California Wine Country And National, State Parks Make Perfect Summer Pairing

June 4, 2022 by evebushman

SAN FRANCISCO — California wine lovers don’t have to choose between visiting the Golden State’s majestic parks and touring its diverse wine regions. That’s because many of California’s national and state parks are located within or near some of the world’s most famous winegrowing areas. What could be better after a morning hike in the woods than a relaxing afternoon among the vineyards with a delicious glass of California wine?

To help with summer travel planning, Wine Institute has curated pairings of California wine regions with nearby national and state parks. With 143 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) across the state, travelers won’t have to go out of their way to find incredible wine tasting opportunities close to their park-touring adventures. Along with inviting visitors to recharge while sipping the latest vintages, many wineries offer activities like vineyard hikes and cycling. In California wine country, it’s all about a balanced lifestyle.

To find California wineries near a park destination, and get information on summer events at wineries, visit DiscoverCaliforniaWine.com.

Travelers can get information about visiting California’s parks, including current COVID-19 guidelines, at the National Park Service and California Department of Parks and Recreation websites. Some of the most popular parks require visitors to book ahead for day passes and/or camping during the busy summer season. Multi-day events such as the inaugural California State Parks Week June 14 to 18 offers a variety of events from which to choose.

NORTH COAST
Sonoma County & Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve
Ancient Coast Redwoods — the world’s tallest trees — are the main attraction at this 800-acre park and natural preserve. Located just a few miles north of the town of Guerneville, Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve lies within the Russian River Valley AVA in Sonoma County. After hiking and picnicking among the preserve’s towering trees, take time to explore the local wineries. Home to more than 90 producers, the region is famous for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The charmingly rustic town of Guerneville, with its riverfront cabins and lodges, is the perfect place to spend the night and enjoy river activities like canoeing and swimming. On June 25, the Taste of Sonoma is a showcase for Sonoma County wine and food.

Napa Valley/Lake County & Robert Louis Stevenson State Park
This 5,000-acre park offers stunning views of Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties from the summit of Mount St. Helena, California wine country’s highest peak. Robert Louis Stevenson State Park’s location near Calistoga, at the northern end of the Napa Valley, also provides the perfect opportunity to visit the region’s wineries — world-renowned for their impressive and affordable Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The town of Calistoga, with its famous mud baths, boutique hotels and restaurants, is an ideal home base for a visit to the park and local wineries. On July 26, Napa Valley hosts Taste of Napa, a celebration of the region’s wine, food and music. On Sept. 17, travelers can taste and bid on Lake County wines at the Lake County Wine Auction.

SIERRA FOOTHILLS/CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
Sierra Foothills & Calaveras Big Trees State Park
Calaveras Big Trees State Park in Gold Country presents a host of natural wonders, from groves of giant sequoias to ancient volcanic formations to the Stanislaus River. The park is just north of Arnold, in the scenic Calaveras County wine region — a haven for Spanish, Italian and French varieties. Also within the larger Sierra Foothills AVA are Zinfandel specialists Amador County and El Dorado County, which produce everything from Bordeaux varieties to wines made from Rhône, German, Italian and Spanish grape varieties. Camping is popular at Big Trees, so summer reservations book up quickly. Not to worry, though; the park is less than an hour from the old mining town of Murphys, which features hotels, inns, restaurants and more than 25 winery tasting rooms along Main Street.

Madera Wine Country & Yosemite National Park
Rock-climbing Mecca Yosemite National Park is world renowned for its soaring granite walls and cascading waterfalls. Just south of the park is Madera County, one of California’s oldest appellations. The region is known for its dessert wines and port-style wines, and there is plenty to sample along the Madera Wine Trail. Summer camping reservations at Yosemite are quickly selling out and visitors should also book ahead for day passes, but there are a variety of alternative accommodations in nearby Mariposa, from bed and breakfasts to campgrounds to cabin rentals.

