Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/4337
november 2009 / the tasting panel / 89 his wines with Covey's farm-fresh cuisine, made from the ingredients purchased the night before. As Bak- er poured the delicately luscious and floral Edna Valley 2007 Vineyard Pinot Noir with Covey's red and golden beet roulade, he explained that Edna Valley's unique topogra- phy can be credited for this up-and- coming appellation's recent growth. "The entire valley is an old estuary," noted Baker, who also attributes this AVA's long, cool growing season to the valley's east-west situation and proximity to the ocean. "Since it used to be under water, we get fan- tastic clay and mineral-rich soil—we even get some beach sand." Edna Valley Vineyard is one of the more than 50 San Luis Obispo County wineries that are members of the Central Coast Vineyard Team, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote sus- tainable winegrowing on the Central Coast. Participating growers and wineries have adopted environmen- tally-conscious farming practices, but the area's emphasis on sustain- ability has permeated all aspects of winemaking. "These days, there's a sustainable focus on everything from water quality to the way em- ployees are treated," remarks Kris O'Connor, Executive Director for the Central Coast Vineyard Team. "The sustainable certification process is the natural evolution of our industry because people are starting to real- ize how disconnected we are from our food sources. There's a place for sustainability with consumers, mainly because consumers like it, but it's still all about the wines." With incredible wines and the freshest produce—and with wine- makers and chefs coming together behind the area's sustainability movement—California's Central Coast is taking it to the next level. Joeli Yaguda of Pasolivo, a Paso Robles–based olive oil company, explains the nuances of the various blends and flavors that are produced sustainably on-premise. In Paso Robles, Winemaker Dan Kleck of Silver Stone embraces the relaxed na- ture of the area, which is proud of its "slow" lifestyle—a pun on San Luis Obispo's abbreviation, SLO. "This is not Napa, and we're not trying to be Napa," he quips. "We're a different breed." Robin Covey (right), joins his chefs in the Edna Valley Vineyards kitchen, where they prepare a meal with locally-sourced ingredients.