Pismo Beach Winery opens 

• PHOTO BY STEVE E. MILLER
• TOAST OF THE TOWN : Bryan (pictured) and Martin Friedman’s winery is a welcome new arrival in Pismo Beach.

Brothers Martin and Bryan Friedman have opened a winery in Pismo Beach, which—even with little fanfare—served more than 50 guests on its first day.
“We are waiting to have our grand opening sometime in spring when the weather is better,” Martin explained.

The Pismo Beach Winery has five wines available to taste or buy. The collection includes Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Cabernet, and two Pinot Noirs. All of the ingredient grapes come from the Central Coast, much of them from small growers whose entire crops the brothers purchase.
 
Martin’s wine career began 17 years ago in Redwood City, where he cultivated his first Cabernet vineyard. Bryan had a long commercial real estate career while in the Bay Area, which eventually led to a job opportunity as regional director for Prudential Real Estate in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. The brothers have grown grapes here since their arrival in 2001.

“I was still growing grapes and selling them to other wineries,” Martin explained.

Martin owns a vineyard in Edna Valley, where he harvests Pinot Noir. Before producing the grapes for his own winery, he was supplying such prominent vintners as Claiborne and Churchill. Bryan planted three different strains of Pinot Noir at his own Avila Valley vineyard at Bellevue Ranch, where he also grows apples.

“Apples from the ranch will be used in our sparkling hard apple cider,” Bryan said. “We are also developing other apple-based wine products.”

Local artist Toby Shultz designed a Pismo Beach landscape series for Pismo Beach Winery bottle labels. “It’s like an art series that you get with our wines,” Martin said. The designs are being enlarged and printed on poster-sized canvasses that will decorate the tasting room.

The tasting room (271-B Five Cities Drive, 773-9463) will also have winery merchandise and other local products for sale. It’s open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily. Their website, pismobeachwinery.com, will be online soon.

Fast facts

SLO Veg, a local vegetable delivery service, will be bringing fresh produce from the farm directly to homes starting April 1.

To sustain local farmers and the local economy, SLO Veg proprietor Dan Melton will provide only vegetables grown locally. More than 50 local farmers, located between Goleta and Paso Robles, will be suppliers.

“We are really blessed here on the Central Coast because the farming is so diverse,” Melton said. “If you go down to Vons and buy produce, it’s traveled 1500 miles on average.” SLO Veg produce will be delivered to the door no more than than 48 hours after harvest.

You can find out more at sloveg.com, or by calling 709-3094. …

The City of Pismo Beach is offering cooking classes for children, ages 7-13, during the winter and spring months.

Starting Thursday, Feb. 12, children will learn how to make a three-course Valentine’s Dinner complete with I love you sloppy joe’s, cupid’s pasta, and chocolate-covered strawberries. This is a hands-on workshop that gives children real cooking experience: they’ll be able to take home portions of each recipe made.

Workshops are slated for the second Thursday of March and April, and on the first Thursday of May. Themes of future cooking classes include All American, Vegetarian, and a Meal for Mom. Each workshop costs $50, including all materials and fees. Contact the City of Pismo Beach, Recreation at 773-7063 or visit pismobeach.org. …

 Recently launched Centralcoast
healthcare.com is taking the “guesswork” out of finding health care providers in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties.

The website features profiles of doctors, dentists, hospitals, and pharmacies, along with other health care services. It allows visitors to post reviews and comments about the providers listed on the site. …

SLO Green Build, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable building techniques, received a $25,000 check during the recent SLO County mayors’ meeting.

PG&E called upon the municipal governments to support SLO Green Build through a “challenge grant.” The mayors raised a total of $25,000, which was matched by PG&E for a total of $50,000.

“PG&E is supportive of the local community and recognizes that energy efficiency is the best bang for their buck,” said SLO Green Build President Andy Pease. 

The money received from the challenge grant will be used to promote sustainability through SLO Green Build’s energy retrofitting program, which targets older homes, Pease said.

“A portion of the money will be used to launch a sweepstakes for older homes,” Pease explained. “People with high energy bills can apply online to have their home retrofitted.”

Visit slogreenbuild.org for details, or phone them at 286-0072.

Interns Clinton McGue and Bridget Veltri compiled this week’s Strokes&Plugs. Send business and nonprofit news to [email protected].