The MJ had a seat at the table, and we witnessed the power of giving back. The Santa Barbara Wine Auction was back at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Goleta this past weekend, drawing hundreds of oenophiles who dressed up, showed up and raised their paddles up. This is a biennial party put on by the […]
Winemaker Steve Clifton is pretty familiar with the Santa Barbara Vintners Festival. His attendance later this month will be his 34th. “You get a chance to talk to the principals – the winemakers, the owners – and you’ve got all these wonderful wineries coming out from all over Santa Barbara County,” he told me recently […]
Actress Virginia Madsen got an Oscar nomination for her role in the 2004 film, Sideways. Twenty years later, she’s still feeling the impact, and enjoying it. “It changed my life,” she told me during a recent conversation. “And it’s still so alive, this movie. It became a cultural phenomenon, and there are very few movies […]
The newest wine experience in Napa is giving guests a taste of Santa Barbara. Fess Parker Winery, the well-known brand along Foxen Canyon Road that’s celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, opened the doors to its brand-new tasting room earlier this month. It’s located right in the heart of downtown Napa, along popular First Street, […]
There’s something brand new on the spirits menu at the Plow & Angel Speakeasy: the San Ysidro’s Ranch’s very first proprietary tequila. The news broke during a sexy invite-only garden fête last month that doubled as the Ranch’s first-ever “owned” event – hosted by the property, on the property. Set on the resort’s famous manicured […]
It’s not just the views that impress from atop Sulphur Mountain in Ventura County. It’s the wines, too. Ojai Mountain Winery is one of the newest wine projects on the Central Coast. Its first releases hit the market just last year, and the buzz around them has been swift and upbeat. Their acclaim stems from […]
The sun shone bright on a recent weekday afternoon, and a soft sea breeze rolled through. The handful of outdoor tables at the Veranda cottage at the San Ysidro Ranch, nicely spread out, were slowly filling up. Lunch was being doled out in synchronized fashion, and by a welcoming staff. The latest foodie offering at […]
The latest industry win for the Rosewood Miramar Beach, Montecito’s only (open) luxury oceanfront resort, is a rare triumph, and on a global scale. The striking 16-acre property has been awarded a triple five-star rating by Forbes. The listing in Forbes’ 2024 Travel Guide includes the coveted top-of-the-list five stars for the hotel, another five […]
Winemaker Samra Morris and I are sharing wine, and the conversation soon turns to mental health. “It’s a common human experience,” she tells me, “and yet people are still scared to share their struggles with it, for fear that they will be judged.” We agree that COVID exacerbated mental health issues for many of us. […]
In many ways, Earth Day is every day at Caruso’s. “We have to follow Mother Nature,” insists Executive Chef Massimo Falsini, who recently steered the oceanfront eatery at the Rosewood Miramar Beach toward its first Forbes 5-Star honor. Caruso’s is also the winner of a coveted One Star rating from Michelin, along with a Michelin […]
It’s never too early for great wine. Each year, March marks the start of what I call the Sipping Season. In the vineyards, bud break will begin – dormant vines waking up to welcome what’ll become the year’s harvest. And across the Santa Barbara area, high-profile wine events will begin, too – unique opportunities for […]
“Gluten-free is really just a by-line for us – it’s important to what we do, and we do it well,” Gillian Muralles, owner of Montecito’s newest eatery, Lilac Montecito, recently told the Journal. “But if someone doesn’t care about that, I’d love to get them through the door just as much!” Mrs. Muralles and her […]
I blurted out the word “seductive” to my wife recently, though I was actually describing a wine we were sharing. The 2014 Pas de Deux ($65 at kukkulawine.com) from the Kukkula winery in Paso Robles’s Adelaida District is a 50-50 blend of syrah and grenache, a combination I love. This bottling was extra special, though, […]
The newest spot in town for a sexy sipper is, actually, a perennial favorite. The Plow & Angel, the famed watering hole at the San Ysidro Ranch that, for decades, has been a classy yet approachable place to sip, unwind and be seen, reopened last month as a Prohibition Era-inspired watering hole. No secret password […]
With last week’s Thanksgiving feasting behind us, the season of holiday eating has officially arrived! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing meals that will run the gamut in terms of flavors and textures, and that means our lineup of wines will need to be just as diverse, to match. Here are 12 wines […]
Presqu’ile’s just-announced land purchase will give it a footprint across two of Santa Barbara County’s most revered wine-growing sites. The family-owned winery has already made a name for itself with the wines produced at its Santa Maria Valley location. Founded in 2007 by the Murphy family, the 123-acres estate just north of Highway 101 is […]
Michelin star or not, Montecito and The Hamptons share riviera and foodie status. On the map, they’re opposites, split by a 3,000-mile expanse. But Montecito and The Hamptons – both aspirational coastal enclaves – mirror each other in special ways, from idyllic weather and the bon vivant lifestyle they both promote, to the sophisticated travelers […]
Santa Barbara Vintners, the group that represents and advocates for most of Santa Barbara County’s wine companies, is once again hosting its annual fête of record. This year’s Santa Barbara Vintners Festival is slated for Saturday, October 14, from noon to 4 pm, at the new Vega Vineyard in the town of Buellton. Dozens of […]
Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley makes its grand return this month, though you could really say this will be the feast’s true premiere. The pandemic put on the brakes after the event’s first year. And while last year marked its official post-Covid return, all signs point to the 2023 rendering of this multi-day, multi-city, […]
McPrice Myers has long been a fan of Central Coast syrahs and grenaches. But in the two decades since he launched his eponymous wine label in Paso Robles, the self-dubbed “Rhône guy” has been lured by the ultimate Bordeaux darling. And now, he’s set off to make “the ultimate expression of cabernet sauvignon.” Myers dumped […]
