Wine to Check Out: New Bar at Santa Barbara's Fess Parker Hotel is a City First

by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo
photos by Austin Sosa and Andreina Diaz
story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 6/28/16

The new wine bar at The Fess Parker is just off the main lobby (Sosa)

A wine tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara is pretty common these days, but this wine bar is something totally new.

The Fess Parker family of wines, which includes both the Fess Parker and Epiphany labels, has just opened what is the only dedicated wine tasting room inside a local hotel.  The space is elegant and sleek: a lustrous metallic bar anchors an intimate space decked out with leather banquette seating and a wooden communal tasting table, with plenty of natural light.  And located just off the main lobby of the beachfront Fess Parker – A DoubleTree by Hilton Resort, it’s a natural extension of a family enterprise that also includes a wine country hotel and three tasting rooms in the Santa Ynez Valley.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to bring the Fess Parker Winery experience ‘over the hill’ to our hotel guests who aren’t able to journey to wine country during their stay,” says company CEO, and Fess’ son, Eli Parker.  The 24-acre Fess Parker is a 50-50 ownership between the Parker family and the Hilton brand, which also manages the property.

The space occupied by the new tasting room, which is enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass, formerly housed desks for concierge staff and Hertz, which are now located a bit further down the hall.   “For the longest time, people would walk by this area and not even think about tasting wine,” says the hotel’s general manager, Matthew La Vine.   “Now, they see this spot that’s so beautiful, and it’s easy to stop in and sip.”

The tasting room’s centerpiece is the state-of-the-art wine dispensing system, called Enomatic.  Italian-made and found in no other wine venue in Santa Barbara County, it allows for each of the 16 bottles it holds to be temperature-controlled and, using inert gas, completely preserved.  “It’s like you’re having a totally fresh glass of wine every time,” Mr. La Vine adds.  Guests are given pre-loaded plastic cards that are then inserted into the machine, like debit cards into an ATM.  Using portion-control technology, wine is dispensed in 1.5-, three- and six-ounce servings, and the cards are charged accordingly.  Dollar amounts vary based on the wine selected.

The sleek design of the Fess Parker's new wine bar was inspired by the slick Epiphany tasting room in Los Olivos (Sosa)

The 16-bottle Enomatic wine dispensing system is the only one of its kind at a Santa Barbara Co. tasting venue (Diaz)

The wine menu features Fess Parker and Epiphany wines, all by winemaker Blair Fox, which will be rotated over time.  Both labels – TV icon Fess Parker founded his eponymous wine brand in 1987 and son Eli launched Epiphany in 2000 – have long focused on limited-production and vineyard-specific wines.   The 16-bottle lineup this week includes the 2014 Fess Parker Dry Riesling ($2.75 to $12, depending on amount dispensed), the 2014 Fess Parker Chardonnay ($4.75-$19), the 2013 Fess Parker Pinot Noir, Pommard Clone ($6.75 to $25) and the 2013 Epiphany Grenache ($3.75-$15).  With Santa Barbara’s recent heat spurts, the Fess Parker Pinot Noir Rosé has already proven popular.  “Rosé wines are getting new appreciation,” admits Maria Docouto, an year-long employee of Fess Parker Winery in Los Olivos who is now educating guests at the new seaside tasting room.  “They’re made with more complexity nowadays.”

The tasting room can arrange for shipping of wines by the bottle or by the case.  Guests can also enjoy bottles they buy at the hotel’s steakhouse, Rodney’s, with no corkage fee.  Fess Parker and Epiphany wine club members enjoy a 10% discount on tastings and purchases.

The new wine bar at The Fess Parker is open seven days a week and is also available for private parties.

The Fess Parker – A DoubleTree by Hilton Resort, 633 East Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara.  805-564-4333. For info on The Fess Parker, click here.  For info on the Fess Parker wines and properties, click here.

