It’s true that Santa Barbara is a bonafide wine destination… from wineries to wine bars to restaurants with killer wine lists, it would be a shame to be here and not like wine. Good thing you love wine, right?? For my most recent contribution to Club W’s The Juice blog, I wrote about Santa Barbara’s newest destination for wine, now officially known as the Wine Collection of El Paseo.
When fellow blogger Bryan, of The Wandering Gourmand, asked me to participate in his ‘Best in the World’ series, I was excited to be part of such a select group of top travel, food, beer and wine bloggers! From the best meals to the best bars in the world, we were tasked with coming up with answers to the not so simple question, “What’s the best ____ in the world?” Now, of course there are a million and one places I haven’t been to, but when it comes to wine and food, I’ve done my fair share of feasting and imbibing, so I was excited to share my answers to the following two questions:
I know I’ve said it before, but one of the best parts of being a wine writer and blogger is getting to meet new people in the industry (and of course tasting new wine, but that’s a given). I love hearing the stories of how each individual gets into wine and how they’ve made a career out of it, then tasting the wines they are truly passionate about. More often than not, they don’t grow up in a wine industry family but fall into it one way or another, then get hooked and “just go for it,” for lack of a better phrase. They’re making it work because it’s what they love, and it truly shows!
Since starting my Q&A series in October, I’ve really enjoyed how different each winemaker’s answers have been despite receiving the same set of questions. Each answer is so personal and unique, and it’s fun to introduce you all to new and familiar faces in the wine industry, especially when their personalities really come out through their answers. This month, we’re heading back up to Walla Walla to feature Richard Funk, owner and winemaker of Saviah Cellars! I first met Rich at a winemaker dinner in 2013 when he was seated next to me. As it turns out, one of his assistant winemakers was a friend of mine! Small world.
Earlier this month, Santa Barbara was overflowing with Pinot Noir drinkers at the 15th Anniversary World of Pinot Noir event, which took place at the beautiful Bacara Resort & Spa. Given the rise of Pinot Noir’s popularity after the movie Sideways, filmed here in Santa Barbara County, it’s only fitting that WOPN was held here yet again. Pinot Noir was of course the star of the event (sorry, Merlot), bringing together producers and enthusiasts for 2 days of educational tastings, luncheons, events and winemaker dinners. It’s no Pebble Beach Food & Wine, but it was a valiant effort!
Has it really been 2 years already!? Hard to believe that I started writing this blog in March 2013. It all started after a few suggestions from friends… “Instead of people asking you for one-off wine recommendations, why not jot it all down in a blog for us to read?” Having never been a reader of blogs, I thought that was a crazy idea. I just pictured the stereotype of what a “blogger” was and I couldn’t see myself spending hours taking a perfectly staged photo and sitting at my desk each night writing about my life. (No offense to those types of bloggers!) Plus, I had (and still have) a full-time job that keeps me busy enough.
In my wine column in the SB Sentinel, it’s always fun to introduce readers to those people in the wine industry flying a little bit under the radar. Recently, I featured Ryan Roark of Roark Wine Company. At Roark, there’s no fancy tasting room or huge production. In fact, there’s no real tasting room at all. If you go to visit Roark to taste the wines, what you get is an inside look into the world of this one-man operation.
About a year before I moved back to Santa Barbara, I was in town for my grandpa’s 90th birthday and paid a visit to The Funk Zone for the first time. Back then, I couldn’t believe my eyes… what I had remembered as being a run down area with abandoned warehouses had become a hot spot for art, food and wine. Lots of wine.
I’m super excited to share that I’m now a guest contributor to Club W’s The Juice blog! Club W is an online wine club that personalizes your wine selection based on your tastes and makes it easy to try a wide variety of wines at a great price. On Club W’s blog, they cover topics from wine tasting and winemaking to wine-related crafts and recipes to pair with wine.
Valentine’s day is around the corner! I’m not usually one who likes to go all out on this holiday… overpriced prix fixe menus and red roses aren’t really my thing. Instead of trying to avoid the day all together though, I think it’s way more fun to stay in, throw on some tunes and cook an awesome meal with someone special. Since V-day falls on a Saturday this year, all the more reason to get started early and enjoy the evening. Even more, I’ve already planned the perfect menu for two… so no excuses!