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Interview with the Winemaker

Through this Interview with the Winemaker, get an inside look into Coby Parker-Garcia‘s predictions on this year’s harvest and what he is excited about! As he says, our wines “are challenging to grow and fun to make!”

claiborne and churchill, coby, winery, vineyard, Q & A with the Winemaker, Interview with the Winemaker

Where did your interest in the wine industry begin?

“My first interest probably stemmed from wine tasting. I became really excited about the wine making process and the ability to turn grapes into an alcoholic beverage. I wanted to be able to do that process myself.”

Why do you like to work with the unique varietals Claiborne & Churchill is known for?

“I have always believed these characteristics and more interesting flavor profile than your typical Chardonnay and Cabernet. They’re unique wines that go with a variety of foods. They are challenging to grow and fun to make.”

Is your winemaking philosophy similar to that of Clay’s?

“Clay would put a lot of trust in the vineyard management, but I like to spend a lot of time in the vineyards. We are making the Riesling and Gewürztraminer a little drier than in the past and using a different yeast than before. There is more time spent doing lab work and monitoring the sulfur levels, pH and the total acidity to make the best decisions in the vineyard and prior to bottling.”

What are you most excited for in the upcoming harvest?

“Every harvest and every vintage brings a new challenge. I’m excited about how happy and healthy the vineyards are looking. We’re getting some really nice growth on the vines and starting to see that we’re going to get about two clusters per shoot. This is a good indication that we’ll have a good crop this year.”

Was bud break early this year? How will that impact harvest?

“Bud break came later than last year, but still earlier than usual. Our Riesling and Pinot Noir vineyards had bud break about two weeks earlier than usual. The next few months will help us forecast when harvest will come this year. Growth will slow down if we have cooler months with rain, but will speed up if the weather is warmer. It’s looking like it will be an early harvest, but not as early as last year.”

claiborne and churchill, bud break, vineyard, winery, Q & A with the Winemaker, Interview with the Winemaker

How important is our vineyard practices? What do we focus on in the vineyard?

“It is known that you need great fruit quality to make great wine. We follow the SIP (Sustainability in Practice) protocol which has shown it ensures quality.”

What are you doing different this year?

“We don’t have any frost protection on the property, so we left some extra canes to ensure that if we had frost damage, we have the chance to get secondary growth. Now that we are through the frost period, we will begin thinning to get back to a more balanced vine.”

How has the drought impacted our crop and wines?

“In 2015, the quality remained high, because there wasn’t a lot of mildew pressure due to the lack of rain. These wines are really concentrated and have a lot of density. We were able to make balanced wines that aren’t too high in alcohol but have a nice balanced acidity.”

How will the wines be different this year from past vintages?

“I believe we will have higher yields, but will have a better idea once we see the fruit set and how the berries form. Right now things are looking good, but there is still a lot of game to play.”

What are you doing now to prepare for harvest?

“Now is the time when we implement practices to prevent mildew and other harmful problems. We are getting the weeds cut back, mowing the cover crop and tilling it back into the soil to improve the nitrogen levels. We are thinning back a little bit, especially the extra canes we left incase of frost damage. It is  a waiting game now.”

claiborne and churchill, winery, vineyard, Q & A with the Winemaker, Interview with the Winemaker

Where do you want to see Claiborne & Churchill Winery in five years?

“With the size of our facility, we are currently at maximum case production. I think we will see more wine club members and people coming to the winery. We will rely less on distribution, and more from the tasting room and direct sales.”


Recipe: Rosé Sangria

Rosé, Sangria, Rosé Sangria, Malbec, Claiborne & Churchill

With the upcoming release of our 2015 Cuvée Elizabeth Rosé of Pinot Noir and 2014 Malbec, we decided to do some taste testing to find our favorite Rosé Sangria. Brook Thompson, our Wine Club Manager, made three different recipes for us to try. Below is the recipe for the undisputed winner. This delicious Rosé Sangria will be perfect for the upcoming spring and summer months! The dark color from the Malbec and pomegranate juice will set it apart from all the others. Let us know what you think of our recipe and feel free to share your favorite recipe with us!

