Monthly Archive for March, 2009

Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro Vegetable Garden

Published on March 20, 2009 in Farmer's Market and Vegetable Garden. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

It is almost Spring and time to think about our Lafond Vineyards vegetable garden. Last year we experimented with various vegetables, some exotic some not, with the purpose of providing fresh vegetables for our Wine Bistro Restaurant. This year I think we have it down to what we can grow, here in Santa Rita Hills and what we can’t. We hope to provide the restaurant during the summer with a fresh selection of natural produce.

The photo shows David Lafond constructing the greenhouse with the garden in the background. Click the image to enlarge the photo.

Wine Days

Published on March 19, 2009 in Joanie Hudson and Restaurant News. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

New name, new look, new menu… There have been plenty of tweaks and changes to transform the Wine Bistro into what it is today, and a new menu seals the evolution.  To celebrate the fresh list, we will host “Wine Days” from April 1-4.  On each day during the stretch we will focus on a certain theme to promote our wines and encourage visitors to come in and experience the update. 

Wine Days, April 1-4
Taste Your Way Around Our New Menu

April 1, 6pm – Passport to the World of Wine, Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio
5 wines with food pairings, $25

April 2, All Day
Free wine pairing with every entree

April 3, 4pm-7pm
Complimentary passed appetizers with wine purchase

April 4, All Day
All wines by the glass $5

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Passport Pairings

Published on March 19, 2009 in Food and Wine Pairing, Joanie Hudson and Passport to the World of Wine. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

April 1’s Passport Pairing will be our first to serve a white varietal.  Up to this point during the winter months we have served hearty reds from Cabernet Sauvignon to Grenache.  White wines call for a different type of fare – lighter, whiter, and more shellfish friendly.  Here are this month’s Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio pairings:

Pinot Gris, France   
Smoked Chicken & Apple Salad with Endive Spears

Pinot Gris, Oregon   
Smoked Salmon on Cucumbers with Fresh Dill Cream

Pinot Grigio, Italy     
Pesto and Tomato Flatbread with Fresh Goat Cheese

Pinot  Grigio, Australia 
Herb & Garlic Bay Mussels

Pinot Gris, Santa Barbara
Smoked Salmon on Cucumber with Fresh Dill and Cream

Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro, Passport to the World of Wine
Wednesday, April 1, 6-8pm
$25

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Nose Knows

Published on March 16, 2009 in Joanie Hudson. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Why do we swirl and sniff? Is it just a pretentious way of showing our company and the rest of the restaurant that we are “wine snobs”?  Absolutely not.  Swirling and sniffing your glass of wine enhances what you are drinking.  Yes, it actually makes it better.  It makes it taste better, smell better, and even look better.  It opens up the wine in your glass allowing aromas to jump out at you instead of just sitting on top like a frog on a lily pad.  Think of it like the frogs jumping around, dancing, mingling and dipping their toes in the liquid beneath them.  It just brings something out that does not present itself if you just pick up your glass and sip.  

Why does this matter?  All of the time and effort that goes into bringing what you are drinking from the vineyard into the glass deserves to be experienced and appreciated.  If it was as simple as it being just a beverage people wouldn’t spend lots of money on quality.  It is a sensory experience that awakens all of your senses to not only what you are drinking, but also where you are, what you are eating, and who you are with.  You know how smells remind you of certain things, objects, times from your past? You can recreate these great memories throughout your life through thinking about the aromas and flavors in your glass.  It does matter.  

Here is are some excerpts and the full article discussing aromatics in your glass:

SWIRL, SNIFF AND SIP. Anyone who drinks wine has probably come across those terms. Perhaps you’ve seen someone, nose deep in wine glass, taking a good long sniff before they taste? While it may look like a ritual reserved for wine snobs, it’s not. Performing these three simple actions will unleash a host of sensory experiences that will increase your appreciation of wine.

Our sense of smell is closely related to our sense of taste. That’s why it’s difficult to enjoy a fine steak dinner when you have a cold. Your nasal passages are compromised blocking the aromas of the grilled meat. So the same is true with wine. It’s important to smell the wine as it will enhance the taste and your overall enjoyment.

When wine is swirled in the glass, its bouquet or aroma is released. The wine’s nose, as it’s called, reveals its components or flavor profile. Try this with your next glass of either red or white wine. Tilt your glass and put your nose deep into it. Can you smell big, jammy fruit such as black cherries or raspberries? Is the fruit aroma more delicate like orange blossoms or lemon? Is there spice such as cinnamon or cloves, or a hint of vanilla, butter or toast? Can you discern an earthiness or something akin to mushrooms?

