We were thinking that this is a perfect time for wine pairings with Christmas movies. Our family has always loved watching movies this time of year and there are a few that are tradition for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So here’s our list...
2018 Sauvignon Blanc – Rifftrax Christmas (Mystery Science Theater 3000 Fans)
2018 Chardonnay – The Santa Clause (1994)
2016 Petite Sirah – The Family Man (2000)
2016 Silken – While You Were Sleeping (1995)
2016 Four Chords – Christmas Carol (1951, traditionally on Christmas Eve)
2016 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
2016 Reserve Cabernet Sauvingon – It’s a Wonderful Life (1946, traditionally on Christmas Day)
Tomorrow is National Christmas Movie Marathon day, so grab a blanket, turn on the tree, and enjoy! We’re open 11am-5pm if you need some wine for this. Cheers!
Hello PFV Guests!
We received word (7/13/2020) that Govenor Newsom wants wine tasting experiences to continue outside only at this time. While we love our indoor space, we are blessed with spacious, beautiful outdoor areas giving us the ability to distance guests according to the guidelines. We have been following guidelines for our experiences upon reopening in late May with our team wearing masks and gloves to put your mind at ease during your visit. Our team, led by our Tasting Room Manager Lupita, also has been working hard to sanitinize surfaces through out the day. We have also been serving our delicious, fresh, comforting food by Estate Chef Samantha with plastic utensils and paper plates (the nicest we can find) as an extra precaution.
With all our effort, our team is happy to announce that late last week we were given an Award of Excellence by the San Luis Obispo County Environmental Health Services. We scored 100% on our routine inspection and passed in spades for the covid inspection. We are ready to continue serving you outside and are even looking into ways to cool our spaces during the Summer months (my dad is on it!). Thankfully we are looking at 80 degree weather this weekend!
If you are comfortable, we invite you to join us as we will continue to operate safely and we appreciate your patience as we work through this uncharted time together. Please feel free to visit our virtual tour, here, as it reflects the space we have (table distance has been modified since the video was shot).
Thank you to all who have supported us during this time. My family, my team are forever grateful to you.
Blessed,
Cecily Parrish Ray
Sourghdough starters do sound challenging, but I hope to help make them more approachable as I was not born a bread baker. Starters are great for not only baking bread, but also cakes, cookies, and pasta. You can become your own bakery essentially, which is especially helpful being shut in. We have been making a Cabernet Sourdough since we opened in 2018. This starter was made from our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, which you can read about on a previous blog post here. While I love our starter, it is not feasible for those at home wanting to start their own right now.
Two weeks ago I saw a starter recipe that looked really simple from Taste of Home and decided to try it a couple weeks ago. It went great, so without further ado I am going to share the recipe with a few tweaks, feeding info, and helpful starter info as I had a ton of questions when I started! Also, I will have a few tips if you are missing ingredients, or in need of a gluten free starter as everyone has different needs right now.
The Starter Recipe:
1 & ½ teaspoons (or a packet) of Yeast
2 Cups (11 oz) of Flour
2 Cups (16 oz) of Water at 70-75°F
Use a container like a large tupperware that you can put a lid on. Avoid a metal bowl for your starter as that will impact the temperature of your starter. You can use measuring spoons/cups or a digital scale. Digital scales tend to be more accurate. You will also need a thermometer to take the water temp.
*Yeast: Original recipe calls for Active Yeast. I used Instant Yeast and turned out just fine. Use what you have.
*Flour: The recipe calls for All Purpose (AP) Flour, but you could substitute for Bread Flour. Below I share the differences in flour.
Step 1 – Put 2 cups of flour the bowl/container.
Step 2 – Pour in yeast and stir with flour.
Step 3 – Measure 2 cups of water and take its temperature. 70-75°F is ideal for the temp, but if your home runs cooler or warmer, make adjustments. Like I'd do 80-85°F for a colder home. Yeast likes warmth and it encourages activity. I would avoid going over 90°F.
Step 4 – Gradually pour in the water, while stirring with a spatula. Stir until well incorporated. I like to stir for a few minutes to encourage the yeast to be active.
That’s it. You’ll notice it will become active and bubbly within hours. Let it hang out for about 4 days. Stirring occasionally throughout the day to encourage the yeast to be active. You will notice that it will start to smell more sour and a liquid will form on the top. All apart of it and it is fine. By day 4, feed the starter.
To Feed:
Step 1 – Stir the starter for a few minutes. Do not pour off the liquid. Some recipes do this, but I disagree as it’s just apart of the starter.
Step 2 – Pour out about ½ to 1 cup of starter. I did a cup.
Step 3 – Pour in 1 cup (8 oz) 70-75°F water and stir.
Step 4 – Pour in 1 cup (5.5 oz) of flour and stir. Stir as long as you can to encourage activity.
