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langwrites · 6 years

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answer any question that contains a 1,7,or 5 but only if they contain only one of them once or all three for the 175 questions

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY QUESTIONS I ANSWERED

BUT IT’S DONE

1. Does your character have good aim?

Several characters have very, very good aim. Among them are Naviyd, Mitra, Khalil (but not with an actual ranged weapon; he can throw rocks) and Serran, who is granted but a wee tyke. Middling aim is the threshold of people like Alena and (two of) her cousins, who have training but not a natural inclination or perfect eye.

Oceanus’s is just bad.

5. Can your character cook?

Most of the non-noble characters can. They’re not professional-level unless that’s their specific job, but those who grow up outside of a staffed household need to get by however they can.

7. Do any of your characters have depression?

Several, but the example who comes to mind immediately is Riyaz.

10. Would your character give up the chance to come back to life as a god so that someone else could be saved?

Riyaz, Tirane, Arno, and Serran would.

The rest of the cast is a bit vaguer and more “well, who’s coming back” about it.

12. Would your character marry someone their family didn’t approve of?

Alena most definitely would. Lumina definitely did. So did Naviyd, though that marriage went sour. Ismene would have, but circumstances went pear-shaped before the question was ever popped.

Khalil would probably ask who the hell he was marrying who managed to piss off his dad without annoying him first.

13. Do/Did any of your characters have large ears they had to grow into as a kid?

Arno did, and so does Serran.

14. Are any of your characters nonverbal?

Not that I can think of right now.

15. Did your character ever want to be a cowboy?

Khalil would if he knew what that was, but then would get bored and move on.

16. How does the way your character present themselves in public differ from how they are in private?

Khalil acts way more trollish than he actually is, though he has a fairly sharp sense of humor when he feels like expressing it. He’s also cunning, which someone who only sees the big-spending, brightly-grinning Mishik kid wouldn’t know immediately.

18. Is your character pro or anti union?

They don’t know what a union is, but they do understand guilds! Most of them look favorably on guilds that aren’t out to kill them.

19. Does your character like carrots?

Serran does!

21. Do any of your characters have heterochromia?

In previous editions, Mitra did. Now, she and Khalil are just on opposite ends of the extreme shades of Mishik yellow-green…but he’s managed to wander all the way into turquoise, somehow. They were both born with yellow-green eyes.

Zinnia also had heterochromia, but now her eyes are just wine-red.

25. Does your character experience sexism for the job/title they hold? (ie: she’s a girl, she can’t be x,y,z because only boys can be)

Yes, though the most obvious example was with regard to the Brandt twin sisters. Luxana facced severe opposition before taking her position as Empress, and there were multiple attempts to unseat her in favor of more established candidates due to her age, her “illegitimate” infant daughter, her commoner background, and her gender. She dealt with all comers by setting an awful lot of fires, so anyone who disparaged her directly had a very short life expectancy.

Her sister Lumina, on the other hand, faced similar opposition earlier when she was dragged into the Royal Kaltekan Army as a teenager and ended up busting more than a few heads as a direct result of other people’s pigheadedness.

27. Does your character know how to tie different kinds of knots?

Zahara, Naviyd, Mitra, and Khalil all do, whether because they worked on ships or are accomplished travelers. Oceanus also does, because he grew up in a fishing community.

31. How much does your character care about their appearance?

It depends. The higher the person’s social status is, the more likely they’re forced to care about and expend a lot of time and effort maintaining their appearance. People like Oceanus, who grew up poor in harsh conditions, had to keep themselves alive through whatever means necessary, so any personal grooming had to adapt to circumstances.

Lumina is probably the highest-ranked character who would actively prefer to tromp around in a suit of armor and chase down monsters all afternoon.

35. Naptime, yes or no?

Most of the characters enjoy naps when they can get them. Usually in bright sunbeams or while under about five blankets.

37. Did any of your characters have a fever they almost died from as a child?

Riyaz did.

41. Do other people around your character dictate their life or do they get to choose for themselves?

It depends on the character. The most independent characters are Zahara, Khalil, and Fithrain, who follow their path and damn the consequences. Few people can claim to have a real hold on them unless they allow it.

Tirane is somewhere in the middle, choosing to seize control of her life at a vital moment.

The characters most likely to succumb to pressure from others are Alena, her cousins, and Riyaz.

And Naviyd is a character who went from one extreme to the other, and then to the middle.

