August 28, 2010 - Ranch Wedding Reception

Another fantastic wedding reception at a remarkable home in Los Olivos. The 80 acre ranch, Racho LaVanche, was a beautiful and rustic setting for a reception where 100+ family and friends enjoyed a warm but breezy afternoon into evening. The food was fantastic and I believe the best Tri-tip I have ever tasted. The evening went smoothly and I enjoyed chatting and meeting with all of the guests.

The Bride and Groom chose seven wines for their guests. The variety was amazing and I wanted to share them with you. For the Whites:

Italy:
Pinot Grigio (Region: Italy > Veneto > Delle Venezie)

US:
Chardonnay - 2008 Clos Du Bois
(Region: US > California > Sonoma Valley)
Bright fruit flavors backed by intense notes of caramel, toffee, spice and toasty oak.

Chardonnay - Chateau Ste Michelle
(Region: US > Washington > Columbia Valley)
Bright sweet citrus fruit character and subtle spice and oak nuances

For the Reds:

US:
Cabernet Sauvignon - 2007 Chateau Ste Michelle
(Region: US > Washington > Columbia Valley)
Dark fruit aromas and flavors with hints of vanilla.

Pinot Noir - 2009 Castle rock
(Region: US > California > Mendocino County)
Layers of strawberry and raspberry leading into a long refined finish.

Italy:
Chianti - Castelspada (Region: Italy >Tuscany > Chianti)

Australia:
Red Blend - Pillar Box (Australia’s Bordeaux)
(50% Shiraz, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Merlot)
(Region: Australia >South Australia > Padthaway)
Dense and juicy, with flavors of fresh blackcurrant and cherry combined with aniseed, dried thyme and mocha oak characters.

Russian Wedding Reception

Now that I have been doing independent events now for over a year I have found that first meeting with the clients are the best way to not only show my personality, but get a feeling of what kind of service they want. One of my more recent clients was a bit harder to read. I arrived at a beautiful home here in Santa Barbara where I was told that they had already interviewed three other potential bartenders for the event by the bride and sister, the groom and another gentleman member of the family. The groom asked me questions about my abilities and whether I could make drinks such as Mai Tais, Pina Colada's, and Whiskey Sours. The other questions were just about my history in bartending. At the end of the interview not hearing much from the ladies, the groom told me that he would be in touch. At that moment, a swirling of Russian conversation arose in the room with the ladies sternly speaking to the groom. As the conversation subsided a minute later and as I smiled patiently, the groom told me that I had the job and that he would be contacting me and appreciated me coming to the house.

My first thought was ok... that was cool that I got the job, but moreover the power of these two women was awesome. I have no idea what they said but I was glad to be the chosen one.

Their wedding reception was at the same home for about 30-40 of their closest friends and family. They had a very simple reception with delicious food and creative choices of drinks. Again we served Mai Tai's and Pina Coladas, two choices of wine, but mostly lots of Vodka. I was praised for my work and the groom told me that he would be a reference for me anytime. These were really good people with a very close family. It was an amazing night of fun.