Paso Robles: What’s Happening Now?

A few things have come across my plate so I thought I’d pass them along.

~Jack Creek Cellars is the winery for Monday Night Supper at Artisan in downtown Paso Robles on January 27^th.

~ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Villa San-Juliette Vineyard & Winery Considers the Next Generation
Winemaker and Owners Work to Ensure Sustainability at Paso Robles Winery

January 22, 2014 (Paso Robles, Calif.) –Villa San-Juliette Vineyard & Winery recently completed Sustainability In Practice (SIP) certification with the Vineyard Team, a network of farmers that strives to promote sustainable vineyard practices and protect resources valuable to the land and the community.

Launched by Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick in 2006, Villa San-Juliette has made sustainability a focus since its inception, said Winemaker,Matt Ortman.

“VSJ is a long-time member of the Vineyard Team,” Ortman recalled, “so we were already following many best practices before pursuing SIP certification.”

When Ortman joined the VSJ team in January, 2013, gaining SIP certification became a priority. “We completed the Vineyard Team’s audit of our growing practices and winery operations, including testing our well pump for efficiency. We made some important changes in erosion control and integrated pest management – specifically, installing more owl boxes – and were SIP certified within a year of my hire date.”

Asked what inspires VSJ’s interest in adopting sustainable practices, Ortman cites Lythgoe and Warwick’s foresight. “Ken and Nigel came into this business committed to being good stewards of the land, which is part of what attracted me to the job in the first place. As a second-generation winemaker, I like working to ensure that a third generation could make wine here, too.”

~I have not heard anything new from the Eberle Winery “hostile takeover”. Not sure if that’s good or bad. Just wanted to let you know what I know since I’ve been asked multiple times about it.

~Broken Earth Winery will be pouring this weekend at the Cambria Art & Wine Festival so check that out if you are in the area. I’m letting you know this because I work for Broken Earth and I like them so it would be stupid not to tell you.

~On this CBS News travel report San Luis Obispo was mentioned as the “gateway to Paso Robles” which I thought was cool. Peter Greenberg says everyone should come to Paso Robles instead of Napa because we have great wine here, the folks that make the wine are typically in the tasting room, and you won’t get stuck behind all the buses like you do in crowded Napa. Way to go Peter, thanks for sending revenue our way.

~Starting this coming week I will starting to write wine reviews on Cooking Stoned for Jerry James Stone. They will be reviews covering green, sustainable, or otherwise eco-friendly wines. Good times in the big city.

I think that’s all I got for now. I know there is stuff I’m missing but that’s how it goes sometimes. A funny side note, a guy emailed us and wanted to unsubscribe from our blog email list because I apparently used a swear word in a blog post and he was offended. Well, shit…now I’ve gone and screwed up…DAMN. Just thought that was humorous. To each his own, I’ll keep cussing and he can try to live in that bubble.

Hope you all have an awesome weekend. Exciting things to come.