The partial federal government shutdown may delay the release of California’s annual grape crush report, the California Association of Winegrape Growers announced last week.
The preliminary report was scheduled to be released Feb. 8, according to WineBusiness.com.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service, an Agriculture Department division that compiles the report’s data, is closed, and the employees who produce the report for the USDA are on unpaid furlough.
The final grape crush report is scheduled to be published March 8.
Belmond El Encanto, Sunstone Partner for Youth Interactive
The Belmond El Encanto and Santa Ynez’s Sunstone Vineyards & Winery have collaborated to create two custom wine blends to support Youth Interactive, a grassroots, after-school entrepreneurial arts academy that provides young adults with skills toward a productive life.
The first blend, Enchanted Riviera, is a 2017 cuvée made up of 50 percent cabernet franc, 20 percent merlot, 20 percent syrah and 10 mourvèdre, all from Sunstone’s estate grapes. A white blend, Charming Vista, will be available later this year.
Artwork for the bottle label will be created by Jack Miles, 18, a Youth Interactive participant and La Cuesta Continuation High School student.
“Youth Interactive means a lot to me,” Miles said. “It is a safe place where I know that I can always come to and feel free to be myself and express myself. I am able to meet important people in the community and expand on my skills to become a better person.”
The wine will be sold exclusively at the Belmond El Encanto, 800 Alvarado Place on the Santa Barbara Riviera, which will donate $5 of each bottle of Enchanted Riviera to Youth Interactive.
Garagiste Wine Festival Returns to Solvang Feb. 8-9
Tickets are on sale for the Garagiste Wine Festival, named America’s Best Wine Festival by USA Today. The seventh annual “Southern Exposure” event will return Feb. 8-9 to Solvang, recently named by the newspaper as one of America’s 10 Best Small Historic Towns.
Launched in Paso Robles in 2011, the Garagiste Wine Festival will offer Solvang attendees the chance to sample 150-plus wines from more than 40 small-production (fewer than 1,500 cases) winemakers; a Saturday morning seminar with Central Coast winemaking legend Ken Brown; Friday evening’s “No Repeats, Rare & Reserve” limited or pre-release bottle samples, along with a barbecue buffet; and discounts and special offers at participating area wineries.
The festival has raised more than $125,000 in support of The Garagiste Scholarship at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
“America’s best wine festival meets one of America’s best historic small towns for the seventh year in a row,” festival co-founder Doug Minnick said. “What could make for a better wine country weekend?
“There is a special place in our hearts for Solvang, and for the amazing small-production winemakers who pour at this venue. Solvang, and the beautiful Veterans Memorial Building, lend such a charming and intimate setting for attendees to chat and taste with the winemakers and owners who will be pouring their hard-to-find wines. We love the diversity of the wines poured here, with multiple micro-climates, grape varieties and innovative blends represented.”
Stewart McLennan, Garagiste co-founder and KRUSH radio host, will moderate the morning seminar and tasting featuring Brown of Ken Brown Wines.
“Ken was one of the first to recognize the cool climate potential of this region back in the ’70s and to craft delicious wines from pinot noir and chardonnay right here in Santa Barbara,” McLennan said. “We are looking forward to an informative and inspiring conversation as we taste some of his delicious wines.”
Brown, whose Ken Brown Wines focuses on very small lots of pinot noir from the finest vineyards of the Santa Rita Hills AVA, is recognized as one of Santa Barbara County’s pioneering winemakers and innovators. Not only was he among the first vintners to realize the tremendous promise for pinot noir and chardonnay in the county, but he was also the first winemaker to introduce the syrah grape, as well as pinot gris and pinot blanc, to the region.
Brown was founding winemaker at Zaca Mesa Winery and spent 20-plus years at Byron Vineyard and Winery, which later sold to the Robert Mondavi family.
Garagiste will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Friday with the “No Repeats, Rare & Reserve” tasting event, which will run until 9 p.m. Neighbor Tim’s BBQ will offer a buffet-style meal.
The seminar with Brown, “Original Garagistes: A Deep Dive & Tasting,” will run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday and include a boxed lunch (VIP/Weekend pass ticket holders only).
Following the seminar will be the grand tasting from 2 to 5 p.m. Tickets include unlimited wine tastes, cheese and charcuterie, a souvenir wine glass and silent auction.
Click here for the full festival schedule and a list of all participating winemakers. Tickets are very limited, and the Garagiste Wine Festivals always sell out. Click here to purchase tickets online.
Lompoc Rotary Wine Tasting Feb. 24 at Veterans Hall
The Lompoc Rotary Club will hold its 33rd annual Wine Tasting & Auction from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Lompoc Veterans’ Memorial Building, 100 E. Locust Ave. (at South H Street).
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Campaign for the Lompoc Community Track and Field at Huyck Stadium, as well as other community projects.
The event will feature more than 30 Santa Rita Hills area wineries and craft breweries. Tickets are $50 per person, and are available for purchase directly from Lompoc Rotarians.
— Laurie Jervis blogs about wine at www.centralcoastwinepress.com, tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are her own.