FUN WITH FACTOIDS ©

            In case you were wondering, there is a lot of wine and winery growth going on all over the country. The gorilla in this room is Gallo. In 2014 the 70 brands that make up their portfolio saw 80M cases sold. Many to people who have no idea their fave beverage is a Gallo product. The company has always shown smart and aggressive marketing skills. But the current success is partly due to taking the pulse of those seeking value for every day consumption and responding to it. From a quality and flavor standpoint, some of these products are very attractive to the general public. Gallo has also trended a bit to the upscale market, including the recent acquisition of the J label sparkling wine.

            Also growing are the number of virtual wineries. Not of the video game universe, these are labels that represent winemakers who operate under the umbrella of another brands bonded premise. This is a method that has attractive features for small volume wines. They avoid the hassle and expense of having a government bond for the storage facility and can spare themselves the high capital demands of seldom used (but expensive) equipment. It is a win for the bonded winery as well, which can charge for the use and get revenue from such things as available empty tankage, bottling line and warehouse space.

Virtual wineries make up 18% of the U.S. producers but more than 1/3rd of those in California. The total number of wineries (including non-grape producers) grew by about 7% last year depending on various data sources. With California boasting nearly four thousand wineries now the state is home to 47% of those in the entire country. Add the over 1,300 in Washington and Oregon and you see the effect the industry has on the west coast. With 525 new wineries opening last year, the total number in the U.S, is now 8,287.

There are wineries in every state in the union. Texas is now 6th with 215 and Hawaii, with 4, is ahead of last place Mississippi which has only 2. Bet you wouldn't have thought Alaska is at #45 with six. Arizona and New Mexico both have 48 bonded wineries. But those clever virtual guys and gals have 15 in AZ and there are zero in NM.

One last fact; in the annual list of Ten Hot Brands as published by Wine Business Monthly, the Central Coast took one-fifth of this year's listing. These were Paso based Halter Ranch and Monterey County's McIntyre. Congrats!

            I should mention that the eleven sub viticultural areas now in the Paso Robles AVA are now label legal. However, you are not going to see many of them on store shelves for a couple of years. Most wineries are holding off until the 2015 vintage is in bottle and some are going even more slowly. More on this can be found in an archived article.

EARTH DAY, CABERNET & MORE TO DO ©

            Celebrating Earth Day - April 22 - a bit early, many wineries along the Central Coast are having special events over this weekend.  If you are thinking about a little wine tasting check out these web sites for which and what is offered: montereywines.org, pasowine.com, sbcountywines.com, slowine.com or smvwines.com. One afternoon long major celebration, by way of example, is the Main Event  at Castoro Cellars (.com) taking place on Saturday the 18th. Tickets, along with a discount code, as well as details are on their site. It continues with a "recovery" yoga session and brunch on Sunday.

            The Paso area is well known for Zin, Syrah and other Rhone varieties. But in the background of world class reds, Cabernet Sauvignon gets less buzz. Over the past few years a small but growing group of wineries (pasoroblescab.com) has been trying to change that. Known as the Paso Robles Cab Collective, they are hosting the first major event the organization has held. Called Cabs of Distinction, it takes place May 1- 7. Friday through Sunday is consumer focused, starting with a four course meal at Il Cortile Ristorante on Friday evening, with wines from Cht. Margene and Le Cuvier.  Saturday is the Grand Tasting offered by the twenty six wineries in the Collective. On Sunday, fourteen of the wineries will feature special tastings and other offers for Grand Tasting ticket holders. Details and tickets are available at the web site above. For sommeliers and others in the trade/media additional tastings, education and tours will take place Tuesday through Thursday. If qualified go to info@pasoroblescab.com to request a pass for those sessions.

            A few other upcoming things that might interest you include the following. Per usual, more information and ticketing is through the web sites noted. April 29 - May 3 is the annual Wine, Waves & Beyond  a beach themed combo of tastings, golf, surf movie, long board surfing, wine dinner, music and car show. Something for everyone. FlavorofSLO.com is the place to find what's happening Sunday, May 3rd in support of United Way. It will be held at historic Jack House in San Luis Obispo where, on April 29th, an event called Lambs On The Veranda is happening. Enjoy the property and garden and learn the history of sheep ranching on the Central Coast. Call 805-781-7300 or go to slocity.org/parksandrecreation for reservations.

BIGGER & BETTER/MORE OPTIONS - WINE FEST '15 ©

            Only six weeks away, the PRWCA (pasowine.com) spans the May 14-17 weekend with more things to do and see than ever. The Paso Robles Wine Country Association at the above site is the place to get all the details and purchase tickets. Out of necessity, the number of attendees at the various events are limited and have sold out in the past. So you might start making plans to ensure you get to those you are interested in attending.

