A Santa Barbara County winemaker’s pinot noir has a starring role in a new digital short-form series, “Cooper’s Bar,” in its first season on AMC.
Brian and Kimberly Loring are siblings and co-owners of Loring Wine Co. in Lompoc. They produce mostly pinot noir and chardonnay sourced from vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills, on the Central Coast and in the Santa Lucia Highlands region of Monterey County.
Loring bottles a pinot noir named for 7-year-old Cooper Jaxon, one of Kimberly Loring’s two children.
The six-show series “Cooper’s Bar,” which debuted May 31, stars Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”) as a foul-mouthed Hollywood executive who stumbles across a backyard bar owned by a wanna-be character actor, Lou Mustillo of “Mike & Molly.”
In “Cooper’s Bar,” Mustillo can be seen behind his bar, pouring his fellow actors the 2020 Cooper Jaxon pinot noir. The series was actually shot in Mustillo’s own Tiki Lounge, located behind his residence.
According to Brian Loring, his nephew, Cooper, “was very excited to hear that a show had been named after him, and that we’d sent his wine for them to use.”
“Cooper’s Bar” is timed to air around Season 6 of “Better Call Saul,” the popular series in which Seehorn also stars.
“Cooper’s Bar” also stars Casey Washington, David Conolly and Kila Kitu. Conolly, his wife, Hannah Davis-Law, Nick Morton, Mustillo and Seehorn are producers. Evan Shapiro and Alfredo de Villa are executive producers.
Fess Parker Winery Welcomes July Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit
The Fess Parker family has announced that the Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit, which originated in Texas, will relocate to Los Olivos July 15-17. The event was co-founded by the late Fess Parker and has taken place in Buffalo Gap, Texas, since its debut 15 years ago.
Parker and his friends, Tom and Lisa Perini of Perini Ranch Steakhouse and Dr. Richard Becker of Becker Vineyards, established the Texas nonprofit organization to cultivate appreciation of fine wine and food through education and industry discussion.
The summit this year will venture to Los Olivos as part of the summit’s 2022 three-city tour in an experience called The Rhône Rodeo.
The Rhône Rodeo weekend kicks off Friday, July 15 with a grand reception at the Epiphany tasting room in Los Olivos featuring a casual evening of wine and appetizers in the garden.
The fun continues on Saturday with the Rhône Rodeo Symposium, a seminar showcasing flights of California and Texas Rhône wines in a head-to-head educational discussion.
Panelists from both Santa Barbara County and Texas will be represented, including Blair Fox of the Fess Parker Family Portfolio and Blair Fox Cellars; Tyler Eck of the Fess Parker Family Portfolio and Dunites; Bryan Babcock of Babcock Winery & Vineyards; Matt Dees of Kimsey Vineyard; Jon Leahy of Becker Vineyards; Kassandra Mcpherson of Kim Mcpherson Wines; and Ron Yates of Spicewood Vineyards and Ron Yates Wine.
Following the seminar, attendees will experience a behind-the-scenes tour of Fess Parker Winery, as well as a Santa Maria-style barbecue lunch at Rodney’s Vineyard.
The Saturday portion of the summit will conclude with a sparkling wine reception on the Fess Parker Winery terrace, followed by a multicourse wine dinner prepared by Bouchon Santa Barbara. Sunday’s attendees will enjoy a Bonne Journee brunch in the garden, featuring food from Los Olivos’ Nella Kitchen & Bar.
All-access tickets for the whole weekend are available for $800. Individual tickets for the Saturday Rhône Rodeo Symposium are also available a la carte for $200, which includes the winery tour and barbecue lunch. For tickets, visit buffalogapsummit.com/events/ or call 800.367.1721.
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Scores Two World Beer Cup Wins
The brewers at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. celebrated winning medals at their fourth consecutive World Beer Cup, the world’s largest international beer festival. This year’s event attracted 10,542 beers from 2,493 breweries in 57 countries.
The team brought home a gold for the Mosaic Pale Ale and a silver for the Figuerosé. These two medals bring World Beer Cup total medals to eight, as Fig Brew previously earned one bronze, three silvers and two golds in prior years’ competitions.
“Ultimately, we brew our beer for our fans here in California. But to be recognized by these world beer experts shows that we’re doing something right here,” said Kevin Ashford, Fig Brew’s brewmaster and creative director.
Ashford accepted the award along with Jaime Dietenhofer, owner of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., who pointed to the sky and held the jacket of his late father, Jim, on the stage.
Jaime and his father started the brewery together in 2010, and it has since expanded to four locations — the “Mothership” brewery in Buellton, Santa Barbara, Westlake Village and Los Olivos.
For more information, visit FigMtnBrew.com.
Alma Rosa Winery’s Peace of Mind Fundraiser Returns July 23
Alma Rosa Winery’s third annual Peace of Mind: 10,000 Steps in the Right Direction fundraising walk will return at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 23. The walk, 10,000 steps or about 4.5 miles, will take place across the rolling vineyards of Alma Rosa’s 628-acre estate property off Santa Rosa Road in the Sta. Rita Hills.
Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine and other refreshments at the top of the estate while enjoying sweeping hilltop views of the region, followed by a small reception at the Alma Rosa Ranch House at the end of the walk.
Registration lasts through July 22. To sign up, donate or start a fundraising campaign for the upcoming event, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Buellton/PeaceofMind10000StepsintheRightDirection.
Debra Eagle, general manager of Alma Rosa, noted that the winery’s owners, Bob and Barb Zorich, created the annual fundraiser to support community services for mental health, as well as research on the causes, treatment and potential cures for anxiety and depression.
During the past two years, the winery has raised more than $345,000 for mental health organizations. This year, the Zorichs will be matching donations dollar-for-dollar up to $35,000 for two nonprofit organizations, for a total of $70,000. The nonprofit organizations are One Mind and the Mental Wellness Center.
One Mind, founded 27 years ago, has raised nearly $500 million in direct and leveraged funding toward its vision of healthy brains for all. Its mission is to hasten discoveries in brain health through large-scale, open-science research.
The Mental Wellness Center has built homes for individuals and families alike via the raising of awareness toward mental health in the Santa Barbara community.
In addition to hosting the annual Peace of Mind event, Zorich also serves as the chairman of the Hope and Healing Center & Institute and sits on the board of the WorkFaith Connection of Houston. He also is a supporter of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation in New York City.
Alma Rosa showcases chardonnay and pinot noir from the Sta. Rita Hills. The winery was founded in 2005 by Richard Sanford, who was the first to plant pinot noir in the Sta. Rita Hills in 1971. The Zorichs purchased Alma Rosa from Sanford in 2014. Samra Morris is the winemaker.
— Laurie Jervis tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are her own.