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.
Each grower brought a couple bottles of their favorite wines to go with the dishes Artisan served. Kathy and Carmine brought their 2004 Portamento and Quadraphonic, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah. Dana brought his 2007 Viognier and 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Erin brought a 2007 Albarino from Tangent, a 2006 Pino Noir from Baileyana, and 2008 Rosado from Trenza. Artisan’s menu that night featured main courses of lamb, organic chicken, and sirloin steak. As one of our featured food purveyors at the Festival, Artisan is owned and run by Chris and Shandi Kobayashi and located in downtown Paso Robles. Featuring a menu that will make your mouth water, the Kobayashi’s focus on offering dishes that support local, sustainable, and organic produce.
As the evening continued, the growers shared stories about their respective vineyards. Dana enlightened us all on the historic railroad ties that surround Pomar Junction. Kathy and Carmine traded stories about their family’s experiences as singing sensations and how they tie music into their wine. Erin shared the importance on farming sustainable and how she incorporates into her everyday life. All in all, our dinner was the perfect wrap-up to another successful Earth Day Food & Wine Festival. We are already looking forward to next year!
