Review of the Slowine Rockin’ Harvest Celebration Central Coast

This past week I was in Los Angeles for a very important Conference, so I sent a crew up to central coast wine country for the Slowine Rockin’ Harvest Celebration – Johanna from Got a Gig Page (she videos bands mostly for her website) and the lovely Meredith (a sous chef of mine and close personal friend).

Aaaaah… aren’t we lucky to be living in California – or as my daughter calls it “Cal- lee”? (I think that probably started when Schwarteneger got in as Governor and couldn’t pronounce it, so he called it Cal-Lee-Forn-ya…..  (yeah……… that’s what I think).

But how great is living in California? We can run up to Wine Country (Healdsburg, Sonoma, Napa) or we can run up to Wine Country (Central Coast-San Luis Obispo) or we can run over to Wine Country (Temecula) or we can hang at WINE COUNTRY locations throughout San Diego.

Good or good? Yeaah. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. To go to a festival in the middle of a field, where you just know you’re in California, with that easy breezy feel, the acoustic music with maybe some harmony going on and yes…. it’s a song you know…. so you start singing>  Do Ya Feel Me?

We live in the best place on earth and this Weekend’s Rockin’ in the Harvest Celebration was no exception. Vendors selling some specialty items like Alpaca Scarves, some artwork on display for sale…. food, food and more food to pair with all the vineyards from Central Coast pouring wine. But the day before the main event, several wineries opened their places to a ‘behind the scenes’ look, at the vineyard.

Well it is a tough job…. but someone’s gotta do it. Please meet ‘our man brooks’…. Mr. Larry Brooks, the Winemaker at Tolosa Winery. Larry began making wine in 1979 at Acacia and eventually managed all of Chalone’s many wineries and vineyards, until he accepted the position of Senior Winemaker at Tolosa in San Luis Obispo, early 2006.

Here is what the lovely Meredith had to say about the trip to his vineyard:

“The final stop of the day was Tolosa Winery and Vineyards, solar powered, sustainable vineyards, and estate grown wines. The approach was breathtaking blend of land and architecture.  Inside the cool large vat room with the stainless steel columns of developing wines we were able to taste the steps in along the way. For some this was the favorite part of the day – the magic guide through transformation of grape juice to wine”.

Johanna brought back some footage of Larry, our Winemaker, doing wine education at Tolosa Winery. And I want to say, he is a good educator – easy to listen to, gives out new information and what he says makes sense. You can find his clip on YouTube.

HERE’S WHAT I GOT FROM WHAT HE HAD TO SAY:

Lucky for the people that grow wine that after a certain amount of time you get a ‘feel’ for what the fruit and vines are saying to you. Know when to hold em? Know when to fold em? Well sort of. As you might guess he picking decision is a pretty important part of the process.

Did you know that Wine Grapes are sweeter than Table Grapes (say it with me: “I did not know that”). In fact, almost double if we see a fully ripe Wine Grape comes in at 27% sugar and Table Grapes around 15%. (What the hell are Table Grapes, Chef Marian)? Well, I’m glad you asked. We’re just talking about the average grape you buy at the supermarket. (Oh. Ok. Thanks).

Larry says that without anything going wrong there are 200 decisions a winemaker has to make, in the average life of a wine.

The fermentation process is pretty important, and if there’s stress on the yeast, the vitner knows that container is needing micro nutrients. He says he can clearly tell that’s something wrong during fermentation because instead of smelling like fruit juice it will smell like rotten eggs. So the vintner adds vitamins, minerals, nitrogen as a nutrition source for the yeast. And it’s his job is to get it back to smelling like fruit juice. What else could go wrong during fermentation? Well, for one… the temperature can get out of control and kill the yeast. Well… yeeaah Larry! That’s why they have you there keeping the experience just fabulous for the grapes! lol

Worried about a bad batch of wine?

Larry says California has more stringent agricultural and food laws than Germany (which is second). Chances are zero that you would get a contaminated wine. Wine is far purer than the water you drink, he says.

