Direct From Hadsten House In Solvang California: Day One: Arrival In Santa Barbara
"Adventures In Wine Country" with Co-Hosts Chuck Byers and Greg Rist is a new series airing in April 2010 on CHEX Television Channel 12 Durham and the Greater Toronto Area.
Up! Up! And Away------OOPS!
Getting up at 3 AM to catch a flight for 7:30 was no fun! Being cramped on a plane for over three hours was certainly no fun-----especially if there is no distraction like---food, a movie, snacks, etc. Running to get to a flight connection neither wasn't good either! However, losing my baggage was the epitome of inconvenience. I saw my luggage go onto the ramp along with my co-hosts luggage. We took the same flight and made the same transfers. Why did my luggage get lost?? I certainly could put up with minor discomforts like cramped quarters and hunger pangs at 40,000 feet but, please, my luggage was my life especially on the first day at a hotel. It wasn't going to be fun. I sort of snickered when Regis Philbin of Live with Regis and Kelly, lost his luggage some time ago. Guess what? Now it was his turn to snicker at me! Here's hoping that the airline does its job tracking my bag. I need it!!!!!
Aside from that catastrophe, the trip was okay and the drive to Hadsten House super. I love this part of the world and always feel much at home here.
We arrived to be greeted by Bill Phelps, General Manager at the Hadsten House. He as usual was his welcoming and very friendly self. I introduced him to Greg and before we knew it, we were on our way to Terravent, an ultra modern high capacity winery that produces first class wines at a high volume.
No expense was spared here in the construction of a thoroughly modern facility with many stainless steel tanks and fermentation vats working to peak capacity. The whole purpose of the winery was designed to assist the many small to medium wine producers in making wine either according to their specifications or to the whims and experience of the winemaker in charge of production. Either way, some of the most modern and mechanical means of selection, fermentation, filtration, aging and maturing have been incorporated by this company.
The winery makes so much wine that ethanol gas which can be hazardous needs to be evacuated from the winery proper. A large vacuum style machine cleansed the air by replacing it once every hour throughout the winery. A desynthesizer chemically broke the ethanol into the harmless compounds of Carbon Dioxide and water.
The winery cried out volume with quality. In fact, many quality wineries have used Terravent in the production of their wines. Now, with a new tasting r00m set to open on the weekend, the story seems to becoming complete.
Greg and I were driven back to Hadsten House by Bill and then we were off to Los Olivos for a visit with Sam at Los Olivos Cafe. I was hoping to meet Sam but that would have to wait until next time. I hope that we didn't come at the wrong time of the year since all seem more than busy with harvest and other things. We did have a Los Olivos Burger however and the one thing that I was dreaming about while tasting the great wines of Italy was------a Los Olivos Cafe Burger---- worth losing your luggage over---well not quite but almost!!!!!!!
We'll see how tomorrow goes.
End Of Day One!
Up! Up! And Away------OOPS!
Getting up at 3 AM to catch a flight for 7:30 was no fun! Being cramped on a plane for over three hours was certainly no fun-----especially if there is no distraction like---food, a movie, snacks, etc. Running to get to a flight connection neither wasn't good either! However, losing my baggage was the epitome of inconvenience. I saw my luggage go onto the ramp along with my co-hosts luggage. We took the same flight and made the same transfers. Why did my luggage get lost?? I certainly could put up with minor discomforts like cramped quarters and hunger pangs at 40,000 feet but, please, my luggage was my life especially on the first day at a hotel. It wasn't going to be fun. I sort of snickered when Regis Philbin of Live with Regis and Kelly, lost his luggage some time ago. Guess what? Now it was his turn to snicker at me! Here's hoping that the airline does its job tracking my bag. I need it!!!!!
Aside from that catastrophe, the trip was okay and the drive to Hadsten House super. I love this part of the world and always feel much at home here.
We arrived to be greeted by Bill Phelps, General Manager at the Hadsten House. He as usual was his welcoming and very friendly self. I introduced him to Greg and before we knew it, we were on our way to Terravent, an ultra modern high capacity winery that produces first class wines at a high volume.
No expense was spared here in the construction of a thoroughly modern facility with many stainless steel tanks and fermentation vats working to peak capacity. The whole purpose of the winery was designed to assist the many small to medium wine producers in making wine either according to their specifications or to the whims and experience of the winemaker in charge of production. Either way, some of the most modern and mechanical means of selection, fermentation, filtration, aging and maturing have been incorporated by this company.
The winery makes so much wine that ethanol gas which can be hazardous needs to be evacuated from the winery proper. A large vacuum style machine cleansed the air by replacing it once every hour throughout the winery. A desynthesizer chemically broke the ethanol into the harmless compounds of Carbon Dioxide and water.
The winery cried out volume with quality. In fact, many quality wineries have used Terravent in the production of their wines. Now, with a new tasting r00m set to open on the weekend, the story seems to becoming complete.
Greg and I were driven back to Hadsten House by Bill and then we were off to Los Olivos for a visit with Sam at Los Olivos Cafe. I was hoping to meet Sam but that would have to wait until next time. I hope that we didn't come at the wrong time of the year since all seem more than busy with harvest and other things. We did have a Los Olivos Burger however and the one thing that I was dreaming about while tasting the great wines of Italy was------a Los Olivos Cafe Burger---- worth losing your luggage over---well not quite but almost!!!!!!!
We'll see how tomorrow goes.
End Of Day One!
posted by Chuck Byers - Wine Consultant | 5:52 PM
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