The Santa Barbara Vintners will present “Behind the Scenes” next Friday and Saturday, May 19-20, with three special tasting experiences showcasing various winemakers, wines and appellations.
“We wanted to create a special series for wine lovers to go ‘behind the scenes’ and hear directly from winemakers about our award-winning region and how they make their wines,” said Alison Laslett, CEO of Santa Barbara Vintners.
One seminar is scheduled for Friday and two on Saturday.
An Exploration of Santa Barbara County’s Seven AVAs
4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; hosting winery is Roblar
Sample wines from each of the county’s AVAs, and learn why ours is one of the world’s most diverse for growing grapes. Light bites will be served from Roblar Winery’s on-site restaurant.
Each AVA will be represented by the following: Santa Ynez Valley AVA, Roblar Winery; Santa Maria Valley, Foxen Winery; Alisos Canyon, Dovecote Estate Winery; Happy Canyon, Happy Canyon Vineyard; Sta. Rita Hills, Gainey Vineyard; Los Olivos District, Margerum Wine Co.; and Ballard Canyon, Saarloos & Sons.
Tickets are $85 per person. Roblar Winery at located at 3010 Roblar Ave. in Santa Ynez.
World Class Cabernet in Santa Barbara County
2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday; hosting winery is Brave & Maiden Estate
Five of Santa Barbara County’s finest producers of cabernet sauvignon will share their wines, making this a unique opportunity to taste side-by-side samples.
Panelists include Bradley Long, winemaker at Grassini Family Vineyards; Ernst Storm, winemaker at Grimm’s Bluff; Joshua Klapper, director of winemaking at Brave & Maiden Estate; Simon Faury, winemaker at Crown Point Vineyards; and Tyler Thomas, president and winemaker at Star Lane and Dierberg Vineyards.
Tickets are $200 per person. The Brave & Maiden Estate is located at 649 N. Refugio Road in Santa Ynez.
Sparkling Everything and Pizza
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturday; hosting winery is The Hilt Estate
Taste the wide variety of sparkling wines made in Santa Barbara County paired with local pizza and the stunning view from the barn at The Hilt Estate in the Sta. Rita Hills.
Participating wineries include The Hilt Estate, Fess Parker Winery, Future Perfect, Presqu’ile, Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, Sea Smoke, Stolpman Vineyards and others.
Tickets are $125 per person. The Hilt Estate is located at 2240 Santa Rosa Road in Lompoc.
For more information, visit sbcountywines.com/ and follow @santabarbarawinecountry on Facebook and Instagram, and @sbcwines on Twitter.
‘Taste of Santa Barbara’ Gets Cookin’ Next Week
As Santa Barbara County continues to gain popularity as a world-class wine, food and cultural destination, the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience, in partnership with The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, will host “Taste of Santa Barbara” from next Monday through Sunday, May 15-21.
While several events have already sold out, tickets for others remain available. Visit sbce.events/taste-of-santa-barbara/ for event details and tickets.
Through the SBCE’s partnership with the foundation, a portion of the proceeds from Taste of Santa Barbara funds grants to local organizations making a difference in Santa Barbara County’s food system.
“The Taste of Santa Barbara is a unique opportunity to explore the diverse culinary offerings of the region, and brings together the best chefs, winemakers, producers and more to showcase their talents and create an unforgettable experience for all,” said Donna Yen, executive director of the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience.
“It’s really important to us that the Taste of Santa Barbara is accessible to our entire community, so this year we’ve expanded our programming to offer a variety of events that appeal to all our audiences. We’re also committed to providing an educational platform for important conversations about our region’s food and wine businesses to help deepen connections between the community and these industries.”
The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts was created in 1995 with a mission to educate and encourage the public to appreciate the joys of cooking, eating and drinking well. With its headquarters in Santa Barbara, the foundation has granted nearly $3 million to nonprofit organizations that support research in culinary history, scholarships for professional culinary training, food writing and media, as well as professional development and food literacy programs.
Zaca Mesa Winery Mourns Death of Founder
Family-owned Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards, with a 50-year history in Santa Barbara County, has announced the death this month of its founder, John Cushman III.
Cushman passed away at his home May 4 at age 82. He is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, four sons, 10 grandchildren and two brothers.
In 1973, Cushman, along with five friends, established Zaca Mesa as Santa Barbara County’s third bonded winery, and, in 1978, it gained recognition for being the first to plant syrah in the region. The winery also was instrumental in launching the Santa Barbara County Rhône wines movement through an unwavering dedication to syrah, grenache, viognier and other Rhône varieties.
Zaca Mesa has been honored as a training ground for many great winemakers — at one point earning the nickname “Zaca U” — among them the late Jim Clendenen, Clay Brock, Bob Lindquist, Ken Brown (the founding winemaker who planted that initial syrah), Chuck Carlson and Adam Tolmach.
A half-century later, the pioneering winery is still owned by the Cushman family, with John’s son, Stewart Cushman, at the helm.
Zaca Mesa will celebrate its 50th anniversary in early June.
Paso Wine Fest Celebrates 40 Years
The Paso Robles region will celebrate 40 years of winemaking with its annual Paso Wine Fest weekend, Thursday through Sunday, May 18-21.
Since 1983, the festival has celebrated the region with winetasting, winemaker dinners and the top event, the Grand Tasting, which will feature samples from 115 wineries.
For tickets and more information, visit pasowine.com.
This year’s event kicks off with winemaker dinners on May 18: one at Thomas Hill Organics and the second at The Hatch.
On Friday, “Sparkling Paso” returns to the Paris Valley Road Estate Winery. Jack Creek Cellars, Le Vigne Winery, Paris Valley Road, Robert Hall Winery, Sextant Wines and Vino Vargas will share sparklers paired with small bites by Joe White, Paris Valley Road’s chef.
The Paso Robles Event Center will host the grand tasting from noon to 4:30 p.m. next Saturday, May 20. Now in its second year at this venue, the tasting will have large tasting tents. Live music will keep guests on their toes. Wine-friendly food will be available for purchase from local chefs, caterers and food trucks.
In addition to the ticketed events, Paso Robles’ various wineries will offer dinners, some at the estate, others at a restaurant, concerts, yoga classes, open houses, vineyard tours and more. Visit pasowine.com for details.
The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is the marketing organization that represents wineries, growers and businesses in the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area. Paso Robles Wine Country includes more than 40,000 vineyard acres and 200 wineries.