UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

Cass Winery Teams With San Diego’s Wine Pairs For Winemaker Dinner

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cass-wineryCombine the high-energy of Ted Plemmons of Paso Robles’ Cass Winery and the savory gourmet small plates by Chef Erin Sealy of San Diego’s Wine Pairs and you’re in for a delightful wine-filled, palate pleasing evening!

La Costa Wine Company in Carlsbad recently hosted its second “Pop Up” 5-Course Winemaker Dinner, and has already created a loyal fan base.   Pop up dinners are trending now and are akin to a fancy food flash mob, often held at unsuspecting venues such as wine bars, parks or even in parking lots.  Often these venues have no kitchens, so much of the food is prepared ahead of time and hand-carried  to the event. www.lacostawineco.com

FullSizeRender 4Ted greeted guests zealously and was very excited to showcase his five hand-selected Cass Winery wines that would surely compliment Chef Erin’s menu.

Ted has been an integral part of Cass Winery for over 15 years, and now manages the vineyards in Paso Robles for owner Steve Cass. He commented on the Old World style winemaking philosophy at Cass Winery, 

“Cass Wines taste exactly what the vineyard gave us! ”

 

[Read more…]

Winemaking 101 At Temecula’s Wilson Creek Winery

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It was a picture-perfect October Saturday morning at the Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula.

Due to the drought conditions and warmer weather conditions, the grapes ripened quickly and the 2014 Harvest came earlier than in previous years.

Night-time picking had just been completed and the grapes lay in various stages of fermentation in the steel tanks and oak barrels. The cool air in the cellar was pungent with the smell of the ripening red grapes in the open bins. 

Wilson Creek Winery‘s winemaker Kestutis “Gus” Vizgirda’s hands, legs and clothes were stained a deep red hue from vigilantly tending to the grape juices and skins non-stop in the first crucial days after the harvest. [Read more…]

High In The Vines At Sta Rita Hills’ Babcock Winery

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After the 2014 Wine Blogger’s Conference in Santa Barbara Wine Country in July, I had the pleasure of accepting an invite from Bryan Babcock, winemaker extraordinaire of Babcock Winery, to tour the vineyards.  Bryan spoke at the closing dinner of the conference about his revolutionary Pedestral Cane Positioning.  Curiosity got the better me, so I decided to check it out for myself.

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When you meet Bryan, there’s a “McGiver” type glint in his eye.  Bryan has been farming grapes in the Sta Rita Hills AVA for over three decades with great success. It is no surprise that he is now pioneering a new farming technique, which he refers to as Pedestral Cane Positioning or Canopy Pivoting.  This innovative technique works with gravity and allows the canopy of leaves to spill toward the ground as it grows, keeping the clusters above the leaves.

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In addition, a shade cloth-type canopy shields the grapes from the sun when needed. This type of trellising system, combined with the wind and gravity has led to substantial labor-saving costs. [Read more…]

Santa Ynez’s Bridlewood Estate Winery Is Totally Mesmerizing

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IMG_7276 From the moment you enter the 105 acre property through the wrought iron gates, time seems to stand still.  A grove of arched trees line the long driveway and lead to the stately entrance of the mission-style Bridlewood Estate Winery in Santa Ynez.

IMG_7285The grounds are immaculately groomed with unsurpassed panoramic views of the Santa Ynez Mountains, the San Raphael Mountains and the Purisma Hills.  The site of the Bridlewood Estate Winery was previously a rehabilitation center for race horses and still houses a full exercise track that circles the lake and vineyards.

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Guests are welcome to take a bottle of wine and a picnic lunch and relax under the shade trees by the lake or to take in the view on the upper terrace overlooking the lake. [Read more…]

Great Rounds Of Applause To The Sponsors Of WBC14!

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WBC14-1.800 I would like to truly thank all the SPONSORS of the 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference who made this event possible.   Thanks to your support and generosity, more than 350 wine bloggers from all parts of the world were able to converge in the pristine Santa Barbara Wine Country for an unforgettable weekend in the vines.

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As a Scholarship recipient, and a   first time attendee of the Wine Bloggers Conference, I must say, that it was far better than I could have hoped for and a little overwhelming at the same time.

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To be in the presence of noted fellow wine bloggers and industry experts and top local wine makers was beyond fabulous!  zephyr

 

 

Looking back, one of my favorite parts of the conference, however, was meeting the Santa Barbara County wine makers.

IMG_6732I must admit that I was literally awestruck mingling among the legendary wine makers only to find out that they’re very genuine, down-to-earth people who loved to share their passion of making wine.  Best of all, there was no pretense or awkwardness as they each shared their humble beginnings and triumphs, only great pride. [Read more…]