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September 2007 Fitzpatrick Winery & Lodge Newsletter
Diana - Queen of Fitzpatrick Winery & Lodge
Greetings!
Diana, Queen of Fitzpatrick Winery & Lodge, was born the youngest of six in the Nelson family of Santa Barbara. Julie, Jimmy, Debbie, Dick, Dennis and then Diana, the sibling order spread over 10 years. Diana grew up in a neighborhood in SB that was teeming with kids at a time when adventure was right outside their backdoor, from exploring the jungle- like cliffs of the Mesa to Ledbetter Beach, the Plunge, downtown SB and everything in between. Diana is a true Santa Barbara native with roots that start with her maternal grandparents both arriving from the Pyrenees of the Basque country right at the turn of the century (1900). Amachi (Diana's Grandmother Marie Falxa) came over as a young girl from the French Basque village of Banca and started as a servant to a wealthy newly-arrived Santa Barbaran family. Sometime after, Diana's Grandfather Cadet Anchordoquy arrived and began courting Marie. It turns out that Cadet was born in Bidarray, a village not ten miles from Banca, yet they first met in SB. Ultimately Cadet and Marie married, as did Cadet's brother to Marie's sister Madeline. So the Basque blood runs deep and Diana is actually living out a lifestyle similar to her grandparents who owned and operated the Southern Hotel in SB. Back in the day the hotel was home and not only did the guest sleep there but ate their meals and drank there. When Prohibition loomed over the land, the Anchordoquys did what many did - provided what they'd always provided their patrons, although more discreetly. Diana's Mom, Jessie, as a young girl was known to leave the hotel walking with the prohibited beverage under her dress to deliver it to local doctors and other prominent residents. Santa Barbara was a very attractive place and lured Diana's Dad there too. When Iowa-born Dale Nelson was released from the Navy at the end of WWII, he headed right back to California that he had become so fond of when in port. Dale met Jessie and before long Dale and Jessie, Amachi, six kids, 'Adol' the dog and Diana's own and favorite 'Shim', her duck so named because they never knew if he/she was a she or a him, all co-inhabited in the Nelson house on San Pasqual Street.

Diana had both the pleasure and burdens of being the youngest child. She had quite the notoriety following in the footsteps of her brothers and sisters and developed quite the gaggle of girl friends too. But at home there were the responsibilities of caring for her aging Amachi, her mother and babysitting two kids of another family almost daily for years. Diana was the ultimate caregiver and subsequently pursued a nursing career at the Santa Barbara City College, another great precursor for inn keeping.

I met Diana and her gaggle of girls at a local pirate's den of the day called the Barbary Cove. I pursued the sweetest one of the pack and began courting Princess Diana immediately thereafter. I had just turned 20, Diana 18. Getting to know the whole family took a while but the ultimate test was getting the approval of Amachi who coveted her sweet youngest grandchild like no other.

Taking someone from their cradle isn't easy, but Diana showed great commitment right from the start to come join me on an adventure that would remove her from family, friends, the home and town she grew up in, to an unknown wild place in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada - Fair Play. I never promised it would be easy but Diana joined in and lived the life of a pioneer under the stars that first summer in 1975 until the October chill started settling in and we had to reorganize the goat barn to make room for us. The rest is an evolution that certainly deserves the length of a good book to cover and rest assured Diana will be the unsung hero just as she is today. Lucky's not a strong enough word, blessed may be better suited to describe what fortune I've enjoyed with Diana as my best friend, wife, lover, mother of our two beautiful girls, my partner both in business and in crime and my first mate in life adventures. Diana and I have been together for more than 35 years by each other's side near 24/7 and although we've had our fights, the battle scars are all healable. That fact is a testament to Diana's strengths. So there you have it, a little snippet into the life of Fair Play's Lady Di. This is her month, September 18th to be exact. In honor of her Amachi, her mother Jessie and Diana herself, we're re- releasing Tippitonia - the Basque Heritage Red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Grenache, reminiscent of the flavors of the Basque country, and its limited quantity is available for tasting and purchase right now.