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Sibling Spirit: Brothers Partner in Buellton Distillery

by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo
story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 6/16/16

“Hello,” says Jeff Lockwood, as he passes a small snifter under his nose and then pulls his hand away.  He brings it back slowly, and says, “How are you?”  He repeats, in teasing fashion, and says, “Nice to meet you.”  And then he sips.

Lockwood calls the rather flirtatious method for tasting spirits, “Approach and Retreat,” and he likens it to meeting a pretty woman at a bar.  It’s a technique he learned from a Scottish distiller years ago – a way to acclimate the nose and pick up aromas.  And he’s passing this bit of wisdom on to me, as I sit with brothers Jeff and Jay Lockwood inside an airy storage space in a Buellton industrial park that they’ve transformed into an elegant tasting room.

The Lockwoods admit that the majority of tasters who come into their distillery are wine drinkers – admirers of grapes-turned-beverage who come here in search of new ways to enhance their taste buds.  But in many ways, including the way you sniff smells out of a glass, the way spirits are enjoyed is different, often requiring extra time and extra attention.  “And when you taste, you keep it a while on the tip of your tongue,” Jeff adds, as we sip on barrel samples of cognac.

The Brothers: Jay and Jeff Lockwood with their still

The Lockwood siblings opened Brothers Spirits three months ago, making it the third distillery in Santa Barbara County.  Their career backgrounds are in the construction and real estate industries: Jay, who’s three years older, built custom homes for nearly four decades, while Jeff saw success in property development.  But the younger Lockwood turned his attention to viticulture about a decade ago, when he and his wife, Joanne, founded Bella Cavalli Farms and Vineyard in nearby Solvang.  The 50-acre ranch specializes in equine training and rehabilitation, complete with show barn and half-mile track.  But the onsite vineyard fuels a boutique wine business, too, with an exclusive label sustained by a club-only approach with close to 800 members.

The approach to Brothers Spirit mirrors that of the Bella Cavalli wines: hand-crafted, small yields, high quality.

The idea of partnering in a spirits business was born in 2012, when Jeff began looking at the financials and the potential of the burgeoning craft distillery industry.  These days, “spirits sales are where beer sales were 15 years ago, and where wine sales were 20 years ago,” he tells me.

It took two years to get the proper permitting, and an entire year of daily experimentation by Jay, who exited retirement to become the project’s master distiller, to get Brothers off the ground.  “Equipment matters,” Jay says, as we stand to admire the slender but towering copper flute still that they purchased from Mile Hi Distillery in Colorado  And then there are Jacy’s recipes.

The Brothers spirits are sophisticated, consistently smooth and delicious all on their own.  The Vodka, made from albarino grown on Bella Cavalli, is distilled five times and filtered through coconut shell charcoal.  “A thousand gallons of albarino juice yields just 100 gallons of vodka,” Jay tells me.  It comes out of the still at 190 proof and then cut down with distilled water to the industry-standard 80 proof, or 40% alcohol.  An exotic nose of tropical aromas leads to a velvety, somewhat vicious mouth feel and long, clean finish.

The Brothers Distillery tasting room

The tasting room features original local art for sale

The Blanco Tegave, a tequila made with organic blue agave grown in the Mexican state of Jalisco, has a caramel nose and lovely citrus flavors, with a lengthy finish.   The White Hawk Malt Whiskey is beautifully perfumed and its mouth feel – I’m sipping on it as I write this – is wonderfully creamy.  Technically, it’s a Scotch, but Jay’s recipe uses mesquite-smoked barley, in lieu of peat, creating subtle oaky notes and a beverage that’s complex and approachable all at once.

The Limoncello is made with Bella Cavalli grenache and the zest of organic Santa Paula lemons.  Its nose is bright and alive, its flavors bursting and refreshing.

