The Santa Ynez Valley, one of the Central Coast’s renowned wine regions, will host its inaugural four-day food, wine and experiential event, Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley: The First Course in Food, Wine and Experiences.
The event will run from Thursday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 20, in six Santa Ynez Valley towns: Los Alamos, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Solvang, Ballard and Buellton.
More than 100 restaurants, wineries, wine tasting rooms, vineyards, ranches, breweries and entertainment venues will welcome Santa Ynez Valley visitors and locals during the four days of foodie adventure.
Click here to purchase tickets for the various events.
Also included on that link are full descriptions of the more than two dozen happenings — far too many for me to list here! — scheduled throughout the four days. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the home page for the latest additions to the weekend.
Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley will encompass a handful of other events also taking place that weekend, among them the Solvang Grape Stomp; Los Olivos’ annual Day in the Country; the FrancFest, this year at Gainey Vineyard in Santa Ynez; and the Santa Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance’s Sideways Fest, honoring the 15th anniversary of the film Sideways. The latter has three events — one Friday evening, one Saturday and one on Sunday.
Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley will be produced in partnership with Santa Barbara-based En Fuego Events and with media sponsorship by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. The weekend’s ticket proceeds will benefit Santa Barbara Vintners.
Ticket options include an all-inclusive four-day pass at $975; three-day pass (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) at $825; two-day pass (Friday/Saturday) at $625; two-day pass (Saturday/Sunday) at $575; single-day Thursday pass, $150; single-day Friday pass, $325; single-day Saturday pass, $350; and single-day Sunday pass, $275.
Dean McKillen Joins Grassini Vineyards
The family-owned and operated Grassini Family Vineyards, located in the Happy Canyon AVA of Santa Barbara County, has hired Dean McKillen as its national sales manager.
Born and raised in Northern Ireland, McKillen started his wine career after moving to the United States to work at J&L Wines, a Central Coast distribution company. While based in Paso Robles, he worked as a sales representative and the key accounts brand development manager for 10 years, specializing in high-end wine sales while representing some of the most coveted brands on the Central Coast.
McKillen is familiar with the Grassini brand, after having represented the wines for five years during his time with J&L Wines.
“Dean’s extensive wine sales experience lends itself perfectly to this position, while his work ethic and enthusiasm for all things wine make him a natural fit for our company,” CEO Katie Grassini said.
“We are a true family-run business, and as my husband and a member of our family, no one is better suited to represent the Grassini Family and our wines.”
Paradise Springs’ Kirk Wiles Named to ‘40 Under 40’ List
Kirk Wiles, founder and CEO of Paradise Springs Winery, with tasting rooms in Santa Barbara and Clifton, Va., was named to Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list of top tastemakers.
Wiles built a winery operation on historic property family property in Virginia and then decided to broaden his approach, making Paradise Springs the first bicoastal wine brand in the United States. The winery and tasting room in Virginia is that state’s closest to Washington, D.C., Wiles told me in a Noozhawk story.
In Santa Barbara, longtime winemaker Doug Margerum is Wiles’ consultant, and the local tasting room is in Santa Barbara’s popular Funk Zone neighborhood.
Bob’s Well Bread Bakery Announces ‘House Wines’
Bob’s Well Bread Bakery, the iconic bakery and restaurant at 550 Bell St. in Los Alamos, has released Well Bread Wines, a private label also created by Doug Margerum. The three wines — a sauvignon blanc, grenache rosé and grenache — are available to bakery guests by either the glass or bottle.
The current releases are the 2018 Well Bread Pink (rosé of grenache), the 2017 Well Bread White (sauvignon blanc) and the 2018 Well Bread Red (grenache).
Since its inception in 2014, Bob’s Well Bread has attracted both local residents and travelers. The bakery and Bob Oswaks’ entire family are committed to products that are handmade with only the finest ingredients and natural starters. Bob’s doesn’t use any preservatives and strives to source local ingredients using farmers and growers who practice the purest growing initiatives.
Its commitment to being “well bread” means doing good things, supporting the community and donating what it doesn’t sell to local food banks. These practices showcase Los Alamos and the Central Coast and have elevated the region to a respected culinary destination.
Also new at Bob’s is a “Take-Away Trailer” outside the bakery that will allow customers to skip long lines and take bread, pastries or coffee to go on the weekends.
Oswaks, chef David Jeffers and head baker Scott Smith are pleased with the addition, according to Oswaks.
“We were eager to find a solution to taking care of our customers on weekends who were daunted by the long times for a simple pick up of a few pastries or coffee,” he said.
— 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.