Get Ready For: Wine on the Roof…Dine on the Roof, a Collaborative Experience (Early Bird Ticket Sales End 4/15)

April 6, 2018 by evebushman

Apparently you Santa Claritans and wonderful supporters of local charity have demanded, yes demanded, more than one rooftop event from the people (see below) that have brought you Cocktails on the Roof. Your loud cries for us to keep your glass filled have been heard. We have now added Wine on the Roof to your calendar May 17!

Read on, as it’s definitely not the same kind of rooftop event we’ve ever had in Santa Clarita…

Our Event: The Details From WiSH Executive Director Amy Daniels

The community came out in force for our signature event, Cocktails on the Roof, three sold out years in a row. With encouragement to do a second event during the year, this one with wine as the focus, we teamed up once again with Eve Bushman of Eve’s Wine 101 and Marlee Lauffer, President of the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation, for Wine on the Roof. This gathering promises to be like nothing else offered in our region.

With beautiful lighting, music, photo opportunities and more, we will welcome our guests to a remarkable, one of a kind special evening that people will not soon forget. This evening promises to be like nothing else offered in our region.

Eve has teamed up with Steve Lemley as our co-host for this unique event. Lemley is a well-respected SCV winemaker that co-owns the SCV Custom Crush Services. Lemley will curate our wines from his local facility that houses over twenty different wineries – most, if not all, will be making their debut that evening – and we will have winemakers seated throughout the venue to allow for interesting and knowledgeable discourse.

Wine on the Roof has a distinctive layout to allow for camaraderie and conversation and you will be treated to a multi-course dinner. Because this is seated dining, a limited number of tickets are available. The event is open from 6-10pm and ticket pricing is set at $125pp or 2/$200. Please note that after April 15^th, ticket pricing will be $150 or 2/$275. More information is available and tickets can be purchased at www.WiSHscv.org.

Collaborators: Winemakers, Chefs, and Restaurants

As we are just putting together our puzzle pieces of which chefs wants to provide which course, Steve and I will be tasting wines with them – if they like – in an effort to help with the food pairing. So far we will have Chef Daniel Otto’s debut from his soon to open restaurant, Chef Lucio Teraza of Olive Terrace Bar and Grill, Chef Ignacio “Nacho” Munoz and Pastry Chef Kristina Waggoner of Salt Creek Grille, Chef Louis Pechan of Hundred Miles LA, the Culinary Team at Bonefish Grill, Chef Trevor of the Newhall Press Room, Pastry Chef Meghan Launier of Wolf Creek Restaurant and Brewing Company, the baristas of Honu Coffee, the sweet makers from Nothing Bundt Cakes and the Beams of Sweat Beams Ice Cream.

We will definitely be starting our evening with appetizers, then bread from the one and only infamous Speakeasy Bakery, mains, dessert – all with wines from winemakers exclusive to Pulchella Winery. Santa Clarita winemakers at press time include Steve Lemley, Nate Hasper, Mark Blatty, Scott Page-Pagter, Doug Minnick, Ted Behlendorf and Dan Erland Andersen.

Your Rooftop Team: Dreamers and Worker Bees

Besides the names of our co-hosts listed above this event is orchestrated by countless volunteers (thank you) and an energetic committee that sometimes takes up two dining room tables at my house: Ed Masterson, Richard Cohn, Alex Hafizi, Lynne Secrest, Judy Penman, Lisa Holt, Mitch Russell and Dawn Begley.

Sponsorships: Many Ways to Support the WiSH Education Foundation

ROSE – Exclusive (1) $15,000: SIX tickets and first mention in all press releases and social media marketing; we will promote you prominently as the PRESENTER of the event on event signage; listing on website as Presenter; mention in print advertising.

VIOGNIER $10,000: FOUR tickets and mention in all press releases and social media marketing; we will promote you on event signage; listing on website; listed on print advertising. Email marketing included to approximately 35,000 emails.

CABERNET $5,000: FOUR tickets and mention in all press releases and social media marketing; we will promote you on event signage; listing on website. Email marketing included to approximately 35,000 emails.

ZINFANDEL $2,500: TWO event tickets and mention in all press releases and social media marketing; we will promote you on event signage; listing on website. Email marketing included to approximately 35,000 emails.

PINOT NOIR $1,500: TWO event tickets and mention in all press releases and social media marketing; listing on website. Email marketing included to approximately 35,000 emails.

Please contact Exec. Dir. Amy Daniels: wish@hartdistrict.org for current sponsorship opportunities.

Details: Early Bird Tickets and Sponsorships Now Available

Tickets go up in price after April 15th so get them now – only 200 will be sold!

Information and tickets: http://wisheducationfoundation.org/wine-under-the-stars/

Facebook event page has updated info and has a very interactive “discussion” tab: https://www.facebook.com/events/533629337011873/

Save the date: Cocktails on the Roof 9/7.