Rosé, Sangria, Rosé Sangria, Malbec, Claiborne & Churchill

Rosé Sangria Recipe

Ingredients:

750ml – 1 Bottle Cuvée Elizabeth Dry Rosé

6 oz Malbec

3 oz brandy

2 oz triple sec

1 oz limoncello

1 cup orange juice

1 cup pomagranate juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup raspberries

1/2 cup blackberries

1/2 orange sliced

1/2 lemon sliced

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together in a large pitcher. Continue stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover pitcher and refrigerate for 24-48 hours before serving. Add ice to pitcher upon serving.

For added sweetness, add frozen orange/pineapple juice cubes in lieu of ice.


New Winery Guest Cottage

For a weekend filled with wine tasting, stay conveniently in the middle of the beautiful Edna Valley on the California Central Coast. Come join us at our new Winery Guest Cottage! This quaint property occupies half of the original farmhouse on the Claiborne & Churchill property and was restored in 2015 with new appliances, floors, and furnishings for your comfort.  The cottage’s charm and character is sure to make your trip extra special. The location is perfect next to our tasting room and vineyards on Highway 227 that runs through the valley.

Claiborne & Churchill, Winery Guest Cottage, BedroomClaiborne & Churchill, Winery Guest Cottage, Bedroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cottage comfortably sleeps four people in two bedrooms with queen beds. The single bathroom is complete with a tub and shower. It also includes a full kitchen allowing you the opportunity to cook your own meals during your stay to pair with some of the best wines our our SLO Wine Country has to offer.

Claiborne & Churchill, Winery Guest Cottage, Kitchen

Other accommodations include washer, dryer, towels, linens, wifi, television, heating, dining for four, and personal outdoor area. It offers more amenities than a hotel room provides in over 700 square feet.

Claiborne & Churchill, Winery Guest Cottage, Dining Room

The Winery Guest Cottage is surrounded by Edna wineries, tourist attractions, theaters, restaurants, festivals, museums, antiquing, shopping, hiking trails, golf courses, and even more activities listed here. With this long list of available activities, there is plenty for you to experience.

Claiborne & Churchill, Winery Guest Cottage, Living Room

One of the greatest benefits of this cottage is the incomparable views. From the living room and front porch, you can see the sweeping green hills and rolling vineyards across the valley in front of the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest.

Claiborne & Churchill, Winery Guest Cottage

To make the deal even sweeter, our Claiborne & Churchill Cellar Club members will be offered a special, discounted price on their stays.

We can’t wait to help you make this unique experience possible. Click on this link to see our VRBO listing at www.vrbo.com/820452  or contact Elizabeth at Elizabeth@claibornechurchill.com.


A New Year, a New Look, and Two New Vintages

 A New Year, a New Look, and Two New Vintages

Here at Claiborne & Churchill, we want to wish you all a very happy, healthy start to your 2016! In the spirit of celebrating “the new”, we have several announcements about exciting things happening at our winery in San Luis Obispo.

Renovated Tasting Room

We opened our straw bale winery here on the Central Coast back in 1996, and since then, we’ve grown a lot! For the last few years, we have put some serious elbow grease into expanding our garden area to accommodate more guests, and now we have an updated tasting room to go with it! Our indoor renovation includes a new feature wall and rolling barn door, both made with reclaimed wood from our old dairy barn. We now also have large crystal tasting glasses, new lighting, and a beautiful, custom stone-topped bar. Be sure bring your friends — with an expanded serving area, it’s the more the merrier. Added bonus: Ladies, you’ll be more comfortable than ever. (The new bar has hooks where you can hang your bags and coats!)

Now that our garden and tasting room are all ready for 2016, we’d love to host your next private event. Contact Angela at angela@claibornechurchill.com for details and pricing.

