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10 reasons to visit Sierra Nut House Wine Bar and Bistro

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Natali Carrera

Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her nine-year-old son, husband of 14 years and bargain hunting at Target. She works full time with ValleyPBS as their Director of Educational Services and is also a freelance writer and YouTube vlogger (as a hobby). She's been told "bubbly" is the best descriptor of her personality, though she wonders if what people really mean is that she talks too much. Natali is a lifelong Fresno resident and Fresno State grad.
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If you’ve lived in the Fresno area for any length of time, chances are you’ve either given or received a gift of delicious dried fruit or nuts from Sierra Nut House at least once.

Sierra Nut House has been in operation since 1969. The business began on the family’s almond farm in Clovis, CA, and it was followed by a gift shop that was built at Chestnut and Sierra. Sierra Nut House’s Wine Bar and Bistro is the most recent addition, located in the Villagio Shopping Center across from River Park on Blackstone and Nees.

Sierra Nut House

Sierra Nut House Wine Bar and Bistro located on Blackstone and Nees in the Villagio Shopping Center

This week, I had a meeting at the Wine Bar and Bistro—my first visit there—and I was blown away by how much it offers customers. I felt compelled to share with you, dear readers, some of the amazing things beyond fruit and nuts that await you upon your visit.

Here are my 10 reasons to visit the Sierra Nut House Bistro and Wine Bar.

1. Comfort foods

They make amazing breakfast pastries, frittatas, and hearty panini (wrap-style grilled sandwiches) from scratch. I tried the Apple Bread Pudding with slivered almonds and local raisins, which was served warm. It was heavenly!

2. All-you-can-drink coffee

Multiple roasts of coffee are served with free refills for dine-in guests, all day.

Sierra Nut House

Enjoy espresso beverages of drip coffee at the Sierra Nut House Bistro and Wine Bar’s café counter

3. Soup du Jour

Sierra Nut House Wine Bar and Bistro offers amazing soups each day, made with flavorful, fresh, and healthy ingredients. All of the soups listed on the Soup du Jour board were unique and mouth-watering, no standard-issue chicken soup to be seen.

4. Healthy and hearty options

If you like delicious salads, chicken bowls, and cheese plates, they’ve got ’em!

Sierra Nut House

Yummy, fresh lunch options on display in the Sierra Nut House café

5. Sugar-free selection

Once upon a time, Fresno used to have a Sugarless Shack store that offered sugarless candies and treats that even diabetics could enjoy. Sierra Nut House now fills that void, offering a wide selection of sugarless sweets.

Sierra Nut House

Sierra Nut House’s selection of sugar-free candies

6. CHEESE

Sierra Nut House offers a wide selection of gourmet cheeses, Italian snacks (including my family’s personal favorite, taralli, which are like savory, crispy, pretzels) and spreads—all items that make a wonderful snack or hostess gift combination.

Sierra Nut House

Just a few of the amazing cheeses available for purchase

7. Gift selection

Speaking of hostess gifts, Sierra Nut House offers a huge selection of wine, chocolates, local honey, jams, and nuts that can be purchased pre-wrapped or as a custom, you-fill-it gift basket.

Sierra Nut House

Just a fraction of the wine selection

Sierra Nut House

Local honeys for sale 

Sierra Nut House

Chocolate lovers rejoice: there’s a full aisle of gourmet goodies for you.

Sierra Nut House

A few examples of prepared gift items available for purchase

8. Chocolate

If you’re a chocolate lover, you’ll find hand-dipped truffles, fruits, and nougats in the cold case at the wine bar.

Sierra Nut House

Hand-dipped chocolates

9. Great staff

Sierra Nut House is known for customer service and knowledgeable staff who are happy to help customers select excellent gifts and wrap them expertly.

10. Fantastic atmosphere

Sierra Nut House’s Wine Bar and Bistro offers pleasant, comfortable indoor and outdoor seating perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a glass of wine with a friend or loved one.

Sierra Nut House

Interior view

Sierra Nut House

Outdoor seating

For more about what the Sierra Nut House has to offer, and to order online, visit their website here, and make sure to follow them on Facebook for updates.

Join CRŪ Winery in celebrating 15 amazing years this Saturday!

