If you’ve been waiting for the arrival of sultry weather to get into a seasonal groove, you’d better just dive in because calendar pages are flipping by with lightning speed. Labor Day looms, but there’s still time to enjoy summertime events hosted by local purveyors of wine and food.
The second week of August finds members of the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance pulling out all the stops to celebrate their famed winegrowing region. Founded in 2001, the alliance is marking the 10th anniversary of Wine & Fire, an event designed to showcase the liquid wonders of the westernmost vineyards of Santa Barbara County.
The three-day extravaganza begins Friday, Aug. 12, with a rare tasting of large format and library wines made from Santa Rita Hills fruit. A warm-up for the weekend to come, the tasting takes place in Avant Tapas & Wine, located inside Buellton’s Terravant Wine Company, a state-of-the-art wine processing facility.
Also on Friday, folks heading to Lompoc can drop by D’Vine Wine Bar for wine tasting and a savory spread of appetizers prepared by Chef A.J. Selected to match the food, wines poured include offerings from Fiddlehead Cellars, Kellser-Haak, Liquid Farm, Pali, Seagrape Wine Co., and Zotovich, all of which are Santa Rita Hills wine producers.
On Saturday, Aug. 13, get down to business with a Wine & Fire symposium at Alma Rosa’s El Jabalí Vineyard. Clos Pepe’s Wes Hagen, the driving force behind the formation of the Sta. Rita Hills Alliance in 2001, kicks off the event with a discussion of the early days of the region.
The panel of industry stars includes Richard Sanford, Kathy Joseph, Rick Longoria, Morgan Clendenen, Bruno D’Alfonso, and Ryan Carr. Each member will pour wine representative of the celebrated region.
That evening, sample the full range of Sta. Rita Hills wines at the Grand Tasting, held at La Purisima Mission, in Lompoc. Savor the cool climate wines of the appellation, along with succulent appetizers from the likes of Babé Farms, The Ballard Inn Restaurant, the Hitching Post II, and Rooney’s Irish Pub.
On Sunday, Aug. 14, start the day with a breakfast brunch and wine tasting at Avant. The spread includes a chilled glass of Flying Goat Cellars’ aptly named sparkling wine, Goat Bubbles.
For those who’d like to dip into a little Santa Ynez Valley fare, Aug. 13 finds Buttonwood Farm Winery hosting a meal of local delights. This, the winery’s sixth annual farm-to-table dinner, features farm-raised beef and lamb, farm-fresh veggies, peaches from the winery’s own orchard, and, of course, Buttonwood Farm wines.
New West Catering serves up the feast beside the vineyard’s sparkling hilltop pond. The family-style dinner features heirloom tomatoes, grilled vegetables, Anaheim chile rellenos with homemade goat cheese, Tandoori grilled lamb, grilled steer “Florentine,” mole verde braised beef, and desserts ranging from peach ice cream sandwiches, to Alamo Pintado almond turtles.
On Saturday, Aug. 20, People Helping People joins forces with Sogno del Fiore Vineyard to host The Gathering II, an annual wine tasting dinner. The event will benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and People Helping People, a nonprofit organization that provides basic needs and family support services to disadvantaged families and individuals in the Santa Ynez and Los Alamos valleys.
Some of the Santa Ynez Valley’s premier chefs, along with talented cooks from Orcutt, Los Alamos, Paso Robles, and even as far away as New Jersey, will prepare appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Local eateries represented include Full of Life Flatbread, Trattoria Grappolo, and The Chef’s Touch.
Twenty-one winemakers will be on hand to pour wines from Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties. Event host and vineyard owner Jerry Fiore promises that a number of the wines will be unusual offerings not often available for tasting.
“This is the best lineup of chefs and wines,” Fiore said, “that we have been able to put together in the six years we have been hosting such dinners.
“It is difficult to ask for more than a spectacular vista, great friends, and terrific wines paired with gourmet food,” he added, “all to support charities doing great work.”
On Saturday, Aug. 20, Santa Maria residents need look no further for a feast of food, wine, and brew than the rooftop of the Santa Maria Town Center. Here, they can dig into Santa Maria style barbecue prepared by popular restaurants, including A.J. Spurs, F. McLintocks, and Shaw’s, along with libations from 25 different producers of fine wine and beer.
Wineries include Riverbench, Bien Nacido, Sierra Madre, Cambria, and Byron, while breweries, such as Telegraph, Pismo Brewing Company, and Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. provide ample suds. The Valley Road Band, along with other rising musical talents, will be on hand to rock the night away, and help us take full advantage of the remaining days of summer.
Wine & Fire, celebrating the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance, takes place Aug. 12 through 14, in and around Buellton. For more information about events and to purchase tickets, visit staritahills.com/events.
On Aug. 12, enjoy Tastes and Tapas at D’Vine Wine Bar ($25), 6 p.m., at 107 W. Ocean Ave., Lompoc. For information, call 735-8771.
The All Buttonwood Farm Dinner ($100), is Saturday, Aug. 13, 6:30 p.m., at Buttonwood Farm Winery, 1500 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang. For tickets and information, visit buttonwoodwinery.com or call 688-3032.
The Gathering II at Sogno del Fiore Vineyard ($145) is Aug. 20, 4:30 p.m., 2045 N. Refugio Road, Santa Ynez. For information and tickets, visit sognodelfiore.com or call 686-9340.
Santa Maria’s Vino-Q highlights traditional Santa Maria style barbecue on Aug. 20, from noon to 4 p.m., on the rooftop of the Santa Maria Town Center mall. Tickets are $55 onsite or $58 at vinoqsm.com. For information, email amber@vinoqsm.com or call 922-7931.
K. Reka Badger says, “Fire up the grill, the summer’s not over yet.” Contact her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Aug 11-18, 2011.