All the Brothers spirts come in stylish, sturdy glass vessels and retail for $42.  They also come with tasting notes, because they are as satisfying on their own as they are with the right match: “Smoked meats” and “creamy or salty cheeses” for the Vodka, for example, “light seafood, like tilapia” for the Tegave and “pear tart, or drizzled over vanilla ice cream” for the Limoncello.  As I sip the Whiskey some more, the Brothers suggestions make even more sense: “BBQ… nuts and cheese… or your favorite after-dinner cigar.”

The current Brothers lineup

Much of the charm in discovering these spirits stems from the relaxed setting Brothers creates.  “We are going for a real experience, a real professional and educational tasting,” Jay says, “because this is a whole new experience for a lot of people.”  Dark leather recliners, elegant rugs and barrels-turned tables create a private club feel and a space that promotes unhurried, relaxed sipping.  Guests can taste through the four spirits ($8) or order from a short list of five custom cocktails ($10), including Manhattans, Martinis and Margaritas.  Brothers is open seven days a week and until 8pm on Friday and Saturday.

Experimentation defines the Brothers vision moving forward, a clear advantage of producing super small batches of super premium product.  The label is launching a barrel program this summer.  Jay is finalizing recipes for grappa and an 80-proof “adult” lemonade.  And there’s a tempranillo-based cognac in the works, aging in oak casks right now . 

Brothers Distillery, 201 Industrial Way #D, Buellton, 805-691-9259. www.brothersspirits.com.

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Art Outreach: The Goodland Hotel's Latest Project Taps Nationally Renowned Artists

by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo
photos by Rony Alwin
story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 6/17/16

The Goodland, a Kimpton hotel in Goleta, will debut its newest art collection next week.  It’ll feature six large scale pieces that represent myriad media and that were curated from celebrated artists from throughout the country.  It’s also a snapshot of a creative push by the local hotel to feature artwork inspired by Santa Barbara.

This guestroom at The Goodland became the pop-up studio for
New York City artist Michael Anderson (my pic)

“The important part of this story is not that we’re simply putting these fascinating pieces up on the walls,” says the Goodland’s Director of Programming, Lea Sindija.  “These artists became immersed in our community – they lived at our hotel, toured the area, ate at our restaurants, met locals.  What they created represents how Santa Barbara moved them.”

In fact, the artists became resident guests of The Goodland last month, checking in for more than a week.  Their rooms were turned into pop-up artists’ studios, where standard furniture like sofas and nightstands were replaced with work tables and easels, and where wall space was cleared to encourage the creative process.  Between May 12 and May 19, hotel guests and locals were given a chance to visit with artists and to inspect their works-in-progress throughout the day.  All artwork was completed by May 20 and, after framing is completed over the next few days, they’ll be installed throughout the hotel late next week.

Room 108 became a pop-up artist's studio

The nationally-renowned artists commissioned for this project were chosen because “they each have a reputation for works inspired by the surf, skate and street cultures,” Ms. Sindija says, genres that mirror well the Goodland’s own SoCal-chic, Bohemian vibe.  New York City native Michael Anderson, for example, is known for collecting street signs and posters from all over the world, shredding them, and reassembling them to produce large dynamic collages.  “I think this may be the only piece of art that features both Godzilla and Chewbacca together,” he said of his composition during a poolside DJ party held at the Goodland to celebrate the artists on May 19.  Entitled “Chewbacca’s Vacation,” it’s already hanging at the hotel’s popular Good Bar, says Ms. Sindija, “since it’s the one piece that didn’t need to be framed.”

Mr. Anderson’s temporary neighbors at The Goodland included Joseph Ari Aloi, aka JK5, whose well-known tattoo and graffiti art has been tapped by such companies as Nike; Pixote, a Brazilian native and long-time resident of New York City, who’s gained fame with his skateboarding and graffiti scenes; San Francisco-based Aaron de la Cruz, who specializes in stylized and technical abstract art; and Erin D. Garcia, from Los Angeles, who’s best known for oversize colorful installations of floating and overlapping shapes.

