IVV is hitting the road, and we invite you to come with us! Check back often as we update more events in the future.
February 28, 2010
Hilton Anaheim | Anaheim, CA | www.ocws.org
March 14, 2010
Del Mar Fair Grounds | San Diego, CA | www.familywinemakers.org
April 16-18, 2010
Sata Margarita Ranch | Santa Margarita, CA | www.earthdayfoodandwine.com/
Press
Cowboys & Indians, Premier Magazine Of The West
Coral Chorus
By Darryl Beeson
March 2010
In 1998 Ron and Pam Harris acquired an 80-acre undeveloped cow pasture just north of Paso Robles, California, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Here, while still commuting to their Bay Area day jobs, the Harrises started Indian Valley Vineyards, fulfilling their longtime dream of crafting their own wines. The winery’s name comes from the local Indian Valley Road, which traverses the length of the area’s narrow valley, and also reflects Ron’s herit-age. “My great-grandmother was Native American from the Iowa tribe, but I found it difficult to get my grandfather to tell me details,” Ron says, acknowledging that his land allows him to feel closer to his Native roots. Even the label itself is a representation of the traditional Indian squash blossom design, or naja, which is associated with crop fertility.
Named after the vibrant red coral stone often used to make Native American jewelry, Indian Valley’s Coral wine is a powerful Bordeaux-style blend made from cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc grapes. The stress of hot days followed by Pacific-influenced cool nights (sometimes there is as much as a 50-degree variation within 24 hours), combined with extremely diverse, usually bedrock-derived soil all add to the wine’s complexity. The flavors are huge with ripe red fruit and toasty oak from barrel aging. Try it, as the Harrises recommend, with a Santa Maria tri-tip, garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted sweet white corn on the cob drizzled with a little cayenne butter, and you, too, will want to thank all those who nurtured the land before us. www.cowboysindians.com/food-wine/
Schaefer On Wine, Santa Barbara News Press
Local Wines that are a good value for tough times
By Dennis Schaefer
Post holiday and post economic meltdown, it's nice to find a few good local Central Coast wineries that provide good value for the money. One of the reasons the wines below are inexpensive compared to the quality in the bottle is that both these vintners are relatively new.
Indian Valley Vineyards, with its vineyard based near San Miguel in Indian Valley, just north of Paso Robles, is also a family operation. Owner Ron Harris had a dream to become a vintner, bought the undeveloped grazing land in 1998 and has been working the property ever since. His Native American heritage is reflected in the names of the wines and the distinct squash blossom logo on the label. He, likewise, hired an old hand as winemaker, Steve Glossner, who spent a number of years at Justin and Adelaida.
• Indian Valley Coral 2004 ($15): The least expensive wine in the Indian Valley line-up is a Bordeaux style blend, primarily Cabernet blended with mer lot and Cabernet franc. Showing ripe red cherry, forest floor and oak on the nose, the robust flavors follow suit with more red cherry and toasty oak, from nearly three years aging in oak barrels. Designed to be enjoyed on release, it's a real quaffer that is accessible and appropriately priced.
• Indian Valley Vineyards Nation 2005 ($25): This wine is mer lot based and more serious, as can easily be discerned by its dark extracted color. The fruit on the nose, black cherry, blackberry and boysenberry, is also dark, deep and intriguing. The dark berry flavors come through in spades augmented by cocoa powder, tobacco and wood spice. A certain savoriness, as typified by its herbal elements, run though it, as well as a little menthol lift and the sort of bacon rind effect from extended aging in toasty American oak barrels. Plus, at three years old, its good acidity gives it a freshness and vivacity.
• Indian Valley Vineyards Cab Nation 2005 ($25): In my mind, this is best Indian Valley wine, nearly all Cabernet. Dark berry, cherry and cassis drift out of the glass coupled with hints of shoe polish and olive tapenade. Blackberry and black cherry flavors hook up with cocoa powder and a faint twist of dried Italian herbs. For a big, full bodied wine, its fruit is still pliant and generous. Given the ripe fruit coupled with a classic structure, it's a good candidate for cellar aging, though quite easily enjoyed now.
Wine expert Dennis Schaefer's column appears every other week in the Food section. E-mail: life@newspress.com
Our newest vintages have already begun to earn an award winning reputation. Check out our results below.
| 2006 Indian Valley Vineyards Cab Nation, Central Coast | ||
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| 2006 Indian Valley Vineyards Nation, Central Coast | ||
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Double Gold | |
| San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition | Silver | |
| Orange County Fair | Silver | |
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Bronze | |
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Bronze |
| 2006 Indian Valley Vineyards Nation, Central Coast Label Awarded |
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Third Place | |
| 2005 Indian Valley Vineyards Nation, Central Coast | |
| San Francisco Int’l Wine Competition | Silver |
| Indiana State Fair Int’l Wine Competition | Silver |
| Orange County Fair | Bronze |
| Long Beach Grand Cru | Bronze |
| El Dorado County Fair | Bronze |
2005 Indian Valley Vineyards Cab Nation, Central Coast |
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| Long Beach Grand Cru | Chairman’s Best of Class |
| Orange County Fair | Gold |
| San Francisco Int’l Wine Competition | Bronze |
| Indiana State Fair Int’l Wine Competition | Bronze |
| El Dorado County Fair | Bronze |
2004 Indian Valley Vineyards Coral, Central Coast |
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Indiana State Fair Int’l Wine Competition
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Silver |
| El Dorado County Fair | Bronze |
