Galante Gazette- January 2015

Eliud – 30 Great Years

Many of you have had the pleasure of meeting Eliud Ortiz, our ranch manager for the past 30 years. However, you may not know a lot about Eliud and how he ended up with us at Galante Vineyards. Eliud was born in Guatemala in 1960, one of four children. His mother and stepfather, Bralio, emigrated to the US in 1968 while Eliud remained in Guatemala to finish his education in electronics. With no great future ahead of him in Guatemala he headed for the US in 1982. Eliud’s stepfather was working at the time for our neighbor, Durney Vineyards. Bralio asked my father if we might have a position for his young stepson and Eliud started working on the ranch in 1984 as a ranch hand. Over the next few years Eliud’s responsibilities increased and he moved into a small house on the property. In 1986 we had our first grape harvest and in 1987 Eliud married his wife, Maria. In December 1989, through hard work and dedication, Eliud became our official vineyard manager. Eliud moved into a larger house on the ranch where he has raised his three children and a grandchild. To this day, Eliud manages not only the entire ranch and cattle business but also the vineyards. He also oversaw our past garden rose business and he assists with whatever needs doing at the winery. I want to thank my great friend, Eliud, for 30 years of stewardship and loyalty. They don’t make ‘em like you anymore!

Gourmet Fest 2015 – Galante Highlighted

The inaugural 2014 Relais & Châteaux GourmetFest brought a bounty of prestigious chefs, wineries and luxury brands from around the world to beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea to celebrate Relais & Châteaux’s 60th birthday. For the 2015 GourmetFest (March 5-8), David Fink and his team have created an even more exciting lineup of Relais & Châteaux Chefs from around-the-world paired with an impressive collection of wine estates and spirits. Over the course of four days guests can experience a range of events in one location, often only available to the seasoned food and wine traveler. From an ample gathering of local and international wineries and passionate chefs to intimate dinners featuring the best wines in the world and the cooking of Michelin starred chefs, guests will be given a unique experience that only the Relais & Châteaux brand can provide. As a special added bonus, on Friday, March 6th, Galante Vineyards will be one of the Special Featured Wineries. A limited number of guests will be able to experience the rustic elegance of Galante Vineyards at an exclusive event at the winery. The tour will feature barrel and bottle tasting of Galante wines and a sumptuous lunch paired with Galante wines (including library selections!). See the Events section below for more information. Book your tickets for the GourmetFest and the Galante Event soon!

Red Rose Roundup 

For all you Red Rose Hill fans – you do not want to miss this offer. I have decided to release a very limited number of Vertical Collections of our Red Rose Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. Choose from a 12-bottle case or a 6-pack (limit one selection per customer). In the 12-bottle case you will receive a bottle each of 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009. For the 6-pack you will receive a bottle each of 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 & 2000. Your very special price for the 12-pack is $990 (Retail $1,265), and $690 for the 6-pack (Retail $870). In addition, we will include the shipping. This offer will only be available while supplies last and for a limited time. So go ahead and smell (and taste) the Roses!! Order now!

Wine of the Month – 2010 Ace High Malbec

Each month we select one wine to highlight with a very special offer. Our 2010 Ace High Malbec is January’s Wine of the Month. This wonderful wine is bright and lively with a lovely bouquet of boysenberry and violet and a flavor profile of spicy plum and blackberry. It is a rich and juicy wine with moderate tannins and will pair wonderfully with a variety of cuisine. One of my favorites is grilled flank steak with chimichurri sauce! Order 6 or more bottles and receive free shipping. ORDER NOW! Note, this is an on-line exclusive offer.

Upcoming Events

Feb 8: Rancho Cielo Culinary Roundup, Monterey Plaza Hotel, Monterey, CA; 5-8pm

Mark your calendar for Rancho Cielo’s biggest fundraiser of the year.  The 6th Annual Culinary Round Up is just around the corner and is sure to knock your boots off.  This event will feature Monterey County’s top chefs and wineries, including Galante Vineyards. Get your cowboy boots out and get ready to enjoy a delicious array of culinary delights, listen to inspiring student stories, and support Rancho Cielo’s work.  Please call 831-444-3530 with any questions, or Click HERE for Online Ticket Purchases.

Mar 6: GourmetFest - Galante Vineyards Tour & Lunch, Carmel Valley, CA; 9:30-2pm

As described above, the 2015 GourmetFest is not to be missed, especially the wonderful event that will be held at Galante Vineyards! Join Jack and Dawn Galante along with guest chefs Warren Barr of The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn and Jonathan Cartwright from Muse by Jonathan, for an absolutely fabulous lunch paired with specially selected Galante wines. Let us know that you are coming (email Danielle@galantevineyards.com) and there will be an extra special gift for our fans. Get your tickets on-line before the sell out – limited spaces are available. See you at the ranch!

Jack’s Saddlebag – The Real Scoop

In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a healthy young wife by the name of Dorothy.

And Dot Com was a homely woman, large of breast, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.

And she said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?"

And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, "How, dear?"

And Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price. The sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)."

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success.

Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to move from his tent.

To prevent neighboring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew. It was known as Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures - Hebrew To The People (HTTP).

And the young men did take to Dot Com's trading, as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Damascus Sybarites, or NERDS.

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land. Indeed he did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother Gates' drum heads and drum sticks.

And Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others. “And Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel , or eBay as it came to be known.

He said, "We need a name that reflects what we are."

And Dot replied, "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators."

"YAHOO," said Abraham. And because it was Dot's idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com.

Abraham's cousin, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot's drums to locate things around the countryside.

It soon became known as God's Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE).

That is how it all began.