Dear Friends,
I am officially on vacation for the first time since COVID. With Sicily being postponed for 2 years in a row (mark your calendars for October 2022), we decided to still use the vacation days but stay a little closer to home.
Our trip started in Long Beach to attend my son’s graduation. At 16, Ryan let us know his plan…to graduate a year early from high school, take a gap year, and then attend trade school. He stuck to that plan and on Friday graduated with an Associate degree in Automotives from the Universal Technical Institute. And what is next for him? Well, he already has 2 interviews on Monday….we shall see! So proud of my boy!
We brought our last fruit into the winery this week. 2021 has gifted us 272 tons of fruit or approximately 17,000 cases of wine! Woohoo!
We are now in Paso Robles and had a great stop yesterday on our way here that I am going to share. Shannon has some reflections from the garden. It is the last chance to participate in Beyond Brooks with The Joy of Cooking.
Happy Sunday!
Friends in “High” Places
If you watch American Dad, you will get the pun. If you don’t, you should check it out. Yesterday, we spent a good part of the day with friend and winemaker, Jeff Fischer. Jeff is a voice actor known for his work in commercials, cartoons, and video games. He is most known for his voice acting as himself, Jeff Fischer, in the animated show American Dad. I know Jeff because of his passion for wine. He is the owner of Habit Wine Company in Santa Maria in Santa Barbara County.
I asked Jeff a few questions so you could get to know him better:
Favorite episode of American Dad? “Which episode, tough question! Maybe Lost in Space w Sinbad or Flavortown where I become possessed by Guy Fieri.”
Why he loves the wine business? “Love the wine business because I look at it as art. It’s creative and always changing. Every year it’s like making an indie film. I feel very fortunate to be able to make wine, I’ve loved it ever since I was a young kid! “
Preferred grape farming method? “I prefer organic or biodynamic vineyards as I’m concerned for the environment. It’s hard in California with labor costs to farm all vineyards that way, but my goal is to have all the vineyards farmed that way.”
How he manages to be in two industries? “I love both businesses, they balance each other out in nice ways and keep me from having too much downtime, which tends to make me start getting a little crazy. With the acting business every job feels like the last, and having wine keeps me creative.”
We tasted and drank a bunch of Jeff’s wines yesterday and as always they are delicious. And while he is making a Pinot Noir this year, he makes varietals that Brooks does not: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc to name a few. Habit is very small in total production and you typically will only see them at restaurants. The best way to get the wines is online. They are definitely a great value and worth purchasing. Cheers!
Last chance for Beyond Brooks with The Joy of Cooking
The cutoff for this Beyond Brooks is tomorrow, Monday, October 11th. We had a great planning meeting with the co-authors, John and Megan, last week. We are very excited to break down the components that make recipes work and the parallels to blending wine. Plus, so many great snacks to make and enjoy.
This bundle includes:
- 1 bottle of 2018 Brooks Hyland Riesling (NEW)
- 1 bottle of 2018 Brooks Crannell Pinot Noir (NEW)
- A fully revised and updated 2019 Edition of The Joy of Cooking Cookbook
- Recipe cards for a few snack/appetizer recipes from the cookbook to enjoy during the webinar specifically to pair with the selected wines
- 1, 1.8 oz jar of Burlap & Barrel Smoked Pimenton Paprika (to use in the recipes!)
- Webinar with John Becker & Megan Scott, Co-Authors of the 2019 Edition of Joy of Cooking and third generation to the original authors, Janie Heuck, Managing Director of Brooks, and Bree Stock, Master of Wine, on Saturday, October 23rd at 1pm PST/4pm EST
The Seasons of Cooking
Shannon, the leader of our gardens and grounds, participated in a great media event this week with Kiss The Ground. We talked about the global impact Kiss The Ground is making and Shannon walked us through how Brooks is doing its part. She made a tea blend, herb blend for cooking and collected wildflower seeds for each media participant. Shannon also gave a great guided tour of our grounds.
She is excited for the change in seasons and weather and has shared her monthly thoughts with us.
“The season of fall is a time of reflection for me as the garden pulls inward preparing for winter and rest. As I work in the garden thoughts of our own relations to land come to mind with the realization of its increasingly eroding nature that strains our connection to the earth. This strained relationship is reflected in the damage we see to the land and I’ve begun to wonder how we can make our relations with the earth meaningful? How can we cultivate reciprocity with the land?” continue reading
Read Shannon’s News From The Gardens
We are headed out to go wine tasting today and tomorrow, then up to San Francisco to pour at the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting. We are ending our vacation at Cordevalle.
Even on vacation, I am always here for you! [email protected] and cell 831-238-4828.
Cheers,
Janie