45. Would your character kill someone to get what they want?

A lot of them would.

47. Has your character ever stolen anything?

Khalil ought to have been arrested many, many times for pickpocketing, carnie chicanery, and other little schemes.

Naviyd stole enemy intelligence, which officially makes him a spy and not a thief.

52. Would your character prefer to have history know the truth or have many different versions of their life?

Khalil wants as many wildly differing accounts as possible. He finds the idea hilarious.

Contrast, say, Luxana, who wants her rule correctly documented.

53. What if the furthest your character has ever walked in a given stretch of time?

Khalil has walked the width of the continent before!

54. Would your character prefer to visit a new city or stay at home?

Khalil wants to run around and visit the big city.

Naviyd would rather stay in Gabilan and retire there.

56. Do any of your characters have step-family?

Alena definitely does, though mainly in the form of her half-sister and her stepmother (and her children. She’s not met the latter.

58. Does your character prefer the ocean or the mountains?

Everyone from Gabilan: Mountains.

Everyone not from Gabilan: Oceans.

With the exception of Riyaz, who would rather burrow into the mountains and not come out.

61. Have any of your characters struggled with addiction?

Not that I can recall offhand.

65. Is your characters energetic?

Of the main characters, Khalil and Tirane win this hands-down.

67. Would your character be willing to do something they consider morally wrong in order to achieve their goals?

Mitra would. She’s employed as a government assassin/enforcer/spy, so she kind of has to be willing to get her hands dirty.

And Luxana is a champ at this kind of behavior.

70. Does your character have any guarded/secret guild knowledge or family recipe?

Naviyd knows a lot of Mishik-specific sciences as a result of growing up with one foot in his father’s scholarly world and the other in his mother’s nomadic one. He also knows all the Order signs from his days serving the Sky Mother’s Tears, which helps him keep track of potential assassination plots when and where they spring up.

After all, he was one.

Oceanus knows his mother’s cooking recipes, even if he has a hard time finding the correct ingredients in places without permafrost.

72. Would your character care for someone who needed it if it meant being ostracized from their society?

Lumina has, did, and got left to die for that exact choice.

73. Has your character been to/ ever explored any ruins?

Naviyd has. He was not impressed by the dust of ages.

So has Zahara, after which point she sneezed and stole every scrap of the burial goods that looked sellable.

Khalil almost fell off a giant statue once. It was awesome.

74. Are any of your characters associated with flowers?

Zinnia! (Because I have been told that is a flower. In my defense, her name was originally Zina.)

76: Would your character like to live on a farm and raise sheep?

Riyaz would, right up until he realized that sheep swarm.

78. Have any of your characters been exiled from their society?

Lumina was, and didn’t regret her decision to follow her own path. She promptly clambered her way back in later.

Zahara was never formally exiled, but even government-sanctioned piracy is frowned upon, generally speaking.

81. Does your character look like what others think they should from their reputation?

Nobody has any idea that Naviyd likes wearing riding outfits if they know him first as Lumina’s spymaster. There’s an in-universe concept of a spymaster as a noble in a creepy hoods.

85. Has your character ever been led down the wrong path because of their anger?

Luxana and Lumina have, but before them Sinrajin was the sterling, shining example right before he got fully possessed and started turning everything into an epic winter wonderland nightmare.

87. What are your character’s nails like?

Oceanus’s are rough and a little warped, due to malnutrition and lack of care.

91. Does your character engage in gossip?

Naviyd has to. He’s so into listening in on other people’s business that his summon contract in another world is for messenger pigeons.

95. If given total rule over a country, would your character step aside to turn it into a democracy?

Luxana: No.

Lumina: Needs to be introduced to the concept.

Naviyd: Fucking abdicates to not be in the spotlight and runs.

97. Do any of your characters have a tendency to dislocate joints?

Not really.

100. Are any of your characters queer?

Baaaaasically everyone except Sinrajin, Stratus, and Luxana.

102. Are any of your characters d/Deaf or HoH?

Not that I know of. Tells me several someones ought to be.

102. What is your character’s greatest source of guilt?

Khalil left Oceanus alone during his manic phase in the hopes of keeping him out of the blast radius, and then things went horribly for him.

Luxana failed to protect her family from the outcomes of her imperial ambitions.

Oceanus ran when his mother told him to, leaving her alone during the raid on his village.