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Jason Farris

Head YES man at FresYes.com
I grew up in Fresno. Relaxed in its calm breezes, listened with my dad to the crack of the bat at little league baseball games when I was a kid and now take my son to do the same at minor league games. I broadened my mind at its schools (I went to high school right here at San Joaquin Memorial, and to college at Fresno State!) I love that if I drive for two hours in one direction, I can be in the mountains. For two hours in another, luxuriating on a California beach. I can enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere of San Francisco or Los Angeles, but still be able to come home to relaxation, calm, and quiet.

I love where I live, and I also love what I do. I'm lucky to be able to work in a profession in which I get to build relationships; one that has me meeting new people each and every day and helping them to build new lives in my beloved city. I'm lucky enough to work in a profession in which I can marry cutting-edge technologies and marketing techniques to good, old-fashioned, nose-to-the-grindstone work. I am lucky enough to work in a profession that allows me to work as an advocate for my clients; to use every tool at my disposal to get a job done well for them, and with as little stress and expense as possible.

I love my city. I love my job. One inspires my excellence for the other.

Fresno? I say FresYES

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So I don’t know if you know this about me, but I love wine.

One of my all-time favorite wineries is CRŪ Winery in Madera. CRŪ has been quietly crushing it for years—in fact, they have had some of their wines receive 90+ scores from the current best-selling author of Crushing It, Gary Vaynerchuck!  

Some of my favorite CRŪ wines have come from their sourcing efforts out of the Santa Lucia Highlands area. I always recommend to people the Pinot Noir that CRŪ puts out because of its drinkability. A novice wine drinker can easily enjoy a glass just as much as someone with a more experienced palate. 

CRU winery 15

This Saturday, CRŪ is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a really special party from noon to 4 p.m.

I recently asked Katie Hunt, VP of Sales and Marketing, a few questions about CRŪ’s past, its present, and its future, and what you can expect from this 15-year milestone event!

FresYes: What can fans of CRŪ expect from next week’s party?

Katie Hunt: CRŪ’s anniversary celebration will provide an afternoon of delightful (and award-winning) wine-tasting, specialty food trucks, music by the Lucky Devils Band, and special performances by Aerial Arts Dancers. We are also showing off our new event center (the CRŪ Pole Barn) and outdoor entertainment space, and each guest will receive a complimentary CRŪ 15th anniversary wine glass to take home. 

Awesome! Can you give me a little history about the winery?

CRŪ is the story of an accidental winery, an endeavor shared by long-time friends and entrepreneurs Richard Spencer and Mike Conway. In 2003, they purchased several wine-making assets, invested in the refurbishment of an abandoned processing facility in Madera, CA, began to source grapes from some of California’s finest appellations, and CRŪ was born. CRŪ, a French term traditionally translated as “growth” and generally used to identify a prestigious vineyard or group of vineyards, has come to embody the spirit of this company well beyond what was originally planned.  

Though Richard and Mike continue to own and operate several businesses in the Central Valley, their commitment to the growth and development of CRŪ has never wavered. Fifteen years into the wine business, the winery enjoys a beautifully renovated tasting room, a wonderful outdoor facility used for monthly wine club, tasting events and concerts, and is proud to boast some of California’s most decorated wines. CRŪ has a come a long way since its inception and, even with its long list of awards and accolades, believes the best remains yet to come.

What lessons has CRŪ learned about winemaking along the way?

CRŪ is a French term that identifies and classifies prestigious vineyards and the wines made from them; it expresses the idea that every vineyard site cultivates a unique and indigenous style. So, as our name suggests, sourcing the right fruit from the right locations [in California] greatly impacts our ability to make exceptional wine. Doing this has been—and perhaps always will be—a learning process. At CRŪ Winery, we always want to respect the history and locations of the exceptional vineyards from which we source our fruit, while also encouraging our winemaking team to be creative and distinct …. with a touch of charm and modernity. We have to keep up with the ever-changing wine world, and that means that we will always be learning.

What makes California wine so special?

Though the wine business in California is highly competitive—there are over 5,000 wineries in this state alone—it is precisely this competition that makes so many of us better. This state benefits from some of the most fertile soils and climate variations that combine to make wonderful growing conditions for growing wine grapes. It’s true that much of the wine world looks to France, Italy or other European countries for high quality wine, but California has a rather unique ability to make some really wonderful wines at price points that don’t frighten either established or new wine drinkers. 

In the last 15 years, what’s been your most popular wine?

