Fine Wine

Pioneering winemaker Fred Brander was honored as Vintner of the Year at a socially gridlocked gala in aid of Direct Relief at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara.

The biennial oenophile bash and wine auction, which attracted 600 guests and was emceed by The Bachelor host Chris Harrison, raised a hefty $1.2 million, with a third of the monies benefitting victims of the Thomas Fire and the Montecito mudslides and flash floods.

Fred, who started his flourishing business with 40 acres in Los Olivos in 1975, received a ceramic Mexican vase reflecting his passion for the country’s folk art from Steve Fennell, president of the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation.

His popular Santa Ynez Valley vineyard specializes in Bordeaux varietals, including sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon.

Among the guests lauding Fred, who was born in Argentina and became the architect for the Los Olivos-Santa Ynez AVA – American Viticultural Area – were Thomas Tighe, Andrew Firestone, Eli Parker, Salud Carbajal, Das Williams, Fabian Bravo, Steve Clifton, Doug Margerum, Kenneth Kahn, and Shelby Sim.

String Thing

The incomparable Danish String Quartet returned for another UCSB Arts & Lectures sold-out concert at Campbell Hall.

The fab four – violinists Frederik Oland and Rune Tonsgaard Sorensen, cellist Fredrik Schoyen Sjolin, and violist Asbjorn Norgaard – were on top form, playing classical works by Haydn, Mozart, and Brahms.

The only exception came after the intermission when the Copenhagen quartet, whose U.S. tour includes 30 performances across17 states, played 44-year-old German composer Jorg Widmann‘s extraordinary work Jagdquartett, an evocation of hunting with galloping rhythms and exuberant vocal cries.

It is nice to note, according to Miller McCune executive director Celesta Billeci, they will now be an annual feature of the popular series program.

Tickling the Ivories

Peter Serkin showed his mastery of the piano keyboard when he performed in a CAMA Master Masterseries concert at the Lobero.

The Grammy-winning son of the late legendary pianist Rudolf Serkin and grandson of the famed violinist-composer Adolf Busch played Bach’s challenging Goldberg Variations – which he has recorded four times – along with two works by Mozart, Adagio in B minor and Sonata No. 17 in B-flat Major.

A master of his art on his fifth Masterseries visit.