The Fiddle Troops and I have booked our 2013 travel schedule and we might be coming to a city near you! Here is a list of our current schedule, and you can visit our Events Calendar for more event details. We hope to see you soon! California
Thurs, January 24 - Sunnyside Resort, Tahoe CityFri, January 25 - Petra, Northstar ResortSat, January 26 - Uncorked, Tahoe CitySun, January 27 - Sta. Rita Hills Tasting at 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro, Palm DesertFri - Sat, March 1-2 - World of Pinot Noir, Shell BeachSat, March 9 - Family Winemakers Tasting, San Diego (enter "FIDDLE" at check-out for a 20% discount on tickets!) Sat, April 20 - Vintners' Festival, Mission Santa Ines, Solvang
Sat, May 18 - Winemasters, Warner Bros. Studios, Los Angeles
Georgia
Tues, March 5 - Wine dinner at 5 & 10, Athens - CANCELED
Wed, March 6 - Wine dinner at Empire State South, Atlanta
IllinoisTues, March 19 - Interactive Tasting at Wine Goddess, Evanston
Thurs, March 21 - Wine dinner at The Herrington Inn, Geneva
Mississippi
Thurs, April 11 - Imperial Palace/Boyd Biloxi Casino (Restaurant 32), Biloxi
Fri, April 12 - Tasting at Purple Parrot Restaurant, Hattiesburg
Sat, April 13 - Sante South Wine & Food Festival, JacksonNorth Carolina
Tues, February 19 - Complimentary Tasting at Wine Merchants Gourmet, Winston/Salem
Wed, February 20 - Wine Dinner at Bistro La Bon, Charlotte
Thurs, February 21 - Wine Dinner and Surprise Tasting at Undercurrent Restaurant, Greensboro
Fri, February 22 - Tasting at Wine Maestro, Mooresville
Wed, May 15 - Wine dinner at Biltmore Forest Country Club, Asheville
Thurs, May 16 - Wine dinner at Champion Hills Country Club, Hendersonville
Fri, May 17 - Wine dinner at Old Edwards Inn, Highlands
Ohio
Sat, June 29 - Winemaker dinner at the Wooster Inn, Wooster
Tennessee
Fri, February 22 - Tasting at Brinkmann's Wine and Spirits, Franklin
Sat, February 23 - Tasting at RED Spirits and Wines, Bellevue
Wed, February 27 - Tasting at The Bottle Shop, McEwen
Virginia
Thurs, February 21 - Wine dinner at Willow Restaurant, Ballston
"On the SEVENTH day of Fiddlehead my true love gave to me...
Forget about seven swans-a-swimming, because your creative thought bubble could leave you a-winning!" For our "Seventh Day of Fiddlehead" we asked you, what is Kathy thinking in this photo? Thank you to everyone that submitted their thoughts! We had a lot of great entries, but here are our favorites... Top 3 Entries
"This head band is so tight it makes me look like I am constantly smiling" - Bruce C.
"Hold on a sec...you won't believe it but seven swans just landed" - Bruce B.
"I think those guys just called me a bad name in Spanish" - Paolo
Other Favorites
"I don't mean to wine about it, but my life is pretty grape. Over." - Hiram
"150 mini cupcakes, stat! 24 carrot for Stephen" - Marten & Theresa
"Is this thing on? Hello...?" - Marc
"How in the world did I get reception out here?" - Peggy
"This would be a great setting for Sideways 2 and it wouldn't hurt business either!" - Robert
"Ok, give me 10 minutes and I'll find a way to get to your place
for that Midnight Moon and the Anniversary Blend!" - Maggie
"Let's see...where is that port-a-john?" - Becky
Don't miss out on the 12 Days of Fiddlehead - join our newsletter list HERE!
At Fiddlehead, we love a good meal! It can be as simple as sitting down with my harvest crew for a hearty lunch or as special as a wine dinner somewhere across the country that brings me together with friends and fans from afar. And sometimes it is in my own backyard, like at the recent gathering in the barn at Fiddlestix for our annual First String Fiddlers Luncheon.
So with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, the one day of the year when we are encouraged to indulge in the cornucopia of the season (and almost certainly leave the dinner table with an aching belly!), how could we not be excited?!
I asked my staff to share their favorite Thanksgiving dish and what they are most looking forward to this
Turkey Day. Here is what they had to say!
