“People were
constantly outside, constantly enjoying neighbors and friends, constantly going
to festivals,” she recalls.
“And they
were always drinking!”
Her move to
Santa Barbara provided much of the same: an outdoor-driven lifestyle and plenty
of good wine to drink. “We’re always outside, hiking or going to the beach, and
the weather is always perfect,” says the mother of two and professor of English
at Santa Barbara City College.
But one
thing was missing: “I just wanted to be able to drink good wine outside from a
nice, unbreakable wine glass.”
Boggs and
her husband, Peter Oblander, a geologist and environmental consultant, launched
Wine Outside in 2015. The premise of their side business: provide a drinking
vessel that looks good, feels good and makes sipping outdoors safe and
convenient, even elegant.
 |
| Sarah and Peter and their daughters, Maddie and Grace |
Wine Outside
features a diverse line of 18-ounce stemless tumblers that look a whole lot
like crystal.
“One of the
things that’s extraordinary is that you can’t tell – until you pick it up –
that it’s not glass,” says Boggs. “They also hold their shape, just like glass,
unlike the give of some of those cheaper plastic glasses. And the rim is really
smooth.”
Making it
especially well-suited for sipping poolside or at the beach or in the middle of
a forest: they are, for all intents and purposes, shatterproof.
“If you drop
it on the floor, nothing happens, it just bounces,” says Boggs. It’s a quality
that actually makes them indoor-friendly, too, especially in households with
thirsty kids and mishap-prone adults who want something simple but stylish from
which to sip.
The Wine
Outside products are made from Eastman Tritan, a plastics alterative – a co-polyester
– that is tough, lighter than glass and warp-resistant. The glasses are free of
industrial chemicals like BPA and EA. And they are dishwasher-safe.
The glasses
sell throughout the South Coast, including Santa Barbara Gift Baskets, the
Riviera Towel Company and the El Capitan Beach Store. Gelson’s and the
gates-side sundries shop at the Santa Barbara Airport carry them, too, at $25
for a four-pack of plain glasses or a two-pack of glasses printed with a Santa
Barbara logo. The Canary Hotel in downtown Santa Barbara uses them for their
guests’ welcome pour at check-in and when the rooftop bar – with those awesome
360-degree views – is open.
And now, a
new set of Wine Outside glasses. Two weeks ago, driven to act by the COVID
fallout, the company introduced glasses printed with logos in the shapes of
California and Texas – golden backdrops with a single heart in red, pink, teal or
silver. Fifty perfect of the proceeds from the sale of these limited-edition glasses
-- $40 for a set of four and $24 for a pair – go to Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation, whose emergency drive provides funds to people in the food and
beverage industry affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Being a
foodie, and going out to eat lot, I really feel for restaurant workers,” says
Boggs. “It’s one of the most obvious parts of our community that needs our
support.”
Check out wineoutside.com.
