Throughout the year I drink wine at dinners, various wine events, festivals, tasting rooms, and have samples submitted for review. In most cases it can be difficult to properly review a wine without bottle submission, however, there are moments when a wine seems to hit all cylinders even with a small pour. These are the wines that immediately say "Hello!" 

Some wine media produces publications with wines that are too scarce or soldout. Their 'Top 100' in my view often becomes much like going to a restaurant and looking at pictures of the food and then going home. 

Wines That ...

If you are familiar with wine from the Santa Barbara region, no doubt you have some familarity with Mr Rhone, otherwise known as Andrew Murray Vineyards. Andrew Murray has been a posterboy for high quality Syrah and other Rhone varietals for more than 20 years. 

(Sample Provided by Andrew Murray Vineyards)

It might be difficult for some outside of the region to talk about Santa Barbara without the mention of Sideways, Merlot, or Pinot Noir. Some may recall a scene in the movie that mentioned the lone Syrah that the Pinot Noir loving Miles was excited about.....if you guessed ...

If you have had the pleasure of drinking wine from the famed Bien Nacido Vineyards in Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara County, then you know the fruit coming out is exceptionally special. Winemakers from all over California are lined up just waiting for the chance to obtain some of the States very best fruit. 

The single most widely planted grape varietal in the United States is Chardonnay and it's not much of a surprise that it is also the most consumed wine. As Chardonnay is such a prized and sought-after wine, there's no better way to appreciate it than with a focused event celebrating the grape at this year's third annual Chardonnay Symposium.

The three-day event will commence on Friday, June 29, at Sierra Madre Vineyard (from 6:00-9:30) with a "BYOC BBQ." Bring your own Chardonnay and listen to live music, taste wine, and enjoy all with the comforts ...

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 ...

It's that time of year when the grapes are being harvested and wine is being produced. It's also a time of celebration of the harvest, to enjoy the outdoors with good food and wine, while we still have great weather.

On October 8th, the Santa Barbara Vintners Association put on the annual Celebration of Harvest, held at Rancho Sisquoc winery, in Santa Maria Valley. There was no shortage of media covering this wine event, and I saw many familar friendly faces. Chris Czar was out with his crew taking footage for a television show, while local photographer Bob ...