Some changes to the Grande Tasting portion of the Fest may be of interest. These include new and improved picnic and music facilities. Pre-packed box lunches are available for a modest fee. Menus and payment can be made on line and enjoyed in the picnic area.

The Garagiste organization will be running a lounge area. If not familiar to you, these small lot winemakers offer some delicious and hard to find wines. Two other groups, Paso Rhone Rangers and the fairly recent Cab Collective will offer pop-up seminars. Art studios will also display their work in the park.

Two morning seminars will showcase the Paso AVA and the eleven sub-sets that are now allowed on local labels. Winemaker dinners are also planned and there is a Reserve Tasting and auction as well. So join with us in "Darn Near Paradise" for the biggest gathering of the year.

WiVi III THE BIGGEST & BEST YET ©

            From water issues to phenolics , dealing with vineyard pests or the latest in winery equipment, attendees at the third edition of WiVi, the Central Coast Tradeshow & Conference, found plenty to do. Add in great lunches, tastings and a kick-off party with appetizers and music, it was all good. A review of how the industry fared in 2014 and what might lie ahead this year were kick off sessions. These were followed by break-out sessions in viticultural, enological and marketing  areas. Also tastings that focused on rose wines (a growth area) and another on the impact of fast analysis of fermenting wine in allowing manipulation of color, tannin and the desired profile by today's winemaker.

As had been a successful change last year, the trade show was an open-all-day  event on day two only. This was well received by prior participants in 2014 and resulted in the largest group of exhibitors to date. This was true of the increase in ticket sales as well which doubled over the first event last year and increased about 30% over that this year. Comments from those attending were very favorable, as were those from exhibitors and sponsoring businesses. Hosts Wine Business Monthly  magazine and Precision Ag Consulting did a great job in putting together the logistics of a growing event, improving it year over year and being an active presence throughout the entire proceedings.

If you are in the industry or a consumer who wants to increase their knowledge of the product and have not attended, I recommend it highly. To find out more go to wivicentralcoast.com. If you did attend, I think you would agree that you learned a lot, had a great networking experience, tasted some very good food and wine and had a good time doing it.

Thanks to all the companies that backed the event, the participating speakers and wineries that supported the general tastings. Also those from the Garagiste movement who poured wines you rarely see in the market in the final general tasting. Hope to see you there next year.

WiVi RETURNS FOR 3RD VERSION ©

            This now annual rite of spring takes place March 17-18 (Tues/Weds) at the Paso Robles Event Center. Officially the WiVi Wine Industry Central Coast Conference & Trade Show, the event was successful in 2013 and exploded last year. Billed as the largest of its kind south of San Francisco, it is hosted by Wine Business Monthly magazine and Precision Ag Consulting. While primarily aimed at those in directly involved in wine production and related support industries, for the true wine geek, it offers some interesting and informative symposia.

There are general session looking back to trends coming from the past year, new groundwater regulation and what 2015 looks like. Breakout topics include enology, viticultural topics, the state of the business, DTC & social media metrics. Lunch is provided both days, a Rose focus tasting is held on Tuesday and the grand tasting features local garagistes. Plus you can celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the evening kickoff party. Time is short, so get all the details and ticketing options at www.wivicentalcoast.com.

 

 

 

MARCH EVENTS COME IN LIKE A WINE LION ©

            Various tastings, festivals and winery events are filling up the spring calendar. Here are some samples for your consideration. First up is Vintage Paso  aka Zinfandel Weekend being held March 20-22. Primarily a celebration of all things Zin with around 130 producing wineries having special tastings, entertainment and food, this year features Zinposium. For $35 per session you can join with 99 others (attendance is limited) on Friday the 20th/Saturday the 21st. Day one focuses on 100% Zinfandel wines. A panel of winemakers will present six wines and discuss the history of the area and the popularity of this varietal as grown there. Both sessions are held in the ballroom of the Paso Robles Inn. The first will begin at 5:30 and Saturday's seminar will be at 10a.m. Another six winemakers will present Zin blends. If you hadn't heard, the Paso Viticultural Area recently was granted 11 sub AVAs and discussion of how the variations in soil and climate effect the wine is a likely topic of discussion. Details and tickets can be found at www.pasowine.com.

That same web address will also feature the 33rd annual Wine Fest May 14-17. There are several ticket options, including the grand tasting in City Park. While some time off, people living in San Luis Obispo need to consider purchasing tickets prior to March 15 to receive a $20 discount for early purchase.