About: The WiSH Education Foundation

“WiSH was founded in 2011 by parents and partners of the community to directly support the students and staff of the William S. Hart school district and are a designated 501c(3) non-profit foundation.

WiSH raises critically needed funds to directly support students and educators in our District…money for much-needed technology, special education and technical programs, materials, books, software, musical instruments & calculators, just to name some recent initiatives. We’re not funded by any local, state or federal agencies and rely on contributions, grants and sponsorships to bridge the ever-widening gap of student’s needs directly in classrooms…” read more here.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Vintage Eve Circa 5/2014: Six out of 661 Questions for Wine 661

September 19, 2017 by evebushman

To keep myself busy while caring for my injured-yet-again spouse, satisfied more by angry single malt Scotch than the doctor prescribed Vicodin, I called Tanya Green, the new owner of Wine 661 to find out what new things they are offering the SCV wine drinking public, myself copiously included.

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Okay Tanya, I have been to this location before, when it was Wine Savor and now as Wine 661. Jeff Jacobson, chair of the SCV Wine Classic, suggested that I talk to you as he holds you in high regard as the new owner. Want to tell West Ranch Beacon readers what your wine story is?

My “wine story” is pretty simple…I love wine so I bought a wine bar, but my passion for wine began by going tasting. I love listening to the experts explain how the grapes were grown and fermented; why I’ll taste certain things because of the composition of the soil, that fruit grown on mountain tops develops thicker skins because of its proximity to the sun and therefore has more character than thin-skinned grapes.

I also have a strange fascination/respect for grapes that are difficult to grow, so those are the wines I’m most interested in. Everything about wine fascinates me from the farming of the grapes to the finished product, which makes owning a wine bar, like being a kid in a candy shop! I love it!

I understand you are serving beers as well as wine; what are some of your customer’s favorites from both?

To me, it was important to be able to carry something other than wine just in case a “beer guy” was dragged in by his wife. That’s why I spent months tasting beer from all over the world to put together, what I think, is the best beer list in town.

I carry rare, hard-to-get beers and artisan ales from Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Oregon, Santa Barbara and Maine. Each of my beers has won some sort of award from “Best Hefeweizen” to “Best Beer in the World.”

Schonramer Gold, for example, is a German Pilsner that won “Best Beer in the World” for 13 straight years and had to be removed from the contest to allow another beer the opportunity to win. I’m proud to carry a beer that good, and, I personally have grown to love beer as much, if not more, than wine.

My personal favorite is a cork-finished 750ml bottle of Belgian Farmhouse Ale called Saison Dupont. It’s gold and hoppy and has lots of personality. I pride myself on carrying beers that no one else carries and in most cases, beers that no one’s even heard of.

This may be off-putting to Coors Light lovers but I don’t mind. I want adventurous drinkers in here. Those that know what they like but can get excited to try something new. Nothing excites me more than transforming a Coors Light drinker into a beer snob!

What’s new now that you’ve taken over?

Wine 661 was a great spot long before I took it over. The ambience is comfortable and cozy and in my opinion, the best in the Valley, but I can’t take credit for that.

What I can take credit for, is a great appetizer list; including some amazing gourmet cheeses from all over the world (my fave is the five-year aged Gouda and the Spanish Blue cheese) as well as artisanal meats from near and far.

I’ve also changed the beer and wine lists and am proud of both. I promise to always rotate my beer and wine inventory so that my regulars never get bored and to carry both inexpensive as well as high-end beer and wines.

Tell readers what’s on your menu and any specials:

The most popular items on my menu are my cheese and chocolate flights. For the “Cheese Flight,” I’ve paired three red wines with gourmet cheeses that compliment them. Cave-aged blue cheese is paired with a phenomenal Merlot. The semi-hard, Manchego from Spain is paired with a complex and delicious Tempranillo and finally a 5 year aged Gouda is paired with a California Zinfandel. The “Chocolate Flight” is the same idea; three reds paired with three different E.Guittard chocolates with different cocoa contents. I think of it as delicious and fun.

Your employee Kirsten is a delight. She poured us some very different water to go with our wine, what’s that about?

The water at Wine 661 has taken on a life of its own. I’ve always loved spa water infused with various fruits (the combinations are endless) so I take filtered tap water and infuse it with cucumber and lemon. It’s refreshing and different and people freak out over it. I serve it chilled in a frosted 750 ml wine bottle over ice. I recently had a customer visit a resort in Hawaii where similar water was served by the pool. When she tried theirs, she told the pool-side waitress that ‘while it was good, it wasn’t as good as the water at Wine 661.’

Tell us what your customers can expect as far as service?

