Just as the Central Coast beckons as one drives north along Highway 101 and the road turns inland from the ocean, ascending into Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara Wine Country, so does the Santa Ynez Bed and Breakfast, ForFriends Inn. The landscape changes to a pastoral setting filled with oak trees, letting us know
March is the month we celebrate women during Women’s History Month. This year’s theme is women providing healing and promoting hope. That can be interpreted in many ways, and for someone who loves wine, it is a female winemaker who promotes hope by nurturing the vineyard and creating a wine bringing hope as we can
In 2011 I first visited the Dierberg Star Lane Winery winemaking facility. At the time, I was duly impressed with the grandeur of this iconic property. Several years after that visit, I traveled back to Hermann, Missouri, to observe Dierberg’s other production house and the philanthropy Jim Dierberg extended in revitalizing the history and the
The legacy of a winery impacts the wine produced. It can be about the place, the family that owns it, the farming style, or the ranch. All these factors unite to give you the history and story. Folded Hills Winery, a farmstead in Gaviota, symbolizes this more than any winery in Santa Barbara County because
When traveling to Santa Barbara County, especially wine country, most people visit Solvang, Buellton, Santa Ynez, Lompoc, Los Olivos, and Los Alamos. They usually forget about the town of Santa Maria, the region’s best-kept secret. Santa Maria Valley is the most northern Appellation of Santa Barbara County’s AVAs. The area comprises three towns, Santa Maria,
The pursuit of balance in the winemaking process comes in many forms. For many wineries, it is the foundation behind the winery. Balance is very important to the philosophy of Kitá Wines. It is the central theme behind every facet of creating and producing wine from start to finish. The Chumash Perhaps it represents an
Each year the wines from Crawford Family Wines get better and better. I first discovered Crawford wines at the Sta. Rita Hills Wine and Fire event in 2013. The growth and development of both the wine and the winery are impressive as the Horvath’s continue through their pursuit of balance. Since that time, they have
Santa Barbara Wine Country is one of California’s hidden secrets. If you live in Los Angeles, it is an easy picturesque drive. Sometimes I feel like highway 101 is just pulling my car towards the Central Coast on its own. As I make the turn from the coast, drive through the tunnel and ascend into