On hiatus

If you haven't noticed, I am taking a hiatus from writing for Discover SLO to focus on my full-time gig as editor of sanluisobispo.com.

We have some massive undertakings in the works, including a soon-to-launch new community site where users can post photos, keep their own blogs, interact in forums and more. We will also be redesigning sanluisobispo.com this year to better organize and present all our great content. And we'll be upping our multimedia offerings, with more video and audio for our users.

All this is keeping me quite busy, but I hope to return to the blog down the road. Thanks.

The Village winery

Wood Winery -- which used to be Wild Wood Winery and used to be in a tough-to-get-to spot of Highway 101 north as you headed up the grade -- has opened a tasting room in Village of Arroyo Grande.

The tasting room shares space with the Gallery on Bridge Street on, you guessed it, Bridge Street.

Hours are 10-5pm except Friday and Saturday when it stays open until 6 and Monday when the shop is closed.

So if you're poking around the village, stop by to sample some wine -- the winery features fun labels and names too.

VIDEO: What we do in wine country for fun

For me, a messy highlight of SLO Vintners' annual harvest festival was the inaugural grape stomping contest at Per Bacco Cellars.

My fellow competitor, Tribune reporter Sarah Arnquist, and I did terribly -- we had filled only half a bottle when the winners completed their two -- but had a great time.

We learned that strategy and technique (plus a little cheating) are key, so start working on yours for next fall. I'm sure the event will back and even more poplar.

Sycamore Springs is a treat -- Discover for yourself Sunday

Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort is a treat and a retreat for the mind, body and soul.

And to spread that message to the community, the resort is holding an open house of its spa and wellness center -- the heart of that retreat -- from 1-4 Sunday. There will be plenty of activities to indulge in, all free or discounted.

I recently enjoyed my own version of the open house, starting with a light lunch in the gazebo courtyard before stripping down for a 30-minute soak in an open air tub with a view of the surrounding hillside foliage.

My state of relaxation was only furthered by a 30-minute massage of long, flowing strokes that nearly induced a catatonic state. I was a bit worried about the energy needed for a yoga class to follow, but the gentle class kept us close to the ground, focused on nice, restorative stretches and breathing. The hardest part was the climb up the hill to get there.

A mind-clearing walk through the labyrinth and the meditative gardens was followed by a flavorful and fresh four-course dinner and wine. It was one of the most relaxing escapes of my whole life.

And you can experience your own mini-escape at the open house Sunday.

There are free classes in the Healing Arts Institute, the "yoga dome" a brisk walk up a hill.
* 1:15-1:45: Pilates
* 2-2:30: Hatha yoga
* 2:45-3:15: Tai Chi
* 3:30-4: Restorative yoga

There are discounted spa treatments -- a deal at $35 for a 30-minute massage or facial plus a 30-minute soak in a mineral spring tub (must be pre-booked). There also will be 10-minute garden massages for $10.

Complimentary refreshments -- light fare and beverages -- will be served in the gazebo courtyard from 1-3:30, to the tunes of guitarist Mark Owens, who will play again in the bar from 5-7 for a happy hour with drink specials and appetizers.

The gift store will offer coupons for a 20 percent discount good through Dec. 24. And anyone who signs up for the resort newsletter is eligible to win half-hourly giveaways, including a grand prize of an overnight suite stay.

Wrapping up the day, the purchase of two dinner entrees gets you a free 60-minute hot tub soak.

Tops in port wines and historical colors

Well it was a fun weekend of wine and food sampling -- as well as grape stomping -- at the SLO harvest festival. I'm hoping to have a video of my sad attempt at the grape stomp contest at Per Bacco Cellars with reporter Sarah Arnquist later this week.

In the meantime, a few tidbits from Sunset magazine.

With an article on dessert wines, Sunset highlights EOS 2003 Zinfandel Port and Robert Hall 2003 Vintage Port as its picks for port-style wines. "Plush, textured palate of chocolate, coffee, licorice and blackberries," is the description of the EOS offering. Robert Hall's port is described as "made from traditional port grapes, with an interesting mix of anise, herbs, dried cherries and chocolate." Yum.

The same November issue features a curb-appeal makeover of a Ventura bungalow with a big plug for San Luis Paints. "After spending a lot of time agonizing over house paint," the couple who owns the home selected on two shades from San Luis Paints' historical color series.
"If we'd known to start there, we could have saved ourselves a lot of time," one of two said. Now that's a compliment indeed.