Lumina couldn’t stop the Scourge of the South from possessing one of her fellow soldiers and wiping out most life too close to the nightmare zone.

Naviyd couldn’t keep his marriage from falling apart or his children together.

103. How well does your character deal with their anger?

Khalil starts messing with other people in small ways. Once, some of Lumina’s noble guests started making racist remarks toward his father, and he dumped the entire contents of her cosmetics drawers on them.

He was banned from using powders and the like afterwards.

Oceanus tends to sit and fume until he has more control.

Lumina beats up training dummies and occasionally sets them on fire.

104. Do any of your characters have pottery as a hobby?

Not that I can remember.

106. Do any of your characters have noticeable acne?

Not that I’ve mentioned.

108. Are any of your characters dogs?

Ash and his siblings! Sort of. They’re called bladewolves. Also, Hyung is a jindo dog and great at hunting foxes. He also hunts alongside a human partner who can understand him.

109. Would your character blackmail a god?

Most of them would if they had a chance! It’s kind of hard to pull that off, though.

120. Do any of your characters have PTSD?

Several! Among them, there’s Oceanus, Ismene, and Riyaz.

122. What is your character’s greatest secret?

123. Did any of you characters have nannies or governesses growing up?

Alena did.

124. Does your character workout?

Most of the characters with warrior training do so in their spare time. The noble children also practice, under the careful eyes of tutors.

126. Are any of your characters on good terms/still friends with an ex?

None of them besides Khalil.

128. Has your character’s home ever been destroyed?

Characters with flattened hometowns: Oceanus, Ismene, Sinrajin, Lumina, Luxana, and Tirane.

129. Has your character ever had to compromise on what they thought was right in order to maintain peace?

The noble-born characters often have.

Lumina’s most terrible one was letting Sirsha live past the end of the war.

130. Do you have any characters who are retired?

Some! Lumina is technically retired from soldiery, but she can still take up her weaponry again. Similarly, Naviyd is a retired assassin.

As for people who are just enjoying life after work, not so much.

132. Who is the precious cinnamon roll?

Alena! Also Serran, her cousin.

Khalil is a sinnamon roll.

133. Have any of your characters ever been caught in a fire or explosion?

Lumina! The fact that it didn’t burn her was a surprise for everyone.

Also, Khalil was banned from experimenting with flour at the age of twelve.

134. Has your character ever been alone in a hostile environment and been forced to travel a long way to reach a safety that wasn’t for sure?

Well, there was this one time that Khalil found Oceanus after a no-good very bad week and had a sudden feeling that Oltose Was Not Safe. So they trekked across the entire country to find Gabilan in the hopes that neither of them would die on the way.

Khalil’s main concern regarding Gabilan, though, was that his dad would assume he was dead.

136. Has your character ever been forced to deal with the ‘I want to speak to your manager” kind of person?

Lumina. A lot.

Being the Empress’s sister can suck sometimes.

138. How good is your character with money and accounting?

Lumina does her own finances and is teaching her kids and nieces how to do them too.

139. Has your character ever survived a fatal wound?

Naviyd has, through the power of Arno’s tremendous healing magic.

140. Can your character play an instruments?

Most of the nobles can.

142. Do any of your characters use wheelchairs, transportation devices, or mobility aids?

Nimbus actually has a prosthetic leg.

143. Has your character ever had some part of their culture made illegal?

It turns out that hunting without a royal decree in pre-Empire Kaltekas is illegal. Puts a real cramp in Naviyd’s trained hunter-gatherer style.

144. Are any of your characters adventurers by trade?

Khalil would raise his hand if asked. At least when left to his own devices and wandering the continent.

146. Were any of your characters disowned or abandoned by their parents?

Riyaz, Tirane, and Mitra were.

Oceanus was more like…lost.

148. Do any of your characters have an eating disorder or food contamination phobia?

Not that I can recall.

149: How good is your character at lying?

Khalil and most of his family are highly talented liars, which can come down to unreadability or confidence on a case by case basis.

160: Do any of your characters have asthma?

Nimbus and Zinnia.

162: Has your character ever thrown a tantrum over things not going their way?

Oceanus, Alistair, Oriana, Nuri, Brigid, Sirsha, and a number of other characters have. Some are deadly.

163: Are any of your characters autistic? (If so, do they have special interests and what are they?)

Probably Alena and Serran.

