The annual Garagiste Festival will take place November 7th – 11th, 2013 in Paso Robles California where 66 garagiste winemakers will be pouring their remarkable wines. The Garagiste Festival is the first and only festival dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized artisan producers making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot wines in the world. Over 50% of 2013’s participating winemakers are new discoveries, pouring at the festival for the very first time.
A term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their garage, who refused to follow the “rules.” Now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world. Who’s laughing now, Francois? Syn: Rule-breakers, pioneers, renegades, mavericks, driven by passion.
The Garagiste Festival, the first and only festival dedicated to discovering and promoting artisan ‘garagiste*’ winemakers, announced that local chef, Charles Paladin Wayne, will create the winemaker dinner for the third annual Garagiste Festival. The dinner, “Undiscovered Treasures of California’s Central Coast,” kicks off the festival on Thursday November 7th, and highlights local producers, as well as garagiste winemakers who are pouring at the festival. The dinner will be held at another hidden gem of the Central Coast, the historic Carlton Hotel in Atascadero. Wineries featured at the dinner are Bodegas M, Caliza, Clos Solene, Cutruzzola, Paix Sur Terre and The Farm Winery.
Chef Charlie has been a chef on the Central Coast since 1983, working at numerous restaurants including Sea Venture, Olde Port Inn, Café Roma, Inn at Morro Bay, and Rhythm Creekside Café. He was one of the first chefs in the area to focus on creating menus from the emerging local artisan food movement, showcasing local organic produce, seafoods, cheeses and sustainably ranched meats, then, when there were only nine wineries in business in the area, expanding his focus to matching local foods with local wines.
He created the first wine dinner in 1987 for Eberle and went on to serve as chef at several of the areas early flagship wineries, including Edna Valley, Justin Vineyards and Summerwood Winery, where he developed a following and a reputation as the go-to chef for creative and perfectly balanced food and wine pairings. Today, Chef Charlie is one of the area’s most in-demand event chefs, bringing his unique flair with local wines, foods and service to private events.
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
