I love a big, beautiful Cab just as much as the next girl. But when it comes to most wines, individual varietals generally don’t have the legs to stand on their own. As with most things, there are exceptions to every rule, and I’m sure some of my friends (and foes) may disagree (and will likely tell me so)…but in general, blended wines surpass their individual parts in balance, complexity and flavor.

Look at it this way:  do you like to eat peanut butter by itself? Or do you prefer it with chocolate or perhaps with some jelly and bread? Like many great taste sensations: sometimes two great tastes, just taste great together. This may sound like a clever jingle (which it is), but it’s also true for wine grapes. In my opinion, there's nothing better than a wine that exhibits the bright, fruity cherry-flavors of a Cabernet Sauvignon softened by the silky-chocolate hints of a Merlot and the lingering complexity of a Cab Franc (much like our 2008 Soul Mate, I might add). Whereas to achieve this with anyone of these individual varietals, you'd be giving up one of these delectable traits. (For the rest of the story, click the READ MORE link below...)

A pianist, composer, diplomat, and First Prime Minister of Independent Poland—you might wonder why we here on the Central Coast celebrate Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941). The answer is simple:  he helped make Paso Robles famous.

In the early 20^th century he planted Zinfandel wine grapes on parts of his 2,864 acre land and eventually made his wine at the famous York Mountain Cellars.  He first came to the hot springs in Paso in his mid-50s and decided to make a residence here, buying Rancho San Ignacio and Rancho Santa Helena to start agricultural practices in the area.  Throughout this time Paderewski was still composing, performing, and touring all over the world, whilst also being a Prime Minister of Poland, even being the representative to sign the Treaty of Versailles in 1918, restoring Polish Sovereignty after over 120 years. (To read more, click link below...)

Savoring the Central Coast

On September 29, First Crush Savored the Central Coast with Sunset wine editor, Sara Schneider and a group of eager new Crush-tomers. After a sipping and picking about a 700 lbs. of Silver Horse Vineyard Syrah, the fun-loving group enjoyed a fabulous lunch prepared by Chef Julie Simon of Thomas Hill Organics paired with the wines of Chamisal Vineyards. Great wine and food, set to the melodious tunes by the Belmores and beautiful panoramic views from the Silver Horse Vineyard made for a fabulous day.

The First Crush "Berry-to-Bottle" tour was one of the tours featured as part of Sunset's Savor the Central Coast hosted by the San Luis Obispo County Visitors' Bureau. It was an abbreviated version of the Crush Encounters only available from First Crush in the beautiful Paso Robles wine region. Savor is a three-day event that highlights the best of the best of the Central Coast giving guests a chance to taste wines, visit attractions, enjoy farm and agriculture tours and much more.

First Crush enjoyed being a part of this fabulous event and having a chance to showcase its fabulous, fun and educational hands-on winemaking experiences. There's no other wine experiences like the First Crush available anywhere else. For the fall 2011 season, there are two remaining Crush Encounter winemaking weekends. They include Oct. 15 at the Cass Vineyard & Winery and Oct. 22 at Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery.

Harvest is finally underway in Paso Robles. Things have been getting off to a slow start and yields are low, but spirits are high. Regardless of the trials and tribulations, harvest is by far the most beautiful and exciting time in wine country. And only First Crush puts you up front and center in all of action with our hands-on, educational, fun and fantastic Crush Encounters!

So what are you waiting for? There's still time to come to the beautiful Paso Robles wine region this fall to LEARN, SEE and DO a real wine grape crush! There's nothing else like it anywhere else, and it only happens once a year, and it's only available from First Crush! If you register by this Friday, Oct. 7 for either of your remaining Crush Encounters, you can bring a friend for half off. (See website for details.)

If Vines Could Talk...

They'd tell you they've had a really tough year! Due to the late spring frost, many growers and winemakers are seeing less than 50% of their normal yield come in from the field, and due to an unseasonably cool summer, it's coming in later. Growers are hoping that the lower yields will be compensated by higher quality, and increased fruit prices in 2011. Bulk wine supply has definitely dwindled with 2009 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon vanishing faster than Houdini. And with slim pickin's this season, I think growers are right to be optimistic about 2012.

For First Crush, harvest is nearly half over. With three successful Crush Encounters under our belt, we head into the home stretch. So far, the weather and the grapes have been beautiful, and our Crush-tomers have all had a great time.
We have two Crush Encounters left: one at Cass Vineyard & Winery on Oct. 15 and one at Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery on Oct. 22. Don't miss these last two opportunity to enjoy a fun and fabulous Harvest and Wine Grape Crush in Paso Robles this fall.

Don't be Crushed

Despite the woes in the field, things are still busy in the winery. We are fermenting our first-ever First Crush Syrah Rose, which was harvested with loving hands by our Crush-tomers on September 24 from the Silver Horse Vineyards. The Rose is coming along nicely and has almost finished its primary fermentation. Our Savor Crush-tomers and Calypso Crush-tomers harvested Syrah on September 29 and 30, and it too is making its magical transformation from berry to world-class wine.

