Owls often perch near the high ceiling of a historic barn where two birds of a different feather—a pair of local winemakers from separate regions—are planning to host a unique collaboration.
Built during the 1800s, the Kentucky Ranch Barn is a treasured venue at Paso Robles’ Thacher Winery, which will host a collaborative dinner with limited seating on Oct. 5 that will pair five food courses with 10 wines. Each dish in the lineup will include one wine tasting from vintner Sherman Thacher and one separate tasting from visiting winemaker Chase Carhartt, of Los Olivos’ Carhartt Family Wines.
One course, for example, will pair glasses of Thacher Winery’s 2021 graciano and Carhartt Family Wines’ 2020 chamise with charred octopus, Spanish chorizo, roasted potato, and olive tapenade.
Thacher Winery General Manager Tony Quealy described the upcoming dinner as “the perfect opportunity to showcase the collaborative aspect of the wine industry,” which isn’t as cutthroat as some outsiders might assume.
“It’s not a competitive environment,” Quealy said. “Sherman will tell you. … He’s on the phone with other winemakers, other vineyard managers all the time.”
The local wine scene is fueled by big family vibes and never short of people willing to lend a helping hand, Sherman concurred.
“There’s a winery down the road that has one of our tanks right now,” said the seasoned vintner, whose scenic workstation lies on a long, rural stretch of several neighboring vineyards. “He called me up Wednesday and said, ‘Can I borrow a tank if you have one available?’ … He came by about 10 minutes later. He needed it pretty bad, I guess.
“We’re all about helping each other out,” Sherman added. “We’re all partners. We’re all trying to do the same thing. We’re all in the same kind of situations.”
Sherman and his wife, Michelle, have known Carhartt for many years, but the October dinner event marks the first official collaboration between the two family-operated wineries.
The idea to pair each food course with two separate wine tastings—each introduced with some background insights from their respective winemakers between courses—adds a freshness that helps this gathering stand out, Michelle said.
“A lot of people around here go to winemaker dinners, but the fact that they can get two perspectives on wines that complement each other will be unique,” Michelle said. “I think people will really find that different. … We’re also tasting the difference between north SLO and north Santa Barbara [counties] and the different AVAs.”
Another collaborative component of the dinner worth noting is how the food courses—arranged by local culinary pros Justin Monson and Colin Pflugradt of Templeton-based Oak & Vine—were carefully selected.
Prior to finalizing the menu, the event’s two featured winemakers met with Monson and Pflugradt for them to preview and taste the 10 selected wines and brainstorm what kinds of dishes would best suit each tasting duo.
“Chase and I talked about wines that we wanted to present, and we kind of came up with wines that would work together with a food pairing,” Sherman said. “Both the chefs would taste, and then you’d see their eyes light up, and then one would say one thing. They fed off each other, and then it just kind of went crazy from there.”
The food selections will include fried pickle and caviar, smoked salmon on brioche, grilled quail salad, oak-roasted lamb chop, and more. The evening will conclude with dessert: dark chocolate pave (Brazilian trifle) with toasted coconut, paired with glasses of Thacher Winery’s 2021 Triumvirate reserve zinfandel and Carhartt’s 2020 petite sirah.
“The chefs did a really good job coming up with what I envision will be an amazing pairing,” Sherman said. “I think we came up with a really fun menu.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is all about the fried pickle. Send comments to [email protected].
