I want to ride my bicycle…

Posted on 05/30/2012 by

Katie, Tony, and Bicycles

Wholesale specialist Katie Glenn has taken to heart last month’s NPR mantra: ‘ride your bike to work!’  with one slight modification given our remote location.  Instead of riding her bike to work, she rides it at work, specifically to get to the mail box which now lies nearly 1/2 mile away from our main offices.

Riding near Block 15 Mourvedre

Katie received a viticulturally leaning agri-business degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and made her foray into the wine industry in Sonoma County.  She spent the majority of her time in Sonoma working for Unti Vineyards alongside her husband Levi Glenn who is now the viticulturalist at our Adelaida road neighbor Tablas Creek.  We are irretrievably and unabashedly excited to have Katie as part of the team at Halter Ranch.

Into the distance…

In these photos Katie and Club Manager Tony Quealy ride back to our offices in the new winery after working away in the Garden all morning.

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Blog Love for the HRV ’11 Rose

Posted on 05/27/2012 by

2011 Rose has a nice write up on Wine With a Twist!  Click the Photo or the link to see the article:

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The Garden Party

Posted on 05/22/2012 by

Molly with heirloom watermelons

In keeping with our annual tradition winery and tasting room staff arrived just behind Block 15 Mourvedre at 8:30 this morning to plant the Halter Ranch summer garden.

A marigold smiles while Katie attacks the soil

Organization of this year’s garden was undertaken by Oenologist Molly Strupp and the to be planted list included multiple types of heirloom tomato, watermelon, peppers (mild and spicy), pumpkins, cucumbers, and birdhouse gourds.

Lucas planting cucumbers on Molly’s Trellis creation

The consensus now the plants are in the ground is that playing in the dirt with green things was (not so surprisingly) an exciting and fulfilling opening to our Tuesday.

Kevin and Tony digging in the dirt

The garden provides an abundance of organic tomatoes, squash, peppers, and other edibles for the staff to cook, can, share, and otherwise consume through the fall.  Expect updates as the garden grows.

Chard and cabbage remain from our winter garden

We interplanted marigolds among the tomatoes to provide habitat for beneficial insects to keep greedy garden pests from gobbling them up.

Marigolds to draw in beneficial insects and protect our tomatoes

In addition to the marigolds we planted 5 rows of assorted flowers as additional encouragement for beneficial occupants and to provide an appealing splash of color.

Tony plants flowers

A few notable or unusual additions we failed to mention above include:  purple tomatillos, orange warty thing pumpkins, sugar baby watermelons, and rainbow carrots.

Speaking of beneficial insects, this little lady brings us luck!

Though we will be placing driplines  to water the garden going forward, today our fresh green friends received gentle and thorough hand watering.

Molly waters with bucet

Thanks for reading! Our tantalizing Tuesday recipe and pairing post series will return next week.

The completed masterpiece

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Ranch in Bloom

Posted on 05/21/2012 by

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WineFest!

Posted on 05/19/2012 by

Along with rest of Paso we will be celebrating all things wine among all things local this weekend!  For more information check out our website: Halter Ranch and the PRWCA website:  WineFest 2012

Expect the previously promised photo update on Monday (apologies for the delay!).   Here is a wine fun fact for your trouble:

Grenache Blanc (or Garnacha Blanca) is a light-skinned grape appearing principally in the Southern Rhone of France and the northeastern regions of Spain (Tarragona, Navarra, Priorato, Alella, Rioja).  Just under 10 acres of the variety are planted here at Halter Ranch and we use it as a blending component in the Cotes de Paso Blanc and to produce a varietal wine (100% GB) exclusively for the wholesale market.  The Cotes Blanc is available this weekend (and the rest of the year) in the tasting room, if you are interested in experiencing (the delicious) Halter Ranch Grenache Blanc we suggest visiting one (or all!) of the following restaurants:  Nepenthe (Big Sur), Luis Wine Bar (San Luis Obispo), or Thomas Hill Organics (Paso Robles).

