Blueberry Crepes with Orange Ricotta Filling Ingredients Blueberry Compote 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 tbsp. PLUS 1 tsp. cornstarch 1/4 orange juice 2 Tbsp orange marmalade (optional) Rinse and pat dry blueberries and place in a small saucepan. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together and pour over the blueberries. Add the juice and [...]

One of my favorite winery bloggers happens to live just a few miles away from me. Jason Haas at Tablas Creek Vineyard writes one of the finest, most thought-provoking and insightful winery blogs on the internet. Jason's blog won the winery category of the American Wine Blog Awards in 2008, and was a finalist in the 2009 competition. (And in my opinion he should have won that year, too.) If you are a fan of central coast wineries, Jason's blog is a must read. Not only does it cover news at the winery, but Jason also looks at regional issues...

Lone Madrone, The Rose, 2008, Paso Robles Availability: 20 cases left This 2008 Lone Madrone pink has a traditional rosy apple hue, followed by a nose of strawberries, salmonberries, kiwi, hay and dried clover. A crisp palate delivers plum juice, raspberries, whipped cream, and white pepper in a refreshing and sassy blend of fruit and spice. It's a blend of nebbiolo, grenache noir, barbera, and zinfandel. Only 115 cases produced. At 15% it might be a little high in alcohol, but it seems to be balanced with a tiny amount of residual sugar, resulting in a crisp, balanced, muscular rosé....

A big thank you to Des Walsh at BizzIQ for featuring my winery blog for Dover Canyon on the B5Media network. Des says, "I suggest that some reasons for blogging, from a winery owner, could be useful for the consideration, not just of others in the wine business, but for time-strapped business owners generally." Of course the first step is to choose a blogging platform, and there are a lot of great ones out there that make blogging so easy you can start writing and posting to the web within minutes. Once you’ve decided to launch a blog and chosen...

Jason Haas of Tablas Creek Vineyard (left) shows a visitor how to check grapes for ripeness. "We are passionate about what we do," "Our passion translates into quality," "Our family has always been passionate about wine." Using the word passion does not convey passion. In fact, it does just the opposite. The word passion is too broad and imprecise. To communicate your passion, take the same care in describing your business as you do in your growing, winemaking, and packaging. The goal is to make other people use the word passion when referring to you … without ever using it...

"I don’t understand what it is." Winemaking is a physically demanding career, so it’s no wonder that many winemakers haven't had time to explore internet marketing. Others may know what it is, but they may not realize it can be as important as more traditional methods of winery PR—like submitting samples to critics, making public appearances, and wooing wine writers. Social networking tools can become your most powerful avenue for launching a new brand. You can attract support, reviews, retailers, and customers. Sure it's a new idea, but it's a movement that gives power back to small producers to craft...

Got questions or comments? Want to suggest a topic? Just want to say hello? I'd love to hear from you. You can share greetings, comments and suggestions in the comment box below. Viva la vino ...

Welcome to Central Coast Wine Blogs. Sign up for our RSS feed or subscribe by email to receive the latest central coast wine and food news. Stories about small wine producers and artisan foods in California's beautiful central coast Links to small winery blogs and artisan food blogs Wine reviews and commentary Announcements and stories about central coast food and wine events Stories about the central coast's unique soils, geology and weather Articles on industry trends and styles in the central coast Marketing how-to articles for small wine and food producers Advice on how to utilize blogging and social media...

Saturday, August 22 10 am to 5 pm The Paso Robles Olive Festival is under way in the downtown city park! Olive oil producers from all over California will be serving their oils for tasting, a culinary row will serve up samples of food made with or inspired by olive oils (including free olive oil ice cream), beer and wine tasting, and an olive oil cooking contest. Visit Paso Robles Olive Festival for more information, recipes, and photos. Even if you can't attend, you can enjoy an olive festival in your kitchen every night just by trying a new olive...

We're just getting started! There are so many exciting events taking place in the central coast, that it will take a while to compile them all. We'll be focusing on the central coast region from Salinas through Santa Maria. If you have a suggestion for a food and/or wine event that we haven't yet added, please let us know. March Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival www.pasowine.com A celebration of that unique, peppery variety that is unique to America's viticultural history. A grand tasting event includes live and silent auctions, and the wineries host weekend-long open house events, catered food, music, and...