Remember the song, "Here's to good friends, tonight is kind of special"

This weekend's guests at Creekside B&B came all the way from Tampa Bay, Florida for their first visit to the Central Coast. Randy and Cathryn are very wine savvy folks who made the most of their trip exploring all the favorites - great wineries, Hearst Castle,the elephant seal rookery and San Luis Obispo. Few visitors have done the research these two had to ensure a well planned trip.

Joining them for the weekend were old friends of Randy's, Ann and Dean. They live in L.A. but have mid-western roots from Minnesota, Iowa and even have a cabin at Gull Lake. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we all sat around the fire pit by the barn for wine tasting and got better acquainted. I probably sound like a broken record, but this is the best part of owning a B&B. We cross paths with the most interesting people who have great stories, interesting jobs and a common love of discovering new wines.

Of course, we also had terrific wine tasting guests. A group of wine lovers who have all worked together over the years found us on the internet and arranged a private tasting. Thankfully, they loved the wines, joined the wine club and promised to return soon. Weekends are our busiest times but we have had a few groups throughout the week. Today a fun foursome came celebrating a "big" birthday. Joni, Sharon, Charlene and Susy have been friends since they were 13. Suffice to say it has been awhile since they were teenagers but how wonderful to have friendships that are measured in decades. It's equally wonderful just getting the chance to make new friends and I look forward to the next time we can share a glass of wine together.

A ZINfully Wonderful Weekend

Dave and I hosted Per Cazo Cellars' first Zin Fest weekend. Mother Nature could not have provide a more perfect weekend. Sunny blue skies, balmy breezes and comfortable temperatures set the stage as we readied the pool deck for wine tasting. We really didn't know what to expect. Based on our experience at last October's Harvest Fest wine weekend, we anticipated being fairly busy. We enlisted the help of dear friends Cel and Vivian, had Jamie on hand tidying up once the B&B guests left for their adventures and we were prepared for whoever would wander down the driveway.

We didn't have the crowds we presumed but the folks who did visit were absolutely wonderful. It was a real mix of young and old, locals and visitors from other locals but unanimously, they loved the wine and they loved the Zin Balls. Audrilee, a Creekside Wine Club member, shared her recipe for a meatball in a spicy,wine sauce with me. Since I had several requests for the recipe, I thought I would share it as well.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8 cloves fresh garlic
1 jalapeno pepper (I used 1/3 bag frozen peppers and chopped them in a mini-processor)
1 bell pepper
1 cup catsup
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup barbeque sauce (I used my favorite, Sweet Baby Ray)
pinch of cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup Per Cazo Cellars' ZinG wine
2 lbs. frozen meatballs (or your own if you prefer)

In a large sauce pan, sauté onion, garlic and peppers in olive oil until soft. Add remaining ingredients, except meatballs and simmer for about an hour stirring occasionally. Can be made in advance up to 3 days.

Place frozen meatballs in a large deep baking dish, cover with sauce and bake at 350 degrees for at least 30 minutes. (This too can be made in advance)

I reheated them in a crock pot where they stayed at a safe temperature for hours.

We also served polenta crostini that were simple polenta rounds, grilled and half were topped with carmelized onions and a small dollop of Cambrozola cheese and the other half with red pepper/artichoke tapenade. The other favorite were the walnut halves topped with goat cheese and a sliver of spiced dried mangos. Those paired with the white Tres Blanc especially well.

Next Wine Fest is over the weekend of May 21. Not sure what the menu will be but please mark your calendars now and plan to stop by. We promise a great time!

"To grin like a Cheshire Cat" Moon

The night sky featured a magnificent sliver of moon perfectly positioned like a wily smile. Having just seen Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, I could not help compare it to the grin of the Cheshire Cat. This made me gaze up to the heavens in awe as the stars displayed their own glory. Beholding the nightly celestial display is one of my favorite things about living in Paso Robles.

It's been a very busy week and I love it when moments like this cause me to stop in my tracks and give thanks that I am lucky enough to live here. I was in L.A. with my daughter Kelley as she interviewed for a position as a NBC Page. We had a quick two day adventure then she reluctantly returned to college for the final stretch of Senior year and I rushed back to Paso to begin preparations for this weekend's Zin Fest.

Zin Fest is one of three big wine weekends held in the area. We are expecting a busy wine tasting weekend and are expanding the food pairings to include Zin balls, meatballs with a great wine sauce, polenta crostini with carmelized onions, walnuts with goat cheese and spiced mango along with a great assortment of cheese. If you are in the area, please stop by. We anticipate great weather and will be set up around the pool.

The Creekside B&B guests are all arriving on Friday. I already met the Creekside Room guests who are bringing their dog and the upstairs guests sound delightful. We will try to make it a memorable experience for all. I always insist they take some time for stargazing!

β&β Sorority

When my friend Debbie called to ask if I would be available for a wine tasting at her home for a group of fellow Bed and Breakfast owners I jumped at the chance. I relish any time I can introduce Per Cazo Cellars wines but this was a group of women whose combined years of knowledge at running a B&B probably exceeds my years on earth. What I wouldn't give to know all the tips and tricks of operating a thriving inn. Don't get me wrong, I must be doing something right as we are booked a lot and so far have received rave reviews but there are times when I wonder if there aren't more secrets to success.