New Year, New Tasting Room: Claiborne & Churchill Tasting Room

New Website

If you’re reading this blog, you may have noticed that we recently overhauled claibornechurchill.com with the goal of making our website more usable, visually pleasant, and informative for you. Feel free to explore our site, and if you’re new to our blog, check out some of our recent posts to learn about the 2015 harvest, recent events, and more.

Guest House Available for Vacation Rental

One of the more exciting pieces of news we have is that next door, we’ve been hard at work remodeling a two-bedroom duplex cottage on our property. Soon, it will be available for vacation rental! If you are from out of town, staying with us will be a marvelous way to enjoy the heart of wine country here in San Luis Obispo. Centrally located, we’re only a five minute drive to Pismo Beach and a fifteen-minute drive to Cal Poly. Stay tuned for photos of the space and pricing information. Note: Club members will have access to a special, discounted price on accommodations!

New Year, New Wines: Claiborne & Churchill Pinot Blanc and Runestone Pinot NoirNew Releases

This holiday season, we released brand new vintages of two of our most anticipated wines: 2013 Runestone Pinot Noir  and 2014 Pinot Blanc. Be sure to come by our tasting room for a pour of each of these exciting vintages.

To all our readers, Happy New Year, and we hope to see you soon!


’Tis the Season – Holiday Events at Claiborne & Churchill Winery

We can’t believe it’s already December! We’re decking the halls of our beautiful, newly remodeled tasting room, and to celebrate the holidays and share our new space with you, we are pleased to open our doors to friends, fans, new visitors, and our wine club with two festive events this week! Come raise your glass and enjoy the holidays with us!

Holiday Open House – Open to the Public
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Time: 5:30-8:00 pm
$5 tasting fee for visitors

In the giving spirit? Well comp your tasting fee if you bring canned goods or an unwrapped, new toy for donation to Season of Hope!

Join us in our newly renovated tasting room for a fun-filled evening of Holiday Shopping! Enjoy a tasting of our aromatic white wines (Dry Riesling, Dry Gewürztraminer) and hand-crafted Pinot Noirs and Syrah. Enjoy our live holiday music, and take advantage of great holiday wine specials. We can even create custom gift boxes for your friends, family, and co-workers! Come hungry: The Grilled Cheese Incident food truck will be there, too, selling their delicious sandwiches!

Claiborne & Churchill Winery Holiday Events

Cellar Club Pickup Party
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Complimentary for Club Members
Time: 3-5:30pm

If you’re in our Cellar Club, we hope you’ll join us to pick up and taste our Holiday wine selection. Enjoy small bites paired with the featured wines, listed below!

To RSVP to our Pick Up Party, click here.  All members are complimentary; guest tickets available for purchase by members.

HOLIDAY WINES

2014 Dry Riesling
A favorite around here! We couldn’t resist putting it in our Cellar Club Holiday Shipment.

2014 Pinot Blanc
Grown by our friends and neighbors at Laetitia Vineyard, this delicious white wine is 100% SIP Certified. Pressed whole-cluster and then fermented in well-seasoned, neutral French oak barrels, this wine has body, richness, and bracing acidity.

2013 Runestone Pinot Noir
After years of pouring our beloved Runestone Pinot Noir under our original gold and burgundy label, we knew it was time for an update. We are so excited to unveil our beautifully repackaged 2013 Runestone Pinot Noir, available to both the C&C Cellar Club and the public.

2013 Classic Pinot Noir
This stunning and well-priced 2013 Classic Pinot Noir is available to Cellar Club only for this shipment and this shipment alone!

From all of us at Claiborne & Churchill Winery, we wish you a happy start to your holiday season, and we hope to see you this week! If you are interested in receiving more information about our Wine Club, please follow this link.


An Inside Look: Claiborne & Churchill Cellar Club Member Testimonials

Thank You to all our loyal Cellar Club Members, we appreciate each and every one of you!

To learn more about our Cellar Club, please visit us at www.claibornechurchill.com

JOIN TODAY!