Fire Ravages Around San Diego County Wineries
The destruction is enormous as this latest series of wildfires stabbed the sweet life of San Diego County. My heart went out to all on their losses, but being close to a number of wineries in this area, I made calls to those I knew were close to or involved in the scorched acreage.
All the winemakers were safe and were thankful that they still had their wineries still standing. A quick survey included:
• Orfila Winery in Escondido: Leon Santoro watched at 4am on the first day as 5 rows of Merlot were victimized by the first hours of the fire, before abruptly turning. Some farms and residences in the area were completely destroyed. When he arrived back at his home he found another emergency and he and his family had to flee approaching flames.
• Fallbrook Winery: owned by Ira Gourvitz, he can thank firemen who put up a line of resistance to raging blazes some ½ mile from his winery and were victorious in beating back approaching flames. He plans to be back in his winery for cleanup as soon as allowed.
• Salerno Winery in Ramona: had to evacuate in the early hours with the rest of the town. No damage to the winery but I spoke to him by phone and he had come back in to start the cleanup from blinding ash and soot.***
Good Times on the Wine Circuit with the Galantes
Dawn and Jack Galante never miss a chance to get out of their home base in Monterey and preach the gospel of wine along the Central Coast and Monterey. You talk to them and become a believer mostly because they have such a good time on the circuit.
The Galante family has a long history in the area. Jack’s great grandfather founded the town of Carmel. He built the Pine Inn and the Highlands Inn, both landmarks in that fabled coastal village. Jack’s father controlled a 700 acre cattle ranch in the Carmel Valley in the late ‘60s, then turned some of it into a vineyard. Jack built the winery featuring ultra premium wines in the mid 90s concentrating on Cabernet.
They currently are releasing Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and two brands of Cab that caught my attention. The Pinot is grown at about 1,800 feet elevation and only 10 miles from the coast, a potent combination that Pinot grapes feel at home with. Bigger bolder flavors are extracted from the current ’05 vintage that sells for $25 per bottle.
The Galantes operate the first tasting room in Carmel by the Sea along with a western emporium. The vineyard and winery is east in the Carmel Valley. The Galantes love to have fun and it shows in the “Wine Gang” Club writeups. Jack loves to tell the story of the time he and Dawn were doing a commercial. He’s sitting naked in an old fashioned tub that you pour water into to bathe.
Dawn is standing over the tub with several bottles of wine ready to pour and asking the obvious question… “would you prefer white, or red.” You might be able to see which one he bathed in by checking out the web site at: www.galantevineyards.com.
The Local Sip:
• Sorry to report that one of my favorite annual wine events, the City of Hope outdoor Wine and Food Festival at the Del Mar Plaza on Sunday November 4th has had to postpone the fund raiser to another date due to the fires in the county. For further information, call 858-452-6846.
• The beautiful, elite Azul Restaurant in La Jolla is planning a lovely four course dinner to compliment the wines of ZD Vineyards and winery in Napa, Tuesday, November 6 starting with a butler-served Champagne reception at 6pm. Kendra Morales, California Sales manager of ZD will speak to the assembled on ZD’s classic, expressive wines. Wines with the courses include: the ’06 Chardonnay, the ’05 Reserve Chardonnay, the ’06 Pinot Noir, the ’05 Cabernet and a rare ’01 Cabernet. Classic evening with a brilliantly crafted group of wines. $120 per person. RSVP at 858-454-9616.
• The North County Wine company in San Marcos has installed the latest version of an automated wine dispenser which they call the “Wine Cuvinator.” This is a very effective way to taste a number of new wines to try before you buy. Among the current wines installed for tasting: Dominus Merlot, Ridge Zinfandel, Luna Cabernet, even some Ports. Call for more info at 760-744-2119.
• Bacchus Wine Market and Tasting Room in the Gaslamp district downtown San Diego has 7 Bordeaux style blends from various parts of the world in a tasting on Saturday, November 3 from 12 Noon to 9pm. $20 per person. Details at 619-236-0005.Frank Mangio is a renowned wine connoisseur certified by Wine Spectator. Reach him at mangiompc@aol.com.
10631 Vinedale Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352 - Phone (818) 767-3413 - Fax: (818) 767-1410
