Thursday, July 14, 2016

4th annual Cork & Barrel to Feature Santa Barbara County Wines

John Gottberg Anderson/The Bulletin (July 14, 2016)-

Cork & Barrel, the midsummer KIDS Center benefit, will launch its fourth annual event series tonight, featuring the wines of California’s Santa Barbara County.

11 wineries will participate at KIDS Center fundraiser.
Photo Cradit @ CorkAndBarrel.Com
In each of its first three years, Cork & Barrel has highlighted a different West Coast wine region: Washington’s Walla Walla area in 2013, Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 2014 and Northern California’s Napa Valley last year. This year, the event moves yet further south, to the rolling hills and marked microclimates of the Central Coast wine region.
Eleven different wineries are scheduled to participate, all of them from the Santa Ynez and Santa Rita valleys that run northwest from metropolitan Santa Barbara, California.
In support of KIDS Center — an agency that evaluates and treats child abuse — four different winemaker dinners will be held tonight at locations across the Bend area. Each five-course dinner, with wine pairings for no more than 40 guests, is priced at $100 per person. Reservations may be placed online at corkandbarrel.org.
Scheduled to cook are:
Bette Fraser, owner of The Well Traveled Fork, at The Sparrow Bakery in NorthWest Crossing, accompanied by Martellotto Winery.
Joe Kim, chef and co-owner of 5 Fusion & Sushi Bar, at his own restaurant in downtown Bend, accompanied by Sanford Winery.
Kevin Linde, executive chef at the Pronghorn Club, at Pronghorn in northeast Bend, accompanied by Brewer-Clifton and Casa Dumetz wineries.
O.J. Robinson, executive chef at Portland’s Benson Hotel, at a private Bend home, accompanied by Presqu’ile and Turiya wineries.
Friday, under a tent at the Broken Top Club, Kim and Robinson will join chefs Cliff Eslinger of 900 Wall and Zac Hoffman of the Tetherow resort in a small-bite sampling at A Sip of Cork & Barrel. All 11 winemakers will provide tastings of 36 wines. Supplementing the wine-and-food round-robin will be wine-themed games of chance, a silent auction and a handbag raffle. Tickets for the 4:30 p.m. event are priced at $75 per person.
The final event, also at the Broken Top Club, is a Saturday-night Grand Cru Dinner and Auction, with tickets priced at $200 per person. A wine-tasting reception, with appetizers from chef Steve Helt of Zydeco and Bistro 28, will be followed at 6:30 p.m. by a five-course wine-pairing dinner prepared by chef George Tate of Tate & Tate Catering. A live auction will give diners a chance to buy everything from a tour of Jay Leno’s private car collection to a miniature red Australian labradoodle puppy.
Coastal wines
Three of the wineries at Cork & Barrel represent the Santa Maria Valley, the first official American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Santa Barbara County. All three of them — the Cambria Estate, Nielson and Presqu’ile Winery — will (not surprisingly) offer the pinot noirs and chardonnays that do especially well with the ocean breezes of this hill country.
Nielson, in fact, will serve two pinots and a chardonnay; Cambria will offer a syrah as well as a pinot and chardonnay.
Presqu’ile (pronounced “press-keel”) will serve not only its flagship varietals, but also a sauvignon blanc and a pinot noir rosé for summer sipping.
Similarly blessed with sea breezes are the Santa Rita Hills, near Lompoc on the western border of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Brewer-Clifton produces exclusively pinot noir and chardonnay, and will offer tastes of each; the Sanford Winery will pour a chardonnay and three different pinot noirs, along with a rosé of pinot. A neighboring small-production winery, Turiya, will change it up with a malbec, a petit verdot and a blend of the two red grapes.
Santa Barbara County’s oldest wine region is Los Olivos, and it still has the highest concentration of vineyards and wineries. Artiste will show off a couple of its red blends, a cabernet franc-petit verdot and a syrah-tempranillo. Sunstone Vineyards also will taste a pair of wines, a merlot and a viognier.
The unique soils and microclimates of Ballard Canyon, near Los Alamos in the heart of Santa Ynez, allow the successful production of a wide variety of wines. Casa Dumetz, which specializes in jammy grenache, will display that grape by itself and in a GSM blend with syrah and mourvèdre; its menu also includes a syrah rosé and a floral roussanne. The Martian Ranch will offer a medium-bodied gamay noir, a Spanish albariño and a rosé of mourvèdre.
That leaves Martellotto, based in Buellton, but sourcing from vineyards in several sections of the AVA, including the higher slopes of Happy Canyon at the edge of the San Rafael Mountains. The winery will serve three reds — cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir — as well as a dry rosé and an Italian-style pinot grigio.
My seat tonight will be at O.J. Robinson’s dinner, with wines from Presqu’ile and Turiya. Tasting notes tell me the Presqu’ile 2013 Santa Maria pinot noir will have balance, complexity and a “spice-driven character.” I’m curious what that may be.

