News and notices about the vineyard and winery
This is a slideshow of the Chef and of some of the participants at the Indian Cuisine demonstration at Santa Barbara Winery. With the coming of harvest we have to cancel al public events in the Barrel Room. We can, however, still accomodate small informal groups in the Tasting Room.
Over the weekend, we hosted our final wine club special event prior to Harvest 2008. Chef Joel Chapman led an Indian cooking class in the barrel room for an intimate group, and it was a blast. He provided helpful demonstrations while weaving in pieces of the history of the food and culture. Santa Barbara Winery wines were paired with each of the three delicious courses. This class was a follow up to the Greek cooking class back in June. Below is the menu of plates Joel dished out.
Saturday August 23 Chef Joel Chapman:
Vegetarian Samosa with Cilantro Pesto Dipping Sauce
Paired with 2007 Pinot Gris
Lamb Skewers with Three Dipping Sauces and Fragrant Rice
Paired with 2005 Petite Sirah
Shrikhand (an Indian sweet dish made from strained yogurt)
Paired with 2007 Riesling 7.3% R.S.
2007 Sauvignon Blanc
2006 Reserve Chardonnay
Joanie Hudson, assistantTasting Room manager, Santa Barbara Winery
Yesterday I attended an event organized by the American Institute of Wine and Food (AIWF) at Santa Barbara’s own Cultured Abalone Farm. This was the 4th Annual Tour and Tasting at the farm that the esteemed national organization has put together. AIWF’s mission statement is to “enhance the quality of life through education about what we eat and drink.” With this in mind, they organize artisan food gatherings, winemaker dinners, and exclusive wine tastings for their members and guests, to name a few. At the core of these events is the educational element, which is really where wine and food appreciation comes into play.
Guests of the abalone event were first guided through the farm where we learned how abalone are bred, grown, processed, and marketed commercially. Local restaurants such as Square One and The Wine Cask are just two clients who go directly to the source to obtain the freshest abalone. We got to take a look at the “specialty market” tanks, which held abalone three times the size of commercially market standard size (which looked like it was about 3 inches in diameter). The specialty market abalone are coveted by sushi chefs throughout the southern and central California coast. After our tour we enjoyed a three course luncheon, which included a cooking demonstration by Chef Michael Hutchings, set up in the middle of the harvesting tanks. The abalone was lightly breaded with granulated flour (which I learned doesn’t clump) and served with roussanne (2007 Jaffurs Roussanne - a classic pairing). The shellfish and the richness of the rhone varietal white went together seamlessly.
If you have an interest in food and wine, AIWF is worth looking into. The organization has 25 chapters in major cities across the U.S., and over 4000 members.
Cultured Abalone Farm (9580 Dos Pueblos Cyn Rd. 805-685-1956)
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
Last night Santa Barbara Winery hosted a benefit for Heal the Ocean put on by Mom’s In Motion, which is a social network connecting Moms through fitness and philanthropy. What began in 1999 as a group of Moms training together to complete a local triathalon is now a global network with members all over the world. Each MIM team supports a local philanthropy in their community.
A $30 ticket helped to raise funds for Heal the Ocean, but the real money raiser was the silent auction held at white linen tablecloth covered tables in the barrel room. Heal the Ocean is a very relevant charity for those of us Santa Barbara locals as its main concern is keeping the ocean clean. The organization focuses on wastewater infrastructure - sewers and septic systems (ie. reduction in use of septics and elimination of ocean dumping).
Trips to Mexico, Jaqua bath product gift baskets, and personalized initial necklaces made by our neighbor and owner of the Italian Pottery Outlet (19 Helena Ave.), were auctioned off while guests nibbled on hors d’oeuvres and sipped wine from our tasting list. Wines poured included our 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 Chardonnay, 2007 Rose of Syrah, 2005 Sangiovese, 2006 Syrah, and 2005 Lagrein. The Sauvignon Blanc and the Sangiovese were most popular among guests.
