Musings Along The Wine Trails
You might say that Sanford Winery & Vineyards is as old as the hills… the Santa Rita Hills, that is. It was back in 1971 when Pinot Pioneer Richard Sanford planted the first Pinot Noir grapes in the Sanford & Benedict vineyards, that put Santa Barbara Wine Country and Santa Rita Hills on the map.
Fast forward 30 years…today, the Sanford & Benedict vineyard supports 68 acres of the Mt. Eden Pinot Noir clone, 52 acres of Chardonnay and 15 acres of other estate grapes. [Read more…]
Willkommen to Europa Village‘s Annual 2014 Oktoberfest! Festive costumes adorned the staff and guests alike. Steins of handcrafted beer were raised high and Europa wines flowed freely as guests enjoyed the authentic German fare and music.
Hangar 24, Refuge Brewery, Ironfire Brewery and Craft Brewing Company were all on keg duty to serve their fine handcrafted brews. Guests even received a complimentary beer stein to commemorate Europa‘s 2014 Oktoberfest. [Read more…]
After the 2014 Wine Blogger’s Conference in Santa Barbara Wine Country in July, I had the pleasure of accepting an invite from Bryan Babcock, winemaker extraordinaire of Babcock Winery, to tour the vineyards. Bryan spoke at the closing dinner of the conference about his revolutionary Pedestral Cane Positioning. Curiosity got the better me, so I decided to check it out for myself.
When you meet Bryan, there’s a “McGiver” type glint in his eye. Bryan has been farming grapes in the Sta Rita Hills AVA for over three decades with great success. It is no surprise that he is now pioneering a new farming technique, which he refers to as Pedestral Cane Positioning or Canopy Pivoting. This innovative technique works with gravity and allows the canopy of leaves to spill toward the ground as it grows, keeping the clusters above the leaves.
In addition, a shade cloth-type canopy shields the grapes from the sun when needed. This type of trellising system, combined with the wind and gravity has led to substantial labor-saving costs. [Read more…]
From the moment you enter the 105 acre property through the wrought iron gates, time seems to stand still. A grove of arched trees line the long driveway and lead to the stately entrance of the mission-style Bridlewood Estate Winery in Santa Ynez.
The grounds are immaculately groomed with unsurpassed panoramic views of the Santa Ynez Mountains, the San Raphael Mountains and the Purisma Hills. The site of the Bridlewood Estate Winery was previously a rehabilitation center for race horses and still houses a full exercise track that circles the lake and vineyards.
Guests are welcome to take a bottle of wine and a picnic lunch and relax under the shade trees by the lake or to take in the view on the upper terrace overlooking the lake. [Read more…]
I would like to truly thank all the SPONSORS of the 2014 Wine Bloggers Conference who made this event possible. Thanks to your support and generosity, more than 350 wine bloggers from all parts of the world were able to converge in the pristine Santa Barbara Wine Country for an unforgettable weekend in the vines.
As a Scholarship recipient, and a first time attendee of the Wine Bloggers Conference, I must say, that it was far better than I could have hoped for and a little overwhelming at the same time.
To be in the presence of noted fellow wine bloggers and industry experts and top local wine makers was beyond fabulous! 
Looking back, one of my favorite parts of the conference, however, was meeting the Santa Barbara County wine makers.
I must admit that I was literally awestruck mingling among the legendary wine makers only to find out that they’re very genuine, down-to-earth people who loved to share their passion of making wine. Best of all, there was no pretense or awkwardness as they each shared their humble beginnings and triumphs, only great pride. [Read more…]