Savoring the Central Coast

On September 29, First Crush Savored the Central Coast with Sunset wine editor, Sara Schneider and a group of eager new Crush-tomers. After a sipping and picking about a 700 lbs. of Silver Horse Vineyard Syrah, the fun-loving group enjoyed a fabulous lunch prepared by Chef Julie Simon of Thomas Hill Organics paired with the wines of Chamisal Vineyards. Great wine and food, set to the melodious tunes by the Belmores and beautiful panoramic views from the Silver Horse Vineyard made for a fabulous day.

Harvest Wine Weekend

There's a lot happening in Paso Robles in October, and the Harvest Wine Weekend is one way to check in on some of the action. It's three days of tasting, touring, wining and dining. Wineries all over the region invite you to visit Paso Robles and host parties, dinners and more.

First Crush is no exception. We've teamed up with Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery to offer you three great days of winemaking fun. You can experience it in one or two days, and are invited to kick off your weekend FREE OF CHARGE at the Pomar Junction Train Wreck, Friday, Oct. 21 from 5 p.m. – dusk when you register for a one or two-day Crush Encounter. You'll enjoy VIP treatment at the TrainWreck, see and learn how wine is made with First Crush and Pomar Junction on Friday, and then get to bottle wine to take home on Sunday.

For a limited time, you can enjoy all of this for as little as $175/pp. A full day of wine making education, great food, music and fun for about the price of ONE winemaker dinner.
For details and information about everything going on Harvest Wine Weekend, visit pasowine.com.

From blogs.babble.com - posted by Julievr, September 2, 2011

In celebration of California Wine Month, throughout September wineries, hotels and tour operators throughout the Golden State are offering affordable ways to experience wine country. If you’re looking to get a little extra out of summer and take advantage of a slower travel season, this is a great opportunity to explore California wine country. Deals and discounts for wine lovers during September – California Wine Month:

Rest of the story...

When someone talks about wine culture, most of us think about how our society is influenced by the highly regarding beverage we all love so much. But to real winos, wine culture takes on a whole new meaning.

Cultured wine yeasts are widely used in both home and commercial winemaking. They have been a boon to the industry and give winemakers control over the taste and development of the wines we drink. Most wine drinkers probably aren’t even aware that winemakers choose yeasts for their wines like women choose the right shoes to match their outfits. Nor do they know the important role these microscopic transformers (a mere 8/25,000ths of an inch long) play. There are literally hundreds of cultured yeast strains available for wines. Each of them have their own distinct characteristics – just like the grape varietal they are used on – and can significantly impact the taste and style of a wine.

Andre Austin, owner of CellarWise (a winery supply store in Paso Robles) is a 15-year veteran in the industry and he knows his yeasts . He will be the featured guest speaker at the July First Crush winemaking workshop:  “Yeasts & Yields,” Saturday, July 23 from 2-5 p.m. at the First Crush Wine Workshop.

Austin will talk about proper yeast re-hydration, how to select yeast strains and conduct a comparative tasting with wines made with different types of yeasts. (To read the rest of the story, follow the read more link below)

ANSWER:  1790

Though many think that winemaking is new to the Paso Robles area, winemaking began in 1790's when the Franciscan Friars at the Asistencia located at Santa Margarita Ranch (assistant chapel to Mission SLO).

Believe it or not, blue cheese isn’t just for dessert anymore. It pairs well with both red and white table wines and some of the best cheeses for pairing with table wines are born in the U.S.A.

I love wine and I love cheese. But what I really love is a great wine and cheese pairing so I’m also looking for excuses to come up with new ones. When I came up with the idea to create a Red, White & Blues party some people thought I was crazy. I had one cheese expert tell me “you can’t pair blue cheese with white wine.”

Well, I am crazy but don’t ever tell me I “can’t” do something! I sipped and sampled for several days so that I could prove the wine and cheese pairing experts wrong…and I did. So…this Fourth of July I am declaring my independence by hosting a “Red, White & Blues party and celebrating the freedom to pair whatever wine we want with blue cheese. But all in good taste, of course.

Through this experience, I learned a lot about blue cheese and came up with some great pairings. To learn more about blue cheese and my findings.

But the best part, I’m going to share the fruits (or in this case, cheeses) of my labor with you. This Sunday, July 3, join us out at the First Crush Wine Workshop for our “Red, White & Blues” party.  We’ll help get your 4^th of July celebration off with a bang! You can taste our great wines with some creamy cheeses (and other goodies) enjoy cool blues and have a great time.

A true blue tradition

Just like America, it is thought that blue cheese was discovered by accident. Fittingly, for our Fourth of July celebration, blue (or in some cases, bleu) cheese is mired in tradition and has a rich history. Gorgonzola is one of the oldest known blue cheeses but it is the British that have perfected and protected the high standards of blue cheeses primarily made from cow’s milk. Roquefort is said to have been invented in 1070 AD, but it wasn’t until the 11^th century that it received it acquired its blue veins that cheese lovers know and love.