It was fun to visit the SIP-certified wineries pouring at the Atascadero Wine Festival – a relaxing, lakeside event that’s now held from 4-8 p.m. to avoid the heat and take advantage of lovely North County summer nights. Local artists and restaurants also participate (we enjoyed paella from 10th Street Basque Café in San Miguel), and it’s always fun to listen to the Mighty Croon Dogs!

Here are some SIP wine tasting highlights …

Ancient Peaks: ’09 Sauvignon Blanc (which just won Best of Sauvignon Blanc at the Mid State Wine Competition) had honeydew notes with crisp acidity, definitely a good summer wine, $12. ’07 Oyster Ridge Cab-based blend showed wafts of violet and dark fruit with elegant tannins and balance, a beautiful wine, $50.

Pomar Junction: ’08 Viognier had nice honey and pear aromas, soft mouthfeel but enough acid to balance it, $25.

Saucelito Canyon: this pre-release showing of the bright ’09 Sauvignon Blanc (a gold medal winner at the Mid State Fair competition) offered crisp, citrusy flavors – made in all-stainless, it’s a wine that fans of New Zealand Sauv Blancs will love, $17. The ’08 Backroads Zinfandel and ’08 Estate Zinfandel were very different wines, with the Backroads showing a softer style and bright red fruit and the Estate true to form as Saucelito’s bold flagship Zin. Drink the Backroads with apps or on its own, $19, but the Estate really begs for an equally bold food pairing like grilled steak, $30. Add some chimichurri sauce to that steak, however, and you might want to reach for the ’08 Tempranillo, a beautifully balanced spicy interpretation of this increasing popular varietal, $28.

A good time was had by all for a great cause at the 3rd Annual SLO Wine & Grill Affair on June 5. Held at the historic Filipponi Ranch in San Luis Obispo, the event featured nine wineries pairing their wines with tasty treats right off the grill, and proceeds benefited the non-profit Transitions Mental Health Association.

Among the wineries pouring was SIP-certified Baileyana/Tangent, matching their 2008 Tangent Albariño with seared ahi. The 2007 Baileyana Grand Firepeak Cuvée Reserve Pinot Noir was also available, but the staff (rightly) recommended the Albariño as the best pairing with the ahi. This was the only fish dish served, so it stood out nicely, especially with the accompanying wasabi drizzle and picked ginger that pleasantly woke up your taste buds without trashing your palate, and Baileyana/Tangent tied for third place with the judges (disclaimer – I was one of them).

The Albariño had very crisp, balanced acid which really showcased the fish, plus there was just enough sweetness to stand up to the wasabi. The Pinot showed beautiful dark cherry notes and hints of smoke – a good wine to pair with other grilled items such as lamb, and Pinot is always a good bet with paella!

Central Coast Vineyard Team was one of six businesses recently honored with Green Awards from the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. There were over 70 nominees for the award, which celebrated companies dedicated to saving energy and reducing their waste.
Keynote speaker was Deborah Lyons, an environmental sustainability specialist for Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, the largest information technology company in the country and recently named as the greenest company in America by Newsweek magazine.
According to The Tribune’s Biz Buzz Report on November 11, 2009, “Lyons’ message was that saving the planet is good for businesses — and the bottom line. She came to San Luis Obispo hoping to inspire local enterprises to measure their energy usage and waste, be efficient with their resources and find new ways to save costs. But after listening to what county businesses were doing to reduce their carbon footprint, she said, ‘I’m the one who’s inspired’.”

I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium recently, after far too much time away. The visit was prompted by the juvenile great white shark they have on exhibit for a limited time – a stunning creature, but the jellies were no less fascinating, and the seahorses were just downright mesmerizing. One other thing that struck me, however, was the depth and breadth of information throughout the entire facility about sustainable seafood.

Of course, the Seafood and Sushi Watch pocket guides were everywhere (The aquarium estimates that they’ve distributed more than 32 million of them since 1999), but there were also several exhibits speaking directly to the issue of ocean health, all of them age specific – not easy to do for little ones – and informative. One in particular was an interactive experience enacting a visit to a restaurant. (Apologies for the photo quality below, but you’ll get the idea.) “Patrons” took their seat and not only responded to choices on the “menu” screens, but also watched videos from three “chefs” explaining their choices, or lack thereof, regarding sustainable seafood. Yeah, maybe a bit schlocky for anyone who already had a fair amount of information on the subject, but there were sure a lot of people sitting down and experiencing the entire presentation!

