Tag archives: wineries
Last month, I was invited to Wiesbaden, Germany, for the 2026 VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS Sneak Preview, where Germany’s leading wine estates unveil their latest dry wines from the country’s finest classified vineyards. By my third day, I’d tasted my way through row after row of riesling, spätburgunder (pinot noir), silvaner, chardonnay, and more, and my palate […]
Santa Barbara’s biggest wine party of the fall is back on the calendar. With more than 70 winemakers and 20 chefs set to attend, the 42nd annual Santa Barbara Vintners Festival returns Saturday, October 17, 2026. The impending El Niño season, with its increasing chance of heavy rains and coastal erosion, drove a last-minute change […]
Last month, I went to the Finger Lakes for Riesling Camp expecting to deepen my understanding of one of the world’s great cool-climate grapes. I did, but I also came home thinking about water. In the Finger Lakes, the lakes are not simply part of the view. They are the quiet force behind the wines, […]
The Jada estate is stunning. Its 95 acres are sloped and terraced, tucked into steep hillsides, and the towering oaks dappled across the rolling ridges of the woodland floor, with their twisting branches and dense green canopies, cast constant shadows. It all coalesces to mirror beautifully the dramatic, rugged charm of the Paso Robles wine […]
Washington wine country is often defined by its AVAs. Walla Walla. Red Mountain. Yakima Valley. The conversation tends to revolve around vineyards and vintages, which is understandable given the quality in the glass. But after several days exploring Tri-Cities, what stayed with me most had as much to do with rivers, orchards, and people as […]
Santa Barbara’s original wine festival may also be her best. “It’s got those classic Santa Barbara vibes,” says Winemaker Mikael Sigouin, who’s been pouring at the annual wine fête for decades – as assistant winemaker for Fess Parker and Beckmen at first, and then as winemaker for his own label, Solvang-based Kaena, which he launched […]
Last month, I traveled to Kraków, Poland, where I was invited to speak at the International Wine Tourism Conference. I arrived expecting to find an emerging category that felt technically promising and logistically interesting while still finding its footing. I left thinking about something else entirely. Beauty. Ambition. The thrill of discovering a wine region […]
On Saturday, May 7, beneath the Santa Ynez Valley sunshine, an extraordinary group of women gathered at the beautiful 27 Vines boutique vineyard. Glasses clinked, laughter carried across the vines, and tables overflowed with wines and culinary creations that told the story of a region where women are not just participating in the wine industry… […]
Two and a half hours up Highway 101, California begins to feel different. The marine layer fades, the sky stretches wider, and the hills take on a golden hue that holds even in winter. When I visited Paso Robles earlier this month, daytime temperatures climbed to a sunlit 78 degrees, transforming January into a warm-weather […]
I don’t know about you, but when the calendar flips to December, I start seeing red. Red in the ambient glow of holiday lights, to be sure. And red in my wine glass. Maybe it’s the cooler weather and the darker nights. Or the feel-good buzz of the most festive time of year. Or meals […]
You might not know Roero yet – but if you love Nebbiolo from Barolo or Barbaresco, with deep tannins and perfume, you should. I just returned from Piemonte’s Roero wine region, where the same grape produces red wine that feels noble and graceful, and where Arneis, its white counterpart, shines brightly. Roero is nestled just […]
Santa Barbara County’s wine festival of record is reinventing itself. It’ll be same in all the right ways: consumers mingling with winemakers and chefs, and plenty of samples of some of the best wines California has to offer. But Wine Camp is new for 2025, promising immersive moments meant to both enlighten and delight. The […]
Eli Parker tips his cowboy hat to other Rhône pioneers in Santa Barbara County – men like Bob Lindquist and Andrew Murray, who were early champions of grapes like syrah and grenache. But there’s no denying that Parker was on the leading edge of the area’s Rhône movement, too – recognizing in these grapes their […]
What do you get when you mix 45 wineries, 20 food vendors, one charming historic plaza, and a whole lot of Santa Barbara sunshine? The wine and food event of the year. On Saturday, May 17, the iconic El Presidio de Santa Bárbara came alive with the sights, sounds, and scents of the 2025 Grand […]
As a wine lover, writer, and wine travel media personality, there are few things I enjoy more than discovering wines that surprise and delight – and pinot noir continues to be one of those wines that never gets old. While I typically reach for a glass of pinot during cozy fall evenings, the Global Blind […]
My posh trip to Napa wine country began elegantly as we soared out of a private terminal at Van Nuys Airport on Aero’s LA-Napa service on a semi-private plane. In just a little over an hour-long, smooth flight – Erewon fresh avocado tartine/toast, sweet berries and coffee served with cloth napkins in flight – a […]
It’s going to be extra festive at this year’s World of Pinot Noir event. The annual party celebrating Burgundy’s most famous red grape – a multi-day affair that has been luring industry bigwigs and thirsty consumers alike ever since it was launched along California’s Central Coast in 2001 – turns 25 this year! Fêted across […]
This summer I reveled in the opportunity to traverse the vine-strewn expanses of Santa Barbara Wine Country, a treasure trove of over 300 wineries, each catering to a diverse palette of taste buds. As a dedicated Santa Barbara wine writer, each visit to these local vineyards is both a discovery and a homecoming. The region, […]
This past month the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Alliance showcased its annual Wine & Fire Weekend, highlighting the rustic charm and viticultural prowess of Santa Barbara County’s celebrated wine country. Nestled within the larger Santa Ynez Valley AVA, Sta. Rita Hills is acclaimed for its unique maritime climate, a key factor in producing stellar pinot […]
Actress Virginia Madsen got an Oscar nomination for her role in the 2004 film, Sideways. Twenty years later, she’s still feeling the impact, and enjoying it. “It changed my life,” she told me during a recent conversation. “And it’s still so alive, this movie. It became a cultural phenomenon, and there are very few movies […]
