Sort This Out Cellars

Viva Las Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:51:00 +0000

Last weekend I had the opportunity to drive out to Vegas to celebrate Felicia's birthday. Now that Sort This Out Cellars is up and running I have only one mission, and that is to acquire the points needed to become a Platinum Rewards member at the Harrah's properties. Why?.... So I don't have to wait in line with the many mongoloids that stream into Vegas. Not that there aren't a lot of nice people out there. I meet many new and exciting folks every time we are in town. I am talking exclusively about the people that seem to live somewhere near the nuclear test site in their home state. Anyway, I don't want to get off track. So the Platinum Rewards card gets you some nice benefits and it gives me a goal to aim for. I have also been advised by my accountant to mention that 9:00am-5:00pm, during normal business hours, I developed new contacts and had discussions with restaurant and hotel managers about featuring Sort This Out Cellars wines at their properties.

Aside from the hours of entertainment that I had playing Blackjack and my new found hobby, slot machines, we had dinner at two great restaurants. On Friday we took a bottle of Money Plays Merlot to Delmonico Steakhouse in the Venetian. This is a stand up place with consistent quality and attentive service. Our server, Berkley, was professional and never hovered. She knew to pop up just when we needed something. She did one of the best jobs I have experienced lately coursing our food and timing it so that as we were having one course cleared, the next was arriving hot and perfectly prepared. You'll see in the quick photo I took the amazing bone in rib eye and potato gratin that I had. The Money Plays was a perfect companion with balanced tannin that complimented the rich marbled fat of the rib eye. A fabulous cheese plate helped us finish off the bottle. Thank you everyone at Delmonico for a great evening.

On Saturday, we ventured over to Caesars Palace and discovered it was Mexican Independence weekend celebration. Many famous Latin acts were playing all weekend but the most noticeable new fixture was the abundance of 6 foot tall Latin women with striking features and jet black hair filling the room. As a married guy, I had more important things on my mind like dinner at Bradley Ogden's, but I couldn't help but think that while Michael was working hard in the tasting room, he would have found his Valhalla at Caesars Palace.

If you're looking for a low key place to enjoy a great departure from the 20 somethings filled new resturants of Vegas, Bradley Ogden's is perfect. With minimalist design and great lighting, the restaurant is a relaxing setting without the nightclub bullshit thats a part of so many Vegas restaurants. In the lounge we had the Lounge Pre-Fix menu which included a great salad, flavorful angus burger with bleu cheese and sea salted french fries. The menu ended with an amazing butterscotch pudding and snickerdoodle cookies. For $29 it was the best value of the weekend with well prepared and designed food.

One of my favorite moments of the weekend was sitting next to a women from India who had never been to Las Vegas before. She put $5 in a slot machine next to whe r e we were playing and two spins later started one of the longest winning sprees I have ever seen. She couldn't lose. She couldn't convert the dollars she was winning into her currency fast enough to figure out just how much money she was winning, but she was excited nonetheless.

Finally, I dragged Felicia to Slots-A-Fun down on the North Strip to get a hot dog for a $1 and play some $3 Blackjack for old time sake. Here are my words of wisdom. 1. They still have slots that pay out coins. That's fun 2. Don't eat the hot dog.

I hope you get a chance to take bottle of your favorite Sort This Out Cellars wine on an adventure to Las Vegas soon.

Jeff

What A Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:18:00 +0000

After weeks of hard work the tasting room opened with a slow start in late June. By the time our July 11, grand opening arrived, the phone was ringing with questions. Where are you located? How late are you open? What wines are you pouring? Throughout the summer hundreds of new friends joined us in the tasting room. The thing that has made this experience most enjoyable is watching people connect with our concept. By stripping down the wine tasting experience, we are welcoming new wine drinkers every weekend.

