Chef's Garden

    Well, the heat of summer is upon us finally!  While some people think about their rising air-conditioning bills and taking trips to the beach, I, as the chef, like to focus on what to eat!  More specifically though, I like to be acutely aware of what is happening in my garden here at the winery.  And what is happening is awesome!  There's something very primal, to me, about planting a seed, fostering it, watching it grow, and then EATING IT!  This past winter, together with Steve's (and Sous Chef Ben's) assistance, I put in a very quaint, small organic garden just west of the main entrance to the winery.  It consists of 2- 24 foot raised beds, 2- 30 foot rows for tomatoes, 12- 1/2 barrels for herbs, and a few miscellaneous plants here and there.  As the first attempt at this here at Cass, I wanted to keep it manageable.  Large enough to produce quantities of vegetables that would have an impact on what I serve in the Cafe, but small enough that it wouldn't get out of hand during what is one of our busiest times of the year.   

       
   
    The first thing that I definitely knew that I wanted to be growing this year was tomatoes.  Such a versatile little fruit, I can use them in many ways.  The undisputed "Tomato King and Queen", in my opinion, are Bill and Barbara Spencer of Windrose Farm. (www.windrosefarm.org)  They grow dozens and dozens of varieties of heirloom tomatoes each year, as they have for a very long time, and have perfected techniques to both benefit the plant, and increase the crop.  So, currently in the ground at the winery, and mere days away from the beginning of a huge harvest, are some 14 unique varieties of tomatoes such as: Japanese Black Trifele, Paris Market, Dr. Wyche's Yellow, Old German, Odoriko, and my personal favorite (name-wise, anyway), the Missouri Pink Love Apple.  I had a small set of criteria that I wanted to adhere to when deciding what tomato varieties to plant.  First of all, they obviously have to all have the potential to taste delicious.  Secondly, I wanted to select tomato plants that produce a variety of different shapes and colors.  Very unlike the universal, hothouse tomatoes that one might find in their local supermarket.  I wanted it to be eye-catching.  Thirdly, and equally important, from a logistical standpoint for me, is the expected harvest time from bloom to ripened fruit.  All varieties of tomatoes ripen at different paces.  Understanding this and utilizing this information can help tremendously.  This provides me with a guideline of what to expect when, and allows me to plan menus accordingly.  Also, if planned correctly, will allow me to have fresh tomatoes from now until the latter part of October, and possibly into November, weather dependent.

    In addition to the tomatoes, I originally planted a 32sq ft plot of baby lettuces.  Four varieties, to be exact.  Those have a short growing season, 5-6 weeks, but produced some amazing lettuces for service here at the Cafe.  At it's peak, that little bed was producing in the neighborhood of 12-15 lbs of lettuce every week to 10 days.  I used a regenerating harvesting technique commonly called 'cut-and-come-again'.  When I cut the lettuces down, just below the lowest leaf, it created a canvas for new leaves to grow quickly.  It was really quite remarkable!  Now that the lettuce season has come and gone, I've since pulled the plants out and have replanted the spot with fall squash.  In addition to the lettuce, I am growing a couple different varieties of cucumbers, 4 different types of peppers, arugula, 2 types of onions, watermelons, 4types of basil (Lemon basil = HEAVEN!), heirloom dill, parsley, chives, sage, oregano, and cilantro.  So, come by Cass, drink some wine, say hello to me, and let me give you a tour of what I'm doing over here...                

Paso Robles Wine Festival by Kelley Mangan and Lindsay Woods

A weekend full of winery activities and celebration of delicious California wine! With over 200 wineries in Paso Robles people from Southern, Central and Northern California come to enjoy the festivities. During this weekend attendees enjoy special library and barrel tasting, winemaker dinners, artisan food and music hosted by the Paso Robles Wineries. The main event of the weekend is the annual Wine Festival event held on the downtown city park. Each year 60 wineries and fine dining restaurants join in the local city park to celebrate a 30 year event.