After Halloween, it's Harvest (again)

The harvest celebration has come and gone in Paso Robles, but it's hitting SLO this weekend, and there's still time to get tickets to many of the festivities.

Friday night features winemaker dinners at area restaurants. Some are already sold out, though reservations for others are still available. The most unique might be dinner in the rose garden at the Mission de Tolosa with Tolosa Winery.

Saturday from 1-5pm the wineries and local restaurants join together for the Grand Tasting at Avila Beach Golf Resort, with food and wine, live jazz, live and silent auctions. Tickets are $75.

Sunday, I'll be stomping grapes at Per Bacco Cellars, one of many special activities at the wineries of the San Luis Obispos Vintners and Growers Association. Among other activities, Baileyana will break in its new bocce ball courts and many others are featuring special food and/or live music.

Find information on all the events here.

A hauntingly good time for all

There are countless Halloween activities out there tomorrow night, but here's one that can be enjoyed by young and older.

With Oktoberfest drawing to a close (though Thursday-Saturday celebrations continue through this weekend) Old Vienna in Shell Beach is transforming itself into the Enchanted Black Forest.

For singles and parents, the bar is open for spirits and witch's brew, and kids can keep themselves occupied with the free "not-to-haunted house," spooky snacks and wormy swamp punch.

Festivities go from 5-9pm.

Brew and food masters

If beer is more your thing, another option for Saturday night is the Brewmasters Dinner at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort.

For $30, you get a four-course dinner paired with beers from Central Coast Brewing. The meal prepared by Chef David McWilliams starts with a ponzu-glazed scallop with julienne Asian pears on the half shell paired with honey wheat ale. The second course is stuffed heirloom pork belly, baby arugula, frisse with Golden Glow veal jus paired with Golden Glow Ale, followed by a third course of porcini mushroom malfatti and shaved pecorino cheese paired with Scotch Ale. And for dessert, a German chocolate cake served with Central Coast Stout.

Call 805-595-7302 for reservations.

Haunting the caves

So every town and city can have their haunted houses, but how many can offer haunted caves?

It's the last weekend before Halloween, and Saturday and Sunday feature Eberle Winery's Haunted Caves tours, from 5-6:30 and 7-9 both nights (for ages 10 and up).

The winery decorates and decks out its 16,000 feet of underground cave to become one of the spookiest events around. Above ground, there are games and bounce house.

For older kids (21 and up), there is complimentary wine tasting.

Divine music in a divine location

Regular live music venues are scant in SLO County. But a lot of fantastic acts come through the county for special events and performances at our many wineries. This weekend brings one such act.

Harry Manx is bringing his renowned folk-world-blues music to Stacked Stone Cellars at 6 p.m. Saturday. (Gates open at 4:30. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.)

Manx plays his blend of blues and Indian ragas on a 20-string guitar/sitar hybrid called the Mohan Veena, a lap slide guitar, blues harp and six-string banjo. You can listen to sample of his music here (click on Media Player)

The appearance was arranged by Matt's Music Stage and School (formerly Divine Appointment Guitars) in Paso Robles. Tickets are $20; call 805-237-0054 to purchase. Dinner and wine will be available for an extra charge.

It's here! Harvest time is here!

When I was little, Halloween was my favorite holiday. Now I look forward to the end of October for another reason -- the harvest festivals in our two distinguished wine regions.

Vineyard workers already have been hard at work harvesting this year's grape crop and it's time to join them in celebration.

Paso's Harveset Wine Tour spans this weekend, with three days of events hosted by the wineries. There's so much to choose from, it's almost overwhelming. There are winemaker dinners, cooking classes, food pairing seminars, tours of the vineyards, barrel tastings, live music, barbecues and picnics. You can find a full schedule on our web site here or at the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.

The Edna and Arroyo Grande valleys follow Nov. 2-4 with the SLO Vintners Harvest Celebration. Friday night, the wineries host their own winemaker dinners. Saturday from 1-5pm they join together for the Grand Tasting at Avila Beach Golf Resort, with food and wine, live jazz, live and silent auctions. Tickets are $75. You can buy tickets online here. Sunday brings open houses at the member wineries, with free admission for those with bracelets from the Grand Tasting. You can find a list of all the planned festivities, as well as information on Friday's winemaker dinners, here.

