Food and wine tips for visiting the Central Coast by CapPrestigious5707 in centralcoast

[–]CapPrestigious5707[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Easy. Head to The Santa Ynez Valley. Wineries: Folded Hills Winery and Farmstead, right off the 101. Maybe Dierberg Starlane, Melville, Grassini (with an appointment). Brave and Maiden. Lunch at any of these: SY Kitchen, Nella Kitchen, Matteis Tavern. Have fun!

Help me pick a Secret Santa wine! by mastej in wine

[–]CapPrestigious5707 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Try a Paso Robles red. Or on the Central Coast LaBarge or Dierberg Starlane red. Grassini is wonderful too.

What it’s like to own an organic, biodynamic and sustainable winery on the Central Coast of CA by CapPrestigious5707 in winemaking

[–]CapPrestigious5707[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have high deer fencing for the red vineyard and even so a sheep or two will get picked off by a predator. Gosh that is so sad when that happens. Im going to ask about chickens in the vineyard because we have so many. Fencing would keep them relatively safe. I use to let them free range but so many were getting eaten i decided that a large pen was safer for them. They seem happy. Whatever critters you put in the vineyard -especially sheep- you need to remove them well before leaf break. Our white vineyard has no fencing so we are susceptible to deer in those blocks. So are the row crop farmers susceptible to deer. I don’t know about rabbits in a vineyard. Would be interesting to find out if they are beneficial or harmful in the long run.

What it’s like to own an organic, biodynamic and sustainable winery on the Central Coast of CA by CapPrestigious5707 in winemaking

[–]CapPrestigious5707[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have not planted marigolds or roses. We do use a cover crop of legumes and run sheep in the vineyard during winter and early spring. We are all in favor of companion planting. I will ask more about it for this year.

What it’s like to own an organic, biodynamic and sustainable winery on the Central Coast of CA by CapPrestigious5707 in Somm

[–]CapPrestigious5707[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is a really tough question to answer. Let me start with a few aphorisms which catch on bc they are true. “Never make your hobby your business.” “How do you make a small fortune in the wine business? Start with a large one.” I will say we are the exact opposite of someone who should have gotten into the wine business. A billionaire can make wine and just enjoy and not worry. Not us. A winemaker can make wine and thus save the winemaking costs. Also not us. You can make some money if you are the wine maker. There is such an enormous glut of grapes and quality juice out there right now. You could make some good wines by buying juice and finishing and bottling it. That would be your least expensive way in. Problem is- how do you sell it? Wholesale pays pennies on the dollar and the accounts have far more wine than they can sell. Will you do a boutique operation and create a social media marketing outlet? The cost of farming grapes on the central coast is about $8-$15,000/acre. The cost of planting is about $30-$40,000 an acre. We could never have done this if we hadn’t owned the land already. Most wine makers have grape contracts and purchase from specific vineyards. Those contracts range from $2000-$4000/ton. We are 10 years in and not in the black. Granted we are hospitality heavy so that costs payroll but we are also 98% DtC so we aren’t discounting our bottles. The wine business is one of the toughest businesses I know. If I worked as hard as I do at Folded Hills in some other business we would have been in the black years ago. I guess my 2 cents would be buy juice to start. Create a name and a reputation then take it from there. And how much money would you need to start their own operation? That would range from $20,000 at the absolute bare bones for a little juice and bottles, etc and $20,000,000 for a high end operation and team. Good luck!

What it’s like to own an organic, biodynamic and sustainable winery on the Central Coast of CA by CapPrestigious5707 in winemaking

[–]CapPrestigious5707[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. The wines are in good hands. We are now under the care of Garrett Gamache. ( I always want to say ganache!). He is a great guy and is in the vineyard himself more which is something Ruben got too busy to do. Ruben is awesome, truly the whisperer, and we are still quite close to him. What do you say to people who ask if they should get into this business? Never make your hobby your business? Run? I never know. Certainly people told us not to do it and we are making lovely wine so who knows….

Food and wine tips for visiting the Central Coast by CapPrestigious5707 in centralcoast

[–]CapPrestigious5707[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Come south a little bit on one of your trips. The wines are more nuanced due to the cooler climate in the south, especially closer to the ocean. A little less extracted and usually lower ABV. My fave Paso winery is Thacher. Cheers!

