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Viognier Pairing from Robin’s Restaurant

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

For the May/June Wine Club shipment we are releasing our 2012 Viognier. Our Viognier style is unique and not the typical style of Viognier.  We like to bring out the aromatics of the grape and create a lighter style of this wine that can be enjoyed both as an aperitif or with food.   The 2012 is one of the best vintages we’ve made; with great aromatics of orange citrus blossom, hints of honeysuckle and floral, it finishes with great balance and lingering flavor in the mouth.

This recipe by Chef Michael Wood, of Robin’s Restaurant, is a perfect pairing to showcase this wine. The Viognier will stand-up beautifully with the flavors of this dish, so we highly recommend you try it out and give us your feedback!

And to quote the Paso Wine Man in his latest Varietal of the Month Video… “Viognier in May, you can drink it all damn day!”

Enjoy!

Robins Malaysian Chicken Curry paired with Tolosa’s 2012 Viognier

Ingredients:
12 oz. chopped yellow onion
2 ½ oz. canolla oil
3 bay leaves
3 tbs. minced garlic
¼ c. Sambal chile paste
1 ¼ tsp. fish sauce
1 ¼ tsp. turmeric
3 ½ tsp. ground coriander
2 ½ tsp. ground cumin
2 ½ tsp Laos powder (or ground ginger)
2 ½ tsp kosher salt
1 stick lemon grass cut into 2 inch lengths and smashed
3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thigh meat cut into bite size pieces
3 c. toasted shredded coconut

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot that is large enough to hold all the ingredients.  Add the onion and bay leaves and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently until caramelized (about 20 minutes.) Add the spices and the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.  Add the chicken, return to a low simmer and cook until chicken is tender (about 30 minutes.)  Add the toasted coconut and serve with steamed rice.
-Chef Michael Wood

To snatch up this wine and try the pairing at home, click here to purchase online.  You can also view winemaker Larry Brooks, live tasting notes on YouTube by clicking here>>.

Cheers,

Tolosa


2014 Calendar Photo Search!

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

This year the team at Tolosa Winery would like to invite our customers to submit photos for a chance to have them published in the 2014 Tolosa Calendar.  We know you are our biggest ambassadors and whether your a professional photographer, instagram guru or just having fun we want to see your photos of Tolosa wines, winery or vineyards.

Here are a few guidelines for entry:

  • Photos must be of Tolosa Winery only, please do not include photos of other wineries, wines or vineyards.
  • Photos must be high resolution and submitted via Dropbox to katie@tolosawinery.com.  You can try emailing katie@tolosawinery.com, but we can’t promise they won’t go to our junk mail…
  • Digital photos must be received prior to October 2013 for consideration.
  • All photos submitted must be original work. By submitting the photo you are giving Tolosa Winery the unlimited, royalty-free, nonexclusive right and license to use, reproduce, publish, modify and display the image in the calendar and other marketing material.
  • Our team will choose photos in the Fall of 2013 and the 2014 calendar will be published in late 2013. All entrants will receive complimentary copies of the calendar.
  • Photos chosen will be credited to the photographer and you’ll receive a bonus offer from Tolosa Winery for your winning photo!

We would love to see any photos you would like to share with us, so start sending them our way, there is no limit to how many photos you can submit! For any questions please contact Katie Noonan, katie@tolosawinery.com.

Cheers,

Tolosa Winery


Pruning in the Vineyards

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

Wednesday, February 13th the Tolosa Tasting Room staff joined owner, Jim Efird for our annual staff pruning exercise.  This year, Jim lead us to Block 596, a Pinot Noir block planted mostly to the Pommard Clone.  Year to year, we have consistently sourced our reserve and vineyard select Pinot Noirs from this premier block.  I was surprised we were allowed to touch these vines!  The soil on this block is very diverse with limestone throughout, and a sloped topography with a thinner, gravely loam at the top slope where the vines struggle, producing more concentrated berries. We found more of a clay loam near the lower slope where the vines tend to be more vigorous.  With Jim’s instruction, we were each assigned two vines and pruned them leaving two canes and a renewal spur on each side.  The vines in this block are planted north to south, giving optimum sun and wind exposure both moving east to west.  It took us a good 15-20 minutes per vine where the vineyard crew can prune up to 300 vines in a day!  We all have an increased respect for pruning as it is a skill that requires attention to detail, with each vine being unique.

 
     

-Brittney O’Brien, Tasting Room Manager


8th Annual Crab and Chardonnay Roundup

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

Last weekend, January 26th, was our 8th Annual Crab and Chardonnay Fête and maybe I say this every year, but it just seems to get better each year! We had a sold-out crowd of 112 guests in our barrel room downstairs and overall I think the food  Cracked Crab, the wine, the music and most of the people were a great mix!

Pure & Dungess Crab

Cracked Crab brought in some of the largest Dungeness Crab we’ve seen, I think some were up to 2.5 lbs! We also gave the guests a “sneak preview” tasting of a brand new wine, the 2011  “PURE” Chardonnay that is coming out in the July/August shipment. This wine is a “no-oak” style but has a rich mouth and matches up to food with lots of richness, such as the crab.  From the feedback of guests I think it will be very well received wine. It’s also got a great packaged, with a screen-printed label and a silver wax dipped finish, so make sure to keep an eye out for that in your shipment in July.

We would like to thank all our guests for joining us this year and a special thanks to the crew at Cracked Crab and the music by Ray Fortune! We look forward to next year’s event superseding expectations once again!

Cheers,
Katie Noonan
Marketing & Event Director


Tolosa on Tap- Keg Wine

Thursday, October 25th, 2012

Wine in a keg.  Have you heard?

At Tolosa Winery, we practice sustainable methods throughout the winery and vineyards and are 100% solar-powered, so wine in kegs was a natural next step for us as we strive to further reduce our carbon footprint. Putting wine into kegs eliminates the bottles, labels, corks, and the kegs are re-usable. Each 5 gallon keg  is equivalent to 2.5 cases of wine. Restaurants all over are looking to integrate keg wines into their wine lists because they find it preserves the wine quality.  Consumers can always count on a fresh glass of wine and because of the reduced packaging costs, it’s often a quality glass of wine at better price.  

In September we rolled out our first wine to be distributed in these 5 gallon stainless steel kegs. The wine is a Syrah-based blend that we are calling Mission 5. Mission 5 is a great red wine with lots of flavor and pairs well with appetizers, but stands up to a filet. This is the first of many varietals scheduled for our keg wine program. In 2013 we plan to release a barrel fermented Chardonnay and you may even see a Pinot Noir Rosé, which will be perfect for summer.

Here are a few of the first restaurants carrying the Tolosa Mission 5 keg wine:
Meze Wine Cafe & Market, San Luis Obispo
The Wine Shed, San Luis Obispo
Haven Gastropub, Pasadena
The Kitchen,  Boulder, Colorado

Cheers,
The Tolosa Team
* If you would like more information about our keg program or if you are interested in wine kegs for your restaurant please contact katie@tolosawinery.com.