The Paso Robles Wine Festival weekend is a time for wineries to share their story with the world! Each winery has their own unique story and style of wine. Paso Robles wineries do not compete with each other; instead they recommend and share each other’s stories and wine. The most special part of festival weekends is how the local community all comes together. Local wineries, restaurants and vendors come together to show how well they all blend together. Beside wineries companies such as Carriage Vineyards, Leo Leo Gelato, Pasolivo Olive Oil, Vivant Cheeses, Vino Therapy and Two Little Birds Bakery all help support this local festival.

Lindsay Wood’s Wine Festival Experience…….

         This was my fourth Paso Wine Fest and by far the best one yet.  I am lucky enough to be a member of such an awesome wine “family”, because it isn’t just a club, it truly is a family.  A bit of history – I met Ted and Lisa Plemons at a Wine Auction in Atlanta and before that night had never even heard of Cass.  I immediately fell in LOVE with Cass 2006 Mouvedre and when Lisa suggested I come out to Paso to help with wine fest, I thought it sounded like the perfect way to spend a weekend.  I got to meet the Cass staff and other wine clubs members and I walked away from that weekend thinking it was one of the coolest wine trips I had taken ( and believe me I have taken a bunch).  So every year, Paso Wine Fest is a fixture on our calendar and my fiancée, Rocky, might love it even more than me – if that is even possible.

So what made this year so amazing?  First off, the number of people who came out to the winery Saturday was huge.  A beautiful, warm Paso day and so many people enjoying themselves at Ted’s Taco Bar under the huge oak out front.  The wine was flowing, the tunes were jamming and people were really just having a great time.  It’s hard not to be happy in that environment.  The Rockin One Blanc was the perfect complement to the warm sunshine.

Later that evening as the sun set, close to 100 wine club members gathered for Cass’ first Wine Fest Farm to Table dinner in the vines. Long tables were set up among the vines and Chef Jacob had prepared a menu that showcased items from Cass’ own garden or local farms. Guest enjoyed a glass of vino while mingling under the big oak sampling oysters and filet Carpaccio.  We moved to sit down and the first course was a beautiful mixed green salad from Cass garden (that coincidentally I witnessed Jacob harvesting that very lettuce just an hour or so before dinner – talk about fresh!) paired with the 2011 Rockin One Blanc. Next was the green garlic soup paired with the 2011 Oasis Rose.  I don’t know if you have ever had green garlic soup, I had not, but it was the most amazing soup and probably one of best courses of the night.

By this time the sun had set and the string lights set up above the tables gave off a very intimate and romantic feel.  These pictures hardly do it justice. The main course was served family style and consisted of beautiful lamb chops, Cass Rousanne marinated, wood fired chicken, fingerling potatoes and a variety of mixed vegetables.  It was easily to tell the ingredients of the whole meal were local and fresh. I wish I could describe it in words, but I simply can’t.  It was just like every bite exploded in your mouth.  Personally, I don’t care for lamb normally, but I ate every bite of this course – the lamb was perfectly seasoned and cooked and was not gamey at all.  The Rocking One Red highlighted this course perfectly.

For dessert we moved back under the big oak and the staff had set up fire pits.  A buffet of fresh fruits, marshmallows, shortbread cookies and wonderful chocolate sauce for dipping was laid out for all to enjoy.  Steve Cass brought out Cass Port as a complement to dessert.  It was the perfect way to end an evening. The dinner itself was something you would expect to find in a five star restaurant and pay as such, but rather I find myself in a vineyard with new friends with a meal that far exceeded the cost.  What was even better was opening my email the next morning to find new messages from other wine club members from all over who had already gotten in touch.  Pretty cool when you can go to dinner, leave amazed by the meal and pocket a few new friends.  And the coolest part is – it is ALWAYS like this at Cass.  They always treat you like family and you always feel at home there.

    

So thank you Steve, Ted and the Cass Crew –only 363 days till next year!

At Cass we have been so thankful for all the volunteers we get during this festival. Friends and family members that have a passion for our wine volunteer their time help us pour and talk about Cass Wine. Wine Festival weekend is about everyone come together to celebrate Paso Roble’s finest!

