It all starts with the vines

The vines are just the beginning of the story. We are in Paso Robles at our final winery for the day. We had no intention of coming to this particular winery, it was just one of those serendipitous choices you make when you are on an adventure.

What an enjoyable hour we spent chatting with Kate at Dubost Ranch. We tasted some great wines and learned much about wine making and the grapes themselves.

We left laden with several bottles and with every intention of returning some day soon.

"Wine is bottled poetry." 
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Humans of Downey - Dario

"Some character traits I am modeling and training my children to build into their lives are patience, how to work with other people for a common goal, and the acceptance that some things require hard work to accomplish. My dad, who made his living in construction, taught me to work hard with my hands. My job requires me to use my hands. My children see me and I bring them alongside with me to work around the house as I repair things, work in the garden, and in my woodworking. This table I'm building will be strong enough to last long after I'm gone. I want my children to be part of things that will last. These character traits will help them accomplish lasting legacies.

"A quirk my family has is that we make our own wine. We purchase the grapes, then at my dad's house we use a giant stainless steel press to squeeze the juice out. Then there's a long fermentation process where you leave the juice in the vat and mix the juice and the grapes over a period of time. When it is ready, you filter out the solid pieces and leave just the wine. The art of turning the grapes into wine and not vinegar is in the ingredients and timing. If we mess up, the results are useless. But if we do it correctly, which is most of the time and mostly because of my dad, we have our own vintage of wine to drink."

~ Dario

A touch of class

Anthony seems to know everything. It's a Thursday night and I'd like a glass of wine.
What am I in the mood for? A white. Maybe a Chardonnay.
Have I tried the Fransiscan? Yes I have. It's delicious.
Okay, Here's the perfect one for you.... Ahhh. It is perfect.

Anthony goes back to his other customers at the other side to see how they are doing. I sip my wine and talk to someone who came with me.

Anthony comes back talking about a bottle of a new Belgian beer that he wants us to try. He gets excited explaining how it's made and how the new taste brings it alive.

"If beer was music, this one is techno!" he exclaims.

"As soon as it comes in, we'll all drink one," we say.

The atmosphere is always great at Mari's Wine Bar. It has a certain class without being pretentious. It is dark without being dingy. It is quiet without being absent.

Come in, sit, drink, watch old reruns of "The Little Rascals".... Be merry....

What do you think?

It's a funny feeling, being asked your opinion from a total stranger. But it happens a lot in this town. Usually it's just a glance looking up from the shoe mirror under the bench with a question of, "Do you think these looks good?" Today however, we were asked our opinion about some shoes, and another pair, and another color, and another size... We were this woman's personal shoppers in that aisle. It was fun for a while but I definitely decided I never want to do that for a living.

Think before you drink

A beautiful summer evening, dinner out with friends, a glass of wine...sounds great, doesn't it? But not if you're pregnant, or thinking of becoming pregnant.

When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong disorders, known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation in the United States, yet it is 100% preventable.

Today is FAS Awareness Day. The first FAS Day was celebrated on 9/9/99.  This day was chosen so that on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year, the world will remember that during the nine months of pregnancy a woman should abstain from alcohol.

To read about how FAS has affected my daughter's and my lives, read Downey mother and daughter reflect on FAS Awareness Day from today's Downey Patriot. To learn more about FAS, see the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's web page on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs).

And remember to protect that baby!

Art on the Vine at Mari's Wine Bar

Art, music and wine...a natural combination. Tonight Mari's Wine Bar hosted an art exhibition of four local artists. The turnout was great, the bar was full and the atmosphere was welcoming. I enjoyed wandering around with my Cabernet, admiring the art and chatting with old friends and new (I even ran into my neighbors). 

Presented by the Downey Arts Coalition, the event is intended to be a recurring opportunity to experience a wide variety of creative work, from visual art to poetry, to performing art.

The featured artists for this month are Jorge Del Toro, sculptor and abstract painter; Carolina Del Toro, photographer; Claudia Hernandez, photographer; Don Lamkin, artist.

We were even treated to a special performance from the legendary Phil Alvin from The Blasters.

The art will remain on display in Mari's for the remainder of the month. Going forward, each month "Art on the Vine" will feature new local artists. If you know a local artist who would be interested in participating in one of the exhibits, click here for the Downey Arts Coalition. 

A wine bar in Downey!

A couple of days ago I visited Mari's wine bar. I had been meaning to stop in for the past couple of weeks, and I finally made it!

Just across the street from Porto's, Mari's is a casual, yet elegant setting to hang out with friends over a nice glass of wine. The owners, Mari and Anthony, are down to earth and enjoy their new business. I was glad to find a new place to enjoy in our town.