Wine + Food Festival

When the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) began its Wine Festival, it was only about wine. Today it’s an even bigger event with the addition of restaurants’ food samples to go with wine. Ever-popular with another sellout crowd of 900 tickets this year three weeks before the event. Add in the vendors and there are more than 1,000 folks.

When I lived in Spain, we were in the middle of sherry country, which produces not only sweet but dry sherry. We spent many a weekend and ferias tasting dry sherry called fino. When we moved here in the ’70s, we were sad to miss out on this fun pastime. We soon learned otherwise because there were 12 wineries just over the hill. Now there are more right here in town and 250+ in the Valley. One of those pioneers was at the tasting: Rick Longoria and his wife, Diana. He started out at Firestone and now has his own winery and tasting room in Lompoc. 

Food-wise, I found the Deux Bakery owned by Wendy and Mary Fleming and the Scarlett Begonia restaurant in Victoria Court owned by Crista Fleming. They are relatives of our good friends from Santa Fe, Dick Barrett and the late Dottie. If you haven’t tried Deux bread, you’re missing a treat at 824 Reddick Street just off Milpas.

Amidst the crowd, I saw SBMNH president/CEO Luke Svetland, who told me, “We’ll be ready for a ribbon cutting in the early part of September.” The museum has been renovating for a couple of years without being closed.

There were about 100 wineries and restaurants participating, so if you want to taste wine and savor the savory and the sweet in a beautiful creekside setting, save the date June 29, 2019. All of the proceeds support the museum’s nature and science education programs. The museum was founded in 1916 and strives to instill a passion for learning and discovery among its patrons. To learn more, visit www. sbnature.org