Ow ya goin' mayte? by Bryan Cass

I spent a year and a half living in Australia going to grad school, and got to do a lot of winetasting while I was there!  The first six months I was right next to the wine region of the McLaren Vale.

The McLaren Vale area produces a multitude of delicious wines and has a great wine festival every year called the "Sea and Vines" wine fest as it is only a few miles from the Southern Ocean.  This wine festival is similar to any festival weekend you find here in the states but you replace the tri-tip with snags (sausages), the Syrah with Shiraz, the deer with kangaroos, and the oak trees with eucalypts!  One of the wineries we visited whose wine is widely available in the United States at a reasonable price is D'arenburg.  They make some great wines and would recommend picking up a bottle the next time you are in the Australia section of the wine shop.  Their winemaker Chester Osborn is quite a character and a bit of a winemaker celebrity down there.

Can you spot the Kanga?

The Barossa Valley is a more arid wine region in South Australia that is known for big reds, especially Shiraz.  Our winemaker at Cass, spent a vintage making wine at Grant Burge in the Barossa while I was there.

This is Coriole Winery in the McLaren Vale where you get to pour your own tatstes!

The Clare Valley

Getting to the Barossa is a two hour drive north of Adelaide, South Australia's capital city.  If you venture another hour further north you get to the Clare Valley, which is slightly cooler and known for producing world class Riesling.  They even have a bike trail connecting tasting rooms called the "Riesling Trail".  I never had the chance to, but it would be a great way to spend a day winetasting.

Yet another large wine region a stone's throw from Adelaide, is the Adelaide Hills.  This area is quite cool for Australian standards and prodcues cool-climate wines like Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.  Aside from these regions there are quite a few others including the Coonawarra, Padthaway, Mt. Benson, amongst others.  Go visit Australia if you ever get a chance and instead of going to the Great Barrier Reef or Sydney, go to Adelaide and do some winetasting, you will not regret it!

There are some very contemporary tasting rooms....

Some that are a bit more rustic...

Double decker bus tasting anyone?

Australia has a rich winemaking history, Penfold's Winery in the Barossa  Valley

Don't forget to throw away your "pip"

Pass the local cheese please by Lindsay Dodson-Brown

The Central Coast is known for its beautiful scenery and award winning wines. But did you know we are fast becoming a world class destination for cheese as well? Each unique terrior responsible for award winning wines also plays a role in the local cheeses here.   Any vineyard manger or winemaker knows that great wine starts in the vineyard. The same is true with cheese in that respect. What the animal eats directly reflects in the diverse flavors of their milk that is used to make cheese. So just like wine, a cheese made from the same animal but from another nearby farm, can produce cheeses that are incredibly different and diverse in flavors. Many of our local cheese makers will admit raising dairy animals on the central coast is incredibly challenging and expensive.  We are certainly not like the perennially green hills of Tennessee where grazing animals year round is easy…feed is expensive here. But that’s what makes our local cheese makers special, they work extra hard to produce a product that is unique to the Central Coast and world class in taste.

This brings us to wine, because what is a good hunk of cheese without wine? A ‘home-run’ pairing will enhance both cheese and wine and make for a blissful marriage of flavors in your mouth. One of the best (and simplest) way to pair a cheese & wine is to look to the region where they are produced. For example, a classic pairing (and one of my favorites) would be Crottin de Chavignol from the Loire Valley in France paired with the local Sancerre wine. Even better are local pairings (come on people, eat local!) Here are a couple of my favorite local pairings: Alcea Rosea Farms 4 week aged Templeton Gap paired with CASS 2009 Roussanne, Paso Robles Cheese Co. Fresh Truffled Chevre (I’m pretty partial to this cheese, wink wink) paired with CASS 2010 Grenache, and Rinconada Dairy’s Chaparral with CASS 2009 Rockin’ One Blanc.  If you are interested in trying local cheeses paired with our wines, join me Thursday May 31^st at 5:30 p.m. for a fun-filled and delicious evening. RSVP: Lindsay@casswines.com

