Malibu Family Wines: Tasting Room

Saddlerock Cab Sav still ranks up in my top 10 fav all time wines and recently I have spent quite a lot of time up in the Malibu mountains in/around the origins of this fine (newer) wine. A couple weekend ago I visited the ranch, I went to a tasting room less then a mile from the ranch (different wine maker) and yesterday I layed on the well kept grass of the picnic area owned by the Semler Family and known as the Malibu Family Wines tasting room.

This past weekend I enjoyed a lovely (crowded) Sunday afternoon on the lawn of the Malibu Family Wines picnic area. I somehow always end up here when least prepared! I know it gets ridiculasly crowded on the weekends, but coming unprepared seems to enhance the experience. As if I am on the outside looking in on all the families that brought their own chairs, blankets, food, games...I love to people watch and this is a nice change to the beach (just down the street) to do so without getting sand...EVERYWHERE!

There is no fee to enter the gorgeous haven of wine lovers and they encourage you to bring your own spread (which I will someday do), however, making friends with those who DID come prepared is nice too! After brunch and a flight of wines at SIP just north of Malibu Family Wine tasting room, we rolled up around 2pm or so. Parking was difficult to find, but not impossible. We grabbed a shaddy spot of grass toward the back of the lot near the horshoe pits and made friends with a group of females who had cheese, salami, crackers, chips, home made brownies, caprise salad, etc! Lucky for my always hungry friend, they shared.


Live music was a nice touch as well, but with the talent in this area I was surprised at the entertainment they had on Sunday- 2 guitar playing guys who tried to play popular songs in a more mellow fashion but just not hitting the right notes. It was painful at times to listen but I am sure not many noticed as it was not a main event, just background noise.


I will be back in the future and I would recommend to come early and prepared to spend the afternoon. The wine itself is just okay. The chardonay we had a bottle of was a little blan but for a hot afternoon we didn't want to drink a heavy cab, which happens to be one of our all time favs. We wanted to give something else a chance to stand out and while it didnt, we still had a great time. I do prefer the Saddlerock wines to the (more expensive) Semler label they offer. The Saddlerock wines come from grapes grown in Central Cali while the Semler is locally grown malibu grapes. A little misleading if you ask me since the large rock at the ranch in Malibu is known as "saddle rock"...

Sip Malibu Cielo Wine Bar

2598 Sierra Creek Rd

Agoura Hills, CA 91301

(818) 865-0440

Easy to find right off Kanan Rd! (Next to the General Store/Bikers stop)

I had heard about SIP's Sunday brunch from a friend and have wanted to try it for some time now. This past weekend I did just that! $14.99 for your choice of omelette, burrito or scramble with your choices of ingredients along with sides and a mimosa.



I gotta say, they don't skimp on the mimosa either! They made them like I make them at home, which I have never seen anywhere (all champagne with a splash of OJ for color) haha


The live music was nice and mellow and the staff was all very friendly. Their brunch only goes until 12:30 and we had just made the cutoff. Right at 12:30 the music packs up and the place emptied, leaving me and my friend all alone on the gorgeous patio. Both of us surprised it was so empty!

We stayed for a glass of chardonney after breakfast and while it wasn't my favorite, it was refreshing on a HOT June day. (A little too sweet for my liking and no bite)


I would go back but earlier next time! (or later seeing as they have a fire bit and lights strune about. Could be a really chill place!)...They have gravel as the flooring on the patio, so girls: I would be wary of sandals since the pesky pebbels can get lodged between your toes! Not sure what type of shoe would be best though because heels could be tricky on the rocks as well...at least if you fall over you can blame the rubble! ;)


PS: They should change over the brunch to a BBQ during the afternoon to keep patrons there! ;)

Surfrider - Malibu Newton Canyon 2004 Red Wine

If you want to both drink a great bottle of wine and save the ocean, try this local Malibu wine! portion of the proceeds for each bottle purchased goes to the Surfrider Foundation, a grassroots, non-profit, environmental organization that works to protects our oceans, waves and beaches. The wine itself is was a 2004 Malibu Newton Canyon Red Wine. The tasting room is at Rosenthal The Malibu Estates at:

26035 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu, CA 90265 

There are some amazing reviews of the tasting room here

Going back to the wine itself, it is a bit spicy and bitter up front. The nose (how it smells) is very strong ! But the aftertaste is very smooth. A VERY delicious red wine that made me shiver with delight.

I found there were little to no legs/ It is quite thin in consistency. 

Winemaker Notes: Brilliant ruby glow. Cherry glaze, cedar, vanilla, and violets on the nose. Palette consists of Bing cherry, red raspberry, spice, and a touch of oak. Finish is round and subtle, balanced by firm tannins carried through the ripe red-currant and cedar ($29/btl)

RECOMMENDED, highly!

Maverick's Saloon

While it isn't a winery, it is a great place for hair of the dog!
If you go up to Santa Ynez for wine tasting, chances are you may need to get a room for the night after enjoying several flights at all the different wineries there are to choose from. If you do, you may want to have a bloody mary the following day to help ease your hangover and the ONLY place to go that I would recommend (HIGHLY) is Maverick's Saloon!
Like a scene in an old western movie, this place has so much charm and even better, strong drinks and a sassy bartender!
Best bloody Mary's within hundreds of miles! If you like em spicy, tell your bartender. SO YUM!

They also have ping pong tables set out, which I have never seen in a bar before along with a hunting game, pin ball machine, etc. They also have a large country festival style stage for live bands and I heard the saloon really fills up at night!
Above the bar there are hundreds of dollar bills pinned to the ceiling and I couldn't pass up the chance to deface some federal property and have my mark left here!

Many local good ol' boys were belly up to the bar and I would love to go back sometime to feel like a local and for some live band action.