Michael Anderson's and his "Chewbacca's Vacation"

JK5 putting on the finishing touches

Aaron de la Cruz at work

The Goodland also procured a sixth piece of artwork from Jessika Cardinahl, a German-born artist known for her large-scale animal depictions who now lives in Santa Barbara; the large scale tapestry is made from hemp and silk.

The new acquisitions are the latest addition to The Goodland’s artsy ambiance, which already includes vibrant outdoor murals, a rotating art gallery near the front desk and a new record shop in the lobby.

The Goodland, 5650 Calle Real, Goleta.  805-964-6241. www.thegoodland.com.

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From Barren to Beautiful: Kimsey Quality is Product of Special Vineyard

by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo
story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 6/2/16

The Kimsey label is putting out some of the most intriguing and delicious wines out of Santa Barbara right now, and that’s not by coincidence.

“What drew me to this industry was the challenge of producing truly quality wine,” vintner Bill Kimsey tells me.  “It’s extraordinarily challenging, since there are so many good wines out there.  But we set out to do everything right to produce a quality product.”

Bill and Nancy Kimsey (and me) at the April release
event for the 2013 Kimsey Wines in Santa Barbara

Kimsey and his wife, Nancy, had long entertained the vintner idea.  When the L.A. couple was living in London in the early 2000s – he was global CEO for Ernst & Young as part of a 32-year career with the accounting firm – they almost bought a vineyard estate in Italy.  When retirement brought them back to Southern California in 2003, they considered buying vineyard property in Australia.  “But all these projects felt too far away, and that would have taken the fun out of it,” he says.

The Kimseys turned to property development when they moved to Santa Barbara a little over a decade ago, and they’re responsible for some of the prettiest buildings that line Summerland’s Lillie Avenue today.  But it was a barren lot in Ballard Canyon – “45 acres that were basically weeds,” Kimsey recalls – that struck a special chord.  They won it at auction, and the gamble that followed has really paid off.

Kimsey Estate was step one in that pledge to quality.  The sweeping vineyard, located in a private gated community and flanked by a barn and a lake, is planted to 22 acres of Rhone wine grapes – syrah, mainly, along with grenache, roussanne and viognier.  All the grapes from the property’s first vintage, 2011, were sold to outside producers.  The Kimsey label released its own proprietary wines in 2012, and the 2013s – a White blend, a Grenache and a Syrah, all priced $60 – hit the marketplace just a few weeks ago.

Matt Dees pouring me some more of the '13 Kimsey Syrah

The second critical element in this project has been the Kimsey team, including young winemaking whiz Matt Dees.  Dees, with previous stints in Napa and New Zealand, came on board in 2012, drawn by the Kimseys’ vision, he says, and by their vineyard’s promise.  “I wanted to find a property with potential that was through the roof,” he says, “and this little property is so unique.”

He continues: “Kimsey juts out where Ballard Canyon is just beginning and it acts, in an abstract way, almost as the far eastern side of Sta. Rita Hills.  You get the warmth you need, but it’s also a cool place at certain times, when the ocean winds come in.  It’s where both worlds meet – so distinctive.”

Dees’ partner is vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano, well known in Santa Barbara viticulture circles, who has “an eloquent touch in the vineyard,” according to Dees.  The friends’ symbiotic approach, which has evolved over myriad local projects in the last 12 years, may best be seen in Block 7, where seven different clones of syrah grow side by side and, during harvest, are picked simultaneously. 

“This block offers something beyond consistent purity,” says Dees, 37.  “It’s a mélange of flavors, acidity, texture, tannin – a mix of all the components that make syrah special.  When we pick, one clone may be very ripe and black and dense, whereas another clone may be more herbal, more pure meat, more spice-driven.  When you pick all those together, you get incredible complexity.”

What’s more, “Ruben and I don’t pick on numbers, but on a feel,” continues Dees.  “It’s a lot of blind luck and intuition, based on understanding the vineyard and on having faith in the wine we make.”