Serran’s special interest is archery, followed by magic once he’s old enough that his reading lessons sink in and the theory starts to make more sense. Or he can just forge his own path—his empathic powers are different from the showy magic his family uses, so he may have to.

Alena, meanwhile, is kind of like a tiny blonde Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She has a ravenous need to learn about any skill she sees others use to help people, from sewing to healing and agriculture. She exists in a particular hell where her social status is up in the air, which makes it very hard to tell what rules she ought to follow.

164: Are any of your characters tinkerers or inventors?

Copernicus and Gabilan’s blacksmiths and jewelers are.

166: Are any of your characters blind or visually impaired?

Riyaz and Oceanus both need sight-correcting lenses, though they’ve not been diagnosed for a decent chunk of time. I also can’t remember which one is far-sighted and which one is nearsighted.

Nimbus also wears spectacles,

168: Is your characters easily embarrassed?

Alena, Oceanus, and Mitra are.

Riyaz is oblivious or uncaring about most things that embarrass normal people, Tirane has precious little shame, and Khalil has none at all.

169: Are any of your characters married to the sea?

Nope.

175: Are any of your characters badass (lesbian) pirate queens?

Zahara!

#owlsofstarlight #asks #ask games #terramir gang #oceanus #lumina #luxana #naviyd #khalil #mitra #zahara #sinrajin #sirsha #fithrain #alena #serran #copernicus #ismene #riyaz #tirane #arno

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thevillagebistrorestaurant · 2 years

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Top 4 Things to Do Whenever You Are In Salinas CA

Salinas is a small yet classy city a short way in from Monterey Bay on California’s Central Coast. The diversity of things to do in & around Salinas makes it absolutely flexible: food lovers can tuck into the local organic produce & wines, sports aficionados can enjoy a rodeo event or race at Laguna Seca, while just about everybody will fall in love with the wild splendour of the Pacific coast & verdant countryside inland.

Visit Toro County Park:

Minutes south of Salinas, this stunning expanse of open country lures mountain bikers, horseback riders and hikers for its challenging and remarkable terrain. There’re twenty miles of trails for adventure seekers who don’t mind a challenging stroll – the effort is more than worthwhile for the scintillating views out of the Salinas Valley and Monterrey Bay.

Explore Old town Salinas Farmer’s Market:

The Salinas Valley is amongst the most verdant areas in California and is portrayed by local authorities as the “Salad Bowl of the World”. Flourishing here are cauliflower, peppers, broccoli, vines, tomatoes, strawberries and spinach. So it is no surprise that the Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning on Gabilan Street is a significant institution. Here you will find all the divine organic local produce traders sell local specialties like honey & jam, alongside a range of hand-crafted arts and crafts.

River Road Wine Trail:

Hand-picking the best local wineries, the River Road Wine Trail begins in Salinas and continues on to Soledad to the southeast. It is a picture-perfect introduction to the region’s countryside & viticulture. You will make regular stops at idyllic vineyards for tastings, and as you make your way into the Santa Lucia Highlands the backdrop and sights are unbelievably stunning.

Eat like a local at any Salina restaurant:

There are no shortages of restaurants in Salinas, but when it comes to the best there is no competition of The Village Restaurant. This Salinas CA restaurant is known for its unique Italian, Mexican and American cuisine. Chef Alfredo is dedicated to bringing to your table excellent food with fresh ingredients and with a particular Latin touch. From traditional breakfasts to brunches, lunch, as well as dinners – The Village Restaurant, has it all to suit your palate. Stop by this Salinas CA Restaurant to enjoy a good breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or an excellent selection of wines whenever you are in the Monterrey area.

Read another blog - Why Italian Dishes Are So Popular Across the Globe

#restaurants

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totaldankness · 3 years

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1st visit to Pinnacles Nat’l Park, Christmas Day 🎄⛰ spires, crags, monoliths, talus caves = Gabilan Range 🌋 ancient volcanic field, San Andreas Fault Zone #pinnacles #pinnaclesnationalpark #sanandreas #sanandreasfault #sanandreasfaultzone #findyourpark #optoutside #nationalpark #nationalparks (at Pinnacles National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJct_KZMGRp/?igshid=m7by14fshniw

#pinnacles #pinnaclesnationalpark #sanandreas #sanandreasfault #sanandreasfaultzone #findyourpark #optoutside #nationalpark #nationalparks

