Santa Ynez Valley Wine Adventure

Last June we made our first trip to the Santa Ynez Valley as part of our California Wine Adventure.  We only had a half day to explore the region, so we knew a return trip was a must. This weekend, we made finally made it back, extending our time and travelling with family (Jeff’s parents, Kathy & Bob) ~ both making it an even better trip than the last!    

In planning our adventure, each couple chose three wineries to visit. Selections were based on recommendations from friends, wines that had been tried before and wanted to learn more about, as well as old favorites.  This gave us a wide variety of wines, and tasting experiences ~ here’s a recap of our discoveries:

Firestone Winery

We opted for the reserve flight, which included a tasting of 6 wines, and one bonus pour.  They served a mix of white and reds, all from their reserve and Chairman Series. The tasting room has great views of the valley. Overall, the wines had muted flavors and heavy tannins, and were generally not to our liking.  But, we were glad we gave it a try. 

Andrew Murray

We first discovered their tasting room in Los Olivos on our first trip.  We enjoyed the experience and the wine so much that we wanted to introduce it to Kathy & Bob.  Once again, the crew, and wine, at Andrew Murray did not disappoint!  We had a wonderful time with Stephanie and Tracy, tasting wines from the Eleven series, as well as a number of their great Syrah wines produced under the Andrew Murray label.  We all left with smiles on our faces (and purple teeth)!

Gainey Vineyard

This winery was a recommendation of our friends, Sarah and David.  The winery grounds were beautiful, and the tasting room setting was great ~ located just off the barrel room, and among walls of strategically placed bottles.  The atmosphere added to the fun, and all the wines we tasted were really good.  Drew navigated us through a couple of whites, and select reds for the Gainey Vineyard and Even’s Ranch.  I was excited to see a Cab Franc!

Cambria

Located in the Santa Maria Bench, Cambria specializes in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  During our visit, we tasted a number of their Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, as well as a Pinot Gris, Syrah, and a Late Harvest Viognier.  All wines were quite good, but with their slightly higher than average prices, we left empty handed.  A number of the wines are well distributed, and we will keep an eye out for special deals in our local wine shops. 

Foxen – Foxen 7200

This was a unique experience, as they have two wine tasting rooms ~ Foxen is served at a more modern tasting room located just slightly up the road from the original shack where they serve up Foxen 7200.  We sampled several great Pinot Noirs, a tasty Sangiovese, and another excellent Cab Franc!

Zaca Mesa

This tasting room was more commercial than the others, bringing in higher crowds than the others we had visited on the trip.  With that said, the staff was very helpful in securing us a spot, and were very attentive during the tasting.  We had the chance to sip a few different varieties than we had been tasting around the valley, including a granache, a roussanne, and several tasty syrahs.  All the wines would be great with food, but few stood out to enjoy on their own.

Rusack

Even with the heavy clouds and rain rolling in, the views from the winery were still stunning.  The wines had big flavors, and were quite enjoyable.  A number of them are distributed at BevMo and our favorite wine shop, San Diego Wine Company.  We still walked out with a couple of bottles of ones with limited distribution or hard to find. 

Wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley are producing some tasty treats!  If you come across one, especially Pinot Noir or Syrah, give it a try!

The Slammer Syrah

The windy and rainy weather San Diego had this weekend put me in the mood for a big pot of chili, and a glass of red wine.  Fulfilling both cravings posed a bit of a challenge, as my chili tends to be a little more on the hotter side than normal and this can be bad news for good red wine. 

Knowing that less expensive reds you find in the grocery store tend to be younger, and fruiter, (exactly what my chili needs) I decided to head to the store and make a fairly random pick.  I set two criteria for this adventure:  pick a red under $10, and find one to test Jeff’s theory ~ the cheesier the wine name and more novelty the label, the less likely something good will come out of the bottle.

After cruising the aisles, checking out basic red table wine, zinfandels, and syrah, I walked out with a bottle of Big House – The Slammer Syrah for $5.50.  Under $10 – check, cheesy name and novelty label – check!  As soon as I unscrewed the top, I knew it would be a match.  Nice elements of blackberry and black currant instantly hit the nose.  Those same fruits were found at first sip, followed by ripe and smooth tannins.  Is this a wine I’d put at the top of my list of all Syrahs, no (but tasty for the price point).  But, I would definitely buy it again to enjoy with a Roundtable King Arthur Supreme pizza, or have in the house as a “third bottle”.

Big House produces other catchy wines you may be familiar with ~ Cardinal Zin, The Usual Suspect (Cab Sav), Unchained (Chardonnay), The Birdman (Pinot Grigio), and their table wines Big House Red and White.  The Big House winery is located in Soledad, Monterey County very near the Soledad State Correctional Facility, which explains the theme of their wines.  Check out their website, which carries on the theme, to locate these wines near you.

The Slammer definitely opened my mind to trying other wines with cheesy names and novelty labels.  Do you have a favorite that fits the bill?  Share the name, and I will give it a try!

Cheers!

Make your next business trip better with wine

Some businessmen go prowling for ladies to keep them entertained while on a business trip. I like to go prowling for wine. I still have a good time and my wife doesn’t mind if I bring something home with me.

