Laurie Jervis: Loring Wine Co.’s Pinot Noir Featured in New AMC ‘Cooper’s Bar’ Series | Homes and lifestyle

A Santa Barbara County winemaker’s Pinot Noir stars in a new abridged digital series, “Cooper’s Bar” in its first season on CMA.

Brian and Kimberly Loring are brothers and co-owners of Loring Wine Co. in Lompoc. They mainly produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills, on the Central Coast and in the Santa Lucia Highlands region of Monterey County.

Loring bottles a pinot noir named after 7-year-old Cooper Jaxon, one of Kimberly Loring’s two children.

The six-show series “Cooper’s Bar,” which debuted May 31, features Rhea Seehorn (“You Better Call Saul”) as a rude Hollywood executive who stumbles upon a backyard bar owned by an aspiring actor, Lou Mustillo of “Mike and Molly.”

Actors Casey Washington, left, and Lou Mustillo, with a bottle of Loring Wine Co.’s “Cooper Jaxon” Pinot Noir on the bar. (Kyle Schansinger/AMC photo)

In “Cooper’s Bar”, Mustillo can be seen behind his bar, pouring his fellow actors the 2020 Cooper Jaxon pinot noir. The series was actually filmed in Mustillo’s own Tiki lounge, located behind his residence.

According to Brian Loring, his nephew, Cooper, “was very happy to hear that a show was named after him and that we had sent his wine for them to use”.

“Cooper’s Bar” is scheduled to air around Season 6 of “Better Call Saul,” the popular series Seehorn also stars in.

“Cooper’s Bar” also plays Casey Washington, David Colly and Kila Kitu. Conolly, his wife, Hannah Davis Law, Nick MortonMustillo and Seehorn are producers. Evan Shapiro and Alfred de Villa are executive producers.

Fess Parker Winery Hosts Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit in July

The Fess Parker family has announced that the Buffalo Gap Wine and Food Summit, originally from Texas, will move to Los Olivos July 15-17. The event was co-founded by the late Fess Parker and has been held in Buffalo Gap, Texas since its inception 15 years ago.

Parker and his friends, Tom and Lisa Perini from Ranch Perini Steakhouse and Dr. Richard Becker of Becker Vineyardscreated the Texas-based nonprofit organization to cultivate appreciation for wine and food through industry education and discussion.

This year’s summit will venture to Los Olivos as part of the summit’s 2022 three-city tour in an experience called The Rhône Rodeo.

The Rodéo du Rhône weekend kicks off on Friday 15 July with a grand reception at the Epiphany tasting room in Los Olivos offering a casual evening of wine and aperitifs in the garden.

The fun continues Saturday with the Rhône Rodeo Symposium, a seminar featuring California and Texan Rhône wine flights in an educational one-on-one discussion.

Panelists from Santa Barbara County and Texas will be represented, including Blair Fox of Fess Parker Family Portfolio and Blair Fox Cellars; Tyler Eck of the Fess Parker and Dunites family portfolio; Bryan Babcock of Babcock Winery and Vineyards; Matt Dees from Kimsey Vineyard; Jon Leahy of Becker Vineyards; Kassandra Mcpherson of Kim Mcpherson Wines; and Ron Yates of Spicewood Vineyards and Ron Yates Wine.

After the seminar, participants will experience a behind-the-scenes tour of Fess Parker Wineryas well as a Santa Maria-style barbecue lunch at Rodney’s Vineyard.

The Saturday portion of the summit will conclude with a sparkling wine reception on the terrace of Fess Parker Winery, followed by a multi-course wine dinner prepared by Santa Barbara cap. Sunday attendees will enjoy a Good Day brunch in the garden, with dishes from Los Olivos Nella Kitchen & Bar.

All-access tickets for the entire weekend are available for $800. Individual tickets for the Saturday Rhône Rodeo Symposium are also available à la carte for $200, which includes the cellar tour and barbecue lunch. For tickets, visit buffalogapsummit.com/events/ or call 800.367.1721.

Figueroa Mountain Brewing earns two World Beer Cup wins

The brewers of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. celebrated their fourth consecutive medals beer world cup, the largest international beer festival in the world. This year’s event attracted 10,542 beers from 2,493 breweries in 57 countries.

The team won a gold medal for Mosaic Pale Ale and a silver medal for Figuerose. These two medals bring the total number of World Beer Cup medals to eight, as Fig Brew had previously won one bronze, three silver and two gold in previous years’ competitions.

“Ultimately, we brew our beer for our fans here in California. But to be recognized by these global beer experts shows we’re doing something here,” said Kevin Ashford, Brewmaster and Creative Director of Fig Brew.

Ashford accepted the award with Jaime Dietenhofer, owner of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., who pointed to the sky and held his late father Jim’s jacket on stage.

Jaime and his father launched the brewery together in 2010, and it has since expanded to four locations – the “Mothership” brewery in Buellton, Santa Barbara, Westlake Village and Los Olivos.

For more information, visit FigMtnBrew.com.

Alma Rosa Winery’s Peace of Mind Fundraiser Returns July 23

Alma Rosa Wine Estate The third annual Peace of Mind Walk: 10,000 Steps in the Right Direction will return at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 23. The walk, 10,000 steps or approximately 4.5 miles, will take place through the rolling vineyards of the 628-acre Alma Rosa property off Santa Rosa Road in the Sta. Rita Hills.

Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine and other refreshments at the top of the estate while enjoying stunning views of the area, followed by a small reception at the Alma Rosa Ranch House at the end of the walk.

Registration lasts until July 22. To register, donate or fundraise for the upcoming event, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Buellton/PeaceofMind10000StepsintheRightDirection.

Debra Eagle, executive director of Alma Rosa, noted that winery owners Bob and Barb Zorich created the annual fundraiser to support community mental health services, as well as research into causes, treatment and potential cures for anxiety and depression.

Over the past two years, the winery has raised over $345,000 for mental health organizations. This year, the Zorichs will match dollar-for-dollar donations of up to $35,000 to two nonprofits, for a total of $70,000. Non-profit organizations are A spirit and the Mental Wellness Center.

One Mind, founded 27 years ago, has raised nearly $500 million in direct and leveraged funding for its vision of a healthy brain for all. Its mission is to accelerate discoveries in brain health through large-scale, open scientific research.

The Mental Wellness Center has built homes for individuals and families through mental health awareness in the Santa Barbara community.

In addition to hosting the annual Peace of Mind event, Zorich is also president of the Hope and Healing Center and Institute and sits on the board of directors Connection WorkFaith of Houston. He is also a supporter of Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation At New York.

Alma Rosa showcases chardonnay and pinot noir from Sta. Rita Hills. The winery was founded in 2005 by Richard Sanford, who was the first to plant pinot noir in the Sta. Rita Hills in 1971. The Zorichs purchased Alma Rosa from Sanford in 2014. Samra Morris is the winemaker.

— Laurie Jervis tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via [email protected]. The opinions expressed are his own.