Bloody Mary= $5


Defacing Federal Property for a chance to be a part of the saloon= $1


Watching a 4foot cowboy who looked like Freddy Krugar challenge my solider-boy friend to a game of hunt, lose severely and blame the fact he had too much respect for a veteran to win... priceless

Bridlewood Estate Winery

It is not common for me to like ALL wines on a tasting flight, but this place had the absolutely best wines in santa ynez! On a lovely Wednesday afternoon I hit up 4 wineries all with excellent service, knowledgeable staff and gorgeous grounds...but there was something incredible about the wine at Bridlewood. My favorite was the "English Pleasure" Syrah (retail for $32/bottle), which is odd for me because I am a Cabernet girl through and through.

This experience with falling in love with Syrah and their whites has opened me up pallet speaking to other types of wines. I can truly say now I am a WINE lover, not just a Cab lover!



We didn't get to really explore the grounds as much as I would have liked to, but I will be back for sure!


I think Sunwood winery was prettier in a more authentic Tuscan sense, but Bridlewood being more modern was setup for larger groups of people and was also very amazing.

Other wineries I visited this day:
Linwood (first image above), Sunwood (2nd image above), and Roblar

What to do with corks....

Ever wonder where the corks come from? Evidentally there is a cork tree! Yes, it's called the Cork Oak and harvesting the bark (cork) doesn't harm the tree! Weird, right? I don't want this to be a lesson on the Quercus suber (it's technical name), so if you want to learn more, check out the Wikipedia page here.
So what do you do with all the corks you have been saving over the years? 

If you are anything like me, you save wine and champagne corks in hopes a project will present itself worthy of your sinful collection. At the moment I hold all my corks in flower vases, which in and of itself is a pleasant display, but I am always on the look out for the perfect or most interesting way to display the corks. I still haven't found the ONE thing I want to permanently do with my cork collection and more than likely won't finally decide until I have a home of my own, but here are the most intriguing ways to recycle/re-use/decorate with used corks that I found.

Of course there are the extreme projects which take 3,000-20,000 corks like building a chair, decorating a car, covering an entire wall, making a jacket....but who is actually going to do that?

Instead of the utterly ridicules, here are my top choices for how to recycle/display your wine corks...

Rather than covering an entire wall, use the corks as a backsplash in your Tuscan/Wine themed kitchen. Finish your theme with a custom mural of grape vines or a vineyard scene!

Another option steaming from the wall of corks is taking it to your baseboards. This will be a subtle hidden addition to your room that is surprisingly very appealing!

Possibly my favorite project so far is the bath mat! By cutting the corks in half and gluing them together, you can instantly turn your boring bathroom into a high class spa in no time!

Remember those bead curtains you loved so much in high school? You can take the idea to the next level with your used wine corks! The cork curtain may not fit in everyone's home decor, but if you are a free spirit, have some time on your hands and want to really display your love of wine, this may be the project for you! 

The ever popular cork board, need I say more?

Taking the cork board to another level, use it as a backboard for your darts....

Or take it to a smaller scale and make coasters. If you are like me, you could make a set of 4 for 20 of your closest friends for the holidays! ;)

Also on the holiday note, make a wreath for yourself or as a gift for a wine lover in your life. These actually turn out looking way more classy than you would think!

If you can construct this cute little birdhouse, it will make your bird friends very happy.

If you are artsy, I am sure you will be itching to create your own cork mosiac like this one on the right. The possibilities are really endless!

A quick and easy project for those a little less creatively inclined is a keychain! You can find the keyhole rings at your local hardware store and screw them into the end of the corks.

A cork stamp lasts longer then potatoes and can come in handy around the house, especially when you have kids.

A lovely name card display ideal for a wedding reception which I plan on using for my own vineyard wedding someday! LOL

Cork jewelry! Make it for yourself or make it to sell it! You could make a profit from drinking, which will only make you want to drink more! (Like you need a reason, right?)

Cover your outside table for a unique conversation piece. I think this is such an adorable idea!

For those techy people with a flair for DIY projects, cut a cork and fit in a USB thumbdrive! I sooo wanna do this! ;)

I am not entirely sure what use this ball could have, but I think it looked cool! Perhaps you could tie fishing wire and hang it from the ceiling for a cool eclectic room!

A fun project to do with the kids, while of course not condoning drinking, but you can really make a plethora of characters for the holiday tree. I've seen reindeer's, angels, santa's and others on the web

So there you have it, my top picks for how to recycle/display wine corks. What will you choose to create with the corks you have so diligently been collecting? Let me know your favorites and other ideas you have come up with!

Calories in Wine?

Celebrating my recent birthday while (trying) to stay on a diet is difficult when you love wine so much, so I was curious as to exactly how many calories (approx) are in a glass of wine. The information I found online pertained to a 4oz glass, but let's be real here...I don't have just a single 4 oz glass of wine, ever! More like 6-8 oz glasses (plural), but here is a list of calories for those tiny little 4 ozers in case you were wonderin. 

<Multiply as needed!>

(I've never heard of some of these types of wine, but I'm always excited to try em!)

Wine (4 fl oz)	Calories
Beaujolais	95
Bordeaux, red	95
Burgundy, red	95
Burgundy, white	90
Cabernet Sauvignon	90
Chablis	85
Champagne, dry	105
Champagne, pink	100
Chardonnay	90
Chianti	100
Liebfraumilch	85
Madeira	160
Marsala	80
Merlot	95
Mosell	100
Muscatel	160
Port, ruby	185
Port, white	170
Reisling	90
Rhone	95
Rose	95
Sangria	115
Sauterne	115
Sauvignon Blanc	80
Tokay	165
Zinfandel, red	90
Zinfandel, white	80