It’s really hard to pick just one, but we have had great success with our CRŪ Montage Pinot Noir. It’s very balanced and approachable with hints of cherry, pomegranate, olive, spice, and tea on the palate.  More recently our CRŪ Unoaked Chardonnay has also become very popular with those Chardonnay drinkers who prefer no oak. We are also very excited about the launch of an extraordinarily special “José’s Rosé” this May that we think will sell out quickly.

What can we expect in CRŪ’s next 15 years?

CRŪ is growing! With the recent expansion/construction of our event center and our decision to more than double our wine-making this year, we are planning for aggressive but manageable growth. 2018 is a pivotal year for us and we definitely do not intend to rest on our extraordinary history. We intend to use the lessons that we have learned and the history that we have created as the foundation for our future success.  

…

cru winery 15

I’m so excited to see CRŪ’s growth continue and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the future! 

To get your reserved tickets to the 15th Anniversay Bash, call (559) 673-6372. And make sure to follow CRŪ on Facebook for updates on events and wine releases.

Win tickets to the Old Town Clovis Fall Wine Walk

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Jason Farris

Head YES man at FresYes.com
I grew up in Fresno. Relaxed in its calm breezes, listened with my dad to the crack of the bat at little league baseball games when I was a kid and now take my son to do the same at minor league games. I broadened my mind at its schools (I went to high school right here at San Joaquin Memorial, and to college at Fresno State!) I love that if I drive for two hours in one direction, I can be in the mountains. For two hours in another, luxuriating on a California beach. I can enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere of San Francisco or Los Angeles, but still be able to come home to relaxation, calm, and quiet.

I love where I live, and I also love what I do. I'm lucky to be able to work in a profession in which I get to build relationships; one that has me meeting new people each and every day and helping them to build new lives in my beloved city. I'm lucky enough to work in a profession in which I can marry cutting-edge technologies and marketing techniques to good, old-fashioned, nose-to-the-grindstone work. I am lucky enough to work in a profession that allows me to work as an advocate for my clients; to use every tool at my disposal to get a job done well for them, and with as little stress and expense as possible.

I love my city. I love my job. One inspires my excellence for the other.

Fresno? I say FresYES

Latest posts by Jason Farris (see all)

The Fall Wine Walk will return to Old Town Clovis Saturday, Oct. 7 from 5 to 8:30 p.m., and we’ve got tickets to give away.

Wineries from all over California will offer tastings of their best wines while local restaurants serve bites of their most delicious dishes. Shop, sip, and taste your way through Old Town at this popular local event.

You can purchase tickets in person at Fifth Street Antiques, Dave Shivers State Farm Insurance, and Hearts Delight, or online at OldTownClovis.org. Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 on the day of the event. With your ticket, you’ll receive a wrist band, complimentary wine glass, and punch card with a map of locations to access all of the booths set up around Old Town.

Be sure to check out the Old Town Clovis Wine Shop, set up on the corner of Fifth Street and Pollasky Ave., offering bottles and cases of wine from your favorite participating wineries.

fall wine walk

Ticket Giveaway

We have two pairs of tickets to give away to this fantastic event. To enter, click here and submit your full name. 

Two (2) winners will be chosen at random to receive two (2) tickets each. Winners must be at least 21 years old. One entry person. Deadline to enter this contest is Friday, Oct. 6 at 12 noon PST. Winners will be contacted via email. Contest entrants will be subscribed to the weekly FresYes Insider newsletter; to unsubscribe, click “unsubscribe” at the bottom of the newsletter.

Moravia Winery is a good time for both kids and adults

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Valerie Shelton

Caffeine addict - karaoke queen - dachshund mommy - writing machine

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On the western-most edge of Fresno, surrounded by vine after vine, is a little oasis where steamy summer nights become enjoyable, where the scent of drying raisins wafts in the breeze as the sun sets over the crops, creating a pink-hued sky. Here adults can sit back and sip sangria, Cabernet, and chardonnay as their kids play on a pirate ship-themed jungle gym or go on a scavenger hunt for painted rocks hidden in the vineyard.

This hidden gem is Moravia Winery, where my family members and I frequently go to relax. Each Friday throughout the summer, the winery hosts Family Fun Fridays, complete with some form of entertainment, from local band performances to paint nights, and a food and dessert vendor.