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Kristen Mullin, Accounting & Compliance "This Thanksgiving I am going to visit my family in Chico. I am most looking forward to “Pie Night”, an annual baking party we do the day before Thanksgiving. I can tell already it’s going to be a very messy kitchen!" | |
Miranda Poett, Harvest Cellar Rat & Tasting Room Extraordinaire
"This is the first time in a few years that I'm actually
going to get to be home for Thanksgiving! I'm so
excited and thankful to be able to spend it with
my family and friends! Although the day after
turkey sandwhich is aslo a favorite of mine!
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Luis Ramirez, Tasting Room Manager & Lead Dishwasher "My all time favorite Thanksgiving dish is tamales, of course. At the end of the evening we throw them on the grill and heat them back up for midnight snacks. Seeing the Ramirez clan and laughing lots will be what I look forward to the most." |
Nicole Kantz, Wine Club & Direct Sales Concierge "My all time favorite Thanksgiving dish is my mom’s famous stuffing. My plate always consists of a giant heap of stuffing and just a little bit of everything else. Since this will be my little sister’s first Thanksgiving away from home while she is in college, I am really looking forward to our Skype call to her right after the feast." | | | | Rob Fry, National Sales Manager "I like to cook. In fact, for many years, I was invited to multiple Thanksgiving dinners for one reason – so I could make the gravy. Currently, I like making the sides – gingered carrots are a wonderful accompaniment to the typically rich fare that is Thanksgiving dinner. It's simple and delicious. Here’s the recipe – I slice the carrots on a vegetable mandolin and sauté them in a little butter with a little grated ginger. Sweeten with a little honey, white pepper, and for some lift, add a little Italian parsley at the end. Viola!" |
Stephen Villa, Assistant Winemaker "The thing I'm most looking forward to this Thanksgiving is not straying too far from home. For the holiday last year we took a drive out to Arizona to see some of my family. Thanksgiving day was a total blast. Absolutely terrific food, wonderful wine, and a good, long nap after dinner. Perfect day. Coming back, another story. To make it short, it was the Sunday after Thanksgiving with a million cars and trucks going every which direction and we spent 4+ hours just inside the California border not moving a single inch. Thanksgiving was a wonderful time and I'm so happy we did it, but this year I'm most grateful to be around our Lompoc family and friends, instead of our big rig pals surrounding us on I-10." | |
| | Natalie Leschuk, Office Manager "I love my grandma's stuffing! Her recipe has been perfected over the years...and now that I’ve taken over some of the chef responsibilities, I have a hard time resisting eating the stuffing while cooking it! However, my ultimate favorite is the taste of the stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole all mixing together in one delicious and colorful bite. As an avid NFL fan, I always look forward to the annual Thanksgiving football games and making bets with my family on whether the Lions and Cowboys will win or lose." |
And from yours truly...my favorite dish is the dish of left overs! The main event for my family is the creating of the menu, the shopping and the cooking. The meal that night seems so much less fabulous than the day leading up to it….and then there is that delicious day after….with all that great food and none of the work! If I had to pick something…very untraditional Black Cod on the grill is my most memorable dish. This Thanksgiving we raise our glasses in appreciation of all of you, our loyal friends and fans! CHEERS to you and your families! May your homes be filled with delicious food, Holiday spirit, Fiddlehead wines, and lots and lots of leftovers! Kathy
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Hanging out in our test kitchen, trying out potential Wine Club recipes to go with our new releases!
Lamb, Mushroom & Lentil Pot Pies
Southwest Style Bell Peppers
Turkey Cumin Pita Pockets with Yogurt Sauce
Which will be included in the upcoming shipment??
Labor Day signals the end of summer, the beginning of cooler temperatures and a
great excuse to get outdoors and have some fun! So, I asked my Fiddle Crew what
they have planned for the upcoming 3-day weekend...
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Stephen Villa, Assistant Winemaker "I will be conquering the Lompoc summer covered in grape juice and pulp matter. Perhaps I may even treat myself to a Red Bull (or three) while doing donuts on the forklift." |
Luis Ramirez, Tasting Room Manager "I will be spending my day evading the heat. I will go for a morning trail ride with my old man in the La Purisima Hills of Lompoc (much cooler). Then in the evening hopefully getting in my studio to begin my next body of work." | |
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Nicole Garcia, Wine Club & Direct Sales Manager "This Labor Day weekend I will be unpacking from my fantastically wonderful honeymoon (hopefully with a really great tan!). Then I will spend the remainder of the holiday figuring out what life is like without a schedule consumed with wedding planning…which will surely include chowing down on junk foods like pizza and ice cream!" |
Kristen Mullin, Accounting & Compliance "This Labor Day weekend I will be spending time with my family. We will be outside enjoying the sunshine, bbqing beer brats, and sipping on margaritas! There is no better way to celebrate Labor Day than to just relax!"