What's cooking at Fitzpatrick's this month
  and a sneak preview of what's up in early October
What's cooking for the next few weeks? Friday Night Wood-Fired Oven Pizza is going strong and will continue through mid-October, weather permitting. Pizza Night schedule includes a calendar of great music too and click on read on for that schedule. With the weather cooling come enjoy our Ploughman's Lunch served on Saturdays and Sundays - no reservation necessary and we start serving at noon and til whenever the bread runs out.

Tradition plays on at Fitzpatricks with our annual Oktoberfest lunch (bratwurst, onion bread, applesauce, carmelized onions, etc.) served two weekends this year - the last weekend of September and first weekend of October both Saturday and Sunday.

And here's a couple of activities worth noting: the next Fair Play Wine and Poker Run is October 13th. Tickets are still available here at Fitzpatricks and we'll be cooking a special Santa Maria Style Tri-tip feast in our wood-fired oven for that event - more info below.

And then the Amazing Race will begin in October too. That too will be highlighted below. And the best days to visit the tasting room start right now.

What a great picture of Diana in her first kitchen in Fair Play, circa 1975, with Old Dependable at her side where many a good meal and lots of canning took place under oil lamp and no running water.

B(u)y the Box Selections for September
  2003 Zinfandel, 2006 Eire Ban & 2005 Queen's Gold
Almost everyone by now knows that each month we select three of our wines to offer you at unspeakably inexpensive prices by the box (a case of 12). Take advantage of the 40% off and live a little by making Fitzpatrick wines one of your everyday selections. At 40% off these wines are a steal. But don't worry we won't press charges other than to charge your credit card. Shipping easy and the weather has cooled.

The 2003 Zinfandel is drinking at its best and cries out to become part of your next dinner especially those tomato bases Italian dishes or with a good chunk of grilled flesh off the barbie. How's $9 per bottle sound for a nice jammy organically grown Zin?

The crisp clean fruity sauvignon blanc, Eire Ban, is one of our great whites from the 2006 vintage. Refreshing, chilled, as either a casual sipper or paired perfectly with cheesy concoctions, seafood and vegetarian dishes take a box home today. at just $6/bottle.

The 2005 Queen's Gold captures the rich smoothness of barrel-fermented Chardonnay and the crisp fruity unoaked character of Sauvignon Blanc ia an almost equal part blend. Its golden color is telltale of its silky smooth character. $7.20 per bottle shouldn't be hard to swallow when step out to a restaurant and you might spend that much for a glass.

Fair Play Wine & Poker Run October 13th
  We're cooking a Santa Maria style Tri-Tip feast
If fun is what you're looking for, look no further and reserve your tickets for the October 13th Fair Play Wine & Poker Run. We're hosting and cooking the dinner which is included in the ticket price. The Santa Maria style menu includes wood-fired oven roasted tri-tip, reunion cole slaw, homemade pinquito beans, garlic bread and dessert.

$89.50 buys you a place at the card game and you pick up your hand one ticket and bottle at a time as you visit each of 5 participating wineries. If you purchase along the way you can earn more playing cards. So at the end of the day you've got 5 complimentary bottles of wine and your ready to unviel your playing cards and build your hand. While you enjoy dinner, the poker hands are put in order. Dinner done, the prizes are awarded with more than half winning something.

You get your value in 5 bottles of wine, a sit down dinner to boot, a day of fun and a chance to play and win prizes. Give us a call at 800-245-9166 - we have tickets available right now.

New Wine Fellowship Cycle starts in November
  time to think about becoming a WF Gold Member or renewing
It won't be long now before we start rolling out our new wines. I'm in that dreaded label development and approval phase now and the schedule for new releases is November just in time for the holidays.

In the meantime you can become a new Wine Fellowship Gold Member and start enjoying the benefit of 25% off on all your purchases or 10% more than the current discounts offered. Current Gold Members are asked to renew between now and the beginning of the next cycle. In our October eNewsletter I'll announce the date for a grand Wine Fellowship weekend in mid November where we can enjoy the pairing of some new wines with specially prepared food.

Fair Play's Amazing Race
  Starting October 6th
There's more than one thing amazing about this new event offered by the Fair Play Winery Assocaition. And its better that you all discover the details from the horses mouth by clicking 'Read on' than for me to try to explain what's about to take Fair Play by storm.
 

Contact Information

phone: 530-620-3248
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