Activities for kids is a priority

Owner Wendi Hammond says the Family Fun nights began when she and her family first opened the winery spot in 2012, but at that time few people were aware of them. Now, Moravia averages between 100 and 250 guests each Friday, and a third of them are under 21.

While most adults go to partake in a glass or two of wine—there is an entry fee of $5 for adults, which goes toward the first glass—the winery prides itself on being kid friendly. This is evident from its S.S. Moravia playground, complete with swings and a large sand box, and by the fact they serve kids’ sangria (non-alcoholic) for free.

“It all revolves around kids,” Hammond says. “Even with live bands, I try to limit the number of just musical entertainment. In fact, my grandson, who is five, thought of a little activity for the kids. He had done it when he was at camp and they had rocks hidden around the campground and if you found one, you could exchange it for a prize. He had that idea that we should have that here and hide the rocks out in the vineyard, so we painted rocks and did that, and he said we should do that on a night when there is a band because it is kind of boring for the kids. So we do music, but we try to have a variety of entertainment. We have Polynesian dancers, folkloric dancers last week, just fun things.”

The S.S. Moravia, where kids set sail for a fun time while their parents enjoy a glass of wine.

Two Fridays ago was a big night for the kids—farm night. Farm night featured a free petting zoo where kids got to interact with goats, sheep, rabbits, and a miniature horse. Kids could also go on a hayride, and though it wasn’t on the agenda, many little ones had fun chasing frogs that had come out on the cool night to hop around in Moravia’s flowerbeds.

Popularity with locals leads to increased wine production

As the kids had fun playing with the animals, the adults indulged in their own sangria blend and sipped Moravia’s featured wines. Wines available for tasting included a 2015 Chardonnay, 2015 Alberino, 2015 Symphony, 2016 Dry Symphony, 2013 Merlot, 2013 Cabernet, 2013 Med Venner, and a 2016 Moscato.

Personally, I’m a fan of Moravia’s whites. The Symphony is my overall favorite. It is a semi-sweet variety from a Grenache Gris and Muscat Alexander with a floral noise and fruity finish. My other go-to is the sweet Moscato.

While the winery is young, in only its fifth full year of operation, Moravia has become quite popular, mainly with locals. The Moravia Wine Club currently boasts 400 members and just this month, its wines were introduced into the retail market via six Central Valley Costco locations.

My niece Mackenzie (right) and her friend enjoying the petting zoo on Farm Night at Moravia.

With its popularity and sales increasing, Moravia is currently working to expand its production facility.

“We’re putting in a new production building,” Hammond says. “This will allow us to increase our production and bring our production of whites over here. We have been having to produce our whites off site at another custom crush facility because we don’t have the chill tanks and all of that equipment here, but now we’ll be able to do both whites and reds.”

As if winemaking and hosting family fun nights weren’t enough, Moravia is also host to around 40 weddings each year. And on Sept. 30, brides and grooms looking for an outdoor venue with the backdrop of a beautiful vineyard can stop by Moravia’s wedding open house, from 7 to 9 p.m. ($10 per person).

My nephew Nathan (left) and his friends get ready for the hayride on Moravia’s farm night.

With the summer winding down, there are only six Family Fun nights left:

  • There will be double the entertainment on Aug. 25 with Flamenco dancers and Grandma Nancy’s crafts, as well as Big Rigz BBQ.
  • Sept. 1 will welcome No Town Five and Ruffoni Artisan Pizza.
  • Sept. 8 will feature Color Me Mine, Grayson Conrad on classic guitar, and Where’s The Food.
  • Sept. 15 entertainment will be Mariachi Alas De Plata, with food vendor Papa’s Mexican.
  • Sept. 22, the winery will host Déjà vu and Grandma Nancy’s Crafts, along with the Dog Wagon.
  • And for the final family fun night of the season—the Moravia harvest party—there will be entertainment courtesy of accordian player Rick Del Carlo and food available from Big Rigz BBQ.

Moravia is located at 3620 N. Bishop in Fresno. Find them online here or follow them on Facebook.

 

Poll: What’s the BEST Kind of Wine?

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Jason Farris

Head YES man at FresYes.com
I grew up in Fresno. Relaxed in its calm breezes, listened with my dad to the crack of the bat at little league baseball games when I was a kid and now take my son to do the same at minor league games. I broadened my mind at its schools (I went to high school right here at San Joaquin Memorial, and to college at Fresno State!) I love that if I drive for two hours in one direction, I can be in the mountains. For two hours in another, luxuriating on a California beach. I can enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere of San Francisco or Los Angeles, but still be able to come home to relaxation, calm, and quiet.

