In first quarter 2012, IFWTWA launched its Infinity Publishing – IFWTWA Award, a writing competition for IFWTWA members only. This award program is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Infinity Publishing.

Now, with blogging and photography being important parts of the food, wine/beverage and travel media landscapes, IFWTWA is adding two new categories to the Infinity Publishing – IFWTWA Award:  Blogging and Photography, each with a $250 prize.

Blogging Entry Guidelines:

• Blog post content must include a destination and/or at least one host from an IFWTWA press trip.

• Post must be about travel, food or wine/beverages, or any combination thereof.

• No word count limit.

• Two-year limit between the press trip and blog post.

• The blog post must have been posted since Jan 1, 2011.

Blog entries will be evaluated in four areas by the IFWTWA Excellence Awards Committee:

• Grammar, punctuation, spelling

• Composition and structure

• Distinctiveness of style and voice

• Degree to which the story resonates with the reader

Photography Entry Guidelines:

• The photo subject must be about a destination and/or a host from an IFWTWA press trip, and be about travel, food or wine/beverages, or any combination thereof.

• Entry must be digital and less than 10MB.

• Two-year limit between press trip and photo publication.

• The photo must have been published online or in print since Jan 1, 2011.

Photo entries will be evaluated in four areas by the IFWTWA Excellence Awards Committee:

• Resolution

• Composition

• Distinctiveness of style

• Degree to which the photo resonates with the viewer

Entry fee is $15.00 per single blog post or photo entry; send entry fee check, identified as Infinity Publishing – IFWTWA Award entry, to:

International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association, 1142 South Diamond Bar Boulevard #177, Diamond Bar, CA 91765-2203

Email submission as a link to the blog post with the subject line “Infinity Publishing – IFWTWA Award entry” to:

Allen Cox, IFWTWA Awards Committee Chair

allen@ifwtwa.org

In the email, identify the IFWTWA press trip the blog post or photo is about and the dates of the trip. There is no limit to the number of entries per IFWTWA member. IFWTWA Excellence/Scholarship Awards Committee members may enter the competition and will be exempt from evaluating their own entry.

Entry deadline is December 31, 2012.

The evaluation period will be in first quarter 2013.

Awards will be made in April 2013.

Two Hundred and Fifty Year Old Recipes Reflect the Passage of Time  

Wines paired with recipes from eight generations of Central Coast farmers

March 30, 2012 (Templeton, CA) –With family roots dating back to the Mission days, when California was still “Alta California” under the Spanish crown, the Merrill Family is rightfully appreciative of their heritage on the Central Coast.

Eight generations ago Spain granted large parcels of California land to its citizens for the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock. This included the Merrills’ ancestors, whose rancho was established in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County. Since the Merrill family came to the Golden State, California has been property of three different nations – Spain, Mexico and America.

Forward approximately two hundred and fifty years to find the family behind Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery in the Paso Robles AVA, where wine holds a special place at the table, paired with their heirloom recipes. These regionally rooted recipes express the cultural and ethnic influences through the generations.

Pomar Junction owner Dana Merrill remembers eating his mother Elenita Merrill’s albondigas soup as a child growing up in the Santa Ynez Valley, especially when he wasn’t feeling well.  “We ate sopa de albondigas much the same way other families use chicken noodle soup – as comfort food.”  The savory broth created from meatballs of fresh-ground beef, mint and garlic simmering for an hour speaks to the simplicity and frugality of early Californian cookery.  “The recipe comes from a time when farmers and their families knew the value of each and every ingredient,” Merrill said.  “Nothing went to waste.”

“Our estate wines are made to be food-friendly,” said General Manager and eight-generation Central Coast farmer Matt Merrill.  “Like the dishes and wines of the Old World, the meals that we’ve eaten since childhood blend seamlessly with Pomar Junction Wines because they were born out of the same place and family experience.”

These days, the Merrill’s ninth generation is represented by three-year-old Ethan Merrill, who loves the historic sopa de albondigas just as those who have gone before him.  He can often be found slurping delicious meatballs at the table while the rest of the family enjoys the soup with Pomar Junction’s 2010 Brooster Red Blend.

Elenita Merrill’s Sopa de Albondigas

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. ground round
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 family-size cans tomato sauce (or equivalent of homemade tomato sauce)
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
• 4-5 sprigs of mint
• 4-5 qts. water (approx.)
• 4 tsp salt, or to taste

Directions

• In a six-quart kettle combine tomato sauce and water to make 5 qts liquid. Add garlic, mint and salt and bring to a rolling boil.
• While liquid is heating, mix ground round, egg and 1 tsp of salt very well. With hands, fashion meat mixture into small balls. Add to boiling liquid. Turn down heat to medium, being sure that liquid continues to boil or meatballs will disintegrate. Cook 45 minutes before serving. Two or three tablespoons of rice may be added if desired.

Dana and his brother Kevin Merrill (who works for the family’s sister company, Mesa Vineyard Management) have fond memories of devouring steaming bowls of split pea soup at a popular eatery in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Their mother, Elenita, took it upon herself to recreate the dish at home, and it quickly became a family favorite.  “I remember Mom would make blueberry muffins to go along with this soup,” said Kevin. “Great on a cold winter day, either for lunch or dinner.” Pairs well with Pomar Junction’s 2010 Viognier

Merrill Family Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

• 4c. split peas (1 lrg. Pkg.)
• 4 qts. Water
• 4-6 carrots, sliced thin
• 4-6 celery stalks & leaves, cut small
• 1 1/2  lrg. onions, sliced thin
• 2 lrg cloves of garlic cut fine
• 4 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

Simmer approximately 45 minutes adding small amounts of butter to keep from boiling over.

Put through sieve. Stir well. Reheat, adding small amount of water if too thick.

Owned and operated by the Merrill Family in the Paso Robles AVA, Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery showcases eight generations of Central Coast farming through deeply characterful estate wines.  With a rich heritage of sustainable practices in the vineyard and minimal intervention in the cellar, Pomar Junction guides estate fruit from vine to glass with a narrow focus on purity of flavor and varietal integrity.  The winery name refers to the Merrill Family’s concurrent lineage of railroad engineers as well as to bygone days when the Southern Pacific Railroad was responsible for the development of the picturesque Central Coast.  For more information about Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery, call 805. 238.9944, or visit www.PomarJunction.com.  The Pomar Junction vineyard and tasting room are located at 5036 S. El Pomar Road in Templeton, CA 93465.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL, PARKER SANPEI & ASSOCIATES 805.543.2288

Chanae@ParkerSanpei.com