Traveling by yourself doesn't mean you have to drink alone. Here are three ways to enjoy a little wine and some good company while you are flying solo on a business trip:

Visit a Winery
Stopping by a winery or two is always fun if your travels take you near a wine region. Winery tasting rooms are very social places, so you'll find it easy to strike up a conversation with winery employees and fellow visitors. You may need a flexible schedule since most tasting rooms are only open during the day, but this could be the extra incentive you need to wrap up your meeting a few hours early. (Check out our wine tasting tips and you'll taste like a pro without drinking too much.)

I recently traveled to Santa Rosa, California, which is in the heart of the Sonoma County wine region. I had to fly in the day before my meeting so I used this as an excuse to do some tasting. I started my adventure with a delicious lunch at the Oakville Grocery in Healdsburg and then visited Alexander Valley Vineyards and Foppiano Vineyards. It was a great time and I was happy and rested when I met with my client the next day.

Discover a Wine Bar
Wine bars are a great place to enjoy a glass of wine after work. You can usually sit at the bar and make some new friends if your co-workers or clients don’t want to join you. It's generally easy to find a few good wine bars in almost any city these days.

A recent business trip to Portland, Oregon gave me an opportunity to visit Oregon Wines on Broadway. They have a huge selection of Oregon wines by the glass and their knowledgeable employees are always willing to suggest a wine that suits your palate. It's a locals' hangout, but they don't mind you joining in on the wine talk. This was a fun way to spend an evening on the road.

Haunt the Hotel Bar
The hotel bar is often a refuge for business people traveling alone. You can socialize with fellow travelers while enjoying a drink or even a meal. Many hotel bartenders are wonderful hosts who can help you pick out a perfect glass of wine to enjoy after work.

While on my trip to Portland, I visited the Daily Grill which was attached to my hotel. They offer great food and their attentive staff make you feel right at home when you are dining by yourself. Don't look for anything exotic on their wine list, but you can expect to see a lot of solid, well-priced wines that will suit nearly any mood.

Road trips can be tough, but they don't have to be wine free!

How to drink wine in public

It's illegal to drink alcohol in public parks and on beaches in San Diego. As far as you know, Sally and I never violate the law by bringing wine to a park or beach. However, we thought you might like to know how to get away with it just in case you have a certain disregard for the law. 

There are only three things you need to know to get away with drinking wine in public.

Step 1: Choose the right containers
Always keep the evidence out of sight! A wine bottle is a dead giveaway, so you should pour your wine into a water bottle or other container before leaving home. Clear plastic bottles are OK for whites, but you may want something opaque for red wine. If we were to do it ourselves, we'd probably go with a 750 ml steel canteen. Glass is banned from most parks and beaches, so you'll have to leave the wine glasses at home. Go ahead and drink the wine from standard 16 oz Solo cups since they don't impact the flavor too negatively and are pretty generic.

Step 2: Don't look like you are drinking
We see plenty of people get busted for booze in public because they look like they are there to party hearty. If we were to enjoy some wine in the park, hypothetically, we would pack a nice picnic. This would make us look like a couple of responsible adults enjoying a nice picnic rather than two degenerate scofflaws who ought to be investigated.

Step 3: Don't talk about drinking
Some people give themselves away by simply talking too loudly about their illicit activities. Here are a few sample phrases that might get you in trouble if you are illegally drinking in a park or at the beach:

• Damn this wine is good!
• Should we open some more wine?
• I don't know if I should have any more wine since I'm already drunk.

Sally enjoying an unknown beverage

A little adventure thanks to pizza and wine

It's always fun to turn the pursuit of wine into an adventure. This one stars some great wine, our favorite pizza, and a piece of furniture we had been searching for since January.

Our friends at San Pasqual Winery recently shared via Twitter that their Monte Soledad Spanish blend would be a perfect pairing with pizza. We're huge fans of pizza and wine, so we decided to pick up a bottle for our next pizza night. (See our posts on Robert Renzoni Sangiovese and pizza or Consentino Sangiovese and pizza for more pizza and wine pairings.)

Last Friday, we both got a craving for pizza so we stopped by San Pasqual's tasting room in La Mesa to buy a bottle of their 2003 Monte Soledad. At $12.50 per bottle, this wine is a steal! It's a blend of Tempranillo, Granacha, Barbera, and Cabernet Sauvignon that tastes a lot like dark fruit and, well, pizza. 

Wine in hand, we were strolling back to our car when a furniture stored called Mostly Mission caught our eye. We had been looking for a small table to put in our entry way and they had some promising pieces displayed in their window. The store's name reveals their primary focus, but they also sell some very unique items too.

One that jumped out at us was a bistro table made from an old wine barrel. The look and dimensions were perfect for an odd-shaped space in our entry way. We had been searching for a table like this since last January when we moved out an old piece of furniture. Our search was finally over!

Later that night, we opened the Monte Soledad and thoroughly enjoyed it with a Round Table King Arthur Supreme. The dark grapes blended perfectly with the pizza's meaty, salty flavors to create an incredible pairing. Both soon disappeared, but not before we raised a glass to finding our new entry way table!