Day Two was their Special VIP Backstage Pass which allowed my crew to go in an hour early and taste wines that the rest of the people attending would not get to taste.

Here’s Meredith’s report on that: “It was the consensus of the early birds that the tasting opportunities were worth time and money.  Some came just for the opportunity to taste and buy wines during the first two hours.

After the first hour the crowd expanded and the wine tasting with food sampling continued till 3:00 p.m.  Over 60 participants representing the wineries and restaurants filled the shaded booths.  Wines and Foods were paired, representing the Central Coast’s best wineries and restaurants.  My favorites of the foods were pulled pork, beef short ribs, crab, shrimp, vegan, wine ice cream, chicken, adventurous sliders, chocolate, and all the rest.  I probably tried only half the foods.  We had our glasses and hang-it-on-plates with us almost wherever we went and the short lines moved quickly.  There was even time for seconds”.

So I think what she’s saying here is that it was in fact a delicious, easy breezy event. Pretty stress free! And then she talked about the toilets… and quite frankly, I can’t ever remember hearing a review like this at a Festival! lol

“The restroom facilities were Honey Buns – 1 for males, 2 for females.  Perfect!  Clean!

Air Conditioned!  Sink! and Amenities!”

And what about the music? Festival music in my book, is always good! And of course we want to know who showed up for this event, how it’s been growing every year?

Here’s what Meredith had to say:

“Music was not toooo loud to interfere with conversations but enjoyably entertaining.  The music stopped and it was time for the auction.  We visited with three tables and several couples and individuals.  We met people from LA, Orange County, the Bay Area, and Central Valley.  There were people representing the food industry, water business, agriculture, construction, and defense and many others.

More details?

The first table was a young group that comes almost every year.  The year it rained they still had fun as everyone gathered under the big tent.  Both the guys and women were enthusiastic about getting together for this annual adventure that has been growing each year.

The second table was mixed in ages and this was their first year.  They praised the food and the organization of the event.  Some came primarily for the wines and making a detailed list of preferences.  They were pleased that there was so much to learn about, experience, and enjoy.  “Never a dull moment”!

Two couples were gracious spenders for charity during the auction.  One bid and won a year’s membership in the winery clubs with the sponsors.  He plans to make it to many of the special events with his friends.  The membership also includes discounts on wines purchased at the wineries and tasting rooms throughout the year.  Another couple supported the funding of hospice for the coastal valley, this years benefit charity.  They were engaged in a highly competitive bidding provided by their favorite winery, and won.

And a final comment about Day Two of the Rockin’ Harvest Celebration?

The day was well organized, classy, and a treat for the participants.

So now picture yourself having gone to see the ‘behind the scenes’ at the vineyards on Friday, and attended a Festival at a Beach Golf Resort…. and now….. it’s Sunday. Lazy, crazy Sunday and the Wineries are open for Food, Wine and Music.

Here’s Meredith’s thoughts:

Day three – Sunday –  free for all – SLO Wine Country “On Tour” – with the security bracelet from the prior day and your glass from SLOWINE. Sunday was a day for Roadies to find the rest of the wineries, enjoy music at some, art at others and last chance to taste for free. There was also food, tours, and more to learn about the main libations of the weekend.  It was also the last chance to make more discount purchases.

Finally, there was also additional tastings at some locations including flavored olive oils, special balsamic vinegars, dessert wines, and champagne style wines.  We finished off the day with conversations on a positive note and many shared that they plan to be back next year.   “We couldn’t do it all in only Three days.”

Couldn’t…………..? You just did girlfriends! 

None of this could have happened without our event coordinator Heather Muran from Slowine, who decided the Chef Marian Blog was a good media spot to promote her event at, that San Diego Foodies were also a valuable audience as well as Encinitas Chop & Sip, donating tickets to raffle off in addition to being our gracious hostess, problem solver, singer, and outstanding contact while the crew was up there. Heather says she had a blast with my crew too! So it’s sort of a mutual admiration society we’ve got going here! lol