Solvang will be the site of Southern Exposure on the weekend of March 27-29. Just a short drive north of Santa Barbara, just east on Hwy 246 from the Buellton exit of the 101 if not familiar to you. Quite the scenic little town built to remind early residents of their Danish heritage and known for its connection to the Sideways movie. This is a gathering of the garagiste wineries of  which a wrote a while back. If interested, you should hurry to their web site www.californiagaragistes.com and click on "sign up for The Dirt", their news letter. If you do so by March 2nd it makes you eligible for discounts on tickets. This is a very interesting and fun event, with a chance to talk with small batch winemakers and taste things rarely available.

This is a good spot to congratulate Stephan Asseo for being named the 2014 Paso Robles Wine Industry Person of the Year. For nearly two decades his efforts at the L'Aventure winery, this French native has shown his faith in the region was proven correct, making some stunning wines in the Bordeaux style.

Next up, the return of Warbirds, Wings & Wheels after a one year hiatus and regrouping.  One of my favorite local events due to a family friendly free admission policy. It will take place May 9 at the Estrella Warbirds Museum & Woodland Auto Display at the Paso Robles airport and run from 10 a.m. until 4 in the afternoon. Food and refreshments, a huge and varied car show, music and access to the museum. Many pilots fly in with special restorations, warbirds are in the air and you can get up close and personal with the car owners. Plenty of parking on site.

2015 WINE EVENT CALENDAR BEGINS TO FILL UP ©

            Start saving the dates for all things wineish that may spark your interest as we move into the 2015 harvest year.
 

First up, a trio of announcements from the Paso Robles Wine Alliance, pasowine.com for more details and ticket info. Already available are tickets for BlendFest , taking place on February 21st & Zinposium on the weekend of March 20-21. Also, on December 15, tickets will go on sale for the 33rd version of Paso's Wine Festival, May 14-17.

BlendFest is a Saturday only event but offers two separate opportunities, held at the Cavalier Oceanfront Resort in San Simeon. Visitors to the area might want to combine this with a visit to the nearby, and always enjoyable, Hearst Castle. There are twenty five wineries, each offering three blended wines, at both the afternoon ($40) tasting from 1 to 3pm and the Sunset version ($65). The later tasting, from 4 to 6:30pm, includes apps and a band. PRWA has arranged discounted ticket prices when bundled with participating lodging options in Cambria and San Simeon. The package includes a bonus; a Paso Wine bottle holder is also part of the combo.

Zinposium is part of the annual Vintage Paso Zinfandel Weekend  and will be held in the Paso Robles Inn's ballroom. Six well known producers of Zin will have a winemakers panel at both seminars. The first will be true varietal 100% Zinfandels. That tasting will be from 5:30 to 7pm on Friday evening. The participating wines come from various vineyards located in some of the 11 new sub AVA areas. As of just a few weeks ago, these designations are legally allowed to mention these terroir based distinctions on the label if at least 75% of the grapes are from that area. On Saturday, Zinfandel blends will be the focus, from 10 to 11:30am. The weekend also includes 120 participating wineries, all doing various festive special events. An online brochure will be available on the pasowine.com site in the not too distant future. The PRWA also has a new app for iPhones (free @ iTunes) to help you navigate the area, including things like the locations of restaurants & lodging. Check it out: PasoWineApp, or see more on the Alliance web site home page.
          
            The Paso Robles chapter of Rhone Rangers (pasorhonerangers.com) will hold their 2015 Experience   at Broken Earth Winery on highway 46 E. Tickets for the event are available on line or by calling 800-213-6406. If you have questions, send an email to pasorobles@rhonerangers.org.

Held on Sunday, February 15, there are two levels of admission. There is a morning seminar session, moderated by Matt Kettmann, a respected local writer and wine critic. Several area winemakers will discuss the current state of the Rhone style scene along the Central Coast. Included in the ticket (220 seats only and $85) is a lunch with Ranger wines passed among the tables.

The meal will be prepared by local fave Chef Maegen Loring.  The morning session starts at 10:30 and runs through lunch to 1PM This ticket also admits you to the afternoon tasting, which along with a silent auction begins at 1:30. Approximately 45 wineries will offer 150 wines and the tasting only entry is $35. With only 400 tickets for sale, early purchase is mandatory as last year the full access pass sold out several weeks prior to the event, leaving a limited number of tasting only slots.

            The World of Pinot Noir (see prior post) reports that both weekend and single event passes for the event are selling quickly with limited numbers left. These are now available to the general public. If you are considering attendance, you may wish to act soon.

They have announced that Alexandrine Roy of Domaine Marc Roy will be the featured Burgundy producer at the Friday night cellar dinner.  My friend, from his Sardine Factory days (yes, I do remember the '70s), Fred Dame MS with the Court of Master Sommeliers will be there Saturday night pouring a selection of vintage Burgundy wines. Wines being served at these dinners are extensive and detailed on the worldofpinotnoir.com site. Tickets and more information is also available there. The event is held March 6-7 at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara.