When considering edibles to pair with wine, treats like grilled beef, pungent cheese, and even dark chocolate come to mind. Each offers layers of flavors that mingle with those of a well-matched wine, proving that food and vino just naturally go together.
Amid the verdant beauty of Lompoc’s River Park, organizers of the Vintners’ Festival, slated for April 18, intend to showcase this alchemical relationship between solid and liquid. Featuring the bounty of both farm and vineyard, the festival offers an opportunity to sample the wares of more than two dozen local chefs, while sipping wines from 100-plus members of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association (SBCVA).
Restaurants and food purveyors at this year’s festival include Lompoc-based Saletti’s Restaurant; Enterprise Fish Company and Bacara Resort, in Santa Barbara; and Santa Maria’s own Chef Rick’s and Babé Farms. From the Santa Ynez Valley come Hitching Post II, Roblar Cooking School, Trattoria Grappolo, and Brothers Restaurant at Mattei’s Tavern.
Full of Life Flatbread, an innovative Los Alamos eatery, will turn out thin-crust works of art from a mobile, wood-fired oven, while Global Gardens, a specialty food business in Los Olivos, serves a variety of glazes and spreads.
“For the first time at the festival,” said Theo Stephan, owner of Global Gardens, “we’ll feature our seasonal Club selection. This spring we have our Los Alamos Estate Certified Organic Extra Virgin olive oil, Pomegranate Glaze made with organic pomegranates from Buttonwood Farms, and Strawberry Infused Golden Balsamic Vinegar, freshly infused the week before the festival.
“We also have Organic Chocolate Truffles,” she added, “infused with lavender and rose. Yes! They’re delicious!”
Janet Olsson, who owns New West Catering with her husband, Chef Jeff Olsson, will dish up savory tacos made with green chili and wild boar.
“The meat comes from Broken Arrow Ranch in Texas,” Janet Olsson said, “and it’s genuinely wild. Chef Jeff has worked with the ranch throughout his career and wanted to showcase what they do.
“We suggest pairing the tacos with a Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir,” she added, “like [Richard] Longoria’s Fe Ciega Pinot.”
For dessert, servers from the Melting Pot (where fondue pots simmer on every table) offer cups of creamy, Swiss milk chocolate.
“We’ll also have fruit for dipping—probably strawberries—and cakes, brownies, and gourmet marshmallows, too,” said Jeb Wilson, owner of the Santa Barbara restaurant. “And we’ll have Rice Krispies Treats, because those are always a big hit.
“Our concept is very wine-centric,” he continued. “Wine and food go together; at the restaurant we have a wine wall with about 1,000 bottles of wine, so it was a natural to participate at the festival.
“Plus we’re new in the area,” he added, “so we felt it was a good way to let people know we’re here and that we offer something completely different for Santa Barbara County.”
The festival’s wine country cuisine features fresh, often local ingredients combined to create dishes representative of the region. Attendees can sample grilled tri-tip sandwiches, chanterelle-topped crostini, and strawberry shortcake, and experiment freely with wine parings both wise and wild.
At 2 p.m., festival goers can join the Cheese Impresario and Ardison Phillips, owner/winemaker at McKeon-Phillips Winery, for a tasting of wines and cheeses. On hand will be Barrie Lynn, a specialist in gourmet cheese and writer for Wine Spectator.
Beyond the festival—alive with the buzz of two bands, art exhibits, food and wine tasting, and a silent auction—local producers have lined up a number of winemaker dinners to spotlight the wonder of creative pairings.
On Friday, April 17, Costa de Oro Winery presents a five-course meal prepared by the inimitable Chef Rick, with music by winemaker Gary Burk and his band, the Expensive Winos (937-9512). At Solvang’s the Inn at Petersen Village, Executive Chef Mini Dal Fuoco creates a lavish meal to match the diverse vintages of Lucas & Lewellen and Mandolina (1-800-321-8985).
Before the festival on Saturday, head over to Foley Estates for their Chuckwagon Brunch (737-6222), or to Palmina, where Steve and Chrystal Clifton offer a springtime feast with wines to match (735-2030). That night, Buttonwood Farm Winery presents a “bodacious barbecue” and dance, while Longoria Wines takes over the Ballard Inn Restaurant for an intimate winemaker dinner (688-7770).
Sunday finds the sweet aromas of a Spanish-style roasted pig drifting over McKeon-Phillips Winery in Santa Maria (928-3025), while at Longoria Wines in Los Olivos, staffers pour a vertical selection of Syrah with specially selected chocolates on the side (688-0305).
Santa Barbara County’s wine-makers treasure the synergistic relationship between food and wine. As the heyday of high-alcohol fruit bombs fades, food-friendly wines are ascendant, especially here on the Central Coast, where fertile fields yield a wealth of fresh ingredients and fine wines to match.
K. Reka Badger is building a fruit-bomb shelter. Contact her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Apr 9-16, 2009.