Some of our favorite local producers, check ‘em out:

http://www.casswines.com/Creamery

www.rinconadadairy.com

http://negrantidairy.com/

http://happyacresfamilyfarm.net/

http://alcearoseafarm.com/

http://centralcoastcreamery.com/

http://www.calpolycheese.com/

The Joy of Farming Wine Grapes by Cass Winemaker and Vineyard Manager Lood Kotze

Once again another cycle of grape growing has begun in the vineyard. We are currently in early bud break, a time I truly enjoy as it is probably one of the most beautiful periods in the vineyard. It has been a very dry winter, which is never a good thing in agriculture where you depend on good water for a successful crop, however the late rain has been a wonderful gift, and I believe, even with this year’s rain well below average, the timing of the March / April rains will be very effective, as it is right there, when and where it is needed, in the root zone when growing starts.

A very dangerous and potentially devastating occurrence during this time of the growing season is off course late winter frost, and the one growing challenge grape growers in this area will complain about most. There are few more discouraging sights to a grape grower then seeing the new shoots burnt and dried up from cold chill, often times from a single frost event.

I added a photo from April 9 this year. We had five days where it got around 28F, for five nights. It was a bit of a reminder of last years devastating frost, exactly a year ago, although not nearly as destructive. The positive side, was that very few of the varieties were in bud break since this year seems to be two to three weeks later then last year, at least for us.

Currently my parents are visiting from overseas, spending time with us and their grandsons. My dad, working in agriculture for well over 40 years, could not resist accompanying me at 3:30am to the vineyard during this mentioned freeze event. He told me a story I just had to share.

“A seasoned grape grower was walking down town one day and recognized a grape grower friend of his, selling hammers off his truck’s tailgate. After the normal greetings, his friend explained he had sold his vineyard recently, and he started this new business selling tools. The grape grower could not help but notice the low price which the hammers were selling for. Concerned he asked his friend: you are selling these hammers for $8 a piece, what do you get them for? His friend replied: I pay wholesale price of $12 a hammer. The grape grower commented: but you can’t make money like that! On which his entrepreneur friend replied: It might be, but I am still doing a lot better then when I was selling grapes.”

Anyway, it made me laugh. Frost or no frost, I’ll celebrate the new season with a glass of wine.

Paderewski

If you've been to our winery you may have noticed, a Polish Flag, or recently, an 7 ft. tall statue of Paderewski, and most recently, 2 Steinway concert grands in addition to Alice's Yamaha grand piano...

Probably not standard fare at tasting rooms around the Central Coast...here is the story.
Paderewski was a concert pianist who performed internationally from 1885 until his death in 1942. By 1910 he was a major celebrity, and he began to speak out in favor of freedom and democracy in many forums because his native country, Poland, was occupied by Germany, Austria, and Russia.

Just before WW1 broke out, he was on a concert tour of the US and in California suffering from a bit of arthriis in his hands, when he learned of the healing powers of the Paso Robles hot springs and came for a visit. While here, he practiced at the Paso Robles Resort and toured the countryside. He ended up buying some 3,000 acres of land and over time planted Zinfandel grapes and later made Zinfandel wine at the old York Mountain Winery. One of his wines was later rated one of the top 10 wines in the world by the LA Times. Many give him credit for giving Paso Robles the reputation for making high quality Zinfandel wines.

During the war he donated much of his fortune to the relief of refugees from the war and played in countless fundraising concerts to also raise money for relief. He continued to tour and speak out for freedom, he was on Time Magazine cover twice and knew every president in his era on a first name basis. He was a good friend of Andrew Carnegie and performed the first ever sold out concert at Carnegie Hall. I personally suspect he had some influence in Paso Robles getting the funding for our own Carnegie Library.

Following the war he used his celebrity to meet with decision makers among the Allies to encourage them to create an independent Poland.

Politicians within Poland asked him to serve as the county's first Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, which he did, and subsequently signed the Versaille Treaty on behalf of Poland. (All while being a Zin grower in Paso!)

He died in 1942 in the US and was buried in Arlington Cemetary, quite a testament to his status.