CENTRAL COAST
Monterey Wine Country & Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles National Park in Soledad wows thousands of visitors each year with its unique volcanic landscape of monoliths, canyons, oak woodlands and towering rock spires frequented by golden eagles and California condors. Within an hour’s drive is the Cienega Valley Loop in San Benito County, as well as the River Road Wine Trail, which winds its way through the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA in Monterey County, celebrated for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Because summer temperatures at Pinnacles tend to run high — ideal for early morning hikes — the park is most popular during the cooler months. That means reservations for the Pinnacles campground are fairly easy to find for summer visits. There are also lots of lodging and tasting room options in Monterey wine country, in the quaint, storybook town of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Ventura/Santa Barbara Wine Country & Channel Islands National Park
The Channel Islands chain is known as “North America’s Galapagos” due to its natural beauty and wealth of rare plant and animal species. Boats to Channel Islands National Park depart from Ventura and Oxnard. From there, it’s an easy drive to the Ventura County Wine Trail, which features about a dozen wineries in a relaxed, coastal setting. In Santa Barbara wine country, the nearby Sta. Rita Hills AVA is known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, while wineries of the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Trail excel at Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. If short on time, many of these wineries offer tasting rooms in Santa Barbara’s urban Funk Zone. The National Park Service operates primitive-yet-stunning campgrounds on each of the five Channel Islands, but if that’s too much camping, book a stay in Ventura or Santa Barbara.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
San Diego Wine Country & Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is home to the country’s rarest pine tree, the Torrey pine, along with one of the last salt marshes and waterfowl refuges in Southern California. After exploring the reserve’s 1,500 acres of maritime chaparral and miles of beautiful beaches, pay a visit to the wineries of San Diego County. The region boasts more than 100 wineries, best known for Merlot and Chardonnay, and grows 60 different grape varieties. Torrey Pines is located within the San Diego city limits, so lodging, restaurant and other travel amenities abound.

Vintage Eve Circa 4/2016: Revisiting Four Brix Winery

April 16, 2019 by evebushman

We’ve run news from Ventura’s Four Brix Winery over the years (Baubles party, announcing the opening of the winery and different events I was able to snag a brief tasting at.) But it‘s been since May 2010 that I’ve sat down to taste and review their wines. Via my pal Cori Solomon of #LAWineWriters a media visit was recently arranged, and I got to rectify that.

Gary Stewart

From that 2010 article I will share that “…wine tasting became a focused passion for the three couples (that own Four Brix Winery)…(Gary) Stewart is mostly self-taught, adding classes from UC Davis, and was mentored by winemaker Ryan Horn at the Vintner’s Vault in Paso; the other couples offered years of palate experience. I then offered up my own palate to try the swanky labels he had for Deductive (Zinfandel and Petite Syrah), Rhondevous (Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache) and my personal favorite, Scosso (Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot).

Fast-forward to today, and from co-owner Karen Stewart (who is most often found in the tasting room), I learned:

They started out as garage winemakers.
The winery has 4,000 more square feet just added, perfect for their larger “Brix Head” events.
They recently added their first “estate-managed vineyard”, the Cani Amante Vineyard, in Ojai.
They don’t have a Chardonnay, but plenty of other whites to tantalize you.

New Tasting (Aromas and flavors separated by “;”)

2013 Smitten

100% Viognier

Camp 4 Vineyard, Santa Ynez

HELLO PINEAPPLE, then came pear, wet steel and pebbles; in the mouth was that same big pineapple flavor (someone maybe liked Hawaiian Pineapple wine when they made this one?), lemon-lime, concrete and white peach. 90 Eve pts.

2013 Desirous

100% Grenache Blanc

Camp 4 Vineyard, Santa Ynez

Jasmine, cantaloupe and honeydew melon, talcum powder, perfumy and fresh; on the mouth I got distinct canned fruit cocktail, medium acid and slight oak elements. 89 Eve pts.

2014 Dry Riesling

Cani Amante Vineyard in Ojai, Estate property.

I don’t get CA Riesling often so I was looking forward to this one. Dried peach, anise, white pepper; followed by peaches in light syrup, lemon, limeade with an encouragingly pleasant mouthfeel. 89 Eve pts.

2012 Meritage

64% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon

Paso Robles

Cigarette, red cherry, toast, jam and vanilla; dried cherry, black currant, cigar, oak, dark, strong tannins. 89 Eve pts.

2011 Temptress

85% Tempranillo, 12% Grenache, 3% Mourvedre

Dusty plum, mushroom, green peppercorn and black cherry; spices, black fruit, peppery with a long, dark finish. 89 Eve pts.

2011 Petite Sirah

Layers of blueberry and black cherry, musty, violets; then flavors of dark black fruit, black pepper, dry and dusty. 88 Eve pts.

2013 Scosso

Jammy nose with blue to black fruit, earth and mint; juicy at the start, dry at mid-palate, same fruit profile as found in the nose. 89 Eve pts.

2013 Cani Amante Block 4, Ojai

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot

Lovely berry fruit, milk chocolate and oak trees; very dry, pepper, black fruit, big, and chewy. WE gave it 90 pts., so who am I to disagree? 90 Eve pts.