Harvest is definitely one of the best time to get out and visit our local wineries, so go enjoy!

And to read a story about this year's harvest, which is small but reportedly high quality, click here.

Fall afternoon in the apple orchards

While we still have plenty of beautiful, warm days, it is starting to feel a bit more like fall.

And a favorite fall family activity is heading out to the apple orchards of See Canyon.

What to do with all those apples? Find some ideas, and a little taste of the apple experience, in our recent story here.

A cook-off and a chow down

Sunday brings a celebrity chef Oktoberfest cook-off at Peachy Canyon Winery, with hors d'oeuvres from the chefs of Villa Creek, Artisan, Dining with Andre and the Culinary Academy.
The appetizers will be accompanied by beer from Downtown Brew and Firestone and wine from Grey Wolf, Jan Kris, Windward, Vineyard, Midnight Cellars, Dark Star Cellars, Zenaida Cellars and Peachy Canyon.

The Sip of Paso and a Taste of Talent event benefits the North County Dance and Performing Arts Foundation, which uses the money to fund various performance groups and its annual production of "The Nutcracker."

There will also be a live and silent auction plus live entertainment. It goes from 2-5 pm at the winery at Highway 26 West and Bethel Road; tickets are $35. Call 805-835-1678 to reserve.

Speaking of Oktoberfest, I got to celebrate last week with dinner at Old Vienna Inn in Shell Beach. I enjoyed a robust goulash, flavorful potato soup and an excellent (and very large) Franziskaner wheat beer. Read more about the food and festivities, which last all month, from Dining Out writer Dawn White here.

Wine and music at two local events

Following a first-year festival that suffered from more visitors than apparently expected -- an avocado festival that ran out of guacamole? -- I'm going to head back to Morro Bay for more of a sure thing, the long-popular Harbor Festival. It runs from 10am-6pm both Saturday and Sunday along the Embarcadero, with tons of food, wine and beer and live music; admission is $8. Read more about it in Ticket here.

If you'd rather focus more on just wine and music, Sunday brings the finals of the Winery Music Awards, which features two local bands competing in the final six. It goes from 2-8pm at River Oaks Hot Springs and Spa in Paso Robles; tickets are $50. Read more about the local bands in our story today and in the SLO Goings blog.

Tuesday also brings a tough choice: Satire king and Cal Poly alum Weird Al Yankovic performing at his alma matter or the Dark Star Orchestra at the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande. Dark Star goes far beyond the usual Grateful Dead "tribute band" with dead-on performances of live shows. Read more about Weird Al here and about Dark Star here.

McCarthy's is finally reopening!

Need I say more?

McCarthy's Irish Pub reopening Friday

But first, a short look back at the last day at the old McCarthy's, including the parading of the bar down Higuera Street to the new location: Watch the slideshow with audio

Foist today!

Sample a fine Vintage

Among my duties here at The Tribune is editing the twice-yearly Vintages magazine, and I'm proud to announce that the fall issue has just debuted.

In it, you'll find features on luxury hotels of the Central Coast, a Spanish wine that is increasingly being produced here and winemaker dinners, staple events of our local wineries.

You'll also read about our picks of what wine to buy now, notes on tasting rooms, hotels and local attractions, a recipe for a delicious dish to pair with almost any white wine and a trip through Paso's eastside, as well as maps, a guide to the county's tasting rooms and info on upcoming events, including the popular harvest festivals.

You can pick up the magazine in most local tasting rooms or find it on our web site here.

Enjoy!

What others are saying about us

The good folks at the Washington Post apparently like what the Central Coast has to offer, even off the coast itself.

The paper's travel section recently featured a piece on touring SLO and Paso and the surrounding spots. You can read it here.

The New York Times, meanwhile, is gushing over the olive oil of Pasolivo, which recently won two best-in-show awards at the International Olive Oil Competition in Los Angeles. Read the article here.

25 cent wine tasting?!?

Tonight's wine tasting at Monterey Street Wine Co. -- normally $10 -- can be had for a quarter if you bring a book to donate for a child age 5-9.

