Wining with film...

The Goddess of Wine and JD were invited to attend one of the International Wine Film Festival events, with selected wine-themed videos paired with a wine featured on the big screen, all organized by whiz kid Wil Fernandez. This event was hosted by Presqu'ile, one of the most beautiful wine estates in the Santa Maria Valley.

Accompanying each wine and film pairing were amazingly delicious passed appetizers by Chef Adam Measurall of the Far Western Tavern.

View from Presqu'ile

The event started with a casual reception on the patio, a location with panoramic views of the Santa Maria Valley. We could see the fog rolling in from the west as we sipped Presqu'ile Rosé of Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley, CA) and munched on a selection of artisan breads from Bob's Well Bread Bakery in Los Alamos.


Wil gently herded the intimate group out to the Courtyard lounge area. After Madison Murphy of Presqu'ile welcomed us to his family's winery, Wil introduced the award-winning video, Dirty Work, with an additional introduction by John Jordan, who was only too happy to reassure us that there was nothing to learn from this particular video! We sipped the crisp Jordan Chardonnay (Russian River Valley, CA) while chowing down endive cups served with wilted frisee, Nueskees bacon, marinated apple, Shropshire blue cheese and roasted walnuts.

The second film, introduced by Cameron Porter and Stephen Russell (I think that was his name - d'oh!) of Presqu'ile was VINTAGE 2015: harvest at Presqu'ile, a short, meditative walk through the vineyard with some discussion of the results of the worst year of drought. The Presqu'ile Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley, CA) was perfectly paired with Marsala braised pork belly served with a warm potato salad, tarragon, and Presqu’ile Pinot Noir mustard gastrique.

Finally, we watched The Legacy of Jackass Hill with a delightful introduction by Regina Martinelli, whose family has been growing grapes and making wine in Sonoma since the 1880's. We enjoyed the zesty Martinelli Giuseppe & Luisa Zinfandel (Russian River Valley, CA) with crostini made with Bobs Well Bread levain, foraged mushroom and beef ragu, queso fresco, and micro cilantro, which JD and I quietly removed from the otherwise delicious bite.

All in all, a delightful evening filled with great wines, food, and people! Have I mentioned recently how much JD and I #lovetheCentralCoast? Cheers!

JD and the Goddess of Wine having fun!