To view the original version on The Bulletin, visit: http://www.bendbulletin.com/entertainment/4493441-151/cork-barrel-time-is-now

Pada Komentar

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Southwest Florida Has A 'Sideways' Connection

If you have even the slightest interest in wine, there is a pretty good chance you’ve seen the 2004 movieSideways, where actors Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church take a dysfunctional road trip to Santa Barbara, California, wine country.

(Photo: Gina Birch/special to The News-press)
Among many things, this movie became famous for disparaging merlot, and boosting the sales of pinot noir.

I visited the area just after the movie had won an Academy Award, not because of that, but because I just happened to be in Southern California and Santa Barbara was an easy drive. There were official Sideways tours and scores of wine lovers forging their own paths to wineries and restaurants featured in the movie.

Trying to avoid those groups (because at the time I was way too cool for that), my friend and I hit the well established and the hidden gems, with one of my faves being Jaffurs Wine Cellars. When we drove up I thought that this garage in the middle of the city CAN'T be the winery…but it was and it was awesome.

Established in 1994, Jaffurs was among the first to make syrah and Rhone-style winesin the area, according to winemaker Matt Brady. Brady, has been with Jaffurs for 11 years, promoted to winemaker last year, however, the best inside intel is that he lived in Fort Myers as a toddler and has had family here for more than 25 years.

Tall with long hair and a beard, Brady looks more like a musician than a winemaker who hangs out in Southwest Florida, and he does indeed have a passion for live music. On a recent trip home we met up with some wine-loving friends and shared some current releases. Without exception, they are all great finds.

About six years ago Jaffurs began making a Grenache blanc that Brady calls,

“My go-to wine for lunch.” Originating in Spain as a Grenache mutation, Grenache blanc is one of the premiere blending grapes for white wines in southern France.

The Santa Barbara production is low but Brady says, “I’m passionate about it and it’s fun to make.” Acidic with tropical fruit, the wine spends a little time in neutral oak providing a bit of vanilla and honey.

The focus at Jaffurs is on the so-called Rhone varietals such as viognier and Grenache with syrah being their specialty.

Fitting for Southwest Florida, the 2014 Ben Nacido Vineyard Viognier is aromatic and lovely with stone fruits such as pear, and spice like that of a ginger cookie. Someone at the table called it the perfect breakfast wine, a great way to start the day. I have to agree.

The old school foot stomping method is still used at Jaffurs — think I Love Lucy — for making the 2012 Santa Barbara County Grenache. No funky feet here, rather a fruity, intoxicating aroma. A medium bodied wine with raspberry, plum and a little cocoa, Brady gushes, “Grenache delivers on everything pinot noir promises.”

But it’s the Syrah that grows so well in Santa Barbara and has been the flagship of Jaffurs for more than 20 years: five vineyards produce eight wines. Going into BBQ season, these are good ones to keep on hand as they make great friends with grilled meat.

Your best shot at scoring the 2012 Larner Vineyard Syrah Reserve is from the winery itself and it is worth the shipping charge. A lush, fruity nose, it’s complex and elegant with black cherry and a bit of cola; one that could easily age.

The headliner is the 2013 Santa Barbara Syrah, a blend of fruit from all five vineyards, along with a bit of petite sirah, mourvedre and Grenache for structure.

The nose is luscious, floral and fruity with an ultraviolet hue along the edge of the glass. With dark fruit and pepper on the finish the best quote I heard from my drinking companions was, “It tastes like greasy fingers and good times,” in other words a good afternoon of eating ribs with family and friends.

With a description like that, forget the bottle; get a case. Cheers!
Pada Komentar

Downtown Santa Barbara Art & Wine Tour to Feature LIVE Art

The curtain goes up for the 2016 Downtown LIVE Art & Wine Tour in Downtown Santa Barbara Thursday, May 26, 2016, from 5:30-10 p.m. This beloved and original “art walk with wine” event is making a comeback with a new twist: live art.


All participating venues north of Carrillo Street will host a live cultural event paired with a Santa Barbara restaurant and regional winery.

Venues include 10 West Gallery, Bella Rosa Galleries, Churchill Jewelers, Distinctive Art Gallery, Engel & Vӧlkers, Imagine X Functional Neurology, Indigo Interiors, The Painted Cabernet, Santa Barbara Arts, Santa Barbara Public Market and Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery.
“Our ingenious venues are exhibiting everything from painting, spinning, live photo development — even aerialists, all performed live,” said Maggie Campbell, Downtown Santa Barbara’s executive director.


Food offerings included in the ticket price are from Blush, bouchon Santa Barbara, Brasil Arts Café, C’est Cheese, Ca’ Dario, Chase Bar and Grill, Enterprise Fish Company, Finch & Fork, Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurant, Nectar Eatery & Lounge, Nothing Bundt Cakes, opal restaurant and bar, Paradise Café, Pascucci, Patxi’s Pizza, Persona Wood Fired Pizzeria and Viva Santa Barbara.