And check out what's coming Monday, from Doug, John, Mecaela and Katrina

We will have a special guest bartender, Shannon Beighley, helping raise money for her Team in Training. Shannon will be running the Nike half marathon next month in San Francisco and is raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by have small fundraiser. Shannon, a San Luis Obispo native living in the Bay Area will be pouring wine here at Monterey St. Wine Co. Monday evening and will be pooling her tips with the money she has raised at other such fundraisers and will be making a large donation to the Leukemia and Lyphoma Society at the race. We hope you can come by purchase a special priced glass of wine and put some money in the tip jar for a great cause. Shannon will let you know about her training and her fundraising goal. Shannon will be pouring 5:00 – 8:00 PM so stop by after work and let have a glass of wine to find a cure for this particular form of cancer.

It's Ladies Night at Monterey St. Wine Co.

It's wine and chocolate tasting night for the ladies tonight at Monterery St. Wine Co.

From 5-8 pm, the wine shop will offer dry wines and then dessert wines to sip along with some chocolate treats. Cost is $10.

Most Fridays, the shop hosts winemakers for tastings of their wines. It being harvest time, however, most winemakers are a little busy. So the staff will host this Friday's wine tasting, with their favorite wines of the Central Coast. You'll also be able to sample some of the cheeses the shop sells. The tasting goes from 5-8 pm and costs $10.

It's a fun alternative to your regular happy hour.

The shop also regularly features new offerings, and this week is giving a good review to Black Hand Cellars.

Black Hand Cellar Hit n’ Run, Paso Robles. A red blend of 63% Syrah, 22% Mourvedre and 15% Grenache a terrific wine with rich ripe fruit, medium acidity and a long finish. Very limited production only 42 cases produced, this winery’s wines are getting better and it will be a winery to look for in the future. This is a very good bottle of wine, $25.99.

Oktoberfest in a month and a day

In Shell Beach, where I live, the party rarely comes to you. That's why I love this time of year there.

The Old Vienna Restaurant and Beer Garden is just around the corner from my house and Oktoberfest there brings a six-week party.

Thursday through Sunday from now until Nov. 3, the restaurant celebrates with food, music and of course beer -- the next best thing to being in the big tents in Munich, as the restaurant owners say.

Beer is served in large steins and Trio Internationale, the lederhosen-clad house band, gets the crowd going with traditional songs followed by Emimen or John Denver performed with an accordian. (Thursdays and Sundays feature more traditional music, and you never know what you'll get on Friday and Saturdays.)

Old Vienna serves a special menu during Oktoberfest, which usually packs the place to the gills. For $37, you have the choice between:

• Oktoberfest Huhn und Bier: Half chicken, roasted and seasoned with paprika, the traditional Munich Oktoberfest meal, served with 1/2 liter of tap beer.
• Wurstmeister: smoked bratwurst and bratwurst. Recommended with the German potato salad.
• Goulash: The spicy robust "herdsman's stew" made with pork and a rich onion, paprika gravy.
• Kassler Rippchen: Two smoked pork loin cuts, bone in, a traditional "old country" favorite.
• Sauerbraten: Choice lean beef marinated in red wine with traditional spices, served thinly sliced with an authentic ginger/beef gravy.
• Schnitzel: Center-cut pork loin, pounded thin, lightly breaded and flash-fried to light golden brown.

All meals are served with fresh bread rolls and butter; choice of soup or fresh green salad with house dressing; choice of German potato salad, parsley potatoes or rice pilaf; vegetable, red cabbage and sauerkraut. The cost also covers tax and tip, so all you have to worry about it your bar tab.

Call 773-4521 for reservations, which are recommended.

Firestone Walker and River Oaks Hot Springs celebrate the fall harvest in a one-day blowout next Saturday, Sept. 29, called Oaktoberfest.

The event, held at River Oaks in Paso Robles, is a fundraiser for Hospice of SLO County. Firestone Walker pours an Oktoberfest beer brewed especially for and available only at the event, with a tapping ceremony at 12:30 p.m. There are traditional German foods, polka music, tasting of Firestone and German ales, German-style wines from local wineries, cheese, cigars and a costume contest.

For the stout of heart, there's also the Beer Olympics, with keg tossing, stein racing and barrel rolling, starting at 1 p.m.

Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 day of event and can be purchased here. They include admission, an event stein, your first beer, and a card to sample your choice or beer or wine.