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Rob Fry, National Sales Manager “If I’m not in the vineyard picking grapes with Kathy, I’ll be enjoying the surf, sun and sand at East Beach, Santa Barbara!” | |
Miranda Poett, Tasting Room Extraordinaire
"I'll be spending my Labor Day out at the beach with
some great friends. Barbeque, bocce ball, frisbee,
the whole nine yards. And with any luck I'll be able
to avoid getting an awful sunburn, which seems
to be a running theme so far with my Labor
Days! I'm stocking up on suncreen!"
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| | Natalie Leschuk, Office Manager "I am starting off my Labor Day weekend with a trip to Reno for the 'Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off'! After my belly is full and fully satisfied, I'll be competing (or at least trying to!) in an annual Labor Day weekend outdoor volleyball tournament. To keep cool, I will top it all of with a wet and wild canoing trip down the Russian River. Hopefully I'll have some time to squeeze in a BBQ and a glass of FIddlehead!" | And as for me...I am on call to make wine! The heat spike of 2004 will not be forgotten. (Truth be known: if the grapes are not ready I will be at a wedding dancing up a storm!). Cheers to you and yours this Labor Day Weekend! Kathy | |
| | by Rob Fry, National Sales Manager
As I travel around the country talking about Fiddlehead, one of the most well received stories I’ve shared lately is that of our sit-down tasting of “Sauvignon Blanc Around the World”, held at the Winery on June 9th. We paired our 3 distinct styles of Fiddlehead Sauvignon blanc alongside representative wines from the international regions that inspire our wines!
Here are the highlights of that tasting with hopes that it inspires a similar experience for you!
| We began with a meticulous wine selection –vetting the world’s major Sauvignon blanc regions with an eye for regional distinction, exceptional quality and availability, of course. (Unfortunately, I was on the road and missed much of this difficult work!) These are the wines that were decided upon: 2011 Greywacke Sauvignon blanc, Marlborough, paired with the Fiddlehead 2011 Goosebury Sauvignon blanc, Santa Ynez Valley. 2008 Alphonse Mellot Pouilly-Fumé par Emmanuelle Mellot, paired with the Fiddlehead 2009 Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara Sauvignon blanc, Santa Ynez Valley. 2008 Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc, Pessac Leognan, paired with the Fiddlehead 2007 Hunnysuckle Sauvignon blanc, Santa Ynez Valley. The tasting was fantastic. Nearly 50 people participated, many with personal tasting connections to one or more of the International regions featured. The pairings were spectacular – both for their contrasts and for their similarities! All three of the Fiddlehead wines are produced from our grapes grown in the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA, the part of the Santa Ynez Valley with the warmest daytime temperatures. This region is quite unique for its ability to fully ripen our Sauvignon blanc fruit while preserving the acidity and freshness due to that ever-present evening coastal fog. Pear and white peach notes take center stage, with rich floral and tropical fruit notes provide layering in a most seductive way. On the first flight, the New Zealand wine showed layers of wet slate and herbaceousness, whereas the Goosebury’s minerality was more limestone in character and the fruit much more expressive and floral. Both had striking acidity, but the luscious fruit notes of Goosie stood out markedly. The Loire pairing with the Happy Canyon was more enlightening. Both wines had a richness that was quite alluring, with the Pouilly-Fume showing more melon and green bell pepper and the Happy Canyon centering on the peachy-pear. Great pairing, and testament to our assertion that the Happy Canyon is truly inspired by the wines of the Loire! The wine pairing of the night was the third, with the ’08 Larrivet Haut-Brion showing many of the well developed characteristics that we celebrate in the Hunnysuckle. Still with vibrant fruit and acidity, both wines have developed well in the bottle and showed a glycerin-y richness with nuance of fig, citrus, and dried herbs. It was a coin flip as to which I liked better, until I looked at the retail price. The Bordeaux retails for $80 and the Hunnysuckle for $34! It’s amazing that we take winemaking options and vintage variablility to craft 3 unique wines grown in this very special place. More significantly, I am awed with the creativity and willingness of the Fiddlehead team to “stick our necks out” and show these wines along side the great SB regions of the world. This event served to entertain, to enlighten and educate our friends who attended. I’m certain each will remember the evening for many years to come. One additional out-of-the-box twist was the second phase taste pairing of our 3 styles of dry Sauvignon blanc with Talenti gelatos and sorbettos. Typically we don’t think of our wines as dessert wines, but the range of gelato flavors made for a fabulous tasting. Here were the favorite picks, and worth checking out for yourself! - Goosebury Sauvignon blanc and Lisbon Lemon - Happy Canyon Sauvignon blanc and Mediterranean Mint Chip (This one blew me away!) - Hunnysuckle Sauvignon blanc and Tahitian Vanilla Cheers! Rob Fry
National Sales Manager
 The average time an American lays down a bottle of wine is about half an hour, but for those of us who appreciate the age-ability of our magnificent wines it is important to store them properly.
