NEWS
Pineapple Mint Mojito | Recipe by Varinder Sahi
This drink transports you to the tropics in one sip. It’s for the days you need to travel to the vacation memory in your mind ….
May 12, 2020 at 11:00 AM
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Strawberry Bakewell Tart | Recipe by Sarah Boone
This recipe sings summer to me. Being from the UK, a bakewell tart is a summer staple – a delicious concoction of sweet shortcrust pastry, fruit, jam, frangipane (a chewy French almond filling) and topped with sliced almonds. It’s a show stopper piece that can be made with just about any fruit and jam you like, or have on hand. Strawberries from our local farmer’s market have been delicious lately, I recommend making this with whatever fruit is in season at the time … strawberries, plums, and cherries to name a few. This tart is best served at room temp, so pack it up for your next picnic or backyard BBQ. A classic bakewell is finished with a sprinkling of confectioners sugar, this part in my opinion is optional, and I actually prefer it without! May 12, 2020 at 11:00 AM
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Roasted Chicken Over Root Vegetables | Recipe by Varinder Sahi
This is no trick of the eye. There is more than one way to roast a chicken, but apparently, if you’re Varinder, you need to wear the same shirt on a different day to do it! What makes this homestyle dish just a tad bit elevated is the 3-day prep process. On Day 1 you prepare your chicken and brine. On Day 2, you start the “drying” process, something that V credits Chef Thomas Keller with. On Day 3, you’ll continue to dry and roast it off that evening. The results are well worth the time and nothing short of succulent! In terms of the brine and the specific vegetables you use, be easy and free. We pulled out whatever we had at the time and put it to great use. Enjoy this elegant homestyle meal! – Anita Sahi
May 5, 2020 at 11:00 AM
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Honesty and Hope
Hello Copia Friends and Fam,When I started sending these emails each week, I told myself that I was going to be one thing above all: Honest. And honestly speaking, I'm getting a little stir crazy. Between stories of killer hornets and sheltering in place for a month-and-a-half, it's been really tough to not see you. It's like the car ride that never ends. There's a sort of feeling out there right now, a collective itch, if you will, of people waiting and wondering, "Are we there yet?"
I Zoom'ed (it's a verb, now) with my niece in Wisconsin this week. She had her head balanced on one hand while she told me how her college semester has been hijacked by Rona. That, in her charming Gen Z speak, is how she refers to Corona Virus. It's an uncomfortable familiarity that we're all developing with something that we'd just as soon see vanquished forever. Varinder and I trade this frustration back-and-forth, but then we also keep reminding ourselves that this will pass at some point. Tomorrow may not be the same, but it will come, nevertheless. And with each passing day, with hopeful hearts, we'll look forward to reintroducing all the things we enjoy sharing with you, like tastings, events and visits to your hometowns. God-willing, that time will be soon. In the meantime, we'll keep sharing with you, virtually! We're highlighting a wonderful interview with Varinder conducted by Randy Smith of The Wine Write, sharing a recipe for a homestyle chicken dish with a slightly elevated preparation and highlighting some specials we have at the Copia Vineyards store.
We'd also like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Take heart friends, keep hope and definitely stay in touch as you have been. We love hearing from you.
Eats
Roasted Chicken over Root Vegetables
Drink
Shop Around Downtown + Copia Store Special
Jams
Jukebox Joint
Read
Catching up with Copia by Randy Smith
Email or call (805) 835-6094 if there's anything we can do for you!
Cheers,
Anita Sahi
GOOD DRINK
SHOP AROUND DOWNTOWN
Thursday, May 7, 2020, 4-7 PM
Need something special for mom? Stocking up your shrinking wine cellar?
Place your orders anytime & don't forget our store special of 20% off
3 or more bottles!
(Promo Code: COPIA20)
How?
Go online (select "pick up" at checkout)
Or email, call or text Sarah (805-710-7222)
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As always, we can deliver locally and ship directly any day!
COPIA STORE SPECIAL
PROMO: COPIA20
20% off, an extra 5% for club members, $1 shipping on 3 bottles or more
May 5, 2020 at 11:00 AM
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Copia Curbside | Shop Around Downtown
The Downtown Wineries and businesses are offering curbside service, together on Thursday's, from 4:00 - 7:00pm. You won't even have to leave your vehicle as you can pick up wine, beer, great food, and visit other local businesses!
COPIA STORE SPECIAL
PROMO: COPIA20
20% off, an extra 5% for club members, $1 shipping on 3 bottles or more
May 5, 2020 at 8:20 AM
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Catching Up With Copia Vineyards | The Wine Write
May 4, 2020 at 11:10 AM
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Drive Thru Pick-Up
DRIVE THRU PICK-UP STARTING THIS THURSDAY!
- Order online or call/text your order to 8057107222. If you text us, we'll reach out to collect payment info over the phone. Not sure what you're in the mood for? Let us know and we'll happily recommend a few of our favorites!
- Buy 3 or more bottles and use the code COPIA20 for 20% off.
*Industry friends, call/text us and we'll give you a code to receive your 30% discount. - Pull up outside our tasting room on 13th street between 4-7pm on Thursday, April 30.
- Call us to let us know you're outside. Pop the trunk.
- We will place the wine in your trunk, wave and send you on your way!
Questions or concerns? Email or call us at 8057107222
Apr 28, 2020 at 10:05 PM
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Blending in 3D
Hi all,
Is winemaking pretty much the coolest job ever? Kind of.
Yesterday, Varinder and I sat down with Pete Turrone, our trusted consultant, and worked on our 2019 blends. Blending is the process of combining different varietal wines into one seemingly spectacular, better-than-all-of-the-rest wine. The results, for us, netted some crazy good signature blends. What's more - for the first time ever - we'll have some standout vineyard designates when we release these in 2021 (wines that come entirely from one block at one vineyard).
