If you are looking for updates on the current state of the Jesusita Fire burning in the hills of Santa Barbara, visit KEYT.com (our local news station). As of right now (around noon on Thursday) the smoke isn’t as smoldering and overpowering as yesterday afternoon, and we are just hoping that the winds stay calm.
The tasting room will remain open for regular business and normal hours, and our Wine Club Pick Up Party will still be happening on Saturday.
Unfortunately, we had to cancel our Chardonnay Passport Tasting (these tastings happen the first Wednesday of each month) night at the Wine Bistro (www.pierrelafond.com) last night due to the falling ash and state of emergency of town.
Please call the winery tasting room if you have any questions about the state of the fire in our area.
Again, we plan on being open for regular business and tastings from 10am-5pm through the weekend.
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
I recently came across a great book review on Wines and Wineries of California’s Central Coast, a comprehensive guide from Monterey to Santa Barbara that we have in the winery shop. I am always interested to see how different authors are able to interpret and lay out our growing region, and this is a great guide, particularly for the traveling wine taster.
The book consists of a very good 30-page introduction and a main section with winery profiles. The latter is divided into three parts, each focusing on a separate county: Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. Each of these contains its own detailed introduction, while appendices list Central Coast sub-appellations and few grayscale maps follow.
Ausmus goes into considerable depth in the introduction, discussing the genesis of the region’s gross geology and how that affects the climate and the soils. He also argues for redefining the Central Coast AVA by dividing it into three sections: North-, Mid- and South-Central Coast — essentially following county boundaries. Besides validating the scope of the book, this attempts to clarify the region’s identity and make it more understandable to the consumer.
Click here to read more
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
Today is our last day of shipping before Valentine’s weekend to get your gifts to you using our standard 2 Day 9.50 rate (Priority rates apply if you order tomorrow). We are always saving that special bottle of wine for the most important days and important people in our lives (usually the two happen to come together). Wine, for good reason, is a traditionally commemorative beverage that brings people together, to the table, in front of the fire, our out to a picnic. What I am trying to say is that Valentine’s Day gives us that extra push that we sometimes need to open up nice bottles that we have been saving, and then replace them to be saved for the next occasion.
Valentine’s Day gifts that we have been selling this week include pink and red bowed woodboxes containing a bottle or two of wine, our dry style 2007 Rose of Syrah, Wine-filled chocolates, custom made gift baskets, and late harvest/dessert wines. Every one of these items can be shipped to arrive in your hands by Friday if you order by mid afternoon today (Wednesday).
Today we will also begin pouring our special Valentine’s Day tasting list for visitors to the winery. This limited time selection will be poured through Monday the 16th. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
We have the fans blowing and doors open at Santa Barbara Winery today now that fermentation has started. If you have never visited our tasting room, it shares the same building as our production facility where we process all of our white wines (the reds are made up at Lafond Winery & Vineyards). This means that visitors get a chance to see and smell harvest while tasting through six or seven wines featured on the tasting list.
Fermentation is the chemical reaction that produces wine from grape juice. Yeast reacts with the natural sugars found in grapes to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is released into the air so we’re really smelling it in the facility.
We just inoculated the Orange Muscat with yeast strain QA23, which is very aromatic. The fermenting juice is in stainless steel tanks. Unlike red wine, white wine needs to be brought down to a cooler temperature in order to ferment (less than 60 degrees is ideal). This first stage of fermentation for the white wines lasts about 10-15 days.
According to Assistant Winemaker Ralston, “We are in a lull right now. A couple of things have come in [some Sauvignon Blanc and Orange Muscat], but we won’t see more fruit for another week. We are waiting on more Sauvignon Blanc to come in next.”
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
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