Kimsey Vineyard is in the Ballard Canyon AVA and planted to 22-1/2 acres of Rhone grapes

Kimsey Vineyard is on a 45-acre estate that also features a barn and a lake

At the April release of the 2013 Kimsey wines, Dees was joined by fellow Santa Barbara Co. winemakers
Sonja Magdevski of Casa Dumetz, left, and Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton

Faith comes a bit easier, of course, when wines taste this good.  When I joined Dees and the Kimseys at the recent launch event for the 2013 wines, I was impressed by their complexity and concentration.  The Kimsey White, a roussanne-viognier blend, is creamy and vibrant at once, with lovely citrus and white stone fruit flavors.  The Kimsey Grenache is layered and juicy, with tastes of dried fruits and a plush mouth feel. 

The Kimsey syrah is dense and delicious.  Dees’ descriptors, as he pours: “Dark, brooding, velvet, which then moves to meatiness and black pepper, making this wines both charming and fascinating.”  One of the best Santa Barbara syrahs I’ve had.

Kimsey produces only about 400 cases a year, most of which -- about 250 cases -- is syrah.  The vineyard has an annual output potential of close to 3000 cases, so the majority of the fruit is still being bought up by other boutique projects throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.  “As we continue to build our brand on quality, our idea is to gradually reduce grape sales and increase tonnage for our own estate wines,” says Mr. Kimsey.

And innovation in the vineyard continues: Dees and Solorzano are grafting some of the viognier over to grenache blanc, a grape that the duo believes has a bright future in Ballard Canyon.  “This area carries acid really well,” Dees says, “and that’ll make for grenache blanc wines that stay freakingly fresh.”

For more on Kimsey, click here.

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Miles and Jack do London: Play Version of SIDEWAYS Takes the Stage

by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo

photos of London rehearsals of Sideways, The Play by Pamela Raith

story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 5/20/16

At London’s St. James Theater, the curtains are about to part sideways.

“The story and the characters and the dialogue and the humor live on!” proclaims Rex Picket, the man who wrote the book Sideways and who’s since adapted the very personal tale into a play.

Sideways, The Play premieres in London on May 26^th.  The story is the same one that inspired the Oscar-winning movie from 2004: two thirsty bachelors leaving their mark (and sewing their oats) in Santa Barbara wine country.  The movie, with a punch in the nose to merlot and a gushing embrace for pinot noir, was filmed primarily in the Santa Ynez Valley and, arguably, made pinot everybody’s new favorite red wine.

Rex Pickett in Sta. Rita Hills (photo by Jock MacDonald)

“The play was based on my book,” Mr. Pickett told me during a phone interview from London.  “I couldn’t use any material from the movie that wasn’t in my novel.”  Any changes from the page to the screen – the adaptation by director Alexander Payne that garnered him the Academy Award – were minimal, admits the novelist.  But his statement is a reminder that he still feels a bit squeezed out of the Sideways silver screen spotlight.

“When the dust settled, I sort of felt I’d gotten my pocket picked,” he says, though he follows it up quickly with compliments for Mr. Payne and the film’s stars for bringing his characters to life, and to such high acclaim.  “But there’s no denying that they had their business hats on,” Mr. Pickett continues, adding to his reference the many Santa Barbara wineries and restaurants that are still riding the wave of Sideways’ Tinsel Town triumph today.  “They leveraged its currency and probably saw it as a brand better than I did.”

Mr. Pickett went on to write two sequels to Sideways, “Vertical” and “Sideways 3: Chile.”  But he may have figured out the best way to leverage his own story himself by adapting the original into a play.  The stage version saw its first run at the Ruskin Theater in Santa Monica in 2012 – six months that broke box office records there.  And it went on to a highly acclaimed production, and seven sell-out weeks, at the Potiker Theater in La Jolla in 2013.

