MARCH 2010
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Don't!Get!Me!Started!! Mon Dieu! Just when we thought it was safe to promote Wine Country's prestigious wineries, elegant Weddings, gourmet bistros, Pechanga and Pala casinos, and talented art scene as sophisticated draws for sophisticated locals and visitors, the Moralizer Mounties saddled up, trained their cross hairs on Temecula Valley and pushed the Censor Button. |
Censorship drives us around the bend, misery loves company, so allow us to share with you the 411: as reported in the North County Times, NBC.com and CBS.com, et. al, a seemingly everyman art show was scheduled for The Merc Art Gallery in Temecula's historic Old Town. According to the Gallery, the pieces selected for display were chosen based on The City of Temecula's guidelines, including a painting of a nude woman by artist, Jeff Hebron.
And then The Censors stormed the citadel. Apparently, The City second-guessed themselves, determining artist Hebron's oil-on-board original wasn't "family friendly." Why? Because the painting of the woman displays a [whisper] b-r-e-a-s-t. A breast isn't family friendly? Where do we begin with that one? For starters, did we miss something in Biology 101? Doesn't family life pretty much begin with a breast?
More to the point - assuming the virtue of the Valley's youth is at stake - when was the last time you attended an art exhibit and saw children present? Art shows - duh! - are for adults. In attending art shows, we enjoy local wines, nosh on hors d'oeuvres, mingle with the artists, and share with each other adult opinions about art created by adult artists.
Taking this a step further, urbane locals and tourist art patrons tend to have above-average income. Their pulling towards Temecula Valley wines, cuisine, Weddings, Pechanga and Pala - and art - creates employment in those sectors. This is fortune smiling on the Valley.
The one thing The Zealots never seem to learn is that their attempts at censoring art, books, films, wine labels, etc., only increases interest in their quarry. (We suppose those censored should appreciate their targeted status). Having your work basking in the limelight of NBC and CBS . . . you can't buy that kind of publicity! If they'd simply mind their own beeswax, their prey would - all in good time - become yesterday's news.
As a final observation, we're of the opinion The Reformers should embrace artist Hebron's work, because - in this instance, at least - they're not the biggest boob in Temecula Valley.
the painting in
question
female study no. 1
jeff scott hebron
JEFF SCOTT HEBRON
TEMECULA CALIFORNIA 92591
951 | 234 1851
www.prometheusfineart.com
CAKE. Wine Country Wedding Newsletter. Temecula Valley & Fallbrook, California
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people will
stare
[» PHOTOGRAPH OF THE MONTH «]
warning: please view responsibly!
this isn't your mother's wedding photograph!
rk green
studios
leonesse cellars
Photographers are invited to e-mail
out-of-the-ordinary
Wedding photographs for CAKE's Photograph Of The Month to:
CAKE
"people will stare" photograph courtesy of shadowcatcher imagery
[» LABEL OF THE MONTH «]
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ACME PALE ALE As reported recently on these pages, what with our being immersed in all-things-Wine-Country, we have a tendency to lurk in the shadows when it comes to one of our dirty little secrets: our appreciation for, God help us, B-E-E-R! Malt, lager, ale, John Barleycorn. And yet, there's a certain bon vivant element of life's simple pleasures missing without spending time on a simmering Temecula Valley summer afternoon drawing solace and comfort from an ice cold brewsky. Case in point: Acme Pale Ale. This easy-drinking draft revives the name of one of the early icons of 1860's California brewing. Clean-tasting and pleasantly malty, Acme Pale is brewed with Yakima Valley hops, American two-row malt and British specialty malts for depth. |
Not to mention, this being a Label Of The Month review, we admire Acme's adorning each bottle with an exuberant combination of vivacious model, motion and color.
The Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago gives Acme Pale Ale a "highly recommended" nod, with an 89 points rating. Jay Ferrari, of Mind & Media, found the Ale to be "tremendous, refreshing, clean, with plenty of satisfying weight." He also wished the Brewmasters "congratulations on being such accomplished craftsmen."
As for our humble opinion, we found Acme Pale Ale to be a satisfyingly refreshing brew to enjoy on the aforementioned Wine Country summer afternoon.