So, that’s the recipe, but here’s more info to help with your sourdough starter journey.
What is happening in the starter? Protein in the flour forms gluten. Yeast eats gluten and it produces CO2. The gluten helps the bread have strength and gives it rise. The water in the starter is helping the yeast move around and encourage the integration with the gluten. Also, yeast likes warmth and movement. So, the water temperature and the movement of the stirring encourage the activity.
There's no yeast in the stores right now? A real issue and there’s no need to panic. I have read blogs mentioning alternatives and one of those is…pineapple juice. This is similar to what we are doing with our grapes. Here's one I found on Breadtopia.
I’m gluten free? Okay! Well there’s sourdough starters that are gluten free…I found this on King Arthur's site.
Bread Flour vs. All Purpose Flour? Bread Flour has a higher gluten percent than All Purpose Flour (AP), which is why it is used for baking breads. The typical percentages are below:
The more gluten you have for the yeast to eat...the more activity you will have. That said if all you have is All Purpose or Wheat, making a starter will still work!
Storing the starter?
Method 1: Store on the counter and feed daily. This is great if you are a baker and bake daily.
Method 2: Store the starter in the fridge. So, the cold will cause the starter to slow down in activity. Upon removing from the fridge for use, feed more like 2-3 times a day for 2-3 days to awaken the starter.
Some starters can be kept in the fridge without feeding for up to a month or more. I would say this depends on the strength of your starter. If it's super active, then it will do great. I do usually up to a month for some of my starters.
Method 3: You can dry the starter on parchment during feeding. Take some of the starter and just spread it out on parchment paper and let it dry for a couple days. Then put the starter in a container like a mason jar. I recommend this for any starter you are discarding during feeding. Here's the article on King Arthur's site.
What is the liquid on top of the starter? So, believe it or not this is called hooch and that's because it is technically alcohol...the byproduct of the activity between yeast and gluten. It is okay and it doesn't mean that your starter is bad. Stir it into the starter and then feed your starter.
How can you tell if it has gone bad? Starters share a lot about themselves via smell. Sweeter means that it has been fed and is happy. Sour means that it is probably needing food.
Acetone and funky smells equals hmmm, something is awry. You just want to start feeding the starter, like you would when waking it up, to try to save it.
Mold or discolouration are a sign of no bueno. Just try your best to feed and save, but I would look at your saved dry starter at this point.
At feeding it feels wasteful, can I make something with the discarded (pitched) starter? Yes! Pancakes is a well-known option, but there are plenty of things you can do with pitched starter. You can dry some for storage. You can also give the pitched starter to someone else. Starter = giving.
How to know if your starter is ready for use? The visual activity of the bubbles will indicate its activity level, but again smell is important. In Tartine’s Bread, the sweeter smells it is fed and more ready to use. The more sour means it needs more feeding and time. I will say that with time you will get to know your starter and will have a feeling.
Another method is the Float Test. Take some of the starter (like a little piece) and put in water. If it floats, it’s ready for use. If it doesn’t float, well it’s not ready. This is not always accurate, keep in mind, according to some bakers.
Can you bake with whatever flour and the starter? You can bake with whatever flours you would like. Some recipes use blends for more flavor. You will get different textures and densities as well. Bread flour due to its higher gluten percentage will have better crumb (meaning the texture and hole pattern in the bread will be more desirable for the sourdough).
How sour does the sourdough get? The sourness of sourdough is just what the starter decides to create. It's the nature of your starter. So, do not be surprised if if it is not super sour. If you want more sourness to your sourdough bread, try using more starter in the recipe. Or try longer fermentation when making the dough.
Ideas for best bakes with sourdough bread? Dutch ovens are awesome and easy. You need steam for sourdough bread. Let's say you don’t have a dutch oven or cast iron with a lid and a water bath in your oven is a bit of a deal. This write up had some great ideas for getting steam going in your bake: https://truesourdough.com/3-ways-to-make-amazing-sourdough-bread-without-a-dutch-oven/
Best ways to store bread? Wrap in parchment, sarane wrap, and then leave on counter - lasts about 4 days-5days.
That was quite the write up, but I wanted to share thoughts and ideas that would encourage anyone to try their hand at this. This is a great project while stuck at home and/or you have some kids. Honestly, the starter becomes like a pet. You have to care for it. The Parrish team giggle at me as I will remember I have to feed my starter, or fold my bread in the midst of a meeting and rush out to care for it. Regardless of the amount of work it has brought to my life, I enjoy it and the fact that it brings joy to others.
Be well and Enjoy!
Cecily
Hi everyone! Cecily Parrish Ray here. I wanted to share with you all my passion for our Cabernet Sourdough bread and the journey I’ve been on to make it for our tasting room. In 2017, my dad and I discussed what our hopes were for the new tasting room at our Adelaida Vineyard and one of those was baking our own bread.