I love where I live, and I also love what I do. I'm lucky to be able to work in a profession in which I get to build relationships; one that has me meeting new people each and every day and helping them to build new lives in my beloved city. I'm lucky enough to work in a profession in which I can marry cutting-edge technologies and marketing techniques to good, old-fashioned, nose-to-the-grindstone work. I am lucky enough to work in a profession that allows me to work as an advocate for my clients; to use every tool at my disposal to get a job done well for them, and with as little stress and expense as possible.

I love my city. I love my job. One inspires my excellence for the other.

Fresno? I say FresYES

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Today is National Wine Day and I’m sick. Can you believe the luck?

best kind of wine

I may not be able to celebrate today in style, but you can. Grab a bottle of your favorite nectar of the gods and have a glass for me.

But before you do, answer me this: What is the best kind of wine? Are you a fan of the oak-y Chardonnay or the spice-y Cabernet? Maybe you enjoy a good port, or bubbles float your boat.

Weigh in on the BEST kind of wine below.


Total Wine & More Offers Local Wine Lovers a Crazy-Huge Selection

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Natali Carrera

Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her nine-year-old son, husband of 14 years and bargain hunting at Target. She works full time with ValleyPBS as their Director of Educational Services and is also a freelance writer and YouTube vlogger (as a hobby). She's been told "bubbly" is the best descriptor of her personality, though she wonders if what people really mean is that she talks too much. Natali is a lifelong Fresno resident and Fresno State grad.
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Last Wednesday, Fresno officially welcomed mega-wine retailer Total Wine & More to the Villagio shopping center on the southwest corner of Blackstone and Nees. Occupying the large, former Ethan Allen showroom, Total Wine & More brings to Fresno an unmatched selection of wines at prices as low as Costco, and with customer service that promises to be exceptional all around.

Like its name indicates, wine is the store’s main focus, however, the “more” is a fairly substantial array of wine accessories, beers (including a great selection of local, craft beers), liquors, cigars (in a walk-in humidor), snacks, and the widest selection of airline-style mini liquors I’ve ever seen.

total wine and more fresno

Just a tiny half-aisle view of one section of the wine selection at Total Wines & More

What Makes Wine & More Different

Total Wine & More offers discounts beyond their regularly low prices when you purchase six wines, take advantage of their store loyalty program, or use their coupon specials (the current special, for example, is to get $15 off when you spend $100 on wine).

If you’re wondering how the store differs from say, BevMo, which is what I wondered prior to visiting on their media preview night last week, I’d say the selection, especially of wines, is quite a bit larger. There are aisles and aisles of wine.

Also, the prices are lower (my friend who attended with me and who has worked in the industry repeatedly had to pick her jaw up off the ground at the low prices on some of the wines, which were way lower than she’d ever seen on some typically high-priced bottles), and the customer service is more extensive. Employees at Total Wine & More regularly participate in wine classes, tastings, and even visit winemakers on site to learn more about the products they are offering to customers.

Oh, and did I mention they have wine tasting for customers several times each weekend, too?

total wine and more fresno

My friend Krista chats about wines from Washington at the media preview event

total wine and more fresno

I liked seeing the tags sharing employee favorites.

Convenient Services & Investing in Local Arts

Additionally, Total Wine & More offers a few convenient services customers may really enjoy, too —especially those with busy schedules. Shoppers can opt to pre-order their items online and pick them up one hour later all boxed and ready to go. They can also take advantage of the rapid chiller which can cool a bottle of wine in as little as three minutes. Total Wine & More also offers keg service for large events and gatherings.

Finally, Total Wine & More also invests in the arts near each location. The Fresno store donated a portion of all sales made for its first four days of operation to the Fresno Art Museum, whose board members also enthusiastically attended the store’s media preview night.

total wine and more fresno

They had Fresno made out of CHEESE! CHEESE FRESNO!

So, what do you think? Will you be perusing the new wine lover’s paradise in north Fresno? Or sticking to your usual spots?