$5.95 5%
NORTH COAST BREWING COMPANY
455 North Main Street
Fort Bragg, California 95437
707 | 964 2739
www.northcoastbrewing.com
info@northcoastbrewing.com
Available at Barons Marketplace
Rancho California Road
Temecula Valley
Before I Die
"Before I die there is a great desire I must fulfill, to have felt a truly great love. Even at my young age, I believe I've had enough of an inkling of the subject to know that he who has not loved has not really lived. Nor will I feel my life is complete until I have actually experienced that burning flame and know that I am at last in love, truly in love. I want to feel a love that will far surpass any other emotion I've ever felt. I want to feel that my whole heart and soul are set on one girl. I know that when I'm at last really in love, than I will start living a different, better life, filled with new pleasures that I never knew existed."
Edmund N. Carpenter
June 1938 age 17
[» HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE «]
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WINEormous Last autumn we had the pleasure of meeting the couple behind WINEormous - Tom & Laura Plant - at, go figure, a winery. Thornton Winery, to be exact. The occasion was a luncheon for the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association. Organized by Linda Kissam and conducted by Patti Anis and Maralyn Hill of the IFWTWA, the delightful event was hosted by President Steve Thornton, Winemaker Don Reha and Chef Steve Pickell. |
As we sat next to Tom & Laura that afternoon (newlyweds, no less!), we quizzed them about their WINEormous project and learned they travel from Temecula Valley up through the Central Coast, into Napa Valley, over to Texas and - of all places - wine tasting aboard the good ship Eurodam in the Caribbean. (They grow grapes on ships?!).
Tom & Laura's line of attack is to sleuth Wine Country's for their readers, offering a crash course in wine and wineries, including the distaff side's perspective in Laura's Women On Wine column. Into the bargain, we take devilish delight in Tom's refreshing, take-no-prisoners writing style. Not to put too fine a point on it, the gentleman calls a spade a spade. If a tasting room serves a lame vintage, he's not shy about pointing it out.
Do yourself a favor and drop by WINEormous. You'll be educated, enlightened, entertained, not to mention Tom throws in a generous portion of his beautiful photography documenting his & Laura's Wine Country travels.
WINEormous
www.wineormous.com
sipper
photography
outdoors boudoir session
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TEMECULA VALLEY WEDDING PROFESSIONALS Want to have some fun? We mean have some real fun?! Our Rx is to spend some hang-time with fellow Wedding professionals. Away from a Wedding. |
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In this case, we ventured to the Temecula Valley Wedding Professionals' first Bridal Show at Temeku Hills Country Club. Organized by Annette Nielsen & Charlene Keys, we spent a pleasant afternoon with some of the most amicable, talented Wedding professionals in Temecula Valley.
A "we're-just-saying" aside: as can be seen from the pictures below, for some reason no signs were present, yielding an unusual setting for a Bridal Show. What with all participants displaying flowers, but no signs describing their specialties, for all-the-world the event appeared to be a florist convention.
entrance to temeku
hills gazebo wedding site
photos by CAKE
randy green's death-defying
stance photographing a bridal model temeku hills ballroom
justin hulse
ken bennett, maria bennett &
annette hoegner john rodriquez barb langdon & mike
shroyer
in the parking lot
tvwp bridal show temeku hills country club
In addition to the above players, we enjoyed the company of Charlene Keys of the Temecula Valley Wedding Professionals (which means hubby, Bill Keys, must have been in the vicinity), Keyways Winery, Marie Fowler of Once Upon A Wedding, Cris Cox, of Theresa Minnette Photography, Julie Hulse of Hulse Photography, Braja Mandala of Mandala Weddings, Rick of the Arrangement Gallery, Sheri Smith of Michael's Flower Girl, Joni Heller of I Do Makeovers, Glenn Currie of Glenn Currie Photography, Cheryl Pollard of Love That Event, and Babycakes, and Tasteful Cakes. A couple of times - across the room - we spotted Loretta Falkner of Falkner Winery, but, unfortunately, didn't see Falkner's display. Finally, there was a platoon of handsome lads from the Marine Corps. (Where the devil-dog did they come from?!).
