Over the weekend I brought a bottle of our 2005 Primitivo to one of Santa Barbara’s oldest Italian restaurants, Arnoldi’s. All of my friends were busy chatting, but the focus immediately turned to the wine once everybody took their first sips. Declaring it a Santa Barbara Winery favorite took less than two minutes, but they all said they never would have bought it off the shelves of a store or in a winery without tasting it because of the fear of the unknown. All the more reason to taste obscure varietals, read wine education books, and ask your tasting room host or sommelier one question too many. You may be missing out on your favorite wine, and you don’t even know it.
Primitivo has recently been shown to be genetically identical to Zinfandel. Growing well in warmer climates, it has a more “sun kissed” quality than wines that come from cooler areas in Italy, such as Tuscany or Piedmont. 
Andrew Joughin’s Santa Ynez Joughin Vineyard has vines that have been grown from cuttings that originated in the cone-shaped Trullo house filled Puglia region in southeastern Italy. We source 100% of our Primitivo from Joughin, with 2006 being the sixth Primitivo crop.
Primitivo is dark red with bold fruity flavors and an intense essence of sweetness while being bone dry. It has a richness to it that really makes it stand out. While it’s DNA is the same as that of Zinfandel, there are not by any means the same wine. One main difference between the two grapes is that Zinfandel has a greater inherent acidity to it than Primitivo.
This wine is outstanding with Grilled Beef or Marinated Short Ribs. Pretty fantastic with Arnoldi’s New York Steak as well…
2006 Santa Barbara Winery Primitivo Joughin Vineyard $25
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
Cheese is similar to wine in that to think about all of the different cheeses produced in the world, in each and every town, can be very intimidating. But, the subject becomes more approachable when you don’t immediately look to the big picture, but instead break it down and learn little by little. Last week I attended my monthly Spiritland Bistro Wednesday Wine and Dine dinner and was introduced to three new cheeses that were paired as a starter course with the West Coast Cabernet Sauvignon themed tasting: Queso de Valdeon, Chaource, and Comte.
Queso de Valdeon is produced in Spain and can also be called Valdeon Cheese here in the States. It is named for Valdeon, the town that it comes from. It is a salty blue veined cheese with a strong flavor profile. Made from a blend of cow and goat’s milk it gets its characteristic earthy taste from being wrapped in a layer of sycamore leaves prior to aging. I have heard that it is excellent when melted on hangar steak.
Chaource is an ancient cheese that has been named for the small town in France where it has been made since the early 14th century. The village of Chaource is located in the Champagne-Ardenne region. This is a cow’s milk double cream cheese similar to Camembert but with an even creamier texture that is absolutely mouth wateringly delicious. Its rich ripe flavor is offset by its mushroom scent, giving it a very unique profile. It is produced in elegant small discs of soft centers surrounded by a white rind.
Comte comes from the Franche-Comte region of eastern France and is also called Gruyere de Comte. This cows milk semi-firm cheese has an underlying nutty sweetness (think almond skins drizzled with a hint of honey). A delicious cheese to eat on its own, it is also a notoriously fantastic melting cheese.
I brought along a 1999 Santa Barbara Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($35) to the dinner, and it is at prime drinking age. We currently have it available in our cellar selections and it can be ordered by phone or in the tasting room
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
Andrew Joughin’s Santa Ynez Joughin Vineyard has vines that have been grown from cuttings that originated in the cone-shaped Trullo house filled Puglia region in southeastern Italy. We source 100% of our Primitivo from Joughin, with 2006 being the sixth Primitivo crop.
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