With harvest coming up in September we will not have access to the barrel room for events as the grapes are top priority, but these summertime events are fun to do while we can. If you are interested in hosting private events in our facility call the tasting room to schedule (805-963-3633).
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery.
Salon U (1719 State St.) will be hosting an evening of art, music, food & drinks on Saturday August 16 to premiere a new trans-continental collection of photographs by Teri Gabrielson. Santa Barbara Winery will be sponsoring the event along with a few other local businesses, such as Crushcakes Cupcakery. The pictures were shot in Kenya and Santa Barbara with exquisite framing and lighting. If you miss the opening you can still see the display through mid-October. All proceeds will go to Africa Schools of Kenya (ASK), which is an educational curriculum for Kenyan children designed to increase awareness on critical global issues. Aloko So will perform West African drumming at the event, which will run from 6-10pm.
A couple of fun things to announce that are coming up quickly!
First off, I hope that wine club members that are able to attend have all signed up for the Annual BBQ up at Lafond Vineyard this Saturday (August 9). We are so excited about it here at the winery and very much looking forward to the food, the wine, the venue, and getting to mingle with our beloved loyal customers.
Also, I wrote earlier about the Rose Wine and Dine Dinner hosted by Spiritland Bistro last week, but have yet to write any after thoughts. To put it simply, if you live in Santa Barbara and have any interest at all in wine (which I assume that if you are reading this you most likely do), this is an event that you just can’t skip.
It was just so much fun, the company was fantastic, and apparently the Rose dinner set a record for the number of bottles consumed at one of these dinners (the Rose dinner was the sixth one). The cat is out of the bag and getting a coveted seat at this event is getting tougher and tougher as almost everybody I was with signed up for as many dinners that were scheduled for the rest of the year at the end of the event last time.
The one that I wanted to announce on our website is the Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir themed dinner that will be on October 6. Ryan Ralston, our assistant winemaker, will be the speaker and will be there to represent Lafond Winery (I will be there as well of course - I was one of those people who signed up through the end of October). I’m not sure yet what the menu will be as it is in progress right now, but as soon as I know I will post it here first. I have already decided that I am bringing our 06 Lafond Martin Ray Clone Pinot because it is my favorite!
The next dinner is August 27 and the theme is Viognier/Roussanne/Marsanne. The speaker will be Jaffurs Wine Cellars, one of my local favorites for rhone varietals such as these. Here is the menu below:
First Course: Assorted gourmet cheeses
Second Course: Corn & Spinach Chowder with crispy onions and chile oil
Third Course: Halibut with Asian-style Julienned Vegetables in a coconut lemon grass sauce, over red angel hair pasta
Fourth Course: Coconut Tapioca Pudding with pan sauteed caramelized peaches and roasted hazelnuts
$45 includes tax and tip for four-course organic meal. Bring a bottle to share that matches the theme - no corkage fee!
Spiritland Bistro 966-7759
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
As we officially celebrate Fiesta here at the Santa Barbara Winery tasting room with the Flamenco Arts Festival fundraiser on August 1, Santa Barbara will be busy hosting numerous other celebrations all over town with the start of the 84th Annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta.
This long celebratory weekend is one that Santa Barbara locals look forward to all year. The spirit of the community is brought together for a four day period from July 30-August 3 to celebrate and raise awareness of Santa Barbara’s diverse cultural heritage. The ongoing festivities provide an opportunity for fundraising to benefit local charities and nonprofits. This stretch of activities, shows and parades provide a wonderful background to explore the town, whether you are a local or visiting from out of town.
Go wine tasting, support local restaurants, shop at the Mercado De La Guerra (a temporary open air market), and head over to State St. to watch the Fiesta Parade. The tradition has been picking up steam with each year that passes since the first parade, which took place on August 13, 1924. So splash some color into your wardrobe and be part of the festive mood brought on by the celebration of community.
To see a full list of events, check out the Old Spanish Days Fiesta official website.
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
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