Plan a Labor Day wine tasting trip out to Lafond Winery in the Santa Rita Hills. Harvest is just around the corner and it’s a great time to see grapes hanging from the vines while sipping and picnicing.
Both Santa Barbara Winery and Lafond will be open from 10am-5pm on Labor Day. Stop by and taste through our current line up for just $5 (crystal glass included) – wine club members taste for free (up to four guests).
The Santa Barbara Independent features numerous regular columns in it’s weekly editions. One is found in the Living section, titled ‘History.’ This week’s Santa Barbara history lesson, which always features a lengthy answer to a historical question, is about the early history of the wine industry in this area.
Q: Can you tell me about the early history of the wine industry in this area?
It’s always interesting to think about the pioneers of a burgeoning industry. We take for granted as Santa Barbara residents today having a wide variety of wineries to choose from. It’s hard to imagine that just 50 years ago, this industry was none existant. Even in 1970 less than 200 acres were planted in grapes.
This article in the Independent focuses on the very early history, pre-Prohibition. Go pick up a copy and read about the early days of California wine at the missions.
As of 2009, the wine industry in Santa Barbara County generated some $360 million and produced more than a million cases of wine yearly. Viticulture is a major component of Santa Barbara County’s economy, just as it was more than 150 years ago.
Joanie Hudson, Director of National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards
The Pinot is looking good – It’s going to be late but the quantity and quality look good. David ran a rough test and it is still only at 17 degrees brix – we generally pick in the neighborhood of 26. The nets protect from birds but not from wasps. Wasps generally suck the grape dry and there is little probability of inducing rot – birds are sloppier.
These are two images taken today, one shows a little bit of damage, both can be enlarged by clicking.
There is a really great article in this month’s Wine & Spirits Magazine titled ‘Alcohol & Flavor in Wine’
“The answer lies in alcohol’s function within a wine, something that is still poorly understood. Wine is a complex chemical soup, and it is a huge challenge for wine scientists to tease apart the exact contributions specific chemical entities make to our perception of a wine. Reconstitution experiments–wherin a wine is stripped of its aromatic compounds, which are then added back in various combinations–demonstrate that the wine matrix has a profound effect on how each individual flavor or aroma compound is perceived….”
Fall 2010 issue
Check it out!
Winemaker Bruce McGuire, shown here, is in the last stages of bottling before being overwhelmed by the harvest. Bruce is filtering Chardonnay. The wine has been cooled to 30F to crystallize the tartrates that are naturally part of the wine. The filtering is to remove the tartrates as well as any suspended solids that are still there.
The cooling requires about two weeks and once the wine is stable, that is the tartrates have crystallized, it is passed through a diatomaceous filter. Diatomaceous earth consists of ‘fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae’ (Wikipedia) and is universally used in the wine industry. After filtering, the wine will be allowed to warm up, and at bottling will pass through a finer membrane filter calibrated at absolute .45 microns.
This is a procedure we use for all white wines and very rarely for reds. Reds are chilled, as well, but are given more time to settle and the resulting clean wine can be bottled without filtration. Red wine is more complex and passing through a filter may damage the wine and its more nuanced flavors.
ABOUT THE EVENT
Join us for an epicurean adventure! The Taste of the Town is Santa Barbara’s original tasting event, featuring savory samples from many of Santa Barbara’s finest restaurants and premiere wineries. All proceeds benefit the Arthritis Foundation.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Riviera Park Gardens
2030 Alameda Padre Serra
12:00-3:00 PM
For more information, contact Jeanne David at 805-563-4685
Develop a Wine Palate by Knowing Exactly What You Like
How do you figure out what types of wines you like to drink? Think about flavors you find desirable, foods you like to eat, what flavors complement the foods on your plate?
But mostly, what works for YOU?
Surf the Urban Wine Trail for Heal the Ocean
When: Fri Aug 20, 2010 6pm to 9pm
Where: Downtown Santa Barbara (check in at Santa Barbara Winery)
On Friday August 20, 2010, check in at the Santa Barbara Winery, 202 Anacapa Street at 6 p.m., and start an evening you’ll never forget! Join the Moms In Motion’s Summer Triathlon Team in supporting HTO with an evening of great wine, food and live music at the second annual “Surf The Urban Wine Trail for Heal the Ocean.” From 6 to 9 p.m. you get to stroll among six downtown wineries and restaurants, tasting local wines, sampling gourmet fare, and enjoying the sounds of talented musicians. Participating venues include Santa Barbara Winery, Oreana, Kunin, Kalyra, the Bay Roadhouse, and Union Ale Brewing. Tickets are $50 in advance or $60 at the door. For just $25 more, upgrade to a Reserve Tasting and sample additional reserve wines at each venue, and receive a limited edition Heal the Ocean wine glass.
Celebration Of Harvest 2010
October 8, 9, 10, 11
The annual Celebration of Harvest is held in October each year, when we’re in the thick of the winegrape harvest and winery staff take a needed break to showcase their latest wines, many newly bottled! This year’s Celebration of Harvest will be held on October 9th from 1 to 4pm, and once again on the beautiful grounds of Rancho Sisquoc Winery in the Santa Maria Valley.
Local restaurants, caterers and specialty food purveyors will showcase their talents and the bounty of Santa Barbara County, while live and lively bands will fill the air with music. Add to that the silent auction, filled with specialty wines and large format bottles from members of the Vintners’ Association to benefit local food banks, and we definitely have a reason to Celebrate Harvest!
Be sure to take in the sights, sounds, smells and excitement of harvest by extending your stay for a few days. The Vintners’ Visa is a four-day pass to 12 participating wineries, each of whom are pulling out all the stops just for Vintners’ Visa holders. The Vintners’ Visa can be used at participating wineries from can be used Friday through Monday so make it a long weekend! And for the full celebratory mode, (and for a great deal!), order a “combo ticket” which gives you access to the Festival at Rancho Sisquoc and a Vintners’ Visa!
More to come… Click Here for more info and tickets.
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