TEMECULA VALLEY WEDDING PROFESSIONALS
info@temeculavalleyweddingprofessionals.com
www.temeculavalleyweddingprofessionals.com
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Drat the luck! Just when Lawrie Lipton & Mark Manfield's Lorimar Winery set its Grand Opening in Wine Country (near Ponte Winery and South Coast Winery), the CAKE staff got it in our heads to leave town and explore the Santa Ynez Wine Country. Where's the justice? Initially, Denise Sutterfield, of Girlfriday Creations, alerted us to Lorimar's planned wine tasting room in Old Town Temecula. Shortly after, Linda Kissam of Kissam Consulting invited us to Lorimar's tasting room for wine & cheese. As of this writing, we're still on leave, but when we return to the real world we plan to check-in with Ms. Kissam & Ms. Sutterfield to learn how the G.O. went and seriously get down with some Lorimar wine.
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LORIMAR WINERY
42031 Main Street
Suite #C
&
40225 Berenda Road
Temecula, California
951 | 240 5177
mark@manfield.net
www.lorimarwinery.com
[» IN FURTHER WINE COUNTRY NEWS «]
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GIRL FRIDAY CREATIONS One of our über-pals - Denise Sutterfield - first came into our lives when she served as the Wedding coordinator for Callaway Winery. She then moved to Fallbrook's Pala Mesa Resort and worked alongside us as the Resort's Wedding coordinator. Following stints at Glen Ivy Hot Springs and Ponte Winery, Ms. D. decided it was time to launch her own gig - Girl Friday Creations. |
Girl Friday offers clients a host of publicity services, ranging from social media strategies to Internet e-mail campaigns to brochure design and logos. Not to mention, the lady designs wine labels. How cool is that! Current clients include Keyways Winery, Oak Mountain Winery, Hart Winery, Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association, Fallbrook Area Visitors Bureau and the Fallbrook Art Center.
GIRL FRIDAY CREATIONS
Denise Sutterfield
denise.sutterfield@gmail.com
951 | 764 9627
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SOUTH COAST WINERY We're pleased to report that CAKE-amigo - videographer extraordinaire, John Goolsby - had the honor of one of his video images being chosen by South Coast Winery to grace the cover of their 2010 calendar. The video was shot as the sun came up over Wild Horse Peak, home to some of South Coast's finest vineyards. |
The South Coast calendar is available - for $14.95 - in the Winery's gift shop or may be ordered on their website.
SOUTH COAST WINERY RESORT & SPA
34843 Rancho California Road
Temecula, California
951 | 587 9463
wineclub@wineresort.com
www.wineresort.com
[John likes to keep us guessing how to reach
him. Try his nom du jour: Godfather Films. Dot.com.].
GODFATHER FILMS
John Goolsby
9901 Indiana Avenue #116
Riverside, California 92503
800 | 495 5530
info@weddingvideo.com
www.godfatherfilms.com
theresa
minnette photography
ponte winery barrel room
[» QUOTE OF THE MONTH «]
major cris cox marine
corps
husband of photographer theresa cox
"My wife & I have a lot in common. We both get paid to shoot people."
[» AND FINALLY «]
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TRAVELIN' (WO)MAN "Out
on the road, out 'neath the stars, As of late, Wine Country seems to be experiencing a hint of class-consciousness. If not an outright instance of haves vs. have-nots, at least a glimmer of travelers vs. travel-nots. |
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To wit, as the rest of us workaday stiffs put in the hours in Wine Country - workin' for the man - a long list of our "friends" (where's Facebook when you need it?) are exploring the globe.
For starters, the Ponte Girls - Karon Cartwright, Ragan Erickson & Lauren Todd - were off to Napa Valley recently for some quality wine-time. In conducting research for Ponte's Smokehouse Restaurant, they dined at Yountville's Bottega, in the process meeting owner / Chef Michael Chiarello of "Napa Style" fame on television's Food Network. Across the street from Bottega, they also supped at Thomas Keller's legendary bistro, Bouchon. Finally, with a mind to experience vegetarian cuisine, the ladies ventured into Napa to dine at the remarkable, Ubuntu. Of course, a visit to Napa Valley wouldn't be complete without some serious wine tasting. With this in mind, the ladies put in appearances at Rombauer Vineyards, Frank Family Vineyards, Round Pond Estate, Chateau Montelena and CAKE's champagne maker of choice since the 1970's - Domaine Chandon.