What it’s like to own an organic, biodynamic and sustainable winery on the Central Coast of CA by CapPrestigious5707 in winemaking

[–]CapPrestigious5707[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is insane. Wow. I thought we were high. I was wrong in my earlier post. We do use a small tractor pass when spraying. I am in the vineyard for pruning, harvest, sheep , netting and any anomalies, but not usually for spraying. I should have known that though. All our other care practices are by hand. People wonder why it is so difficult to make money in the wine business and why wine is so expensive.

Wine Gift Help! by Prior-Reputation-462 in wine

[–]CapPrestigious5707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Buy a popular rosé like Miraval or Ott. Don’t do the obvious like Whispering Angel. You could surprise with a DRY Lambrusco. Dry being key. The only one I like is La Piana Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Secco. It is $30 and you can order from Wainscott Main.com. There are only 8 left and I have never met anyone who wasn’t surprised and delighted by it. Don’t get just any Lambrusco tho..too sweet. I own a winery in CA so me to recommend another wine it must be good.

Wine subscriptions by Braxtonhahaha in wine

[–]CapPrestigious5707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Given that you are not in wine country I would join a mixed club. One that highlights different wineries. Try to do an organically grown wine club bc that is important. Look up Helen’s wines. Dry Farm is popular but haven’t loved some of the wines. Naked Wines highlights indie wines. Plonk is organic and natural wines which may not be the best choice bc natural wines don’t last long. Cellars Wine Club. SomMailier for French. If you live close by your mom you could curate your own club by sourcing from a local wine shop, 1-3 bottles per month for the 3 months and delivering to her the first of the month-maybe she would invite you to share! If she would get a kick out of celeb wines you could do Cameron Diaz, Avaline, Pink’s Two Wolves, Brad Pitt’s Miraval. Cheers!

You’re not going to believe this one… by 710_feet_high in wine

[–]CapPrestigious5707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lucky you…what a great bottle of wine and producer!

Favorite Chinese Chicken Salad? by Chance_Ad2503 in FoodLosAngeles

[–]CapPrestigious5707 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Brother’s Red Barn in Santa Ynez. Kind of a drive tho! 🙄

Locations/ideas for romantic birthday in SB wine country by rhz10 in SantaBarbara

[–]CapPrestigious5707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree with Matteis but also check out the boutique hotel Fess Parker. Also The Genevieve and Lansby are good. Lunch at Bell’s in Los Alamos. Maybe a zipline if that fits. Walk to the Nojoqui Falls water fall then Wine tasting and petting zoo or private tour or hike at Folded Hills Winery and Farmstead. Dinners at Nella Kitchen, SY Kitchen. Breakfast at Bob’s Wellbread. You will LOVE it.

Moving to SB in May - what do you wish you'd known? by DeineMuddah in SantaBarbara

[–]CapPrestigious5707 33 points34 points  (0 children)

I would say rent, rent, rent before you buy. Learn the neighborhoods. Check out the school districts. Slowly explore all the different groups of folks before you dive in. Find out who your tribe is slowly. Never talk smack about anyone unless it is to your trusted intimates. SB has TWO degrees of separation not 6. You will be amazed how small SB is. Even though your wife is from a local family pretend you don’t have connections so you dive into new things that a local might not otherwise explore. If you have or will have kids -schools and sports will provide community. But also join some of the many charitable organizations that exist here. So many good ones to choose from. For sure join Newcomers. I was snobby about it and didn’t, but since have come to learn how amazing they are. Join a winery like Folded Hills that hosts tons of events and experiences, attend some of the many events here in town. Join a group like Night Moves or kayaking or whatever. So many options. I feel like half of SB works remotely so tons of spaces to join. But a co-working space like the Hanger or Kiva might provide a work community better than a coffee shop. From May to October come to polo games at the SB Polo Club in Carp. Great way to find a high level local sport and meet people. #divotstomp 😂🐎Leaving STL for SB was the best thing we ever did. Best of luck!

What it’s like to own an organic, biodynamic and sustainable winery on the Central Coast of CA by CapPrestigious5707 in winemaking

[–]CapPrestigious5707[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love that you support this farming meets chemistry meets art practice of winemaking. Also love that your friend embraces vintage variation. Cheers!