Unsure how to go about this, one morning I stumbled upon an old Julia Child video featuring Nancy Silverton, who started La Brea Bakery. Silverton was crafting a sourdough starter from store bought table grapes. It dawned on me in that moment that we had a whole vineyard and I could use grapes at harvest to make a starter. But, there was one fact that still remained…I didn’t know anything about baking breads.
That changed with a serendipitous visit from Chef William Carter and his wife Katherine of Canyon Villa Bed & Breakfast to our downtown tasting room. He was the Executive Chef of the Playboy Mansion for 30 years and during that time he had begun baking artisan breads. I told him about the Cabernet Sauvignon starter I wanted to do and I asked if he could help me.
For six days in January 2018, Chef Wills worked with me in his kitchen where it smelled of delicious baked bread and my hands were covered in flour. He showed me the ropes of managing a sourdough starter from feeding to baking. He had taken some of our 2017 Cabernet grapes at harvest and began a starter from it. He gifted me with the starter for me to use at our new tasting room. He also taught me other artisan breads. including the focaccia we now make in the tasting room. It was a wonderful experience that I cherish.
I have continued to keep alive the original Cab starter, but in the Fall of 2019, I decided to try my hand at making my own Cab starter. Early on September 22nd, I rushed into the winery with a bucket and grabbed freshly picked grapes from the bins. It was busy season to start working on a side project, but I really wanted to see if I could do my own starter. I then began mixing flour and water with a cheese cloth full of Cabernet Grapes. It bubbled and popped. It smelled like sweet yeast. It took about 12 days for the starter to get to a point where I could begin to use it. I fed it for a while and then did my first bake with it to share with family on Thanksgiving. The bread turned out perfectly.
I now have two starters that I am keeping alive and we’ll see if I have time do any others. Regardless if I increase my starter family, I am happy that I can continue to bake Cabernet Sourdough for my family as well as the families that come in to our tasting room. It has been a lot of work, but it fits with the food program my dad and I envisioned for our tasting room and we hope you enjoy it!
Bud Break from Parrish Family Vineyard on Vimeo.
Further explanation: Bare lines of vines, a coo of a pigeon in the distance, and the crackling of footsteps as a vineyard manager passes through the rows in the morning light. He has done this many mornings, but his steps stop as he notices something different. There it is…light green, soft, even a little fuzzy…it is a bud.
Each year we eagerly wait for bud break to occur. This is when the vines push open leaves much like other plants during the spring. Dormant vines awake when daylight and temperatures increase, which encourages the vines to pull up stored water and macro-nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) from the roots to the limbs. This up-flow of water and nutrients push open the buds. You would think that after leaves push open that it would mean photosynthesis would occur immediately, but it does not. It takes the vine a little bit of time, leaves the size of about silver dollars, before that process begins.
One of the most important parts of bud break is that it is a measurable starting point for the vineyard. We can actually start the clock for when pivotal moments will occur. For instance, we now know we are about 150 to 200 days away from harvest depending on the grape variety. It seems like this then would mean that bud break itself is actually a markable date, but it’s not that simple. This is still farming, which means everything is variable. When bud break occurs depends on a few things. Each terroir is different. And you can probably guess, each variety of is different.
A cooler terroir means that bud break will be later, while a warm terroir like in Paso Robles, CA will have an earlier bud break. In Paso Robles, we have seen buds as early as February. Although for us this year (2018) we are running a little slower as we have had a cooler spring. Each year is different! Another factor is micro-terroir. The difference between locations of vines in a single vineyard will even come into play. A hillside vine will have bud break because of its elevation, but a lower valley vine will still be dormant. Lastly, varieties will have bud break at different times. In our Adelaida Vineyard, our Malbec and Cabernet Franc had bud break first, but the Cabernet Sauvignon hit the snooze button. As you can see, there are many variables that go into this and this is just one part of the vine cycle!
While there are variances in the cycle, one consistent thing is temperature. Vines are very dependent and particular about temperature. Vines prefer gradual temperature increases for bud break, but they don’t always get that. Sometimes they get awoken from slumber with a warming trend and then hit with a freeze. That is why vineyards have tall fans to help with frost protection. A freeze will damage the cellular tissue in the leaves and the leaves will then turn black. It’s awful. This then kills the growth for your year and can sometimes decimate a vineyard. Bud break is basically the infancy stage of the vine. You want to protect it because the leaves are soft and fragile at this stage, much like you would with a newborn (and well, we all know parenting doesn’t stop there). So, that is the one thing all farmers can count on is frost season and the need to be vigilant.
After bud break, we now watch as the leaves begin to grow (obviously). Photosynthesis will begin at a certain point and once that happens the shoots of the vines will really take off as the vines will receive something that they love, much like humans, carbs! Up next is flowering, so stay tuned.