Location

2290 EASTMAN AVE. SUITE 109
VENTURA, CA 93003

Call for hours Thursday through Sunday: Phone: (805) 256-6006

info@fourbrixwine.com

Website: http://www.fourbrixwine.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FourBrixWines/

Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years. She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Vintage Eve Circa May 2013: “It’s Just Wine” Said the Client to the Consultant

May 2, 2017 by evebushman

When my associate/partner/friend Michael Perlis successfully got me to agree to take on consulting clients (yes it took awhile) my only concern was that I didn’t want to do any less wine writing. So, instead, after every pitch we made was accepted, I gave up some of my non-wine writing gigs.

I knew that I had to give up something I didn’t need to do in order to do something that would be more profitable. Now the challenge would be, could we get our own clients to see things this way too?

It was obvious to us that anyone who wanted to hire a consultant needed some help. A client would tell us what they want accomplish, we would do a study of their business, and then come back with our proposal.

Some clients said yes to everything; they were not on the edge of losing their businesses, and we were only there to market a well-conceived plan. This has been the case with the wine fests we have assisted in marketing.

However, other businesses, such as wineries and restaurants, called us in for help that required them to give up something to do something new. Much like I did.

And we could also see that those companies, like a marriage on the verge of a break-up, waited a long time before calling in a counselor. And their immediate reaction to our proposals, well, they were like a knee jerk kick to our stomachs.

Our proposals (which is a timeline of changes we wanted to make before bringing in new customers) are made to help insure that a new customer would return. These clients had a habit of just checking off the items at the end of the proposal.

This is a very shortsighted way of “Give me the reward now and it’s enough.” And, if I can go back to the marriage counselor scenario: One visit with a counselor is going to straighten out years of a miss-managed marriage?

We think not. There is a difference in marketing and consulting; and the consulting has to come before the marketing. If that’s not what you are looking for, you are not looking for us.

If your model isn’t working – listen to what we are trying to do to change it. Whether it’s training a restaurant staff on wine service or changing a hard-sell approach in a winery, this is why you hire us to consult, then market.

Which brings me to the title of this column. One client, exasperated with me as I quoted negative Yelp reviews, wine pricing, management techniques and basic branding said, “It’s just wine.”

That three-word sentence really got me thinking.

If your business is wine know this: There are reasons, beyond common business logic, why people drink wine. We can’t even go total screw cap because of the “romance” of popping a cork. Wine drinkers are not like beer drinkers; give us a nice crystal glass to taste from. Don’t hold my bottle of wine between your thighs as you retrieve the cork.

Don’t open my bottle of wine behind the counter. Don’t serve yourself a sample of my wine unless I offer it to you.

And from there I’d add more: Don’t pitch me anything if I didn’t ask for it. If I said yes to a taste, that’s a taste. Wait for me to ask for more. No one wants to dine in a restaurant or taste at a wine bar where the staff has an agenda. If I wanted to buy a timeshare I wouldn’t sit in for the 90-minute or more sales pitch, I’d just buy it.

Play nice, don’t bad mouth other wineries or restaurants. Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties have done a lot to market their wine trails. Each winery is vested in return business and having each winery look good. And wine people like to “shop” at more than one winery when out for a day of tasting – these trails get that, and so should you if you want to see growth.

Michael, when I told him about this conversation said, “Our new slogan is IAATW. It’s All About The Wine.”

We aren’t selling cars. We are selling wine. Take a lesson from Clos Pepe winemaker Wes Hagen, “The perfect meal is 33 percent wine, 33 percent food and 33 percent company. I’d rather drink shitty wine with this group than the best wine in the world with a bunch of d—-.”

Yes, I could go on, but you’d have to pay us. And we don’t work with d—- either.

Round Up: Favorite Wine or Cocktail Events

March 17, 2017 by evebushman

It’s no secret that Eve’s Wine 101 co-hosts Cocktails on the Roof (save the date: 8/25/17!) and is currently recruiting wineries – and guests – to Wine in the Pines. (That date is set for 6/10/17).

This got me to thinking…what are the best wine or cocktail events our readers/followers have enjoyed and would recommend? So I got some answers from Facebook friends, hyperlinked the event websites for you and added my own notes in italics if it’s an event I’ve attended before:

Robin B: The ones we used to have in SCV which were lots of fun. (The Santa Clarita Wine Fest is the one that Robin B is referring to. The same people that run the LA Wine Fest run it, and I’ve been talking with them as they might bring it back for 2018! So stay tuned! It was/is our only large wine festival held in the Santa Clarita Valley.)

Kathie W: Cocktail event – obviously Cocktails on the Roof. (Clearly, a winner to me! If you Google our event you will see lots of pre and post event coverage for our 2015 and 2016 events. All of the money goes straight to the WiSH Education Foundation that serves all of the students in the Hart District = our middle schools and high schools.)

