If you've had the pleasure of touring Santa Barbara's wine country, you likely visited some combination of Santa Maria Valley, Foxen Trail, Los Olivos, Sta Rita Hills, downtown "funk-zone," or Santa Ynez Valley. These fantastic wine trails are posted clearly on most wine maps. Not all of the great spots are included on the maps for mainstream wine travelers to visit, and not all spots are open to the public. Today's Santa Barbara wine business has grown over the years, including new discoveries and AVA's. One of the younger AVA's (2001) in California, and more ...

The movie "Sideways" seems to be a beaten dead horse amongst the wine industry, so much so, it could be called the "S-word."  They say perception is reality and many people's knowledge base sometimes falls on a simple  movie. As exasperated as the discussions might be, the impact has been a lasting one. A well known winemaker called it the "Sideways bump." The Santa Barbara region was heavily blessed with a lot of wine travelers seeking the much talked about Pinot Noir with cash in hand.  While Santa Barbara county may produce some of the best Pinot Noir in ...

The debate is on! Wine has been produced for thousands of years and mainly for the simple pleasure of consumption. Grapes are a crop grown in a dirt field under farmers hands and Gods weather. If you've ever been in a vineyard during harvest time, you know much of the romance is quickly tossed out the window once getting in a very cold vineyard at 4:00 AM. Add the element of being covered in grape juice, spiders,  yellow jackets, back breaking work, suddenly the element of sommeliers, restaurants, and wine pairing dinners  is quickly out the door. Despite ...