Interactive "restaurant" exhibit about sustainable seafood choices

In other news, the Monterey Bay Aquarium was a significant force behind California Assemblymember Bill Monning’s (D-Carmel) recent efforts to get a Sustainable Seafood Bill passed through the state legislation and signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. Policy wonks can link to the bill’s full text or summary, but in short it establishes an Ocean Protection Council (OPC) to develop and implement a voluntary sustainable seafood promotion program, including support for developing a standardized protocol for labeling sustainable seafood, as well as marketing support, and loan possibilities for fisheries wishing to become certified.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium also just released some good news about the state of our oceans in Turning the Tide, which was summarized thusly: “Our oceans are increasingly affected by human activities—primarily the ways we catch and farm seafood. Today, fish and other populations of ocean wildlife, from turtles to seabirds, are imperiled. Yet we appear to have reached a turning point, with many signs of hope for the future. Fishermen and consumers, businesses and governments recognize the threats. They are charting a new course, and cooperating in new ways.”

Finally … think you know your sustainable seafood? Test your smarts with this quiz! Also, the Seafood/Sushi Pocket Guides are downloadable in .pdf format (some also in Spanish) and now there’s an iPhone app available as well.

Joseph and Isabel Gerardis of Joebella Coffee Roasters celebrated the second anniversary of their Templeton coffeehouse with a tantalizing array of treats from local food purveyors and neighboring businesses … plus the debut of a very special product featuring a Joebella roast.

But wait, there’s more!

The spirit of Friday night, and the need to enjoy some social time with my co-workers, I was off to Paso Wine Centre (this wine bar doesn’t have a web site but check out  Paso Winos’ very informative blog).  I walked into the modernly designed room complete with hardwood floors, stainless steel counters, and black leather box-shaped couches to find myself staring at a wall of wines.  These wines were hooked up to a gadget that looked like a cross between a display case and a beer tap, it’s an enomatic wine-dispensing machine.  This machine removes excess air from the wine bottles allowing an open bottle’s shelf-life to be extended to up to three weeks.
But wait, there’s more!

Taste of SLO has done it again, I thoroughly enjoyed myself last Wednesday night as I wandered, well due to the great turn out, shuffled up and down the Mission Plaza tasting all that San Luis Obispo has to offer. This year’s disco themed event came complete with go go dancers, a giant disco ball, great music, and of course fabulous food and wine. The best of the best of San Luis Obispo restaurants made their appearances with delicious samplers; Tuna tacos from Native Lounge to mushroom soup topped with grated espresso bean from Mother’s Tavern to profiteroles from Mama’s Meatballs, can only begin to explain the range choices that were laid out in front of me. While samplers may sound like child’s play compared to the gigantic meals we are served at some restaurants, with a choice of samplers from over 30 restaurants I found that my graceful walk into the event had turned into a bit more of a waddle as I left the evening.
But wait, there’s more!

Once again, the 3rd Annual Pallet to Palate Event in August 2009 featured not only great food and wine (a big SIP poster made appearances at several events, and Baileyana/Tangent wines were poured at the SLOcovore event on Monday), but also a thought provoking panel discussion. This year’s topic was “Let’s Be Frank … About Local Food,” a perfect title since one of the participants was Larry Bain, co-founder of Let’s Be Frank, a company that produces and sells hot dogs made from sustainably raised grass-fed beef, family-farmed pork, and pastured turkey. Judith Redmond of Full Belly Farm and renowned chef Bradley Ogden, most recently of Root 246 in Solvang, ably rounded out the panel, but the remarks of the engaging Bain (whose résumé also includes running a social justice non-profit and opening Acme Chop House in SF, the country’s first sustainable steak house) were the ones that really stuck with me.
But wait, there’s more!

After another day of 100 plus degree weather, I laid on my bare bed with no covers trying to will my overheated body to sleep – I had it!  With more enthusiasm than I had managed to muster all day in this extreme heat, I marched downstairs to turn up the AC.  Before I made it to the thermostat I hit the freezer, inspiring me to use a cooling alternative.  I pulled out the leftover bag of ice from a previous Margarita Night, threw it a Ziploc bag, climbed back into bed, and snuggled up to my new rock hard version of a teddy bear.

Finally I could get to sleep, this new cool down method went swimmingly until it literally went SWIMmingly.  4:30 in the morning I woke up in a panic WHY IS MY BED SOAKING WET!? Well the Ziploc bag had not quite done its job.

But wait, there’s more!