Jump forward to 1993, when an elementary school principal , Virginia Peterson, started a Festival in his honor. She organized a series of concerts and Polish themed events on her own from 1993 until 1999, when her health began to fail her. Soon there after, the festival was suspended, and then the earthquake damaged Flamson concert hall, and plans for a renewal of the Festival drifted way. (Incidentally, the school where she worked was named after her)

Jump forward to 2002, when the Polish Music Center at the Thornton School of Music at USC launched a Paderewsi a lecture and concert series, because they too, had a link to Paderewski, since they had given him an honorary diploma in 1922.

Jump forward again to 2006 ...Jonathan Plowright, a British Concert pianist is engaged for a concert at USC. As a specialist in classical piano pieces he was quite familiar with Paderewski's compositions. He asked the Director of the Polish Music Center, Marek Zebrowski, to see if anyone in Paso Robles would host him for a concert in an effort to restart the Festival here. Marek heard from one of our wine club members that Alice (my wife) is Polish and plays piano, and our winery sometimes has music events. He called me and proposed this concert.

So, on 2 week notice we threw together the concert, we borrowed a 1945-era Steinway from the school district and invited wine club members and about 20 community leaders for the concert. The concert was a stunning success and we decided to form a non-profit and re-start the Festival.

Todays Festival is similar to the original one in that we have many Polish themed events and concerts. What we have added new is a Youth Piano Competition for kids 10-18, and a Cultural Exchange with equally talented young performers from Poland. In even years we send a select number of our competion winners to Poland for a series of concerts, master classes, and cultural experiences. In the odd years they, come here and we host them in similar fashion. Our agreement with our Polish counterparts is the that sending country pays ofr airfare, and the host county takes care of all expenses in the host county. This year we have 3 guests arriving and are working to set up several performances for them. One will be at our winery.

This cultural exchange has given us the opportunity to get great media exposure thru TV Polonia (Polish national Television) and great support from various agencies of the regional and federal Polish Government bodies. We expect our first tour bus of Polish visitors this month. Hopefully, many more to follow

This years Festival events run November 8th thru the 11th. Mark your calendar for the unveiling ceremony of the statue of Paderewski to be installed in Paso Robles city park this fall. The ceremony is planned for November 10th.

Rollin' with the Punches

I am a planner and enjoy organizing every detail. But there comes a point, where no matter what you have done in preparation, when the unexpected can take everything out of your control. On February 11, 2012, I coordinated our Cass Winery Valentine’s Dinner.

Our barrel room was set for 60 people to enjoy a multi-course dinner paired with Cass wine. Each table was set with a beautiful champagne linen and floating candles in a vase with ruby red beads at the bottom. To add a personal touch, each guest’s name tag was tied to an individual red rose to be taken home as a gift from Cass.

As guests arrived they were serenaded by Michael Swan singing love songs and playing his acoustic guitar. They also received a glass of our sparkling champagne with raspberries which complemented our Kumamoto Oyster shooters perfectly!

Guests were enjoying the ambiance and at 6:30 it hit…We were just about to sit for dinner when a large “pop” sounded and all the lights went out. My first thought… the kitchen and musician blew a fuse. Steve Cass, Ted Plemons and I went to investigate… and we decided the power is not coming back on. Well, the show must go on! Ted & Steve hopped on the bar and entertained the guests, we brought out candles and scattered them throughout the tasting room, Alice hopped on the piano, and from there the party really started! But oh, the kitchen…this is why we hire the best! Cooking by candlelight (as seen in the image below)…you can’t get too much more romantic than that! Each course came out just as planned. Valentine's at Cass…went from a nice elegant evening to an unforgettable story to share. People laughing, drinking wine, singing…it doesn’t get much better than that.

The power did not come back until 6am the next morning. We later found a car hit a transformer and all the surrounding homes and businesses were out of power as well.

Sometimes the unexpected happens, but it is all in how you handle the situation that matters. Smile, make sure everyone is safe, provide some extra experience (special wine, candle lit dinner), be creative and have some amazing guests! As long as you can be quick on your toes, you can transform any hickup in an event to a more memorable experience. At Cass we love the punches that get thrown at us..just another memory to be shared and experienced with others!