The EconAlliance of Northern Santa Barbara County will host a public forum titled “Why Wine Matters” on Thursday, June 27 at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott in Buellton.
The forum will open at 12:30 p.m. with lunch and last until 5 p.m. Tickets, which are $60 per person and include lunch and the program, are available by clicking here.
The event will bring together elected officials, community leaders, business owners, vintners and residents to discuss the economic and lifestyle benefits of Santa Barbara County’s wine region.
Rob McMillan, executive vice president and founder of Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division, will be the keynote presenter. Alison Laslett, CEO of Santa Barbara Vintners, also will present.
A panel will discuss “the legacy investment of Wine Country Vintners.” The panelists include David and Michelle Lafond of Lafond Winery & Vineyards, Katie Grassini of Grassini Family Vineyards and Marshall Miller of The Thornhill Companies.
Click here for more information about the event, or contact Victoria Conner at initiatives@econalliance.org or 805.345.0688.
Buttonwood 2018 Rosé Earns Best of Show at State Fair
The 2018 Syrah Rosé crafted by Solvang’s Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard earned high honors at the recent California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.
The rosé was among just five wines selected as Best of Show. It also received double gold medals and 98 points, according to Nicole Carnevale, Buttonwood’s director of sales.
The rosé is produced from a block of syrah grapes grown specifically for the wines.
“We release this wine each year for Valentine’s Day weekend, because it is lovely and beautifully light pink and as a toast to the coming springtime,” Carnevale said.
Rick Pickering, California State Fair general manager and CEO, said: “The Commercial Wine Competition is not only the oldest wine competition in the country, but it continues to expand its prestige year after year. Winning top honors at the state fair is seen as a pinnacle achievement and honor for California winemakers.”
This year’s competition included 2,811 California wines that were judged during the course of three days by judges who ranged from winemakers, wine merchants, writers, promoters and educators from throughout the United States.
In all, 129 double gold medals, 325 gold medals, 1,117 silver medals and 967 bronze medals were awarded. There also were 303 Best of Class of Appellation awards, 24 Best of California awards, 22 Best of Region awards, three Best Micro Winery awards, the Best Value Award and five Best of Show awards.
The Golden State Winery of the Year award went to Jeff Runquist Wines. It was a second win for Jeff Runquist, who also won the award in 2011.
A list of all of the 2019 State Fair Commercial Wine Competition winners can be found at CAStateFair.org.
Presqu’ile Winery Announces Summer Events, Concerts
Presqu’ile Winery, an estate vineyard property in the hills south of Santa Maria with views west to the ocean, has announced a series of concerts and special events for the summer.
Presqu’ile Winery is located at 5391 Presquile Drive off East Clark Avenue in Orcutt.
Among the events are the Extended Family Tasting the afternoon of Saturday, June 15, and that same evening, a Supper Club with Chef Ben Sukle of Birch in Providence, R.I. The Wine Film Festival is planned for Friday, June 28.
Presqu’ile is a multigenerational collaboration of Madison and Suzanne Murphy, their three adult children, Matt, Anna and Jonathan, and their daughters-in-law, Amanda and Lindsey. Led by eldest son Matt Murphy, the family founded Presqu’ile — the Creole word for “almost an island” — as a tribute to a beloved Gulf Coast family retreat that was lost to Hurricane Katrina. Also on the team is winemaker Dieter Cronje.
Saturday’s tasting from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. will highlight the winemakers who source grapes from Presqu’ile for their own wine labels or use the facility for production.
Tickets are $30 for Presqu’ile club members and $35 for nonmembers.
The “family” winemakers include Amplify, Black Sheep Finds, Desparada, Habit, Lumen, Metrick, Piro, Railsback Freres, Riding Monkey, Storm and Whitcraft. Presqu’ile’s Cronje also will pour some small-lot exclusive wines for the event. Food will be provided by High on the Hog, and the various producers’ wines will be for sale.
That evening, Presqu’ile’s Supper Club will present a dinner with Rhode Island’s Chef Sukle beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the tasting room. For $150, guests can enjoy four courses with paired wines; wine club members will receive a discount.
At Birch, Sukle uses his traditional training and nontraditional experiences to craft an engaging menu that features the best of New England’s seasonal environment. Since Birch opened, Sukle has been nominated for Best Chef: Northeast by the James Beard Foundation, inclusion in Top 50 U.S. Restaurants by Opinionated About Dining and Top 50 Best New Restaurants in the Country by Bon Appetit.
On June 28, Presqu’ile for the third consecutive year will host the Wine Film Festival. Tickets are $35 each. Click here for more information.
Future Presqu’ile concerts include Paul Thorn (July 6), Rising Appalachia (July 7), Led Zepagain (July 13) and Petty & the Heartshakers (Aug. 2).
Click here for more information and tickets for all events, or contact estates manager Cameron Porter at 805.937.8110 Ext. 102 or cameron@presquilewine.com.
Margerum Wine Co. Opens Funk Zone Tasting Room
Doug Margerum and the Margerum Wine Co. have announced a new tasting room at the Hotel Californian on lower State Street in Santa Barbara. The new site, set to open this month, will offer wine flights and wines by the glass.
Leading the Margerum Wine team is creator and namesake Douglas Barden Margerum, a long-term Santa Barbara resident and fixture in the Santa Barbara food and wine scene for more than 35 years.
Margerum’s wife, Marni Blau Margerum, designed the interior of the new site and describes it as “where modern farmhouse meets couture boutique.” Her eclectic design centers on a large bar crafted from reclaimed and flattened oak barrel staves from the Buellton-based winery.
Margerum produces several wine varietals, including Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc, UBER Syrah (a blend of Syrah grapes), Riviera Rosé (made primarily from Grenache grapes), the flagship Rhône Varietal Red Blend M5 (blended from grenache, syrah, mourvèdre, cinsault and counoise grapes), the M5 White (blended from grenache blanc, roussanne, marsanne, viognier and vermentino) and Amaro, a fortified wine made from herbs (sage, thyme, marjoram, parsley, lemon verbena, rosemary and mint), barks, roots, dried orange peels, barrel-aged brandy and caramelized simple syrup.
The Margerum Wine Co. produces about 16,000 cases a year. Hours at the new site will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Margerum’s extensive background includes sommelier/owner of the Wine Cask and years as a winemaker who has been sought out by other producers to assist with the formation of their brands.
He has consulted for Chêne Bleu super Rhône wines in France and continues to consult for La Encantada Vineyard, Rancho Boa Vista and Happy Canyon Vineyard, all in Santa Barbara County, as well as the Santa Barbara wines of Paradise Springs Winery based in Virginia.
— Laurie Jervis blogs about wine at www.centralcoastwinepress.com, tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are her own.