Santa Barbara, California – aka the American Riviera – is blessed with year-round sunshine, a surprising shoreline, a foodie paradise, and an array of remarkable native wineries, making the picturesque city a complicated vacation spot for fantastic eating and fantastic wine-ing.
Just a brief stroll from the Santa Barbara pier is red-roofed Hotel Californian, https://www.hotelcalifornian.com/ a trendy Moorish oasis with a surprising black-and-white motif by movie star designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, outsized visitor rooms, al fresco lounges, and an impressed meals and wine program that attracts followers from close to and much.
Traveling oenophiles and native wine lovers can bask in beautiful wines paired with a four-course meal curated and ready by Hotel Californian Executive Chef Travis Watson. The particular evenings begin with an open-air meet-and-greet reception on the patio, adopted by an indulgent four-course dinner that includes a number of wines from a single vineyard, chosen by the winemaker. Each wine is paired with a neighborhood, sustainable dish, akin to Pinot Braised Octopus with Heirloom Beans, Aerated Burrata, Grilled Stone Fruit, Sous Vide Kobe New York with Fresh Corn Polenta, and a dessert of Roasted Apricots, Gulab Jamun Syrup, Rose Scented Meringue, with Lychee-Framboise Rose Sorbet.
The first winemaker dinner honored Niki Williams of the storied Sonoma vineyard Chateau St. Jean. The night started with an open-air meet-and-greet reception on the patio, adopted by an indulgent four-course dinner. Seated on the heart of a protracted communal desk, Niki regaled visitors with insights about “letting the fruit shine,” she stated. “We work hard to grow the best fruit possible in the vineyard, so I try not to leave my fingerprints all over the grapes.”
This month’s Winemaker Dinner at Blackbird is October 20 that includes Chalk Hill Winery hosted by winemaker Sarah Quider, VP of Winemaking for Foley Family Wines. “My goal is to make complex, intense, and seamless wines that are balanced in both richness and delicacy,” stated Sarah. “We have such a tremendous diversity of wineries at Foley Family Wines. We have wineries and vineyards located in various appellations, each with unique micro-climates, soils, and clones. I love expressing this diversity in each of these wines.”
On November 17, visitors will sip world-class wines from Chalone Vineyards whereas mingling with winemaker Greg Freeman, beforehand with Georis/Cowgirl Winery in Carmel Valley, California and Messina Hof Winery in Bryan, Texas. He joined Chalone Vineyard in 2021, bringing twenty years of Monterey winemaking expertise as he writes the most recent chapter in Chalone’s storied historical past.
The closing Winemakers Dinner of 2022 will probably be held on December 15, hosted by second-generation vintner, Courtney Foley of Foley Family Wines. Sip on just a few of the Foley household’s favourite wines from throughout their portfolio take pleasure in one more all-new four-course dinner from Executive Chef Travis Watson.
Guests who benefit from the wines featured on the Winemaker Dinners can expertise them once more by visiting The Society: State & Mason, which is now open every day. Serving as Santa Barbara’s latest refuge for wine aficionados within the bustling Funk Zone neighborhood, the intimate tasting room celebrates the intersection between world-class wines, beautiful delicacies, and immersive, memorable journey experiences.
