The Wine History Project invites San Luis Obispo to their new events and exhibits happening this April. All wine and food related, including the release of a book, these events and exhibits takes places all around town and beyond.
New Events Coming this Spring:
The Food History Project: Farm Fresh Foods and the Creation of SLO Provisions
The Food History Project will host an informative discussion with SLO Provisions co-owner, Steve Bland and Chef Sam Williams on Monday, April 8 about the dynamics of working with local farmers and purveyors to curate their signature, farm to table cuisine.
Originally launched as a convenient spot for from-scratch, take-away fare and select gourmet food products, SLO Provisions has now evolved into a community touchstone, offering dine-in options with house-roasted rotisserie meats, family-style dinners, specialty sandwiches, farm-fresh salads, and rustic-style baked goods, as well as signature drinks, coffees, wine and beer.
Owners Steve Bland and Dwyne Willis opened SLO Provisions in the fall of 2016. The business has now grown to include a second location at the headquarters for Mindbody in San Luis Obispo.
The event will be hosted at SLO Provisions, located at 1255 Monterey Street in San Luis Obispo on Monday, April 8 at 5:30pm. Guests will enjoy small samples and can order additional wines and cuisine from the menu. Attendees must RSVP to karen@winehistoryproject.org. The event is limited to 25 attendees and reservations are required, along with a $10 contribution to help with costs.
Wine History Project Sponsors SLO Noor Movie Night Featuring “Sideways”
Join the Wine History Project in collaboration with the SLO Noor Foundation for SLO Noor Movie Night, featuring the film “Sideways” on Saturday, April 13 from 7:30 – 10pm at the Palm Theatre, located at 817 Palm Street.
The SLO Noor Foundation’s mission is to provide free medical, dental, and vision care to uninsured adults in San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County, regardless of race, ethnicity, immigration, religion, or socioeconomic status. With medical clinics in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo, along with a vision and dental clinic in SLO, the SLO Noor Foundation continues to support those without medical insurance, and has provided over 7,000 patients with free medical, vision and dental care.
Doors open at 6:30 where guests can enjoy wines and accoutrements prior to the film showing. Tickets are $15 and can be pre-purchased at online at My805Tix.com.
Archie McLaren Book Now Available at Local Tasting Rooms
The Wine History Project of SLO County has published its first book celebrating Archie McLaren: The Journey from Memphis Blues to the Central Coast Wine Revolution. It is written in Archie’s voice as told to the Wine History Project and features stories from McLaren’s early years growing up in the deep South, along with his journey to San Luis Obispo County and his love of wine, food and people.
Archie McLaren is remembered for creating and sustaining the Central Coast Wine Classic, the region’s top event for more than three decades. The Wine Classic raised millions of dollars in philanthropic support for public radio station KCBX, the healing arts, performing arts, and studio arts in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.
Locals and visitors can pick up a copy of the book at the following tasting rooms locations throughout SLO and Santa Barbara County: Cutruzzola Vineyards, Saucelito Canyon, Sinor-LaVallee, Filipponi Ranch Cellars, The Hitching Post, Windward Vineyards and Eberle Winery. The book retails for $40 plus tax.
Copies can also be purchased by contacting the Wine History Project at info@winehistoryproject.org or online.
Featured Wine History Project Legend: Robert Haas, Tablas Creek Vineyard (1927-2018)
This month the Wine History Project is sharing the history of wine importer and distributor Robert Haas, who built many well-known brands through his company Vineyard Brands and worked to re-established industry connections between Europe and the United States lost during Prohibition and the World Wars.
Bob Haas is credited with doing much to grow Americans’ love for wine and influenced how Americans drink, buy, and think about wine. Bob was an important early advocate for estate bottling and a champion of California wine. He co-founded Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles in 1989 through a partnership between the Haas Family and the Perrin Family, owners of Château de Beaucastel in France’s southern Rhone Valley. This was the first French investment in American Rhône movement.
Haas worked to plant grapevine cuttings imported from Château de Beaucastel in France and made these clones available to the community, proving the potential of Rhône grape varieties to succeed in California. There are more than 600 growers around the US that have used Tablas Creek clones.
You can learn more about Bob Haas and view his historical timeline, and other Legends of Wine here.
Current Exhibits:
Wine Becomes Art at San Luis Obispo Museum of Art
Wine Becomes Art at San Luis Obispo Museum of ArtThe Wine History Project’s Wine Becomes Art exhibit features original works and art etchings on wine bottles at the SLO Museum of Art in San Luis Obispo.
Wine Becomes Art is the culmination of artists and winemakers tying their artistic craftsmanship together to create works of art while helping to promote the Central Coast wine industry. Through the lens of three community-wide organizations, the Central Coast Wine Classic, the Edna Valley Arroyo Grande Valley Vintners and Growers Association (now SLO Wine Country) and the Mano Tinta Project, Wine Becomes Art showcases the synergy of the creative process of winemaking and the visual arts.
The exhibit runs until April 14 at the SLO Museum of Art, located at 1010 Broad Street in San Luis Obispo. For more information contact info@winehistoryproject.org.
40 Years of Winemaking: Eberle Firsts Exhibit at Eberle Winery in Paso Robles
The Wine History Project has launched a new exhibit featuring Gary Eberle and 40 years of winemaking at Eberle Winery in Paso Robles. Gary Eberle has played a major role in helping shape the history of the Paso Robles winegrowing region, and is considered a visionary within the industry.
The exhibit is now open at Eberle Tasting room, located at 3810 California 46 East in Paso Robles. For more information, please visit: winehistoryproject.org/calendar.
Seeking Gold, Finding Grapes Exhibit in Paso Robles
The Wine History Project’s new exhibit, Seeking Gold, Finding Grapes, is on display at the El Paso de Robles Area Historical Society in Paso Robles now through April 2019. The display features a collection of rare bottles and tools from the California Gold Rush Era.
The El Paso de Robles Area Historical Society is located in the Carnegie Library, City Park, downtown Paso Robles, California. Open Tuesday & Thursday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Closed Monday & Wednesday and major holidays.
Corkscrew Development Exhibit at the Wine History Project
The quest to find the easiest way of drawing corks from bottles without jolting or disturbing their contents led to the development of a variety of tools by both skilled craftsman and industrial production companies. Most recognizable is a simple device that has a pointed spiral piece of metal turned by a handle, the corkscrew.
There are over 30 corkscrews on display at the Wine History Project, including corkscrews from William Rockwell Clough (1844–1920), Edwin Walker (1847–1917) and William Alexander Williamson (1854–1932).
The exhibit is available to review by appointment only. Please call the Wine History Project Offices at (805) 439-4647 or via email at info@winehistoryproject.org.
About the Wine History Project
The Wine History Project was established in 2015 to study the land, microclimates, grape varietals, growers and winemakers who have shaped the wine history of San Luis Obispo County. Today the Wine History Project is staffed by historians and museum professionals who collaborate with a diverse group of advisers and founders. We continue to document and preserve the unique wine and food history of San Luis Obispo County.
Central to our research is the process of interviewing growers and winemakers who have shaped the wine history of SLO County. It is through these relationships that we build upon the story of wine in our county while collecting and archiving historical photographs, documents, videography and recordings to preserve their history.