Eat, Drink, Savor: Wine, music and great weather

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Guerra Cellars kicked off the first of five monthly concerts on June 15, with first-timers Left of Center performing to a sold-out crowd as the backup band to three tribute acts. With the addition of three of the most popular local food trucks—Hapa Bros, El Guapo and Steak Stop—and a wide selection of beers and Guerra wines, it was almost guaranteed to be a perfect evening.

“This is my first concert of the year,” said Ryan Steven Perry, “and I couldn’t kick it off any better. It is my third time out here for a concert, and I can’t wait to enjoy the great music, the great people and the great weather.”

For the first time, Guerra Cellars opened an exclusive sponsor area by its Tasting Barn at the $2,500 “Ranch Experience” level. Traditionally used by visiting bands to grab a bite to eat and prepare for their performances, the gated area has been transformed into a place to relax before or during the shows. Sponsors receive 15 tickets to any concert, five VIP parking passes, a private entrance, 30 drink tickets, a private bar, and complimentary appetizers.

McKinnon’s Lumber is one of the first Ranch Experience sponsors, and company president Brian Barrett said he had looked forward to trying something new at the concerts. 

“It’s been great so far,” he said. “We got our food and drinks and have been hanging out and relaxing in our own space away from the crowd. We’ve been loving it.”

Besides the food trucks, several Guerra wines were available at the venue by the glass or bottle, including the 2021 Attitude Viognier, which has a light acidity that melts into hints of tangerine and apple blossoms; Malbec, a fruity wine with hints of tobacco and dark chocolate; and the 2016 Attitude Cabernet Sauvignon, with a deep, dense red with marked tannins.

(Two wines, the recently released 2016 Three Brothers Blend and 2021 Petite Sirah, reviewed below, are unavailable during the concerts but can be picked up at Guerra’s Tasting Barn on weekends from 1-5 p.m.)

The June 15 concert featured Left of Center as the backing band for tributes to three country stars: Chris Lozano performing as Jason Aldean, Victoria Fairclough as Carrie Underwood and Chad Collins as Luke Bryan. 

Left of Center was the house band at Toby Keith’s bar in Las Vegas for 13 years, according to lead singer Frank Garrett, before putting together their first tribute show. They began by backing three tribute acts and now perform nationwide with a rotating roster of 14 artists. 

“We were playing covers for corporate events,” he said. “The money is great there, but most of our work is in bars, and covers don’t go over as well. But with the tribute shows, you can do a bigger kind of production.”

Garrett found that audiences were more responsive when multiple artists were being represented onstage than with a single static tribute act.

“If I’m going to see a show, and it’s a tribute artist,” he said, “then I don’t want to hear any B-side stuff by somebody that looks like somebody. I want to hear the hits, like ‘boom, boom, boom,’ not just one artist doing 90 minutes.”

Being the backing band to a rotating stable of talent means that Garrett is on the road most of the year. 

“I never really counted how many shows we do,” he said, “but we perform every week. If it’s not a weekend, we also play Old Reds and Gilley’s in Las Vegas or one of the other rooms around there.  We take off two weeks a year, but we like staying busy.”

Asked if he ever gets tired of life on the road, Garrett said, “Absolutely never. I’ll get in the car and drive 14 hours to play a show. I’ve always loved music, and I love meeting people. I’m doing that for a living, and it’s just the best.”

There are four more concerts in the series, with the final show on Sept. 14:

• July 13 (6:30-9:30 p.m.): Faithfull (Pearl Jam tribute) and 40oz To Freedom (Sublime tribute)
• Aug. 3 (6:30-9:30 p.m.): 24k Magic (Bruno Mars tribute) and Maroon Vibes (Maroon 5 tribute) 
• Aug. 24 (6:30-9:30 p.m.): Long Run (Eagle tribute) and Ronstadt Revival (Linda Ronstadt tribute)
• Sept. 14 (6-9 p.m.) Bonfire (AC/DC tribute) and Hurrikane (Scorpions tribute)

New Releases from Guerra Cellars:

2016 Pepper Tree Ranch Three Brothers Blend  – A counterpoint to Guerra’s 2014 Three Sisters Blend, this wine was released just a few months ago. A very dark wine with an aroma of cherry cola, coffee grounds and cinnamon, it is full-bodied and has a lot of character. It has a fruit leather sweet/sourness, just enough acidity to give it brightness, and strong tannins in the finish. This is a grilled steak or BBQ wine, and if it were available at the concerts, it would be a great match with anything coming out of those food trucks.

2021 Pepper Tree Ranch Petite Sirah – With an aroma of oak and blackberries and a dense, deep red color, this wine is not as intense as first impressions suggest. The tannins are there, providing a base for a swirl of dark chocolate and white pepper, but they stay in their place and do not overwhelm the concentrated notes of dried fruit. It is a very smooth wine with a medium body and an appealing downturn of acid in the finish. Highly recommended and my favorite of the two.

The Guerra Cellars Tasting Barn and Hollister Concerts are located at 500 John Smith Road. The Barn is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. and is closed on event days. Concert tickets are $35 for adults and $10 for children aged 3-12 and are available online or at Diaz Liquors, 1709 Airline Hwy D, Hollister. If the show has not sold out by the event date, a limited number of tickets may be available at the gate.

Know before you go:

• Gate opens at 5:00 pm. 
• Parking is $10 cash. 
• Handicap seating is available.
• Restrictions include: Only low-back chairs, no liquids brought into the venue, no in-and-out privileges. 

Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.

BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.

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