Thank you for reading as always, and we look forward to seeing (many of) you out at the ranch this weekend!

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Introducing Lucas and Updates from the Vineyard

Posted on 05/16/2012 by

Lucas Pope, previously of Stolo Family Vineyards and Coastal Ranch Vineyards, joined the Halter Ranch team in early April as our new Viticultural Specialist.  He will be working closely with Winemaker Kevin Sass and Vineyard Foreman Eusebio Rico toward keeping our current vineyard in tip top shape, while also getting the new plantings in the ground (and growing!).

This is a picture of Lucas during the 30 seconds he spent indoors today. Busy times! Photos of Lucas in action among the vines are forthcoming.

Prior to arriving here in Paso, Lucas worked with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cool Climate Syrah, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc (among other varieties) in Cambria and Santa Cruz.  He brings with him an intimate knowledge of vineyard management and palpable delight toward working among the vines.  When asked about his experiences thus far he responded:

I am absolutely thrilled to be involved with this beautiful place and to be a part of the Halter Ranch team going forward.

We (and the vines of course!) are very excited to have Lucas on board.

Speaking of the vineyard:

There are currently 4 crews out among the vines, shoot thinning in Cabernet Sauvignon Blocks 30 and 31 , moving wires to accommodate (abundant!) fresh growth in Cabernet Sauvignon Block 41, and planting Petit Verdot to Block 40.

04.25.12

05.15.12

According to Lucas we are in the midst of ideal growing weather.  As you can see from the photos the vines (enthusiastically) affirm this.  On a more ominous note, temperatures over the past few days have also been prime for mildew growth.  To determine this we use an index that accounts for temperature and time, ideal conditions for mildew lie between 70 and 85 degrees for periods of six hours or more daily.  To combat this we have spent the past few months inoculating the vineyard against fungal growth.

Expect a photo post later this week showing Lucas and the vineyard team in action.

As always thanks for reading and cheers!

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Cooking with Halter Ranch Wines

Posted on 05/08/2012 by

Recipe and pairing posts are back!  To restart the series we begin with 2 recipes from one of our club members (she prefers to remain anonymous but her first name is Kelly), who has been experimenting with Halter Ranch wines in her kitchen.  The two we’ve been eager to try:

El Pecado Reduction with Fresh Berries and Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream (or cheesecake or …), 1-2 cups of mixed fresh berries (we used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries), 1 bottle of 2006 El Pecado

Place port (we’d recommend 1/2 of the standard split bottle) in a small to medium sized saucepan (we used an egg pan) add mixed berries and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half (about 10 minutes).  Allow the reduction to cool beneath scalding (between room temperature and warm is ideal) before pouring over ice cream, cheesecake, or other dessert of choice.

For an extra kick, try sipping a glass of un-reduced El Pecado, while tasting the delectable treat above.

Margarita Pizza with Halter Ranch Syrah Infused Sea Salt

In a flat pan with raised edges pour a thin layer of wine.  Now, as evenly as possible, sprinkle the wine with fine (small crystal) sea salt and let it absorb the liquid.  Let it dry overnight.

Now construct your favorite Margarita Style pizza (we recommend this one: Margarita Pizza Recipe) and replace the salt sprinkle with the infused sea salt.  Bake it up and taste.

Note:  This will blow your mind (in a good way ‘ )

To pair with this masterpiece we recommend 2011 Rose or the portion of 2009 Syrah remaining from the infusion.

Winemaker’s Dinner at Thomas Hill Organics Wednesday May, 9 2012 – All Evening (beginning at 5)

The Menu:

Halter Ranch 2010 Grenache Blanc
Halibut cheek lettuce wraps, sriracha aioli, crispy wontons, cilantro, basil

Halter Ranch 2009 Cotes de Paso
Pan roasted duck breast, smoked shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, tobacco and star anise broth

Halter Ranch 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
Szechuan peppercorn creme brulee

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