I don’t think anyone can possibly care about their guests as much as the owner so I try to be here six days per week to ensure that everyone who walks through the door has a good experience. I like to have a good time and not take myself too seriously, and I think the service here reflects that. We’re pretty down to earth so people will always feel comfortable and at ease. We get to know our guests and over time we become like family with many of our regulars. I try to remember everyone’s name although I usually find it easier to remember their wine preference. The service here is personal and nowhere near stuffy. There is a certain sophistication that comes with serving and selling wine but this is a casual environment meant for a having a great time and good laugh!

Well, now that now that your palate is whetted by the wine, beer and water at Wine 661, in the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Now…go!

Perlis Picks: The Oaks Grille at TPC Valencia

May 13, 2017 by Michael Perlis

For as long as I can remember, the Santa Clarita Valley has been referred to as “chain restaurant hell” [okay, maybe that was me saying that]. With the independent restaurants that have opened in our valley in the last several years, it is getting harder and harder to make that joke.

And now, having somehow gotten myself and Karen invited to the “influencers” preview at the NEW Oaks Grille Restaurant at TPC Valencia [it helps having Eve Bushman as my boss], I can safely say that the SCV has moved to the restaurant “heaven” category.

Before getting into the details of what we tried that evening, let me share with you some information that was provided to us by Troy Hooper, Director of Operations of Tournament Players Club Valencia…

The Oaks Grille (along with the Banquet venues and special events) is open to the public – so come one and come all!

The menu is “seasonally refreshed.” Produce comes from regionally local growers and proteins are “Farm to Fork” – they know at all times where their meats and fishes come from.

Products are certified sustainably sourced. Executive Chef Peyton Poulsen is a winner of SCV Ultimate Chef and the wine list has been put together by a Sommelier with 25 years of experience.

Now, onto the menu for the evening, where we got to sample a small selection of what you have in store when you visit the Oaks Grille…

Starters

Salmon Poke – house cured salmon tossed with tomatoes, cilantro, onion and jalapeno, finished with Hawaiian chili pepper water, toasted macadamia nuts and red sea salt.

House Bacon – thick cut house made bacon, beer battered and flash fried, served with pancake fritters and drizzled with a blackberry gastrique and Vermont maple syrup.

Salads

“Garden” Salad – mizuna, blue cheese crème, shaved candy cane beets and pomegranate seeds, tossed in a hazelnut vanilla vinaigrette and garnished with edible flowers.

Smoked Ahi Salad – cold smoked ahi with tatsoi, pickled mushrooms, cucumber and roasted macadamia nuts, toasted in a lilikoi vinaigrette with a hard-cooked egg.

Entrees

Vegetable Sacchetti – truffle and cheese filled pasta purses with mushrooms, onion, sun dried tomatoes and arugula, tossed in a white wine butter reduction.

Glacier 51 Sea Bass – pan seared over an orange cardamom quinoa with marinated golden raisins, candied pecans, splashed with a passion fruit reduction and micro basil.

Ora King Salmon – pan seared over farro, baby squash, finished with a peach and chilie chutney.

Colorado Rack of Lamb – harissa marinated lamb flame grilled, over babaganoush with spiced garbanzo beans and lentils finished with a cool cucumber relish.

All of the above were delicious, but I do have some notes on a few that really stood out for me…

House Bacon – OMG, OMG, OMG. I could have stopped with this. Fortunately, Karen doesn’t eat bacon, so I got hers. And then Eve was wandering around with a plate of these and Karen took another one…for me! OMG.

Smoked Ahi Salad – loved the smokiness of the ahi. From Karen: The smoke enhanced/complemented the fish. The nuance was subtle but distinct.

Vegetable Sacchetti – almost didn’t try this because, you know, vegetable. That would have been dumb. Amazingly rich and delicious.

Glacier 51 Sea Bass

Glacier 51 Sea Bass – another one that I almost skipped. Karen loves sea bass; me usually not that much. This was cooked perfectly. From Karen: I congratulated the chefs on having the fish just right – medium to medium rare.

Colorado Rack of Lamb – of course I’d love this one.

Everyone this evening seemed to agree that the entire evening’s menu was perfect. And again, this is only a sample of a much larger new menu at the Oaks Grille that looks like it will please everybody, from starters to desserts. [I’m personally especially looking forward to trying the Berkshire Pork Porterhouse and the Durham Ranch Bison Rib Eye.]

Along with the new wine list, the Oaks Grille offers a great selection of specialty cocktails, including The Daily, which as the name implies is created new each day by the TPC Valencia bartenders.

I’d be remiss to not give a shout out to our servers that evening. You can tell when people are well trained and care about providing great service. Thank you to them and to Troy for hosting us. We can’t wait to go back.

Check out Eve’s slideshow of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVIngqlZRAo&feature=share

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.