Some members of the Getaway group weren't there but I thoroughly enjoyed getting acquainted with Ann (Ann & George's Bed and Breakfast), Jessica (Zenaida Cellars), Corrine (The Winemaker's Porch), Carolyn (Chanticleer), and of course Debbie (Orchard Hill Farms) who is the consummate hostess. We tasted through the wines and I passed out our tasting cards for their guests. Most guests at Bed and Breakfast appreciate the insiders knowledge and I can guarantee an outstanding experience for their clients.

Debbie was late for an appointment so we quickly gathered our belongings to move on with our day but not before I naively inquired how to join the group. We'll see if they are interested in expanding and Kelley suggested that maybe this introduction was equivalent to sorority rush. I would make a great pledge, keep the secret handshake and be proud to be a part of the sisterhood of innkeepers.

For the First Time

I remember the first time I went wine tasting. We were with our favorite oenophiles, the Pipers. I don't remember where we stayed, but it was a funky comfortable place in Rutherford and it had a fabulous restaurant whose name also escapes me. But what I do recall was the excitement of walking into the first winery, Grgich Hills, not knowing what to expect. We dashed up to the tasting bar, paid our $5 and an attractive, knowledgeable woman told us everything we thought we needed to know about wine.

Bill had planned out our first wine vacation thoroughly and methodically. That's the way he lives his life and it is great to go on vacation with someone with a plan. The itinerary included private wine tastings Caymus, a most entertaining wine education from Claude at Joseph Phelps and appointments at other well known wineries along Route 29 and the Silverado trail. Dave had to beg the folks at Whitehall Lane to let us come in 5 minutes before closing time. We explored a lot of ground, stocked our wine cellar and began what would become a life long affair with wine.

This weekend, first time wine tasters, Tom, Cathy and Jillian from Calabas crossed our threshold. They had the same wide-eyed eagerness that we possessed on our first wine adventure. I tried hard to educate them about the process and they were enthusiastic learners from the first sip. We discovered we shared the common history of having daughters study at Miami University in Ohio. Between the wine, the Miami connection and our wine dog, Maddy's affection, they won't forget Per Cazo Cellars. Nick from Lush Limo was responsible for introducing the Fenchels to Paso Robles' wineries and I am confident they had a great initiation to the fundamentals of fun from the vineyards.

We also had the opportunity to introduce the Paso Robles wine region to our dear friend Norrie and her daughter Evy who is relocating from France to San Francisco. Evy has a very discerning palate and relished the opportunity to hear the wide ranging stories from the likes of Cindy and Tim Newkirk at Steinbeck, meet Tom and Kathleen at Pear Valley, and witness the crazy side of wine tasting as the bachlorette parties were in full swing at EOS.

Like us, they were partial to the oak covered hills of the west side. Oso Libre offered a pleasurable experience where Jeff and Chris entertained us with tales about the cows and sheep that graze their land while offering generous pours of their fine wines. We visited Pasolivo for olive oil tasting to give our wined-out palates a rest. Saving the best for last, we ambled up the crooked road leading to Starr Ranch in hopes of seeing Judy. She was out so we settled on barrel tasting some of our wine which is aging in her barn. One of Evy's favorites is Cabernet Franc so we dipped the wine thief into the barrel to see how it is coming along. We also barrel sampled the Merlot and visited with fellow winemaker, Kevin Jussila who was putting some final touches on his wines that are barrel aging along side ours. A visit to Starr Ranch is not complete until you drive through the vineyard and marvel at the beauty resulting from the labors of Judy's vision and hard work.

After heading over to the coast to feast on a fantastic dinner in Cambria at the Sea Chest, we returned home and retired early having been well-quaffed and dazed by the resulting food coma. Norrie and Evy left early this morning promising to return soon with Evy's handsome French husband Nico. Darn...we will have to do it all again!

Critical work for the owners of Per Cazo Cellars

Last night we had serious homework. Dave and I were sampling the next vintage of Per Cazo Cellars red wines. From the beginning when we decided to make wine, we made the conscience decision to focus on offering wines that are blends of various grape varietals. We are partial to this style and based on the comments of folks who enjoy our wines, it is what they prefer too. It really allows the winemaker to use his or her creativity and make an interesting wine. Fortunately for us, it is what Steve Glossner, our winemaker is famous for and he does it very well.

We have three red blends in our portfolio of wine. A Rhone style (Epi Telos), a Bordeaux style (Confluent) and a very unique blend (ZinG) that really features the best characteristics of two varietals to merge together to deliver a very approachable wine. Our task yesterday was to evaluate the 2008 ZinG and Confluent. Steve purposefully did not divulge the blended proportion so we would not have any preconceived notions.

We set up our glasses and poured the test wine and the control wine, last year's bottle. Even though we were both starving, we agreed it was best to taste without food to sway our palates. Since the ZinG is a medium body wine we started with that first. We both agreed it was good but seemed more fruit forward than the test wine. We swirled and sipped and let the wine linger to judge the finish. It had similar flavor profiles but we both felt it needs more play time with Steve.

Next we set up the glasses for the Confluent. The 2007 Confluent is a very popular wine, we literally are down to our last 6 bottles. It also happens to be my favorite so I was taking this very seriously. We first examined the color. The 2008 definitely was deeper and darker. Next the swirl...aah, the rich fruitiness had more complexity compared to the '07. There was hints of blackberry and a sweet leather fragrance. Then we sipped. Actually we chewed. This wine had a wonderful mouth-feel and an unmistakable essence of violets. There is much more going on than its predecessor. Last was the swallow. Big finish but with some finesse. Steve hit a home run with this blend and now we can't wait to bottle and show it off!

We showed no restrain once the homework was complete. We devoured the pizza and kept sampling the wines... and then we slept like babies.