Jeannie C: The Assistance League Santa Clarita 10th Annual Sunset in the Vineyard is scheduled for the 1st Sunday in November at Compa Vineyard, November 5, 2017. Our inaugural was 2008! From 7 vintners, food made by the ladies from AL, music from an iPod (the event has now has grown) to 20 vintners, 2 craft breweries, the Culinary iCUE chefs and students, Dole/Humphries and friends, Valet parking, not to forget amazing community partners, a live and silent auction – and all the proceeds benefit Operation School Bell and those in need in the SCV! We’ve come a long way baby! (We’ve supported this event since the start. Don’t have much to add to Jeannie’s words, except to say that this is the singular SCV event that showcases local winemakers, some commercial and some not, so it would be tough to find some of these wines anywhere else! Or the opportunity to talk to home winemakers about their craft.)

Terri S: Any of the Rhone Rangers events…the walk around Grand Tastings are superb. (We have been covering the RR events for years. Best way to learn about domestic red and white Rhone grapes being grown here, and the awesome Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre blend, aka the GSM, that is a favorite to many. Rhone Rangers LA is 3/25.)

Russ B: Passport to Dry Creek Valley. They have a theme at each winery such as circus, beach, pirate, the movie Caddyshack, the Kentucky Derby and a Masquerade. They also have food at every winery. Great event. (4/29-30.)

Marleen R: Gosh so many. I loved Pinot Days (6/3), Celebration of Harvest Santa Barbara (10/6-9), and Ventura Winter Wine Walk (12/2). California Wine Festival (held this past Jan 2017) and of course Wine in the Pines are good one too. I look at the participating wineries and what they have to offer, besides location and value price. (The only event here that I still attend is Wine in the Pines. Look for upcoming press on that one, but I will share that this is my ultimate favorite outdoor venue for wine tasting. Why? It is wide open, you are surrounded by nature and PINE TREES.)

Lisa D: This year is SITV 10th Anniversary. Great local event.

Scott K: The Park City Food and Wine Classic is a mind-blower. (For those that want to travel, this event in Utah will be July 6-9.)

Lauren G: Inexpensive but tasty! (Lauren has volunteered for us in our Pour Into events. We raised money for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti and the Hurricane Sandy. Our minimum donation was $25 for the tasting event, with local cellar owners and winemakers donating all the wines. The venue, All Corked Up, is sadly no longer available but we would love another local venue to step up the next time we feel the urge to help others via a wine event.)

Me: Masters of Taste is a richly designed event held on the field of the Rose Bowl with wine, spirits, cocktails and food samples from the best restaurants in LA will be held on 5/7, Lucky Rice LA on 7/28 works with Bombay Sapphire Gin and serves up both Asian inspired cuisine and more, and LA Weekly’s The Essentials held on 3/26 is another event with a heck of a lot of food to sample, wine and spirits, and exceptionally large!

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), 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

Perlis Picks: MASTERS OF TASTE

April 23, 2016 by evebushman

If you missed it, you missed it.

What was “it”?

“It” was the inaugural Masters of Taste held on April 3^rd at the Rose Bowl. Actually, in the Rose Bowl – on the football field!

For the first time for many like me who did not participate in college football, cheerleading or marching bands got to actually go down to the Rose Bowl field and get a “player’s eye view” while munching and drinking a variety of superb consumables, all for the benefit of Union Station Homeless Services.

So much great food and drink. You can check out the complete list of participants on the website.

http://mastersoftastela.com/the-masters/

Some of the highlights for me…

I hadn’t seen Brendan Collins or Carolos Tomazos since they had closed Waterloo & City and gone their separate ways. It was great to see them both and taste Brendan’s chicken liver mousse from Birch and Carolos’ spicy lamb meatball from Inotheke.

Also loved the beef cheek from Hyde, the sliders from Hache LA, the pork belly from BierBeisl and Redbird’s gnudi.

While Eve focused a lot on cocktails [read her article in the Beacon], I tasted primarily wine and a little beer.

Some favorites…

Ascension Cellars, based in Paso Robles, produces an ever-improving line of primarily Rhone based wines. Loved the 2015 Siren GSM Rose on this warm day and the 2013 Mayhem Syrah was simply outstanding.

Alosta Brewing Co. makes beer in Covina. The Saison, with ginger and sage, was really refreshing and I can still taste the delicious oatmeal stout.

Anglim Winery – I’ve known the Anglims for several years and have always felt they made solid wines. Their ZSM blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Mourvedre was excellent and I am looking forward to tasting more of their wines soon.

Four Brix Winery makes their wine in Ventura. My favorite of theirs today was the Temptress blend of Tempranillo, Grenache and Mourvedre, all from Paso Robles grapes.