As successful as we have been, we can't overlook the help of our friends in the wine industry. Thank you to all of our friends pouring in other tasting rooms for sharing news of our opening. We would especially like to thank all of the wine touring companies who have supported us. Grapeline and Cloud Climbers Jeep Tours have been especially supportive, bringing us lots of fun people. The great thing about a tour group is the diversity. The group above recently came in on a Grapeline tour. Three guys from the U.K., two chicks from Omaha, a Baby Boomer couple from New York, a couple from Jersey, and a couple from Santa Barbara. All were strangers hours before. By the time we meet them it was like they all grew up together. It's great, how wines brings us together.

So looking back here are a few fun facts from the summer.

1. 2005 Cardiff Giant, and 2007 Suited Pinot Grigio were the two top selling wines. We have plenty of Pinot Grigio left, but there are less than 5 cases of Cardiff Giant left.

2. We should have named the tasting room the Sort This Out Cellars Tasting Room and Coaster Emporium. We have sold more than 200 coasters since opening. Mike always said people like coasters, but they must have been excited to see them without the tired old wine labels so many other wineries make.

3. The number one selling Sort This Out Cellars clothing selection was the sexy Boy Shorts with the Sort This Out Cellars logo on the ass cheek. Felicia says it's because all women look sexy in boy shorts regardless of your size. I think it's because the guys snatch them up for their wives and girlfriends after wine tasting all day.

4. Just because the sign says R.V. Park doesn't mean they don't drink wine. Everyone we asked said it would be a waste of time, but we didn't agree. The Flying Flags RV Park in Buellton host many vacationers pulling large fifth wheels or driving million dollar coaches. Let me tell you. Once these people level off the coaches, they drink wine. More than 100 visitors came by from Flying Flags this summer. Other wineries listen up. They have more trunk space than a car, and they don't have to try and smuggle wine home in luggage boarding a plane. One RV couple came in and bought a case of wine the first night they got to town and then returned 10 days later to buy another to take back to Laguna Beach.

5. Only two wine glasses were broken all summer. Both glasses were broken by the same little blond fidget from Studio City. Bachelorette parties are a reason to have fun, not to be a pain in the ass and break stuff.

6. Felicia was right. If you spend a little extra and upgrade the bathroom with flowers, nice soap, and cloth hand towels, women will tell more people to visit you, buy more wine, and thank you for thinking of them.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by this summer. As harvest approaches and we are getting ready to take delivery on our first grapes of the season, we hope that you will keep in touch, check back in on our website and blog, and of course visit the tasting room.

Jeff

Bar Is Open!

noreply@blogger.com (Felicia) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:04:00 +0000

As you may have noticed we have been missing from our blog over the past couple of months. I promise it was for a very good reason. We have been hammering, nailing, painting, staining, hanging, cleaning, planning and there was a bit of swearing thrown in there too. Jeff and Mike suddenly turned into Bob and Norm from This Old House. It was touch and go there for a while but we were one step away from becoming the New Yankee Workshop. We learned a lot along the way like a Certificate of Occupancy is an essential (who knew?) and that ceiling tiles suddenly became the topic of every conversation we had. There really is only so much you can say about ceiling tiles!

After many weeks of preparation and hard work when all was said and done we finally have ourselves a Sort This Out Cellars Tasting Room. Yes, you read correctly an actual Tasting Room for you to come and taste wine. It is located in the heart of the Santa Barbara County Wine Country in Buellton, California. A convenient stop between the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Rita Hills AVA just off Hwy 101 near Pea Soup Andersen's Restaurant, open daily 10-5:30.

Join us for our "Official" Grand Opening Weekend on Friday & Saturday July 11-12, 10am-6pm. Stop by for the festivities and taste our newest release 2005 Money Plays Merlot Rollers Reserve. We also have great new Sort This Out Cellars merchandise including tee shirts, tank tops, coasters, wine openers and more! The weekend kicks off on Friday, July 11th at noon with the City of Buellton Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. We have lots of other special top secret surprises planned for the weekend too. You'll just have to stop by and see for yourself!

