From the wine entrepreneurs that gave us Coomber Family Wines, a fast rising premium brand of vintners collection varietals from the Central Coast and Napa Valley, now brings us Skater Girl, with a 7-year-old English Bulldog named Maggie, with “a lot more than just a pretty face.”
Skip and Maureen Coomber, seeing success with their original brands of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet in the higher end market, with a link to contributing a portion of sales to various animal rescue shelters, looked to their love of animals for inspiration to the next level of winemaking.
For seven years, they laughed and had fun with their skate boarding Maggie.
“We wanted to create a fun, everyday brand of wines that were easy to drink, had great value and honor our talented Maggie,” Coomber explained.
I asked about how he was able to teach Maggie to ride a skateboard.
“Bulldogs have a thing about the sound of wheels. She would run around the board after one of our family had pushed it, then want to jump on, then push on it, eventually learning how to ride it. She loves to have an audience. Well, she has one now. We submitted a video of Maggie to You-Tube and it went viral. It was played on the big screen at last year’s KAABOO Festival in Del Mar and the audience went crazy.”
The Coombers have a very successful custom crush service facility in Buellton, and purchase quality grapes from the Central Coast and Napa Valley for both Skater Girl and Coomber Family Wines.
They have a personal test for all their wines. They both must personally enjoy the wines they produce. The Chardonnay must have natural flavor with superior grape style, the Pinot Noir must have a Burgundian aroma and flavor profile and the Cabernet must have a strong, powerful body with deeply toned elegance.
Wherever presented, Skater Girl wines have received orders. Check the Del Mar Wine Company, Wine Loft Carlsbad, Rosati’s Encinitas and the Hilton Del Mar among others. Trade inquiries are encouraged at (858) 354-3910.
Meet Agata Lozano, Global Wine Ambassador
I have never met a more energetic, enthusiastic wine ambassador than Agata Lozano, from Lozano Family Wine Cellars of La Mancha, Spain.
After learning the wines as a fourth generation Lozano, she set out all over Spain, China and Russia promoting her family’s annual production of more than 1.5 million bottles a year from over 2,500 acres.
Lozano makes a wide assortment of wines including: Sauvignon Blanc, Tempranillo Rose and Temprnillo reds, plus many brands of sparkling wines. On this day of discovery, we tasted the new release Oristan, a premium oak aged Tempranillo, with small amounts of Cabernet and Shiraz. Agata now declares La Jolla her permanent home, reminding her of her favorite Spanish cities of Valencia and Seville.
Currently she is looking for a well-known distributor for her Lozano wines and is now interviewing. She can be reached at (707) 266-4350.
Wine Bytes
Tuscany Restaurant in La Costa now has live romantic Jazz available with dinner the first Friday of each month in the Encore Room starting at 6:30 p.m. with the Jazztones. RSVP by calling (760) 929-8111.
The Marine Room in La Jolla has a Cooking Class & Dinner, Aug. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. Cost is $85. Three-course dinner with wine pairings. RSVP at (858) 459-7222.
Bernardo Winery in Rancho Bernardo has its Summer Cellar Series with the Winemaker, starting Aug. 17 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Each of the three events will be a different experience with seasonal foods and wine pairings. Go to Bernardowinery.com to find out more including pricing.
Pala Casino Spa & Resort, off Highway 76 in Pala has its Starlight Food & Wine Festival, Aug. 20 from 4 to 8 p.m. on the lawn of its Starlight Theater and the Wine Cave. Over 50 premium wines from Napa Valley, Sonoma and Paso Robles, accompanied by food pairings and entertainment. Tickets are $75. Call (877) 946-7252 or visit startickets.com.
Frank Mangio is a renowned wine connoisseur certified by Wine Spectator. He is one of the leading wine commentators on the web. View his columns at tasteofwinetv.com and reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on Facebook.