Spin The Bottle Wine Studio in Toluca Lake was pouring a variety of samples. I really liked the Rose they had from Morocco[!].

Van Ruiten Family Winery had been in Lodi for a long time. Nice to taste some Lodi zin at this event.

Vinemark Cellars – Mark Wasserman’s wines keep racking up the medals. My faves today were the Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah.

Plenty more that I didn’t get to.

It couldn’t have been a better day. When it threatened to be a little too warm, a cooling afternoon breeze set in. In addition, the layout of the event with the tasting booths circling the field allowed for plenty of seating at tables on the field. And the VIP attendees not only started an hour early but had access to seating in VIP lounges as well as complimentary massages – I keep telling you guys, go VIP when you can; it is almost always worth it.

In spite of all of the above, I could swear that some guys thought that the best part was posing as quarterbacks on the Rose Bowl field while whoever they were with took a picture.

But as I said, if you missed it, you missed it. But don’t despair. Based on the great job done by all the participants and the great time had by the attendees this event should be back next year – I expect even bigger and better. I am looking forward to it.

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

OJAI WINE FESTIVAL Does it Right, by Michael Perlis

July 18, 2015 by evebushman

What makes a good wine festival? A great selection of wine, of course, but also a great location. And what turns a good festival into a great one? Great organization to keep things running smoothly.

For the second day of our Southern California wine-soaked weekend, my wife Karen and I recently attended the 29^th Annual Ojai Wine Festival. Now, I’m not sure how long Angela May and her team have been in charge of the event (I know it’s been at least the last three years since we’ve been attending) but they definitely have this wine festival thing down.

This is a big festival, taking over much of the Lake Casitas Recreation Area in Ojai.
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Right on the shore of Lake Casitas, actually. Along with a wide range of central coast wineries [from Ventura to Paso Robles], the event also includes great food and beer, as well as two bands to while away a warm pre-summer afternoon.

One of the things I really love about this festival is the event guide. It’s a great place for local merchants to advertise. And attendees can use it as a guide for their day as well as to follow up with wineries after the event is over. Not all festivals do this, but they all should.

Speaking of something people should do, festival attendees should take advantage of VIP tickets when they are available. Many events do offer this perk for an added cost, and in most cases the extra cost is well worth it.

The Ojai Wine Festival is one of those that offers a limited number of VIP Tickets, and the price is well worth it. Not only do you get early access [beat the crowds!], but you start the festival with a glass of Barefoot Bubbly to get you in the mood. And of course, there is the VIP section of the festival, with great seating by the lake and access to the VIP wines and food, as well as beers from Stella Artois [and spirits too].

As usual, this report is primarily about the wineries. And also as usual, there was no way for me to taste all of them. But, of those I tasted, these were some of my favorites:

First, two wineries that were real eye-openers for me…

Ascension Cellars from Paso Robles was pouring in both the VIP section and the main tasting area. The wines in the VIP section were definitely VIP-worthy. All their wines were outstanding. People who know me know that I am mostly a Rhone/Zin guy, but I have to say their Soul Shaker Bordeaux blend really rocked and was my favorite wine of the day. Their Mayhem Syrah was right behind this one.

Falcone Family Winery, also in the VIP section and also pouring some outstanding selections from Paso Robles along with a great Chardonnay from the Santa Maria Valley. They do something pretty gutsy with their highest end wine, producing a non-vintage 2012/2013 blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon called Annate. Knocked my socks off and came in a very close 2^nd for my favorite wine of the events.

Other standouts…

Bonny Doon Vineyards from Santa Cruz continues to make tasty wines, including the latest version of Clos de Gilroy (Central Coast Grenache).

Kenneth Volk Vineyards makes a wide variety of wines, some of which come from unusual grape varietals, such as the delicious Touriga Nacional from Paso Robles.

Toucan Wines, based in Arroyo Grande, is known for its estate Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, which I loved. But my favorite is always Doug Timewell’s Carignane that he makes with grapes from old vines in Contra Costa County. Sadly, Doug is getting out of the wine business soon, and it will be our loss.

The Ventura County Winery Association had their own little corner of the festival. Pouring were Cantara Cellars, Panaro Brothers Winery, Plan B Wine Cellars, Magnavino Cellars and Sunland Vintage Winery. Lots of good wines; standouts for me were the Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc from Cantara and the Grenache Rose and the Syrah from Plan B.

As I wrap up, I need to add one more element to a great festival – the attendees. The crowd is about as friendly as it gets and we have made friends there who we look forward to seeing annually, maybe sooner.

So, that’s it. Great wine, beer, food, entertainment and people all on the shores of Lake Casitas. Not sure it could get any better.