My friend Krista and I welcoming Total Wine & More to Fresno with a toast

total wine and more fresno

Tired of Dinner Out? Try Wine Tasting This Valentine’s Day

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Natali Carrera

Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her nine-year-old son, husband of 14 years and bargain hunting at Target. She works full time with ValleyPBS as their Director of Educational Services and is also a freelance writer and YouTube vlogger (as a hobby). She's been told "bubbly" is the best descriptor of her personality, though she wonders if what people really mean is that she talks too much. Natali is a lifelong Fresno resident and Fresno State grad.
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Confession: Until last year, I’d never actually been wine tasting at a winery. I know, such a shame, right?

Then, last Valentine’s Day, our friends invited my husband and I to join them for a chartered bus trip to tour a number of Fresno County wineries. We purchased tickets for the Wine and Chocolate Lovers Weekend on the Fresno County Wine Journey through Golden Eagle Charter. Wow, was that one of the most fun, relaxing, and enjoyable days I think my husband and I have ever had. Plus, it was such a nice change of pace from waiting to get into a restaurant for dinner on Valentine’s Day, or choosing an off weeknight instead to avoid the crowds.

This year, Golden Eagle is chartering the similarly named Madera Wine and Chocolate Weekend. You can’t go wrong with either trail—Fresno or Madera—from what I understand, but may I politely implore you, if you enjoy wine, to try wine tasting this Valentine’s Day weekend at either?

Wine Tasting This Valentine's Day

Our wine “chariot”

During last year’s chartered tour, we enjoyed tastings at four locations. Our first stop was Yribarren Family Vineyard located at 12333 W. Neilson in Kerman. Yribarren had a small craft fair, beautiful outdoor seating area, and a rich, sweet Sangiovese wine that our entire group fell in love with. They also had a homemade ice cream vendor, Jay’s Specialty Ice Cream, that offered a number of rich, creamy flavors we couldn’t resist.

Our next stop was A. Nonini Winery at 2640 N Dickenson Ave. in Fresno. A. Nonini is a family winery that’s been in operation for over 75 years, and prides itself on making wine “the old world way” using few preservatives and creating wines with a “big fruit” taste. At A. Nonini, we enjoyed chicken tacos from a great vendor, and some outdoor, pop-up boutique shopping. The tasting area in the barrel room at A. Nonini was huge, dark, and filled with beautiful wood barrels and sparkling white lights —it was quite a romantic setting.

The third stop was Lomac Winery at 2674 N. Westlawn in Fresno. This location really made things a lot of fun. They had a photo booth set up complete with goofy props, numerous tasting stations, food vendors (including a chocolate fountain!), lawn games, and even a large warehouse room with ag equipment on display that you could check out. We had such a great time at Lomac!

Wine Tasting This Valentine's Day

Fun times playing cornhole on the lawn at Lomac

Our final stop was Engelmann Cellars, 3275 N. Rolinda Ave. in Fresno. If you’ve ever been to Engelmann for a wedding or Friday night movie or concert, you already know it’s enchanting. The winery had a wide variety of wines available for tasting, and a large indoor vendor fair (I ended up leaving with a beautiful heart-shaped ring to commemorate the day), plus an awesome taco vendor and fun photo op area.

Wine Tasting This Valentine's Day

Four wineries in, husbands don’t even grumble over cheesy photo ops! #wine

Wine Tasting This Valentine's Day

Engelmann Cellars

For Valentine’s Day weekend this year, we were struggling to decide whether to take the bus tour to Madera or to designate a driver and head back to some of the places we loved so much last year. Ultimately, we decided we want to go back to some of the wineries on the west side of Fresno County, so perhaps you’ll see us out there if you join in on the fun.

If you’re looking for something special to do this Valentine’s weekend, making a day of enjoying our beautiful, local wineries could be just the ticket.

For More Information

• Golden Eagle Chartered Tour to the Madera Wine and Chocolate Weekend Wineries is $45. Tickets can be found here.

• If you’re interested in attending the Madera Wine and Chocolate Weekend without the chartered bus, information can be found here.

• If you’d like to attend the Fresno County Wine and Chocolate Lovers Weekend, here is the information for that (18 total wineries and breweries will be participating this year!)

See you out on the wine trail!

 

 

Rejoice, For Today is National Cheese Lover’s Day

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Jason Farris

Head YES man at FresYes.com
I grew up in Fresno. Relaxed in its calm breezes, listened with my dad to the crack of the bat at little league baseball games when I was a kid and now take my son to do the same at minor league games. I broadened my mind at its schools (I went to high school right here at San Joaquin Memorial, and to college at Fresno State!) I love that if I drive for two hours in one direction, I can be in the mountains. For two hours in another, luxuriating on a California beach. I can enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere of San Francisco or Los Angeles, but still be able to come home to relaxation, calm, and quiet.

