Flavor Meets Aethetics in Your Backyard {Edible Monterey Bay}

May 19, 2015 – this piece went live on the Edible Monterey Bay blog. Read it there.

Flavor Meets Aethetics in Your Backyard

Story and Photos by Camilla M. Mann

May 19, 2015 – Sharing some crazy pastry wizard techniques, executive pastry chef Ron Mendoza of Aubergine in Carmel and EMB’s Pastry Chef of the Year defined fine dining and convinced us we need to switch to metric measurements at the fifth installment of the In Your Backyard series sponsored by Edible Monterey Bay and Holman Ranch.

“Making pastries requires technique,” Mendoza said. “You manipulate ingredients to make something out of nothing.” Mendoza demonstrated a microwave sponge cake that was pioneered by Albert Adrià of El Bulli in Spain. Instead of using a whisk or a leavening agent, Mendoza used nitrous oxide—in a whipped cream charger—to aerate the cake batter. He popped the batter into the microwave for forty seconds and out came a nicely risen, airy cake. We ooooed and ahhhed, Mendoza laughed: “Oh, good! I never know if you’ll see it as a trendy parlor trick or as a brilliant dessert.” 

Discussing the science of baking, we learned that the butter and sugar were the flavor, eggs provide the rise, and the flour is what sets the eggs. An attendee commented that Mendoza’s recipes were metric. He took the opportunity to exhort us to switch to metric measurements. “Sixty grams of flour is sixty grams of flour no matter if you’re using almond flour or cake flour. Metric is more consistent,” he explained.

The conversation moved to Aubergine and the experience of fine dining. With only nine tables, Mendoza strives to make creative pastries that inspire awe. “It’s a balance of flavor and aesthetics.”

His cake was infused with green tea, making a verdant sponge that he broke into craggy pieces to resemble moss. In this dessert, he mirrored our environment, plating a speculoos cookie butter-covered ice cream rock with the mossy cake pieces. He secured the rock to the plate with a dollop of lemon curd and dusted the entire thing with a mixture of green tea and shiso powder. Nasturtium and radish blossoms added some floral flair.

A portion of the evening’s proceeds benefitted Everyone’s Harvest, co-founded by Iris Peppard who launched the organization as part of her capstone project from California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) for her degree in Integrated Studies with an emphasis on Community Organizing. The vision: every community needs access to reasonably priced fresh, organic produce in weekly community setting.

Over the past thirteen years, Everyone’s Harvest has grown to include two year-round markets—in Pacific Grove and Marina—and two seasonal markets in Salinas. More than half of Everyone’s Harvest Certified Farmers’ Markets farmers are certified organic and come from within a 100-mile radius of Monterey County. Everyone’s Harvest is piloting partnerships between healthcare providers and farmers’ markets through its Fresh Produce Prescription Program. In the spirit of collaboration, the markets offer free space to other nonprofits organizations, community groups, and government entities for public outreach. Additionally, the nonprofit manages five community projects in its mission to give more people access to fresh, local, affordable food.

There is only one more In Your Backyard event before the series finale, a picnic on July 15^th at the historic Holman Ranch. Attendees will enjoy spectacular views, Holman Ranch wines, music, and food while supporting six worthy causes—Ag Against Hunger, Everyone’s Harvest, Food Bank of Monterey County, MEarth, Nancy’s Project, and Seafood Watch.

On June 16^th, executive chef Ken MacDonald from Edgars at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley and Serendipity Farms’ Jamie Collins will guide people from garden to table, sharing how to plant your garden with your menus in mind and offering tips for cooking your bounty.

To reserve your tickets, call the Holman tasting room at 831.659.2640 or email info@holmanranch.com. Tickets are $10 for wine club members and $25 for others; seating is very limited.

The Holman tasting room is located at 19 East Carmel Valley Rd. in Carmel Valley Village.

For information on the entire In Your Backyard program, go to www.ediblemontereybay.com and click on the events tab.

Passionfish's Ted and Cindy Walter Share Their Love at Holman Ranch {Edible Monterey Bay}

January 20, 2015 – this piece went live on the Edible Monterey Bay blog. Read it there.

PASSIONFISH’S TED AND CINDY WALTER TO SHARE THEIR LOVE AT HOLMAN RANCH

Story by Camilla M. Mann

Photo courtesy Ted and Cindy Walter 

January 20, 2015 – February’s “In Your Backyard” event at Holman Ranch’s tasting room will showcase the passion thatTed and Cindy Walter, proprietors of Passionfish in Pacific Grove, have for sea life and for serving it in delicious, sustainable ways.

The series, hosted by Holman Ranch and sponsored by Edible Monterey Bay, gives food producers and food artisans a place to share expertise in a casual, conversational format. Each demonstration also offers recommendations for the best wine to pair with the featured culinary item.

On Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 6pm, Ted, Passionfish’s chef, plans to demonstrate three different ways of preparing a local fin fish. He’ll show how to do a raw fish crudo, a ceviche, and one other method that allows the flavors of the fish to shine. Guests will get to enjoy small bites of these dishes while sipping Holman’s award-winning estate wines and learning wine-pairing tips from Holman’s experts.

Cindy, who comes from a fishing family and is known equally for activism on behalf of ocean life and for creating a spectacular, green-certified setting for serving it, will share tips and techniques for sourcing and choosing sustainable seafood.

“We aim to give people the information about the easiest way to select sustainable seafood,” Cindy explains, “and to empower them to ask the right questions.”

A portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, which since the late 1990s has helped home cooks, restaurant goers and chefs choose seafood that’s harvested in ways that protect fisheries and ensure the longevity of habitats. Seafood Watch has been a key partner in the Walters’ efforts since its inception—and they have been key supporters of the program.

“It all started with swordfish,” says Ted. Swordfish was in danger of going completely extinct because there was so much money in the market. However, nearly a dozen chefs began to boycott it, removing it from their menus and inspiring a ripple that moved across the country. “Once the fishermen had no market for swordfish, they stopped fishing it. The species recovered in less than five years.”

Seafood Watch had proved its power, and it went on to use its research and communications muscle to issue sustainability ratings of fishing methods and fisheries around the world.

“Once the Aquarium established Seafood Watch,” remembers Cindy, “we were really excited. This program helps us find sustainable seafood, something we were always trying to do on our own.”

Cindy urges consumers to carry the Seafood Watch guidelines—either in printed wallet card form or through the new phone app,—so they can easily identify whether seafood items are rated as a “Best Choice,” “Good Alternative” or “Avoid.”

She also cautions restaurant goers and shoppers to educate themselves.

“As consumers have grown more savvy, the industry has employed marketing experts. Consumers have to constantly stay ahead of the corporate world,” she says.

As an example, she notes that it used to be enough to see that something was “line-caught.” But while it’s not a technically a lie to call a pelagic long-line caught fish “line-caught,” it’s certainly flouting the intention of the designation, because long-line methods trap sea life indiscriminately. So the question has necessarily evolved from “is it line caught?” to “is it hand-line caught?”

To take advantage of this special opportunity and reserve your tickets before they sell out, call the Holman tasting room at 831.659.2640 or email info@holmanranch.com.

Tickets are $10 for wine club members and $25 for others; seating is very limited.

The Holman tasting room is located at 19 East Carmel Valley Rd. in Carmel Valley Village.

Where the Magic Happens: The Caves at Holman Ranch {Edible Monterey Bay}

This is on the Edible Monterey Bay blog: here. Or read it below.

WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS: THE CAVES AT HOLMAN RANCH

Stepping into a vineyard’s wine cave feels slightly illicit. Maybe it’s the sense that you’re getting a peek into where the wine making magic happens. It’s where the wine ferments and ages, developing the flavor profile that the winemaker desires. Or perhaps it’s just that being underground lends a certain air of mystery.

The Caves at Holman Ranch are completely underground, carved into the hillside, to take advantage of the natural cooling and humidity. The 3000-square-foot area maintains a constant temperature, fluctuating only a degree or two from 58˚F to 60 ˚F, and houses four 750-gallon tanks, four 1200-gallon tanks, four open top tanks that can house two tons each, and one hundred François Frères oak barrels. All of the winery operations—from destemming and pressing to fermenting and aging—take place within the cool environment of the caves, while bottling is done directly outside using a mobile bottling line.

On the day that I visited, Guest Services Manager Nick Elliott greeted me, swung open the heavy wooden doors to the underground workspace, and invited me inside. We strolled towards a barrel topped with an army of wine goblets and a variety of Holman Ranch wines, including their estate Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé of Pinot Noir. It was the unreleased Chardonnay that intrigued me the most.

Over a picnic lunch just outside the caves, Nick poured both the 2010 Chardonnay and the not-yet-released 2012 Virgin Chardonnay. I chuckled when I finally saw the label. I had heard him mention ‘virgin’ when we talked about the wine, but I didn’t realize that that was its actual name – on the bottle.

While the 2010 is cold-fermented for three months in new François Frères oak barrels, the 2012 has never seen any wood. Nick and I discussed how the oak contributes to the character of the wine. Aging wine in oak barrels produces a smoother, fuller, and sweeter wine. Used judiciously, like Holman’s three months stint, the wine grows complex without getting too buttery and heavy.

New oak barrels impart flavor to the wine. With each use, the wine extracts progressively less and less oak flavor. After a few seasons of use—Holman Ranch considers their barrels ‘new’ for three rounds—the barrel is largely depleted of its oaky flavor. The barrels are still used after that; but they are simply labeled as ‘neutral’ barrels.

Though Holman Ranch’s 2010 Chardonnay is only oaked for three months, it still has that supple, round feel, woodsy smell, and toasty character that is fairly common in Chardonnay wines.

The 2012 Virgin Chard is altogether a different creature. The first word that came to mind after inhaling the bouquet was ‘grassy.’ The aroma reminded me of a freshly mown field—not golden straw or hay but lush, verdant grass. There is the faintest green tint to the wine as well. Even the foil capsule covering over the cork is a unique, almost iridescent shade of green. The wine was bright and crisp and after a few minutes in the glass it grew almost tropical. What a fun summer wine!

And the 2012 Virgin Chardonnay is only one of the up-and-coming wines to emerge from Holman Ranch. Nick, knowing my fondness for Pinot Noir, shared that they will have ten Pinots with a 2012 vintage. Ten. That is not a typo. While most are small production—with only about 50 cases bottled of each—Holman is debuting one larger production wine that will bear the name of the third Lowder daughter, Kelly.

Kelly’s Press is a pressed, versus free-run, wine which means that it’s made using the leftover must, the unfermented grape juice and contains the seeds, stems, and skins. It will join the 2010 Hunter’s Cuvée, a bold Pinot Noir with intense jam notes; the 2011 Heather’s Hill that makes me think of rose petals and peppercorns; the 2010 Estate-Grown Pinot that is aged for 12 months in French oak, resulting in an earthy wine with hints of tobacco; and six clonal varieties, including Clone 667, Clone 777, Clone 828, Pommard 4, Swan, and Calera.

Holman Ranch Vineyards consists of 19 acres that lie between 950 and 1150 feet in elevation. The topography of the surrounding area allows for morning fog that rapidly moves out as the air warms while sedimentary soils and Carmel stone play a major role in providing excellent soil drainage. The vines are planted 15 degrees off due north which allows for all-day sunlight on the fruit zone and good protection from winds. Holman Ranch’s inland valley is an ideal microclimate for the production of Pinot Noir grapes.

Currently in the process of attaining sustainable and organic certification, they do not use any chemical herbicides or pesticides on their fruit. Holman Ranch’s wines are refined and crafted to deliver the true varietal of the grape from harvest to table. And if purity and passion are key ingredients in the wine-making process, Holman Ranch truly excels in that arena.

You can take a trip to the Holman Ranch Tasting Room in the Carmel Valley Village to taste their wines. And if you ask really nicely, they might even let you into The Caves to see where all the magic happens. Or you can attend a special dinner in July at the vineyard that will showcase their wines.

Holman Ranch Vineyard and Edible Monterey Bay host a Farm (and Vineyard) to Table Pop-Up Supper Club on Sunday, July 28^th to benefit the Food Bank for Monterey County. Click here to buy tickets.

 Holman Ranch Tasting Room

19 E. Carmel Valley Rd., Suite C

Carmel Valley, CA 93924

(831) 659-2640

wines@holmanranch.com

Summer Hours

Mon–Thu – 11am–6pm

Fri–Sun – 12pm–7pm

Private Tasting – Call for information

Holman Ranch Releases the Pop-Up Menu

I wrote a piece about the menu for Edible Monterey Bay's 5th pop-up event which will be hosted at Holman Ranch at the end of this month. Click here to read it on their blog.

Mouthwatering: Holman Ranch releases the menu for its upcoming pop-up vineyard-to-table dinner Written by Camilla M. Mann

Photos courtesy of Holman Ranch As if the chance to sip Holman Ranch’s delicious wines while dining al fresco next to its gorgeous vineyards were not temptation enough, the winery has just released an irresistible menu for its pop-up dinner with Edible Monterey Bay on Tuesday Aug. 28. The event will benefit the Food Bank for Monterey County, and a limited number of tickets are still available. We don’t want to give away too much, but the series of courses planned by Chef Terry Teplitzky of Marina’s Wild Thyme Deli & Café and Michael’s Catering is full of innovative tastes and textures—all prepared with local organic produce at its seasonal peak of flavor. Spicy lamb sliders, goat cheese and fig tartlets, smoked salmon and artichokes are among the ingredients that will go into the passed hors d’oeuvres that will start the evening—along with Holman’s 2011 Pinot Gris and 2012 Rose of Pinot Noir. The seated family-style dinner will pair Holman’s 2010 Chardonnay and 2010 Hunter’s Cuvee Pinot Noir with seared diver scallops with cauliflower puree and currant, caper and almond brown butter; crispy sweetbreads with fava beans and mushrooms; and roasted free-range chicken with roasted grapes and applewood-smoked bacon. What’s more, the sides and salads, made with produce from Serendipity Farms and other local purveyors, could steal the show: Expect a salad of roasted beets, ricotta salata and pea shoots, root vegetable croquettes and a spinach timbale, among other dishes. Chef Teplitzky has earned many accolades for Michael’s Catering and Wild Thyme Deli, including Monterey Weekly’s “Best Caterer” in 2009, 2010 and 2011; “Best New Business” from the Monterey County Chamber of Commerce in 2001; and “Chef of the Year” from the American Culinary Association in 1993. No stranger to philanthropy, Chef Teplitzky has a long record of community service, including his leadership role with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s popular Cooking for Solutions events, as well as having served as head chef for the annual Meals On Wheels dinner event, among other nonprofit associations. A portion of the proceeds of Holman’s dinner will go to the Food Bank for Monterey County, the largest supplier of emergency food to those in need in Monterey County. This event is the fifth in Edible Monterey Bay’s series of pop-up supper clubs. Given that most have sold out, we recommend that if you plan to attend, you click on the PayPal button below to purchase your tickets now. Or you may also make reservations or learn more about the dinner or a rare chance to stay overnight at historic Holman Ranch by calling 831.659.2640 or emailing events@holmanranch.com. You definitely don’t want to miss out on this dinner!

Sipping Wine Among the Vines: Touring Holman Vineyards {Edible Monterey Bay}

This is posted on the Edible Monterey Bay blog: here. (July 2012)

Wine tasting is always enjoyable. Gaining access to a winery’s cave is a treat. But to receive an invitation into the vineyards is an oenophile’s dream come true. At least it’s this wine‐lover’s dream. And, this week, for the first time Holman Vineyards opened up their gates and invited their wine club members and guests to take a stroll through the vines. Rocky soil beneath your feet, fresh summer air, and sun‐baked hills that stretch as far as the eye can see, and—of course—a glass of wine in hand made for a truly charming vineyard tour.

Nick Elliott, Guest Services Manager at Holman Ranch, met us at the Holman Vineyards’ tasting room in the Carmel Valley village and four of us loaded up into his vehicle. On the way Nick gave us a history of Holman Ranch and talked to us about the vineyards that are planted on 19 of the 400 acres that make up the Ranch. We wound through the property, up a dirt road, and headed to the lower vineyard of Pinot Noir grapes that were planted in 2007 and sits at approximately 1100 feet elevation.

Before we even set foot through the final gate, Nick broke out his corkscrew, distributed glasses, and poured us each a generous portion of their 2010 Pinot Gris. The slightly fruity aroma swirled with notes of mango and honey, but the whisper of citrus created a crisp finish. It made me wish that we had some ceviche—tender chunks of fish marinated in lime juice and spiced with fresh peppers—to go with it.

As we sipped the wine, we walked through the olive grove which Holman harvests to produce its extra-virgin olive oil. We paused and Nick pointed out the different kinds of olives. The Italian trees on the right were taller and the leaves had a dusty sage hue to them while the French olive trees on the left were stouter with brighter green leaves. Holman hand‐harvests and cold presses the olives, bottling the oil onsite and offering them for sale at the tasting room and through the company’s website.

Reaching a slight plateau, we stopped, tasted more of our wine, and soaked up the evening sun, reveling in the 360‐degree view from that vantage point. All around us were Pinot Noir Dijon clones 667 and 777, acres of them.

To me, Pinot Noir means ‘love’; it’s definitely my wine of choice and Holman Vineyard’s 2010 ranks high on my list. Aged in French oak for a year, it’s a full‐bodied red with robust cherry on the nose and a slight earthy layer of tobacco. It’s luscious.

In French, Pinot Noir literally means “black pine” and refers to the pinecone shape of the grape bunch on the vine. These bunches were still green, but will ripen and be prime for picking in less than a month.
Nick noted slight differences in bunches from one end of the row to the other and discussed how the terrain affected the grapes. We were standing on sedimentary soil where the larger chunks of rocks and slope of the vineyard aided drainage for the vines. The grape bunches on the steeper end of the row were slightly larger and contained plumper fruit than those on the more level ground.

Moving from the rows of clone 667 to clone 777, Nick showed us the difference in the leaves. The leaves of the 667 were smaller and had five lobes while the 777 leaves had only three lobes and were significantly larger. Nick asked, “Can you imagine rolling these leaves into dolmas?” I definitely can.

Nick discussed future plans for the Ranch, including small sites for intimate gatherings beneath the craggy oaks that dot the vineyards. And though this news hasn’t been officially released yet, for Pinot Noir lovers, this is something of which to take note: Holman Vineyards is looking at creating a six‐pack of single Dijon clone pinots in limited release. Right now they have the 2010 Hunter’s Cuvée Pinot Noir which is created from clone 115. I tried it recently, in my wine club selection, and loved the sweet vanilla and berry notes. It paired well with grilled lamb lollipops and a sour cherry chutney. So, when they do offer the six‐pack with wines made from six different Dijon clones, I’ll be one of the first to say, “Sign me up!”

Also coming up, Holman Ranch is
partnering with Edible Monterey Bay for
its August installment in the Pop‐Up
Supper Club series. At this farm‐to‐table
dinner, guests will feast on a meal
prepared by Chef Terry Teplitzky, of
Marina’s Wild Thyme Deli and Michael’s
 Catering. The menu, based on fresh, seasonal offerings from Serendipity Farms, will pair with Holman Vineyard’s 2010 Pinot Gris, 2010 Rosé of Pinot Noir, 2010 Chardonnay and the 2010 Hunter’s Cuvee Pinot Noir. A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit the Food Bank for Monterey County, which delivers more than 6 million pounds of food to 90,000 area residents every year. The event affords you an opportunity to dine among the vines, feast on seasonal foods, sip local wines, and enjoy the company of fellow philanthropic foodies. It’s not to be missed.

This vineyard tour was the first of many that Holman Vineyards will offer in the coming months. I can’t wait to sip wines among the vines again soon. Join us next time!