As we say goodbye to Valentine’s Day, the world’s most romantic holiday, we eagerly anticipate the next most romantic holiday—President’s Day.
OK, well maybe that’s not exactly true. But we can look forward to spicing up President’s Day by celebrating Wine Country Weekend from Feb. 15 through 18. (Can I do a segue or what?) The event, put on annually by the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country Association (SYVMCA), offers a chance to sample a lot of wines from 13 participating venues in our very own wine country backyard. On Feb. 16, wineries will also offer food for guests.
I spoke to Ross Rankin, president of the SYVWCA and winemaker/co-owner with Imagine Wine, who explained why he is excited for this year’s event (hint: It involves a really special wine).
Rankin has been doing this event for quite a long time and is deeply passionate about it, not just as a showcase for wines. Rankin said it’s a good way for the community to show support for local wineries, which are largely family-run.
“This is an event that’s been going with the [SYVWCA] for probably over 20 years,” Rankin said. “Generally there are special wines that are going to be poured. We’re going to pour brand new wines that have just been bottled.”
One of those wines that Rankin is planning on serving for attendees is a 2008 Paradise Mountain Winged Syrah, named for a sculpture done by Rankin’s son, the famed sculptor Blake Rankin. The wine is unique considering how it was made and how lengthy the process was.
“It was aged in barrel for six years, which is extraordinarily unusual,” Rankin said. “And then it was in the bottle for about four years. Very few wineries release 10-year-old wines.”
Rankin said big wines such as syrah can be tannic and have a lot of oak and acidity. They’re the kinds of wines that need to be laid down for a few years before they’re smooth and good for drinking. But to put them in the barrel for that long microxygenates the wines and accelerates the aging process, making it more like a wine that has been in the bottle for 20 years.
“It’s an incredibly smooth wine,” Rankin said. “But it still retains all of its wonderful characteristics.”
In addition to the unique syrah, Rankin said Imagine Wine will also be releasing a 2016 merlot, which comes from the Santa Ynez Valley and was aged in oak for about 2 1/2 years. He will also have a newer syrah from a vineyard called Terra Alta, which Rankin said has a good taste of vanilla.
The merlot discussion led me to ask Rankin if he had experienced what some local merlot makers refer to as the “Sideways slump.” After Paul Giamatti’s infamous rebuke of the bold red wine in the movie that shined a spotlight on our wine country, some local winemakers have told me they had a hard time selling merlot and saw its popularity dramatically dip for years.
Recently, another local winemaker revealed that for the first time in years, their sales of merlot were climbing once again. Rankin didn’t indicate that he personally felt such a hit but said there are reasons why wines such as merlot can experience market slumps or not enjoy the same popularity among lay consumers as with connoisseurs.
“We haven’t made merlot for quite a long time,” Rankin said. “This is the first one we’ve had in quite a long time. I love merlot. It’s a wine that really requires being aged in oak.”
He said that one of the reasons merlot may have slipped in popularity among the masses is that so much of it that is available on the market—almost 96 percent of the millions of gallons available—is not aged in oak.
“They are not real fruit-forward wines,” Rankin explained. “They need to have the addition of the oak characteristics … it’s only 4 percent of the merlot that’s aged in oak. Oak is expensive; it’s $1,000 a barrel. And it only works for four years. So consequently, a wine like merlot isn’t very good if it’s not aged in oak.”
The additional aspect of having so many more wines available in Santa Barbara County make it an exceptionally competitive field. There are 72 different kinds of grapes grown in the county, more grapes than anywhere else in the world. Also, wines often peak and fall as tastes and trends change among consumers. For years, wines such as chardonnay, cabernet, and merlot were deeply popular, whereas now grenache, syrah, and rosés are experiencing a popularity spike.
Events like Wine Country Weekend are the perfect opportunity to get to know even more about our local wines and how they impact our economy and culture. Or you can just come to drink and have fun; no one is going to judge you either way (just please please have a designated driver or use one of the numerous ride services offered in wine country for tastings).
The event has attracted people for years who come from all over the state and the country to visit what are mostly very small and eclectic wineries, Rankin said. Attendees can meet the winemaker and get to know more details about how their favorite wines are made and get tips on other types they also may enjoy.
“This allows people to get to know really small or interesting wineries,” Rankin said. “Generally speaking, smaller wineries are going to make unique wines. … If you like that kind of variety, you can get that by coming to this event.”
Arts and Lifestyle Writer Rebecca Rose loves the merlot. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
REBECCAMENDATIONS
• Anthony’s in Guadalupe is hosting 805 Nights every Friday and Saturday night starting at 9 p.m. Enjoy music by DJ Coqui and a free raffle with prizes at 859 Guadalupe St.
• Tower Pizza continues to be one of my favorite local pizza spots and their supreme pizza (pictured right) is the actual bomb dot com. I don’t eat meat anymore but I do often dream of devouring this entire pizza in a world where meat is actually made of fluffy clouds of love. But don’t worry about me, you should try this pizza immediately if you haven’t already at 436 Alisal Road, suite C, Solvang.
• At Aly’s by Alebru in Solvang, they are serving up mouthwatering dishes of panna cotta with raspberry sauce and passion fruit mousse (pictured left). I know it’s too cold to think about dessert right now, but how can you resist panna cotta? Visit them at 451 2nd St., Solvang.
• Blast 825 Brewery has some great promotions and offers from time to time but I think my favorite is the 15 percent off Wednesdays for teachers. And if you’re in the mood for music on the weekends, the venue has Sweet Charlie Vee and Joe Daddy and the Somethings on Feb. 15 and Keith Cox and another band called Smokin Gunz-Central Coast on Feb. 16. And if you bring in proof of a Yelp! review, you can also get 10 percent off your meal. Enjoy at 241 S. Broadway, Orcutt.
• Allan Hancock College Winery is really making a wonderful name for itself here on the Central Coast. They just freshly labeled a new batch of cabernet sauvignon, which you can pick up on their website for about $16 a bottle. Visit hancockwinery.com/shop/ for more details.
This article appears in Feb 14-21, 2019.