Thursday, June 25, 2015

Sip This: Meiomi Chardonnay

Meiomi Chardonnay 2013: A blend from coastal vineyards (“meiomi” comes from a native American word for coast) in Santa Barbara (49%), Sonoma (30%), and Monterey (21%), this Chardonnay will please lovers of bigger styles of the varietal even though the fruit comes from cooler climate vineyards.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

A Rosé Explainer and Buying Guide

To be just a mite fanciful, one could consider rosé the platypus of wines. Neither red nor white, it's cute and interesting (and good by a pool), but hard to figure. So we here at KCET decided it's time for a rosé explainer, followed by some of the better Southern California versions you can get right now. And while they can age if you can keep your hands off them, they are meant for instant seasonal pleasure.

Want to read the rest then do so at KCET's Food Blog.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Sip This: Hitching Post Highliner Pinot Noir

Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post Highliner Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2012: In the debate between whether Santa Maria Valley or Sta. Rita Hills pinot noir reigns supreme, Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini wisely place their bet in the middle with their flagship wine Highliner, a blend from premium fruit from both regions. The exact vineyards shifts from vintage to vintage, but with the wealth of ripeness from 2012, they couldn’t go wrong.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Richard Sanford and a Living History of Santa Barbara Wine



Of the 44 people enshrined in the Vintners Hall of Fame (housed in the Culinary Institute of America in Napa), only one has made his career in Santa Barbara. That man is Richard Sanford, who figured out years before people were even sure grapes could grow well in what would become the Sta. Rita Hills, that the region would be the perfect spot for pinot noir. "I've been out proselytizing for forty years," Sanford, director of winemaking at Alma Rosa, says. "I always knew Santa Barbara would be the wine area for Los Angeles just as Napa and Sonoma are for the Bay Area. But these kinds of things take generations -- so much of this is word-of-mouth."

Want to read the rest then do so at KCET's Food Blog.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Is It Acceptable to Add Ice to Your Wine?



We embarrass easily. It's especially true in areas that we assume are fraught with rules we don't know or barely understand. Such is the case with wine, partially because it's got that European pedigree, and as Americans it's easy to assume we're automatically uncouth, or at the least, under-dressed.

"If I have ice in my wine, will people know I'm drinking wine or some fruity mixed drink?" one survey-taker joked. "Will my sassy smooth look be diminished, because that is the real concern for me."

Want to read the rest then do so at KCET's Food Blog.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Culinary Sensations at Sea

Competition can lead people to do delicious things. Take the Green Flash, a 47-foot catamaran that’s hosted customized culinary charters out of the Santa Barbara Harbor since January. Owners Sherri (the chef, a Santa Barbara native) and Captain Arthur McNary first ran the business for six seasons in the Virgin Islands, where they moved after raising their three kids here.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Sip This: Tribute to Grace Rose

A Tribute to Grace Rosé of Grenache 2014: Line up all the synonyms for grace — elegance, attractiveness, lissomness — and you’ve barely scratched what makes this rosé a stunner. Winemaker Angela Osborne hails from New Zealand but is a champion of grapes grown in the Santa Barbara Highlands, aka the high desert near Cuyama.

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The Tale of the Team at Grassini Vineyards

Equipo is Spanish for team, but at Grassini Family Vineyards and Winery, teamwork is a way of life. "We've had the same core crew since day one," says CEO Katie Grassini. "Our crew helped dig the irrigation lines and prepare the land for the vineyards to be planted. Each of our approximately 88,053 vines were planted by hand starting in 2001, and have been hand-tended by our crew ever since."

Want to read the rest then do so at KCET's Food Blog.