Perlis Picked: Wine In The Pines 2015

July 11, 2015 by Michael Perlis

The middle of June 2015 was truly a wine-soaked weekend in the Los Angeles area, with Wine in the Pines on Saturday, June 13^th at Pine Mountain Club followed on Sunday, June 14^th by the Ojai Wine Festival.

First – Wine In The Pines

The annual Wines In The Pines festival was started in 2003 by the Village Pine Mountain Club. We are very proud to have helped the event be a huge hit this year. Lots of good wines, very well organized, great food and entertainment as well. And even though it was warm [mid 80s, I think, which happens sometimes up here] I heard hardly any comments about the weather as people were just having too good of a time.

I saw many Santa Claritans at the festival, as usual. After all, the event is just over an hour away from the SCV. Yet, once you leave the 5 freeway at Frazier Park and head into the mountains you are quickly transported into another world – they don’t call it Mount Pinos for nothing.

While walking amongst the towering pines, you are able to sample wine from dozens of wineries, along with beer and food. You can check out the list of participating wineries, breweries and restaurants here:

http://www.wineinthepines.com/winefood.html

Some of the winery highlights for my wife Karen and me [note that if a winery isn’t mentioned it just means we probably didn’t get to it]:

Ampelos Cellars: A fortunate cancelation of a meeting at the World Trade Center led to Peter Work missing the 9/11 tragedy. Rethinking their lives, he and wife Rebecca plunged full-time into their Ampelos vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, which they had acquired in 1999. My favorites were the “Syrache” [blend of Syrah and Grenache] as well as the standalone Syrah.

Ascension Cellars: Winemaker Erick Allen uses fruit from the Cass Vineyard in Paso Robles and makes his wines there as well. Focusing primarily on Rhone and Bordeaux blends with minimal use of oak, we enjoyed the “Silver Blanc” [Chardonnay and Viognier blend] and the “Trinity” [Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre].

Bellissimo Cellars: owner/winemaker and Santa Clarita Valley resident Lora Marie Taylor obtains grapes from organically farmed vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills and the Central Coast. Her Chardonnay was clean, bright and refreshing on a warm pre-summer day.

Cantara Cellars: From their winery in Camarillo, Mike and Chris Brown continue to craft delicious wines from Lodi grapes. Enjoyed the “Mischievous” blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Coruce: Based in the high desert, Coruce went commercial in just 2013. Some of their wines are still made with Central Coast grapes [like their excellent Viognier from the Bien Nacido Vineyard] but they are focusing more and more on local grapes, like their tasty Antelope Valley Zinfandel and Syrah bottlings.

Gen 7: Are you old enough to remember the Brookside Winery tasting rooms that dotted the landscape in the late 60s and early 70s? Probably not, but I am. Gen 7 represents the latest efforts of that winemaking family. Best ones here for me were the “Road to Morocco” blend of Cabernet, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah as well as their “1832” Zinfandel.

Golden Star Vineyards: Lee and Helen Williams continue to impress me with their tasty wines from the High Desert. Loved their Chardonnay, Zinfandel, three different Syrahs as well as their signature Purple Haze blend. Their daughter Heather introduced me to their “desert wines” a few years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Mystic Hills: Based in San Miguel [just outside of Paso Robles] but with Santa Clarita Valley roots, Judy and Joel Cox’ winery is producing some wines that are really getting noticed and bringing in the awards. My favorite is their “Unforgiven” red blend.

Plan B Wine Cellars: Based in Ventura, Plan B does a great job with the grapes it purchases, focusing primarily on Zins and Rhones, which are right up my alley.

Really enjoyed their Syrah.

Rotta: Winemaker Jeff Branco brings his impressive to pedigree to Rotta Winery in Paso Robles. Loved his Cabernet but it was his Syrah that really knocked me out.

Zotovich: Their tasting room is in Lompoc and their vineyard is in the Sta. Rita Hills. They sell a lot of their grapes to other wineries in the area, but keep some for themselves, making some delicious wines like the great Syrah that I tasted.

To sum up: a great day in the mountains, a great day in the woods, a great day for wine, beer, food and fun. Be sure to join us next year.

Ventura County Wine Trail Celebration

June 26, 2015 by evebushman

It’s time to celebrate! Join us for the 8^th Annual Ventura County Wine Trail Celebration, and experience Ventura County’s local wineries, incredible food, live music with Blue Latitude band, entertainment and more!

The evening will also feature a charity auction with all proceeds donated to FOOD Share, a food bank that distributes millions of pounds of food each year to the hungry of Ventura County.

