The secret is out about Santa Barbara County wines, but it’s important to keep the recognition ball rolling.
And perhaps there’s no better recognition than being selected to represent the Santa Maria Valley in Washington, D.C. On May 4, federal officials and D.C. folk alike got a taste of the valley in the form of wine when J. Wilkes Wines poured their signature vino at an official luncheon thrown by the U.S. Department of State for the U.S.-Caribbean-Central American Energy Summit.
The Creole-inspired luncheon was created by State Department chef Jason Larkin working under the Chief of Protocol (an official position). Vice President Joe Biden hosted the event. Guests included James Beard Award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson.
The J. Wilkes crew wasn’t able to make it out to the dinner, but at least the wine did. According to J. Wilkes winemaker Wes Hagen, the original plan was to pour all three of the winery’s signature wines—the pinot noir, pinot blanc, and the chardonnay—but only the 2012 chardonnay was poured.
The pinot noir and chardonnay are stocked in-house at the State Department, Hagen said, and he was told by State Department chef Larkin that they’re saving them for an official function with President Barack Obama at a later date.
The wines were selected following a trade tasting event with Larkin, according to Hagen.
“That ended up being a huge deal,” Hagen told the Sun. “I think it’s great for the Santa Maria Valley as a whole.”
The Santa Maria Valley is particularly known for its pinot noir grapes, Hagen said. The winery itself has been around since 2001 and is now owned by Turnkey Wines, which is owned by the Miller Family.
“It was really the first place where the pinot grape was really grown with any success in Santa Barbara County,” Hagen said. “This is the sixth decade where pinot noir has been grown in the valley.”
Hagen attributes pinot’s propensity to grow well here to what is known as the Transverse Ranges, or essentially a crosshatch of mountains unique to Southern California, creating microclimates within the valleys from which grapes draw their flavors. This is part of what’s known as terroir, or the imparting of the environment into the taste of the grape.
“We have a built-in air conditioner, which is the Pacific Ocean. We have a built-in conduit for the cool weather that is the Transverse Range, and the open run from the Guadalupe Dunes to the Santa Maria Valley,” Hagen said.
Because the luncheon—which included grilled chicken breast with haricots verts, stewed tomatoes, red potatoes, and mango-cilantro salsa—was such a big deal to J. Wilkes, Hagen said that the winery plans on re-creating it for a winemaker’s dinner at a later date. Stay tuned.
J. Wilkes Wines is located at 2717 Aviation Way, No. 201 in Santa Maria. For more information, visit jwilkes.com or call 405-450-2324.
Highlights
• The city of Lompoc is holding the Health and Resource Senior Expo on Friday, May 20, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Dick DeWees Community and Senior Center located at 1120 W. Ocean Ave. At the expo, featured activities include health screenings, fitness testing, exhibits on health and wellness, and the return of the Car Fit Program. For more information, contact the Lompoc Recreation Division at 875-8100.
• The 2016 Economic Summit North Santa Barbara County will be held on Friday, May 20, from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Santa Maria located at 3455 Skyway Drive. Guest speakers at the summit include Pacific Coast Business Times Chairman and Editor Henry Dubroff, Sacramento Bee journalist Dan Walters, Santa Maria City Manager Rick Haydon, and Allan Hancock President Kevin Walthers. Tickets are $50 at the door. Call 893-5148 for more information.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in May 12-19, 2016.