The Parkers have been busy. The multi-generational enterprise behind a slew of visitor options across the Santa Ynez Valley is repositioning itself as a local leader in the arenas of wine and hospitality. “People these days who are investing to come visit our area – they do have higher expectations today than they used to,” […]
The pandemic is now solidly in the rear-view mirror. But one of its unexpected silver linings – a surging allure to living along Santa Barbara’s South Coast – roars on. An enclave like Montecito is not all that far from the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, but as so many new residents and visitors now […]
Dana Volk trademarked the “Happy Mommy” wine back in 2018, when she launched her venture as an independent winemaker. “I always wanted to make a local wine under $20, as a way to connect with fellow moms,” she recalls. “And I thought, ‘Maybe someday!’” Five years later, as the repute of her original, fine wine […]
The newest wine tasting destination in Santa Barbara County is, actually, 50 years in the making. The Gatehouse at Bien Nacido Vineyard officially opens to the public this Memorial Day weekend. It’s a brand-new structure – two-stories, plenty of indoor and outdoor spaces, sustainably built from the ground up – located right at the entrance […]
Santa Barbara’s wine industry is rolling out the red carpet. Mid-May is studded with a bevy of events aimed at maximizing the enjoyment of, and understanding of, locally-produced wines. Here’s a snapshot of some of the key events presented by both the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience’s “Taste of Santa Barbara,” making a triumphant return, as […]
There’s a new culinary experience at the San Ysidro Ranch – and it’s top secret. The Secret Cellar premiered in December, building on the luxe property’s famous world-class dining but offering something totally exclusive. It brings diners underground – past the Stonehouse patio, past the entrance to the Plow & Angel and down the stone […]
“The practices we use to do business today, from a sustainability standpoint, are the same ones my grandfather used 95 years ago,” vintner Steve Sangiacomo told me this week. “How we farm, how we treat our employees – it’s all about responsibility.” Sangiacomo Family Wines is a premium wine brand in Northern California – they […]
“The wine bottle – it’s the only time machine that works!” Just one of the many colorful one-liners delivered by wine whiz Wes Hagen, as a small group of wine buffs gathers around the table inside the rustic The Maker’s Son eatery in downtown Los Alamos last month. An authority on all things Santa Barbara […]
It was a very personal turn-of-life event that led James Sparks to the world of wine creation – and consumption. One of a dozen children raised in a small, rural Idaho town, he left the Mormon religion a little over 15 years ago. The road to a new way of life led to Santa Barbara […]
All that glitters may not be gold. But when it comes to these sparkling wine bottles – glittering and bursting with color – the flavors definitely shine. Just in time for the holidays, Riverbench Winery is bringing back this unique festive packaging for its full line of sparkling wines. The “Glitter Bottles” are fully covered […]
Winemaker phenom Bryan Babcock is throwing open the doors to his Montecito estate. The exclusive invite includes a five-night stay for six people at what’s affectionally dubbed Villa Flora, a captivating property located just three minutes from Miramar Beach that features Mediterranean architecture and elegant gardens. Guests will also be treated to a Spanish-inspired dinner […]
The Santa Barbara Vintners Festival made its post-pandemic return this month. It was a lovely Saturday in Solvang, with bright blue skies and temps in the low 80s, as dozens of regional winemakers took over the grounds of the historic Mission Santa Inés and popped hundreds of corks for a lively crowd. Guests were also […]
I’ll be spending this coming weekend in Solvang, acting as emcee for a few of the events on the calendar for the 85th Danish Days festival, including the Danish Days Parade at 2:30 pm on Saturday afternoon. The three-day fête, Friday through Sunday, celebrates Santa Barbara County’s famous Scandinavian town, founded in 1911 by Danish […]
On a recent afternoon, on the rolling grounds of Eastside Knoll Vineyard in Sonoma, falcons are on alert. With the 2022 harvest finally underway, and with the pinot noir grapes here quickly maturing toward optimum ripeness, the birds of prey have been employed as an eco-friendly alternative to netting to keep hungry starlings away. “It’s […]
On a recent sunny afternoon, inside a cozy cabin enveloped by grapevines, a few dozen of us gathered to sip through 10 years of Kimsey Vineyard wines. “Not just any 10 years,” winemaker Matt Dees reminded us. “The first 10 years!” Indeed, sipping through the nascent decade of any wine project is a study in […]
Among the unexpected silver linings of the pandemic? The fact that the appeal of living in Santa Barbara’s South Coast has surged, and surged in a big way. An enclave like Montecito is not all that far from the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, where a pandemic-inspired exodus continues. But, as so many residents and […]
“Diatom has been very positively disruptive in the marketplace since its inception,” says winemaker Greg Brewer, “because it blurs the lines with regards to style and grape variety.” Indeed, ‘diatom’ (capitalization rule ignored by design), a limited-production chardonnay-only label that Brewer launched in 2005, has always been a fan favorite. Describing its fan base as […]
The Fourth of July this week has many of us thinking about one thing: the grill. Okay, two things: the grill and wine. For those who are lovers of all things fired and grilled, another major event is on the calendar this month. It’s a barbecue-inspired affair for wine lovers that is years in the […]
Michael Brughelli’s 2019 wines – out just last week – are more than just the second release of his eponymous label. They feel a lot like a rousing encore performance. The Brughelli wines received critical acclaim early. His inaugural launch, a 2018 pinot noir and a 2018 chardonnay, saw scores high in the 90+ stratosphere […]
Santa Barbara’s big culinary takeover next week is actually two years in the making. Taste of Santa Barbara, presented by the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience in partnership with the Julia Child Foundation, was originally scheduled for May of 2020, and then the world shut down. Rescheduled to this month – May 16 to 22 – […]