Tag archives: wines
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 […]
“I’m really just overwhelmed by the whole thing,” Richard Sanford tells me, soon after a recent dinner honoring his life’s work. And I can tell he means it, which I find a bit surprising, actually. After all, the man widely known as the pioneer of the Santa Barbara wine industry is no stranger to accolades […]
“This town is amazing,” said Grassini Family Vineyards CEO Katie Grassini, looking around a tasting room filled with supporters raising their glasses for the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation. The gathering at Grassini’s El Paseo tasting room brought together TBCF Director Brittany Wazny, Development Director Julia George, events director Kirsten Stuart and friends of the organization […]
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 […]
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 […]
Sunstone Wine Lounge, now open at 1294 Coast Village Road, offers locals the opportunity to enjoy the winery’s experience without the drive to its Santa Ynez estate. The lounge is open to both the public and wine club members seven days a week, with both walk-ins and reservations welcome. The space features Sunstone’s classic wines, […]
Each January, the historic halls of the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds transform into one of the most important tasting rooms in North America. Long tables draped in white cloth line the space, and these are covered with thousands of carefully poured glasses. Judges arrive and don white lab coats, ready for days of focused evaluation at […]
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 […]
Some destinations do not clamor for your attention; they quietly unfold around you, and Paso Robles is one of them. Rolling vineyards, mineral-rich hillsides, and luminous evening skies invite you to slow down and experience a wine region through its people, its cellars, and its light. Tucked into the California Central Coast, it offers a […]
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 […]
Late summer in the Caribbean is when the sea whispers adventure. The trade winds steady your sails, the water is still bath-warm, and the harbors, so crowded in winter, unfold into elegant calm. On a recent yachting journey, I was asked to curate the wine pairings for our group, and it reminded me why I […]
It’s a new decade at Gainey Estate Vineyards. The stalwart Santa Barbara wine brand has a prolific 40-year history in its rear-view mirror, and a robust portfolio of world-class and award-winning wines to show for it. But it may be more accurate to say it’s a new era at Gainey. Because while the brand remains […]
In Sonoma Wine Country, the morning sun filters through a veil of coastal fog, softening the contours of rolling vineyards that stretch toward the Pacific. A cool breeze carries the scent of wild herbs and sea air, while rows of chardonnay and pinot noir glisten with dew. This is a landscape shaped by nature’s contrasts, […]
Fifty years can teach you a lot about growing wine. These days, Fred Brander knows full well that Bordeaux grapes – reds like cabernet sauvignon and whites like sauvignon blanc – grow really well in the warm eastern stretches of the Santa Ynez Valley. But in the beginning – 50 years ago – it was […]
Warm Mediterranean breezes carry the promise of relaxed elegance as they dance across sun-drenched skin, mingling with the scent of blooming bougainvillea and lavender. Imagine stepping onto a pristine white-sand beach, the crystal-clear turquoise waters of the Côte d’Azur lapping at your feet. Elegant French locals stroll by with effortless style, their laughter a soundtrack […]
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 […]