I love where I live, and I also love what I do. I'm lucky to be able to work in a profession in which I get to build relationships; one that has me meeting new people each and every day and helping them to build new lives in my beloved city. I'm lucky enough to work in a profession in which I can marry cutting-edge technologies and marketing techniques to good, old-fashioned, nose-to-the-grindstone work. I am lucky enough to work in a profession that allows me to work as an advocate for my clients; to use every tool at my disposal to get a job done well for them, and with as little stress and expense as possible.

I love my city. I love my job. One inspires my excellence for the other.

Fresno? I say FresYES

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Sure, there are more important things happening in the world today, but this ranks pretty highly, if you ask me: It’s National Cheese Lover’s Day.

Now, I know what you’re thinking because I’m thinking it, too: Every day is cheese lover’s day. But today is special in that you have an excuse other than “because I feel like it” for sitting in your bathtub gnawing on a two-pound brick of cheddar.

The Market on West and Herndon is a great place to indulge your cheese fantasies.

Take it all in. To your belly.

While there’s no wrong way to enjoy cheese, there are certainly better ways to enjoy cheese. Namely, paired with wine.

With this in mind, we hit up winemaker David Scheidt of Mastro Scheidt Family Cellars in Healdsburg, California, to give us some suggestions for how to pair his wines with some of our favorite cheeses for the ultimate cheese plate. And then we went out and bought wine and cheese to taste in the FresYes office because science.

Here’s what David told us:

As with any cheese plate, a mix of various nuts, especially local almonds and pistachios, adds depth and texture. Naturally, the pairing of a French baguette or rustic Italian loaf of bread is always welcome on a cheese board. I prefer California Flatbread, a mixed seed cracker, to add yet another layer of crunchiness to complement the nuts.

Pairing #1

The Cheese: Sartori BellaVitano Gold. Creamy, nutty flavors make you almost believe you’re eating a young Parmigiano Reggiano, So, to stay regionally complementary, a Sangiovese is the proper pairing.

The Wine: 2015 Mastro Scheidt Sangiovese, (available at Sierra Nut House and The Annex Kitchen in Fresno, and The Schoolhouse in Sanger). Sangiovese is a great alternative to Pinot Noir. Sangiovese has less tannin and greater red fruit qualities that make it a great bottle of wine from the start of the meal through the finish.

Pairing #2

The Cheese: Cypress Grove Midnight Moon will pair the best with my overall suggestion of preparing a cheese plate of various crackers, bread, and nuts.

The Wine: 2013 Mastro Scheidt Cuvee (available at Vino and Spirits and Cracked Pepper in Fresno). Easy to pair and drink with a wide variety of cheeses, meats, and meals.

Pairing #3

The Cheese: Somerdale Cotswold. We kept buying Cotswold over the Christmas season to pair with Cabernet Sauvignon in almost every gathering. It’s the richness of the cheese combined with the chives that make you think about shredding this cheese over baked potato.

The Wine: 2013 Mastro Scheidt Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley (available at The Market). Going back to the baked potato idea with Cotswold, this Cabernet shines with steak and grilled meats.

2013 Mastro Scheidt Cabernet Sauvignon and Cotswold Double Gloucester cheese

The Tasting

While we weren’t able to secure all of David’s fantastic suggestions (ran out of time, sadly), we did manage to grab a bottle of his 2013 Mastro Scheidt Cabernet Sauvignon and the Cotswold cheese. Both were amazing, as expected. The wine was rich and peppery (bear with me; I’m no wine-describing expert) and the cheese? Well, it’s cheese. It was heaven.

The Mastro Scheidt cab was a huge hit!

We also grabbed a bottle of Madera-made CRU Pinot Noir and some goat cheese, which were also very much appreciated in the office.

CRU Pinot Noir with goat cheese and marcona almonds

Can you think of a better way to celebrate a major holiday like National Cheese Lover’s Day?

 

Thanks to David Scheidt for his suggestions. To learn more about David and his wines, check out this profile FresYes did in 2014.

We hope you have a glorious National Cheese Lover’s Day.