In the meanwhile, cruising through the Caribbean as they wine tasted aboard The Eurodam, were CAKE-pal, Linda Kissam, of Kissam Consulting, Don Reha, winemaker whiz kid at Thornton and Orfila Wineries, Tom & Laura Plant, of Temecula Valley's WINEormous blog and Maralyn Hill & Michelle Winner, of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association. Attending wine classes courtesy of Mr. Reha, the group reported tasting some exceptional wines. They were also entertained by an indulgence in Oak Mountain Winery's avocado oils.
But wait, it gets better! Temecula Valley plays home to a coven of lovely ladies alluringly known as the Wine Wenches. These women were involved in Wine Country before there was a Wine Country and include Peggy Evans, Cori Cocca & Darla O'Leary of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association, Denise Sutterfield of Girl Friday Creations, Lynn Barnes of Ponte Winery, Donna Craig of Callaway Winery and commercial appraiser, Diane Chain. The ladies' March agenda includes - along with Karon Cartwright of Ponte Winery - spending the better part of a week tasting their way through the Santa Ynez Wine Country.
In addition, CAKE-pal - Randy Green of RK Green Studios - invited the CAKE staff to a Hawaiian-style Wedding in June on our old stomping grounds - the beautiful island of Maui. Randy's proposal was for the RK Green staff and CAKE staff to rent a house for a week on the Island, while he shot a Wedding. Unfortunately, we're booked for a Wine Country Wedding the day before the Maui Wedding, but we'll be channeling Randy's Aloha spirit from the Islands, extending to him "Mahalo Nui Loa." Thank you very much!
Further on the subject of Temecula Valley travelers, don't even get us started on that always-Fiji-bound Jennifer Caulfield of Yankee Caulfield Photography!
So we determined it was time to shutdown the CAKE studio for a week, get in a Santa Barbara state of mind and sample some wines of a different stripe. North to SB, we encamped at the delightfully old-fashioned Hotel Mar Monte, across Cabrillo Boulevard from East Beach, within a stone's throw of Stearns Wharf. As is our custom, we frequented restaurants on the wharf for oysters, oysters and more oysters. Oh yeah, and martinis at the Mar Monte's lounge - Bistro 11-11.
wine country by any other
name CAKE staff in santa ynez wine country
And the wine tasting? We're so lame. Although making landfall in Santa Ynez Wine Country was Goal One, we reverted to our traditional vacation mode of sleep-in late / slowly savor late-morning, early afternoon gourmet coffee / devour local newspapers / now what? In other words, we only got out to Wine Country for one afternoon visit to long-time favorite - Firestone Winery. (The afternoon at Firestone made up for - no regrets - the other wineries that'll have to wait for our next visit).
All the above is leading up to the acknowledgement none of us should tether ourselves to Temecula Valley. The above sojourns are instructive, as what travelers bring back to the Valley benefits us all. Not surprisingly, those Wine Country's - Napa Valley, Santa Ynez, and the others - tend to take on an otherworldly mystique. There's a pride of place to be learned from, as Temecula Valley, too, seeks to gain currency as one of California's noteworthy wine regions. Other locales have a lot to teach, with their wineries and restaurants being there for the learning. It's not a bad idea to get the hell out of Dodge on occasion (even though it requires squinting upon entering the blinding reality of the real world), drink all manners of different wines and dine on all manners of different cuisine.
Make no mistake: although relatively newly-minted - and a tradition in progress - Temecula has an appointment with destiny. Rome wasn't built in a day and as our Wine Country works toward what its fate holds in store, the insight gathered by the explorers mentioned above will bring the Valley's destiny more steps closer.
VENUES & VENDORS:
If you have Wedding & Wine Country-related
news you'd like to share,
please contact:
CAKE
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CAKE is the Wedding newsletter
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