Lake County Wine Studio hosts wine tasting, art show Aug. 5 and 6

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UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio is hosting a wine tasting event featuring wines from Six Sigma Ranch & Winery and artist reception with a collection of paintings by Denise Rushing on Friday, Aug. 5, and Saturday, Aug. 6.

The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Christian Ahlmann, vice president of Six Sigma, will join them at the Friday evening reception. Musical guest both evenings will be solo guitarist Steve Winkle.
 
The $15 ($12/per person for studio club members) wine sampler and appetizers by Chic Le Chef will showcase the 2014 Sauvignon Blanc with cold poached shrimp with Thai lemongrass cocktail sauce, 2015 Rosé with baby squash stuffed with Asian eggplant, peppers and shallots, 2012 Tempranillo with pork belly sliders and mustard slaw, and the 2013 Diamond Mine Cuvée with Coconut Tapioca with plum compote and toasted coconut.

In 2000 Kaj and Else Ahlmann purchased the 4,300 acre Lower Lake ranch, which would become their Six Sigma Ranch and Winery.

The property has a rich history of ranching and farming settlements dating back to the mid-1800s, and a stage coach route used to cross the property to take passengers to and from the quicksilver mines in Knoxville.

The original stage coach house burned down in the early 1950s and one of the previous land owners built a small house on the same site. Today, that little house is the Six Sigma tasting room.

Six Sigma Ranch abounds with wildlife and natural splendor. The Ahlmanns wished to maintain the natural state so their first step was to donate a conservation easement to the Golden State Land Conservancy.

Their development of vineyards integrates with the natural landscape and wildlife corridors run through or around them to preserve the natural habitat and allow the movement of deer, bobcat, wild turkey, wild pigs and bears.

On their range land, a herd of organically raised Black Angus cattle graze on grass and contribute to the vineyard fertilizing system.

In the vineyards, a herd of sheep eliminate the need for synthetic herbicides and fertilizer as they mow the weeds between the rows. In the oak woodland on the property, the Ahlmanns began their Pastured Pork project in 2012 and now raise Pork in the Iberian style.

The popularity of Six Sigma Ranch beef, lamb and pork has been a great success and there is a customer waiting list for the annual available meats.

The Six Sigma winery was built with a focus on producing small lot, high quality wines from their 40 acres of naturally farmed vineyards sited at high altitudes between 1,400 and 1,700 feet. The varietals grown in four carefully selected locations on the ranch include Sauvignon Blanc, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Syrah.

Working within the framework of mathematically based, data driven Six Sigma principles, http://www.sixsigmaranch.com/six-sigma , the grapes are tended gently through the growing and harvesting cycles and then artisan winemaking techniques yield award winning wines that express the personality of the Six Sigma Ranch.
 
The featured artist for August is Denise Rushing. Born an artistic and sensitive child with a scientific mind, Rushing found the natural world enchanting.

She first became interested in nature-based arts as a young child experimenting with a variety of creative media including painting, ceramics, writing and poetry. For most of her life, she pursued both science and art.

After earning a Bachelors of Science in environmental engineering from Stanford University and a pioneering career in energy efficiency technology, she went on to receive a Master of Arts degree in culture and spirituality from Holy Names University, where she also rekindled her childhood love of painting.

In 2003, she left California for a year to co-found Rockhaven eco-spiritual center in House Springs, Missouri.

When she returned to California, she served two terms on the Lake County Board of Supervisors, where she was lauded for her environmental advocacy and community revitalization efforts, receiving both state and congressional recognition.

Today, Rushing paints to express her love of Earth and is passionate about art's power to inspire, transform and heal people and our planet home.

In addition to painting, Rushing has since added poetry, photography and earthen construction to her arts repertoire. You can view some of her art at her website www.deniserushing.net .

Lake County Wine Studio is a gallery for display and sale of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County. Artist’s shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month.
 
The gallery is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake and through August is open daily from 1 to 7 p.m., and Friday from 1 to 8 p.m. The Rushing art exhibit will be on display for the full month of August.

For more information call Lake County Wine Studio at 707-275-8030 or 707-293-8752.

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