From vine to bottle, wine has always been a great metaphor as it often imitates other aspects of life. Two or more wines come together as a blend. They are all related to each other somehow, yet vastly different in other ways. One adds spice, while the other adds structure. Perhaps one is fruity and the other carries the aromatics. Complexity. Nuance. Balance. Je ne sais quoi. Such is the spice of a multidimensional wine life.
See where I'm going with this? Each and every person in our lives is different from one another, as well. Individually we are one thing, whole and distinctly ourselves. Together, we are something else, something more, strong.
After our blending session, Varinder said to me, "You and I came together and made those wines. And I'm just in awe and have such pride in that." It could not have been this way if it were only one of us and not the other. Push and pull, up and down, rigid and free - we are happy to welcome all of these dimensions to bring the wine to bottle.
And those of you who have been with us, tried our first and second vintages - you have given us so much inspiration to do more and to do it better. The '18s and '19s in barrel are the culmination of that. Stay tuned in early September, when we share the details of what will be coming.
Our shareables this week all have to do with multiple influences coming together to become one extraordinary thing ...
Eats
Whole Wheat Tea Biscuits
Drink
2018 Copia Rosé
Jams
Game Night
Read
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Excerpt here
Question: What are you guys eating, listening to or reading? Let us know - we'd love to feature you in an upcoming email: Reply or call (805) 835-6094.
Warmly,
Anita Sahi
"Like art, revolutions come from combining what exists
into what has never existed before."
-Gloria Steinem
COPIA STORE SPECIAL
PROMO: COPIA20
20% off, an extra 5% for club members, $1 shipping on 3 bottles or more
Apr 28, 2020 at 11:30 AM
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Whole Wheat Tea Biscuits | Recipe from Anita Sahi
This recipe was inspired by my family. In our travels to India, we would often head to local sweets shops and bakeries and find a to-die-for assortment of biscuits, milk cakes and savory rusks. We also welcomed anywhere from 2 to 20 people a day for tea at home (no joke). Each visit from a guest would have us excited over the prospect of snack pairing.
For Indians, tea time (or chai time, as we call it) is sacred. Our tea of choice is usually a Masala Chai, whose permutation differs from family to family and individual to individual. My specific chai includes influences from my own parents, from Varinder and from his family. In COVID lockdown, we’ve become even more self-reliant and I have started to bake again (one of my first jobs was baking in a professional restaurant). These Whole Wheat Tea Biscuits were dreamt up for three very specific qualities: 1) They had to be nutty and stand up to strong, aromatic masala chai (ginger, cardamom, cloves, black pepper), 2) They had to be thin and snackable all times of day and 3) They had to have an undeniable crumbliness (think of Biscoff cookies). For the latter, the use of a touch of gram flour did the trick. I mixed these cookies by hand because I love to judge a dough by how it feels, but they are super versatile and, for a less “messy” preparation, can be done in a standing mixer as well.
Apr 28, 2020 at 11:30 AM
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All About Sarah
Howdy folks,
There was a time when I (Anita) went on my first "real" interview. It wasn't my first job. It was the first job I really wanted. Years ago, I sat across what felt like a firing squad of Midwest restaurant leaders at Harry Caray's Restaurant Group in Chicago. I'd never sat through a "panel interview" before. They shot out questions about public relations, operations, hospitality and .... The Chicago Cubs (check out their website to know why). I came with all the bravado of being in my young 20s, so I answered everything - right or wrong - with confidence. I was never so scared or exhilarated in my life. I do remember two things replaying in my mind. Call it three things, actually, because I also kept having the frenetic thought of grabbing a giant cocktail after the interview was over. I knew: "#1: These people are completely crazy," and "#2: They are my kind of crazy people."
When you meet "your people," it's a very special moment. We think about that in this time of preparing for whatever the "new normal" is. Back in April 2019, Varinder and I interviewed someone who felt like our kind of person. Backpacker. Gardener. A cook's cook. Dog momma. Nature lover. Partner-in-crime to Sean. And most importantly, Syrah lover. These are all words that describe our hospitality manager, Sarah Boone. Some of you know her and some of you will hopefully meet her soon. She has her hands in just about everything that we do at Copia Vineyards. And whatever we do, we do it together. She works hard at communicating with the community, fulfilling online/phone orders, fostering industry relationships and taking care of any and all club requests. You can train an individual on any number of industry-specific tasks. But you can't train someone to have amazing work ethic, integrity and professionalism. It just has to be inside of you. And more than all that, she's a genuinely kindhearted person. Ever need anything? You can always reach out to us or Sarah.
And now let's dive in! Sit back and enjoy the culinary, musical and literary stylings of the inimitable Sarah L. Boone.
Sarah's Eats and Drink
Chicken and Chorizo Paella and Copia's The Source
Sarah's Jams
Mixtape
Sarah's Read
The Great Alone: Walking the Pacific Crest Trail by Tim Voors
Excerpt: Read a letter the author wrote to his children here
Incidentally, when I got that job at Harry Caray's, I also received a lot more. It's been a lasting friendship. We're so proud to announce that this year, Harry Caray's became the very first restaurant outside of California to carry Copia wine. Just as soon as people get back to the business of being open, I encourage you all to visit one of their locations for a true taste of Chicago and sports history.
Let's stay connected: Need wine or have a fun story to share of your own?
Drop us note sometime by emailing or calling (805) 835-6094.
Warmly,
Anita Sahi
"A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself."
- Oprah Winfrey
COPIA STORE SPECIAL
PROMO: COPIA20
20% off, an extra 5% for club members, $1 shipping on 3 bottles or more
Apr 21, 2020 at 11:00 AM
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