Sideways’ success on stage has to do with a story that is “iconic and timeless,” asserts Mr. Pickett, and one that’s “full of raw honesty.”  The plot is personal, indeed.  The pinot-loving protagonist, Miles, is based on Mr. Pickett’s own experiences in Santa Barbara County, from a marriage beyond rescue to many nights spent at The Hitching Post, sipping at its bar and wooing its waitress.  “I put a lot of truth on the page,” he says.  So cathartically, in fact, that “it sucked the marrow from my brain.”

After La Jolla, there was buzz about Broadway, until a pair of producers from London came calling.

Mr. Pickett, who directed independent films before turning novelist, calls his London experience “the most rewarding creative experience of my life, ever.”  He says he’ been treated “with more respect than ever before in my career,” and adds, “It feels redemptive.”  That has a lot to do with the collaborative role he’s been able to play as playwright.  He hired director David Grindley, he was included in the selection of the cast and, when rehearsals started in London on April 23^rd, “I spent 10 straight days breaking down every single scene with the actors.”

The London cast, from left: Daniel Weyman (Miles), Simon Harrison (Jack), Beth Cordingly (Terra), Ellie Piercy (Maya)

Director David Grindley, left, and Pickett work with the cast

On May 23^rd, the cast and crew will move from a rehearsal room to the St. James Theater in central London’s Victoria neighborhood.  The venue seats 312, and its design is a testament to a thriving theater scene where watching a play goes hand in hand with mixing.  “There’s a cabaret downstairs, a restaurant upstairs and, in the lobby, a huge zinc bar that’s manned by four people and easily fits 150 people,” says Mr. Pickett.  “It’s much more of a social scene here, where actors come out after a play and get a drink and mingle.”

Imbibing will certainly be part of the Sideways experience.  Fully manned bar aside, drinks carts will welcome guests as they exit.  “These are people who are going to want a glass of wine!” says Mr. Pickett.  And the St. James Theater is selling VIP seating with wine tasting: for £45 (about $65) guests sample pinot noir from Lompoc’s Sanford Winery and Chile’s Viña Montes after select performances.

Sideways, The Play has serious production demands.  It requires a whopping 22 scene changes and Miles, who will be played in London by Daniel Weyman, appears in every one.  “That guy’s got a lot of dialogue,” says Mr. Pickett, with a laugh.  A London wine critic has also come in to give the cast a crash course on etiquette.  “They didn’t really know about wine but they wanted to get all the details right,” adds Mr. Pickett, “like how to hold the glass.”  And the program gives the audience fair warning of the same bawdy moments that made certain scenes in the book and in the movie unforgettable: “Contains strong language, nudity and scenes of a sexual nature.”

Mr. Pickett, who expects to remain in London through the play’s first few performances before coming home to Southern California, is hopeful that London opens more doors.  “London is really a staging ground for the rest of Europe,” he says.  Even after all these years, “people all over the world are still thirsty for this story and the play is the only way to experience it again with a live audience.”

Sideways is slated to run in London through July 9^th, which happens to be Mr. Pickett’s birthday.

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On the Road: Santa Barbara Vintners Descend on L.A.

by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo
photos by Allison Levine
story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 5/19/16

Santa Barbara wines are hitting the road. 

Actually, it’s one of the most comprehensive reach-out campaigns I’ve seen from our local wine industry in a long time.  Santa Barbara Vintners, which represents the vast majority of the region’s wineries (about 110), is spending the entire month of May in L.A.  The goal is to connect with consumers, media and trade in hopes of making the message stick: California wine country is just up the road.

“It can be surprising how little L.A. people know about Santa Barbara wine country,” says wine marketing whiz Allison Levine.  “But it’s also important to understand – people often don’t know as much about the region as they think they do.”  Santa Barbara is so nearby and familiar, in other words, that the diversity in all it has to offer can be easy to underestimate.

Levine lives in West L.A. but has been covering Santa Barbara County wines for a long time.  She’s a communications expert, an event planner and the creative mind behind the popular wine and food newsletter, Please the Palate.  Santa Barbara Vintners partnered with Levine to produce “Road Trip Los Angeles.”