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wineanddinosaur · 3 years

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Wine 101: Central Coast, California

Inspired by one of VinePair’s most popular site sections, the Wine 101 Podcast takes an educational, easy-to-digest look into the world of wine. This episode of Wine 101 is sponsored by Talbott Vineyards. At Talbott Vineyards, we focus on crafting estate-grown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands. Our Sleepy Hollow vineyard is located in one of the coldest grape-growing climates in California, ideal for these two varieties. Here, the brisk wind and fog rolling off Monterey Bay create a long growing season, producing fruit-forward wines with spectacular acidity. We listen to Wine 101, we know what acidity is all about, right? Building on a nearly 40 year legacy of meticulous craftsmanship, Talbott continues to produce highly acclaimed wines of distinction.

In this episode of Wine 101, VinePair tastings director Keith Beavers tackles the sprawling Central Coast AVA and narrows in on a particularly exciting region: Paso Robles. Within the Central Coast, there are 28 AVAs that produce more than just Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. That said, these varieties thrive in a special way along the 280-mile coastline, with unique ways of securing high acidities.

Part of what helps Central Coast grapes is the steady stream of Pacific wind and fog that is pulled inland through “wind gaps.” These wind tunnels entail a mixture of moist temperatures that help vines retain acidity in their roots, no matter the soil.

With a vast range of climates, soils, and plenty of limestone, the Central Coast is one of the most varied AVAs in the U.S. Paso Robles is perhaps the best example of this, with winemakers growing niche grapes like Picpoul de Pinet and Falanghina. With 666,000 acres to its name, Paso is defined by a Wild West attitude, and refuses to be known as a single-grape wine region.

Listen Online:

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Or check out the conversation here:

My name is Keith Beavers and I’m Gen X, which is so Gen X. Just the term Gen X is so “Gen X” of the Gen X generation.

What’s going on wine lovers? Welcome to episode 26 of VinePair’s Wine 101 Podcast. My name is Keith Beavers, I am the tastings director of VinePair, and hi! Napa, Sonoma, they get a lot of love, and they deserve all the love they get. But there’s this one place, it’s huge, that we don’t talk about enough. It’s the Central Coast of California. The Central Coast is its own viticultural area. There’s so much going on in there. We’ve got to talk about it, break it down a little bit, figure it out.

When we think about American wine, I mean, we can admit this, right? We think about California first. It’s just what we do. And then when we think California, we’re basically thinking about Northern California. Right? And we can admit that. And then within Northern California, we think of Napa first, then we think of Sonoma. And then what else do we think about when we think about California? That’s actually what we associate California wine with. But there is so much more going on in California, just north and south of those two famous wine regions.

In the north, we also have the Mendocino American Viticultural Area, which is great. And we have the Clarksburg AVA. And they make great wine. We don’t get to talk about them enough, and at some point, I’d like to talk about them. But it’s south of San Francisco, guys. Something’s going on there, and we have to talk about it. It’s been going on for a long time. It’s the Central Coast American Viticultural Area, the Central Coast AVA. It stretches from south of San Francisco, down to just south of Santa Barbara. It’s 280 miles north to south, along the California coastline, and goes from the coastline inland about 60 miles It’s this huge, huge American Viticultural Area. And then inside this huge AVA are 28 AVAs that live within three counties and three mountain ranges and a bunch of valleys. And the climate, and the soil, and the geography is so diverse, it’s very hard to generalize, because you have a Pacific mountain range just south of San Francisco actually forming the ridge of San Francisco’s peninsula called the Santa Cruz Mountains.

And then south of that, you have another mountain range, Pacific mountain range called the Santa Lucia Mountains. That’s where Big Sur is. Then east of that across the Salinas Valley, which is literally the salad bowl of America, it’s where all the produce is grown, you have the Gabilan Mountain Range, which is an inland mountain range, and it’s kind of hot there.

So you’ve got a desert, Pacific wetland. You’ve got elevation, you’ve got valleys, but on such a large scale. And grapes have been growing here for quite some time. Earlier than the northern part of California, because this is the path of the Franciscan monks. They started in what is now Mexico and worked their way up all the way up to Sonoma.

So throughout the Central Coast, vines were grown, and yes, it was mostly the Mission grape, but because of the proof of that pudding means that there’s always been a focus of humans making wine in this area. And just like most wine-growing regions in California and the United States, everything was going well until Prohibition happened, and then everything went bad, and then it had to be rebuilt, and all this stuff.