Click here to read the rest of The Nose Knows

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

April Passport to the World of Wine – Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio

Published on March 12, 2009 in Joanie Hudson and Passport to the World of Wine. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

True indications of spring: 

a) The time change that has made me feel jet lagged all week. 

b) Blue skies instead of darkness when I leave work.

c) White wines at the Wine Bistro’s Passport to the World of Wine.

When I think about April I think about those calendars that used to be stuck up in classrooms growing up – cartoon illustrations of the weather decorated the background of each month.  April always had an umbrella shielding the cartoon character from the rain.  But we don’t seem to get too much rain here in April as it seems that that season may be behind us, for the most part.  Warm weather is upon us and it’s time to celebrate that with some crisp and refreshing white wines.  

Passport falls on April Fool’s Day (Wednesday, April 1st) and will feature Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris as the varietal.  France, Oregon, Italy, Australia, and California each grow this varietal and will be represented at the tasting.  Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are actually the same white grape, just a different name.  In Italy it is known as Pinot Grigio and France as Pinot Gris, and in other countries the name is used interchangeably.  A mutation of the Pinot Noir grape and not the same as Pinot Blanc.  

07 Schoffit, Pinot Gris, Colmar, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France 

06 Belle Pente, Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley, Oregon

07 Tiefenbrunner, Pinot Grigio, Alto-Adige, Italy

08 Robert Oatley Vineyards, Pinot Grigio, Southeastern Australia, Australia

07 Santa Barbara Winery, Pinot Gris, Santa Barbara County, CA

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Italian Passport Recap

Published on March 5, 2009 in Joanie Hudson and Passport to the World of Wine. 1 Comment

Last night was our fourth Passport to the World of Wine event, and each evening seems to get more and more popular.  Last night there was a twist to kick off the tasting… As guests arrived they received a taste of a brown bagged white wine to blind taste.  Each person wrote down their guess for what varietal it may be and placed it in a basket for an end of the night drawing.  The winner received a bottle of the wine that was beneath the brown bag. 

I collected tasting notes written by Sommelier Zach Blair from each table to share a little bit about each of the wines that were poured.

2005 Santa Barbara Winery Sangiovese

Sangiovese is truly a noble grape.  It makes up some of the most prestigious, yummy, and versatile wines in the world.  Most prominently from the Tuscan regions of Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Carmignano.  The Stolpman Vineyard where we source our Sangiovese is located in the Ballard Canyon almost ten miles east of our Lafond Vineyard.  The warmer climate in Ballard Canyon is ideally suited for Sangiovese.

2005 Santa Barbara Winery Lagrein

Our Lagrein is one of the only Lagreins I know outside of the Alto Adige, where most of it is made into roses.  Ours is deep, dark, and brooding.

2005 Santa Barbara Winery Primitivo

Primitivo is well known as the primary wine grape from the Puglia region of Italy where it was widely planted starting in the 1850’s.  Interestingly, recent genetic studies have confirmed that Primitivo is identical to Zinfandel.  University of California at Davis research has confirmed that Zinfandel/Primitivo’s parents originated in Croatia.  However it made it to California it quickly became synonymous with Californian red wine.

2003 Taurino, Salice Salentino, Puglia, Italy

This wine, the Salice-Salentino from Puglia is truly Italian, it reminds me of a dusty souther Italian road, lined with rosemary, vineyards, and rustic cuisine derived from the earth and the ancient culture.  The small town of Salice Salentino in Puglia, is the home town of this world famous wine.  Taurino’s namesake blend of Negroamaro and Malvasia Nero explodes with red berry fruit, herbs, and black cherries.

2006 Tiefenbrunner Lagrein, Alto Adige, Italy

Lagrein is a red wine grape variety native to the valleys of the Trentino/Alto Adige, or Suditrol (South Tyrol), region of Italy, north of Bolzano.  This region was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I, hence the predominant language is German.  Lagrein’s astringency is dealt with in a myriad of different ways, long barrel maturation times or filtering before fermentation tend to mitigate the aggressive tannins inherent to this varietal.

Just some bits and bobs to get you a little bit more familiar with the varietals…

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Italian Passport Food Pairings

Published on March 2, 2009 in Joanie Hudson and Passport to the World of Wine. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Food pairings for our Italian wines tomorrow night at March’s Passport event will be appropriately traditional Italian to match the rustic and hearty nature of the varietals.                   

Roasted Eggplant Bruschetta with Shaved Parmasean

Roasted Garlic Flatbread with Salami & Smoked Mozzarella
Gnocchi w Speck & Onion Mushroom Ragout
Sausage Bolognese

 

Wine Bistro Sommelier Zach Blair will be pouring as well as our tasting room’s own Italian afficionado, Carlos Mascherin.  Tasting Room regulars have probably already heard his stories on sangiovese, but he is a wealth of knowledge on all things Italian…

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery