2011 Monterey Wine Competition

We entered the 2011 Monterey Wine Competition a month ago in an ongoing effort to get our wines "out there" and see what others really think (other than friends and family members). Once again, we were floored with the results that came back this week:


Platinum- 2008 TreViti Wines Chardonnay Stolo Family VineyardSilver- 2008 TreViti Wines Pinot Noir Stolo Family Vineyard

*we did some research on what platinum actually means, and to our surprise, it means that our TreViti Chardonnay was nominated for Best of Show in the white wine category!

This little vineyard continues to surprise us...this time in a good way.

2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Results Are In

Picked up the mail yesterday and noticed the envelope from the SF Chronicle Wine Competition peeking out among the catalogs and junk mail. "Oh, no," I thought. "The results are in". With a surge of nervous anticipation I opened the letter to find that we had placed!

2008 TreViti Wines Stolo Family Vineyard Chardonnay----- Silver!
2008 TreViti Wines Stolo Family Vineyard Pinot Noir------- Silver!

I called my parents to tell them the fantastic news and together we looked up the results on the internet. I was shocked to find out that the Chronicle had again broken their record number of entries this year. The competition is the largest wine competition of American wines in the world and our tiny 9 acre vineyard, 350 case winery, went up against a staggering 5,050 entries. What a great way to start the new year.

Congrats to all those who placed, especially our local Central Coast wineries!

Order Our Award Winning Wines Here

2010 Harvest

It really is going to be a strange vintage for everyone up and down California. A very cool season caused almost everyone to thin their canopies more than usual (remove leaves so the grapes have more access to sun/heat exposure). Last week, the state was unexpectedly hit with several days of blistering heat. Edna Valley, a usually mild/cool climate, hit as high as 114 degrees. Unfortunately, the grapes that had been exposed were severely damaged or lost. Stories started to trickle in of vineyards losing crops. We did not escape the nightmare entirely. We didn't lose crop, but we did see some water loss and heat damage on our pinot, prompting us to check the numbers and, ultimately, pick the pinot. I definitely think it was the right decision. The pinot looks great and the numbers are good. I am very thankful that mother nature cut us a break this time. Our Chardonnay is holding up like a champ. Barely even showing signs of having gone through the dramatic weather shift. A few more weeks on the Chardonnay and it will be ready to go.

Under Design

We are knee deep in the planning and designing of the new winery and tasting room. Although we had preliminary drawings that were approved by the Coastal Commission, the details had yet to be ironed out. Things like, solar panels v. skylights, where to put all the hook-ups, and of course, how the tasting room is to be laid-out. Between the architect, Steve Dooley (our winemaker), our consultants, and my parents; I think we’ve come up with some really exciting ideas. I feel like a kid in November knowing that Christmas is right around the corner and hardly able to contain my excitement. But above all, seeing my parents finally realizing their dream is more than a kid could ask for.

Wino Wednesday at Sustenance

Join us for a casual evening of wine, food, and music as TreViti Wines kicks off Sustenance’s summer wine pairing program. We will be pouring our wines along with perfectly paired appetizers from the Sustenance kitchen. Music by Rocky Logue. Hope to see you there!

When:
Wednesday, June 2
6pm-8pm

Where:
Sustenance Studio
2033 Santa Barbara Ave.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

RSVP:

(805) 234-1691

info@sustenance-studio.com

$25/person

Busy Week

Since I was pregnant with our second son this time last year, I was unable to partake in the multitude of local wine events that announce springtime. I intend to make up for that this year! This past week was a good start. My husband, Matt, and I headed to Roll Out The Barrels last Thursday. It's the San Luis Obispo Vintners Association spring event. All the wineries in the association get together for a grand tasting and food pairing in the Mission Plaza located in Downtown San Luis Obispo. What a well put together event. Matt and I had a great time, although a bit windy. The organizers did a fantastic job of pairing the food and wine. Of course I had a few favorites, Laetitia's Pinots (they had several there), and Talley's Pinot. I really admire both of these wineries and hope that TreViti can rise to the bar that they have set for cool climate Pinot.

Saturday afternoon was another big event in Paso Robles, Hospice du Rhone Grand Tasting. HdR is a 4 day winelover's dream; seminar's, tastings, luncheons, bbq's, even a Rhone n' Bowl. We were only able to make it to the Grand Tasting this year, but it did not disappoint. Hundreds of Rhone wines flowed rather freely and the crowd was, as always, rambunctious and opinionated. It really is a great time. I think my favorites of the day were Hug Viognier, Cabot Syrahs, and Wrath Syrahs.


Sunday, we took a step off the beaten path and volunteered at the annual Polenta Dinner that benefits the Old Santa Rosa Chapel in Cambria. We poured our Chardonnay and helped with the take-out line. Over 700 dinners were served. My parents worked the majority of the event. I came in late (after the kids were down for their naps) to relieve my dad. A fantastic event- so much fun to work with all the volunteers and meet the locals as well as the people who traveled over an hour to sit down to dinner. The polenta was excellent!





Not sure what's next on the agenda, I have been trying to get the Gather wine bar in Arroyo Grande for some time to check it out. Maybe next week, now that I have the spring wine bug.

Fantastic News!

We are so very excited that our winery and tasting room project was finally approved by the California Coastal Commission. I am posting a thank you letter below on behalf of my parents, Don & Charlene Stolo:

TreViti Wines Friends & Family,

On Thursday, April 15, Stolo Family Winery, home of TreViti Wines, received a 9-1 favorable vote from the California Coastal Commission. Translation: After 5 long years of working with SLO County and the California Coastal Commission, we are finally able to begin planning and constructing our winery and tasting room on our property in Cambria. Needless to say, we are beyond happy.

Our gratitude for this approval goes out to many. First, our extremely competent advisors, Kirk Consulting, were unwavering in their dedication, hard work, and faith in our project. Jamie Kirk and Rachael Kovesdi not only brought their knowledge and experience, but also the advice of other professionals such as David Neish Sr. and David Neish Jr. as well as Steven Kaufmann, esq. to the team.

Second, and equally important, are our many friends and neighbors from North and South who dedicated their day to make the trip to Ventura for the hearing. Over 40 people were in attendance and many came prepared to speak in support with great articulation and impressive passion: Maria Bennetti, Matt Bennetti, Tony Bennetti, Jim Bahringer, Bruce Black, Mary Ann Carson, Bob Clark, Dawn Dunlap, Beth Kendall, Bill Kesselring, John Linn, Joe Prian, Peggy Sonoda and Barbara Walter. We are positive that these speakers and the more than 200 letters & petition signatures that were sent to the California Coastal Commission on our behalf had a huge effect on swaying the vote. Thank You, Thank You!

We know that without the constant support of you all, our success would not have been possible.

Most exciting, and what we've been waiting to say for a long time is, we look forward to welcoming you to our winery and sharing a glass of wine with you in the very near future!!

Heartfelt Thanks,

Don & Charlene Stolo