It’s a very familiar story, but what’s really great about the Central Coast is what’s happening right now. And they’ve worked very hard in certain wine regions to get to this place. And this is the most exciting time for wine regions in this area.

Now, there are 28 of them and I again will not go through all 28 of them, but there are certain ones that are very specific that you’re going to see on wine shelves. And within this huge AVA is the largest AVA in California, because Central Coast AVA is an AVA, but it’s so big it’s hard to be like, “OK, it’s an AVA.” But there are more concentrated regions there. And one of the big ones is called Paso Robles. And we have to talk about that. So I’m going to run around a little bit and talk to you about the Central Coast, then we’re going to end on Paso Robles and give you a sense of this very exciting, very big, not very new wine growing region.

OK, let me see if I can explain this. In the morning, on the coast of California, a fog rolls in with some wind. And throughout the coastline of California are what are called wind gaps. And those wind gaps are funnels, and warm air draws the cool air from the Pacific into these areas, into these valleys, and cools the areas in these valleys. And that is really what defines a lot of what goes on in this part of California. And if it’s not that, it’s the elevation of the mountains that these vineyards are in. And if it’s not that, it’s the cool nights in the warm areas that don’t get the fog. It’s just a very unique place.

If you were to look at a satellite image, time-lapsed, of the morning fog that rolls into the entire 280=mile coastline of the Central Coast, you’ll notice the fog coming in from the Pacific, and it just rolls in through these wind gaps, and it gets as far as it can inland, which is probably about 60 miles. And then at some point, it sucks itself back out during the afternoon. And that cloud cover, that fog, defines all the vineyards in this part of California. In the northern part of the Central Coast, it’s mostly coastal, Pacific-influenced wine-growing regions. And as you get south, the wine-growing regions move a little bit more inland to the more warmer regions, and those warmer regions are benefiting mostly from these fog tunnels, these wind gaps that are coming in. All the way down to Santa Barbara, which is a very unique place, because Santa Barbara is just naturally perfect. It’s hard to explain how beautiful and perfect Santa Barbara is. Oprah knows, right? But what’s really unique is in these warmer southern inland wine-growing regions, when the fog dissipates, it gets hot. I’m talking a hundred degrees, 95, like, boom, boom. It is immediately really hot.

And then right when you’re like, man, this is too hot, it immediately cools down. And then before you know it, you’re at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s desert nights. So it’s this very crazy place. We have fog in the morning that dissipates, it gets very hot and cools down, and that’s right, vines do very well in these situations. And not only that, this wine region has limestone in its soils going all the way up the coast, which is very unique to this area. And limestone is this amazing “gold” for vine growers. It really helps soil composition with draining and retaining. It’s the perfect catch and release.

And what that does is these soils, even though there are some warm, inland hot regions but cool nights, that soil helps these vines retain their acidity. So whether you’re benefiting from the fog and retaining acidity that way with good fruit, or whether you’re at a good elevation, or you’re near next to the Pacific Ocean, or whether you’re inland, even if you have a full-bodied red wine, let’s say an inland red wine, even though it’s going to be a big wine, it’s going to have this beautiful acidity. There’s a reason why, in 1981, when Napa became an AVA, so too did the Santa Cruz mountain AVA, just south of San Francisco. Because in those mountains, two wines came out of those mountains that were also in the judgment of Paris in 1976: the Ridge Winery, which their Cabernet Sauvignon, placed fifth in the competition, the Montebello Cabernet Sauvignon it was called, and then the David Bruce Winery had a Chardonnay that came in 10th. And the reason the French dug those wines, in my opinion, is because of the acidity. It was balanced. Just south of the Santa Cruz mountains is Monterey County, and I’m sure you’ve heard of Monterey, right? Monterey wine. And when people talk about the Central Coast, they often talk about two varieties: Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. There’s much more happening than those two varieties in the Central Coast, but Monterey Bay has defined its own style of not necessarily Chardonnay, but definitely Pinot Noir.

This is one of those “wind and fog suppliers” as a source of the Monterey Bay, and within Monterey County, which is an AVA, the Monterey County AVA, there are four AVAs within it. There’s Arroyo Seco, Carmel Valley, Chalone, and Santa Lucia Highlands in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range.

