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Restaurants boycott Justin Vineyard wines

June 18, 2016

Big Sky CafeThe owner of Big Sky Cafe in San Luis Obispo has stopped serving Justin Vineyard wines after learning that the company had clear-cut oak woodlands. Since Stewart and Lynda Resnick bought Justin Vineyards in 2010, they have cut down thousands of oak trees from properties they purchased in the North County.

Owner Greg Holt told KCBX he decided to remove the wines from his menu because of the company’s removal of oaks trees.

Local residence have also voiced concerned with Justin Vineyards using underground water sources to fill large reservoirs during a drought. A group of locals has asked that county residents boycott products produced by companies owned by the Resnicks.

In addition to Big Sky Café, Pappy McGregor’s Pub and Grill, Thomas Hill Organics and Fish Gaucho are planning to stop carrying Justin Vineyard wines.

In 2013, CalCoastNews exclusively reported on the Resnicks’ purchase of the Hardham Ranch in Paso Robles. Before the Beverly Hills billionaires acquired the 747-acre  property, it had been used for dry farming and cattle grazing.

After they purchased the ranch, the Resnicks removed oak trees, planted vines and installed two large reservoirs said to hold a total of 184 acre feet of water. At the same time, the neighbors wells were going dry and Resnick employees were lobbying San Luis Obispo County Supervisors to promote a proposed Paso Robles basin water district.

Supervisors Bruce Gibson, Adam Hill and Frank Mecham then voted in favor of curtailing the normal process and bringing the proposed district to a vote.

However, 77 percent of voters rejected the proposed district earlier this year.

 


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How many Oaks die a horrible death to fire every year just to cook Santa Marina Style TriTip cooked over…you guessed it…RED OAK. So do we now blacklist and boycott Santa Maria Style BBQ?


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Good point Rich

Big Sky Cafe and the other boycott supporters are boycotting a pretty ample portion of our counties tax base. Why not just go outside and break off a branch from an oak tree and stick it in ones eye? LMAO


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So that’s your beef.


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Tri Tip of course…..


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No offense, but that is definitely a stupid comment regarding this situation! Everyone knows that with “permitted” construction, fallen trees, thinning of forests, etc. trees are available. Please, other than the wine industry point to a situation where someone in this County has gone in and bulldozed hills, raped fields of hundreds of oak trees (doesn’t matter if white, red, etc.) and stripped ground water from their neighbors without any regard to the community. Resnick has left a disastrous where ever has business ventures of occurred. He has only one goal, $$$$$ in his account, and the hell with anything else. Fines are just part of doing business and he will be happy to pay, after all, the damage is done and he has what he wanted.


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Look what good does it do to boycott after the fact? If harming Justin is what you want to do for actions they have taken on their own property there are better ways of doing that than a boycott. If you dislike the wine industry then vote for like minded folks running for county public office. Boycotts are silly and achieve nothing. Not a single tree will be replaced by a boycott. If you don’t want to drink Justin wines then don’t but for local restaurants residing and doing business in our county to call for a boycott is masochistic at best and a cheap attempt at marketing themselves at Justin’s expense. I like Justin vineyard wines so if Blue Sky won’t serve it I will go to a restaurant where they do.


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Thank you…Justin time.


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Boycott smoycott I’m enjoying a bottle from Justin as we speak; okay a second bottle…I’m sure everyone engaging in this boycott are as clean as the wind driven snow. Cheap advertising for Big Sky and a way for people to feel good about themselves. That’s okay more wine for me…(: )


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Well…stupid is, as stupid does. Enjoy your grapes of wrath.

“Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut”. Ernest Hemingway


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Well stupid comes in all forms like stupidly thinking a boycott will do any good at all. Justin wine is sold all over the world…. and yes I did enjoy the wine thank you.


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Keep in mind that the water used to make the wine comes from the Paso Basin acquifer which the State of California has just recently declared to be in critical overdraft.


Justin’s owner, the billionaire who owns Figi water, where 53 percent of the people who don’t have access to clean, safe water, is overpumping and storing the water in massive ponds from over 1600 properties he owns over the Paso Basin. Shallower rural wells are running dry and long time residents are leaving.


Please keep this in mind while enjoying your next glass.


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Keep in mind where the county coffers get filled next time your taxes come due…


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OK


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Mr. Rambo, we as a nation are blessed to do as we please, never ask to come or go. Do you understand the significance of this? Guess not, I won’t bother you with an explanation, bottoms up!!!


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If you can explain what you just posted it would impress me indeed…


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They also own Landmark Vineyards out of Sonoma, so make sure to avoid these wines also.


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What they did was not illegal, but I think it’s awesome that local businesses and residents are voting with their dollars! I, for one, will not be purchasing any more Justin wines either. It’s a shame that the business decision makers opted for greed over being good neighbors and stewards of the land. It’s sad. I really think that they could have done something to work with the land and neighbors and still made a tidy profit for the shareholders.


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Um yes and no on what they did being illegal. Yes at this juncture no oak tree ordinance in county, so legal. Grading done after oaks removed without permit……..illegal.


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I agree with you and am so happy local businesses and other residents (besides me) are boycotting them. In my opinion, when Justin sold the winery the quality of the wine went way, way down anyway, so *not drinking Justin wine isn’t hard for me. I’ll be skipping Fiji water purchases, too. There are plenty of other amazing and wonderful wineries in our region and I don’t think anyone will faint if they don’t see a Justin wine on the wine list!


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Locals should boycott EVERY restaurant that serves Resnick products. This is not just Justin wines.


Locals should also support EVERY restaurant that has banned Resnick products. I would be happy to contribute to the cost of a poster/decal for businesses to put in their window, counter, table that says we ban Justin Wines!


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and Figi Water.


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and the Pom pomegranate products.


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Locals should also boycott all the BBQ Restaurants that cook over wood….NO?….ah then I smell Hypocrisy and AstroTurf outrage….pass me that Santa Maria Style BBQ Please…opps…cooled over RED OAK…ha ha ha


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That would make sense if you could connect the would to the Resnick companies. You can’t.


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Do you know for a fact that trees are cut down for this wood? I am thinking the answer is no. When trees have to be cut down or branches removed/fallen is a good source of firewood.


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t-shirts


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more; cafepress, send them a design. heck, i’ll buy one


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The perfect way to protest, then get their club members to start dropping out, the pocketbook can sometimes be very painful.


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Thank you Big Sky Café.


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I drink Lucky Duck cabernet. It comes from Ripon, California; home of the fine Thunderbird variety. No clear cutting required.


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whatever happened to Rota wine?


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sorry Rotta


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