Santa Barbara Wine Tastings & Events
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 Also consult our listings of Santa Barbara Culinary Events
February 11
Santa Ynez Valley wineries welcome visitors year-round, but on different schedules. The weekend before Valentine's Day, all member wineries of the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Association will open their doors for self-guided tours and complimentary hors d'oeuvres throughout the day. A $35 passport ticket includes tastings at a dozen wineries, hors d'oeuvres and a wine country logo glass. Each of the participating wineries will also honor free wine tasting on the following Sunday, when the logo glass is presented. Tickets online at www.syvwinecountry.com or by calling 1-800-563-3183.
February 11
The Santa Barbara County Vintners' Foundation and Direct Relief International will present the American Riviera Wine Auction at the Coral Casino in Montecito. Chef Bradley Ogden will join the region's top vintners, as they pair their private reserve wines with his cuisine. Silent and live auctions will benefit Direct Relief International's domestic and international programs. For ticket information, call 805-879-4948 or log on to www.directrelief.org/vintners2012. Coral Casino, 1281 Channel Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93108, 805-879-4948.
February 18
The Wine Closet in Old Town Camarillo will host a champagne brunch with homemade quiche, baked french toast and scones with fresh preserves and cream. Catered by Oxnard's Fresh & Fabulous Café, the brunch will include four sparkling wines and champagnes. The cost is $25, and reservations are required; call Linda at 805-383-9812. The Wine Closet, 2423 Ventura Blvd., Camarillo, CA 93010. For more information, visit www.wineclosetinc.com.
February 18
Riverbench Winery and Chocolats du CaliBressan will pair up for an afternoon of local decadence in the winery's Santa Maria tasting room. French chocolatier Jean-Michel Carre works in Santa Barbara. On February 18 from 1 p.m.-4 p.m., his luscious artisan chocolates will be served with Riverbench Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The cost is $15 per person. Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, 6020 Foxen Canyon Rd., Santa Maria, CA 93454, 805-937-8340.
Mondays
Monday nights at Coast Restaurant & Bar, diners can "fix a flat"---create their own flatbreads---for just $10 and enjoy discounted glasses of wine. Not a bad way to start the week. Coast Restaurant & Bar, Canary Hotel, 31 W. Carrillo St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101, 805-884-0300.
Mondays
Ease into the week with an affordable evening of food and wine sampling at Herzog Cellars. Mondays from 6 p.m.-7 p.m., guests receive a tasting flight of three wines and small bites from the Oxnard-based winery's restaurant, Tierra Sur, for just $10 per person ($5 for wine club members). Reservations are required. For more information, call 805-983-1560. Tierra Sur Restaurant, Herzog Wine Cellars, 3201 Camino Del Sol, Oxnard, CA 93030, 805-983-1560.
Wednesdays
Bring up to two bottles of wine to Old Town Camarillo's Enoteca Toscana Wine Bistro on Wednesdays, and they'll waive the corkage fee---leaving you with more money to put toward wine-friendly food like baked brie or crostinis with artichoke hearts and gorgonzola gratin. Enoteca Toscana Wine Bistro, 2088 Ventura Blvd., Camarillo, CA 93010, 805-445-1433.
Wednesdays
Cafe Firenze presents Wednesday Night Wine Tastings every week from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Patrons can enjoy a different winery each time, including local favorites such as Opolo, Cantara Cellars, Rancho Ventavo and Carina Cellars. Italian wines from the restaurant's private wine list are featured on the last Wednesday of the month. Wine flights are $10, and a special "Taste of Firenze" wine bar menu is available in addition to the regular menu. Cafe Firenze, 563 W. Los Angeles Ave., Moorpark, CA 93021, 805-532-0048.
Wednesday
Every Wednesday at Root 246, guests can meet the winemakers and vintners behind some of the region's best and newest wines, and pair their products with fresh, simple dishes from chef Bradley Ogden. Featured wineries change every week. A recent menu, designed for Niner Wines, included an amuse of cocoa-dusted foie gras mousse, followed by a salad with sweet potato crisp, smoked brook trout and an apple-persimmon salad. The entrée featured Rosen Farms rack of lamb, ratatouille, merguez sausage and an olive tapenade. Dessert? A six-layer devil food chocolate cake with malt ice cream sundae. The cost is $45 per person. Root 246, Hotel Corque, 420 Alisal Rd., Solvang, CA 93463, 805-686-8681.
Saturdays & Sundays
Spend the day visiting tasting rooms and meeting local winemakers. Sounds like Napa or the Santa Ynez Valley, but now Ventura County has its own wine trail. Though most of the grapes are grown elsewhere, the region is home to a number of quality wineries, ranging from small-batch boutique operations to the kosher goliath Herzog Winery. The tour runs every weekend from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., shuttling passengers to four wineries and a farmers' market. Itineraries change depending on the day. The cost is $75 per person. Ventura Visitors Center, Ventura Visitors Center, 101 S. California St., Ventura, CA 93001, 805-648-2075.
Also consult our listings of Santa Barbara Culinary Events
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RECOMMENDED
WINE SHOP
For additional information
on wine events, please contact:
Renegade
Wines
417 Santa Barbara St., Ste. A-6
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805-568-1961
www.renegadewines.com
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