But the thing about Monterey County Pinot Noir is that it is its own style of Pinot Noir. It’s big and juicy and cherries and cinnamon, and it wants to be big and bold and full-bodied, but the acidity will not let it. It is one of the fleshier, high-tone, deep Pinot Noir styles we have in the United States. And they’re beautiful. They’re awesome. The Chardonnay coming out of there is excellent as well. High acid. If they put oak on it, it’s usually this big, bold Chardonnay, but with this clean, salty acidity in it. They’re beautiful. And then all the way down south in the southern point of the Central Coast AVA is Santa Barbara County, which is another county that is influenced by the Pacific Ocean. I see a lot of the vineyards in Santa Barbara County hug the Pacific Coast, and here you have the Santa Maria Valley AVA, the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, and the Santa Rita Hills AVA. There are others, but these are the ones you’re going to see on wine shelves. Mostly, it’s going to say Santa Barbara County, then it’s going to have one of these AVAS.

And this is another area that is influenced by the Pacific. A lot of the vineyards are very close to the Pacific Ocean, and this is a very heavy Chardonnay, Pinot Noir place as well. And what’s unique about this area is sometimes this place can get cooler than the foggy Russian River Valley or Los Carneros and the northern part of California because of the Pacific Ocean influence, which is cool.

This area is still being explored. It’s actually where “Sideways” was filmed. It’s beautiful there. It might be some of the most perfect weather in America, this area. It’s between Monterey County to the north and Santa Barbara County to the south. Right in the middle, there is a county called San Luis Obispo. In this county there’s this kind of a new-ish AVA called York Mountain towards the coast. And then there’s another one called Edna Valley, which you’ll see Chardonnays say Edna Valley on them. And then there’s one called Arroyo Grande Valley, which you don’t see a lot of. But in this county, the largest AVA in California is just sitting there, and it’s awesome. And it doesn’t get all the attention that I think it deserves. So let’s talk about Paso Robles. In my view, Paso Robles benefits from all of the climatic and geologic stuff that this Central Coast thing has to offer. It is the one region that has extreme coastal influence, but then it goes so far inland, that it also has that inland “hot-day, cool-night” advantage. And within the 666,000 acres of this area — 26,000 acres of that with land under vine — all different kinds of grapes can be grown in this place. So in the morning, fog forms in the Monterey Bay, and then it’s pulled through the Salinas Valley south towards Paso Robles, and that fog and that wind is protected on the west by the Santa Lucia Mountain range. So all this fog and all this wind rushes down into Paso. Now the thing is, this is the one AVA that has some very inland vineyards as well. So what’s unique about this place is half of this AVA enjoys the fog and wind, because the fog or wind comes down into Paso and it starts rushing through these different passes called the Templeton Gap. And then throughout these areas, different vineyards are planted to take advantage of this wind and fog. And then when you go over the Salinas River to the east, that fog does not influence these areas as much.

But what’s unique about these areas, like I said in the beginning of this episode, is that warm hot days, cold desert nights, great soil, awesome acidity. So you get acidity on both sides, but with different varieties. And that’s what makes this place very unique. They actually did some land and climate and soil studies, and they proposed 11 sub-AVAs within Paso alone. So Paso Robles is a sub-AVA of the Central Valley AVA, but within Paso Robles, there are 11 other AVAs. And I wish I could do a whole thing on those and I can’t, but what’s unique about them is it’s based on the Templeton Gap and all these different climatic and soil variations within Paso itself.

And because of this, even though 39 percent or more of this area under vine is Cabernet Sauvignon, and there’s some beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon coming out of Paso. Because of that sun, you get plush, huge, full body Cabs, but with great acidity, and they’re not too heavy. They kind of define the weather and the soil of that area.

But what also thrives here are white wine grapes that are usually found in the Rhône Valley of France. Like Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, and red grapes from that area like Syrah and Grenache. And they’re all these big, beautiful, bold, balanced, spicy wines for the reds, and the floral, honeyed wines for the whites. But they have such great acidity, they’re not that heavy on the palate. It’s very cool. And the thing about Paso, which I find very unique, more so than other AVAs in California, is that it’s not just those lists of grapes that I talked to you about. They do everything there. There are people experimenting with grapes that have never really been played around with here in the United States.