Tickets are $65 for the tour and include the final party, on sale April 15 at www.DSBLiveArtWine.Nightout.com or at the Downtown Santa Barbara office, which is located at 27-B E De La Guerra Street, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., check or credit card only.

A limited number of tickets are available and advance purchase is a must.
The 2016 LIVE Art & Wine Tour is produced by Downtown Santa Barbara and is sponsored by American Riviera Bank, The Granada Theatre and Alaska Airlines. 

Downtown Santa Barbara is a membership-driven, nonprofit organization whose goal is to maintain and enhance the business and cultural activity in the downtown district.
For more information, please call 805.962.2098 x804 or visit www.DowntownSB.org.

— Kate Schwab is the marketing and communications director for Downtown Santa Barbara.

Article Source: [Noozhawk]
Pada Komentar

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Santa Barbara Film Feast Turns Up Heat On Movie Food

Rundown of Various Visit Santa Barbara-Organized Restaurant Deals During SBIFF 2016. With more than 200 shorts, documentaries and feature-length movies packed into 11 days, the 31st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival offers plenty of chances to enjoy dinner and a movie, a movie, a movie and yet another movie. 

Photo Cradit: ChocolateMoosey
State Street’s bustling restaurant scene is a natural pairing for fans of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, whether that means grabbing a quick bite in between Metro 4 movies or going big on a quality date-night dinner before a tribute at the Arlington. For the sixth year in a row, Visit Santa Barbara is enhancing that connection by curating special deals at restaurants, wine tasting rooms, and hotels all around town, where cinematically inspired menu pairings are offered at attractive prices. Nearly 20 establishments are taking part in 2016, so what follows are just a handful of these Film Feast deals.

The Lark’s “Movie, Popcorn, and The Vesper”: The Funk Zone hotspot is swapping out its popular popcorn for movie popcorn and serving it up with a Vesper, better known as James Bond’s dirty martini. $14.

Olio e Limone Ristorante: diners who visit now through Feb. 12 have the option of ordering a two-course menu inspired by "Cinema Paradiso" ($35) or a three-course option named for "La Vita e Bella" ($50).

Rodney’s Grill App Pairing Specials: Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort’s restaurant is pairing its Lord of the Rings flash-fried calamari in arrabbiata sauce and/or its “Rebel Without a Claws” snow crabs in horseradish chili sauce with a Some Like It Hot jalapeño margarita and/or “Flight Club” red and white wine flights. Price varies.

Les Marchands “Royale w/ Cheese”: Chef Weston Richards takes Pulp Fiction inspiration to slap together two quarter-pound beef patties, caramelized onions, and molten taleggio cheese and serve with garlic-herb pommes frites. $15, or $22 with the Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier.

Olio Crudo Bar next door: a three-course chef's tasting menu includes cooked Mediterranean octopus served with frisee, sliced new potatoes and spicy controne pepper among the choices. The food-only menu ($35) has been dubbed the "short" while the with-beverages option ($49 with wine pairings or a mini martini flight) is a "feature" (11 W. Victoria St. Suites 17-18, 805-899-2699, http://www.olioelimone.com).

Grassini Family Vineyards’ “Corks ’n’ Kernels”: The El Paseo tasting room will pair Santa Barbara Popcorn Co.’s unique gourmet flavors with flights of cabernet sauvignon and other Bordeaux wines from Grassini’s Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara estate. $15.

Red Carpet Red @ C’est Cheese and Opal: While supplies last of the Visit S.B.–commissioned, Ampelos-made pinot noir bottling known as Red Carpet Red ($8 glass/$28 bottle), C’est Cheese is pairing three cheeses and Italian cold cuts with the wine, as well as Red Velvet Cupcakes, and Opal is serving it alongside a $40 prix fixe menu.

For the full list of Film Feast offerings, see sbfilmfeast.com.
Pada Komentar

Monday, May 19, 2014

We Are All Together at Stagecoach Wine Tours

We are all in this together. At Stagecoach Co. Wine Tours, we take pride in supporting our community and causes we believe in. When taking a tour with us, know that we are also helping strengthen our community, giving back, and paying it forward.

Santa Barbara Wine Tours

 Here is a partial list of charities and organizations we have donated to in the recent past:
  • Easy Lift Transportation
  • LiveStrong
  • The American Cancer Society
  • The Boys and Girls Club
  • The Soldiers Project
  • Our Lady of Grace
  • Monroe Elementary School of Santa Barbara
  • United Nations Association Santa Barbara Chapter
  • Montessori of Ojai
  • Auction for A Cause
  • Anaheim Hills Elementary
  • The Unity Shoppe
  • Solvang Friendship House
  • The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
  • A Kure for K
  • Visiting Nurses Association 
and many more!!!

Stay with us to know more about our activity and event.

Facebook link- https://www.facebook.com/StagecoachWineTours
Twitter link- https://twitter.com/StagecoachTours
Website- http://www.winetourssantaynez.com
Pada Komentar
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)