All of this wouldn't be possible without the help and support of all our friends and family. I would like to send a couple of special "shout outs" (I'm not sure if I'm too old to get away with using the term "shout out" but, I'm going to anyway!) to Allison and Cynthia, Mike's girls, for being such great and patient helpers on those long nights. Also, a special thanks to my friend, and expert interior designer, Jen for helping us pick out the perfect paint colors. Thanks to Lindsay for doing killer mock up concept drawings of the tasting room. (She knows I am not a visual person!) Last but not least a BIG thank you to my friend Becke for helping me to clean and stain the concrete floor on the hottest day in recorded Buellton history. 113 degrees is ridiculous! She truly deserves some kind of friendship medal.

Jeff, Mike, Gary and I hope you will stop by and visit us soon!
Sort This Out Cellars Tasting Room - 593 Avenue of the Flags, #105 - Buellton, California 93427.

Click Here For A Map And Driving Directions From Your Location.

We've Been Discovered!

noreply@blogger.com (Sort This Out Cellars) — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:06:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce that The Wine Spies have discovered our latest limited edition release, the 2005 Cardiff Giant Super Tuscan Sangiovese Blend and they absolutely LOVE the wine!

For only 24-hours, beginning on Friday morning (midnight Pacific), The Wine Spies will feature a small quantity of this wine at a great price. The wine will run on Friday only and they are only making a limited number of bottles available, so be sure to take early advantage of this special offer early.

It's first come first served and when they are out, they are out, so you may want to hurry. Wine Spies Operatives (what they call their customers) tend to buy up wines quickly.

As an added special for our friends ONLY, they have a "Buy Six bottles, get Free Ground Shipping" offer (use promotion code: TUSCANSPY and your discount will be applied at final checkout). As an added added special, they'll throw in a few surprises, including a copy of Imbibe Magazine, a great magazine about food and drink culture. We'll even try to talk them into throwing in a free Wine Spies wine key!

The Wine Spies is a unique wine reseller that makes wine buying fun and interesting. Their unique wine-a-day selling format and their fun presentation (from their website to carefully packaged wine shipments) are a nice departure from other online retailers.

For a complete list of states where The Wine Spies can ship, please visit their website. This offer is only good through The Wine Spies and it expires 5/9/08 @ 11:59:59pm.

Playing With The House's Money

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:47:00 +0000

We know buying wine from a new winery online can be a bit of a gamble. We're so sure that you will like our wines we want split the cost with you on your first order of 2003 Hardways.

Order 2003 Hardways Cabernet Sauvignon by Friday, March 28, 2008 and use the coupon code: red at check out to receive 50% off the retail price.

Order 1 bottle or roll the dice on a case, either way you're only paying $14 a bottle. This is a quick offer and when its over it is over. So, take the leap and give the wine a try. Remember, it costs the same to ship one bottle of wine as it does to ship two or three bottles, so think about taking advantage of this price to buy a bottle for yourself and a bottle for a friend to maximize your shipping dollars*.

* Shipping restrictions may apply. Please check out our website to learn more about shipping our wines to your state.

Try a Bottle of Hardways Today!

Jeff

San Diego - Here We Come!

noreply@blogger.com (Sort This Out Cellars) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:58:00 +0000

Pack your bags it's your lucky day! Come on down and taste our wines in sunny San Diego.

Join us Saturday, April 12th at the California Wine Festival - Reds, Whites and Blues By The Bay in San Diego, 12:00-4:00pm. We will be pouring our Hardways Cabernet Sauvignon, Cardiff Giant Red Blend and all 3 of the new Suited wines Sangiovese, Sangiovese Rosato and Pinot Grigio. Visit www.californiawinefestival.com for details and tickets.

For those of you out there who still haven't had a chance to sample our wines, stop your whining because now is your chance....no excuses. We know all of you in LA and the OC really need us to twist your arm to spend a long weekend at the hotel Del. So, put on your filp flops and come visit us!

See you there!

Spring, Beaches & Bikini Waxes

noreply@blogger.com (Felicia) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:38:00 +0000

There is something refreshing and new that comes with the first signs of Spring. It is the perfect time of year to cleanse your palate...no pun intended and start fresh. I was reminded of these quintessential signs of Spring yesterday. A day when the sun shines all day, the flowers are in full bloom and me not having to wear a parka to sit outside and enjoy breakfast. (Jeff always teases me because I like it to be a balmy 75 degrees wherever I am....and I always say "Who doesn't?!")