“We’ve put together no less than 22 events,” Levine told me this week, just hours before putting on a wine dinner at Commissary at the LINE Hotel in L.A.’s Koreatown.  The intimate meal, limited to about 20 consumers, would highlight unusual grape varieties grown in Santa Barbara County and feature wines by Palmina, Municipal Winemakers, Toccata, Tessa Marie and Lieu Dit.

Municipal Winemakers' Dave Potter speaks at the intimate dinner at L.A.'s LINE Hotel on May 15th

“The goal with the wine dinners is to connect people,” Levine says, “because so much about wine is making connections, meeting the winemakers and having small group experiences.  It’s enjoyable, tangible, and once you know their story and who they are, it’s easier to fall in love with their wines.”

A dinner earlier this month at trendy Redbird in Downtown L.A. had a “Mentor & Mentees” theme and starred the likes of Au Bon Climat’s Jim Clendenen and Qupe’s Bob Lindquist alongside men they’ve trained, including the much buzzed-about Gavin Chanin of LUTUM Wines.  And a dinner last week at Messhall Kitchen in L.A.’s Los Feliz neighborhood, with a “Big Reds” theme, spotlighted the wines and principal players of Zaca Mesa, Westerly and Grassini.  Upcoming dinners will be staged at high-profile restaurants all over L.A., including The Rose Café in Venice (May 21), Upstairs 2 at the Wine House in West L.A. (May 25), Maison Giraud in Pacific Palisades (May 26) and Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak L.A. in Glendale (June 2).

There are several wine shop tastings on the calendar, too.  And, like the wine dinners, they target wine buffs all over L.A.; upcoming retailer tastings are scheduled at Vendome in Toluca Lake (May 24), K&L Wine Merchants in Hollywood (May 25) and Monopole in Pasadena (May 28).  More than 50 Santa Barbara County labels are participating.

Road Trip Los Angeles also has trade and media as its target.  For them, “it’s all about breaking it down,” Levine says.  “If you’re a pinot noir drinker, you go to Santa Maria or Sta. Rita Hills, but if you like syrah, you explore Ballard Canyon.  If you know what it is you like, then you can make a B-line toward the wineries that specialize in that.”

Invite-only events designed for industry insiders have been taking place all this week, in fact, with each day dedicated to a specific variety.  Monday spotlighted chardonnay, Tuesday pinot, Wednesday syrah and Rhone varieties and, today, cabernet and Bordeaux grapes.  The events, held at hip Republique on La Brea Ave., have featured 90-minute seminars followed by three hours of walk-around tastings and one-on-one with winemakers.

Santa Barbara Vintners Executive Director Morgen McLaughlin, left, speaks during the pinot noir trade event at L.A.'s Republique as winemakers like Palmina's Steve Clifton, Fess Parker's  Blair Fox and Alma Rosa's Richard Sanford look on

The Rhone wines trade event at Republique featured powerhouses like Steve Beckmen (left), Kaena's Mikael Sigouin, Tercero's Larry Schaffer and Qupe's Bob Lindquist

I’ve always believed that the Santa Barbara wine region’s greatest asset – its diversity and a unique ability to grow a wide array of grapes really well – is also its biggest challenge.  Napa does cabernet, Sonoma does pinot, but Santa Barbara does it all.  It’s a bigger, tougher message to deliver in just one sitting.  So therein lays the genius of Road Trip Los Angeles.  Industrious?  Yes.  A slew of creative events over many weeks.  But that’s how you start the process.  That’s how you begin to tell a story about a place teeming with personality and oozing promise.  Those willing to slow down and listen, and to sip, are bound to want more, hence becoming the visitors and customers.  And that, over time, will allow this very important agricultural and creative endeavor to continue to flourish in our own backyard.

For more information on Road Trip Los Angeles, go to the Santa Barbara Vintners website and use the social media hashtag #sbcwinela.