Early Bird Ticket price is only $40 (first 500 tickets)
General Admission $50 ($60 on day of the event)
VIP Tickets $75 (only 125 tickets)

All Ticket includes food and wine tastings, commemorative wine glass. Entertainment, event parking and tax. The VIP ticket will include all of the above along with a private seating area, selected wines served by the glass, specialty foods and desserts. Attendees must be at least 21 years old.

These are the wineries participating in this year’s 8^th VCWT celebration!

Alma Sol Winery

Boccali Vineyards & Winery

Camarillo Custom Crush Winery

Clos des Amis Wines

Eagles Landing

Herzog Wine Cellars

Labyrinth Winery

Magnavino Cellars

Panaro Brothers Winery

Strey Cellars

Sunland Vintage Winery

Vinemark Cellars

Tickets —> http://www.eventbrite.com/e/8th-annual-ventura-county-wine-trail-celebration-tickets-16570588075

Breaking the Cycle while Savoring the Season (Vintage Beacon 10/09)

September 2, 2014 by evebushman

I left Santa Clarita again for a wine event! I hate to shock you but this job can be somewhat demanding at times, as there are so many worthy charities that food and wine find their way to.

I learned about Break the Cycle’s annual Savor the Season event last year at a special reception in the Santa Clarita home of Paul and Jo Ann Vindigni. What I gathered there, and since, is that there are some remarkable people, both on the local and national level, raising awareness and working to break the cycle of domestic abuse.

I ran into Paul at this year’s Savor the Season event and had just a couple of questions for him before I lost myself in the goodie bag the evening had all wrapped up for me.

What is your role in the organization: I serve on the Board as the Treasurer of Break The Cycle. I work with the organization’s staff to help ensure that Break The Cycle remains financially healthy so it can continue to provide great programs for our youth.

Of all the non-profit charities, why this one Paul: I have seen numerous instances of dating abuse in our own community and Break The Cycle offered a chance for me to help on a local and national level. Most people don’t know that one in three teens experience abuse in a dating relationship and a majority of these instances never get reported to anyone. The impact on our teens can be devastating.

Tell readers what you want to about Break the Cycle: The people at Break The Cycle are amazing! They are passionate about the organization’s mission to provide teens with the preventative education and programs for youth activism so they can build lives and communities free from dating violence. There are plenty of opportunities for people to volunteer. Just check out our website at breakthecycle.org.

Now onto more things to savor!

Called “One of the top ten food & wine events in Southern California” by Biz Bash, Savor the Season is one of LA’s premier galas. Held in The Lot Studios in West Hollywood, the entrance was lined on both sides with competing venues for my palate.

While I savored Oyster Gourmet Christophe Happillon’s hand shucked oysters I also tried Rick Raile’s Amano artisan chocolate, perfect for wine pairing.

The Naked Pint beer ladies held my attention with a blond ale while the Ventura Limoncello Company teased me further by the fresh taste of both the straight and cream versions of their locally-grown liqueur.

From there I spied the Tasty Cloud table laden with candy-flavored jello shots and decadently rich truffles from Delicious Wishes of Beverly Hills.

I made a pit stop at one of the two bars set up at each end of the venue and tried what the gentleman in front of me had: Blueberry Van Gogh Vodka with soda. Also at the bar was Chateau St. Michelle wines, Sierra Nevada beers, several other Van Gogh Vodkas, DRY soda and O.N.E. Natural Experience.

I inhaled BoHo Bohemian Hollywood’s Risotto as well as treats from Divine Palate, Water Grill, Domenico Ristorante and Andaz West Hollywood.

Andaz was one that the sommelier in attendance, Bonnie L. Graves, told me not to miss. She also told me why she supported the event. “I’m passionate about this organization,” began Graves. “This is my fourth year at the event. I’m happy to pour for them. I was impressed with their organization and commitment to help young women.”

I took a goodie bag home from Bittersweet Treats that included minty-flavored homemade marshmallows, oatmeal cookies and what tasted like a soft homemade Oreo cookie. Suffice to say the drive home wasn’t all that bad after all.

Perlis Picks: 2014 Family Winemakers of California

April 12, 2014 by evebushman

Family Winemakers of California http://familywinemakers.org (FWC) is an organization dedicated to preserving the diversity of California wine and supporting family owned wineries. Anyone who produces wine commercially or who grows wine grapes can join, although membership is dominated by wineries with an annual production of less than 5,000 cases. These small wineries also get a huge marketing assist from FWC, primarily due to the three big events held annually, one in Del Mar, one in Pasadena, and one in San Francisco.

In the past, the Del Mar tasting was held over a weekend, with part of it being trade only and part open to the public. The Pasadena event was held on a weekday afternoon and was designated as trade only. However, last year the Pasadena event was not held, and so my wife Karen and I schlepped down to Del Mar to attend that tasting.

