After four years doing business in the Santa Ynez Valley, Wine Country owner Don O’Neill knew it was time to make a move. So he brought the cozy, no-frills wine bar he purchased in 2005 to a brand new building in the heart of Old Town Orcutt.
“Los Olivos was getting pretty saturated, so we figured Orcutt could use us,” O’Neill said. “We thought it would be fun to start over here and build some clientele.”
Wine Country officially opened its doors on March 10, with a menu featuring hard-to-find local wines and three-wine “flights” of different varietals, including Pinot, Rhône, and Bordeaux.
“It’s not only a bar but retail,” O’Neill said of his establishment. “If you’re looking for a small label, you can find it here.”
Specializing in products from local winemakers Benjamin Silver, Rick Hill, Chuck Carlson, and Prodigal Wines from the Santa Rita Hills, Wine Country also has suds for the beer lover. Brews hail from Santa Barbara, Germany, Canada, Mexico, and China. In addition, the shop sports a gift section including everything a host would need for wine pairings and table settings—from spices and cookbooks to linens and serving trays.
Though wine has become a family affair for the O’Neills, Don wasn’t always in the business. His sister drew him away from building cabinets in Nipomo to Zaca Mesa Winery in Los Olivos, where he eventually spent 16 years, working his way up from the tasting room to facility manager.
Don’s wife Sherrill, an event planner for the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association, is the bar’s co-owner and manager. She worked at Zaca, too, before spending 14 years at Buttonwood Farm Winery in Solvang. Her sons, Tim and Matt Duggan, have also worked for various local wineries, including Fiddlehead Cellars, Buttonwood, and Palmina.
O’Neill said he’s “jazzed” to be making his presence known in a fledgling Old Town area that already includes Addamo Tasting Room and Bistro, Rooney’s Irish Pub, and eatery Trattoria Uliveto.
“Orcutt will finally be a place where you can come park your car and kill a few hours,” he said. “It’s a boomtown. We’re happy to be here.”
Wine Country will eventually offer light munchies and cheese, ambient music and signature cocktails. For now, O’Neill is busy readying the shop for its grand opening on April 2, promising wine specials, hors d’oeuvres, and expanded flights.
Drop by 130 N. Broadway in Orcutt, or call 937-4146.
(Ed. note: Surprise, surprise—our wine writer picked this same business to write about this week. Check out her take here.)
• Spring has officially sprung, and some 65 tenants and more than two dozen local crafters will celebrate with a Crazy Dayz Craft Boutique, presented by the Santa Maria Town Center on April 16.
Attendees will enjoy free entertainment, peruse sidewalk sales and discover crafts from local creators and artists. Plus, the Easter Bunny will be on hand with free gifts for all children. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, call Amber Lease at 922-7931, Ext. 12, or e-mail al@avredev.com.
• The Keenan Carter Group, a real-estate operation serving Northern Santa Barbara County, won an award at a recent Keller Williams International convention for having the third-highest gross-closed commissions in central and southern California.
Keenan Carter Group principal Dick Keenan is a Central Coast native and graduate of Cal Poly in SLO who began his real-estate career in 1985. He and wife Narlene, who also has more than two decades of real estate experience, joined Keller Williams Central Coast in 2003. In 2004, the pair opened Keller Williams Coastal Valley in Santa Maria, and they continue to run both operations.
Keller Williams Coastal Valley is at 2400 Professional Parkway in Santa Maria.
For more information, call the Keenan Carter Group at 773-7711, 489-3400, or toll-free at 1-888-549-4030.
Spotlight is compiled by Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas. Send items for consideration to jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 7, 2011.
