The annual Wine & Fire celebration, hosted by the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance, will return to various locations throughout the esteemed Sta. Rita Hills AVA from Thursday, Aug. 15 through Sunday, Aug. 18.

Wine & Fire is hands-down my favorite event of the year because tickets are limited, meaning guests can better mingle with participating winemakers.

Every year the event honors a winemaker as Vintner of the Year. Prior winners include Ken Brown, Bryon Babcock and Rick Longoria. While past honorees have been individuals, there’s simply no way to separate the 2024 Vintners of the Year, according to organizers of Wine & Fire.

Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley, both true gentlemen and the owners and winemakers of Hitching Post Wines, are among a handful of Santa Barbara County pioneering vintners. The duo started their label in 1979 and helped advocate for the establishment and promotion of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, designated in 2001.

A chance meeting at the Casmalia Hitching Post restaurant in 1977 between Ostini, a chef, and Hartley, a commercial fisherman, led to their long-term partnership and winemaking adventures.

What started as a “garagiste”-style hobby quickly blossomed into a highly acclaimed winemaking enterprise. The partners’ mission was to craft wines — in particular, pinot noir — that were food-friendly and would marry well with oak-grilled steaks and foods.

Since 1981, Hartley and Ostini have focused primarily on Santa Barbara County-grown pinot noir. The two chose to mirror the more subdued Burgundian-style wines that would complement the varied menu items of the Hitching Post 2 Restaurant, owned by generations of the Ostini family.

Hitching Post Wines has never owned vineyards but has long-term relationships with several of the best across the Santa Ynez Valley. In 1985, long before the area was a designated wine region, the winemakers sourced their first Sta. Rita Hills pinot noir from Sanford & Benedict. Additional vineyard sources in the Sta. Rita Hills sources include Fiddlestix and Our Lady of Guadalupe vineyards.

Generous to a fault, Ostini, Hartley and Hitching Post Wines have helped raise millions of dollars for Direct Relief via the Santa Barbara Wine Auction, as well as many other local nonprofit organizations. 

Hartley and Ostini will be honored throughout Wine & Fire, but in particular at the La Paulée Dinner on Friday, Aug. 16. That event will begin with a sparkling wine reception, followed by a barbecue dinner prepared by High on the Hog Catering. Wines for each table will be hosted by member wineries, but in the spirit of La Paulée, guests are encouraged to bring their own special bottles to share at the table

Wine & Fire kicks off Aug. 15 at the historic Sanford & Benedict barn; Friday is the Babcock La Paulée dinner; Saturday brings the Speed Tasting with a Winemaker at Hitching Post Wines in Buellton in the morning, followed by the grand tasting in the afternoon at La Purisima Mission in Lompoc.

Click here for more details and tickets.

Buttonwood Farm and Vineyard, Napa Valley Wine Academy Partner for Local Classes

Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard has announced its partnership with Napa Valley Wine Academy, a leading wine, spirits, beer and sake education provider.

The plan is to offer introductory and intermediate classes designed by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, which is based in the United Kingdom. The classes will begin in June.

The eventual plan is to expand the coursework from intermediate to all levels in order to serve students ranging from wine enthusiasts to industry professionals.

“We can’t imagine a better partner than Buttonwood for providing our students with hands-on learning opportunities, and offering them the ability to see different cycles in the vineyard or different stages of wine production in the cellar. Some things you can’t easily learn in a book, and together with Buttonwood, we will be creating unforgettable learning adventures,” NVWA founder Christian Oggenfuss said.

“Education is fun, and connecting students directly to the land can provide a strong experiential and semantic link to learning. We endeavor to bring people closer to the land and their food sources,’’ said Anthony Curci, managing partner of Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard.

Buttonwood vineyard walks and field studies will provide students direct interaction with the vineyard, allowing them to observe and learn viticulture techniques firsthand, from soil management to grape harvesting. Wine tasting and evaluation classes will entail guided wine tastings by WSET educator experts, affording students the opportunity to develop their sensory evaluation skills, crucial for any wine professional.

Click here for more information.

Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard comprises a 42-acre estate vineyard, an on-site winery facility, a tasting room and gardens, a two-acre orchard, a small hop yard and 11 acres of rotated seasonal produce. The agriculturally historical property, founded in 1968 on a principle of sustainability, was first utilized as an equestrian operation, followed by the planting of organic fruits and vegetables, and in 1983, the initial planting of the vineyard.

Grimm’s Bluff Wines Announces Two Appointments

Grimm’s Bluff, a producer of Bordeaux-inspired varietal wines from the Happy Canyon AVA of Santa Barbara County, has announced two appointments to its family-based team.

Samantha Grimm has been named general manager of the winery.

Previously, she was the chief operating officer of La Lieff Winery in San Luis Obispo County. In her new role, Grimm will oversee the daily winery and vineyard operations alongside her husband, Henri Grimm, who has just been named director of marketing and information technology.

Henri Grimm previously co-owned Tech Doctors, a county-based leader in IT services and computer repair. When he sold his portion of that company to his partner, Henri Grimm joined the family business founded by his parents, Rick and Aurora Grimm.

Grimm’s Bluff Vineyard is located on a bluff overlooking the Santa Ynez River at 850 feet above sea level. The 16.5-acre vineyard is CCOF-certified and farmed biodynamically. The vineyard is included in Grimm’s Bluff ranch, 246 acres at the southeast corner of the Happy Canyon AVA. Ernst Storm is the longtime winemaker for the label.

The vineyard, planted in 2012, contains cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc and small amounts of petit verdot and cabernet franc. 

Henri Grimm, who moved with his parents from Monaco to Santa Barbara in 2007, has practically grown up at the estate.

“I’m mostly interested in getting to know our customers and what matters to them,” he said. “We’re implementing new customer experiences that we hope will provide them with opportunities to commune with the nature here and enjoy our wines in ways that are relaxing and informative.”

March Women Winemakers & Culinarians’ Celebration Raises $20,000 

The five-day 2024 Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration, which showcased more than 30 female winemakers and nearly 24 chefs, raised $20,000 in charitable event proceeds for the new initiative, She Raised Her Hand, whose mission is to provide opportunities for women to find community, purpose and strength in their identity as veterans.

The Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration, held each year on or near International Women’s Day (annually, March 8), has for the past seven celebrations donated event proceeds to a variety of Santa Barbara County nonprofit organizations, all aimed at aiding underserved groups within the region’s communities.

Tickets for the 2025 Santa Barbara County Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration will be available for purchase starting in December; event dates are March 6-9.