This year, things were back to normal, with an added bonus. The event was held on a Sunday afternoon and the public was invited. The trade portion of the event started at 1 PM. The public could purchase tickets to attend the event starting at 3:30 PM, with a limited number of VIP tickets available for those who wanted to get started early and taste with the trade. Bear in mind that this is a huge event, with 158 wineries participating! So, getting that early start was well worth the extra cost. It was great to see so many people doing this, especially a large number from the Santa Clarita Valley.

Now, how does one approach such a massive tasting? You can go ahead and plan out the wineries you want to visit, or the varietals you’d prefer to taste. But, with so many wineries, it is impossible to make much of a dent, regardless of how much planning you do. So, just relax and enjoy yourself. But be careful — unless you’re spitting, which I personally don’t do very well. Even judicious tasting of very small samples and dumping out most of the wine poured for you will still have an impact with so many wines being available.

That being said, I approached the tasting as I usually do, planning to visit some old familiar wineries that I wanted to catch up with, as well as possibly finding some new gems. These are the wineries I enjoyed the most – bear in mind that I didn’t taste at most of the tables – if I had, I probably would have had more recommendations.

Cantara Cellars www.cantaracellars.com

Camarillo, CA

This Ventura County producer continues to put out a solid consistent line-up. My favorites were the Petite Sirah and the Franknvine red blend.

Chatom Vineyards www.chatomvineyards.com

Douglas Flat, CA

Whether you call it the Sierra Foothills or Calaveras County, Gold Country wineries have their own special character. Loved the Syrah and the Zinfandel.

Clavo Cellars www.clavocellars.com

Templeton. CA

I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, Neil Roberts continues to produce some of my favorite white wines on the Central Coast. His Vermentino totally rocked. His reds aren’t too shabby either – really enjoyed the Syrah and the Petite Sirah.

Collier Falls www.collierfalls.com

Healdsburg. CA

Not only do they make an outstanding Zinfandel and a great Primitivo, you can really taste the difference when you taste them side-by-side. But it was the Petite Sirah that was my favorite today.

Coruce Vineyards and Winery www.corucevineyardsandwinery.com

Pearblossom, CA

I’ve stopped being surprised by the quality of the wines being produced by wineries in our high desert. Look for these guys at the Sierra Pelona Wine Festival on April 26^th. Make sure you try the Syrah.

Janell Dusi

J Dusi Wines www.jdusiwines.com

Paso Robles, CA

I’m not sure if I’ve reach official stalker status with this winery, but I continue to be impressed by the quality of the wines, and Janell is just taking if further with the recent acquisition of vineyards and a tasting room on the Paso Robles’ west side. The Ruby Slippers red Rhone blend was my favorite.

Jeff Cohn Cellars www.jccellars.com

Oakland, CA

Formerly known as JC Cellars, look for the new label. The wines are still as great as ever, especially the Zinfandel and the Smoke & Mirrors red blend.

Villa Toscano Winery www.villatoscano.com

Plymouth, CA

In my opinion, the best Barberas in California come out of Amador County. This winery was pouring a great one, along with a delicious Zinfandel. And this winery also produces a tasty and unique White Barbera

Vino Noceto www.noceto.com

Plymouth, CA

See my comments above about Amador Barbera. And while I am not typically a fan of California Sangiovese, this producer did a great job.

Westerhold Family Vineyard www.westerholdwines.com

Santa Rosa, CA

Excellent Bennett Valley Syrah – possibly my favorite Syrah of the day.

Typically, when I go to a tasting, there will be one winery that gets my attention more than any other. This time, there were actually two.

ONX Wines www.onxwines.com

Templeton, CA

This rising star Paso Robles producer is making excellent Rhone-blends-with-a-twist, such as their Reckoning, a blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Tempranillo and Grenache. Looking forward to visiting them soon.

Rock Wall Wine Company www.rockwallwines.com

Alameda, CA

Winemaker Shauna Rosenblum grew up in the wine business. Her dad, Kent Rosenblum founded Rosenblum Cellars which he sold in 2008. Shauna has carried on the family tradition, making delicious fruit forward wines. Loved the Petite Sirah and Zinfandel, as well as the Obsideana blend of Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. Speaking of fanciful names, Shauna named her outstanding Tannat Palindrome because, well, Tannat is a palindrome, and our conversation gave her the opportunity to teach me a new one: Go Hang a Salami; I’m a Lasagna Hog!

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. (2013 Update: Eve and Michael announced Eve Wine 101 Consulting. Info is here: http://evewine101.com/press-releases/) Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com.