During the summer months the heat is a constant battle, and many people do not have the luxury of an expansive underground cellar to keep their precious bottles protected.
So, when you are considering where to store your wine, keep the following factors in mind…
1. Temperature – The most important thing to avoid is temperature fluctuations – a constant 68°is better than a 50°, then 68°, then 50° cycle. The ideal wine storage temperature is 55-60°F with a variance of a few degrees. High heat can accelerate the aging process of wine, transforming your beauty into a “cooked” wine.
If a wine cellar or basement is not a possibility, the next best solution is a wine refrigerator. They come in a variety of price ranges and sizes and if kept in a cool place in the house, can keep overall energy costs down. If your refrigerator is full, then choose the floor of an interior closet (remember, heat rises).
2. Light - Wine gets its structure and flavor profile from organic compounds. UV light can damage those compounds altering the flavor structure of the wine. Most wines are bottled in dark glass to help protect it from UV light (similar to sunglasses protecting your eyes), but light can still penetrate even the darkest tinted bottles.
Direct sunlight should always be avoided, but over exposure to fluorescent lights could also be damaging to a wine. To avoid the light, consider the position of your wine rack relative to your overhead light or windows. Consider storing your wine in boxes or in a cabinet.
3. Humidity - this is a major factor when storing wine with a cork closure. If the cork dries out, it shrinks. This can cause leakage and can allow exposure of the wine to air, “oxidizing” the wine, resulting in a wine with a distinct “sherry-like” taste and odor.
Ideal humidity for wine storage is around 70%, but we also recommend that you store bottles on their side or upside down in a cardboard box to keep corks moist.
We want every bottle of Fiddlehead you open to be an enjoyable experience and we hope these tips help ensure perfect quality of every bottle.
Happy Summer Sipping ! !
Where will you be drinking "728" Fiddlestix Pinot on the magical date of July 28th?
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, gather your friends and join our virtual toast to this signature wine. Submit your comments and best "cheers" photos for prizes and recognition! (submit either via our Facebok page our via email at fiddlenews@fiddleheadcellars.com). Our favorite 3 photos win a prize. And if you find yourself in Santa Barbara County that Saturday, then be sure to join us at our "land-based" party at our Lompoc Tasting Room for a celebration of this wine! The Tasting Room will be decked out for the day and library vintages of "728" will be available for taste and purchase.
Saturday, June 9th 5-8pm We're kicking off the summer with a fantastic 3-part Wine Club Social! And for
those of you who aren't yet members of our Wine Club, we want you there too!
Part I: A sit-down educational tasting, comparing our Sauvignon Blancs to their international counterparts. Taste Goosie and New Zealand SB, taste Happy Canyon next to a Pouilly Fume from the Loire Valley, taste Hunnysuckle against an Haut Brion (white Bordeaux). As part of the tasting, view maps, talk geography and AVA's, compare production techniques and discuss food pairings. Part II: Gelato & Fiddlehead Sauvignon Blanc tasting - Goosie, Happy and Hunny paired with 7 Talenti gelato/sorbetto flavors. Vote your favorite flavors! Part III: Top the evening off with Avant pizza and Pinot (our recently reviewed 93-point '728', of course!)...and more gelato! Time to mix-and-mingle and be social party animals! Limited to just 48 guests, so be sure to RSVP early. Wine Club entry is FREE (up to 2 tickets per membership). Have friends that want to join the party? Non Wine Clubbers get in on the fun for only $25. Save your Seat here!
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