“Story Tellers” Fine Wine Tasting Event

SaddleBrooke Ranch Wine Club members enjoying a wine tasting in the Ranch House dining room.

Lorraine Smith

On Sept. 19, in the Ranch House dining room, 80 Wine Club members enjoyed a Fine Wine Tasting Experience. This was a very special event featuring more exclusive wines from the Niner Wine Estates in Paso Robles, Calif.

The club members listened to the story of the Niner, a family-owned estate winery, located in the Willow Creek District of beautiful Paso Robles. The owners believe that the most memorable experiences happen at the intersection of fantastic wine and food. They make great wine from two distinct vineyard sites on the central coast of California. Their flagship blend is Fog Catcher.

As an estate winery, they believe that a long-term view is necessary and that sustainability is an evolution, not an endpoint. Their estate is 100% solar powered and their buildings are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. Their vineyards are SIP (Sustainability in Practice) certified, and in 2016, they became the first business to earn the program’s Winery Certification for sustainable practices. Sustainability also means helping the community prosper, and they partner with various nonprofits each year that support that mission.

The wines and food pairing menu included:

Niner Chardonnay 21

Pairing: Toasted focaccia, goat cheese spread, green apple, lemon arugula salad, cucumber, prosciutto

Niner Pinot Noir ’21

Pairing: Orange-clove seared salmon, roasted tomato, plum sauce

Niner Bootjack Red 18

Pairing: Raspberry apricot glazed chicken, potatoes, dauphinoise

Vegetarian option: Grilled vegetable skewer

Niner Fog Catcher Red 18

Pairing: Coffee-rubbed beef short rib, mole sauce, caramelized carrot, parsnip

Niner Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 19

Pairing: Dark chocolate berry mousse tart, orange vanilla panna cotta

Each guest received one complimentary ticket and drawings were held during the tasting with winning tickets drawn at random!

Many thanks to the volunteer board, wine advisors, culinary advisors, committee members, and Ranch House staff who gave their time to make this event so successful.

Future events include a wine education event in November and a holiday mixer in December.

Interested in joining the Wine Club of SBR? Our web page, www.wineclubofsbr.org, is the portal for all information about the club, including upcoming events and ticket purchases, news, membership directory, and event photos. Click on the “New Member Signup” tab at the top of the page! You can also contact [email protected] if you have questions before joining.