Monday, May 9, 2011

Veris Cellars, Carly & My Essential Oil Sprays!

When I first moved to the area two years ago, one of the first wineries we ever visited was Veris Cellars. They are one of the first stops off of Bethel Road as you are going west on 46W - so we had to stop. On that day we met our dear Carly, whom must have been laughing at us as we were a bit toasty and were probably having too much fun :)

I created this blog not only to talk about my experiences in the wine industry but to also highlight others working in tasting rooms in the area. Think "Winery Dogs" (highlighting the different dogs at different wineries) but instead we're highlighting tasting room staff. So who else would I highlight for my first blog on this subject? My dear Carly, of course!

So on a sunny afternoon, boyfriend and I trotted over to Veris Cellars to chat with Carly. First up, we had to find out what was new at Veris Cellars - what's been selling the best? Any new releases? The answer is:


The Veris Cellars Ben Hogan Golf Line of wines is a HUGE hit! These are wines with the legendary Ben Hogan on the label doing his incredible golf swings (pictured right.)

It's been such a big hit amongst golfers (pun intended) that Veris Cellars is even putting in a putting green so you can hit golf balls and have wine at the same time. Genius!

You can also purchase "The Swing Series" collector series  - a frame by frame shot on bottle after bottle showing Ben Hogan's full swing. Incredible.You can see it here.

I have to say how impressed I am at the marketing of this label as it makes the most amazing gift for any golfer in your life. Not only will they love the label but will get to enjoy the wine too!


Veris has also released a rose under their Nova Vita label. Nova Vita means "new life" and is a relatively new label for Veris. They offer three wines under this label: the rose, a petit verdot, and a syrah.

I was especially interested in the rose as I'm currently on a hunt for good roses as 'tis the season! This one is unique as it is a tempranillo & granche (or garnacha) based rose. It is a beautiful grapefruit color that looks gorgeous in the glass. It does have a touch of residual sugar that adds a bit of sweetness, but that makes it easy on the palate - a crowd pleaser for sure. I call wines like these "porch pounders." :)

What's unique about this wine is that the tempranillo & granche were co-fermented, meaning that the grapes were put in the vats together for the fermentation process rather than fermenting separately and then blended together later. The reason why they do this is because there becomes a greater harmony of flavors between the fruits - just like when you add salt do a dish while you're cooking it rather than adding it on top of your meal when the meal is served. Neat, huh?

But then we started chatting with Carly about Carly, and things really got interesting! First off, she lived in Colorado for a while and there met her current boyfriend. They moved out here together - he has amazing experience in the restaurant business and is now applying his skills to the wine industry as well, so they make quite the hospitality pair!

Carly is currently going to school to get a degree in social work/occupational therapy (can you imagine, going to school on top of working so many hours at Veris?) Her goal is to help people in third world countries, specifically Africa. In fact, this amazing woman has already spent eight months in Zambia with the organization, Seeds of Hope. While in Zambia. she worked on improving water hygiene and taught English as a second language. Her ultimate goal is to work at UNICEF, working towards bringing clean water to people everywhere.

Now keep in mind, I've known Carly for over a year, and never knew this about her. That's what I love about this blog. It allows me to talk to people to try to find out the "backstory" on them. So of course Carly is the most amazing person to talk to when it comes to Veris Cellars wines, yet keep in mind that she also has a depth of knowledge on many subjects - including Africa! Dear Carly, we are so impressed by you and honored to know you :)

So here's a photo of the fabulous lady herself, lounging at Veris Cellars with the winery cat, Divinity. Aren't they cute?


By the way, Divinity the cat is quite famous herself. She has her own photo album on the Veris Cellars Facebook page filled with photos taken of her from folks passing through as well as the classic winery shots. If you're going to Veris, definitely find Miss Divinity and give her a kiss or two :)

Now onto my shameless plug: Last fall Veris was looking to add new local artisan products to their tasting room. Carly and I happened to run into each other, she mentioned it, I brought over a few of my sprays and viola! Next thing you know I'm selling my flower essence/essential oil sprays at Veris! 


Long story short: I'm an holistic flower essence practitioner (similar to homeopathy) who also works with essential oils. Veris is carrying my "Essence of FRESH" sprays which give a "refresh & reboot" to your day. These are scented with the pure scent of a single essential oil that one can spray around oneself for a great pick-me-up over the course of the day. Flavors such as tangerine, grapefruit, lime, lemongrass and lavender - yum!  It's a garden of beautiful colors and scents - plus the label is pretty darn lovely too!



Here's a photo of my sprays at Veris. Didn't Carly do a fabulous job with the set up? She even added daisies to complete the "garden" feel.


So now you all have the latest news about the goings on at Veris Cellars. Last thing worthy of mention: Veris Cellars is located on a top of a hill and has beautiful views of rolling hills & vineyards. The grounds are gorgeous - they even hold weddings there - so it is an excellent place to hang out, picnic or share a bottle of wine on a beautiful day. 


A big thanks to Carly at Veris for making this blog possible! 

Veris Cellers is located at 1266 Bethel Road Templeton, CA 805.434.0319

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