Santa Barbara Wine Country’s Celebration of Harvest 2016
Raise a glass and toast the 2016 vintage! Santa Barbara County’s wine grape harvest is better than last year, with more high quality fruit brought in, some as early as August, while other clusters are still hanging on for a bit more sunshine. But most of the grapes and their juice are tucked into their fermenters, and everyone is ready to celebrate. Experience the best of Santa Barbara Wine Country this Columbus Day Weekend at the Santa Barbara Vintners Celebration of Harvest. Wine is the centerpiece of this “Ultimate Fall Wine & Food Festival”, with many events happening countywide, from Friday October 7th through Monday October 10th.
Santa Barbara County makes so many distinct wines, from more than 50 different varietals. Increasingly renowned for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the cool regions, the many divergent microclimates support Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the more uncommon wines of Albariño, Grenache Blanc, Mourvedre, and Sangiovese. What better way to acquaint yourself with this incredible bounty of wine just outside of Los Angeles than to attend the main event! Almost 100 winery members will pour their wines at the Celebration of Harvest Festival Grand Tasting at the Old Mission Santa Inés in Solvang on Saturday October 8th from 1-4pm. Unlimited wine tasting, food sampling and live music make for a fun afternoon. This is a great opportunity to sip wines from small producers such as Larner, Ampelos, Crawford Family Wines, Brewer-Clifton, La Fenêtre, and Blair Fox, to name a few, alongside local legends such as Beckmen, Ken Brown, and Au Bon Climat. The food bites are catered by local restaurants from throughout the county, such as Autostrada Wood Fired Pizza, Scratch Kitchen, Hitching Post II, Cecco Ristorante, and Succulent Cafe. A silent specialty wine auction will also be held, where you can bid on special wine releases, with the proceeds going to the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation. General admission is $80, but you can upgrade to early entry (12pm) for $115, or go for the ultimate splurge, the Connoisseurs Club, which includes early entry, access to the VIP Pavilion, reserve and library wine tastings with the winemakers, and exclusive food sampling, for $200, all advance tickets are available online at celebrationofharvest.com, and day of tickets can be purchased onsite for an additional cost.
Before the Grand Tasting, six women winemakers will discuss their journeys at the Women in Santa Barbara County Wine seminar held at Hotel Corque in Solvang. Coming from different backgrounds, these women share a love of wine, and offer their perspectives through a tasting flight of six wines. Tickets are $35 and very limited.
In addition to Saturday’s events, you can purchase a 4-day “Vintners’ Visa”, from Friday through Monday, that gives you wine tastings at up to 12 out of almost 40 participating wineries throughout Santa Barbara County. For $50, you can sample wines from Ampelos, Carr, J. Wilkes, LaFond, Stolpman, and Municipal Winemakers, to name a few. These wineries will host special open houses, where you can taste barrel samples, library wines, and the new releases. Some offer winery tours, cookouts, and winemaker dinners. Get ready to stock your home wine cellar with a case or two of your favorites from this wine safari!
Immerse yourself in wine country culture, and take in all that Santa Barbara County has to offer, great food and wines, it’s an easy day trip, or a fun weekend adventure. Cheers to another year in bottle!
Raise a glass and toast the 2016 vintage! Santa Barbara County’s wine grape harvest is better than last year, with more high quality fruit brought in, some as early as August, while other clusters are still hanging on for a bit more sunshine. But most of the grapes and their juice are tucked into their fermenters, and everyone is ready to celebrate. Experience the best of Santa Barbara Wine Country this Columbus Day Weekend at the Santa Barbara Vintners Celebration of Harvest. Wine is the centerpiece of this “Ultimate Fall Wine & Food Festival”, with many events happening countywide, from Friday October 7th through Monday October 10th.
Santa Barbara County makes so many distinct wines, from more than 50 different varietals. Increasingly renowned for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the cool regions, the many divergent microclimates support Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the more uncommon wines of Albariño, Grenache Blanc, Mourvedre, and Sangiovese. What better way to acquaint yourself with this incredible bounty of wine just outside of Los Angeles than to attend the main event! Almost 100 winery members will pour their wines at the Celebration of Harvest Festival Grand Tasting at the Old Mission Santa Inés in Solvang on Saturday October 8th from 1-4pm. Unlimited wine tasting, food sampling and live music make for a fun afternoon. This is a great opportunity to sip wines from small producers such as Larner, Ampelos, Crawford Family Wines, Brewer-Clifton, La Fenêtre, and Blair Fox, to name a few, alongside local legends such as Beckmen, Ken Brown, and Au Bon Climat. The food bites are catered by local restaurants from throughout the county, such as Autostrada Wood Fired Pizza, Scratch Kitchen, Hitching Post II, Cecco Ristorante, and Succulent Cafe. A silent specialty wine auction will also be held, where you can bid on special wine releases, with the proceeds going to the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation. General admission is $80, but you can upgrade to early entry (12pm) for $115, or go for the ultimate splurge, the Connoisseurs Club, which includes early entry, access to the VIP Pavilion, reserve and library wine tastings with the winemakers, and exclusive food sampling, for $200, all advance tickets are available online at celebrationofharvest.com, and day of tickets can be purchased onsite for an additional cost.
Before the Grand Tasting, six women winemakers will discuss their journeys at the Women in Santa Barbara County Wine seminar held at Hotel Corque in Solvang. Coming from different backgrounds, these women share a love of wine, and offer their perspectives through a tasting flight of six wines. Tickets are $35 and very limited.
In addition to Saturday’s events, you can purchase a 4-day “Vintners’ Visa”, from Friday through Monday, that gives you wine tastings at up to 12 out of almost 40 participating wineries throughout Santa Barbara County. For $50, you can sample wines from Ampelos, Carr, J. Wilkes, LaFond, Stolpman, and Municipal Winemakers, to name a few. These wineries will host special open houses, where you can taste barrel samples, library wines, and the new releases. Some offer winery tours, cookouts, and winemaker dinners. Get ready to stock your home wine cellar with a case or two of your favorites from this wine safari!
Immerse yourself in wine country culture, and take in all that Santa Barbara County has to offer, great food and wines, it’s an easy day trip, or a fun weekend adventure. Cheers to another year in bottle!