “the wine guy” Leemon, blogger and wine critic, travels the world searching out the best and the brightest wines. We caught up with him at the Villa Creek booth as he tasted their 2006 Avenger Rhone blend. Check out the video below. It’s monkey time!
Adam “the wine guy” Leemon, blogger and wine critic, travels the world searching for powerful, exotic, and amazing wines. Last week, he visited Halter Ranch where owner Mitch Wyss gave him a taste of the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. Halter Ranch is certified sustainable through the SIP Certification Program. Check out his video posted below. It’s monkey time!
After a beautiful day out at the Santa Margarita Ranch for the Earth Day Food and Wine Festival, it seemed only natural that we wrap a successful event with a last supper at Artisan. Sunday evening proved to be a busy night at Artisan and our group filled a table in the front. Kris O’Connor, Executive Director of Central Coast Vineyard Team, invited a few of our SIP (Sustainability In Practice) certified growers (Kathy D’Andrea and Carmine Rubino, D’Anbino; Erin Amaral, Baileyana/Tangent; Dana Merrill, Pomar Junction) to join us along with blogger and wine critic, Adam “the wine guy” Leemon. We all settled in for an intimate evening of wine and food.
One line said it all: “This is SUCH a good idea!”
Of course, this happy person had to be referring to the CCVT’s 3rd Annual Earth Day Food and Wine Festival held at the historic Santa Margarita Ranch on April 18. This year’s sold out event featured over 100 booths offering award-winning wines, tasty food, and information about sustainable businesses. The weather was perfect, Big Daddy’s Blues Band was cookin’ with a solar powered sound system, and a good – no, make that – great time was had by all.
Of special significance was the “festival debut” of SIP certified wines from Ampelos Cellars, Baileyana Winery, Castoro Cellars, D’Anbino Cellars, Hahn Estates, Halter Ranch, Laetitia Winery, Paraiso Vineyards, Pomar Junction Cellars, Saucelito Canyon Vineyard, Tangent Winery, and Wolff Vineyards & Winery. It was great to finally see some wines from the SIP program getting into the marketplace, and more will be emerging with each new vintage.
The Central Coast has once again reeled in some attention about sustainability, this time in regards to fishing.
Molly and Giovanni Comin, owners of Central Coast Seafood
As part of a new program aimed at bolstering sustainable fishing practices, two local businesses – Central Coast Seafood and Morro Bay Fish Company – are netting $275,000 in loans and credit from a new $5 million fund administered by the California Fisheries Fund and developed with support from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The Morro Bay companies were reportedly chosen because of the local industry’s existing efforts to switch to more sustainable fishing practices.
The business model of Pizza Fusion (a nationwide franchised chain) is green to the core – green right down to the recycled blue jeans used for wall insulation, green right down to the organic red tomato sauce used in the pizzas, green right down to the hybrid delivery vehicles, green right down to the bamboo pizza peels (those paddle shaped things used to slip the pies in and out of the oven).
So, what about the wine list at such a place, in particular, the newly opened location in San Luis Obispo? Owner Brandon Borene admits that “to get the doors open,” he took the path of least resistance, offering organic labels that he could easily source, but “I knew I was going to get questions about carrying local wines.”
Our first stop was Robert Hall Winery, which boldly stated its SIP commitment front and center with a big poster that greeted us as we walked in the door. There was also a SIP placard strategically placed amidst all the fun stuff to browse and buy around the wine tasting room, and they are about to launch a refreshed website ”heavily focused on SIP and all of our SIP wines.”
The Halter Ranch Sauvignon Blanc from Winemaker Bill Sheffer is another refreshing find. A hint of Viognier (4%) helps pop up the citrus profiles on the nose, while the palate delivers notes of stone fruit and spice on its way to a nice finish. This would be a great match with lighter summertime grilled fare such as fish or marinated chicken breasts, or even on its own as you’re tending the grill. As the saying goes: “I often cook with wine … sometimes I even put it in the food.”
100 booths offering award-winning wines, tasty food, and information about sustainable businesses. The weather was perfect, Big Daddy’s Blues Band was cookin’ with a solar powered sound system, and a good – no, make that – great time was had by all.