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J. Wilkes Goes to Washington: State Department Pours Santa Maria Valley Wines

by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo
story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 5/9/16

UPDATE 5/23/16: J. Wilkes is offering a "diplomatic" discount: enter code "WilkesDC5416" at jwilkes.com and get the 3-pack of wines poured at recent U.S. State Department events  -- Santa Maria Valley pinot blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir -- at a discounted price of $60.

The J. Wilkes Chardonnay is a big value at $24

“Regardless of who’s in the White House, I’m a patriot and I love this country,” says Wes Hagen.  “So to know that wines I’ve had a hand in are being poured there feels really good.”

Mr. Hagen has been brand ambassador for J. Wilkes Wines since last year and, just last week, was promoted to winemaker.  The label produces a variety of region-specific wines, with a focus on the Santa Maria Valley.  The fact the wines are now being poured for Washington dignitaries and international heads of state was the product of a “beautifully organic moment,” he says.

Soon after the J. Wilkes label partnered with a new East Coast distributor, Country Vintner, Mr. Hagen and Sales Manager Michael Phillips joined a trade tasting in Alexandria, Virginia.  At any tasting event, “you treat everyone you meet like they could be the guy who buys wine for the President,” says Mr. Hagen.  At this event, one guest actually was.

“I was telling him all about J. Wilkes and the classes on food and wine pairing I’d taught at Alan Hancock College, and he was digging it,” recalls Mr. Hagen about his encounter with Jason L. Larkin.  “When I was done, I asked him for his business card.”

The May 4th Energy Summit Luncheon

Mr. Larkin is the Executive Chef and Events Manager for the Office of the Chief of Protocol at the U.S. Department of State.  That means he’s responsible for purveying and pairing food and wine for any meal that involves political figureheads like the Secretary of State, the Vice President and even the President, himself.

The rest is political culinary history.  Last week, on May 4^th, the 2012 J. Wilkes Santa Maria Chardonnay was poured at a luncheon hosted by Vice President Joe Biden, as part of the U.S.-Caribbean-Central American Energy Summit.  It was paired with a grilled breast of chicken served alongside haricorts verts, stewed tomatoes, red bliss potatoes and a mango-cilantro salsa.  The J. Wilkes Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir was served upon request.

A strawberry-hibiscus iced tea was also poured, and a praline cookie with fudge sauce and crème-anglaise was doled out for dessert.

The chardonnay, which was made by outgoing J. Wilkes winemaker Vidal Perez, showcases “linear stone fruit and beautiful acidity and minerality,” says Mr. Hagen.  And 18 months in 25% new French oak barrels imparts “amazing creaminess.”  The wine is currently sold out but the 2013 J. Wilkes Santa Maria Valley chardonnay is currently in the marketplace and on the J. Wilkes website for $24. The 2012 pinot is also sold out; the ’13 vintage is available for $30.

The Energy Summit Luncheon menu

Wes Hagen

The State Department nod is a big break for J. Wilkes, true.  But Mr. Hagen calls it a boon for all of Santa Barbara County, too.  “I hope these leaders will go home tracing the deliciousness of California back to the Santa Maria Valley,” he says.  “And I hope they realize that wine country goes far beyond Napa and Sonoma, because we’re making wines with lots of food friendliness and elegance here.”

The message certainly seems to have reached Chef Larkin.  He’s tapped another J. Wilkes white wine, the 2014 Pinot Blanc ($18), as well as the 2012 J. Wilkes Pinot Noir for a luncheon hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry this Friday, May 13^th.  The meal is part of a summit between President Barack Obama and leaders of five Nordic countries and will feature guest celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson.

The J. Wilkes brand was launched by local wine industry veteran Jeff Wilkes in 2001.  After his passing in 2010, the label was taken over by The Thornhill Companies, owned by Santa Barbara’s Miller family, who also own the storied Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills Vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley.  Before J. Wilkes, Wes Hagen was the award-winning winemaker for Clos Pepe Vineyards in Lompoc.

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