There’s an awesome white wine grape from the southern part of France called Picpoul de Pinet that makes very amazing, easy, quaffable white wines that go great with oysters. They’re making great versions of that in Paso. There’s an indigenous native ancient variety in Campania in Italy called Falanghina, it’s a beautiful white wine. They’re making that in Paso. They’re making Barbera, they’re making Nebbiolo there. There is a lot going on in Paso. And what Paso Robles really says to me is, it’s one of those places where we can go there or we can drink wine from there because of its diversity. It’s not a wine region that we go to for one grape. It’s a place that we go to enjoy the wines being made there that are awesome. And if you go to Paso, the community there is very cool. It’s an old-school town, man. The town was founded by two brothers called the Blackburn brothers and Jesse James’ uncle. Isn’t that crazy?

And I don’t want to say it was always an outlaw place, it has this Wild West, outlaw feel to it. And actually, James Dean was speeding around here. Actually, this was around the area where he crashed his car. But there’s this rebellious heart and spirit to Paso in that it’s like, this is the wine we want to make, and I hope you like it. And I really find that to be an awesome way of doing things. And I know other wine regions all across the country do this, but Paso is a big place. It’s a significant wine-growing region, and it just so happens that it has such varied terroir that it really is something that we should, as American wine drinkers, focus on, because it is another one of these wine regions that makes wine in America and does something different and unique.

At one point, Napa wasn’t known for Cabernet Sauvignon. It was known for Zinfandel. So was Sonoma. But when Cabernet got there, they realized that these are the spots where it does well, and sure enough, Cabernet Sauvignon became the popular thing. With Paso, it’s not just one grape, but a celebration of different kinds of varietals that work. Because in America, every grape we grow is from somewhere else. But when a grape falls in love with a place, something special happens. And when a human makes that happen, we see the result of that. Napa and Sonoma were big deals with that. I think Paso is one of those as well, but the only thing about Paso is this: It’s not one variety. It’s a bunch of varieties and a lot of great winemakers. You go downtown to Paso, you go have lunch, you see a bunch of winemakers hanging out together, talking about their harvest, talking about their ferment, all this stuff. It’s a very cool place.

So I went on a rant there. I wanted to focus on Paso because it is the largest AVA in the Central Coast. But again, there’s a lot of great wine coming from all of these places in the Central Coast. And I think we should all focus a little bit and say, “Hey, let’s check out these places.”

I want to give a shout-out to winemaker on the Central Coast Kamee Knutsun. We had an awesome conversation to get even more in-depth information about this ridiculously cool AVA.

If you’re digging what I’m doing, picking up what I’m putting down, go ahead and give me a rating on iTunes or tell your friends to subscribe. You can subscribe. If you like to type, go ahead and send a review or something like that, but let’s get this wine podcast out so that everybody can learn about wine.

Check me out on Instagram. It’s @vinepairkeith. I do all my stuff in stories. And also, you got to follow VinePair on Instagram, which is @vinepair. And don’t forget to listen to the VinePair Podcast, which is hosted by Adam and Zach. It’s a great deep dive into drinks culture every week.

Now, for some credits. How about that? Wine 101 is recorded and produced by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin. I also want to thank Danielle Grinberg for making the most legit Wine 101 logo.

And I got to thank Darby Cicci for making this amazing song: Listen to this epic stuff. And finally, I want to thank the VinePair staff for helping me learn more every day. Thanks for listening. I’ll see you next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: Central Coast, California appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-central-coast-california/

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thorsenmark · 3 months

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flickr

Finding My Home in the Peaks and Forest s in Pinnacles National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking the Juniper Canyon Loop with a view looking east to other pinnacle formations along the High Peaks in this part of Pinnacles National Park. What I wanted to capture with this image was a slightly wide angle, vista-like view of the High Peaks but also include some nearby foreground to add to the setting. I decided not to go completely wide angle as the sun was shining more or less in the direction I was looking. I was able though to use the ClearView Plus and some tools in DxO PhotoLab 6 to bring out more of the colors and textures present.

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johnboothus · 3 years

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Wine 101: Central Coast California

Listen Online:

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Or check out the conversation here:

My name is Keith Beavers and I’m Gen X, which is so Gen X. Just the term Gen X is so “Gen X” of the Gen X generation.

I want to give a shout-out to winemaker on the Central Coast Kamee Knutsun. We had an awesome conversation to get even more in-depth information about this ridiculously cool AVA.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: Central Coast, California appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-central-coast-california/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/wine-101-central-coast-california

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