Jeff and I started our Easter Sunday with a great breakfast at the Del Monte Cafe (sorry no website to link to) in San Luis Obispo. It is the perfect little small town diner with down home breakfast foods. I had a yummy egg and chorizo burrito. I really don't get enough chorizo in my diet. We enjoyed sitting out on the patio in the sun so much we decided, hey let's go the beach.

It was a picturesque day out at Montana de Oro. The wind was calm and the wild flowers were in bloom. The beach cliffs looked like gold covered in beautiful California poppies. No wonder it's named 'Mountain of Gold'. We walked on the trails, the beach and explored the tide pools. After a couple hours of exploration we drove home with the sunroof open and the music blasting. Ahhh Spring!

After such a fabulous rejuvenating day I had the urge to do all things Spring.... clean my closet, pump up my bike tires, shave my legs & actually moisturize, get a pedicure, start thinking about what bathing suit I could possibly still fit in to, bikini wax (ugh!) and put that first Rose bottle of the season in the fridge. I am hoping this Spring weather only gets better because I am looking forward to popping open that Rose after work this week, I need all the help I can get while trying on bathing suits!

Felicia

Making Wine For My Friend Jeff Schuh

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 02:24:00 +0000

I grew up with a great friend named Jeff Schuh. We have been friends for more than 20 years now. He isn't a big wine drinker, not because he doesn't like wine, but because nobody makes wine for him. Jeff knows the basic varietals, but can't be bothered by appellations, estate bottled, wild yeast fermentation, old vines, or any of the other wine speak reserved for the modern wine snob. What matters to him is that he can drink wine and not feel like an idiot because he doesn't know what sur lies aging is. He wants to drink wine at a restaurant and not be looked at funny because he asked why the server poured him just a sip, not realizing that it's for him to sample to see if the bottle meets his approval.

When we were going through the process of conceptualizing the identity for Sort This Out Cellars, I often thought of how I could make a wine for my friend Jeff. Something that he would find interesting enough to take a chance on. Something he might feel comfortable taking to a friend's house for dinner. In the end, I think we have a pretty classic looking product. We pushed the envelope a little, making the design, the names, and the stories on the labels a reflection of us. In the end, I think we made something that my friend Jeff can relate to, good times and great wines. Most importantly, we ended up with some great wines.

Do you have a friend who is like Jeff? Help us make more wine drinkers by sharing great wines with friends who are waiting to find a wine to call their own. I can't wait to see Jeff again this summer and crack open a bottle of Hardways, spark up a couple cigars, and discuss the Dodgers 2008 pitching rotation while sitting out on the porch. That's how Jeff and I drink wine.....a lot different than when Felicia and I pop a bottle at Cortez in San Francisco....but not one bit less enjoyable.

Jeff

Cardiff Giant - The Legend

noreply@blogger.com (Sort This Out Cellars) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:27:00 +0000

Our recently released 2005 Cardiff Giant wine is a huge hit, destined to become a legend! Like kids in a candy store, "The List" Cellar Club members received their shipments last week and just couldn't wait to open their bottles. They have been calling and emailing letting us know how much they love it!

While I am a little biased, I have to agree with them. On Saturday, Jeff and I and took a bottle along with us to dinner at one of our favorite places, EP Koberl at Blue in San Luis Obispo. While I know this may sound crazy to you "follow the rules" wine geeks out there, it paired equally well with my herb roasted halibut with wild mushroom sauce, his Kobe beef burger with french fries and my friend's seared ahi tuna with wasabi beurre blanc. It was the perfect bottle to drink with different types of food. Even the waiter liked the wine and the label so much he actually popped it in his apron and asked to take the bottle home for his wine collection!

Don't take my word for it, pick yourself up a bottle of Cardiff Giant today and bring it along to your next dinner party!

Felicia - STOC Consigliere