Morgan Clendenen of Cold Heaven Cellars deserves a big round of applause for organizing and executing the debut Pioneers of Santa Barbara County wine tasting event Saturday.
Clendenen, her team and the region’s founding producers created what a fellow wine writer later told me was an “intimate but well-attended event” for the afternoon’s tasting at the Solvang
Veterans’ Memorial Hall.
Among those pouring wines were those from Andrew Murray Vineyards, Au Bon Climat, Babcock, Beckmen, Brander, Cold Heaven Cellars, D’Alfonso-Curran, Fiddlehead Cellars, Firestone, Foxen, Hitching Post, Ken Brown, Kita Wines, Lucas & Lewellen, Lumen, Margerum Wine Co., Qupe, Sanford, Shokrian, Verdad, Whitcraft and Zaca Mesa.
Clendenen told me that Arts Outreach of the Santa Ynez Valley would be the beneficiary of the event, after expenses.
Work duties kept me from the main tasting, but I caught up with a spent yet gracious Clendenen during the VIP tasting, which featured Champagne and charcuterie.
Clendenen called the debut tasting of the Pioneers “a lot of work but a big success.” She has plans for a second event to be held next spring at a date yet to be determined.
Keep an eye on the website for future details.
The nonprofit Arts Outreach was founded in 1980 with five volunteer artists as an arts-in-school program. Today it is a collaboration comprising more than 70 professional artists who promote
the visual, literary and musical arts in the Santa Ynez and Los Alamos valleys.
It serves more than 3,000 students and older residents of Santa Barbara County.
Local wines make the Wine Enthusiast Top 100 list
More congratulations are in order for the four Santa Barbara County wineries included in Wine Enthusiast’s just-released “Top 100 Cellar Selections.”
At No. 17 on the list of 100, with 96 points, is Au Bon Climat’s 2013 Knox Alexander Estate Bottled Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley).
No. 47, earning 95 points, is the 2015 Chardonnay from Solomon Hills, also Santa Maria Valley.
On its heels at No. 49, also with 95 points, is Dragonette Cellars’ 2013 MJM Syrah from the Santa Ynez Valley.
And Gavin Chanin’s 2015 Los Alamos Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County) was No. 71 on the list, earning 94 points.
Picking wine to pair with a Thanksgiving meal
It’s already almost Thanksgiving!
I’ve got my wines; how about you? I’m traveling to family holiday with grenache and a rosé — the latter is a favorite of mine to pair with turkey and assorted vegetables.
If you’re at a loss, remember: Lighter reds, such as pinot noir or grenache, or a medium-bodied red like syrah, are reliable choices to match with the meal.
Whites tend to be more forgiving, and the choices are many: Chenin blanc or grenache blanc or sauvignon blanc; viogniers aged in stainless steel or neutral oak, or a riesling.
Whatever your wine choice may be, make the time with family and friends count. Cheers!
— 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.